World Travel Guide Online

There are many things you’ll want to take as souvenirs from your time exploring the world – tie-dye clothing that looked cool in India, paintings created by talented elephants, novelty booze that tasted good in the right setting, or exquisite carvings that seemed like a bargain until you worked out the exchange rate. But sometimes you’re looking for a more permanent, more impressive and altogether more useful souvenir from your travels – a boyfriend you picked up along the way.

Hooking up on the road isn’t that different to trying to score back home and can often be even easier as people are in ‘anything goes’ holiday mode. At home or away, bagging the guy you have your eye on is pretty easy as long as you take care of the three Bs – boobs, beer, and ball games of some description. But the game you choose to chat about could just be the clincher, depending on the nationality of the traveller you’ve set your sights on.

Naturally there are all kinds of guys from every country on earth, but just to get you started along the right path here’s a whimsical guide to impressing guys from the main backpacking nations around the world and to keeping hold of them, just in case you’re in the market for a more permanent souvenir…

Charming a Canadian

First impressions:

Renowned for their unabashed niceness, it’s not too tough to get off on the right foot with a Canuck. In fact, all you need to impress them off the bat is 10 minutes of Wiki-research. Memorise a few names to demonstrate your knowledge of his countrymen – famous faces that are generally thought to hail from south of the border. A brief internet stint will turn up a host of singers, actors, and (above all) comedians that you never knew came from Canada – and gushing about the comedy talents of John Candy, Mike Myers, Dan Aykroyd, or Jim Carrey will certainly gain you Canuck points.

Keep him interested:

Like most men, sports and beer are common interests of the Canuck – and of course the sport in question here is hockey. If you happen to find a random bar in Bangkok or a Palau pub that is showing Canada’s unofficial national sport (on paper it’s lacrosse!), just keep in mind two golden rules and you’ll soon melt even the frostiest of Canadian hearts. Always call it hockey, not ice hockey (for a Canadian there is no other kind), and never complain about the violence (that’s the best bit). If you can throw in a pitcher of cold beer and a plate of buffalo wings, you’ll have him eating out of your hand.

Under no circumstances:

Never ask a Canadian which part of the States he is from. Nothing irks a Canuck more than the presumption he’s American – not through any hatred of their southern neighbour, but just through a desire to be recognised (hence the presence of copious amount of maple leaves generally found covering Canadian luggage).

Bagging a Brit

First impressions:

It’s pretty simple to make a decent first impression on a Brit – you just have to order a pint. OK, here comes a sweeping generalisation: British men tend to like a girl who can join in with the guys. Sure, in an ideal world they’re seeking a Pamela Anderson lookalike – but when she opens her mouth they often seek funny, crude and bloke-ish over giggly and appearance-obsessed. The first step to being a so-called geezer-bird (translation: a dude-chick) is enjoying a beer and a bit of toilet humour.

Keep him interested:

Once the preliminary pint-drinking is out of the way you can easily impress a Brit with your knowledge of their national sports – namely football, rugby, and cricket. Knowledge of the off-side trap is a definite winner. Master the ins, innings, overs, and outs of cricket and you could be talking wedding bells. But if he suggests an impromptu marriage, don’t take him too seriously. Sarcasm is his favourite weapon and if you hope to get anywhere with a Brit you have to take everything with a massive pinch of salt, not only to stop him hating your gullibility but also to save yourself from unintended offence!

Under no circumstances:

Don’t call it “soccer.” Most Brits are open to diluting the Queen’s English with a touch of American slang – if only to make them sound a little cooler – but to a Brit it is called football and never, ever soccer. And whatever you think of it, to most Brits its tantamount to a religion – so don’t expect to get far if you insult the beautiful game.

Scoring with a South African

First impressions:

This might seem like a ridiculous thing to say on a site frequented by independent travellers, but a good way to start with a South African is knowing where South Africa is! Considering the name of the country it seems an even more ridiculous statement, but amazingly the number of times South Africa gets confused for a continent is surpassed only by the number of times Africa get confused for a country. Find it on a map, memorise a couple of border nations, and you’ll be on the right path with the South African male.

Keep him interested:

Be Lara Croft. South Africans are fond of the outdoors and love a girl who can get down and dirty. But if you can manage to look super hot and stylish while bungee jumping or bush walking, the South African man could well be yours. Throw in some serious South Africa knowledge and you’ll be well on your way to taking home a human souvenir to meet your parents. The rules of rugby and cricket are good starters, proclaiming your love of biltong (a spicy version of jerky) will have him hooked, and then clinch it with a random fact about South Africa’s back of beyond (which, in the interests of your scoring success, is officially located in a town called Pofadder).

Under no circumstances:

Refrain from asking if there are wild animals roaming the streets. Think of all the animal-related questions you’d love to ask – and then keep them to yourself. He didn’t have a pet rhino in his childhood, he’s never seen a lion in the town square, and he never rode a zebra to school. You might well be asking in jest, but he’s most likely heard these comments a dozen times before in all seriousness, so he might just fail to see the funny side.

Enticing an Aussie

First impressions:

Admire their drinking skills. Like many beer-mad nations Aussies like to believe they down more of the amber nectar than anyone else, and an offhand comment like ‘wow, you guys can really take your ale’ is a sure-fire conversation starter (unless you find the only Aussie tee-total backpacker in the world).

Keep him interested:

Keep the admin to a minimum. The Aussie is a low maintenance kind of guy, especially when he’s travelling, so fussing over whether your thongs (flip flops) match your thong (g-string) is unlikely to impress him. Anything involving the beach probably will, though, so sharpen your Frisbee skills, give surfing a go, and grab another stubby (beer). You can worry about the state of your hair once he’s gone to bed.

Under no circumstances:

You can’t expect him to ditch the wife beater. Australian men are generally an easygoing bunch, but you will have to learn to love that saggy singlet if you’re going to get along – it’s practically national dress.

Attracting an American

First impressions:

Don’t jump on the bandwagon. Sure, in recent years it’s become cool to hate on America and all who hail from within its borders, but obviously criticising someone’s homeland is unlikely to endear you to them. Have an open mind about your American beau having an open mind. They’re not all dumb, they do know where Canada is located, they don’t all think Superman is a real guy, and they don’t take kindly to people who believe every stupid rumour they’ve heard about Americans. Ask intelligent questions and the American backpacker might just notice you.

Keep him interested:

Swot up on sports. As you can see from the entries above, this is true of guys from every country – but Brits and those from the southern hemisphere tend to have a downer on American sports, so learning a few of baseball’s basic rules is sure to keep him interested. Find the nearest American-themed bar wherever you are and settle in for a few hours of baseball, football, or basketball. Of course, you don’t want to know too much – letting him teach you his passions will keep the conversation flowing until you know each other better. But a basic knowledge is a good idea, if only to stop you asking annoying questions like ‘why do they stop and chat every couple of minutes? Why can’t they just get on with it?’

Under no circumstances:

Don’t go on a rant about American beer. Some men you meet might agree with your tirade on the King of Beers, while others might be Miller men and most offended that you consider their beer of choice something akin to urine. And anyway, the wealth of craft breweries across the States makes the ‘American beer is crap’ argument moot. Other no-nos include mocking the language or claiming that American football is just a girly version of rugby.

Courting a Kiwi

First impressions:

Tune your ear to the finer points of the Kiwi accent. Just like asking a Canadian which part of the States he comes from, a guaranteed way to get off on the wrong foot with a Kiwi is to ask him which part of Australia he calls home. Downloading a few episodes of “Flight of the Conchords” could help you train your ear, plus as one of New Zealand’s favourite comedy exports it’ll give you a winning conversation starter as well.

Keep him interested:

Acknowledge his nation’s rugbying prowess. Rugby is the nation’s unofficial national sport as well as its unofficial religion. A few comments noting the All Blacks’ unmatched win-loss record will get you far, and knowing the difference between rugby league and rugby union will get you further. Announcing your opinion that Kiwis play rugby better than their southern hemisphere rivals Australia and South Africa will at worst get you another date and at best get him talking honeymoon destinations.

Under no circumstances:

Do not obsessively ask him to repeat words you find comical. Yes, it’s fun to get a Kiwi to order fish and chips in a restaurant, especially if you can prompt them into ordering seven portions. And of course the Kiwi pronunciation of the word six is always hilarious to an outsider. But after being begged to repeat these words a dozen times over while fellow travellers giggle inanely at their clipped vowels, it gets kinda old.

Read more of Lucy Corne’s articles on BootsnAll, and learn more about Lucy herself in her bio.

photos, top to bottom, by: Phil Hawksworth, Kevin O’Connor (and may not be used without permission), Fritz Park, OzStryker, Lucy Corne (and may not be used without permission), Brainless Angel

Source: bootsnall.com

It’s an inescapable fact in the foreigner scene abroad: a divide exists between backpackers and expats, and the animosity that emanates between the two sides can sometimes be as spicy as Thai green curry. Among the expat community, “tourist” and “backpacker” are often used as dirty words, whereas “expat” can be sometimes be heard with a negative tone amongst backpackers.

Having been both a backpacker and an expat myself, I’ve experienced and observed the animosity from both sides. Both expats and backpackers usually have genuinely solid reasons for any ill feelings that may exist between the two.

That said, many backpackers and expats get along just fine. Indeed, as one expat put it: “backpackers seem mostly like nice kids. I give ‘em lift when I’m going their way.” And many backpackers see expats not as a source of abhoration, but as a source of infinite knowledge about the town or city they’re in.

But one cannot ignore the snide comments, the malevolent looks, the crude jokes, and the general hostility that are often hit back and forth in touristy towns between those foreigners who are visiting, and those foreigners who are staying. Despite the fact that many expats may claim everlasting love for backpackers, the t-shirts hanging in the windows of many shops in backpacker towns proclaiming, “If it’s tourist season, why can’t we shoot them?” would have many believe otherwise.

So, let’s give each side their fair say.

Hey guys, why all the hate?

First, let’s start by defining, just so that there can be no misinterpretations, just what exactly is a backpacker, and what is an expat.

Expat is short for expatriate, which is defined by the Oxford dictionary as a person who lives outside their native country.

The Oxford dictionary doesn’t carry the term ‘backpacker’, but the Macmillan dictionary defines a backpacker as someone, especially a young person without much money, who travels around an area on foot or public transport, often carrying a backpack.

Backpackers Weigh In

The differences may lie in the very different situations that people from each side find themselves in, explains Digby Smith, an Australian who backpacked around Southeast Asia. “Expats can be on a different wavelength due to being familiar with their surroundings and often have other priorities.” Smith also acknowledges that his kind may be to blame: “In party towns and cities, I think backpackers can annoy some expats.” However, he points out that expats are not totally innocent: “I have noticed them to be rude and sometimes a bit arrogant towards local staff,” says Smith.

Backpacker Scott Gibson, originally from Canada, is a little more blunt when it comes to his feelings about expats. When asked how he feels about them, he replies simply, “not a huge fan.” He explains why: “they tend to want to share their infinite wisdom of a place with you in a very condescending way. As far as males go, I think it’s pretty pathetic to move somewhere so you can be with a woman normally out of your league because of your money.”

Johan Falk, who hails from Sweden, has been backpacking for over a year. “I feel sorry for most of the ones I’ve met in Southeast Asia. It seems like most of them are here for one reason: boom boom, except for the ones that work with dive shops or running a serious guesthouse.” Falk says he feels that most expats tend to have an I-was-here-first attitude, making other travelers feel unwelcome. All this being said, Falk qualifies that often these expats are the exception to the rule: “I’ve met so many nice expats willing to offer their time and help.”

Expats Get Their Say

Expats, of course, have their own take on the situation.

Anne-Marie Drozdz, an expat living in Vietnam, had one particularly off-putting experience with backpackers when she was living in Turkey, and went on a cruise: “There were 19 ’round the clock drunken backpackers,” she explains. “They were loud and disrespectful towards the Turks. They created havoc on this four-day trip.” Drozdz also explains that she felt animosity from those same backpackers when they discovered she was an expat, living in Turkey at the time.

Drozdz gives her take on the possible reason for expat animosity towards backpackers: “Expats have a deeper knowledge and understanding of the culture, language and customs of the host country and when they see backpackers barreling in for a few hours and being disrespectful or whatever, then maybe that causes resentment.”

Nicole Hill, who lived as an expat in Central America, says that expats have every right to make a stand when backpackers cross the line: “We’re the ones who have to deal with the lasting impression it creates of foreigners, Brits, Americans, whatever. Even if you’re not one of the ‘bad’ tourists, by virtue of the fact that you’re going to be moving on soon, you’ll behave differently to those of us who live and work in places.”

Manis Ender, originally from Germany and living in Thailand, acknowledges that there may be subconscious animosity towards backpackers from expats. “I have no honest interest in them, their stories, or countries they have traveled,” says Ender. “Often they just bore me on the first sight.” Ender goes further to explains that backpackers often give off a bad image, which makes him prefer to avoid them: their dress code, their pack-like behaviour, as well as their ignorant and arrogant behaviour are all things that Ender finds off-putting.

Can’t We All Get Along?

Digby Smith thinks so. He suggests that expats be more mindful of backpackers’ predicaments: “I think that expats can forget they were once new to the area and forget that they may have been in the same position.”

Anne-Marie Drozdz thinks that backpackers should also be mindful of their surroundings, saying that they might take care to “behave reasonably towards the local community and respect the culture.” Drozdz says that everyone – expats and backpackers, should try accepting people “for what they are and respect their decisions to either travel short-term or stay in a country.” (Unless they are pedophiles, she qualifies.)

At the end of the day, it seems that each side has its valid points. The positive side is that both backpackers and expats are able to acknowledge the others’ strengths, and their own weaknesses, which is the first step towards building a strong relationship.

We certainly won’t be seeing expats and backpackers singing kumbayah on Khao San Road any time soon, but if each side is ready to make some concessions, there might be the possibility for a little more love in the world abroad.

photos supplied by Kaila Krayewski & may not be used without permission

If you love to travel you’ve probably also spent a fair bit of time philosophizing on the art.

All long-term travelers eventually ask themselves questions like: “How do I define what I love so much about this?” “How do I explain to a non-vagabond the fact that colors seem more vivid, smells more powerful and tastes more rich when I’m on the road?” and “Should I wash this?” (If you have to ask, the answer is probably “yes”)

As these introspective souls get a little older, another question might sometimes sneak into their minds: “is travel still just as important to me as ever?”

That’s a question that I’ll sometimes force upon myself. The fact of the matter is that I know the answer, but I like to challenge myself with it. Especially when I’m feeling road weary.

It’s a question that was running through my head on a recent flight from Munich to Los Angeles when the flight attendants requested that all passengers with window seats close their shades.

The shades snapped shut, leaving the plane in a self-induced nighttime. All except for one. One shade stayed open and it was that one shade that allowed a sliver of light to enter the plane—where it beamed with laser like intensity directly at my retina.

I was in the middle seat, of the middle row, and at first that beam of light bothered me to no end. It kept me awake. It blinded me from seeing my in-flight movie screen. It kept me from sleeping. Basically, it drove me crazy.

I leaned forward to discover who had dared to leave their shade open. They must be, I assumed, selfish, terrible people. They must have no affection for the rest of humanity.

What I saw instead was a middle-aged couple. Late middle aged. Looking out the window with the joy of two five year olds. Giggling. Peering. Pointing. They were so fascinated by whatever they were looking at that you would’ve thought they’d discovered the lost city of gold, sitting on a bed of clouds, guarded by unicorns.

Five hours into the flight that beam of light got more intense. It illuminated my face as if I was rapidly approaching nirvana. Unfortunately, I wasn’t. My eyes started to ache. My face started to sweat. Finally, I asked the flight attendant to ask the couple to lower their shade.

They did lower it. Halfway. The light beam was out of my eyes and landing faintly on my chest now. That I could deal with. And then, for the rest of the flight, the couple craned their necks in what looked to be the most uncomfortable and awkward way possible, so that they could still both see out the window.

It was then that I realized that something special was going on.

An hour later, with the rest of the plane enjoying the airline’s artificial nighttime, the couple raised the shade up an inch or two, putting the glare back in my face. I huffed a little. I might have even grumbled. But as I watched them, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something magical was happening. The better side of my personality argued with my less patient side, saying: “don’t you dare screw this up for them, don’t you say a word.” And so I didn’t.

Until the end of the flight.

Walking out of the causeway, short on sleep, I sidled up alongside the couple. I had to ask what they saw out there that had them so thrilled, what beauty was I missing by sitting in the middle seat of the middle row?

Reluctantly, the woman told me in broken but excited English that it was her first time in an airplane. Her first time above the clouds.

She went on to explain that what she saw out that window, was her home of Germany and then all of Europe growing small and distant below her. After that there was an ocean that seemed to last forever.

She also saw about six hours of sunset, as we chased it westward.

“She never saw those things before,” her husband added.

I thanked them both. They’d inspired me—and reminded me just how lucky I am for getting to travel as much as I do. Their excitement at looking out the window and the genuine joy they found in something that we often take for granted reminded me why travel has the potential to be such a transformative experience.

It doesn’t have to be about the new or untouched, it doesn’t have to be the biggest of fastest or wildest. What matters is that it’s new to us. And that we are able to find beauty in that.

The woman reminded me to look at the world with the eyes of a child. As a traveler, I find that challenge incredibly exciting.

In fact, I think it’s the whole point really.

Photo by jacQuie.k on Flickr

Traveling is one of those activities that doesn’t need too much encouragement to do. I have to admit, traveling has never really been one of my favorite things to do, but those feelings have intensified since I found out that life isn’t as fair as it was when I was ten years old.

But, sometimes we need encouraging. We need someone to help us pick up the phone, or drive to a travel agent or just ask the simple question; “where do you want to go”. Everyone is different when it comes to coming up with reasons to do anything, but taking a vacation shouldn’t be a long grind. It should be like having a party – and who really needs a reason to have a party?

Of course, if you need a reason to take a vacation – here are 10 reasons right off the top of my head:

10. All your friends are doing it.

If everyone jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge, would you do it?” The answer is a resounding – yes! Who doesn’t want to fit in – and even though it is the Brooklyn Bridge – keeping up with the Jones’s is better then doing the same old thing. If your neighbors know that you are the best person to watch over their house while they are gone on vacation – because you never take one, it might be a good idea to update your passport.

9. Your screensaver on your work desktop is a picture of a island getaway.

I know that when feelings for traveling get stronger, I surround myself with photos and little write-ups that talk about far off places. And seeing as how pictures speak louder then words, one place that I always update is my desktop at work. Picturing a beautiful sunset give way to light of the moon puts me right in the mood to find myself on that piece of salty land.

8. The first part of the newspaper you read is the travel section.

I used to do this because it was the only part of the Sunday paper that my dad didn’t like. Now that I have my own subscription to the Sunday news, I flip through the funnies to get me ready to read about the next celebrity appearing in rehab – or the lottery winner who just went bankrupt. The travel section very rarely leaves the bulk of the paper, until the bug resurfaces itself and makes me read about some all-inclusive resort in Antigua.

7. Stress levels have far exceeded their maximum.

Very seldom do I suffer from stress –having said that, my stress-o-meter is a good indicator as to when I need to recharge my battery. I know people that get stressed out when ordering a sandwich at the local deli. If stress is your enemy, then one sure fire way to combat it is through rest and relaxation – or at the very least, changing what you are doing. Either way, a vacation can help accomplish both.

6. You can’t seem to find anything else on television except what the Travel Channel is airing.

I love the Travel Channel, but even I get the itch when I’m watching it for more then 10 minutes. The shows that they put on their make you feel like you’re right in the middle of the action – which is great. But, when you watch one show after another and think that the existence is better on the screen then in your living room, then give into your intentions and book that trip.

5. You have extra spending money.

Money is what makes it all possible, and to have extra amounts of it, regardless of how much, is a great feeling. If you are thinking of whether to take a nice ski vacation/tropical getaway or spend it on the first 5 seasons of Seinfeld DVD’s…remember that Seinfeld re-runs are still running.

4. You really want to wear those flip-flops and that Hawaiian shirt.

Nothing says “look at me, I’m on vacation” more then a shirt that goes with everything! I used to have a closet full of these types of shirts – but since I got married, my wife gave me an option…loose the shirts. Not much of an option – but I did manage to keep one or two. Nothing says ‘cruiseware’ then hula girls dancing around your chest.

3. You love sending home postcards from your trip.

I swear that this was always something that I enjoyed doing more then maybe I should have. Making people envious of the fact that you can and will take a vacation is a sign of validation for all those times that you looked after their house while they were gone. Inasmuch as I hate receiving them, the thought of writing to someone that you are having a great time and wishing, albeit ungenerously, that they were there is priceless.<

2.You have time off from work.

all the reasons for not traveling, this one has to be the biggest. Its one thing if you don’t have time off from work – but your excuses fall short when you are allotted the time to not show your face in the office. Getting away from all the fiber optic gear and swaying to the sounds of a calaypso band might be the best remedy, and what better way to do that then having a nice boat drink on a cruise to the Caribbean.

1.You deserve it.

There is no better reason to travel, or to do anything for that matter, then because you deserve it. Even if you feel like you don’t deserve it, don’t blind yourself with the negative things that you have done all year. We are all made from the same cloth, and in the long run the option to do nothing is something that everyone, at one point or another should strive to achieve.

Without doing too much homework, I’m sure that anyone can come up with a few other reasons to pack your bag and get moving. If life is making you wish that you had some sort of outlet – remember that traveling is always a great remedy.

Photo by Zoltan Papp.

1. Graduate high school
2. Go to college
3. Start your career
4. Get married
5. Buy a house
6. Have children
7. Watch them grow up
8. Send them off to college, then to start their careers
9. Become a grandparent
10. Retire, travel, and enjoy life

It’s the American dream, right?

Anyone who has grown up in the United States usually has some variation of what I like to call the “10-point-plan.” It has been ingrained in our brains since youth. The majority of Americans just take this life path as if we have no other choice.

As a 28-year-old married professional at the beginning of my career, that’s the direction I was heading, along with my wife. Then one evening after work, we took our dog for a walk.

“So, I was reading a blog about this couple who took a year-long trip around the world,” my wife innocently blurted out as we were strolling around our suburban neighborhood.

With that simple statement, our “10-point-plan” was about to be turned upside-down.

I have to admit that even though I loved to travel, the thought of traveling internationally for a long period of time never crossed my mind. I wasn’t exactly ready to purchase a house and start popping out kids, but I also wasn’t ready to completely blow up the “10-point-plan.” My initial reaction to my wife’s question on that fateful dog walk wasn’t exactly positive, and it was the reaction that most others had once we eventually decided to take the trip and told them what our plans were.

Most Americans think it’s absolutely insane to quit their jobs to travel for a year. If it’s something you’re thinking about doing, you will probably run into many questions from friends and family who don’t think it’s possible. After a while, we found that the same three concerns kept popping up.

Here’s how you can put yourself, your family, and your friends at ease.

Misconception 1: No one else travels long-term until they’re retired, so why should I?

Long-term travel before retirement is a totally foreign concept because very few people in the U.S. actually do it. It’s just not part of our culture.

It’s not uncommon for Australians to take a year to travel after college, or, in some cases, after high school. Many Europeans do the same, or they may work for a few years to save up some money and go explore before they have children. A large number of Israelis take their military pay after their obligations are met and take off to see what the rest of the world has to offer. But Americans just don’t put international travel at the top of their priority list.

If you do decide to buck the trend and do what many others think impossible, it will intrigue most everyone you encounter. You become a quasi-celebrity overnight. Once people find out about what you’re going to do, they will be curious and want to chat with you about it. Once you return home from the trip, the same thing happens. Everyone is excited to see you and hear all about your exotic adventures abroad. You are suddenly known as “the world travelers.”

And let’s be honest, who doesn’t like attention and feeling famous?

In addition to this newfound fame, it is much easier to get off the beaten path and make your money last by traveling on a budget when you are younger. Not many retirees have the strength or stamina to endure 24+ hour bus rides through the mountains of Bolivia. Hiking the Andes and Himalayas are also tougher things to do when you reach a certain age.

Of course there are exceptions to every rule, but I can’t count how many people in my parents’ generation lamented that they were jealous of what we were doing and wished they would have thought of doing something similar when they were our age.

Misconception 2: Taking a year off to travel will ruin my career.

In this economy, that is a realistic and obvious concern. No one wants to spend their savings traveling only to come home to a jobless market. But before just assuming that getting a job when you come home will be impossible, or that the gap in your resume will cause it to be thrown in the recycling bin immediately, look at it from a more optimistic perspective.

Because so few people in this country travel the world, it becomes a point of interest when someone finds out what you did. Turn that one-year employment gap in your resume into a positive by mentioning what it did for you as a person and how that makes you valuable to a prospective employer. Add your international travel experience into cover letters just as you would job experiences.

Isn’t standing out what we were always taught was important when writing resumes and cover letters? What better way to stand out than to have experiences and attributes that very few other people have?

Leaving your job and traveling long-term will also afford you the opportunity to look into a new career. Even if you do love your job at home, you probably don’t love it that much, or else you wouldn’t have quit it to travel. So use this opportunity to try something new.

Put the time into something you’ve never had the chance to do before. Write, sew, draw, make music, study photography, or learn a new language. Who knows, you may tap into a talent you never knew you had, and that could possibly translate into a new opportunity once you return home.

Misconception 3: You’re going where? Aren’t you afraid of being kidnapped, killed, drugged, robbed, etc.?

Fellow employee: “So I heard you’re going to travel abroad for a year. That’s awesome. Where in Europe are you going?”

Traveler: “Uh, actually, we’re not going to Europe.”

Employee (looking bewildered): “No Europe? Where are you going then?”

Traveler: “Well, our plan is to start in South America, then maybe some time in New Zealand, then Southeast Asia, and India.”

Employee (with a questionable expression): “Well, I hope you take a gun, and if not, it’s been nice knowing you.”

I can’t count how many times I had some variation of the above conversation with someone, whether it was a friend, a family member, or someone I worked with. Even after we returned, one of the first questions people asked was, “Were you ever scared? What place made you feel the most uneasy?”

I’m not going to lie and say that I didn’t have similar concerns when first trying to figure out where we would be traveling. The media in this country doesn’t exactly make it desirable to head to a place like Colombia (which, coincidentally, was my favorite country on our trip). So it wasn’t a huge shock to hear concerns like these.

The problem with listening to all the fear-mongering, however, is that most people who were trying to scare us into not going to these places had never been there themselves. If I’m going on a trip somewhere, wouldn’t it make more sense to talk to someone who has actually been there?

It seems so logical, but it’s difficult not to listen to vocal majority, many of whom have no idea what they’re talking about. Once we started researching on message boards and getting in touch with real people who had actually been to places in South America, Southeast Asia, and India, our concerns became a non-issue.

Violence happens everywhere. We all know this. And less than 48 hours after our departure from our nice, safe, Midwestern city, our families got a sad reminder of that point. We received an email from a family member telling us about a bomb that had gone off in the office building garage next-door to where my wife worked. Luckily no one was killed or seriously injured, but while so many of our loved ones were concerned about our safety in Peru, a bomb was detonated in an affluent neighborhood known for minimal crime. How’s that for irony?

Redefining “Crazy”

You can ask yourself all the logical questions in the world to try to prepare for something like this. Going against societal norms, affects on career, and safety of traveling in developing countries were questions we researched ad nauseam.

Any big lifestyle change, though, whether it’s heading off to college, buying a house, having a child, or taking off on a trip around the world, brings big risks and unknowns along with it.

The problem with our lifestyle change was that it was so uncommon to our families, friends, and culture in general.

Even though concerns abounded about how this would affect our futures, the main thing we kept coming back to was the feeling of regret. If we decided not to go, would we regret it ten, twenty, or thirty years from now? Ultimately, that’s what it came down to. Regret. We felt like we would never forgive ourselves if we didn’t do it. That was much riskier than any other possible ramifications.

To us, not quitting our jobs and traveling the world was crazy. Doing it seemed logical.

all photos by Megan & Adam Seper and may not be used without permission

Franz Wisner: Professional Honeymooner

Franz Wisner is a fearless traveler, a highly accomplished writer and one of the most affable vagabonds you’ll ever meet. And to think that it all started with getting left by his fiancé just before their wedding day. In his words, “I got dumped at the altar and turned it into a career.” Reeling from the breakup and unable to cancel his honeymoon, he took his brother Kurt along—a trip that the brothers extended over the course of the next two years. Franz’s first book, the aptly titled Honeymoon with My Brother, details this journey and the deeply personal revelations that came with it. Franz made a splash on Oprah and the book went on to become a bestseller. His follow-up, How the World Makes Love, just came out in paperback.

Beginning March 8th, Franz will be teaching an on-line course for mediabistro.com on travel memoirs. Reserve your seat in the front row.

I’d describe my travel style as personal.

Meaning I’m less interested in the Eiffel Tower and more interested in the North African immigrant skateboarders doing tricks in the shadows of the Eiffel Tower. How did they get there? What’s their story? I tend to spend more time in conversation, less taking photos. When I think about a country, the first images that pop to mind are those of the people rather than the landmarks.

Franz in India

My great-grandfather, Oscar Wisner, was a missionary in Canton, China at the turn of the last century.

He helped start a university, now called Lingnan University. Our childhood house in small town Davis (CA) was filled with his mementos — silk dolls, porcelain vases, sepia tone photos of him and his dapper students. I never met my great-grandfather, but he persuaded me to travel before anyone else. I named my son after him in hopes he’ll carry on the tradition.

Guidebooks should be treated like Steve Buscemi in Fargo

— get them to a wood chipper as soon as possible.

Choosing my “next” destination is like choosing where to eat—my cravings change daily

It’s freezing in Brooklyn today. Los Roques (Venezuela) seems a nice escape at the moment.

I’ve spent about six years of my life abroad, mostly in countries in the developing-world

The only time I’ve ever gotten food poisoning was from a Subway sandwich in Lima, Peru. Serves me right for violating the no-chain-restaurant-on-the-road rule. Food carts, knock on wood, have never let me down. Hey, you can see the food! Now you have me aching for some Vietnamese street corner Pho piled high with fresh basil.

Franz in Egypt

I’ve been reading and rereading a lot of travel memoirs for this on-line class I’m about to teach at mediabistro.com

Travels with Charley last night: “I remember an old Arab in North Africa, a man whose hands had never felt water. He gave me mint tea in a glass so coated with use that it was opaque, but he handed me companionship and the tea was wonderful because of it. And without any protection my teeth didn’t fall out, nor did running sores develop. I began to formulate a new law describing the relationship of protection to despondency. A sad soul can kill you quicker, far quicker, than a germ.” All hail Steinbeck.

Jet lag? What’s jet lag?

Sometimes I even believe it.

Some of my favorite days on the road

Staying with a local, riding shotgun as they go about their daily routine — coffee with friends, business errands, family visits, domino games, soccer match in the bar. “Don’t you want to go see the tourist attractions?” they’ll ask. “No, no,” I’ll say. “This is much more interesting.”

Speaking of soccer…

Even if the sport bores you to death, keep up with the latest international soccer news. It’s the easiest way in the world to start a conversation with a man or find a common gripe with a woman.

Franz and friend

When I was single, I met a beautiful woman in Rio.

She invited me to her house for feijoada. Life was perfect… until I decided to make small talk with her father about the beauty of Sugar Loaf, Pão de Açúcar, only I kept pronouncing it pow-de-ah-su-car. Street translation: “sugar penis.”

That story made me change my mind about my next travel destination.

Now I’d like to be on Ipanema Beach, Posto Nine, watching the sunset with my wife, talking with friends about a place for dinner and a little music later on.

I’ll usually pack a great novel or two from the country I plan to visit.

To quote Stephen Colbert, the novels are usually “truthier” than the nonfiction works.

My family took sabbaticals to New Zealand and Australia, so I grew up with rugby and cricket.

Cricket’s been the tougher sell with my American friends, though the baseball fans and fly fishermen seem to get it. Relax and enjoy the pace. The beer helps too.

I know there are modern and adventure-oriented cruise lines out there…

Ones that swear they’re nothing like the rolling buffet- and karaoke-fests we envision. I know they’re out there, but the thought of spending any time on one makes me want to flee with a massive tour group for a month in Branson, Missouri.

Baseball in Nicaragua

I cringe whenever I see “travel clothes,” those expensive, uber-zippered, earth-toned, polyester abominations.

Never wear anything on the road you wouldn’t wear at home.

Back to my next destination—strike Ipanema.

Now I want to be sipping coffee, predawn, safari camp in the Okavango Delta. I can’t wait to see the faces of my boys when they view big game for the first time. Botswana, final answer.

I don’t believe in stereotypes of the ugly American tourist.

Most of the Americans I see on the road are compassionate travelers, thoughtful travelers, curious travelers. And for every “ugly American” out there, I’ll show you his counterparts from Germany, China, Russia, etc. No, the problem with Americans is not that they travel ugly. The problem with Americans is that they do not travel enough. Twenty percent of our country owns a passport. We can do better than that.

By a long shot, the best memento of any trip is personal change.

Attitudes, priorities, tastes — a good, long, deep trip will shake everything up. I’m someone who needs that push. It’s not that I come back from my travels armed with answers, but at least I’m asking myself the questions.

Franz in India

“How I Travel” is a new BootsnAll series publishing every Tuesday in an effort to look at the unique and diverse travel habits of some of the world’s most well known and proficient road warriors. Got ideas for who we should talk to? Drop us a note.

You’ll find links to all the “How I Travel” articles on the How I Travel archive page, you can become a fan of “How I Travel” on Facebook, and you can follow the @howitravel profile on Twitter to get updates as soon as new features in this series are published.

all photographs provided by Franz Wisner and may not be used without permission

Ellen Hopkins: Roaming Poet

Ellen Hopkins is the author of six NYT bestselling novels-in-verse: Crank, Burned, Impulse, Glass, Identical and Trick. Though her work deals with gritty subject matter, Hopkins has a great affection for her characters—often teens in desperate situations—and handles their stories with a deft touch.

Her website EllenHopkins.com is not only a great place to learn more about the author’s background & work, but also an excellent resource for aspiring poets and novelists. She can also be found on Twitter @EllenHopkinsYA.

At one of the Lord of the Rings movie sites in NZ

I used to be all about backcountry travel.

Camping. Fishing. Hiking with my dogs. However, as I’ve matured (sounds better than “gotten older”), I’ve come to enjoy the cultural aspects. Museums. Architecture. Great restaurants. And the history of wherever we are. Plus today, I’m all about comfort.

Trips for me now are often born of invitations to speak somewhere.

For instance, I was invited to speak at the Bologna Children’s Book Festival this year. Voila! My family and I will be exploring Italy for ten days. First time there, and I’m very excited. Similarly, I was invited to a conference in Sydney a few years ago. That led to a three-week Australia-New Zealand excursion.

I’m an Aries, and can happily veer from the plans.

However, my husband is a Capricorn, who needs everything settled before he hits the road. He’s the guy with the little string on the map, figuring out how far we can go in a day, and planning where to stay.

I am not the gym type, so fitness rooms don’t interest me.

However, I tend to walk a lot when I travel, and I walk fast. To really get the feel of a place I explore on foot.

Horseback down into the Haleakala Crater in Hawaii

Because I hate feeling rushed, I now figure out how much time I will have somewhere, then look at possible daytrips, choosing the ones that mean the most to me.

With Italy, for instance, I will have evening commitments in Bologna, but time for daytrips. So we’ll see Florence, and hopefully Siena. And, of course, Rome, before and after.

I’ve gotten into trouble by trusting outdated guidebooks.

I prefer Internet research and recommendations by friends/family.

Favorite country by far, so far, is New Zealand, although my husband preferred Australia.

Good marriages are cemented when you don’t always agree, right? I did love our time Down Under, though. And Sydney has to be the most beautiful city in the world. (Not that I’ve seen them all… Yet.)

We did get terribly lost in Sydney though.

They were out of GPSs at the car rental place, so they gave us a map book. But Sydney has “boroughs” and isn’t on a grid. We would be driving down Queen Street and all of a sudden be on some other street. And when we’d try to find Queen Street in the map book, there would be a half-dozen of them, all in different boroughs. We just sort of lucked into finding our hotel, where our hostess reiterated, “I TOLD you to take public transport.” It might have been funny, except my husband was driving (on the left side of the road, which was correct, but also “wrong”) and I was navigating. Sort of.

On the Sugar Cane Train in Maui

Two of my best travel secrets are Zicam and Airborne.

The minute I hear a seat companion sniffling, out they come. I swear by them, and rarely get sick when I travel, despite the germs floating around everywhere.

Used to be I’d get in my van and go.

Sometimes just me and my dogs. But when you have kids, you want to know they’re safe and warm at night. And because my career has peaked later in life, I can now afford to stay at better hotels and enjoy finer restaurants than I once could.

I absolutely despise the back of the plane.

When I arrive at my destination, I want off RIGHT NOW.

I recently flew into JFK and as the luggage hit the carousel, one of my bags came up with a priority label (yay for first class upgrades!).

I picked that one up, just as my second suitcase came up. Grabbed that one, too. It is one of those hard nylon suitcases, silver. Both bags had my unique fluorescent orange luggage tags, and orange priority tags. Got in a cab, rode the half hour to where I was staying. Went to change and discovered that, despite the loudspeaker announcement warning to “check your tags,” I had taken the wrong silver suitcase. It was EXACTLY like mine. Sooooooooooooo . . . back a half-hour to JFK. Around a $100 lesson, learned.

Lava hunting by helicopter on the Big Island in Hawaii

My most humbling travel moment was standing in front of a DaVinci at the National Museum.

I’ve never been quite so affected by a painting before. It wasn’t very big, and the model wasn’t beautiful, but the things DaVinci did with light! The true definition of “masterpiece.”

Greece is on the top of my Bucket List.

I studied about it in school, and have long wanted to visit there.

The first place I eat when I get home is my kitchen.

Back to the familiar, which only makes eating out again that much better.

Time is such an issue for me, I generally prefer to travel by jet.

However, to relax and really see the countryside, I love train travel. We will travel extensively by train in Italy.

Plan for the unexpected.

Lost bags. Flight delays. Perhaps even having to stay an extra day or two somewhere. The more you travel, the likelier that is to happen. So keep a spare toothbrush in your briefcase or purse.

On a 4x tour in New Zealand with Orion and husband John. (Note sheep in background. Lots of sheep in NZ!)

As a writer, everyone is interesting, and a potential character.

Literally. On the road I people watch serially. And I talk to my seat companions (as long as they want to, and they usually do!). To play fair, I often travel in a shirt that says, “Careful, or you’ll end up in my novel.”

Business travelers can be especially rude.

I can’t tell you how many times businessmen (male gender specification intended) have pushed in front of me to get onto an airplane first. This is WITH assigned seats, and most often in the first class line, where they’re getting on in front of nine-tenths of the plane anyway, and there’s always overhead space. Seriously, guys?

The best beach I’ve ever seen was at a little out-of-the-way resort in the Virgin Islands.

Deserted. Best snorkeling ever. Clean, white sand. And next door, at night, this guy used to sit outside, playing his guitar and singing. We asked about him. Turned out it was John McVeigh, from Fleetwood Mac.

Ellen with her son, Orion, and husband, John, in the Blue Mountains, Australia

I most often travel alone.

But I love to travel with my husband & son. Except they do slow me down through security! Men and their change/belt buckles/foil wrappers!

I think it’s hugely important to remember that we aren’t just Nevadans or Americans… we are people, and the human experience should speak to us all.

By going new places and seeing new things and meeting new people, we come to realize that we are more alike than different. Post 9-11, America reverted to isolationism, but we share this planet, and we need to remember that. Traveling helps us remember that.

Travel is all about meeting people: locals, fellow wanderers, enthusiastic tour guides, con men and perhaps even your soul mate. You might set out as a solo traveler, but it’s impossible to stay alone for long.

Of course, the problem is that sometimes you might prefer to go it alone. That’s when you meet one of those dreaded travelers.

They linger in hostel common rooms, they strike up conversations on buses, they corner you at famous landmarks, they try to exchange words in restaurants as you’re engulfed in your solo diner’s security blanket – a good book.

These travellers drive you nuts and they make you crave your solitude, but as much as they annoy you, travel just wouldn’t be the same without them.

TYPE ONE: The Penny-Pinching Hippie

The traveler vs. tourist debate rages on: tourists observe while travelers experience, but snobbish backpackers might do well to remember that ‘tourists’ also spend money when they travel – lots of it. When did travel become all about spending as little as possible?

Everyone’s met this type of traveler – a dreadlocked, barefooted meat-hater who likes to brag about their lack of luggage and how they managed to live in India for a month on $100. Wake up and smell the incense, hippies: sure, grass-roots travel is all about avoiding multi-nationals in favour of local businesses, but shelling out two or three dollars a day is worse than spending vast chunks of change in five-star hotels – at least that creates employment.

You want to scream at them that spending less than the locals does not make you one of them, nor does it make you a superior traveler. But as infuriating as the penny-pincher is, you’re glad of them when you need to vent after a stressful day of haggling with traders or arguing with deceitful tour guides. You have to have someone to take your travel angers out on, and challenging the miser on their cheap travel philosophy is better than screaming at the next local who approaches you to practice their English.

TYPE TWO: The Klingon

We’re not talking alien life forms here, nor Star Trek aficionados (although they might also make it onto this list). Think of those people you meet en route who travel alone but can’t bear to be alone.

You meet in the hostel bar then hook up to visit a temple or sample the local nightlife but as far as you’re concerned that’s where the relationship ends. Sadly, the Klingon has other ideas.

You find them lingering outside your dorm wondering “what are we doing today?” and you quickly discover that when they asked for your email/cell number/Facebook ID that they actually intended to use it.

Of course Klingons do have their uses, and if you’re feeling a little lonely, you know they’ll always be there to provide some company. Granted, they’ll also be there to annoy the hell out of you when you’re craving solitude, and alas, scraping off a Klingon can be a tricky business – these are sensitive beings. You could try lauding the virtues of solo travel and how it helps you grow.

Failing that, change your travel plans and move on – unannounced of course.

TYPE THREE: The Bragger

“Everybody hates me because I’ve been everywhere,” they claim on first meeting, but this is not entirely true. It’s correct that people don’t like the bragger, but it’s really because they claim to have been everywhere.

They might fill a passport a year or they might wander just as much as those around them, but the difference is that they feel the need to shout their travel exploits from the rooftops.

Dig deeper and you’ll find the bragger is often a novice traveler. Uneasy with their own accomplishments, they feel the need to shove them in others’ faces. If you want to play them at their own game, then pulling out your tales of Moldovan wine tasting, Burmese hiking trips or counting polar bears in Greenland will probably make them realize that they’re not the only ones who know how to strap on a backpack.

Or why not take the high road and just let them boast? If nothing else the bragger creates a wonderfully harmonious atmosphere since they tend to serve as a common enemy, uniting everyone else in their midst.

TYPE FOUR: The Late Starter

This might be a controversial choice, but hear me out. Every ESL school, ex-pat bar or backpacker joint has its, erm, more senior members. Nine times out of ten they’re cool ex-hippies or worldly-wise grandmothers starting a new chapter. Their stories are cool, their experiences awesome and their attitudes inspiring.

But every so often you find yourself unable to avoid the traveler who everyone refers to as ‘Weird Older Guy.’ He thinks he’s 21. He lingers lecherously around female travelers trying unsuccessfully to strike up conversation. And however much you admire his spirit it’s kind of like hanging out with your friend’s dad (or your dad’s friend) – odd and uncomfortable.

Your first instinct will be to give the late starter a wide berth, but give the old guy a try – he (or she) is bound have some cool tales to tell. If it all gets too weird and he’s inviting you to strip clubs or all-night drinking sessions, appeal to his ego – tell him he has more energy than you and you just can’t keep up.

TYPE FIVE: The Giggling, Guzzling Gap Year Student

There comes a time when your travel preferences change.

Call it grouchiness, call it jealousy, but listening to a group of teens screeching about how wasted they got last night while you’re trying to write in your journal rarely makes it onto a ‘top travel experiences’ list. I’m sure lots of them are lovely, but for every young traveler eager to explore the world, there’s a gaggle of gap year students whose main goal is another stamp in the passport and another notch on the backpack. And if that means stumbling in at 3am and keeping their peers awake with noisy dorm sex then so be it.

Just be grateful if you don’t have to hear about it the next day.

Of course, if you’re much over 25, they’ll be pretty keen to avoid you, too (perhaps seeing you as Type Four, above). If you do get trapped in a ‘flashback to freshman year,’ telling them you’re teetotal should do the trick.

TYPE SIX: The One Who Should’ve Stayed Home

For all the faults the Penny Pinchers, Klingons and co. have, they are nothing compared to this guy. He’s the traveler who seems to hate travel.

At his worst he’s racist and offensive – at best he constantly criticizes whatever country he’s in, claiming that the food/weather/landscape/culture is better back home.

His reason for traveling is a mystery. Perhaps he seeks to convince himself of his own superiority. Perhaps he just loves a good moan. Or perhaps his goal is to irritate every traveler who crosses his path.

Thanks to their love of confrontation you will never win an argument with Type Six. The best plan of attack is to remain obscenely cheerful and tell them how wonderful the country you’re visiting is – even if you don’t believe it!

Mindless optimism is the only thing they’ll shrink from, which is the only plus point of having these folks around. You might have lost your passport, been royally ripped off, spent 15 hours on a cramped and toilet-less bus and checked into the grottiest hostel in town all in the same day, but butting heads with this obnoxious wanderer will turn you into the country in question’s most vocal supporter.

When you think “hosteling,” what comes to mind?

Five bucks says it’s not toddlers and teddy bears stacked in the dorm beds dreaming of sugar plums.

While it’s true that hosteling has traditionally been a pursuit of the young and penniless, hostels are becoming an increasingly excellent option for families.

Here is an introduction to why families with kids should consider hosteling over hotel stays, what to look for to find a family-friendly hostel, some tricks to getting a private room for your family, what you should plan on bringing with you to a hostel (and what you can get on-site), and a few tips on etiquette when you’re staying in a hostel with your kids.

Benefits of Hosteling With Kids

Boys "Hostel Self Portrait" – Marseille

Finding lodging for families while traveling can be a real challenge. The more children you have, the bigger the challenge and the more expensive it gets. If you’ve got kids and you haven’t tried hosteling with them, give it a try; it’s fun, it’s easy and there are lots of benefits over the traditional hotel stay. Among them, it’s generally cheaper. At $15-20 a bed per night our family of six can stay for an average of $100 a night in a hostel. Try finding two hotel rooms that adjoin for that price!

In addition to being a budget saver, hosteling offers children what we’ve come to call a “culturally broadening experience.” Hostels are famous for housing a cross section of the world. You’re likely to find multiple languages being spoken by folks ages 20-85 in the hostel common areas and you’ll have the benefit of hearing travel stories that span the globe while you’re there.

Most of the time you’ll find a fully stocked kitchen, allowing your kids to eat like they’re at home and minimize the digestive difficulties tiny people often suffer on the road. The common areas are often a treasure trove of books and games as well as interesting people to play with, and the clientele of a hostel are likely to be of a more “child-friendly” and tolerant sort than you’re likely to find at an upscale, adult-oriented hotel. Our kids never fail to find young people to play ping pong or table hockey with, and love to swap their own road stories over wrinkled maps with the dreadlocked twenty-somethings who seem universal.

Things to Consider When Choosing a Hostel With Kids

Toddlers & tweens in a single family room – Vienna

Obviously, as parents hosteling with children from toddlers to teens over the years, we are looking for different things in a hostel than we were when we were twenty and unattached. While “Mardi Gras party hostel, come here if you want to stay up all night and have fun!” might have been a tempting advertisement in our college years, we opted for the more mellow option a twenty minute walk from downtown New Orleans with the kids. They still came home loaded with beads but were spared the “full Mardi Gras experience,” if you catch my meaning.

Read the visitor reviews carefully, look specifically for evaluations written by other families, and consider the demographic that each hostel is marketing to.

Amenities are everything when traveling with kids. A kitchen, a laundry room, a common area and no lock out hours are my basic criteria when choosing a hostel. If they offer a game or entertainment room, an outdoor patio area where the boys can run – or the holy grail, a family suite – well, that’s just gravy on top.

How to Score a Private Room

Hosteling while cycling

The biggest detractor to a hostel stay with kids is the thought of racking in a 24-bunk mixed-sex dorm room with young people in various stages of inebriation wandering in all night long… Or worse.

Been there, done that. All I can tell you is – pack earplugs.

However, it is often possible to score a private room at a hostel at the regular dorm prices. The more kids you have, the easier it gets. We’ve found that most hostels have a six bed dorm room and, if we let them know in advance, they’ll make sure we get it. Now we have a private room (usually with a locking door, and sometimes a bathroom to ourselves) for the same price as the dorm herd is paying. Alwaysask and, most of the time, the hostel hosts are happy to accommodate your request.

What to Bring When Hosteling With Kids

Curious George & the comforts of home

It has long been my travel mantra that “Less is More.” This became even more true after I had kids to carry in addition to luggage.

That being said, children do require extra gear and are more dependent on the comforts of home. So what should you bring? Only what really matters.

Bring no more than three sets of clothes (the hostel has a washer, remember?). Choose multi-purpose gear, like baby backpacks that are free standing so they’re also safe play places and highchairs for meal time.

Find out ahead of time whether or not linens are provided. Many hostels no longer allow any type of outside bedding to be brought in (bed bug risk) and often even towels can be rented cheaply. The more you can rent or borrow at the hostel, the better.

The things that will pay off to pack are the tiny comforts of home that will make your little ones feel safe, secure and happy in the hostel environment: that special teddy or bedtime book, a favorite toy or blankie, and maybe a baby monitor so that a toddler can nap in that locked private room you scored while you make dinner in the kitchen.

Hostel Etiquette for Families

Age five, drying dishes in the shared kitchen

While hostels can be an incredible value and a wonderful experience for families, it is important to remember that they are not specifically designed for kids.

One of the great benefits of a hostel stay is the opportunity to teach your children how to respect other members of a community and work together, sharing the responsibility for the chores that are often a part of a hostel stay. Cleaning up in the kitchen and stripping hostel beds alongside the college kids is great practice for “real world” independent travel in the future.

Our children have often become the mascots of a hostel crowd while we sit back and take advantage of the wisdom and experience of those around us to help in the education of our kids – it’s a learning experience for everyone!

photos by Jennifer Miller & may not be used without permission