the wander project dispatches from over there

Managing Your Money on the Road

Traveling is expensive. If you’re not careful, you’ll end up dropping even more cash just for the privilege of spending your own money. Short of carrying a backpack full of bills around the world (not recommended), you’ll pay to play when you want to access your funds— the trick is to shell out as little as possible.
Debit Cards:
That $2 ATM charge from a random ATM is annoying at home. Abroad, you can add another $3-$5, then up to 5% for a “foreign currency conversion charge.” Gonna swipe your card?  You’ll pay the conversion [...]

Travel Delays are Unavoidable, Annoying and Perhaps for the Best

Delays are an inevitable part of travel—especially when you’re planning to be on the road for a year. I’ve been forced to postpone my trip until July, and I was pretty bummed about it.
But if everything had gone as planned, I’d have landed in an ash-coated Guatemala City courtesy of Pacaya volcano, which erupted on Thursday. If that weren’t enough, my arrival would’ve coincided perfectly with tropical storm Agatha, which has dumped three feet of rain on the region and caused widespread flooding, massive mudslides and over 100 deaths in Guatemala and [...]

Protecting Valuables on the Road

Every RTW traveler has concerns about keeping their gear safe, especially when they’re lugging expensive electronics or camera equipment. TWP asked photographer Austin Mann (who’s no longer trapped in Ethiopia) to tell us how he keeps his computer, high-end camera bodies and assortment of lenses out of the hands of thieves in the field, in transit, and even when he’s not around to stand guard.

In the Field: Be Inconspicuous
“You’ve got to actively work to keep you gear (and yourself) off the radar of would-be thieves,” Mann says.  To avoid looking like a [...]

Finally: My RTW Itinerary

Here it is, folks— TWP’s Around-the-World Itinerary:
June/July 2010: Central America
Guatemala
Nicaragua
Costa Rica
Panama
Aug/September/October 2010: South America
Colombia
Ecuador
Peru
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Argentina
Nov/Dec 2010/Jan 2011: Africa
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Zambia
Tanzania
Kenya
Ethiopia
Feb/March/April 2011: Asia
India
Nepal
Thailand
Cambodia
Vietnam
China
It’s a serious understatement to call my itinerary flexible— I’ll probably change it at least a dozen times. Got any suggestions? Maybe you can make a case for Honduras, recommend a hostel in Cape Town or a bar in Bangkok. Let me know!

Tips from a Pro: Get the Most From Your Point-and-Shoot

Travelers routinely find themselves making the most of limited photo equipment, often carrying a point-and-shoot and little else. TWP asked professional photographer Will Godfrey for his top five tips for the minimally equipped.

1. Get creative with composition
“Finding a visually interesting angle can be as simple as kneeling down to compose the shot differently or as complicated as climbing onto a rooftop for an aerial view,” says Godfrey. “Even hiking up a nearby hill can completely overhaul an otherwise boring shot.”
2. Stabilize in low light
“Low-light shooting is one of the most [...]

Beware the Tourist [photo] Trap

Sometimes the difference between fantastic travel photos and mediocre snapshots is what you don’t do.  TWP asked editorial and documentary photographer Michael Friberg to clue us in on six rookie photography blunders— and tell us how to fix them.

1) Shooting on auto
While your camera’s automatic setting will yield usable shots, you’ll end up with much better photographs by switching to a manual mode, or a similar setting that allows greater control over the settings. “You are smarter than your camera’s computer” says Friberg.”It has no clue that you’re exposing for the [...]

Staying In Touch on the Road

With the proliferation of internet cafes and cellular coverage in recent years, being completely out of touch while traveling takes some effort (which is unfortunate, I think, but that’s a subject for another post). My thoughts about electronic tethers aside, communication options for travelers have never been better — and used correctly, they can certainly help you travel smarter. While this is by no means an exhaustive list (there’s a good chance some game-changing technology will emerge before you finish reading this sentence), here’s an rundown of your options for phoning home.
Local Prepaid Cell Phone
It’s pretty simple: buy a cheap [...]

Global Networking: Travel Like a Local

Want to become a local? Make some friends and keep in touch.
Just a few stops on the backpacker circuit can expand your global roladex exponentially — exploring a new city, preparing a meal in a hostel kitchen or sharing a seat on a long-distance bus can build instant camaraderie. Take advantage of it. Your new friends will go home eventually, so plan on paying them a visit when they do. Sure, you’ll get a place to crash, but you’ll also get a local guide to help you make the most of your visit to their hometown — wherever it happens [...]

Lines on a Map: Planning a Route

Picking a route for a year-long trip is tougher than you might think…so tough, in fact, that I haven’t nailed mine down yet. I’ll chalk that up to procrastination and indecisiveness. But mostly procrastination. At the moment, it looks something like this: Cental America> South America> Africa> India>Southeast Asia> China. I know, I know… it’s vague, but I think that’s probably a good thing.
There’s a lot to consider when planning a route. Your finances might dictate that you skip expensive destinations like North America, Australia/New Zealand or Western Europe and instead focus [...]