In the last few months, I’ve had occasion to connect with a handful of people who I’ve initially met on-line, developed relationships with over varying periods of time, and then met in person. I’ve stayed with some of them, met others for coffee, and even house-and-dog-sat for yet others.

All of these experiences have been phenomenally good…and yet they could have been equally bad.

Meeting people on-line can be an interesting exercise. I mean, who are these people, really? It’s easy to create an on-line persona that suits the “Superman” or “Wonder Woman” we are inside, but that disguises the starkly contrasting person we could be on the outside. And even more disturbing, is that some people might not have the best of intentions.

So what’s a girl to do when traveling solo and counting on the hospitality of others?

(In keeping with the super-hero theme), trust your “Spidey Sense”. One of the best lessons I’ve learned about travel is that 99% of the people in this world are fundamentally good. Yes, there are bad people, and yes, you can have bad experiences. But more often than not, I’m proud to report that what you see is what you get. If you have a bad feeling about something, listen to your gut. Otherwise, a good dose of faith in humanity combined with street sense can go a long way.

I met the folks I was to house-sit for through HouseCarers, a website dedicated to connecting house-sitters with houses in need of “sitting”. I have a pretty extensive on-line life and persona, so it was easy enough for my hosts to get a sense of what I’m all about, and they were pretty candid about their own situation and needs in our on-line dialogue. But we both had to bridge a gap of trust in order to make it happen. Heck – my hosts even gave me the keys to their house, car, and care of their dogs! Now that’s trust!

And it all worked out just fine.

Landing on the couches I landed on is another exercise in trust. Without having had a chance to meet my hosts in person and see the whites of their eyes, I didn’t really know what would happen. I worried if we would have enough to talk about, wondered if there would be personality conflicts, and even questioned how we’d recognize each other (since online profile pictures can be deceiving – mine included). But again, I wasn’t disappointed. Instead, I enjoyed a cultural exchange (and in some cases a valuable exchange of professional ideas and concepts too), and had a chance to delve even deeper into and build upon a friendship that was sparked on-line.

People regularly ask me to look them up when I’m in their neck of the worldly woods, with an intention to have me over for dinner, or show me their home town, or have me as their house-guest. My immediate response is always “be careful what you offer….because I’m the sort of person who will actually take you up on it”! I rarely initially plan on staying for more then three nights, but I’m often asked to stay longer. In the case of some friends in New Zealand, I ended up staying for weeks!

I consider meeting some of these people to be among the best travel experiences I have had, and I look forward to meeting more of my on-line friends in person.

Thank you to my friends in Chiang Mai, Cairns, Brisbane, Broken Hill, Lightning Ridge, Melbourne, Sydney, Rotorua, Auckland, Ulm, Paris, Sanary-Sur-Mer, London, Hampshire, York, Edinburgh, and Londonderry for opening up your homes and hearts to me. Without you, my travels just wouldn’t be the same.

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Guinness rocks. Yes, salutations from Ireland! I’ve been told for years that Guinness beer is “different” (for reasons not entirely scientific or definable) when you drink it in Ireland. And after much skepticism on my part, I can now say that I completely agree. As a generally dubious beer drinker, I am a Guinness convert!

I’ve been here in Ireland for a week staying with a friend, visiting new friends, and I’ll be attending a music festival this weekend. Next up: Paris! “Paris,” you say? You may muse that I’ve recently been there – why would I return so soon? Well, I’m returning on business – of sorts – to shoot the pilot episode of a travel tv show! The nature of the show still remains top secret, but I can tell you this much: September will involve adventures in both Paris and Nepal. (Nepal!) Unfortunately it means a detour from my initial September plans of visiting the Netherlands, but I think it’s a pretty worthy cause, n’est-ce pas?

Please enjoy some of my latest musings around the web:

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Travel & Money: Using Prepaid Travel Cards

Traveling safely and managing your money along the way is an exercise in balancing multiple risks: theft, loss, high surcharges, and confusing discrepancies. This Travel and Money series discusses various ways to address money and security issues while you are abroad.

Today, the topic of discussion is Prepaid Travel Cards, which can be a useful – and secure – alternative to debit cards and credit cards, as well as a way to hedge against currency risk.

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Balancing the Needs of Tomorrow with the Desires of Today

We all have dreams – some of them more realistic than others. And we all have responsibilities that make the dreams less possible. Those dreams versus responsibilities reflect the delicate balance between the needs of tomorrow and the desires of today.

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Be Standby Power Smart and Save Serious Money

There is a predator in your office. One that is costing you hundreds — if not thousands — of dollars per year, and unnecessarily so. It is also cumulatively costing the environment in untold ways. That predator is standby power, and if you get smart about it, you can save some serious money.

Profiles & Shout-Outs

Niche Interview conducted an hour-long phone interview with me a few months ago while I was watching the sun set one day at Mana Retreat. We talked about the emotional and logistical journey I made from deciding to travel full-time, to some of the crazy adventures (and mis-adventures) I had along the way, to my tips and techniques for traveling the world full-time for $14,000/year or less. So next time you have an hour to spare, feel free to give it a listen!

Travel the World for $14,000 per Year – Interview With Nora Dunn

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About 6 months ago, Taylor and Rachel made the decision to leave their big, important corporate jobs in sunny

Domingo (Sunday)

Start of week 3! Week 2 went much faster than week 1, mainly because we have to use our brains now.

We took a school field trip to the top of an old Volcano today. Volcan Irazu. It was huge and amazing and there were cute little animals that wanted your food and money. I’m pretty sure one of them hit on Rachel, but it’s cool, because he was so cute. See below for a picture that you can’t resist “Awwwwwwww’ing” over.

The second half of our class field trip was unfortunately canceled due to the fact that our wonderful guide, Luis, got the worst migraine of all time and had to go home to sleep immediately. Poor guy.

Lunes (Monday)

Today’s homestay breakfast consisted of arroz and frijoles (rice and beans) and a few miscellaneous items. It was delicious. But so you know, this meal was very similar to the meals we’ve had at least twice a day for the past two weeks, and almost definitely for tonight’s dinner and every subsequent breakfast and dinner. People love rice and beans here. It’s more than a staple food…it’s THE official food of Costa Rica.

Fees Fees Fees. Found out that trying to take money via bank and ATM card causes Wells Fargo to charge me a 3% fee. That’s expensive. Jerks. I’ll chalk that up to stupid tax, and try to use my new Capital One no hassle card to take money out, hopefully, that’ll save some cash over the long run.

Martes (Tuesday)

You miss some of the creature comforts when traveling for this long on a budget. Por ejemplo: When pooing, please don’t put toilet paper in the toilet…it clogs the drains. Muy malo. Place in garbage basket. Yes, it sounds weird, but just do it. It’s going to be pretty sweet when I get back to America and visit a friend’s house and forget what country I’m in causing me to fill up his bathroom garbage can with little surprises.

Rachel and I had class together today because her teacher was sick. Turns out, it’s fun to be in class with someone else…who knew?

We also finished the 2nd half of the Volcano/Sightseeing tour with Luis. We went to some fancy church ruins, saw a pretty waterfall, and visited a church in Cartago that you will read about in a few paragraphs.

Miercoles (Wednesday)

Get used to stinking when traveling. Not only should you only be taking minimal clothing, but you’ll probably have to wear said clothing multiple times before doing laundry. Foot powder is your only friend in Central America. Seriously. Because you stink.

Last night, Rachel worked for hours translating a yoga class into Spanish. She did this because the nice hippie gentleman that is in charge of the class was going to “sweat out” his Yellow Fever (you’ll see). She even went as far as to pick lame yoga music like Enya. In addition to this, she made me practice with her…in front of the homestay house…in the dark…by headlamp. Headlamp.

All of that work and stress and today, who showed up? Only English speaking people. Not only did no Spanish people show up, but the usual yoga room was closed so we had to use a nice, dirty patio. Awesome.

Wednesday was also cool because the people of Orosi were gathering for a protest/Q&A session to discuss having water meters installed at their homes. Currently they pay a flat rate of around $8/month whether they use one gallon or 10,000 gallons.  You can only imagine why they wouldn’t want meters installed. It was very intense. Interesting fact: I have officially been to more town protests in Costa Rica than I was in the United States.

Jueves (Thursday)

Rachel and I went to the spring-fed baths this morning and swam around. The water was warm, but not too warm. We just splashed around for about 1.5 hours enjoying the nice, sunny morning we had to ourselves.

I read my first book in Spanish today. To be fair, it was a version of Pinocchio for three year old children. It was hard. This version of Pinocchio was way more bad-ass than America’s version though because of the number of sharks….ie: two sharks. Also, Geppetto was a cyborg.

Viernes (Friday)

I didn’t feel all that great this morning. On Tuesday, a local hippie (town yoga teacher) that I’ve run into a few times chatted me up after shaking my hand. 20 minutes later, I found out that Rachel was talking to him earlier and he thought he might have Yellow Fever since he was up throwing up and sweating like crazy the night before. So…I probably have Yellow Fever.

For those of you that don’t know, Yellow Fever is the disease that makes you look like a Simpson’s character. I’m pretty excited about it.

Otherwise, today was just a low key day of studying Spanish and talking to our family.

Sabado (Saturday)

Upon further discussion with Rachel, I don’t have Yellow Fever and thus, will not look like a Simpsons character. She was also pretty amazed that I couldn’t tell the difference between a simple headache and scratchy throat, and Yellow Fever.

Today, we took it easy. Tomorrow, we are participating in a walk from Orosi to Cartago (about 14kms up hill both ways…in the snow). People all over Costa Rica (and beyond) walk to Cartago on a religious pilgrimage on this day each year.

In the coming weeks, Taylor and Rachel are headed to Nosara to hang out at the beach for a month before heading down to South America. They’ll be working on their Spanish, yoga, and learning to surf a little. Keep an eye on their whereabouts at Leave of Travel. Adios!

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I must confess. One of the reasons I wanted to take a day trip to Carcassonne had very little to do with the place itself, or my knowledge of this medieval walled city with a formidable history and a place on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

No. It had to do with the fact that I love to play the board game called Carcassonne. If the game was that good, there had to be a reason why they named it Carcassonne, right? Surely, Carcassonne was cool.

Lucky for me, it was.

I’ve been to a few walled cities in Spain (namely Toledo and Segovia), and I love their charm and historical significance. Nowhere in North America would we see places with such beautiful old dwellings – that are still lived in and used no less. Most of Europe holds hundreds of years of history in commonplace sights and buildings, but walled cities (for me) take it to a new level.

Carcassonne in particular looks like a giant castle (with 53 towers and fortified double walls) perched atop a hill, surrounded by French vineyards. Just the drive in is stunning.

Although the last stages of fortification happened in the 1200’s, Carcassonne took its initial hold around 100 BC. (BC!) It has fallen under numerous rulers and regimes since then, and by the 1800’s it was all but forgotten and had fallen into quite some disrepair. In fact, it was the public uproar in response to a proposal to demolish the city in the mid 1800’s that actually helped transform Carcassonne into the place it is today (and quite inadvertently brought the game into existence a mere thousand or so years later).

So instead of being demolished and forever forgotten, it was restored and preserved as the historical monument that it is.

Besides the board game (did I say I love the game yet? Well, I do), Carcassonne is known to be a major filming site for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and has wended its way into numerous works of literature and poetry.

Because I made only a short day-trip to Carcassonne, I didn’t have a chance to see it at night, which is apparently quite spectacular. June through August is also a hopping time, with active festivals and over 100 shows (almost 75 of which are free to attend).

So if I had it all to do over again, I might have tried to see a show and stay overnight. But with so much to see in Europe, I can’t possibly conquer it all. Instead, I am thankful for the time I had to wander this beautiful old city and soak in the ambience, and I’ll remember the trip every time I sit down to play the game!

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I’ve been traveling with a beefy book in my bag for the last little while; one called The Lost Girls: Three Friends. Four Continents. One Unconventional Detour Around the World. It’s somewhat appropriate that while I’ve been reading about three girls who circumnavigated the world on a gap year journey of inner and outer exploration, the book has been by my side through about five countries on my own journey.

But this post isn’t about my journey (so much); it’s about the journey of Jennifer, Holly, and Amanda: three New York City girls who quit their jobs and put their lives on hold to travel the around the world together for one year.

Initially, I found the book riveting. Having made the break from the “rat race” myself (three and a half years ago) and adopted an unconventional lifestyle of full-time travel, I was fascinated with the emotional and logistical process the authors also go through. From wrenching themselves from their career-bound lives, to extricating themselves from relationships (temporarily or permanently), to getting their finances together and planning the trip, I identified with much of the process.

But that’s just the first 60 (of the formidable 530) pages. Then they hit the road, and the authors have quite an adventure. They get their travel legs under them in South America, volunteer in Kenya, get overwhelmed in India, party in Asia, and enjoy ‘shrimps on the barbie’ in Australasia.

They backpack their way around the world, staying mostly in hostels and paying for inexpensive tours. Along the way they meet all manner of other travelers (and a few locals), kindle on-the-road romances, embark on individual journeys at various junctions, and strengthen their relationships – both with each other and with themselves.

I really enjoyed how the book is written; each girl writes alternating chapters that weave the story together beautifully. Although it takes a while to get to know each author, this writing style rounds out the story in an interesting and comprehensive way by showing different angles of a similar situation or relationship. One girl starts a sub-plot, and the next chapter (and author) carries it through – from their point of view.

I also liked following along their journey through countries I have already been to, like Thailand, New Zealand, and Australia. In fact, the authors were World Nomads Ambassadors in Australia shortly before I arrived and participated in the same program myself! Reading of their tales living in a camper van in Australia brought back memories.

However the book isn’t perfect. Where it fell down for me was in the relative juvenility of the authors’ attitudes. Being in their mid-to-late twenties when they embark on the trip, they identify themselves as going through a “quarter-life crisis”; experiencing a state of insecurity about where their lives are going and whether they are on the right track. Okay, I understand this to a point. I did something similar myself.

They really lose me, however, when they continue to harp on about this invisible looming deadline (being the end of their 20’s), and their assumed shift of life that needs to go along with it. They regularly have panic attacks about being “so old”, with no husband, kids, job, or settled life (you know – white picket fence stuff). It’s a constant theme, and one that grates on me – to the eventual point of becoming offensive (as somebody over the age of 30). News flash, girls: Life doesn’t end at 30! There are still eligible single men, jobs to be had, and eggs in your ovaries. (The authors, now all over the age of 30, have probably – possibly sheepishly – come to realize this).

There is also a theme around the girls not wanting to be alone, with a driving need for a partner/boyfriend/husband. Although I was initially interested in their honesty about relationships, it began to seem to me like they feel their lives wouldn’t be complete without a boyfriend in the long term (and again, ideally before the age of 30). Although part of their transformation through travel and through the course of the book includes a more self-reliant, self-confident way of being, even in the Epilogue there is a strong focus on what their current relationship status is.

I must admit that my criticisms are coloured by the fact that I myself am over the age of 30, and started my full-time travels at 30 no less. I am also somewhat newly single, but far from unhappy with my relationship status. I’m not obsessed with meeting “Mr. Right” any time soon, and I certainly don’t consider myself to be “over-the-hill” as a traveler – or as a person. So my beefs with the book could well be far more personal than would be for another reader.

Overall, this book is great if you want to live vicariously through somebody else’s travels, learn some of the lessons of the road (without leaving home), and gather some fodder for places you might like to go (or avoid) yourself. There is a big focus on the personal development aspect of travel (since travel tends to reveal all sorts of personal lessons), and the journey of growth each of the three girls goes through.

You can learn more about the authors at Lost Girls World, and you can purchase a copy of The Lost Girls here.

(Editor’s Note: I received a free copy of the book for review, and there are affiliate links in this post).

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Greetings from Scotland! Since my last update, my house-sitting gig ended (and I even kept everything alive – plants and puppies alike), my Mum flew back home to Canada, and I stayed for a few days with a friend in York. I now write to you from Scotland, a place I loved from the second I stepped off the train.

Having spent a few days in Edinburgh staying with some friends/colleagues and meeting other friends/colleagues for coffee, I moved to a hostel to experience the city’s incredibly active festival and fringe scene with a visiting friend who used to live in the city.  Now, we’ve rented a car and are exploring the Highlands.

Whew! It’s been a busy few travel weeks, and the pace will continue to be somewhat feverish for the next couple of months. But I’ll have to keep you in suspense as to my future plans, which have recently changed quite drastically. (Stay tuned!) For now, please enjoy some of my recently published pieces. Cheers!

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FINANCIAL IQ TEST: How Healthy is Your Life Insurance Plan?

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Take a Free Family Vacation with a Home Exchange

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8 Hotel and Car Rental Tips for Business Travelers

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David Thompson is an International travel writer and prolific traveler who has been writing professionally since 1996.

DAY 1

Sunday morning is the best time to be on the road in large urban areas, especially at 5am when there is absolutely no traffic! After the early 5 hour flight from the west coast I soon find myself walking along Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC just down from the White House. Then after a 10 hour flight to Accra, the capital city of Ghana in Western Africa I am whisked away to the middle of the rural countryside far removed from the hub of activity I had experienced in the two nation’s capital cities.

I welcome the warm sun, heat and humidity that only the tropics can deliver. Somehow, I am among the first ones off the plane and quickly breeze through customs. That’s the easy part. The interrogation is the fun part though. In order to avoid tourists getting sucked into scams at the airport, cars carrying westerners with locals need to stop at the police station before exiting.

I am with John, the director of YCC Ghana (the organization I came to volunteer for). He is taken into a small room by himself and asked about me. Then I am summoned from the vehicle and two officers proceed to ask about my business in Ghana and why I am in the vehicle with the other men. After a few questions I figure out they are doing this for my own protection, trying to make sure I’m not becoming part of a larger scam. The interrogation ends on friendly terms with one of the policeman showing me how to handshake….Ghanian style ending with a snap of the fingers.

Upon leaving the airport we are bombarded with walking toilet paper vendors. Apparently this product is a hot item in the streets of Accra?!

DAY 2

I am staying with YCC Ghana out in the country near the edges of the great Volta River – about 40 minutes from the Togo Border. This organization was started by John Glidden 6 years ago and today is directly helping over 250 children and families with education, water sanitation and identifying “slave masters” and notifying the proper authorities and or taking the children away and placing them in orphanages if appropriate. Talking about slave masters and child slaves at a modern western mall in Accra seems so incongruous to the realities a few hours away.

I’ve been trying to improve everything about their online presence but the Internet situation is quite grim. This is a perfect time to work on this as I have no outside distractions and can devote my entire attention for hours on end. However with a pitiful download rate, I’m afraid additional work will have to wait until I can find a much faster connection.

I walk to work each day – it’s about 20 minutes through green fields, mostly corn along dirt paths and dirt roads, past small crudely constructed residences eventually crossing the main highway that continues to the Togo border. Their office also serves as a classroom so I find myself working literally in the middle of the classes as that is where the electrical power source is!

Music is a big part of the Western Africa culture – the director is taking his first trip off the continent in August and is preparing 13 students for this. As a result every mid afternoon just under my window the students line up with drums and sticks and cowbells and their voices and burst into song for 3+ hours until the sun goes down! ‘

The small building where I’m staying is literally surrounded by agriculture – men are out in the fields plowing and hoeing by hand – the ground here is very fertile as its been brought in by the Volta River over centuries.

DAY 3

There is nothing like working on a computer in a corn field! With the modern wonders of usb wireless modems to connect into the mobile phone’s network and the added benefit of having a netbook which inherently has a long battery life, I can perch myself, seated Thai style on the fertile ground among the corn plants, communicating with half the world (albeit agonizingly slowly at times). I compare the Internet speed here to the speed at which these young green plants are extending their vertical reach.

The concept of Ghanian time is refreshing – work, but have fun and take your time.

The food is good – I am eating authentic food as you find in the Ghanian countryside. We eat with our hands. Lunch today is a very nice flavored Okra dish with a large piece of meat inside and some sort of sticky grain that makes it easy for sopping up the main dish.

I came here without knowing what to expect in terms of geography. Sometimes I prefer to travel that way. My brother who is on Google Earth at the moment informs me I am only 10 minutes from the Atlantic Ocean where the Volta river empties and only 45 miles from Lome, the capital city of neighboring Togo. I will be testing Togo’s visa-on-arrival policy at some point. I’ll bet 95% of the world’s population has no idea Togo is a country on planet earth.

Bernard from Border Jumpers calls me this afternoon – I was supposed to meet them in Abidjan, Ivory Coast – but now it looks like I’m going to try to meet them in Burkina Faso. Will try to get a visa on the fly in Accra!

DAY 4

The ENTIRE country is ALIVE! I’m sitting out on the darkened porch fighting mosquitoes like no tomorrow and Ghana just scored – major noise coming from all homes nearby – every type of noise imaginable, cheering, screaming, yelling, crying, chanting, horns, whistles and metal bells clanging! I hear this sustained noise everywhere across the countryside. Now the music has started and people are singing. Uruguay has a long history of appearances in the World Cup, but Ghana does not and has the power of the entire continent behind them as they are the only African team left in the tournament.

Today we tour the countryside visiting small projects and schools that YCC Ghana is directly involved with. We end up in Aflao, the border town with Togo and Ghana. Everyone is wearing Ghana flags and Ghana colors, some have been obviously partying all day and are quite drunk. “We are Africa’s team” they yell. “Ghana, Ghana, Ghana” they keep chanting!

If these, the crumbling, decaying walls at Fort Prinzenstein could talk, the sustained pain of the people they housed would power the simultaneous detonation of 100 nuclear bombs. These walls should be left to rot and crumble and turn into the sand that surrounds them yet at the same time they should be left standing to serve others as a grim reminder of what happened in this part of Africa. The fort we visit was built in 1784 by the Danish to house male and female Africans before starving them (so they would be weak for the trip and theoretically would not mount a revolt) weeks prior to putting them on small boats and taking them to what is now the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. Bathing was done in small concrete walls built into the fort; after bathing the water was saved for the slaves to drink. Seeing the small dungeon and chains built in the floor combined with the brutality described by our guide, is enough to make one sick.

DAY 5

After 19+ years of writing my first Pen Pal friend, I meet up with Kwesi, a journalist in Accra. I’ve been staying with him and it is amazing to finally meet him in person after all this time. I had re-read all his original letters before this trip. Today I wake up in Accra without any real plans other than I am going to leave the country for some additional exploration of West Africa.

After a few phone calls I decide I will fly to neighboring Cote d’Ivoire, to their capital city of Abidjan. I already have the visa as I was planning on meeting Bernard and Danielle of Border Jumpers there. But their plans changed and they found themselves in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and it was too pricy to catch a ticket at the last minute as well as secure a visa.

Finding out the flight is at midday on Emirates Air, I scramble to buy the ticket and arrive at the airport just in time to catch the flight. On the way to airport we pass the Holiday Inn where US President Obama stayed during his 2 nights in Ghana. The entire hotel was shut down for him and his staff. With the confusion of my issued visa showing the US standard of day/month/year I am initially denied boarding. After some explanation and back-and-forth between employees I am allowed to proceed. Then they catch the fact that my ticket is one way and that requires further explanation before being allowed to board. I’ve always wanted to fly Emirates ever since seeing the exotic uniforms of the flight attendants while in Suvarnabhumi airport, Bangkok. You can use your cell phone while airborne – how cool is that?!

Abidjan is the world’s largest French-speaking city and for someone who only knows a few words, getting around is a challenge. Not to mention getting money – it takes visits to 8 different banks before finding one that works for my ATM cards!

DAY 6

Today I awake at dawn to explore Abidjan. Thank goodness for some European-styled food and salads with vinegar – I have been craving salad ever since I arrived in West Africa! Abidjan is the world’s 4th largest French-speaking city and my English doesn’t go too far here, although I’ve met a few Ghana ex-pats and Ghana travelers who speak English.

After sweating up a storm and walking around the entire downtown I find nothing much to pique my interest. I am cursorily looking for an Internet Cafe and much to my surprise find one after about 4 hours. It is called “Cyber Cafe” – I walk upstairs and ask to use one of the computers. They reply is given promptly, “sorry we don’t offer Internet access here.” Agggg!!!

Prices are high for taxis, lodging, food and most everything else I find. This is a city surrounded by water. I walk away from downtown and find a small ferry to the other side and end up in the slums. 4th world to the max. Garbage is strewn everywhere and anti-malaria drinks are sold like water, right among the hard alcohol from small wooden stands. A gentleman who tells me he has been out of work for 10 months offers to be my guide. The poverty is extreme. I find nothing inspirational about Abidjan and I will be leaving tomorrow.

DAY 7

I arrive in Ghana’s Cape Coast for a few days of much needed R&R. The bus travels with an armed guard. I’m not an expert in high caliber weaponry but the gun he’s holding sure looks like an AK47. Here we are cruising through the jungles of the Cote d’Ivoire with a bunch of 25KG bags labeled “Uncle Sam” rice from Thailand strewn all over the floor. I soon find out this rice is for a humanitarian mission; apparently public transportation is used for these missions!

Unlike Abidjan, Cape Coast is set up for tourism. Guesthouses dot the landscape. The Kakum Rainforest is definitely a highlight of a stay here and is one of Ghana’s true natural unspoiled treasures. My taxi driver keeps saying, “I hate traffic” over and over. He makes a mad dash as fast as he can drive to the forest. His car is a piece of junk, the mirrors are broken or missing, the seat belt doesn’t work and most of the windows are either shattered or badly cracked. The exciting parts are trying to avoid huge potholes without slowing down. He runs over a large rock on the side of the road trying to avoid a pothole and the engine dies.

The Kakum Rainforest contains Africa’s longest rainforest canopy walk. All entry into the rainforest is with a guide. The walkways are made with rope and metal cables situated 20-30 meters above the forest floor; all around you is a sea of green vegetation.

So that is seven days in West Africa – just a slice of my trip in this unique part of the world. Enjoy!

Dave will continue to explore Western Africa, visiting countries such as Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Togo. It’s an open-ended trip without a return ticket, and additional destination  this year will include Jamaica, Bahrain, Egypt, South Africa, Portugal, and as with every year, several months in rural Thailand.

You can check out his (and other travelers’) adventures and glean some travel tips at DavesTravelCorner.com. Dave is also a partner in MyVideoVisa.com, a new online personal travel video promotion site.

His latest endeavor is The Napa Wine Project which has taken 4+ years to date and is expected to be an initial 8 year project that involves wine tasting at all Napa Valley commercial wine producers. He has spent over 3000 hours on this project and has personally visited & tasted with 600+ commercial Napa wine producers to date. His first book titled “The Freeways of Los Angeles” was published in early 2010.

~ Ownership of most things is overrated. Ownership of worldly experiences is not.  ~ Dave

Related posts:

1. A Week-In-The-Life of Dave: The Longest Way Home
2. A Week-In-The-Life of Dave & Debra on the Tour d’Afrique
3. A Week-In-The-Life of Brian: No Debt World Travel

“Going Digital” seems to be the en vogue thing to dream about these days. And so it should be; while commuting to and from our office cubicles every day, the idea of working remotely from some isolated beach (or even simply from the comfort of home) is pretty appealing. I made the leap myself – over three and a half years ago – and I haven’t looked back.

I could have written an e-book about it (and I may yet do so with a different angle), but for now I’ve been beaten to the punch by Christine Gilbert, a very talented writer and former Fortune 10 manager who left her own cubicle in 2008 for greener pastures. And she’s a bona fide expert on doing the digital dance: as a freelancer, corporate business owner, remote employee, and now as an entrepreneur and traveler along with her husband, baby boy, and two dogs.

A Practical Guide to Going Digital is a big-picture approach to the digital lifestyle, and will guide you from your current seat in your cubicle through the esoteric process of finding your niche in the digital world.

For Employees

This e-book shows you how to work remotely in your current job (if possible), or where to find other jobs and careers that are digital-friendly. There are tips on how to encourage your employer to let you work remotely, including how to create convincing proposals and engineer “test runs” to show reluctant employers that you can still do your job from anywhere.

For Freelancers

There is information on how to get started as a freelancer, including how to find (and effectively work with) clients, manage your business, and keep steady work coming through the door.

For Business Owners

For those with loftier ambitions, there is also information on how to create your own digital enterprise. Gilbert shares some valuable information on what not to do, even citing mistakes she made in her own time as a corporate business owner.

Don’t Get This E-Book if…

If you are already a digital nomad, or are well on your way to becoming one, you may find that this e-book is a little too simplistic for you. While useful, it has a very big-picture approach to going digital, catering to many different work styles and preferences. There aren’t nearly as many “practical” tips or digital tools for making nomadic work possible as I would have hoped. (But then again, I’ve been working digitally for over three years, so I’m not the best candidate for this book).

Valuable Tips

Regardless of your preference for being an employee, freelancer, or business owner, this book also contains some valuable tips, such as:

• Making a smooth transition to your digital life (and enduring the dreaded “Overlap” period)
• Ways to communicate remotely
• Cautionary note to the dreamers about being practical and setting realistic expectations
• How to handle the downsides of remote work such as loneliness, lack of support, and work/life balance

So if you are currently holding your head in your hands, wondering if there’s a way to escape your cubicle-oriented destiny, this e-book could be very handy for you.

A Practical Guide to Going Digital: How to Break Up with Your Cubicle for Good

65 pages

Cost: $12.99

But wait, there’s more from the Gilbert bookshelf for those with itchy feet:

Twitter for Travelers is a fun book that takes Twitter to a new level. It’s chock full of useful lists and resources to help you get cheap airfare, connect with like-minded people wherever you are in the world, keep track of your expenses, get valuable answers to all your questions, and yes – even water your plants. All with Twitter.

Gilbert has even constructed some very useful lists of Twitterers that you can add to your contact list with one click, all designed to make your traveling life easier. It’s an excellent resource that I keep coming back to.

Twitter for Travelers

49 Pages

Cost: $7

30 Ways in 30 Days to Redesign Your Life and Travel the World takes an even bigger-picture approach to adopting a life of long-term travel. There is some overlap between this e-book and the Practical Guide to Going Digital, but this one doesn’t go into quite as much depth on the subject of working-remotely, and instead also focuses on other travel-related items such as saving money, managing finances, telling family and friends, traveling with pets, dealing with your belongings, finding places to stay, travel budgeting, home-schooling kids (with testimonies from those with experience), finding cheap airfare, selling your house, becoming an expat, getting insurance, safety tips, and even watching tv on the road. On and on it goes – full of interesting and useful tips.

Although the title implies a 30-day turnaround between your current life and one as a long-term or full-time traveler, don’t expect to actually accomplish it in this time frame! However it is divided into 30 sections, each covering a new aspect to adopting a travel lifestyle.

30 Ways in 30 Days to Redesign Your Life and Travel the World

155 Pages

Cost: $12.99

And, if you like the sound of all three of these e-books, you can get the whole shebang for just $20. Simply click here for the Work Wirelessly Combo Pack and you’ll be a digital, twittering, life-redesigning traveler extraordinaire!

(Editor’s Note: I received free copies of the above e-books for review, and there are affiliate links in this post. As usual, I’m honest in my evaluations. It’s up to you to decide if it’s for you.)

Related posts:

1. Roundup: October 1st – 15th
2. X Marks the Spot: E-Book Review
3. Roundup: October 16-31st

“Oh my gosh. I can’t believe it. Just look at that view,” I said, in awe of the vista we were driving by.

“Yup. I’m sure it’s nice. I’ll take your word for it,” muttered Mum between clenched teeth, eyes tightly closed and squeezing the door handle.

As we navigated yet another switchback up the winding cliffs above Toulon, the passenger seat where Mum was sitting once again faced the hillside. “Okay, Mum. You can open your eyes now,” I said with a bemused smile. She tentatively opened her eyes, one at a time, and breathed out audibly.

I can’t blame her. If I were scared of heights, I might not have fared much better myself. If the impressively winding roads around the south of France weren’t enough, the incredibly narrow width somehow meant to accommodate cars going both ways made the ride harrowing for anybody used to North America’s wide avenues. Add to that the fact that one side of the road entailed a sheer drop with no hope of survival, and Mum’s fear of heights was in high gear.

But the views of the seaside towns in the south of France prevented me from having any such difficulties.

Our Intro to the South of France

After exploring Paris for five days with our family friend, we took the high-speed train to the south of France to stay with her and her husband at their house in Sanary-Sur-Mer. The architecture and colours reminded me very much of northern Spain, which made sense as we were pretty close. But something about the flavour of the place made it irrefutably – and charmingly – French.

To show off their beautiful corner of the world, our friends and hosts took us on long drives up and down the coast, exploring tiny towns, old castle ruins and churches, and even the top of the highest cliff in France.

As you can imagine, Mum stayed close to the car while we ventured towards the edge to soak in the view and take pictures. “Don’t go too far!” she yelled from her safe vantage point, fearful that a rogue gust of wind might sweep us off the cliff. And although on this hot sunny day we had a better chance of getting sunburned than windswept, when a mistral (wind storm) kicks up, it’s actually possible and the roads close because of it.

Market Culture

On much lower terra firma, a highlight for me was the market. During the summer, there is a small farmers market perched on the wharf in the morning (and by “small”, I mean relatively huge with fresh fish, cheese, fruit, vegetables, olives, baked goods, and more), and an artisan’s market every night from 8pm.

And every Wednesday morning, Sanary-Sur-Mer sees the mother of all markets, with everything from fresh food to clothes to local wines to crepes to crafts on display. We had the even better fortune to be attending the Wednesday market on Bastille Day, with nothing but sunshine and thousands of people to mingle with.

The daily farmers markets are a way of life for the locals, who tend to shop for their meals each day, rather than doing a large grocery run once a week or so (as is typically done in North America). I don’t know how many times I spotted people walking the streets just before mealtime with a couple of baguettes under their arm – both baked and bought (and subsequently consumed) as fresh as it gets. And to buy all the day’s foods fresh (and often locally grown) from the market is very civilized indeed.

‘Gourmet’ – to a T

Our French friends were no exception to the baguette-carrying masses, as every morning we awoke to fresh pastries and saw that at least two baguettes were sitting on the sideboard. They were to be the mainstay of our lunches and dinners, but far from the main attraction.

Lunch every day featured an impressive spread of cold cuts, pates, chesses, spreads, and salads, followed by fresh fruit.

Dinner was a multi-course event that required some degree of patience and pacing, otherwise you would eat too much (as happened regularly, to varying degrees). The first course started with pastis (an anise-based liqueur that you water down and enjoy over ice – very addictive) and at least half a dozen different homemade spreads, olives, and dips (served with crackers and bread of course). Utmost restraint was required for this course; to sample everything once would have been more than enough – but at the same time was never enough.

Next came a variety of main dishes (sometimes served at once, sometimes in waves), prepared and served immaculately, along with a perfectly matched wine.

Following dinner came the cheese platter (with another perfectly paired wine), featuring at least five different kinds of cheese. The cheese varied from cow’s milk, to goat’s milk, to ewe’s milk (a delightfully mild cheese), and fresh to aged and beyond. Oh yes, and of course – more bread to go around.

And we couldn’t possibly roll away from the table without having a delectable dessert and accompanying sweet wine or champagne. Most of the desserts were homemade, save for the day we went to a Patisserie and bought just about every mini cake they had on display and gorged ourselves on chocolate mousse, raspberry tarts, cheesecakes, and a variety of individually-sized sweets.

This gastronomical feast took place over a few hours, and became a highlight of each day, not soon to be forgotten.

Bastille Day Celebrations

Besides the swelled crowds at the market in the morning, we saw no real indication that it was Bastille Day. So that evening, we headed back to the wharf and took our place among the hundreds of gatherers to watch the fireworks.

The 20-minute display of fireworks set on this relatively small cove was impressive, and after the show was done, people immediately and relatively unceremoniously dispersed. Although many stayed on the waterfront to enjoy the market, buskers, and a glass of wine on a patio, many more simply made their way home. This area of France (and I might surmise France in general) is not home to gregarious flag-wavers; patriotic they may be, but overbearing they are not.

We stuck around for a short while to allow the crowds to thin out and to check out other distant fireworks displays in neighbouring towns and bays along the seaside. Then we headed home to enjoy a homemade dessert in celebration of the incredible day – and our glorious journey through southern France.

Related posts:

1. Winding Along Australia’s Great Ocean Road
2. Recipes From The Road: 5 Layer Mexican Dip
3. Paris Highlights

I’ve settled in to my house-sitting digs in Hampshire, England. When I arrived, I was cordially introduced to a classic English afternoon in the countryside…clay shooting! Despite my minimal experience with guns, I managed to hit three clays. (The fact that I hit any was a relative victory). I’m here for one more week before heading north. More on that in future blog posts. For now, please enjoy my latest published articles.

Wise Bread

Travel and Money: How to Get and Carry Cash Safely and Securely

This Travel and Money series discusses various ways to address money and security issues while you are abroad. Today we’ll address getting and carrying cash safely and securely while you’re actively traveling on the road.

Care One

Vacationing Without Traveling: Taking an Effective Staycation

So, you’ve got some vacation time burning a hole in your schedule, but you can’t afford to go away. If you like the feeling of escape that a vacation provides but money is tight, try taking a “Staycation!”

This article explores a few guidelines for an effective staycation.

AmEx Open Forum

Cyber Security on the Road

Whether you are on the road for a business trip or traveling full time with a location independent career, maintaining good cyber security is paramount. We have already discussed some of the essential services for the road required to keep your business going from anywhere. In this article, we’ll look at how to protect your identity and electronic data while traveling, so you—and your business—return home safely every time.

Profiles & Shout-Outs

FinanciallyFitTV recently put together an episode about Frugally Fabulous Females, and I am one of them! The episode helps women who are in debt take control of their debt – and their lives. I shot this interview while staying in a hostel in Wellington New Zealand, at the slightly uncivilized hour of 1am. Ah well…tis the biz…and the game of working with time differences when you travel full-time! I wouldn’t have it any other way. But I digress: Check out the episode!

FinanciallyFitTV: Frugally Fabulous Females

Vagabond Quest is at it again! This month I contributed my two cents to their roundup of pieces of traveling advice from some venerable world travelers.

Top 3 Pieces of Traveling Advice by Travelers Around the World

GoOverseas is a web site about teaching, studying, and volunteering abroad. They’ve got writing contests, informative articles, forums, and tons of resources. And they recently interviewed me on my last 3+ years of full-time travel!

Interview With The Professional Hobo

Related posts:

1. Roundup: August 16th-31st
2. Roundup: July 1st-15th
3. Roundup: July 16th-31st