Working Out On Your Way Around The World

I’ve been thinking about options for staying in shape while traveling, and I ran across an option particularly suited to someone who doesn’t exactly pick their destinations based on the nearness of a gym. The Fit Traveler is a guide to exercises that comes with an exercise band: the two items can fit in a suitcase or even a pocket. I got the opportunity to interview one of the authors of The Fit Traveler, Kari Eide. She’s pictured on the right — her co-author, Lissa Mueller, is on the left.

Travel: Keeping It Local?

While I’ve been known to go country-hopping in the past, my travel recently has been all inside the United States. That’s partially due to a fact outside of my control: my husband’s job requires some very significant office time, making it necessary to stay close to a very specific physical point. That doesn’t mean my wanderlust gets ignored, though: rather than taking some of the longer trips I’ve focused on in the past, I’ve been taking shorter trips (but more often).

The Top 10 Most Expensive U.S. Cities

Last week, the National Association of Home Builders (with the help of Wells Fargo) released an index of the least and most affordable cities in the U.S. I wasn’t exactly surprised to learn that the top ten least affordable cities were mostly on the East or West coast:

Lonely Planet’s 2009 Travel Blogger Awards

Lonely Planet has opened voting for the 2009 Travel Blogger Awards and there are some familiar faces in there. In particular I want to tell you where my vote in the Best Travelogue category went. Nora Dunn is on that list — her site is TheProfessionalHobo.com.

If you don’t follow Nora’s blog, I’d recommend it. In addition to her normal coverage of her travels, she’s currently covering the Australian Bush Fires. Nora’s current residence is literally in the line of fire: she evacuated on Feb. 7 with her laptop, passport and the clothes on her back. She’s been working on relief efforts and documenting what’s been happening with the wildfires in Victoria — seven of which were still burning yesterday.

There are some amazing blogs listed on Lonely Planet’s ballot, but I think Nora’s certainly stands out. Read the other blogs up for awards and see what you think.

Vagablonde: A Full-Time Traveler

I’m a member of Travel Blog Exchange, a community for bloggers talking travel. It’s a great community, full of interesting people. I’ve added more than a few of them on Twitter. This morning, Vagablonde (also known as Paula Williams) posted the following:

Well, I have checked the site out, and I’d like to recommend it to all of my readers here. Paula has been traveling full-time for the last nine years. When it comes to long-term travel, the lady knows what she’s talking about. You can also find her on Twitter.

Valentine’s Day & Romantic Getaways

Valentine’s Day is just a few days away and I’ve noticed that some couples have embraced the tradition of the romantic getaway. The fact that this year’s Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday just makes it a little easier to take a few days for a trip.

Vaccinations: A Big Pain in the You-Know-Where

I’ve been writing a lot lately about countries I haven’t actually made it to yet, and I’ve found that I’ve really lucked out. So far, nobody has insisted on jabbing me with a needle before I enter a new country. But depended on where you’re headed, your story might be different.

Quoted: “A new sort of offshoring”

Anil Mundra quoted me in his recent article in the Global Post: “A new sort of offshoring.” Anil’s article focuses on the number of workers moving from relatively expensive countries (like the U.S.) to Argentina — where the U.S. dollar or the euro goes incredibly far.

3 Tips For Exercising on the Go

It’s not always easy to remember exercise when you’re creating a new routine in a new place. But if you telecommute or freelance, you probably spend enough time in front of your computer every day to make it a necessity — if only to work out all the kinks that laptop usage seems to offer. With that in mind, I have three tips for making sure that you get in a little exercise on the go.