We’re a little behind as we write this; world travel does not allow for as much free time to write as we anticipated. We returned to Alexandria, Virginia, USA in November after circumnavigating the world in 203 days. We spent some time there with friends and family enjoying Thanksgiving but are now again on the…
Author: Five Backpacks Family
Emergency Money Is For Motor Scooters — Cash Poor On Green Island, Taiwan
And that’s how I found myself lying on the floor of the visitor center with the contents of my pockets scattered haphazardly around me, musing about the slightly off-center mounting screws on the light fixture, curious about the markings that indicated a different configuration of the room at some point in the past, feeling a…
No Excuses — How To Exercise While Traveling
Can we all agree that it’s challenging to exercise while traveling? If you are like me, the routine at home is the fuel that keeps your reasonably well-oiled machine working out even when your motivation levels run low. While on the road, however, and especially when moving from place to place every few days, there…
Travel Gear – For a Week or a Year, Pack Like a Traveler
We have been traveling for most of a year in planes, trains, and automobiles (and one ship). We have walked over sand dunes in the scorching sun, and we have trudged through waist-deep snow—and we have done all of it with only the gear in our backpacks. Bring Less and Carry It All Packing for…
I’ll Take the Slow Train, Thank You Very Much
Through Siberia, the railway winds gently across the landscape. Sometimes it stops inexplicably—perhaps for repairs, perhaps so the passengers can get a better look at the scenery. It probably averages thirty miles per hour. The carriages are older than we are, and they clank and clatter noisily over every mile. The Chinese high-speed trains knock…