Traditionally, travelers coming to North America are told that New York City is the place to be. While of course, NYC is considered the center of culture and diversity in the United States, there are a few other cities in good ‘ol America that are worth looking into. At the very least, they’re a whole lot cheaper.

1. New Orleans

Even though this city has experienced its fair share of disaster, from Hurricane Katrina to the latest BP off-shore oil spill, it hasn’t lost its sense of charm.

One of the oldest cities in the United States, New Orleans has much to offer to any budget traveler.

NOLA, as it is endearingly called by its inhabitants, is home to the inimitable Cajun cuisine, culture, and language.

It’s also the birthplace of jazz music, and is clothed in a very unique French Creole architecture.

New Orleans also is the setting of famous works of literature, including the Tennessee Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire and the John Kennedy Toole’s novel Confederacy of Dunces, which perfectly captures the cosmic weirdness of this great southern city.

2. Austin

Not many first time travelers to the United States consider Texas as a prime location to go for a romp, if only because Texas has an exaggerated reputation of being all about backwardness and cowboys throughout much of the world.

However, Austin is very much a diamond in the rough.

It’s surrounded by the rolling hills and pristine lakes of the Texas Hill Country, it’s famed especially for its live music scene, which achieves its zenith during its annual Austin City Limits Music Festival, and the nightlife rivals many bigger U.S. cities. Come to Austin for a laid back and relatively inexpensive good time.

3. Portland

Portland symbolizes all the best of the great American West.

A metropolitan area located between the beautiful Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is known as the “green city” of the U.S. Portland also is well reputed as the place to go for microbreweries and distilleries, as well as the city to get a great cup of joe.

For those looking for a good time with the fine arts, Portland has few limits – it’s got an opera house, an orchestra, a ballet, and several more theater venues.

Portland’s landscape is dotted with green space, and is known for its pet-friendly environment. The excellent public transportation system makes it very easy and cheap to get around.

4. Memphis

Not as tourist-ridden as Nashville, Memphis is a quaint U.S. city with lots of charm and history. It is most famous for its music scene.

Many of the most influential American blues, gospel, and early rock n’ roll singers got their start in Memphis, including Elvis Presley, B.B. King, and Johnny Cash.

Memphis has two established visual arts areas and is home to the Brooks Museum and Dixon Gallery.

Memphis is also a great place for foodies, and has many authentic barbecue joints, among other restaurants featuring a variety of cuisines.

Although the United States has much to offer to visitors of all stripes and interests, these four cities are a great start if you want to sample a variety of distinct places that are scattered across the map.

This guest post is contributed by Roger Elmore, who runs a website helping others to find the best place to get a hospitality management degree.

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The Artist Villages, Ubud

Ubud is known as the artist center, it’s the hub where people from nearby villages come to sell their art. Many of the local artists live in the outskirts of Ubud, and every village has their special art specialty.

Painters live in one village, wooden craft people in another, and jewelry makers in a third etc.

Visiting these places one by one is a great experience, as you get to meet the whole family of artists (the art form is normally inherited from father to son) and see them work. Also make sure you check out the nearby monkey forest!

Visit Tenganan

Tenganan is an ancient village in the middle of nowhere, 5 km off the road from Candidasa. It’s the oldest village in Bali, where the people have also kept their old pre-hindu customs.

This village is a Bali Aga village (from the people who were there before the Hindu Javanese came to Bali).

It’s a really charming place to visit for a day.

You can walk around the village, visit a local’s home, let them weave you something using their traditional technique, or paint you something (like a traditional Aga story). They normally just ask you for a small donation on entry – which goes towards keeping the village running.

Relax in Amed

This is a place MOST people don’t even know about – we didn’t meet a single tourist while there for 7 days. It’s easy to understand why celebrities choose this place as a drug-rehab location for a few months – no one will be able to find you!

If you want to relax in a place in the middle of nowhere, snorkel and enjoy some solitude, then Amed is the place to go. There is not much to do here, but just relaxing and enjoying the green nature and good swimming.

WARNING: there are no shops, ATM machines or anything there, so make sure you bring enough cash before you leave Kuta – we made this mistake! :p

Shop and Surf in Kuta

If you’re into surfing and shopping – then you’ll love Kuta. The shopping here is cheap, and all the main surf brands have set up huge stores full of surf clothes-  plus the beach is nice and the surfing can be awesome!

You can easily hire a surfboard on the beach and go play in the water – Kuta is also the center for partying in Bali.

Rice Fields

Bali is the greenest place I’ve ever seen. Nowhere else have I seen so many different shades of green, in such a beautiful scenery.

The best way to enjoy the nature is to visit a rice field and walk through the middle of this green heaven.

There are some beautiful photo moments to get there.

A Balinese Dance Show

A show full of colors, amazing dresses, dances and humor – the story is the same but they always change their approach depending on the audience.

If you for example watch when the audience is full of teenage school classes, they will put in more childish humor and sex jokes, while for an older audience they stress other things.

Tanah Lot Temple

Tanah Lot Temple is a temple built on a rock by the sea, in the most beautiful setting. Coming here during a celebration or ceremony is a great experience.

When we went there – there was a huge party where locals had traveled from long distances (many of them had walked the whole way), bringing food and other sacrifices, dressed in their special outfits.

Balinese music was playing, they were singing and there was golden decorations and dragons everywhere.

Well these are some of the best things to do next time you are in Bali – also a great way to see many of these in 1 day is to hire a taxi and tour guide for the day (it’s really cheap!) – we got one guy and he took us for an 8 hr tour around Bali, which turned into 14 hrs for the same price – amazing and really great to have a local tell you about everything.

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Today I will share with you some of the most dangerous swimming spots and locations from around the world – so watch out:

1. Shired Island, Florida, USA

Shired Island has been on the list of Americas most polluted beaches for several years, and last year ‘won’ the price for “Americas most polluted beach”, failing 90% of the water tests.

If you want to avoid respiratory infections, rashes, meningitis, pinkeye, stomach problems or hepatitis on your summer vacation, make sure you go somewhere else!

2. The Beach Of The Dead, Oxaca, Mexico

So tempting, but also SO lethal! This beach, more commonly known as Playa Zipolite (which in the Zapotec language means “beach of the dead”), has crazy strong rips and undertow currents that change all the time.

During the “rebalses” (rebel) period it’s pretty much impossible to swim here, but the beautiful beach continues to lure in travelers.

Thankfully there has been a lot less accidents since they started hiring lifeguards to work there.

3. The Red Triangle, California

Check this – 11% of all shark attacks on humans worldwide have occurred within the red triangle (Bodega Bay, north of San Francisco), a popular place for divers and a surfer’s paradise.

The reason is because the area is full of seals, sea lions, elephant seals – i.e the favorite meal for great white sharks – so maybe don’t go surfing there :p

4. Jelly Fishes In The North East Coast Of Australia

Australia can be one dangerous country – before going there it seemed to me as there wasn’t one place in the whole country you could feel safe.

Although once I was there, I realized you can’t go around worrying about what might happen, and I took on the Aussie mind set – either it happens, or it doesn’t.

Despite the 3 recent shark attacks in the area I still went surfing. But sharks aren’t the most dangerous creatures in the Aussie waters – the Box Jellyfish is…

These almost invisible jellyfish are among the most venomous creatures in the world (over 5 and a half thousand deaths since the 50′s)! They’re found in the waters from Darwin down the eastern coast to Queensland during October – April.

5. The Devil’s Pool, Victoria Falls – Zambia/Zimbabwe

How would you like to be carried toward the edge of a 100 meter drop of the world’s largest waterfall?

The Devil’s Pool is an infinity pool created every year at the edge of the Victoria Falls, when the water levels reduce (if you try to go swimming there at any other time of the year you can count yourself dead).

If you’re brave enough, you can let the stream take you in high speed towards the edge, where the rocks stop you ONLY inches away from the 100 meter waterfall.

Have you been to any of these places? If not, what are some scary swimming spots you know of?

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When backpacking and traveling around Europe on a budget, having the ability to cook cheap but tasty meals with as few ingredients as possible is a great way to save money and stay on the road longer.

The recipe we are going to share today is one of our best and most enjoyable and is something we like to make often while traveling – it’s a simplified travel version of Greek Faki (Lentil) Soup.

Greek Lentil Soup

Makes enough for 2 people.

What You Need:

• 1 Cup of Green Lentils (red works fine too, but gives a different flavor)
• 2 Garlic cloves (crushed)
• 1 Small onion
• Salt
• 2 cans of crushed tomatoes
• Water (depending on how thick you like it)

Directions:

1. Cover the lentils with water and bring to the boil – then pour out the water.
2. Add chopped onion, garlic, crushed tomatoes and a pinch of salt (and any other spice you have) into the pot.
3. Cover everything with fresh water, then re-heat and bring it to the boil again.
4. Let it boil until the lentils are soft and slightly over cooked so the soup gets thicker.
5. Serve into bowls, let it cool down sightly, and then enjoy your meal!

Serve with a few slices of bread. If you happen to have a bit of stale bread left over from the day before, use it for dipping in soup instead of just throwing it away!

TravelKnowit: If the hostel happens to have some Oregano/Basil or similar then add a little of that too, although it works just fine without. It’s also really tasty with some sour cream on top.

Enjoy, and if you have any fav. recipes send us an email, we would love to hear what kind of food you cook while traveling!

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I’m tired of hearing from old travelers about how traveling was so much better back when they were young.

Although I wasn’t there in the 70′s, I have a feeling that they have a slightly selective memory… :p

For some reason people often seem to forget the not so good things and remember everything as if it was a perfect paradise.

To be honest, I don’t believe that everything about traveling is better today, but there are definitely many things today which are a lot better than the good ol’ days – so today lets focus on the good stuff!

It’s Cheaper

Seriously, whenever before has there been flight tickets for 5 dollars? Or a time when you could get a 100 EURO 12hr flight from Malaysia to Europe?

This is an amazing thing, and it means that today it’s not only the rich people who can afford to travel around the world – now nearly everyone can.

Not only are budget airlines offering cheap fares, but the higher valued airlines as well.

There are more companies and the competition is higher, which often results in a price war where the ticket fares go really cheap – get online and there are so many ways to find the cheap deals.

Years ago, backpacking around Europe was mainly done with a EUrail pass, today there are many alternatives, making it easier to find the cheapest and most suitable option for you.

It’s Easy, Faster & More Freedom

In 1994 it took 42 hours for us to get to Bali and 7 stopovers. Today it takes less than half that time, with only one stop over.

Traveling long distances is so much easier today, and the good deals to get there are right around the corner.

One big breakthrough over the last few years is the growth of people who can work wherever they want, who don’t have to go to an office and work the 9/5 job – resulting in the ability to be locational free.

Not long ago this was unthinkable, but today it’s a very common reality.

Also these days it’s SO much easier to be prepared and organized – everything is at the push of a button: book your flight, find the best place to stay, know where you always are etc.

Do you think that takes away the excitement and adventure of travel?

You can still go the ‘old’ way and just turn up at hostels paying for the night, and you can still hitch hike if you want.

What is best about this I think is that it gives us CHOICE – sometimes we all need that break from complicity, stress and uncertainty – then it’s nice to be able to get that so easy when you’re still abroad.

It’s More Accepted

More and more people are accepting the traveling lifestyle.

It really is going in the right direction, but still there are many people are still stuck in the old mindset of how you only allowed one gap year to travel and then you must come home and get a ‘real’ job and a ‘real’ life.

Today we’re much more open to open ended traveling, freedom long term travel, and you can even find more parents are taking their kids out of school to go traveling – which I think is a great idea!

What do YOU think is better about traveling today?

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(Editor Note: Today’s guest post comes from David, who runs a site which helps you understand and find the best frequent flyer cards – this is something we have never used or know much about, so we are more than happy to let David share his knowledge.)

Obtaining frequent flyer miles is an excellent way to save money while traveling. While many airlines offer these frequent flyer perks, they tend to make it difficult to earn a substantial number of miles or they make redeeming your miles a difficult process. This is because the airlines do not make money when they give away tickets, making them reluctant to do so.

Many airlines will even charge large booking fees to recoup the costs they lost by offering frequent flyer miles.

The following tips will help you make and spend frequent flyer miles:

1) Always pay for business trips out of your own bank account and ask for reimbursement later: This is an easy way to build up a lot of frequent flyer miles, especially if you travel on a regular basis (for leisure or business). By flying on your own account, your air miles could add up to a free flight or upgrades.

2) Check your statement for errors: Get in the habit of checking statements to ensure that you are receiving all of your miles. It is possible for the airline to make a deliberate or accidental error that will result in a statement with less points than you truly deserve.

3) Build more points using a frequent flyer credit card: It’s a good idea to take advantage of credit cards that offer frequent flyer miles if they do not charge a substantial annual fee. Large annual fees will negate any benefit you receive from using the credit card.

4) Always pay your credit card bill in full every month: Getting into the habit of paying off your balance in full each month will help you avoid paying interest on purchases.

If you frequently forget to pay on your credit card, you will not benefit from choosing a card with frequent flyer rewards.

5) Understand the rules of your card: Read and understand the rules and regulations associated with your frequent flyer miles and avoid breaking them.

Because the airlines do not want to give away free seats, you are likely to be refused your frequent flyer miles if you’ve broken any rules or regulations they set out.

6) Redeem your miles for expensive flights: If you need to fly at the peak of the season, save your points from all of your off season flights and use them for this expensive trip.

You will make more money by flying on cheap undesirable flights and saving your points for a flight that has no cheap tickets.

7) Book your ticket as far in advance as possible: You will not be able to use your frequent flyer miles at the last moment so you should aim to book your flight at least three months ahead of time, but six months to a year is more advisable.

This is because there is a very limited number of frequent flyer seats available and they fill up very quickly. If you wait to book your seat, you are likely to miss out.

8. Research the best airline for you: If you haven’t already established yourself with a particular airline, do your research.

You should look into the frequent flyer programs at a variety of airlines until you find one that works well for you based on the routes you are most likely to fly.

If you are always flying to Asia, you may be able to find a frequent flyer program that offers bonuses for flights to Asia – Singapore Airlines are worth looking into. Make sure you are getting the best deal for the flights you actually plan on taking.

9) Boost your account status ASAP: Moving up to a higher status in frequent flyer programs is usually easy and can be achieved after just a few flights.

Check with your airline’s frequent flyer program and make sure to increase your status whenever possible. Increasing your status will gain you preferential treatment, such as line skipping, promotions to better seats, and access to lounges.

10) Take advantage of frequent flyer deals: If you can double your rewards by staying at a particular hotel or renting from a particular company, be sure to do it. These bonuses and perks can result in huge increases in your frequent flyer miles.

Just be sure to only take advantage of deals that offer things you truly need. For example, don’t send flowers to get frequent flyer miles if you ordinarily wouldn’t send flowers.

- By following the tips above, you will be able to earn and redeem your frequent flyer miles in the easiest and cheapest way possible. Just remember to consider which deals will make you money and which will lose you money.

Never pay credit card fees that add up to more than the value of your frequent flyer points and never buy products or services that you don’t need or won’t use. Be realistic about your earnings and make sure to do the math before investing in frequent flyer deals.

- This post was contributed by David from FrequentFlyerCreditCards.com.au, a website dedicated to helping frequent flyers find suitable cards from airlines.

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Melanesia, a group of islands north and north east of Australia (including: Fiji, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu), is a region that puts an emphasis on what “paradise” really means. The islands are amazingly beautiful, the history and culture is exotic and many of the people are known to be the happiest and friendliest in the world.

Melanesia is a fascinating place, and apart from the natural beauty I find it to be a very mysterious part of the world. Partly I think it’s because we don’t know all that much about this part of the world or it’s history. There was no written language before the Europeans came instead they used words of mouth from generation to generation to educate and share stories.

Even today, long after the Europeans first arrived, there are still many communities with little to no interaction with the ‘real’ world. They still live the same lifestyle they always have, with the same traditions, beliefs and customs.

Here are some of the most fascinating customs and traditions in Melanesia – as well as some amazing things you really need to do and see:

The Wig-Men

The Huli tribe, often known as “The Wig Men” live in the central highlands of Papua New Guinea. They are known to be the fiercest warriors in the world, but they’re also known for one of their softer traits – THEIR WIGS.

The Huli men make wigs out of their own hair, and to make a wig you not only need strong hair, but a lot of it.

For the men in this tribe, the hair is the number one most important thing, and for the boys to attend “hair-school”. To grow strong, healthy hair, the young men live together in a monastic lifestyle under the guidance of a wig master.

Only after their wig is ready can they marry. They have both every day wigs as well as ceremonial wigs, and for the ceremonials they prepare for hours.

The Invention Of Bungee Jumping

Bungee jumping was actually invented in Vanuatu. This is where AJ Hacket got his inspiration.

Land diving (as they called it) is an important tradition in Vanuatu.

Young men throw themselves from shaky wooden towers in tree vines, head first straight towards the ground.

It’s a passage for young men to prove their manhood. The idea is to jump from as high up as possible, and come as close to the ground as possible (preferably touch the ground lightly with your head).

They Play Sport Without a Winner

The sport of cricket has become an important sport in Melanesia (although it is still unknown of in the remote villages and areas), but the rules have changed slightly to adapt to local attitudes.

For example in the Trobriand Islands off the coast of Papua New Guinea, cricket is a very big sport, but there is no winner..! This I think is an amazing sign of the honest, caring and ego-less way of living done by the people in Melanesia – which is mostly suppressed and ignored in the West.

Swim In Jellyfish Lake

Millions of years ago jellyfish were trapped in the Palau Lake after a submerged reef rose from the sea, creating a saltwater lake.

In this lake, the jellyfish have adapted to the new conditions by losing their sting (since they didn’t need it).

During the day the jellyfish follow the sun and stay at the surface, so when you go snorkeling, you can find them all around you.

Visit An Active Erupting Volcano

The Yasur Volcano on Tanna Island in Vanuatu, is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, it has been erupting every few minutes for the last 800 years.

Being the most accessible volcano in the world it is also known for its beautiful explosions, and is called “The Light House Of The Pacific” because of the eruptions which can be seen from the sea!

A visit here can be dangerous, but you get to take some amazing travel photos!

Have you visited any of these places? If so what was your personal experience?

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Yes, it’s OFFICIAL:

The TBEX event will be held in Copenhagen from the 4th – 6th of November, 2010 – and we’ll be there!

We were VERY disappointed to miss out on the TBEX event in New York earlier this year, so we’re thrilled to get another chance to attend and meet all of you awesome travel bloggers – right around the corner as well!

They’re expecting 250 people to attend the TBEX event in Copenhagen - it will be awesome to see who will be attending, will you be one of them?

It’s going to be fantastic to meet other travel bloggers and people in the travel industry.

Personally I think that Copenhagen is such a great city to be hosting the event – with such an array of culture, history and interesting things to do.

Some people are saying that it’s VERY expensive, and that may be true, but there are also many places where you can find great deals on food, accommodation etc – so don’t worry!

We’ve spent quite a lot of time in Copenhagen and both love the city. If you have any questions about the place, where to stay etc. we would be happy to help out!

For more information and to get a ticket – make sure to check out the official pages:

• http://tbexeurope.eventbrite.com/
• http://www.travelblogexchange.com/profiles/blogs/tbex-europe-in-copenhagen

So, are you going to be at TBEX Europe?

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There have been so many things I have wanted to buy, but since I don’t have much space for it in my 40L backpack and honestly the PAIN from having to carry it around outweighs the PLEASURE – I simply promise that I will return one day and buy it.

When you settle down for a while, you really get used to having an abundance of choice to wear ANY clothes, and as much make up and jewelry as you want.

But when out traveling you are really forced to learn how to live with only a few important things.

I’ve done pretty well I think, but there are still a few things that I simply won’t travel without:

1. Hair Ties

I always, ALWAYS have a few of these on my wrist, because even if I don’t need one now, I know that at some point during the day it will come in handy. The worst thing I know is having your hair sticking to your sweaty back…. yuck! Hair ties are also useful for so many other things, it’s amazing how many things you can tie together to save space and when organizing stuff.

2. Ear Rings

I know I don’t need them, but wearing long dangling colorful ear rings is my way of making myself feel extra pretty on those ‘bad’ days.

Also they seem to just make any boring old travel outfit that much nicer!

3. Concealer

Using concealer is pretty much the only make up I wear or take when traveling. It is great to touch up a few random spots etc.

4. A Gift From Home

For me this is about having that little bit of certainty – I like having something from home, a letter from a close friend or something I bring with me which I can look at and feel that warmth and safety, remember that there is always a place I can go back to where people miss me, and feels like home.

5. A Good Face Wash Product

Yes, another face product. But for me the skin is really important, and when traveling you often travel under pressure, stress and in so many different climates.

All of this can cause bad skin, so using a good face wash/soap is a must for me. It’s better to prevent than treat.

6. A Tester Sized Perfume

I don’t use perfume very often when traveling, but I like to have it there in case. Have you ever sniffed that ugly smell only to realize it’s your own shirt that smells? That’s what this is for – a quick spray and the shirt is like new again…!

I know many of these things are very girlie – so today’s post is really for all the girls out there.

I tried to ask Nathan what extra stuff he can’t travel without, but he doesn’t have anything – maybe that is just guys… :p

What are some unnecessary things you can’t travel without? even you guys out there!

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Well TODAY it is finally ready and has been released – it feels amazing to finally read through the final product, and we have been buzzing with excitement all week.

We can’t wait to hear what you think about it!

Click here to check it out…

Why Did We Write The Pre-Travel Guide?

The Pre-Travel Guide is an eBook which includes over 100 pages full of lessons and tips we learned while traveling around the world on our first RTW trip back in 2008-2009.

Back then, we both really had NO IDEA when it came to budget long-term travel, and during that first 8 month RTW trip with only $6,000US each we were forced to learn everything about travel the hard way.

We hope that by releasing the The Pre-Travel Guide, we can be there for you and help you prepare for your next RTW trip the right way – without you having to experience the same uncertainty & stress as we did.

To read more about what’s inside the book, and to get your own copy – check it out below:

Click Here To Read The Pre-Travel Guide

We really look forward to hearing back what you think – so check out the book, read through it and send us an email with your feedback!

Sofia & Nathan xox

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