the wander project dispatches from over there

What I’m reading: April 30, 2010

Different Strokes Christine over at the newly-redesigned Almost Fearless makes some important observations:  Travel isn’t for everyone, and a year-long RTW  gauntlet isn’t  for every traveler. “It’s as if we’ve collectively decided that if you’re going to travel, then you must cram as much actual traveling into that time as possible,” Christine says.
Going to Burma? Jodi from Legal Nomads offers a solid Crash Course to Burma that includes a fascinating discourse on the perils of Burmese alarm clocks. After her explanation of Burmese currency (there are no ATMs, you can’t withdraw money from banks, U.S. dollars must be pristine [...]

What I’m Reading: April 23, 2010

Computer Security, Expat Aspirations, A Twitter Party, Travel Underwear and Cambodian Hookers….

Your money and computer on lockdown Anil over at foXnoMad gets 2 shout-outs for solid info on choosing a bank and securing your laptop while traveling— two items that have been on TWP’s  “to research” list for a while. Thanks, Anil.
Because underwear is important Brooke at Brooke vs. The World reviews her unmentionables on tape and weighs the pros and cons of Ex Officio’s travel underwear. Stay tuned for the guy’s version from TWP (because not all boxer-briefs [...]

What I’m Reading: April 16, 2010

Strategic Seating
Scott from Trekeo pinch-hits over at  Almost Fearless and fills us in on how to snag an empty airline seat. My personal favorite: “The Shufle.” When boarding’s finished, just hustle back and claim that empty row for yourself— flight attendants aren’t likely to care, says Scott.
When Travel is Work
Audrey from Uncornered Market shares insight on combating  the working-traveler’s burnout, a self-induced condition that results from tight itineraries and ambitious goals. Her advice, which she calls the “sanity-preservation principle,” is simple: choose fewer destinations, stay in them longer.
Scandanavian Utopia?
I didn’t really know much about Gothenburg, Sweden aside from the [...]

What I’m Reading: April 8th, 2010

Brutal Moderator War on LP’s Thorntree: Traveler vs. Traveller gets personal (and really funny).
I agree with Nomadic Matt: Wanna be a travel writer? You should probably start writing.
Is Travel Self Indulgent? An endlessly intriguing topic and a solid bit of writing from twogoRTW
Two Backpackers’ Border Crossing Checklist: You can tell they’ve done this a few times…
Almost Fearless: Lighting Designer proves that ANY profession is portable

TWP Book Review: Travel as a Political Act

With guidebooks and a television show seemingly geared for septuagenarians, endless golly-gee-this-is-great enthusiasm and billowy, synthetic dad pants, Rick Steves isn’t one of my go-to sources for travel info. With some reluctance, I picked up an advance copy of his latest book, Travel as a Political Act, from the “Free Table” at the office of a magazine I was working for (FYI: the Free Table is where unsolicited review copies  go to die unless some staffer decides they’re worth taking home). I’ve snagged some very good and very, very bad material from the ol’ Free Table; [...]

TWP Book Review: Off The Tourist Trail

As an independent traveler, you probably aren’t interested in following the tour buses down well-worn ruts to popular attractions. Luckily, there’s a virtually unknown alternative for every tourist swarm. The folks at Eyewitness Travel sent a copy of Off the Tourist Trail just before it hit stores last fall (while I was still desk-bound), and it’s become a go-to source for semi-secret destinations the world over. Here are four of my favorite options:
Historical Site
Isla del Sol vs. Machu Picchu
Sure, Machu Picchu is iconic for a reason. But a glut of Hawaiian-shirted, [...]

TWP Short List: Travel Inspiration

Whether you’re in search of motivation to pack your bag or  just looking for confirmation that such a trip is indeed possible, there are plenty of options for putting off actually researching your trip until tomorrow.  Here are five of my favorites:

Ernest Hemingway
The Sun Also Rises. Tenth grade English (Thanks, Mrs. Jones). Such was my introduction to “Papa,” but I’d recommend any of his work — short story, novel, whatever. Hemingway wrote like a man who’d seen the world, and that’s because he had. As a soldier, an expatriate and lifelong wanderer, his personal experiences shaped his [...]