How do you travel alone in a place where you don’t speak the language? I am often asked about this issue by readers who are afraid of feeling lost on their trips if there is a language barrier. It’s a real fear and one that leads most tourists into tour groups (not that there’s anything wrong with that) or makes them decide not to travel altogether. I also had some anxieties before I started traveling. I envisioned walking to every street vendor, kiosk, and cab driver without being able to communicate. My excursions may finish in a tempest of uncertainty

Occasionally my mind wanders back to the two Christmases I spent at Bottle Beach, where I met a man named Jason. A British man in his mid-50s, he had lived for nine years in a simple beach bungalow with no electricity. Jason had begun traveling the world in search of a new home after his brother died, leaving behind a large house, Italian sports cars, and an idle retirement fund. The experience was a wake-up call for Jason, who decided to stop chasing money and instead seek peace. He found it in Bottle Beach and decided to stay. Although I’m

My mother tells me that I was four the first time I tried skiing. I don’t recall, but she stated that instead of attempting to learn to ski, I spent much of the time eating snow. To be told, I still enjoy eating snow (I know, don’t eat yellow snow!), but now I’m also much more open to exploring the sporting element of it. So at 29, I took up skiing again to finally learn how to do it right. I was a little hesitant to learn to ski because of the shoulder surgery I underwent a few years ago.

In this episode of Banker’s Advice, we look at how much money you can anticipate to spend in South Africa. It’s a country with the potential to be inexpensive to visit, but make no mistake: it’s not a low-cost vacation. I spent nine weeks travelling solo around the country, and while it’s not as inexpensive as locations in Southeast Asia, which isn’t surprising given how difficult it is to match the pricing there, I still found it to be pretty fair. This is mostly due to the favourable exchange rate for people travelling with US dollars or Euros. One South

Malta is a country of stunning beauty, with its yellow-stone buildings that glow in the sun, its green farms that contrast with the dry climate, and its blue ocean that surrounds the islands. I visited in October, when the beaches were quiet and serene, and the water was still warm enough for swimming. I only had 24 hours to explore Malta, but thanks to my guide Alvaro from Guatemala, I got to see and learn a lot about this fascinating country. He showed me the main attractions and some hidden gems that I would never forget. Here are some tips

I’ve visited Chiang Mai around 8 times already, generally staying at least a few days in between excursions to Pai and Chiang Rai. I realized I’d never given you a post on my favorite things to do there. It’s past time for me to fix that. Chiang Mai is fantastic for a variety of reasons, including its natural beauty, amazing street cuisine, low costs, and plenty of night markets. It’s no wonder that so many digital nomads call it home, and the majority of visitors to Thailand include it on their itinerary. Here are my nine (yes, nine, not ten)

I have always encouraged solo travel as a way to explore the world, but I also acknowledge that it has some negative aspects, especially if you do it for a long time. Traveling has been an amazing learning experience for me, as I have gained a lot of insight into different cultures and perspectives. But it has also affected me on a personal level. Here are 10 ways travel has shaped me, and how it usually impacts others who do the same: 1. It makes you more self-centered Solo travel gives you the freedom to make almost every choice based

Anyone who comes to Africa, regardless of color, country, or faith, feels an irresistible attraction. Because it is raw. Because Africa is calling her children home like a mother. She may be elderly, bewildered, and destitute, but the navel pull remains. I can’t help myself. -John Ryan, One Man’s Africa. Archbishop Desmond Tutu dubbed South Africa the Rainbow Nation during the first democratic elections following the end of apartheid in 1994. It’s a metaphor for the coming together of South Africa’s many nations – a country with 11 official languages. It’s an apt name, not just because of the diversity of

Singapore is one of those nations that, like an onion, is multi-layered and has so more to learn underneath the surface than it looks. I stayed here for 6 days on a stopover on the way to Los Angeles, thinking it would be too lengthy, only to find that I left wanting a lot more time. They warned me there wasn’t much to do in Singapore, there were just three days left and it was a hefty expense. In actuality, the food is endlessly intriguing and wonderful, with hotspots all around the city and its environs, the culture is equally

Berlin is the kid from high school art class who always wears black and manages to seem so casually cool, you question whether you can sit at the same table (but you can because you’re cool too, darn it). There are so many levels to this city and if you spend any time here, you’ll understand why it’s been drawing artists and creatives for decades. The city is all about the counterculture and the greatest part is that you don’t have to search far to discover it. When you’re here, conventional activities like the hop-on hop-off bus, a visit to