But there are some people who find ways to travel continuously, often reporting from the road with tales of African elephant encounters or wild beach parties in Goa. These people manage to disappear for a month (or six) without a second thought, surfacing in the most enviable locales with just enough time to dash off a quick e-mail saying how much fun they’re having.

I hate these people.

Which is to say, I’m incredibly jealous of them. When I was younger, I traveled to Europe every summer, satisfying my wanderlust until the next big trip. But that was 140 years ago, and now I’m weighed down with debt, a job with incredible benefits (which becomes increasingly appealing as you get older), and roots in a city I’ve lived in for seven years and counting. Toss in limited vacation time and a depressing economy, and the ability to travel seems harder than ever. The opportunity to backpack around the world seems to be fading from sight. And, as they say, out of sight, out of mind.

Perhaps I should hang up my suitcase, look back at the good times I’ve had, and forget about travel?

Nahhhhhh! I know myself better than that. (Besides, who hangs up suitcases?) But even so, it’s often hard to know when the next big trip will be. But I’ve found many ways to keep my globetrotting experiences and dreams from disappearing.

Read!

Nothing gets me fired up more about my travels than reading about someone else’s. I’ve found inspiration from hordes of travel magazines. Is it the glossy photos? The well-crafted articles? The ads for African safaris and new travel gear? How about “all of the above”? When I need more inspiration, I turn to my travel narratives — books by Bryson, Cahill, and dozens of lesser-known authors (Will Ferguson’s hilarious Hitching Rides With Buddha got me interested in visiting Japan one day) all help remind me that a jillion people make travel happen for them.

Set a goal

Rather than think of travel in general, I’ve found it’s better to pick a specific place to shoot for. Whether it be Thailand in the spring, Sydney in the fall, or Brazil any time of year, the point is to commit to a destination and, if possible, a timeframe. From there, the wheels start turning. Soon you’re looking at airfares, calculating your daily costs, and checking out guidebooks from the library. If you can pinpoint a specific time you want to go, you’ve suddenly found more impetus to start saving and planning.

Be flexible and open to possibility

Of course, sometimes fate intervenes, but that’s not a bad thing. Last year my tentative plans to visit Asia gave way to something more concrete and most unexpected: a wedding in Italy. I accepted the invitation and changed my focus to Europe (which then became a set goal — see previous point). After committing to the trip, I was able to add London, Geneva and three cities in Germany to my itinerary. Now Asia is next on my list, but I’m still keeping my options open.

Find an affordable destination

One reason Asia is so appealing for me is because, along with being popular and exotic, it’s still relatively affordable. And often, affordable equals attainable. And attainable helps keep the dream alive. Of course, you shouldn’t just go somewhere affordable simply for the sake of traveling. Unless, of course, you want to.

Find a buddy

Planning a trip with friends is often the best way to keep you working towards a common goal. Not only will your group encourage and inspire each other, but groups traveling together often save on costs. Even traveling with one other person eliminates the single supplement solo travelers are often penalized with. Besides, what’s a better incentive to make a trip happen than the fear of missing out on all the fun?

Nice work if you can get it

Travel implies vacation, but that need not always be the case. Want to see Tokyo? Why not look for work there? Do you work for a company with offices abroad? Look into a transfer. Even short-term options are often available. (Check out some of Craig and Linda’s previous posts to get an idea of how they feed their wanderlust with short-term jobs full-time.)

Keep a map of the world on your wall

What better reminder of what’s out there waiting for you?

copyright_indietravelpodcast2006-

It’s important to maintain personal hygiene, but some people go overboard when packing toiletries for travel - everything in the bathroom cupboard gets thrown in, regardless of how often it’s used. So, how can we reduce the amount of toiletries in our bags?

1. Be ruthless
Consider each item carefully before you put it in your toiletries bag. If you only use it once a month, do you really need it? Can you go without it for the duration of your trip?

2. Travel with someone
Having a travelling companion can help to lessen the weight of toiletries you’re carrying. Have your own toothbrush of course, but share everything else. Find a toothpaste, shampoo and hair gel you both like and just buy one of each.

3. Buy a smaller toiletries bag
Lots of people have enormous toiletries bags that inevitably get filled with unessential items. Once you’ve decided what you’re taking, buy a bag that’s just big enough to fit everything in, or a tiny bit bigger. It will help you to avoid impulse buying.

4. Don’t bother with mini-sized items
When travelling short-term, mini-sized toiletries can be really useful. But if you’re heading off for a month or more, you’ll just get frustrated with them, as they’ll run out and you’ll spend a lot of your time trying to find somewhere to refill them.

5. Buy full- or medium-sized items
Instead of mini-sized, buy full-sized items, the same as you would at home. Don’t buy the biggest size though, and avoid special offers like “25% extra free”. 200ml shampoo is a good size that should last you a while.

6. Use 2-in-1 shampoo for everything
It isn’t necessary to have specialised items for each part of your body. 2-in-1 shampoo cleans every part pretty well, and can double as clothes wash as well. Find a brand that suits your hair, and use it as both shampoo and body wash. It might be a little more expensive than soap or shower gel, but having only one bottle instead of three or four will really make a difference to the size of your toiletries bag.

7. Don’t replace items until they’re finished
Don’t carry around spare items. Most of the time you’ll be able to replace an empty bottle within a day or two of running out. If not, there should be some sort of replacement available to tide you over. If you’re really nervous about becoming dirty, keep a mini-soap in your toiletries bag for emergencies - you can use it if your hotel doesn’t provide hand soap, or if you run out of body wash or shampoo. It won’t be quite the same, but it’ll tide you over until you can replace your essentials.

8. Use roll-on deodorant
Roll-on deodorant tends to be packaged in smaller bottles than spray-on, and lasts longer as well. Plus you won’t annoy your dorm-mates by filling the dorm room with your particular smell.

9. Cut out electric items
Don’t even bother with electric toothbrushes, razors or hair straighteners. Take a plastic toothbrush and disposable or standard razors, and find a way to do your hair that doesn’t need electricity. Not only will it lighten your load, but you also won’t have to spend so much of your time hunting for a power plug near a mirror (they seem to be unheard-of in some parts of the world).

10. Buy a mini-towel
While not strictly a toiletry item, your towel can be one of the largest items in your bag. But you don’t need all of that surface area! Your local sports or outdoors shop will sell highly absorbent mini-towels that take up a lot less space. They come in a variety of sizes, but one that is the size of a normal handtowel is more than big enough to dry yourself off after a shower. If you use your towel to lie on when you’re at the beach, take a sarong instead - you’ll get all the surface area you need, and it will double as a skirt in times of need. Even if you’re a guy.

So, what are you waiting for? Dig out that toiletries case and get ruthless.

What’s in your toiletries kit? Share in the comments.

Photos thanks to Whatshername, Kafka4prez and Bekathwia.

You may wonder why I’m disappointed by this considering I have lived in two of these cities (NYC and San Francisco) and love those cities dearly. My disappointment lies in the fact that travel to me should be about experiencing the culture of a country; these visiting travelers aren’t really seeing America. The Americans that really epitomize our culture are not found in the big glitzy cities.Instead, they are seeing the same stuff they’ve been seeing on television, in movies and in magazines now for years; big cities with a flair for showing you just how much Americans can consume. It’s these same foreign friends that also stare at me in disbelief asking me how in the world the US could have elected George Bush to a second term in office (as if I voted for him … don’t blame me). The answer is that the Americans that did re-elect Bush and the Americans that really epitomize our culture are not found in the big glitzy cities – they are found in middle America, where people seldom visit. No, and I’m not talking about Chicago – I’m talking about small towns that thrive on a sense of community and national pride. You really can’t begin to see or understand America if you just stick to the concrete jungles.

For the 80% of you who are visiting America and taking advantage of the weak dollar, here are the big-city tips you are looking for – some of my favorite recommendations for the most visited cities:

NYC:

Food tours, Central Park free walks, lunch in Bryant Park Monday-Friday to see all the bustling corporate Americans, and the Tenement Museum.

Las Vegas:

Stay on the strip, go to a Cirque de Soleil show of your choice, see the fountains at Bellagio, people-watch in an old casino with a lounge band.

L.A.:

Don’t even bother. You’ve seen the HOLLYWOOD sign a million times already.

San Francisco:

Definitely the better choice when it comes to California cities. Walk on the Coastal trail between the Golden Gate Bridge and Ocean Beach – it’s stunning. Have a burrito in the Mission District, and go to a Giants game at the stadium on the Bay.

If on the other hand, you don’t want to be like everyone else and instead you want to forge new ground, then be brave and experience American culture. Get out and see something different, see the Midwest, the South, or the Southwest. Rent a car and drive on highways, not interstates, stopping at small towns along the way. Visit a national park. Have dinner at local establishments, frequent the local watering holes, go to the town baseball game or sporting event. Go to a church service on Sunday (heck, you visit temples all the time while you travel the world – why not stop in at a Sunday service?). It’s these places where you will find the culture of America. Find out when and where local festivals are in small towns. I once went to a festival in a small town in Nebraska where you paid a dollar to bet which numbered ‘square’ a cow was going to shit on – kind of like shit bingo. I still remember it as one of the best times I’ve had meeting locals and participating in the festivities.

As you drive the country roads you will see an abundance of American flags flying proudly out in people’s yards, you’ll see plenty of bumper stickers that state “Support our Troops” most likely because they actually know people that are in the Middle East serving in the military. In the big cities you tend to hear about these families on CNN, but you seldom come into contact with them.
You’ll come face to face with some of the nicest people in the country, but you will also come face to face with the statistic of 73% of Americans that don’t have a passport. Many of you world travelers laugh at this sad American fact, but if you want to see why it is the way it is – then come to middle America and get out of the ‘international American cities’. You may begin to understand how George Bush was re-elected, and why most people don’t have passports. But you will also discover that the people you meet in the more rural areas and small towns are fascinated to meet you and they will drool over your ‘cool’ accent.

This is a highly recommended basic phrasebook for anyone heading to a Spanish-speaking country. As someone who had never learned any Spanish, Craig found it very helpful whilst walking the Camino de Santiago de Compostela.

With the middle of the year coming up, it’s time to reset all the popularity stats on the Indie Travel Podcast. We do this every six months, just to keep things fresh. So, to keep the record straight, here are the Top 10 Indie Travel Favourites for the first half of 2008.

Hostels and trips

Over the last month we have introduced a variety of affiliate programmes onto the site to help you book hostels, flights and travel packages. Here’s what you’ve been looking at:

1. Hostelworld bookings through the Indie Travel Podcast

Hostelworld.com brings you online bookings at thousands of hostels worldwide. Check out our up to the minute hostel reviews, view photographs and read detailed descriptions of all our hostels. Confirmed reservations at a selection of youth hostels, independent hostels and international hostels in Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America and Oceania.

Our thoughts: Hostelworld has a very wide range of hostels available from their booking engine and now you can access them all through the Indie Travel Podcast. We admit that it doesn’t look as good as their site, but it has all the same features and we get a small commission on your booking so it helps us eat. We’ve just launched a new section of the podcast - one minute reviews - which will have a focus on hostel reviews. That’ll help.

2. www.lastminute.com

From travelling the globe like a jetsetter, sightseer or seafarer, or if you’d rather career down a mountain-side on skis, a snow board, or in a perspex ball (yes, perspex ball, it’s known as Zorbing) lastminute.com has it all. If you’re after something less energetic, book one of our spa days, sumptuous restaurants, theatre deals or tea (and champagne if you are feeling extra naughty) for two at the Ritz.

Our thoughts: Although we don’t use lastminute very often it’s saved us headaches in the past. It’s our first fallback when hostel-booking sites run out of answers and it’s often great. We have also found some great deals for weekend trips when we were travelling with a bigger group and needed hotel-style accommodation.

Podcasts

3. Vibram Five Fingers Review

Craig and Linda talk about their experiences travelling with a pair of Vibram Five Fingers. They’re a type of sole or shoe with a thin, hard rubber sole and wetsuit type material to cover the foot. Craig bought them as flip-flop/jandal replacements a few months ago and we talk about what we find them good for … and not so good for.

Our thoughts: Can nothing topple this post? Since we released it in mid-August 2007 this podcast has been the most linked to, most visited thing we’ve ever done. Not that we’re complaining, since the post is still garnering great comments and generating emails. Craig is still wearing his Vibram fivefingers regularly and enjoying them. He still prefers to walk barefoot when he can though.

4. Start backpacking and pack light with Greg Rodgers

This week we talk to Greg Rodgers of Start Backpacking and Vagabonding Begins, one of BootsnAll’s top travel blogs.

Greg and Craig talk about his discontent with life in a cubicle and how he started dreaming and planning his current “vagabonding” lifestyle: breaking the spending habits and re-aligning your life towards travel. Using first-hand experience they outline several tenets of packing light — let’s all brush over Greg arriving with a 25kg pack on his first trip!

Our thoughts: Even though the audio quality was far below par, this gem of an interview has become the second most popular post that we have published. We’ll have to talk to Greg again someday and make sure the audio works better.

Books

5. Lonely Planet Europe on a Shoestring

Party in Tallinn or pose in Cannes; hike the Curonian Spit; be seduced by the Aya Sofia in Istanbul or simply learn the art of the Spanish siesta. Your European Adventure starts here with the most detailed guide available, featuring more than 40 countries, 200 maps and insider tips to help you to go further, stay longer and pay less for the ultimate European grand tour.

Our thoughts: The old edition of this book has been a backup bible for us over the last two and a half years of travelling Europe. We mainly use it to get excited about places or to check maps for transport details and feasibility of our plans. You can listen to our full review here.

6. The Packing Book: Secrets of the Carry-on Traveler

From choosing the right kind of luggage and the appropriate travel gear (money belts, ear plugs, etc.) to customizing your wardrobe according to the length and type of your intended travel, Gilford covers all the bases. She provides plenty of checklists so you won’t forget the essentials, gives detailed instructions (complete with illustrations) on just how to pack items such as skirts, jackets, and slacks to minimize wrinkling and maximize space, and offers suggestions on packing for children and teens. Medical needs, entertainment needs–even security tips–are included in this invaluable guide to getting the most out of the least amount of luggage.

Our thoughts: Having spent half an hour with this book in a library one afternoon, we can attest to the amount of detail and good ideas that Judith Gilford packs into this book. At times it seems almost like overkill, but after wearing a pack for a few hours we know how important packing light really is.

Articles

Articles have only been on the site for about six weeks, but here are the preliminary results.

7. The Birth of a Traveler by Dave Prine

When I started college, I shared the same dream as all my friends: to backpack across Europe. It was the thing to do, the initiation into adulthood. Once you did that, you could settle down, get married, own matching furniture, have children, and reflect on your now-complete life. But it didn’t happen that way for me. In a way, I got luckier than those who took the backpacking route.

Our thoughts: A rash of good stumbles brought this article sky-high pageviews about a week after it was first published, shooting it into the top article position. We enjoy the way Dave introduces himself, his travel philosophy, his love of languages. We’re looking forward to a lot more.

8. The Evolution of a Vandweller by Jessica Spaulding

Up to that point I’d lived in my car for three months and had no problems, but it was only for three days a week. The rest of the week I spent at my parents’ house. I could sleep in a bed, shower whenever I wanted, and raid the pantry before taking off again for Los Angeles. What had bothered me most about living that way was not the sleeping in the car, but driving between the two cities.

Our thoughts: A lovely introduction to an unusual lifestyle choice. We love Jessica’s conversational style and other people obviously like to read it too! Living in a van in America seems like a great way to spend a year. Or perhaps more.

Electronics

9. LaCie 160 GB Rugged Hard Drive

If you travel a lot with your data, the Rugged All-Terrain is the drive is for you. Perfect for users who need backup, storage and large-volume exchange for office files, photos, music and even video clips, the Rugged All-Terrain is powered by the FireWire or USB connection, which means that it uses the power of the connected computer to operate and doesn’t require an additional AC adapter or power cord.

Our thoughts: As we said in our review, we’re a big fan of this hard drive. It’s perfect for all our storage and backup needs. And it bounces. The amount of dents in our laptop prove that’s necessary.

10. Hitachi 4gb Digital Microdrive High Speed Memory Card

Small size and enhanced 4GB capacity permits you to carry an entire continent of maps or 1,000 songs in your pocket. Reliable storage for data, photos, music, and videos from digital cameras, PDAs, handheld PCs, MP3 digital audio players, laptops and other portable handheld devices Hitachi’s new 4GB Microdrive is designed to the Compact Flash Type II industry standard and is compatible with a wide variety of devices that accept CF+ Type II media. The 4GB Microdrive is formatted at the factory using the FAT32 file system to remedy the 2GB limitation of the FAT16 file system.

Our thoughts: We are surprised to see more people buying CF cards than SD cards to be honest. We guess they are more often used in DSLR cameras where space isn’t an issue.

That’s it! The Indie Travel Podcast top 10 for the start of 2008. We hope you enjoy the next six months as much as we’ve enjoyed putting together the last lot.

This walking guide is adequate, but not brilliant. It is a little out-of-date although still usable. Recommended at the price.

This is the question I get asked most often after “Where do you shower?”

The showering question I’ve answered in a post on my website, so I’ll direct you there in case you’re interested in ideas for keeping clean while living in a car.

It’s hard to give general advice on where to park because there are so many factors to take into account. Most important is finding a place you feel comfortable with. Below is a fairly general list of places I’ve parked, both while traveling and while staying put.

Campgrounds

These are great if you’re just getting used to the idea of sleeping in your car. When I first tried living in my car I drove 40-60 minutes each night to stay at one of the few campgrounds in the LA area. (I know, sort of defeated the non-commuting advantage of living in a car.) It took me a while before I felt comfortable sleeping “out in the open”, and it wasn’t until I grew frustrated with the drive that I started trying out some places in town.

While traveling, campgrounds are great. You have a chance to relax and meet other people. You can do some cooking (it’s hard to pull out the campstove in the grocery store parking lot and still be stealthy) and of course, many campgrounds have showers. Always a nice bonus.

I have a tendency to look at the cost of the campground and wonder if I’d rather have that money the next day to discover a new museum or restaurant instead. Still, I like campgrounds. They force me to take a day off from traveling and site-seeing.

Walmarts and grocery stores

This is my favorite type of parking spot when on the road, especially if they’re 24-hour stores. Easy to find and easy to blend in. Most Walmarts allow people to stay overnight (not all, but when they don’t it’s usually a city law and it’s mostly to stop the RVers). Even if they’re not 24-hour stores there are usually cars there overnight from the people who work the graveyard shift stocking the shelves. Hospital parking lots also seem to be a favorite among the vandwelling community. I’ve stayed in them but I am not a big fan myself, though I couldn’t tell you what exactly about them makes me uncomfortable. Maybe it’s just security patrolling ever 3 minutes. That will depend on the hospital, I suppose.

Truckstops

Great for the safety and access to facilities, but usually very loud. That being said, if you drive around the area a bit you’ll often find a quieter spot away from the buildings where there are a couple of trucks parked. I love finding the truckers. They’re easy to spot since the trucks are big (and the truckers don’t go far off the main roads). I can be pretty certain wherever there’s a number of them gathered it means the spot has already been established as a good place to catch some sleep by both the truckers and the police. I don’t like being parked off by myself since I feel like I’ve then made myself a target. If I park near the truckers then I feel comfortable in that I’m neither going to be woken up by the police nor attacked by crazy people. Just, as my mom says, by crazy truckers.

Rest stops and vista points

Rest stops are great though sometimes loud/busy. Vista points are usually quieter and darker which is nice. If I’m the only car there I will sometimes be concerned, but usually I’m a fan of rest stops and vista points. Parking at a vista point also guarantees a great view in the morning.

Residential streets

These can be tricky and each one should be taken on a case-by-case basis. Make sure you don’t need a special parking pass to park there overnight then decide how you feel about it. The main question you need to ask yourself is if it’s the sort of place where the neighbors are going to notice a new car. Don’t get there too early. Don’t stay too late.

Main commercial streets

Busy, but again, if there are other cars around you’re not going to stand out. Just make sure you follow all the parking regulations. Many places don’t allow parking between 2am and 5am or have some similar rule.

Country roads and back woods

To be honest, it bothers me to park in the middle of nowhere, or on a turnout of a country road. I don’t like standing out and a car near the road is likely to be noticed. On the other hand, I don’t like going into the woods because even though I’m less likely to be noticed I feel like I’m more likely to be hassled if I am. It’s perhaps an unfounded fear, and I will park on the turnout of a country road if I can’t find another place, but I’m not a fan of them. I know other vandwellers (both male and female) who like finding a spot out in the woods. Maybe it’s something I’ll get used to, but you just have to go with what’s comfortable for you.

As you can tell there isn’t really one great all-purpose spot to park. Each place you travel is going to have a whole different set of situations and it’s really up to you to try out different places and find out what you prefer. I’ve also been asked, “What if you’re parked in a bad neighborhood? Don’t you get scared?” Except that I don’t park in bad neighborhoods. The best thing about traveling and sleeping in a car is the mobility. If you don’t like where you are then keep driving. There’s plenty of good places out there.

As for me, I spent the last weekend moving from my van into a Toyota Prius. I’ll be spending some of my gas savings on campgrounds more often (more like once a week rather than once a month). I’m trying to get myself to slow down more as I travel. When you live in a car it’s nice to have a small plot of land, even if it’s only for a night and it only has a picnic table and a fire pit.

Blame it on the fact that I’ve usually traveled solo and wasn’t used to being alone. Or consider it the result of wanting to get off the beaten path. Or maybe I just needed help finding the right train. But in all fairness, you don’t need a reason to meet people on the road.

And many times, you don’t need to make any effort. While traveling to Turkey, my two travel partners and I arrived in Istanbul after 9 p.m. with no hotel reservations. A helpful local approached us and not only suggested a hotel, but he also walked us there with no obligation and then bought us dinner. He ended up acting as our tour guide during our stay and asked for nothing in return.  

When I stranded in a Polish train station, I waited anxiously for a 4 a.m. train to Germany, my mind addled by horror stories of the Russian mafia’s presence on these trains. I befriended two Polish teens who impressed me with their desires to travel. The brother impressed me further with his knowledge of German, Russian, and a little English, all of which he had picked up on the streets. He then used his language skills to convince me that no Russian mafia would be on the trains to drug me and take my belongings. This got me to relax until the train arrived. And I enjoyed the ride in my Mafia-free compartment (unless the Russian mafia is two elderly ladies who knit).

Of course, locals aren’t the only people worth meeting. Once I met an Australian girl on a train from Prague to Berlin. We chatted briefly, took a photo together, and swapped addresses. Since then, Katy has visited me several times in the States, and I have an open invitation to visit Australia. Another time I landed the last available bed in a 26-bed room in a Dublin hostel. I made friends with an American couple who invited me to stay with them in England. Ultimately, this led to me visiting them in California, where I now live. Jason and Kristen have since moved, but we still keep in touch. And the best part is that these chance meetings occurred over a decade ago, but I consider Jason, Kristen, and Katy to be close friends to this day.

Not every encounter will result in a lifelong friendship, but you can still enjoy someone’s company for the time you’re sharing a table at a restaurant or a compartment on a train. Often that’s enough time to learn something new about the area, or about the person’s culture, or even just to learn about the other person’s favorite music. While on a German train, I sat across from a girl staring out the window listening to her mp3 player. After vicariously listening to a few songs (her headphones were loud enough for me to hear), I asked her the name of a song I found particularly catchy. Not only did I get the name of the song, but also a list of highly recommended songs, an offer to use her headphones, and an invitation to visit her in Georgia. (The country, not the state.)

If you’re looking for ways to meet people on the road, there are several things you can do to improve your chances. Even if you’re the silent type, you can be meeting people during your travels.

Stay in hostels—Not only are hostels cheaper than hotels, but they allow you to interact with fellow travelers. Many hostels offer dorm rooms with the chance to bunk with several strangers. Even if you choose a private room, a common dining area and suggested activities will still throw you into a crowd.

Steer clear of empty train compartments—Often empty train compartments are highly coveted for those who prefer privacy, especially for overnight journeys. But for short day trips, try a compartment with fellow travelers or someone who looks sociable. If they have a chainsaw, it’s best to move on.

Be approachable—If you want to meet people, you’ve got to look like you’re open to doing so. Make yourself seen. Take the headphones out of your ears (unless you can share your music with others), make eye contact, and open your mouth, even if just to say hello to someone passing you. And leave the chainsaw at home.

Learn the language—No doubt people will want to practice their English on you, but knowing a few words in the native tongue lets you speak with all the non-English speakers, especially the older crowd. Even saying “thank you” or “I want a pony” in the vernacular can bring a smile to someone else’s face and make them feel included when others are speaking English.

Worth a thousand words of conversation—A good way to start a conversation with someone is to ask them to take your picture. (Often you can ask them to be in a picture as well). Or pack a small photo album. Even if you don’t have the nerve to show it to others, pulling it out so you can look at it will definitely make people curious and inquisitive.

Bring enough for the rest of the class—Sometimes the simplest conversation-starter begins with offering the other person a piece of candy or gum. I once offered chocolate to a girl on a train to Budapest, and she reciprocated with a few sips of her beer. In retrospect, it was perhaps not the safest thing to do, but she turned out to be fun to chat with and made the time fly. Which leads us to one more important point…

Have an open mind, but trust your instincts—Not everyone out there will be someone you want to talk to. There are plenty of pickpockets (and worse) out there, so watch out when taking food from strangers or when going off the beaten path with someone you hardly know. But people are generally decent, and like-minded travelers are generally a safe group to mingle with. If you ever feel uncomfortable, you’re generally free to move along.

But if you have a good experience, make sure you keep in touch if the situation allows, thank them if they had gone out of their way to accommodate you, send them pictures if you promised to, and don’t forget to share your stories about them with other travelers. And if you come across someone with an irrational fear of chainsaws, say hello. I might even offer you some gum.

That said, independent travel doesn’t have to be done alone. Craig and I travel independently all the time, but rarely go solo. In this sense, independent travel really means organising all aspects of your trip yourself, rather than choosing an all-inclusive package or letting the travel agent sort it all out for you. I wouldn’t include a cruise, a Contiki trip or most volunteering holidays as independent travel, but neither would I relegate these experiences to the realms of wasted time. In fact, one of these packages might be exactly what you need in a vacation. So how do you choose how to travel?

First, consider travelling independently. There are a multitude of benefits to travelling on your own bat, which can be summarised as follows: you get a more genuine experience and it costs you a lot less.

Most tour companies charge you an umbrella price for a variety of services, and you rarely know the individual charges for each aspect of your trip. This makes it easier for them to inflate the prices of each item, or just to add a large percentage on to the real cost. And fair enough really, that’s where they make their money. But if you travel by local bus instead of by flash air-conditioned coach, you’re not only probably paying one-tenth of the price you would on a tour, but you’re travelling the way the locals travel, giving you an experience of daily life wherever you are. However, while you won’t have to wait while Mrs Beasley finishes her cup of tea in a rest stop, you might get caught trying to catch a bus that’s finished its round for the day or doesn’t run on Sundays. It’s happened to me, it’ll happen to you - we got out of it by sticking out our thumbs (though I’m not usually a supporter of this form of transport), which was a great way to meet a couple of cool locals.

Travelling independently allows you to call the shots. You can change your plans at the last minute, stay longer somewhere you like or get out of somewhere you don’t quickly. You can see the places you want to see and avoid the tourist traps that most tour companies corral you into. You can find your own restaurant for dinner and discover niches not mentioned anywhere in any guidebook. But perhaps best of all, you never feel like a sheep.

However, there are a lot of situations where choosing an organised tour is a better option than travelling independently:
1. You’re short on time.
You’ve got one week in Europe and you want to see the Colosseum, the Eiffel tower, the Berlin wall and the Tower of London. Since these are all quite major attractions, you might be able to find a tour that would accommodate you, and you’d have to do very little preparation.

2. You feel a bit unsafe in the area you’re travelling in.
Quite a lot of paid-up indie travellers choose a tour when they are going somewhere where they feel a little unsafe. Solo women travellers especially might book a tour when going somewhere like Morocco or Saudi Arabia, but shun a tour in France or Australia.

3. You’re going to be travelling somewhere for a while and want to get a handle on it.
If you are completely unfamiliar with a region, starting a longer trip with a short organised tour to see the main sights might be worth considering. Your guide could give you some tips about local life to ease you gently into the culture.

4. You want the experience of travelling with a group of like-minded people.
There are tours for all sorts of people out there, and if you want to meet some people like you, a tour aimed at your demographic could be just what you’re after. This could be as vague as “young people” or as specific as “Shakespeare enthusiasts” or “professional singles aged between 25-30.” You usually travel with the same people for the duration of your trip, so it’s great for shared experiences. Can be difficult if there’s someone you don’t like much though!

5. It’s bloody difficult to get around!
Probably my favourite reason for choosing a tour. Some places are just impossible to travel in - the bus schedules are erratic or non-existent, there are no hostels and you don’t know a word of the language. If you can find a tour to take you around a place like this, you might be on to a winner.

Remember, it’s your trip. Choose the best option for you, whether that’s an organised tour, or off-the-cuff independent travel. Whatever you do, spend a bit of time looking into the options availabl