Flying on budget airlines can save you plenty of money, but can make you want to rip your hair out from all the extra fees and nonsense that go along with it. In my years of being a budget traveler, I've flown Ryanair in Europe, JetStar in Australia and Asia, AirAsia in Asia and Spirit in the United … [Read more...] about Keeping Your Sanity on Budget Airlines
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Can You Have Roots and Wings?
Something I've struggled with for as long as I've been traveling is having it all: both a close relationship with my friends and family and the thick skin required to travel the world solo. I find myself justifying my extended jaunts because "no one really notices when I'm not there" and that … [Read more...] about Can You Have Roots and Wings?
The American War Legacy in Vietnam
War is brutal. That much I knew. But seeing images of the destruction of both Vietnamese and Americans during the war at Saigon's War Remnants Museum, I wanted to know why we went. Was it to support our allies the French in the South? Or to fight the dreaded spread of communism? I didn't live … [Read more...] about The American War Legacy in Vietnam
27 Things to Do Before Turning 27
Today is my 26th birthday, thus ushering me into the age known as "late twenties." My 25th year was one of personal growth and physical fitness. I learned to accept my figure, but despite that lost weight and gained muscle after two a day workouts many days of the week. I ran my first half … [Read more...] about 27 Things to Do Before Turning 27
Traveling During Turmoil
The sound of the mounted police riding past my Charleston house sent shivers down my spine years later, despite the fact that there was nothing afoul with their patrol. It brought me back to the first time I ever saw mounted police, in Paris on New Years Eve 2006. But since my very first trip … [Read more...] about Traveling During Turmoil