Sitting down on the stained cement curb or worn bench overlooking a market is one of my favorite places to hang out in a foreign country – and not because I like the burning scent of urine that floats up from below, unwelcome but eternally present, or even necessarily the view of the market, busy and often a touch exotic – it’s because of the person who invariably sits down right next to me and strikes up a conversation as we jointly slurp down sticky and dripping bags of …

A big Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers out there who happen to find this message, and my own as well!
A happy Sunday to the rest!
News from the Site
I am currently diving in Honduras and head back stateside for a wedding at the end of the month. Apologies this past week, the site had a pretty bad virus on it for several days and although the structure is not totally back to normal, it’s completely safe to surf once again!
Also, a big huge thanks to the kind …

I think one of the first reasons that I started a blog was to keep in touch with my family – and then, if I admit it, niggling in the back of my brain was a hope that my site would reach out and inspire other dreaming travelers to actually take the plunge and do a round the world trip , particularly solo women.
And then time passes, and the site has become what it is – a hodge-podge of everything: my favorite travel experiences, the not so favorite experiences, …

Another week down, and I am actually incredibly content – I love Guatemala. Really and truly loving the culture in thsi country and all of the colorful clothes and blankets and jewelry – it just makes me smile to see all of the happily random pairings – hand woven skirts in brilliant blues layered with delicate green lace and topped with chunky red beaded jewelry – what fun!
As for news on the site, some fun things are happening on the back-end, a neat indie guidebook company has asked me …

It is high time that I do an update of sorts since it’s been quite a few weeks – and in that amount of time a lot has happened for me, and a whole lot in the travel community.
First off a thanks to everyone who reads the site, and an apology for slacking lately. I’ve been weary; it’s the best word I can think of to describe it – this travel site and I needed a little break. I’m back in the saddle though and wanted you to know …

I feel like a cheater in the RTW traveler club. You see, members of the RTW traveler club share some key qualities: most save up over the course of several years, they quit their jobs, and they (mostly, aside from travel blogging) single-mindedly backpack the world.
I didn’t do that. Not any of it actually.
I worked steadily from the road my entire RTW trip.
My Travel-Enabling Job
So here’s my confession to you: I perform freelance SEO (search engine optimization) work and I worked from the road every single week of my …

It’s been quite a while since I’ve done a Saturday Review post – and that’s pretty slacker-ish of me because there is a lot going on – and by a lot, I mean I am heading back out on the road and back to traveling the world.
So, without further ado.
Travel Plans and Site News!
I head out at the end of this month from Florida and have three weeks in three US cities (NYC, Sacramento, and Los Angeles). But, I digress. That’s not the exciting news! After LA I head …

So, you’re heading out on your round the world trip and you want to document all of your travels. The big question crops up, should you start a travel blog to record stories and photos?
If you’ve already decided yes and want some fantastic resources for developing the blog, check out Develop Your RTW Travel Blog.
I field this question an awful lot and it’s hard to answer, mostly because blogging from the road is not all roses, cake, and flowers. It takes a lot of work to keep any site …