Share your idea to change the world.

What will you do today, for tomorrow? This is the question being asked in a global initiative seeking ideas to generate positive change in the world. The G Project, powered by G Adventures and its non-profit foundation Planeterra, encourages people to submit ideas that will help solve social and environmental issues at a local level.

Submissions will be collated and showcased on the The G Project website and the four people with the ideas with the greatest potential will be invited to pitch to a panel of high-profile judges in Costa Rica. The person with the idea the judges believe will have the most positive impact will receive a US$25,000 development grant and the backing of Planeterra to bring their project to life.

Participants can register their ideas up until June 3, 2013 in one of four categories: Community, Freedom, Beauty or Knowledge. Entrants must complete a questionnaire identifying the critical need, the impact their idea will have and the feasibility of execution. Opinions on the ideas submitted will be publicly canvassed online and a longlist of 16 will be announced on June 4, 2013.

A panel of thought leaders, innovators and social entrepreneurs, including Lonely Planet’s Tony Wheeler, will then select a shortlist of four finalists based on a set of criteria that favour small-scale, sustainable ideas that focus on local communities and have a strong social element.

The four finalists will be announced on June 24, 2013 and they will then be flown out to the inaugural Summit in the Jungle in Costa Rica in September. Here they will hone their ideas before pitching them to G Adventures’ founder Bruce Poon Tip and a selection of judges.

“The G Project is more than traveller philanthropy or charitable giving. It’s a unique initiative designed to bring people from different backgrounds together to lead, build and foster positive change all over the world,” says Poon Tip.

“The G Project was devised as a means to help and enable aspiring change-makers to take their idea from conception to action and impact. The winner will be announced on September 24, 2013 at the Future of Tourism event in Toronto, Canada.

Visit thisisyourplanet.com to submit your world-changing idea before June 3, 2013.

Disclosure: At Two Go Round-The-World, we value the conversation that exists between us and our readers—and the trust on which that relationship is based. Here we’re committed to creating an environment informed by that trust. In the interests of full disclosure, Daniel works with G Adventures. For more information on disclosures and relationships, please check our ‘About Us‘ page.

"The G Project: Share Your Idea to Change the World" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

On the morning of October 30, 2012, millions of Americans awoke to unimaginable destruction and despair. Almost immediately, families, friends and complete strangers banded together to rebuild neighbourhoods shattered by Hurricane Sandy.

Like many of you, we’re still in shock after watching Hurricane Sandy wreak havoc on the East Coast earlier this month, leaving our friends and colleagues without power, water or shelter. Since then, we’ve watched friends and acquaintances in the travel industry to come to the aid of others. We were particularly moved by the response of the Rhode Island office of G Adventures—for whom I work—who responded to the plight of the families of two of our employees. They had grown up in the hardest hit parts of New Jersey—the Rockaways. An appeal went out by email for donations, and within a few hours, one of my office mates in Toronto had offered to drive to New York with a car full of supplies for the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Kathryn and I are continually amazed by the power of community when it’s used to raise donations, offer assistance or generate awareness for a cause. We’re inspired by all those who’ve come together to help.

Sometimes, it takes the absolute worst to bring out our very best. I am so very proud of the people with whom I work for their passion and commitment. Floodwaters recede. Headlines fade. Even scars heal with time. But communities endure.

Disclosure: At Two Go Round-The-World, we value the conversation that exists between us and our readers—and the trust on which that relationship is based. Here we’re committed to creating an environment informed by that trust. In the interests of full disclosure, Daniel works with G Adventures. For more information on disclosures and relationships, please check our ‘About Us‘ page.

"Community Endures in the Wake of Hurricane Sandy" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

Check out the most recent G Adventures lip-dub video. Shot throughout the year all around the world and boasting a cast of hundreds, this labour of love from the G Adventures in-house creative team provides great insight to what working and travelling with G is all about. As you may know, Daniel (one half of Two Go Round-The-World) works for G Adventures (and if you’re interested about how he came to work there, check out this post).

With over 11,000 views in just a week, it’s cool to see that the video is getting pickup both in the blogosphere and in more traditional media. Mark Stachiew, Canada.com’s travel editor writes:

Yes, this video is a not-so-thinly disguised advertisement for G Adventures, but it’s still hard to resist. It’s a lib dub of a Queen song that shows happy G Adventures staffers and customers singing, dancing and cavorting all around the world. It certainly makes you want to bust out of your cubicle on a Monday morning.

 Glad you liked it, Mark. The crew at G Adventures had a great time making it!

Disclosure: At Two Go Round-The-World, we value the conversation that exists between us and our readers—and the trust on which that relationship is based. Here we’re committed to creating an environment informed by that trust. In the interests of full disclosure, Daniel works with G Adventures. For more information on disclosures and relationships, please check our ‘About Us‘ page.

"G Adventures wants somebody to love!" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

How to earn your dream vacation faster

This is a sponsored post. Our pledge to you is that we’ll never take a sponsorship from someone we can’t endorse, or from someone that doesn’t match the interests of this community. We also disclose our affiliations on our About Us page.

How many of you are a member of a loyalty program? I’m willing to bet that it’s a good number. There are a number of programs, and the list is constantly growing.

Pavlov was right—we love rewards

Canadians love their rewards cards. So much so that it is estimated that 94% of us are enrolled in some type of loyalty program, according to marketing research firm Colloquy. In fact, it’s likely that you’ll have more than three rewards cards in your wallet at any given time.

Your author, Kathryn—sans Daniel—in Ecuador.

Although Daniel and I have multiple cards, we find it most effective to focus on our favourite program instead of spreading out our spending too much. Of course, it’ll come as no surprise that the card we focus on is our SPG Credit Card from American Express.

How to maximize your rewards

So how do we maximize our loyalty reward points (dubbed Starpoints)? The strategy here is to funnel all spending through the card to accumulate as many Starpoints as possible. We put every expense possible on our Card and we always ensure we pay it off every month. Therefore, it doesn’t take too long before we accrue a meaningful balance in our Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) account.

The SPG Credit Card from American Express has long been known as one of the best travel rewards cards in Canada. Regardless of where you use this card, you’ll always earn 1 Starpoint for every dollar spent. For example, Daniel and I consolidate almost all of our expenses, racking up about $3,300 a month on our card. Hence, we earn nearly 40,000 Starpoints per year. Once a Cardmember earns 40,000 Starpoints, , they qualify for ‘SPG Gold status and a ‘Free Weekend Night Award’.

It all adds up

If you’re new to the card, you’ll also earn 10,000 bonus Starpoints after you charge $1,000 in purchases to your card in your first three months. In our first year alone, we earned over 50,000 Starpoints and a free night award at a Starwood hotel. That’s enough points, for example, for a week downtown Buenos Aires, Bangkok — or in Southern California.

Where we’ve spent our Starpoints

So what will 50,000 Starpoints get you? It will get you a week at any of the following hotels, which we chose as examples because we’ve been. And we loved them all for different reasons, of course. A whole lot of comfort, convenience and a little romance.

Comfort in Bangkok

Daniel and I have been lucky enough to have travelled to Thailand on a number of occasions. In fact, it was the first destination we set down in on our first backpacking trip ever—when we travelled through South East Asia on a shoestring. As I’ve written about before, we stayed in some pretty sketchy places, including a few dives on Khao San Rd.

Westin Grande Sukhumvit

So, it gave me great pleasure then, to have stayed at the Westin Grande Sukhumvit the last time we were in Bangkok. It’s a perfect location for sightseeing, it’s situated in the heart of one of the city’s best shopping, restaurant, and entertainment areas, and it’s literally across the street from the sky train and the subway. Most importantly, of course, was that it was clean and comfortable!

Convenience in Southern California

We stayed at the Westin Long Beach last year at the beginning of a week-long family vacation in Southern California. The location was perfect; we spent most of our time there strolling along the city’s Shoreline Pedestrian bike path.

Westin Long Beach

Long Beach is a neat little city and the Westin here is pretty much at the center of it all. Despite renting a car, we hardly used it while in LBC.

Romance in BA

In March of 2011, we cashed in a bunch of our Starpoints so that we could settle down following a rather rigorous trip from Santiago, through the Great Lakes District and up through Bariloche, finally settling in Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires is my kind of town! BA’s porteños love old book stores, opera and naturally, tango.

Sheraton Libertador Hotel

Buenos Aires has soul! You can’t beat Sheraton’s Libertador Hotel for walking access to restaurants and shopping along Florida, it’s about 15-20 minutes to Recoleta, San Telmo, and Puerto Madero. Yet, it’s quiet. A perfect, and very romantic, place to kick back after a long trip.

Conclusion

Of course, in order to do this and get the biggest bang for your buck, it’s imperative to use your Card for all your daily spending—from gas to groceries, to monthly bill payments, and watch your Starpoints add up.

The preceding was a sponsored post. Visit the Starwood Preferred Guest® (SPG) Credit Card from American Express website to learn more and to apply. For more information about sponsored posts, click here.

"Travel rewards: How to earn your dream vacation faster" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

Introducing our new sponsor partnership!

This is a sponsored post. Our pledge to you is that we’ll never take a sponsorship from someone we can’t endorse, or from someone that doesn’t match the interests of this community. We also disclose our affiliations on our About Us page.

We’re pleased to announce a new travel sponsorship partner—The Starwood Preferred Guest® (SPG) Credit Card from American Express! This travel blogging partnership is a natural fit for Kathryn and me, as we’ve been members of the SPG program for several years. Over the course of the last few years, however, our travel goals have changed considerably.

Changing needs

Back when we first wrote about choosing a travel rewards program in 2009, we were concerned with racking up as many points as possible to defray the cost of a round‐the‐world trip. Now, however, with the recent arrival of a new baby, our needs have evolved—and the SPG Credit Card from American Express has grown along with us.

Kathryn and Dan at Cántaros Pond in Argentina

Our travel style

Before we decided to start a family, we backpacked and slept in hammocks by the sea. Now we want to keep that same spirit of adventure alive—but as a family. With an infant, what’s important to us when travelling has shifted a little bit. Where once we’d forego a direct flight to save a little money, shorter travel times are now a greater concern.

Character-filled Accommodation

What we don’t want to give up, however, is the character that one’s accommodation can impart when travelling. We prefer hotels in the SPG program because they are ubiquitous (more than 1,000 hotels and resorts in nearly 100 countries) and they are located in some of the world’s most interesting and enriching destinations. Depending on the hotel and its location, they also tend to preserve a fair amount of the destinations distinctive heritage and unique character.

The whole family!

Travelling as a family

Many of the hotels in the SPG program also have cribs, rollaway beds, outlet covers, refrigerators, and bottle warmers to make the stay for those with infants just a little bit easier, too. At check‐in, you’ll get a rundown of daily and weekly activities for the family and can sign up for the ones that strike your fancy. These activities tend to take into account the interests of all kids—from toddlers to teenagers. And for hungry kids that are tough to please, the SPG Kids Pass program offers a variety of dining options for kids under 12.

The SPG Credit Card from American Express

So why did we enter into this partnership? Well, we’ve been using the SPG Credit Card from American Express as our primary credit card since 2009, so it was an endorsement that we were comfortable making. We like the card for its flexibility, plus a very good redemption rate—a determining factor which influenced our decision to go with American Express originally. What pushed us over the top, however, was the fact that you can transfer your earned ‘Starpoints’ into most airlines’ frequent flyer programs at pretty favourable transfer rates. Or you can use Starpoints for free flights with no blackout dates with SPG Flights. That means you can be airline agnostic, more or less! Furthermore, it means you are not pushed to the back of the line, forced to fly standby or stuck with routes that only pass through Gary, Indiana—not that there’s anything wrong with that!

Kathryn and Dan in the Galapagos.

The fun part

As part of our sponsor partnership, we will be using our Starpoints—generously awarded by American Express and SPG— toward a one-of-a-kind experience offered by ‘Moments’ by SPG . With this program, your Starpoints give you exclusive access to the ultimate in music, sports and the arts. Whether it’s a backstage tour and meet-and-greet with an artist, luxury suite access to a ball game or premiere opening-night tickets to a hit new show. Check out the current lineup of Moments experiences here—and check back in soon as we reveal our ‘Moment’!

The preceding was a sponsored post. Visit the Starwood Preferred Guest® (SPG) Credit Card from American Express website to learn more and to apply. For more information about sponsored posts, click here.

"Introducing our new sponsor partnership!" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

Passports, visas, tickets, credit cards, prescriptions and other critical documents are all good candidates for backups

Occasionally, Kathryn and I come across some great travel ‘hacks’—tips and shortcuts that help backpackers, vagabonds and long-term travellers get things done smarter, cheaper and more efficiently. So, with no further ado, here’s an inexpensive solution that might be deserving of a place in (or on) your backpack.

In our Travelling Safely series, Kathryn and I touched on the importance of ensuring that you make copies of important documents. In truth, you’ve likely come across this travel tip before—passports, visas, tickets, credit cards, drug prescriptions and other critical documents are all good candidates for backups. This way, it will be easier to replace the originals in the event you lose them.

Last Thursday, Gizmodo’s Andrew Tarantola put together a good little tutorial on how to put together an emergency flash drive to take with you whenever you travel. He writes:

Getting stuck in a strange city with no ID, no money, no credit cards, and no medical or insurance documents can be inconvenient. In a medical emergency, it can be life-threatening. So have a backup plan: a secure flash drive loaded with your most vital documents and details.

In the tutorial, he recommends a couple of flash drives that lend themselves to the purpose, suggests which data to include and how to organize it and, most importantly considering you’ll be carrying sensitive information, how to keep it safe.

All in all a good article, although he recommends the ‘Verbatim Tough-n-Tiny‘ as his USB flash drive of choice. Its reviews on Amazon, however, are dismal. A better bet at the same price point might be Kingston’s Digital DataTraveler SE9. It’s covered by a five-year warranty, free technical support and Kingston solid track record of being reliable. It also boasts, in Andrew’s words: “a cute little eyelet you could use to string it around your neck”, as well.

One of Gizmodo’s commenters recommends Victorinox’s ‘Swiss Army Secure Flight‘ for its “256 bit AES encryption, biometric (fingerprint) scanning for access and a bunch of other handy security features”. Note that the blade and USB flash drive are removable so that you won’t have any problems at airport check points. It’s a little pricey, though, coming in at around $100.

Check out the rest of Andrew’s article on Gizmodo.

Recommendations for other USB flash drives to consider taking on the road? Hit the discussion!

"Hackpacking: Emergency Flash Drive" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

Lonesome George—the last known individual of the Pinta Island tortoise.

Kathryn and I just learned (via a tweet from Bruce Poon Tip) that  Lonesome George, the last remaining tortoise of his kind, died on Sunday of unknown causes. He was thought to be about 100 years old. A quick google confirmed his passing (via Reuters):

“This morning the park ranger in charge of looking after the tortoises found Lonesome George, his body was motionless,” the head of the Galapagos National Park, Edwin Naula, told Reuters. “His life cycle came to an end.” George was believed to be around 100 years old and the last member of a species of giant tortoise from La Pinta, one of the smallest islands in the Galapagos, the Galapagos National Park said.

Kathryn and I were fortunate enough to have visited the Charles Darwin Research Centre in December of 2010 and viewed Lonesome George who, living up to his name, was resting all by himself in his pen. In fact, the pen where George lived was visited by thousands of tourists every year, each seizing the opportunity to take a picture of one of the rarest creatures on Earth. We certainly cherish our photo of him (above).

An important icon

Indeed, Lonesome George was a sad—but important—icon. Watching him was like watching a species go extinct. His plight certainly touched all who saw and heard about him, drawing tourists from all over the world to the Islands and loosening wallets to help preserve the Archipelago.

The Galapagos National Park had been offering a reward of $10,000 for the discovery of a Pinta female, which was necessary to save the subspecies. Without a viable female, the Pinta Island tortoise had been considered functionally extinct in captivity; now, however, Lonesome George’s death signifies the complete extinction of the subspecies.

All may not be lost

According to Wikipedia, recently another male tortoise by the name of Tony, who currently resides in Prague Zoo, was discovered as most likely being an additional pure breed, native, Pinta tortoise. Believed to be born around 1960, Tony has been housed in the zoo since 1972. Peter Pritchard, one of the world’s foremost authorities on Galápagos tortoises (and of tortoises and turtles in the world, more generally), has found the shell on Tony to be extremely similar to that of George and Pinta museum specimens. Research is still currently being processed to confirm this match—and Tony is still being cared for at the Prague zoo.

A reminder

Lonesome George was not just a tortoise but also a conservation icon—he was an ambassador to remind us to think about what we are doing to the world. And with his passing we are all, indeed, left a little bit lonelier.

"Lonesome George: A Conservation Icon" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

Kathryn and I are suckers for infographics—but this one definitely just topped the list as one of our favourites. Our friend (and co-worker) Sean Russo from G Adventures recently hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Just before he left, we asked him to count his steps for Looptail—the G Adventures Travel Blog. And so he did. Below is a fantastic infographic of the time (and steps) he took on the Inca Trail. Click here to see the infographic in its full glory!

Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchi: An infographic of the Inca Trail Trek

So there you have the Inca Trail—trekked by Sean and lovingly visualized by Attit Patel.

Interested in Peru? Check out our other Peru-themed posts! We had a “taste” of it back in April 2010.

Disclosure: At Two Go Round-The-World, we value the conversation that exists between us and our readers—and the trust on which that relationship is based. Here we’re committed to creating an environment informed by that trust. In the interests of full disclosure, Daniel works with G Adventures. That being said, the opinions contained herein should not be construed as representing those of his employer. For more information on disclosures and relationships, please check our ‘About Us‘ page.

"The Inca Trail in 70,866 Steps" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

Africa—just one of the destinations you'll never forget.

“Never get behind old people” warns George Clooney at the outset of Jason Reitman’s adaptation of the novel Up in the Air. He is, of course, referring to the ubiquitous line-up faced by all travellers when getting through airport security. He continues by invoking a stereotype: “Old people’s bodies are littered with hidden metal and they never seem to appreciate how little time they have left”. When told off by his companion for being so reductive, he replies: “I’m like my mother, I stereotype. It’s faster.”

In December, Amanda Williams over at A Dangerous Business, wrote a piece entitled “The Traveler vs. Tourist Debate and Why I Don’t Give a Crap”, which examined G Adventures recent You’ll Never Forget It campaign (in which I’d played a part in helping to produce). In her article, Amanda bristled at a few brash and tongue-in-cheek declarations that “tourist season was over” and that it was time to “take travel back from the cookie-cutter, socks-and-sandals tourist crowd.” In the ensuing comment stream, her piece provoked a dialogue that elicited some very strong reactions. At issue? The stereotype of the tourist.

What are they doing?

These reactions were not unexpected—stereotypes tend to do that. They are never neutral—and they are highly charged with the feelings that are attached to them, which is exactly why the crew at G Adventures believed the ‘tourist’ stereotype to be ripe for its latest campaign.

In this particular instance, the irony is more than a little pronounced. Here we have—by its own admission—a small group adventure travel company implying that one can shed the ‘tourist’ mantle by choosing to travel with it. So what the hell are we up to? With this post, I wanted to take a crack at explaining why we created this campaign.

The origin of the ‘tourist’ label

First—let’s examine why the tourist gets such a bum rap. Negative views of tourists prevail in literature and in popular writing; the pejorative tinge associated with being a ‘tourist’ is nothing new. It’s a negative perception that dates back to at least the mid-nineteenth century and was rooted in, interestingly enough, classism. Writes Nell Leiper in her article The Framework of Tourism: “In the 1800s, privileged tourists were upset by what they perceived to be an intrusion of the new middle class into a domain that was once elite.” Still, to this day, applying the ‘tourist’ label evokes a sense of travel snobbery. The implication is that the socks-with-sandal wearing crowd is unsophisticated.

As this middle class grew through the twentieth century and commercial air travel ushered in an unprecedented mobility for a greater number of people, an industry sprung up around these new tourists. Historian Daniel Boorstin contends that this fledgling industry sought to insulate its passengers from the local population through carefully planned, designed, and implemented guided package tours that restricted their freedom. Writes Boorstin: “Artifacts were gathered in museums and attractions were reproduced for their convenience. Tourists were there to confirm their expectations developed through mass media and guidebooks rather than to discover and understand. The whole experience was diluted, contrived, stripped of authenticity and passive.” In essence, Boorstin is describing what a number of people today call ‘the tourist bubble’. And here’s Boorstin’s most important point—the fault doesn’t lie with the socks-and-sandals crowd, it lies with the travel industry. It’s his contention—and one which I share—that the industry created the stereotype of the tourist—and is invested in perpetuating it.

Exit through the gift shop

The way I see it, the travel industry has embarked on a deliberate crusade to convert the tourist from the traditional values of mindful travel to a consumer. This hasn’t occured spontaneously, nor was it an inevitable by-product of a greater number of people having the means to travel. I’m probably breaking some unwritten code by revealing one of the sacred principles of the travel marketing profession here; however, the truth is the industry believes you are not interested in learning anything new or that might put at risk your preconceived view of the world. They have a vested interest in ensuring that you remain a ‘socks-and-sandals’ wearing tourist in order to contain, idealize and commodify your experience. After all, standardization increases profitability—but does little to increase the fullness and uniqueness of your travels. What they really want you to do is to confirm what you already believe by feeding it back to you under the guise of a “cultural experience”, hoping that you visit the gift shop on the way out.

Amanda over at A Dangerous Business would dismiss this as nothing more than a “narrow stereotype”—but I disagree with her assessment. I believe that it’s scope is greater than that and that it encompasses an entire travel industry. Ultimately, considering how the tourist label emerged and has been transformed by the industry is key to understanding it.

Stereotypes: A dangerous business

So why would G Adventures wade into the murky stereotype of the tourist? In order to stand out from the noise in which it finds itself, advertising must tap into the reservoirs of social and cultural knowledge shared by its audience. In order to make an impression quickly, this reliance on shared knowledge becomes even more critical. Given the few seconds that a person is likely to pay attention to an ad, advertisers pretty much have to use what exists in the imagination of the target audience—and stereotypes are ripe for the job. Like George Clooney’s character in the above-mentioned movie—we do it because it’s faster. But that’s only part of the equation.

The strategy of G Adventures take on the ‘tourist’ stereotype lies in an active resistance to the status quo in the travel industry. The campaign seeks to challenge the legitimacy of the stereotypes that define it. In short, we’re out to change the way people think about small group travel. The target of this campaign isn’t other travel companies—but instead, the public’s perception of the industry. We want to change how the world thinks about small group travel in hopes of defining an altered stereotype. G Adventures has thrown down the gauntlet to the industry to return the act of travelling to the individual—where being a tourist is less about being a consumer and more about passion and purpose. In short, the company and its people are seeking to usher in a post-tourist age.

With this campaign we sought something with an edge, that was able to communicate to the audience that the company is different than others in the space—and provide something that challenges people’s expectations in an unexpected way. In my opinion, a good advertisement needs to find and do something that is a bit edgy, that is polarizing—that provides some water-cooler conversation.

Tourist season is over

Which bring us back to the article over at A Dangerous Business, which I think misses the spirit of the campaign. I don’t take issue with Amanda’s interpretation—after all, everyone who views an ad does so based on their own agendas and preferred interpretations based on their history and experience. They arrive at an interpretation of the ad that makes sense to them, serves their needs and fits their personal history with an industry or a brand.

No, it’s not that I feel Amanda’s wrong— it’s that she casts the campaign as one predicated on travel snobbery. She does so by invoking the age-old traveller vs tourist debate—a debate that’s a popular topic among travel bloggers. (In fact, even I’ve written about it.) To wit, the campaign wasn’t concerned with the tourist vs traveller debate—it has its sights set on a different target. As outlined above, I feel it’s engaged in more of a debate between the tourist and the travel industry. When the campaign invokes the words “I’m not a tourist”, the phrase isn’t directed at the travelling community—but rather toward the industry itself, ie “I don’t fit inside the definition the industry has created for me”. The same goes for the aforementioned warning: “Tourist season is over”.

This ain’t your typical travel company

Which is why I threw my lot in with G Adventures—it’s a different kind of travel company that sees its customers as important decision makers that aren’t just passive consumers but proactive partners. Many of the elements of travelling with them—utilizing local businesses, getting off the beaten path, etc—are at odds with the industry norms. Using small-scale lodging, local transportation, supporting locally owned businesses and incorporating community-based projects into itineraries are some ways G Adventures works with local communities to encourage and develop tourism in a sustainable manner. The company seeks to support and empower local people to become business partners by including activities, meals and overnight stays in communities in which it operates.

One last thing…

…and this is a small but important distinction. Doing touristy things does not a tourist make. I mention this because the comments that Amanda’s post elicited were more concerned with the ‘how’ of travel than the ‘why’. I believe that’s because her readers were responding more to her argument than they were to the campaign. G Adventures doesn’t advocate forgoing popular tourist attractions like the Forbidden City, the Grand Canyon or the Eiffel Tower in order to shed the ‘stigma’ of being a tourist. They do, however, offer a different way of approaching them—the freedom to do what you want while on a small group trip.

Enhance your life through travel

In my opinion, if you’re travelling to experience what a place is really like—to be active, to discover and understand in earnest—then calling yourself a ‘tourist’ is simply applying a misnomer because you are already drawing outside the lines of the travel industry’s colouring book. At the same time, one must keep in mind that the tourist (and I use this term as synonymous with the traveller) is complicit in determining how they are represented—through the choices they make about where and how they travel. While there might be no ‘right’ way or ‘wrong’ way to travel, where you stay, where you eat and what you do when abroad do matter. Indeed, they matter very much.

The truth is, like Amanda, I don’t care what ‘group’ you identify with—or if you travel independently or on a big bus tour. The aim of the campaign is to reveal a different way—one that offers a viable, more sustainable alternative to the big bus, cookie-cutter tours on offer today. The most important principle that I can leave you with today is that the power of stereotypes rests not in what others think about you, but in your own perception of yourself. No better way to close off this post than by quoting veteran vagabonder Rolf Potts when he writes: “The value of travel doesn’t come in comparison to other people, but in terms of how it enhances your own life in any number of ways.”

Disclosure: At Two Go Round-The-World, we value the conversation that exists between us and our readers—and the trust on which that relationship is based. Here we’re committed to creating an environment informed by that trust. In the interests of full disclosure, Daniel works with G Adventures. That being said, the opinion contained herein should not be construed as representing those of his employer. For more information on disclosures and relationships, please check our ‘About Us‘ page.

"The Tourist Stereotype and Why You Should Give a Crap" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

El Castillo at Chichen Itza in the Yucatan, Mexico.

El Castillo (Spanish for “castle”), also known as the Temple of Kukulkan, is a step-pyramid that dominates the centre of the Yucatan’s Chichen Itza site. Built by the pre-Columbian Maya sometime between the ninth and twelfth centuries, El Castillo served as a temple to the god Kukulkan, a Mayan deity that resembled a feathered serpent.

Consisting of a series of terraces with stairways up each of its four sides, sculptures of plumed serpents run down the sides of the the pyrimad’s northern facing side. During the spring and autumn equinoxes, the late afternoon sun illuminates the northwest corner and casts a series of shadows against the temple’s face—which creates the illusion of a feathered serpent “crawling” down the pyramid.

Recently, a theory that the ancient Mayans built their pyramids to produce strange and evocative echoes has been supported by a team of scientists. Researchers have shown that sound waves ricocheting around the tiered steps of the pyramid create sounds that mimic the chirp of a bird and the patter of raindrops. As our guide illustrated, the aforementioned ‘chirp’ can be triggered by a clap made at the base of the staircase.

Inspired by publications like Life Magazine, National Geographic and online experiences like Boston.com’s photo blog, images marked as ‘The Whole Picture’  are intended to highlight high-quality, amazing imagery. Kathryn and Daniel will post ‘The Whole Picture‘ irregulary.  Like all of our photos, it is an original photo not otherwise on the site—it might be fresh from our camera, a new scan of some old film, a product of our fooling around with Photoshop, or a file from the archive that we haven’t posted yet.

"The Whole Picture: El Castillo at Chichen Itza" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

When arriving in a new city, one of the first stops on any itinerary should be the local market.  If you’re headed to Cusco, be sure to take a day or an afternoon to explore the city on foot. Of particular note is the San Pedro Market—a covered open-air market encompassing three city blocks. Located West of the Plaza de Armas near the San Pedro Train Station, Cusco’s central market is a vibrant spot that can keep you entertained for the better part of a day.

San Pedro market is very photogenic!

Here you can have a first-hand look at how locals live day-to-day, outside the confines of Cusco’s tourist zones. Get off the beaten path a little bit and head to market for a truly Peruvian experience. And bring lots of film—or make sure that you have abundant space on your memory card. Cusco continually reveals itself as the perfect setting! It’s a very photogenic city.

One of the oldest markets in continuous operation in South America.

Part of the fun is listening to the witty exchanges between neighbouring stall holders, as they compete for the attention of customers. Once the goods are selected, buyers and sellers set about bargaining.

Farm fresh chicken.

Often referred to as the “Big Market” or the “Central Market”, San Pedro was one of the earliest markets to open in Cuzco. It’s been in continuous operation since the beginning of eighteenth century. As Cuzco has grown, other markets have opened up—including big box grocers—but San Pedro Market still stands out.

A butcher shop unlike any other.

It’s comprised of different stands housed under a roof of corrugated metal. The stands are organized according to their wares, so that all the butchers are grouped together as are the fruit juice vendors and the vegetable stalls.

Tending to her wares.

There are also vendors that have dry goods for sale so that it’s possible to get pretty much everything you need without stepping foot in a grocery store. You’ll find blankets and clothes here, too.

Vendors spill out of the market into nearby alleys.

Early each morning, the proprietors come in from the countryside around Cusco and deposit their goods—or spread them out on the ground and spill over onto the steps of the nearby church. While the main market is interesting in its own right, you really need to wander through the back streets to capture a different kind of vibe.

Offering a ladle of...

When we visited in 2009, San Pedro was crazy, with stall holders illegally squatted on the sidewalks, rubbish litter and pick pockets. Although we’ve heard over the past year that the municipality is seeking to stop vendors without licences and are now removing them.

Fresh fruit by the bushel.

What boggles the mind is that each of these vendors closes down their stand every evening and return home, coming back the following morning in the dark with their good. We are talking about a massive inventory of goods—rivalling the big box stores of the West—brought in each day and taken away each night.

Carving up dried alpaca.

Markets are the melting pots of culture—a travellers gateway into a locale’s unfamiliar, indigenous lifestyle. The tight, meandering aisles, the frantic hubbub, the pervasive energy, the exotic stenches and the vortex of colours make markets the perfect place to start a journey. If you really want to get a feel for the sights and smells of an ordinary day for the residents of Cusco, San Pedro is a side trip not to be missed.

"The Women of San Pedro Market" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

The best to you and yours in 2012 from Two Go Round-The-World

Happy New Year! We hope that as you read this you’re full of all kinds of inspiration and motivation for the year ahead. To close out 2011 (and look ahead to 2012), we’re reviewing some of our blogging accomplishments, our highlights and, moreover, taking a moment to thank our readers!

We are so grateful to all of you who make up the loyal community of readers to whom we are connected. To the ones who write encouraging emails or speak to us in person on the road—your feedback means the world to us. Furthermore, we are so grateful for the bloggers who have helped us, and to think we’ve been of some help to others is humbling and deeply gratifying. Thank you! To all those who read this blog and keep up with us via Facebook and Twitter, we’re grateful for the connection. Thank you!

Average number of visitors

In our third year, Two Go Round-The-World web traffic was up 17%.

Let’s start by examining the most basic data—the average number of visitors to Two Go Round-the-World on a daily basis over the past year. These figures are the most accurate measure of our site’s activity and to that end, we have recorded a steady increase of visitors to the blog this year. Two Go Round-The-World’s traffic growth has been solid, increasing 17% year-over-year in January.

Visitors by country

Most readers of Two Go Round-the-World hail from the US

Most readers of Two Go Round-the-World hail from the US. Readers from Canada, the United Kingdom, India, Australia, Philippines, Germany, Malaysia, Singapore and Spain round out the top ten.

Top Ten Articles from Two Go Round-The-World

What about the posts that you liked most? Which posts generated the most comments and likes? What had you guys talking? These are ten of our most popular posts in terms of page views and comments from the past twelve months.

1. Cruising the Galapagos: Setting Out: Kathryn and I celebrated Christmas by travelling to Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands with G Adventures, delighting in the incredible flora and fauna of one of the most unique places on earth.
2. Two Go Round Chile and Argentina:  The first post of a quick trip to Chile and Argentina. We explored the streets of Santiago, sampled Chilean wines, soaked in the natural beauty of the Lake District’s glaciers and lakes, and sampled the food, wine and sophistication of the ‘Paris of the South’, Buenos Aires.
3. The Web’s Best Travel Blog Taglines: A tagline in today’s blogging world is more than just a “line.” In fact, it can create a whole new world of engagement for a blog’s readers—if it’s done right. Kathryn and I believe a tagline is a fun way of branding what a travel blog does in the minds of its readers.
4. Beautiful Bariloche: Crossing into Argentina: After a beautiful journey through the mountains of upper Patagonia from Chile’s Puerto Varas (400km—about six hours), Kathryn and I crossed over into Argentina with our group and arrived at San Carlos de Bariloche—the entrance to northern Patagonia.
5. Hackpacking: Using Poste Restante or General Delivery: Poste Restante (dubbed ‘General Delivery in the US’ and ‘Lista de Correos’ in South America) is a service whereby the post office holds mail until the recipient picks it up. Before the advent of email, it was commonly used by backpackers who were visiting a particular location and had no need, or no way, of having mail delivered directly to them.
6. The Whole Picture: Machu Picchu Tilt Shift: The subject of course is Machu Picchu, situated above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is 80 km northwest of Cuzco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Often referred to as “The Lost City of the Incas”, it is perhaps the most familiar icon of the Inca World. Prefer to see a non-doctored image of Machu Picchu? Click here.
7. How Many Countries Have You Visited?:  Whether you’re eagerly waiting for your first passport to be delivered or you could give the most interesting man in the world a run for his money—it’s always a good time to beef up your obituary. Since it seems that a lot of readers of Two Go Round-The-World are very well-traveled, we thought it might be fun to find out exactly how travelled everyone is! So, how many countries have you visited?
8. The Whole Picture: The Eaves of Wat Phra Kaew: This weeks’ ‘Whole Picture ’did double duty, serving also as our entry for Travel Photography Roulette. Jeremy at Living the Dream came up with the idea and got the ball rolling.
9. Hackpacking: Make a Rubber Band Travel Clothesline: If you’re like most travellers we know, you’ve given up on those laundry lines with suction cups because they never seem to stay up. Or you could pack a piece of cord—but then you’ll need some clothespins. A great solution is a multiple-strand travel clothesline. It’s great for drying as your clothing tucks between the strands so you don’t need a clothespin.
10. Dining on Curanto in Chiloé: About 180km long but only 50km wide, the Isla Grande de Chiloé (The Big Island of Chiloé) is the second-largest island in South America after Tierra del Fuego. For over 300 years, it was the world’s southernmost European settlement—and the last Spanish stronghold in Chile.

"2011: The Year in Review" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

The view from the top is very good, looking over to Santiago—which was once connected to Bartolome.

Just off Isla San Salvador’s Sullivan Bay coast, the tiny islet of Isla Bartolome is among the younger of the Galapagos Islands. With a total land area of just 1.2 sq km, this island offers some of the most beautiful landscapes in the archipelago. As a fairly recent volcano with very little vegetation, there are some great features like spatter and cinder cones, as well as some neat looking pumice rocks and ropy lava. Wooden steps lead up to the top to avoid wear on the fragile volcanic soil. This is the most visited of the Galapagos Islands, partly because of its proximity to Santa Cruz—those that don’t like a lot of open water can make a day trip from there. The view from the top was very good, looking over to Santiago which was once connected to Bartolome.

Bartolome also has the distinction of being the location of the only feature film ever to shoot in the Galapagos — Peter Weir’s Master and Commander (starring Russel Crowe). In fact, the movie’s Galapagos scenes are the only time where the men of the HMS Surprise leave their ship to touch land. According to Weir, it’s hard to overestimate the importance of the movie’s Galapagos scenes. It’s the only point in the movie you actually see land,” he points out, “making it a centerpiece of the movie. I wanted to make the Galapagos look almost like another planet to the men aboard the Surprise.”

Considering the Galapagos on your RTW trip? You will after reading these posts—check them out!

Inspired by publications like Life Magazine, National Geographic and online experiences like Boston.com’s photo blog, images marked as ‘The Whole Picture’  are intended to highlight high-quality, amazing imagery. Kathryn and Daniel will post ‘The Whole Picture‘ irregulary.  Like all of our photos, it is an original photo not otherwise on the site—it might be fresh from our camera, a new scan of some old film, a product of our fooling around with Photoshop, or a file from the archive that we haven’t posted yet.

"The Whole Picture: Top of Bartolome" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

Waialua Bay, Oahu, Hawaii. Photo by Puuiki Beach.

This is a sponsored post. Our pledge to you is that we’ll never take a sponsorship from someone we can’t endorse, or from someone that doesn’t match the interests of this community. We also disclose our affiliations on our About Us page.

The floral-infused air kisses your face, the roar of waves fills your ears, and your eyes can’t find one spot in which to rest upon as the landscape before you offers a plethora of stunning views. Exhale. You’re in Hawaii.

Revered for its abundance of natural beauty and year-round paradisiacal weather, Hawaii serves as a surefire locale to spend some of the most unforgettable days of your life.  Boasting innumerable opportunities for outdoor activities such as surfing, hiking or snorkeling and a bounty of world-class restaurants, hotels and shopping venues, Hawaii vacations will be a favorite for years to come.

Don’t be overwhelmed with trying to narrow it down to one direction in which to take your Hawaiian vacation. One of the best ways to explore all the Aloha State has to offer is by experiencing a variety of activities. Try to mix in a little bit of everything!

Hoofing it Around Hawaii

While the rich cuisine and coconut-infused cocktails synonymous with Hawaii may be delicious (and not to be missed!), nobody wants to come back from vacation with a few extra pounds as a souvenir. Counteract the only drawbacks to Hawaii’s decadent epicurean delights with plenty of hiking in the awe-inspiring trails all around the state.

Hawaii's Diamond Head. Photo by Luke Gordon.

Whether you opt to tromp through the rainforest to Manoa falls, trek up Oahu’s famous Diamond Head volcano or simply stroll on the beach, there are so many hiking opportunities abound.

Rock Show

Hawaii isn’t just for beach bumming. The entire island is a volcanic ring! Get your geological thrill on by paying a visit to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on Big Island or Maui’s Haleakala.

Volcano National Park. Photo by Eli Duke.

Look at a crater in the eye while you fan away the heat from nearby lava beds and experience the diversity of life around the parks.

Hawaii’s Horse Sense

Redefine the age-old parable of two sets of footprints in the sand when you take the four-legged approach to exploring Hawaii. Traipse through flowers, hills and beaches on horseback!

Hawaii's Horse. Photos by Luke Gordon.

The local horses are just as welcoming and mild-mannered as their Hawaiian human counterparts, so don’t be afraid to hop on this opportunity to get a new vantage point of beaches, valleys and lush rainforests.

Eastern Influences

Hawaii’s Chinatown is one of the state’s most exciting and eclectic neighborhoods. Settled circa 1860 by Chinese immigrants, the center of Hawaii’s Chinatown is the 1904 Oahu Market. Here, you can do more than just haggle over the myriad goods lining the streets.

Chinatown, Oahu Market—North King and Kekaulike. Photo by Herb Neufeld.

Immortalize your love for the islands at one of the area’s tattoo parlors, find alternative methods to common maladies with an herbalist, or simply enjoy the authentic fare at one of the neighborhood’s dozens of inexpensive eateries.

As you get your heart rate moving, your cultural curiosity fed and your camera flickering, take comfort in the fact that many world-class trails are available in close proximity to bustling city of Waikiki and many Oahu hotels and resorts. The spirit of Hawaii awaits you!

The preceding was a sponsored post. Visit Aqua Resort’s website to book some of the world’s most unique accommodation. For more information about Aqua Hotels & Resorts, see www.aquaresorts.com/. For more information about sponsored posts, click here.

"Hawaii: A State of Grace" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

Just 61 sq km in size, Espanola offers great wildlife—sea lions, sea birds and the largest marine iguanas of Galapagos.

Just 61 sq km in size, Espanola is a fantastic place to go bird watching. It’s home to the Waved Albatross, considered to be among the most spectacular birds in the world. The island’s steep cliffs serve as the perfect runways for these large birds, which take off for their ocean feeding grounds near the mainland of Ecuador and Peru abandoning the island between January and March. Endemic to the island, Espanola is the waved albatross’s only nesting place. Each April, the male Albatross return to Espanola followed shortly thereafter by their mates. Young albatross do not return to Espanola until their 4th or 5th year when they return to seek a mate. It’s worth a visit between the months of late March through to December, when the Albatross rests and nests here.

Inspired by publications like Life Magazine, National Geographic and online experiences like Boston.com’s photo blog, images marked as ‘The Whole Picture’  are intended to highlight high-quality, amazing imagery. Kathryn and Daniel will post ‘The Whole Picture‘ irregulary.  Like all of our photos, it is an original photo not otherwise on the site—it might be fresh from our camera, a new scan of some old film, a product of our fooling around with Photoshop, or a file from the archive that we haven’t posted yet.

"The Whole Picture: Espanola’s Cliffs" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

Newly Renovated Modern Flat in Berlin, Germany. This one starts at 101 €/night.

This is a sponsored post. Our pledge to you is that we’ll never take a sponsorship from someone we can’t endorse, or from someone that doesn’t match the interests of this community. We also disclose our affiliations on our About Us page.

If you’re comfortable staying someone’s home while traveling or opening your own door, Wimdu is a service that connects travellers with locals renting rooms—at rates well below nearby hotels. Wimdu is a site for travellers and homeowners alike. With accommodations that are priced well below average hotel rooms, renting a room on Wimdu offers real value. In many cases, it gives travellers the opportunity to live like not unlike a local.

Wimdu For Travellers

Before booking your hotel stay, you can turn to Wimdu to find short-term rentals, rooms—or entire houses—in cities around the world. Prices are typically much more affordable than nearby hotels and, depending on the city, could rival the convenience and features of available hotel options.

Browsing the the listings in our hometown of Toronto yields a surprising bounty of really nice accommodations for prices radically better than any hotel would charge in the downtown core? Is it worth the savings to stay in a stranger’s home? Sound off in the comment below with your opinion.

Wimdu For Hosts

Budget travellers are often low on cash and in need of a bed and cup of coffee in the morning, as well as a welcoming home. If you can spare a sofa or mattress then you might just be the answer to the prayers of a traveller. While earning a little money, you also get to meet some interesting people.

You can also use the site as a host and rent out your home—or just a room—with Wimdu‘s guidance on how to set prices and create an attractive listing. Hosts have control over pricing, as well as determining who can stay in their space and when. Plus, the site also handles the payment exchange on behalf of the host, and listing available space is free, though the site does take a service fee when hosts get paid for stays.

Conclusion

Authentication via social media and Wimdu‘s own site helps to establish a sense of trust between hosts and travellers before the transaction is completed. Wimdu’s lets hosts review their guests, and guests rate their hosts—in addition to property reviews themselves. That endorsement system, combined with the pictures and profiles people write about themselves, adds a sense of security for people who have opened up their homes, as well as the travellers who are spending the night away from home. Be sure to check out the Wimdu website for your next trip abroad! There are places to stay in almost every major city: Rio de Janeiro, New York, Milan, Hong Kong—you name it!

The preceding was a sponsored post. Visit Wimdu‘s website to book some of the world’s most unique accommodation. For more information about Wimdu, see www.wimdu.co.uk. For more information about sponsored posts, click here.

"Find a home away from home with Wimdu" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

Occasionally, Kathryn and I come across some great travel ‘hacks’—tips and shortcuts that help backpackers, vagabonds and long-term travellers get things done smarter, cheaper and more efficiently. So, with no further ado, here’s an inexpensive solution that might be deserving of a place in (or on) your backpack.

If you’re travelling round-the-world out of just a bag, you’ll quickly learn to do laundry in hotel rooms, bathroom sinks and other areas without a washer and dryer. Unless you’re willing to over-pack, or spend valuable time in laundromats, you’ll want to wash some items in your hotel room sink. But, how to dry?

If you’re like most travellers we know, you’ve given up on those laundry lines with suction cups because they never seem to stay up. Or you could pack a piece of cord—but then you’ll need some clothespins. A great solution is a multiple-strand travel clothesline. It’s great for drying as your clothing tucks between the strands so you don’t need a clothespin.

You can buy one for around ten bucks online (we recommended a great product in our 2011 Gift Guide for Round-The-World Travellers) — but they’re simple to make and only require around a dollar’s worth of rubber bands if you have a little patience.

How to Make a Rubber Band Travel Clothesline (for Less Than $1)

Instructables user br3ttb used 60 rubber bands to make a travel clothesline by soaking the rubber bands in water to make them more pliable, separating the bands into three even piles and tying each pile into a long strand, and braiding the strands together.

Check out his instructions here over on Instructables. Have you ever checked out Instructables? It is a web-based documentation platform where passionate people share what they do and how they do it, and learn from and collaborate with others.

Have your own creative backpacking hacks to share—tips which may help someone to overcome a problem or limitation quickly and cheaply? Leave ‘em here. Or sound off in the comments below! Check out ourcollection of travel hacks by clicking here.

"Hackpacking: Make a Rubber Band Travel Clothesline" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

It’s starting to look a lot like—well, you know. This is the season for many fun holiday traditions. And one of the most traditional of all (not really) is our annual Holiday Gift Guide, now in its second year (check out last year’s guide here. So the scramble is on to find the right last-minute gift for your favorite round-the-world traveller and as you prowl bricks-and-mortar stores, browse brochures and scour the web for ideas, keep this in mind—the last thing you want to do is buy something that is cumbersome or so offbeat that what you think is perfect will be stuffed into a drawer or closet on Boxing Day. To ease your nerves, we’ve done some searching for you. Here’s what we’ve come up with—things that will earn you a hug and a sincere thank you note from the traveller in your life. Here are the gifts that made our list!

Eagle Creek Travel Gear Pack-It Cubes

1. Eagle Creek Travel Gear Pack-It Cubes

Packing cubes make organizing your luggage a lot simpler and are a simple to save space when packing and become a more efficient traveller. They are, simply, lightweight fabric cubes (although most are rectangular) which hold your clothes and allow you to sort and separate different items. The great thing about using packing cubes—it’s so easy to unpack and repack clothes. When you arrive at your destination, its simply a matter of taking out the cube thats needed. No more rummaging through a bag! Packing cubes are essential for round-the-world travellers. Amazon’s got ‘em.

Rolf Potts’ Vagabonding

2. Rolf Potts’ Vagabonding

Rolf Potts’ Vagabonding is about taking time off from your normal life—from six weeks to four months to two years—to discover and experience the world on your own terms. Veteran shoestring traveler Potts shows how anyone armed with an independent spirit can achieve the dream of extended overseas travel. He provides the necessary information on: financing your travel time, determining your destination, adjusting to life on the road, working and volunteering overseas, handling travel adversity and re-assimilating back into ordinary life. Not just a plan of action, Vagabonding is an outlook on life that emphasizes creativity, discovery, and the growth of the spirit. Click here to purchase Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel from Amazon.

Altec Lansing Orbit MP3

3. Altec Lansing Orbit MP3

The Altec Lansing Orbit MP3 Lite offers incredible volume and clarity from a speaker compact enough to fit in your pocket. This portable speaker uses a standard headphone jack to connect to your music device, allowing you to effortlessly amplify your favorite tunes from virtually any iPhone, iPod, MP3 player, music-enabled mobile phone, or laptop. With balanced components delivering clear, distortion-free sound, the Orbit MP3 Lite is an ideal solution for broadcasting music on the go. Of course it lacks any real bass element or depth, but then that’s not really the point. It is all about giving you volume and the chance to share your music in your guesthouse or dorm rather than being a replacement for your home PC stereo system. Amazon’s got ‘em.

Flexoline Travel Laundry Clothesline

4. Flexoline Travel Laundry Clothesline 

Unless you’re willing to over-pack, or spend valuable time in laundromats, you’ll want to wash some items in your hotel room sink. But, how to dry? It’s so easy to wash out a few clothes in the basin and hang them up to dry overnight when you’re travelling. If you’re like most travellers we know, you’ve given up on those laundry lines with suction cups because they never seem to stay up. The Flexo-line, designed in 1945, was the brainchild of an American inventor who also developed the first electric stove and flexible ice cube tray, It holds up to 12 lb of wet clothes, thanks to its surgical-quality, natural latex rubber tubing which is woven in three braids—not the usual two. Just loop its ends around a doorknob, hook, shower head, or rod (it stretches to seven feet), then poke a corner of your wet garment in the tight braid to dry. No clothespins needed. It’s so compact and lightweight, it will barely take up any room in your bag! Amazon’s got ‘em.

Keep Your Gadgets Dry with LOKSAK

5. Keep Your Gadgets Dry with LOKSAK

A must-have item for anyone who wants to protect important papers or electronic gadgets with ease. Check out this set of four waterproof, flexible, strong yet lightweight LOKSAK storage bags. Stow your wallet, medication, passports, documents, cell phones, maps, PDAs, books, film, food, batteries, GPS, jewelry, clothing, cash and much more. These resealable element-proof storage bags are hermetically sealed with a slide and squeeze of the finger and thumb. That means absolutely no water, air, dust or humidity can get into the bag. Sort of like a Ziploc, but much better. Amazon’s got ‘em.

Light My Fire Titanium Spork

6. Light My Fire Titanium Spork

The most versatile outdoor eating utensil, the spoon-fork-knife combo makes eating–and cleaning up–on the go a breeze. Designed by Scandinavian designer Joachim Nordwall, the spork is perfect for your backpack, boat, picnic basket, lunchbox, purse or briefcase. This spork is made of titanium, one of the toughest alloys on the planet, widely used in aircraft construction because of its lightness, extreme strength and long-lasting durability. Its high biocompatibility means that it is also safe and non-toxic. And guess what? Amazon’s got ‘em!

Kensington All-in-One Travel Plug Adapter

7. Kensington All-in-One Travel Plug Adapter

A simple but excellent travel adaptor that we’ve tried and tested on countless trips for many years. A good travel adapter will last a lifetime. This simple device will replace your current socket set in a neat, compact body and with the USB  charger you’ll no longer need to carry all the particularly heavy mobile phone, camera and mp3 chargers. Perfect for the globetrotter with gadgets, this compact world travel adapter works in more than 150 countries, allowing you to plug in wherever you are. The elegant compact and safe way to plug in your portable appliances worldwide.

Donations

8. Donate!

If like a lot of people, you’re tired of giving commercial gifts no matter how neat they may be, consider doing something charitable for your favourite RTW travellers. A donation made in their name to Planeterra makes a great gift—and provides travellers and their friends and families a way to contribute to investment in sustainable community development that focuses on different destinations around the world. The organization supports a steady cycle of giving and investment, via a global network of travel industry partners, in the social and environmental needs of people and places in the destinations we serve worldwide. A donation makes the perfect gift for the traveller in your life!

You’d also do well to consider, Kiva—the world’s first online lending platform connecting online lenders to entrepreneurs. Leveraging the internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world.

Still stuck? Check out these great gift ideas from last year’s gift guide—there’s something for everyone from kids to grown-up adventurers!

This post contains affiliate links, which means when you click on links to various products that we recommend and make a purchase, this can result in a commission that is credited to this site. We have chosen to only recommend products in our articles that we use or have thoroughly researched. We, too, are travellers, so our credibility online means everything to us. Our following is growing by the month, and there are a lot of people who come here for advice, help and support. Therefore we take our responsibility as an affiliate very seriously.

"2011 Gift Guide for Round-The-World Travellers" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

Our apologies for being distracted from blogging lately–life has intervened to rob us of almost all thinking and writing time! It was never our intent to slow the pace of posts on here—and certainly not to the extent the blog has suffered of late! As you may know, Daniel works for a company called G Adventures (formerly Gap Adventures). For the past few months, he’s been working hard on a number of cool initiatives, including a new campaign dubbed You’ll Never Forget It. Coinciding with the introduction of its 2012 brochure lineup, the program features a website and an international search for a few good travellers to take travel back from the cookie-cutter, big-bus crowd. And hey—if you’re interested about how he came to work for G Adventures, check out this post.

This Ain’t Your Typical Giveaway

For the right people, however, it just may be the experience of a lifetime. Three winners will embark on an unforgettable trip (airfare included) to one of the hundreds of destinations featured in the pages of our brochures. In the company of our award-winning creative team, the winners will be joined by a personal videographer and photographer who will chronicle their adventure—which will be featured in print and online as part of the G Adventures 2013 campaign. Nope this ain’t your regular giveaway; we’re looking for the face of a movement. And it could be yours! 

This is your planet. You really should come see it sometime.

“We’re hoping to inspire people to look at travel in a different way and step outside the confines of all-inclusive resorts and big bus tours to experience the raw, rich and real beauty of our world,” says Bruce Poon Tip, G Adventures’ founder. “Increasingly consumers are seeking more meaningful and engaging experiences when vacationing—unforgettable, life-changing experiences adventure travel creates and offers.”

You’ll Never Forget It!

Beginning today and over the next couple of weeks, G Adventures will unlock a series of eight videos on www.youllneverforgetit.com. A video, along with an exclusive discount for trips in the corresponding region, will be revealed every two days. This is your chance to see the world as it was meant to be seen. From North, Central and South America to Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, the series documents everyday travellers who challenge the tourist identity, as they explore and journey around the planet, uncovering many of the world’s awe-inspiring natural and manmade wonders.

Interested? We know you are! Check out  www.youllneverforgetit.com or follow G Adventures on Facebook—and, of course, follow @gadventures and hash tag #YNFI on Twitter. Feel free to share it with friends and family members. And remember—if they wear socks with sandals or think bermuda shorts are acceptable attire for any occasion, this ain’t for them.

Disclosure: At Two Go Round-The-World, we value the conversation that exists between us and our readers—and the trust on which that relationship is based. Here we’re committed to creating an environment informed by that trust. In the interests of full disclosure, Daniel works with G Adventures. For more information on disclosures and relationships, please check our ‘About Us‘ page.

"Tourist Season Ends Today" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!

The Old Town of Corfu. Photo by Robin Bazylek.

This is a sponsored post. Our pledge to you is that we’ll never take a sponsorship from someone we can’t endorse, or from someone that doesn’t match the interests of this community. We also disclose our affiliations on our About Us page.

Beyond the cheap sun, sea and booze-o image of the package resorts lies a remarkably little-known side to Corfu. This sickle-shaped Ionian Island is one of Greece’s greenest and most mountainous, and its landscapes have been eulogized by everyone from epic poet Homer to novelist Lawrence Durrell. Forget the brochure hype and take the less-trodden trail and within no time you will find quiet coves, coastal viewpoints and hilltop tavernas where you can enjoy home cooking at its best to the backbeat of goat bells.

Beaches

Some of the best villas in Corfu nestle in the cypress-studded cliffs rising above Paleokastritsa in the island’s northwest. Choose this as your base and you will have access to the bay’s grottos and turquoise waters without the day-trippers. Just as lovely is the half-moon bay of Liapades slightly south, backed by thickly wooded cliffs. For more seclusion still, follow the former hippy trail to bare-it-all Myrtiossa. Reached by a dirt track and footpath, the fine sandy bay has beautifully clear water and boulders affording nudists privacy. In his book Prospero’s Cell, Lawrence Durrell describes it as the “loveliest beach in the world”.

Gordis Beach. Photo by Gavin Gilmour.

The east coast is undeniably more developed than the west, but you can still find some peaceful spots. Roads wiggle through pine and olive trees to Kalami, Kouloura and Agni, where crescent-shaped coves are lapped by crystal-clear water and Albania seems close enough to touch.

Arguably the best beach in the south is Halikounas, a three-kilometre swathe of soft sand and dunes, which attracts windsurfers, kite-surfers and birdwatchers who come to spot herons and egrets on Lake Korission.

Viewpoints

Corfu’s dramatic northwest is punctuated by vertiginous lookouts. A road swings around the cliff tops to Angelokastro, a Byzantine castle perched high on a rocky outcrop and commanding near 360-degree views of the surrounding coast and country. Take your pick of the taverna terraces in Lakones and Makrades for views of Paleokastritsa and the glittering Ionian Sea from above. The coastal panorama from the bougainvillea-draped courtyard of Paleokastritsa’s monastery is primetime sunset viewing.

View from the Old Fort. Photo by Gavin Gilmour.

A winding road takes you through quaint inland villages where life slows to a donkey’s pace, pine forests, and beyond to the barren summit of Mt Pantokrator at 906m. From here, there are breezy views across the island and over to Albania and Italy.

Neoclassical Achillion Palace, the lavish former summer retreat of Austria’s Empress Elisabeth, has photogenic sea views from its gardens littered with mythological statues. Arrive early before the coach tours get there.

Restaurants

Corfu’s Italian-inspired cuisine is a lingering taste of Venetian rule, but you’ll be pushed to find the real deal in many of the big resorts. High on the foodie agenda is Corfu Town, where the mazy alleys hide tavernas serving authentic dishes like pastitsada (meaty pasta casserole) and sofrito (veal in garlic, white wine and parsley). Or join locals at an ouzeri for glass of aniseed-laced ouzo and meze like dolmades (stuffed vine leaves), marinated aubergines and saganaki (fried cheese).

Zefiros Restaurant at Ai-Gordis. Photo by Dimitris Kilimis.

Several restaurants on the island stand out for their setting and food. First up is Etrusco in the tiny village of Kato Korakiana, where market-fresh Corfiot flavours are served with finesse. Some of the freshest fish on the island lands on your plate at the sea-facing Fisherman’s Tavern in Agios Georgios, tucked away in the olive groves (ask locals to show you the way). Among other coastal favourites are seafront Taverna Agni in the pretty bay of the same name.

Don’t judge tavernas solely by their appearance and reputation, though—some of the best are the no-name, family-run places in the hilly north, where the feta, olive oil and wine are home-produced.

The preceding was a sponsored post. Visit the Meon Villas website to book Corfu Villas. For more information about Meon Villas, see www.meonvillas.co.uk. For more information about sponsored posts, click here.

"Off the Beaten Track in Corfu" is a post from Two Go Round-The-World. Join Kathryn and Daniel as they plan, prepare and pack for a year-long RTW trip! Ready to dive in? Click here for a few easy ways to stay connected with us!