30+ Essential Resources for the Modern LGBT Traveler

I’ve added an LGBT column for the website to make the site more inclusive and talk about issues that affect some members of our community. In this column, we will hear from voices in the LGBT community about their experiences on the road, safety tips, events, and overall advice for other LGBT travelers to get the most out of their time on the road! Back again this month is our column leader Adam from travelsofadam.com who is talking about the best websites, apps, and blogs for LGBT travelers. 

Today, modern lesbian, gay, bi, and trans travelers no longer need a print guidebook to find underground, gay-friendly places. We don’t have to walk around with colored bandanas to send secret signals when cruising. Why? Because now — more often than not — we’re out in the open.

The basic LGBT trip  now starts like any other planned holiday. Where do we go? What do we want to do and see? How do we save money? Thanks to increased acceptance over the years, we’re far more out in the open and, with that comes a lot more options – both online and off – to plan your trip and find LGBT friendly attractions, businesses, tours, and ways to meet people. While we don’t have to let our sexuality define our travels, if you’re looking for activities and people who share a similar lifestyle, these are the best tools on the web:

Where to Find LGBT Travel Inspiration & Things to Do

Travel blogs & vlogs – In this new era for the travel media industry, independent bloggers and YouTubers have been at the forefront. Increasingly, we base our travel decisions (where to go, what to do) on not just our friends’ Instagrams but those  who’ve already been there, done that. The most popular gay and lesbian travel bloggers (myself included) generally publish destination guides — it’s just a matter of finding the one that fits your own personal travel style. Here are some of my favorites (starting with my own):

• Travels of Adam
• Globetrotter Girls
• Dopes on the Road
• Leave Your Daily Hell
• The Queer Life

(For more blogs, check out my list here: http://ift.tt/1oLBeUa)

Websites – There are a handful of dedicated LGBT travel websites that publish detailed and up to date guides. My favorite are:

• Out Traveler – once a print magazine, still publishes and maintains up-to-date LGBT city guides on its website.
• AfterEllen – Regularly publishes lesbian travel guides.
• TravelGayEurope and TravelGayAsia – These websites provide comprehensive city guides.

Travel guidebooks – The Damron series started out in 1964 for men but has also published a separate guidebook for lesbians for nearly 20 years. And Spartacus Publishing (out of Germany) has printed a comprehensive guidebook to all gay-oriented hospitality businesses since 1970. Moreover, these days, even the most mainstream publications are likely to include some LGBT-specific recommendations in their listings. For the past several summers, many major travel brands (such as Trip.com, Lonely Planet, Expedia, and even Hostelworld) have gone so far as to print LGBT Pride travel guides.

Local magazines, newspapers, and guides – There are countless independent, LGBT-oriented city magazines and newspapers around the world. It doesn’t matter if you’re in Adelaide, Australia, or London, England — you’re going to find a local LGBT print publication or guide. Some will include weekly listings of clubs, parties, and events; others might feature personal ads.

Unfortunately most of these indie publications have poor websites, so your best LGBT travel research is going to have to happen on the ground. One of the best ways to find them in a new city is to simply go to the queer neighborhood and then look for them in a bookstore or bar — anyone who’s ever been inside a gay bar or club is probably familiar with the stack of magazines, brochures, or flyers in the doorway or by the bathrooms. (And make sure to support those businesses that carry these publications!) Also check out the pamphlets, flyers, and advertisements on the corkboard in the local LGBT center.

Some examples:

• Siegessäule, Berlin’s free gay magazine, likes to claim one of the highest readerships and circulations of any print media in Germany.
• HISKIND, a free lifestyle magazine in London with thought-provoking essays and local artist and drag queen interviews.
• Windy City Times still prints an LGBT newspaper for Chicago.
• Washington Blade operates in DC.
• Seattle Gay News covers Seattle.

Company blogs – Even the biggest gay apps have started to push out content through their channels. Grindr launched a digital magazine, Into, with a travel section earlier this year, and Hornet acquired the one-time popular gossip blog Unicorn Booty several years ago and now publishes gay men’s travel guides for assorted cities (even if they’re slightly basic). Each of the other hookup apps, including the more niche ones, like Surge, Blued, and Planet Romeo, maintain regularly published blogs, sometimes featuring travel tips and local insider guides. Scruff probably has gone the furthest in incorporating travel tips into its app with the feature Scruff Venture, which allows users to search a destination for other visitors, local ambassadors, and events.

IGLTA – The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association is the leader when it comes to LGBT tourism. Its members include hundreds of airlines, hotels, destination tourism offices, and independent tour operators, both LGBT-owned and mainstream. On its website, you’ll find a useful “Plan Your Trip” feature that searches through its members (just be mindful that these are members who have paid for their placement). It’s a great place to find LGBT-specific things to do on your trip.

Related: An In-Depth Guide to Planning a Lesbian-Friendly Trip

LGBT-friendly accommodation – Often the most challenging part of gay travel can be finding an LGBT-friendly hotel or accommodation. Some of the biggest hotel chains and brands have actively supported the LGBT community by participating in Pride events around the world, by training all their staff (from the front desk to the reservations center) in diversity and inclusiveness issues, and by running LGBT-inclusive campaigns. Even Airbnb launched a #HostWithPride campaign last year after updating its terms of service to protect and safeguard LGBT travelers and hosts.

There are gay-specific accommodation websites such as Rainbow World Hotels, Purple Roofs, and MisterBNB, but you’ll almost always find the same listings on mainstream sites for far cheaper prices. You’re paying a premium when trying to book through a gay-specific website, and in most instances, the mainstream sites and listings are increasingly safe and comfortable for LGBT travelers.

How to Meet Other LGBT Travelers

Gay travelers today are much luckier to have apps like Grindr in their pockets. I never would’ve discovered a gay bar in Amman without the Grindr app and a local’s helpful directions, nor would I have met that handsome tourist from Austria during Prague Gay Pride. Meeting strangers is one of the joys of traveling, and there’s nothing better than having an LGBT local to show you around. It will certainly make a trip more interesting, much more memorable. Here’s where to find them:

The hookup apps – If there’s one thing that’s revolutionized our little gay world, it’s Grindr, the location-based hookup app for gay men. For better or worse (you either love it or hate it), Grindr has changed the way we find sex, love, or even friends and it’s also quite simply enabled a lot more connections. Grindr makes it easier to meet locals when you’re abroad, whether it’s for a romp in the bushes behind Berghain or an innocent coffee date. While sex does happen often enough through these apps, it doesn’t have to be the end goal or even your main objective to still find value in them. Here are the main useful apps:

• Grindr
• Scruff
• Jackd
• Tinder
• HER
• Recon
• Feeld

Networking groups – For a long time, Couchsurfing was one of the best places to meet other LGBT travelers and locals. With a strong community, the bed-sharing and hosting network made it easy to connect with other travelers — and the “Queer Couchsurfers” group was one of the site’s most active and welcoming. There were plenty of times I used Couchsurfing not just for a place to sleep but also to attend local get-togethers.

On Meetup.com you’ll find most major destinations have LGBT/queer-themed groups and meetups, and these are often a great and safe way to meet other LGBT travelers in nonsexual encounters. Sometimes you’ll find them for very specific interests, whether it’s a group of gay science fiction fans in Berlin or LGBT professional networking in London.

StartOut, a nonprofit for professional business and entrepreneurship networking events in various American cities, is also worth checking out. Facebook, with its thousands of public groups, can also provide a great meeting point online — and then offline — through local city or regional networking groups. It’s just a matter of doing some research beforehand to find the right networking group for your trip.

A Note on Safety

As I’ve written before in this LGBT travel column, safety and comfort is an important part of any gaycation. Thankfully, there are more than enough resources online to help you decide what or where might be safer to travel. For a more independent look at the LGBT rights and safety situation, Equaldex is my favorite. Unlike media and blogs, this is a crowd-sourced platform where users can post and share country-specific news articles related to LGBT rights. This can be especially helpful for those less-familiar places and to get a general comparison of LGBT inclusiveness around the world.

****
Over the years and thanks to new technologies and new formats for our media, the way we travel now has changed for the better. And for LGBT travelers specifically, these advancements have made it not just easier but also safer and friendlier. Using these tools and resources, so much more of the world is open to us.

Adam Groffman is a former graphic designer who left a publishing job in Boston to travel around the world before settling in Berlin, Germany. He’s a gay travel expert, writer, and blogger and publishes a series of LGBT-friendly Hipster City Guides from around the world on his gay travel blog, Travels of Adam. When he’s not out exploring the coolest bars and clubs, he’s usually enjoying the local arts and culture scene. Find more of his travel tips (and embarrassing stories) on Twitter @travelsofadam.

P.S. – Starting next, I’ll be doing the next round of Nomadic Network meet-ups around the U.S. (and in Canada!). If you want to meet up, come check out the dates and sign up!

P.P.S. – I’m doing a BBQ in Austin on Friday. Come hang out!

Photo Credit: 4

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June 19, 2017 at 03:00PM

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7 Common Myths About Traveling Africa – And Why They Are Wrong

Kristin Addis from Be My Travel Muse writes our regular column on solo female travel. It’s an important topic I can’t adequately cover, so I brought in an expert to share her advice for other women travelers to help cover the topics important and specific to them! She’s also amazingly knowledgable about traveling around Africa. This month, Kristin breaks down some of the most persistent myths when it comes to traveling Africa.

When I told my friends about my first solo trip to Africa, they thought I was crazy.

“What about Ebola?”

“You can’t travel to Africa alone! It’s too dangerous!”

“You’re going to get eaten by a lion or something!”

This is a common reaction from those who have not been to the continent and are used to seeing it portrayed in a very negative light in the news and popular culture. We often hear only about the bad side: corruption, war, disease, crime, and poverty. With little else to go on, most people naturally have a negative impression of Africa.

The reality is that Africa is a continent with incredibly varied cultures, landscapes, and activities that you can only experience there. Safaris are certainly a big draw, but there’s so much more to Africa than that. Africa is where I saw my first whale shark, where I spent more time staying in the homes of people I’d just met than paying for hostels, and where I safely hitchhiked from beautiful beach town to beautiful beach town. It’s a continent filled with people on the move, a thriving film industry, growing tech centers, and lots of development projects. I am still continuously humbled by the hospitality and uniqueness I find there on every visit.

Yet each time I go back, I hear the same concerns, worries, and misperceptions. Today, let’s address them. Here are seven common myths about traveling in Africa — and why they’re wrong:

“Africa is just one big place.”

Africa is often thought of as a single place in the media and pop culture, like when Australia’s shadow foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek referred to Africa as a country. But the continent contains 54 countries, thousands of cultures, an estimated 2,000 languages, and widely divergent landscapes. Africa is home to the largest desert on earth (the Sahara) and the highest free-standing mountain in the world (Kilimanjaro). More than 600 new species have been discovered in Madagascar in just the last decade.

I’m constantly blown away by how much variety there is in Africa. I’ve sandboarded down giant orange dunes in Namibia, walked along white sand beaches in Tanzania, trekked with gorillas in Uganda, and eaten at BBQ joints in the South African townships (and fancy restaurants just a few miles away).

Talking about it like one big place is kind of like saying that Europe or Asia is one big place. With Africa, you can’t generalize.

“Africa is dangerous.”

Recent terrorist attacks in Kenya by the extremist group Al-Shabab, the ongoing conflict with Boko Haram in Nigeria, the difficulty establishing a solid government in Somalia, civil war in South Sudan, and the whole Kony 2012 movement hasn’t helped Africa’s image. Combined with our cultural memory of “blood diamonds,” the Rwandan genocide, and Black Hawk Down, most people’s mental image of Africa is that of a place teeming with conflict and danger at every corner.

It’s true that some — but certainly not all — of Africa is very dangerous to travel through at the moment. But this is another instance where you can’t generalize. There are many, many safe parts. According to the Institute for Economics and Peace (which bases its rankings on such factors as violent crime, terrorism, and internal and external conflicts), Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Madagascar, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Malawi (just to name a few on the list) are all safer than the United States.

“Traveling in Africa is only for voluntourism or safaris.”

I remember sitting in a restaurant in Namibia with some locals when one of them asked cheekily, “So what are you here to save?” After all, Africa sees a large number of voluntourists who come to save something and try to do good (though often do the opposite). 47% of Peace Corps volunteers serve in Africa and, in 2014, South Africa alone welcomed 2.2 million volunteers!

As for tourism, most people think that in order to see Africa, you have to go on a safari and have everything planned out for you. Very few imagine “backpacking” through Africa as feasible and safe, but just like Asia or South America, Africa has a backpacker’s trail as well, and it’s full of people who are neither volunteers nor safari seekers.

There’s so much else to do and see in Africa, like touring the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, lazing away on the famous beaches of Zanzibar, climbing Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, exploring the ancient cities of Marrakech and Timbuktu, scuba diving in Mozambique, exploring the townships in South Africa, and bungee-jumping at Victoria Falls in Zambia, one of the natural wonders of the world.

“You need a lot of money to travel through Africa.”

Since most people assume they have to go on a safari, they think it’s expensive to travel in Africa. But Africa doesn’t have to be the land of safaris that cost several thousand dollars per day and beach hotels with private butlers.

The opposite is actually true. I was surprised that I could drive myself through Kruger National Park in South Africa or Etosha National Park in Namibia, without paying top dollar for a tour. Between those two parks, you can easily spot “the big five” (the lion, elephant, buffalo, rhinoceros, and leopard) on your own.

I was impressed by the great value for accommodations as well. In Mozambique, I was able to rent a beach hut for only $15 per night, and you can find budget accommodations ranging from $10 for a dorm room to $20 for a private bungalow (in South Africa, Namibia, and Morocco, as well). I couldn’t believe how unique and funky the accommodations in South Africa were, from campsites to self-contained vacation rentals. In Tanzania, the campsites were usually in beautiful locations, with hot showers and cooking areas and sometimes even swimming pools!

Transportation doesn’t have to be expensive either. For example, there are budget safari options as low as $80 per day including food, accommodation, and activities (or take yourself on a self-driving safari); Baz Bus (aimed at backpackers in South Africa) offers $10 short rides or a three-week pass for around $325; and car rentals in Namibia and South Africa run around $25 per day for a basic vehicle.

Africa doesn’t have to be super luxury to be enjoyable!

“Africa is dirty and underdeveloped.”

As I drove into Rwanda, I couldn’t believe how clean everything was, with almost zero trash on the side of the road. I was equally amazed by the sprawling mansions I saw upon entering the capital, Kigali. Since the mid-’90s, Rwanda has pulled over one million people out of poverty and maintained peace, as well as involving more women in politics (64% of people in parliament are women) than any other country in the world.

This is just one of many countries that are doing well in Africa, including Botswana, which quickly outgrew its ranking as one of the poorest countries after independence from Britain in 1977; it has had one of the highest average economic growth rates in the world (averaging about 9% per year from 1966 to 1999 and 5% since then). The Ivory Coast is also experiencing heavy growth, with a GDP growth of 8.5% in 2016 compared to 1.6% for the United States.

Cell phone ownership is skyrocketing in Africa. I couldn’t believe that in Tanzania, in the Serengeti of all places, I still had full 3G service. My coverage was way better out there than I often get in the United States!

I was similarly blown away by how good the roads were in most of southern Africa and parts of east Africa, including Tanzania and Zambia, for example. There are certainly plenty of roads riddled with potholes or simply made of dirt, but that wasn’t the majority of my experience on the roads there.

While there are many (very many) development problems that need to be solved, the notion that the majority of the countries in Africa are barely developed, poor backwaters is just very far from the currently reality.

“Africa is full of diseases.”

The Ebola scare a couple of years ago prompted my friends to worry that heading to South Africa might put me in danger. The reality was that Europe, where I was living at the time, was actually closer geographically to the epidemic than South Africa. (Again, people are geographically challenged when it comes to this continent.)

Malaria is another big concern; however, there are major initiatives in place to eradicate it. While asking your doctor about preventative measures like malarone or doxycycline is still absolutely advisable, between 2000 and 2015, cases of malaria on the continent have dropped an estimated 88% thanks to an increase of insecticide and mosquito nets. There’s been a 60% drop in mortality! Here’s a chart:

HIV and AIDS is also a major problem, especially in South Africa and Botswana, where over 19-25% of the population are infected. That said, the rate of infection in the region has fallen by 14% from 2010 to 2015. Elsewhere in Africa, such as in Madagascar, Morocco, and Tunisia, among others, the infection rate is below 0.5% of the population.

“Traveling alone there, especially as a woman, is a terrible idea.”

Tell anyone that you plan to travel alone to Africa and you might be met with horrified reactions, due to all of the perceptions listed above. I was admittedly a little bit afraid to travel solo in Mozambique, mostly because I couldn’t find much information about it that was positive, but I went anyway and came out of the experience with tons of new friends and wonderful memories.

I have found that solo female travel in Africa is just like anywhere else — you definitely have to be careful not to walk alone (especially at night), should not get too intoxicated, must remain aware, and need to trust your intuition, but it’s not a big disadvantage to be solo there. The locals often took me under their wing more, and per usual, I was surprised to find that there were plenty of other solo travelers around, too.

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While the media’s portrayal hasn’t been the best for Africa, it is, in reality, a wonderful place to travel through, with experiences you can’t have anywhere else. There are still cultures in Africa that maintain their roots, animal encounters that don’t exist in other parts of the world, and some of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen.

Africa is has so much to offer, it has quickly become my favorite continent to travel through, thanks to the friendliness, the warmth, and the adventures. But don’t take my word for it, go and see for yourself and try not to fall in love.

Kristin Addis is a solo female travel expert who inspires women to travel the world in an authentic and adventurous way. A former investment banker who sold all of her belongings and left California in 2012, Kristin has solo traveled the world for over four years, covering every continent (except for Antarctica, but it’s on her list). There’s almost nothing she won’t try and almost nowhere she won’t explore. You can find more of her musings at Be My Travel Muse or on Instagram and Facebook.

P.S. Want to meet other travelers? I’m hosting a series of meet-ups around the US and Canada this summer! If you’re looking to step up your travel game AND meet other like-minded travelers be sure to check out the announcement and register for an event near you!

The post 7 Common Myths About Traveling Africa – And Why They Are Wrong appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

June 15, 2017 at 03:00PM

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The End of Goals: Thoughts on Turning 36

In 2013, I created a list of 19 things I wanted to do before I turned 35. This list was going to serve as a guide for all my travels until I hit that all-important (OK, not really) birthday. Last year, when I turned 35 and realized I wasn’t even close to completing it, I mentally tweaked the list title: it would now be 19 things to do through age 35.

Today, I turn 36…and out of those 19 things on my list, I did a whopping FOUR.

Yup, only four.

In a sense, I failed pretty badly. I set out with a simple list of goals to accomplish over a three-year period and didn’t even finish a third of them.

But, as I look back at that list and think about it, I realize I just don’t care.

I often called it my “non-bucket-list bucket list.” You see, I don’t actually like bucket lists. I mean, I love lists and making plans, but to me, bucket lists convey this idea that only things on that list are worth doing and that accomplishing those things will somehow make your life complete.

“If I do these things, I can be happy when I kick the bucket!”

While I think it’s great to have goals and dreams, how can we convey all those dreams on one little list? After all, life changes, dreams change, and goals change. Why should a list you make at one point in time define your life before you “kick the bucket”? The bucket list we create at 20 will be a lot different than the one we create at 60. Plus, the things we don’t include on the lists are often the things that bring us the most satisfaction in life – friends, family, that amazing hike in the park, the new job, the hobby you pick up. They are often the things we look back at when we judge our lives.

Bucket lists are often an exercise in futility.

(And, apparently, non-bucket-list bucket lists are too.)

I wanted to journey to Antarctica, backpack all of South America and hike the Inca Trail, see India, visit Pacific islands, travel to the Seychelles and East Africa, see a World Cup game, and so much more.

Did I do any of those things? Nope.

But in their place….

I published a book and drove across the country for five months.

I hiked in Patagonia.
I backpacked in Thailand and Laos.

I ran tours around Europe.

I attended Carnevale in Venice.

I moved to Austin and started a hostel.

I traveled to Dubai, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives.

I went back to Australia.

And, then, just like that, 35 has came to an end.

I could say that I pasted my list to my wall and referred back to it — but I didn’t. It went mostly forgotten. I was too busy enjoying life, finding flight deals, starting new projects, and traveling to exciting places to think about it.

Life gets in the way of lists and plans.

My friend Blake and his girlfriend Molly just sold everything so they can travel around the world for a year. They are planners. When we had brunch and they showed me their spreadsheet, I told them two things: first, there’s no need to spend half your trip in Europe (it’s way too long) and, second, that none of this was going to matter because once they started traveling all their plans would go out the window.

“But don’t we have to give people dates for when they visit us?” Molly asked.

“Sure, you can give people dates, but an exact place? I wouldn’t.” I replied. “You’re can’t know so far in advance. I’ll bet $100 most of your itinerary gets dramatically changed and you won’t be where you’d think you’d be.”

Like my friends, I love planning (heck, I just spent three hours researching the Loire Valley before I wrote this) but I know it goes all out the window hit the ground.

Apparently, so does even a basic set of goals.

And so, as I turn 36, I hereby declare I give up on bucket lists, not-so-bucket-list bucket lists, and pronouncements that I’m going to go to “X” later this year/next year/whenever. I can’t stick to such goals. Life keeps getting in the way of my plans….with even better plans!

There’s a lot I want to do in life. And, as I grow each day, my goals keeps changing. Maybe one day I’ll get to all the places on that old list. Maybe I won’t. I keep saying this is the year I finally get to Brazil and Nepal but who really knows? I keep living my life and enjoying every moment of it. I don’t need a list to make that happen.

I’ll just keep following where the road takes me.

It hasn’t led me astray yet.

Cheers to another year around the sun!

P.S. – In a few weeks, we’ll be doing the next round of Nomadic Network meet-ups around the U.S. (and in Canada!). In prep for our big September launch, I’ll be doing another tour across the country! If you want to meet up, come check out the dates and sign up!

P.P.S. – For my birthday, my only wish is that you consider helping support FLYTE, our community foundation aimed at sending underprivileged kids on overseas trips. Right now, we’re sending a group of kids to volunteer at Ecuador and we’re 75% to our goal! Help reach the finish line.

The post The End of Goals: Thoughts on Turning 36 appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

June 12, 2017 at 03:00PM

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How to Travel Around Namibia on a Budget

Welcome to the latest post in our Africa column by Natasha and Cameron from The World Pursuit. While I’ve been to the continent in the past, I’ve only seen a few countries so I’m super duper excited to have these two travelers share their knowledge about traveling the continent. This month they are sharing how to travel around Namibia, one of my top five countries in the world, on a budget!

As steam rose from the tarmac and mirages presented themselves in the far distance, our truck’s engine nearly boiled over. We drove through empty Namib Desert in 40°C (104°F) heat with the windows down and heat on full blast to cool it off. Traveling around a sparsely populated desert country in Africa presents its challenges!

Despite our desert adventures, we loved traveling around Namibia and think it’s a great African destination to explore, especially for first-time travelers to the continent. We saw the sun rise over the largest sand dunes in the world in Sossusvlei and listened to thousands of seals give birth at the Cape Cross Seal Colony. Just driving around the country without seeing a single other person for hours made us feel as if we were on another planet.

Namibia is a special place that many in the world have never even heard of. Compared to South Africa, it’s a lot less visited by tourists, especially those traveling on their own and not on a tour. But we found the country easy to visit and affordable.

Where did we go?

We entered southern Namibia, as we were traveling north from Cape Town, and exited via the Caprivi Strip into Botswana. Here is the route we followed.

Fish River Canyon – Luderitz – Aus – Kalahari – Namibrand Nature Reserve – Sossusvlei – Walvis Bay – Swakopmund – Skeleton Coast – Spitzkoppe – Etosha National Park – Caprivi Strip

This route took us a month to complete, with most stops taking up 3-4 days of our time. We wanted a relaxing holiday, but if you move fast and are short on time, you can easily do a Namibian road trip like this in 15-20 days.

We decided to skip Windhoek, as there wasn’t much in the capital city we were dying to see. Due to lack of time, we also skipped the northwestern Kunene region, which is where the Himba people live. For those wanting to travel to this part of the country, the only way to get there is with a fully equipped vehicle or a tour. The region is isolated, so you must be fully capable of getting yourself out of any circumstances and stock up with food and water.

How much does it cost to travel around Namibia?

Namibia is one of the cheapest countries in Africa. It uses the Namibian dollar (NAD), which is 1:1 with the South African rand, and all prices are about on par with South Africa . Depending on your chosen method of transport and accommodation preference, Namibia can easily be done on a budget.

We averaged about $45 USD (600 NAD) a day per person for campsites, food, beer, and transportation, with a majority of that going to fuel (our Land Cruiser was thirsty – 6km per liter/14 miles per gallon – and distances are long).

Here are some average prices:

• Campsite – $6 (80 NAD) per person per night
• Dorm bed – $8 (100 NAD) per person per night
• Private double room – $45-$60 (600-750 NAD) per night
• National park fees – $6 (80 NAD)
• Petrol – $0.80 (10 NAD) per liter
• A cook-your-own-pasta meal from the supermarket – $2.50 (30 NAD)
• Salad from a café – $4 (55 NAD)
• Bottle of Windhoek beer – $1.10 (15 NAD)
• Cup of coffee – $2 (25 NAD)

So if you were staying in dorm beds, taking the train, and cooking all your own meals, you could get by on a budget of $20-30 a day. However, if you want to camp and get outside the main cities, you will need to take a tour or have your own vehicle, which will up your costs to about $45 (to self-drive with four passengers) to $90 (for a tour) a day.

How to get around Namibia

Bus
There is no official public bus system in Namibia, but there are local buses that connect almost all of the major towns and cities.

The most reliable bus option in Namibia is the Intercape bus service. They are generally in good condition and safe, and even provide air conditioning. Intercape buses do not run every day and don’t have many stops, so it’s important to look at the website for their routes and schedule.

Prices vary according to the distance traveled: a bus from Windhoek to Livingstone, Zambia, costs roughly $50 USD depending on the exchange rate, while a bus to Springbok, South Africa, from Windhoek costs $31 USD.

Rental Car
This is the most popular form of traveling in Namibia. The rental truck industry in Windhoek, the capital, is booming! With wide-open desert roads, towering sand dunes, and no one around, a road trip in Namibia is the perfect way to go exploring.

Rates for a rental truck stocked with everything you need for camping and a pop-up tent vary depending on the season. In low season (January–July), you can pick up a two-person Hilux for $75 USD a day; in the high season (July–December), it will go for around $130 USD a day. The more bells and whistles you add on to your rental, the higher the cost gets. When we last visited in November, the entire country was sold out of rental trucks in what was traditionally the shoulder season, so it is highly advised to book in advance.

Overland Tour
We talked about overland tours previously. There is a really wide range of ways in which you can do a tour in Namibia. The least expensive option is to go with one of the many overland tour companies such as Oasis, Nomad, Acacia, or Intrepid.

Tours are great for solo travelers looking to meet people, and also for those that want maximum fun with minimal planning effort. Overland tours in Namibia start at an average of $87 USD per person per day. These tours cover all transport within Namibia, activities, camping, and most meals.

Train
The TransNamib passenger train makes only a few stops, but it definitely provides interesting views of this desert country out the window. Trains mostly operate at night, so if you plan to make use of the train you should be prepared to sleep in a first-class seat or economy reclining seat. There are no sleeping cabins aside from the Keetmanshoop-Windhoek train. Tickets range from $6 to $15 USD for economy and business-class seats, respectively.

The Desert Express is another train service geared toward more the luxury-minded tourist, with prices starting at $230 USD per ticket.

Hitchhiking
There seems to be an increasing number of vagabonds in Africa who are getting themselves into dangerous situations and relying on strangers to bail them out. We would not recommend hitchhiking in Namibia, as the population is sparse and it could be hours between passing cars.

Tips for traveling in Namibia

Traveling around Namibia is fairly straightforward. Here are ten tips to keep in mind for your trip there.

• Learn how to change a tire – Namibian roads are very rough on cars. They are badly corrugated and dry and dusty. Make sure you know how to change a tire in case you get a flat or else you could be waiting on the road for a few hours.
• Avoid night driving – Whether self-driving, on an overland tour, or taking buses, we would advise against any kind of night driving. There are no streetlights on Namibian roads, and cattle roam freely on them.
• Don’t rely on the internet – We found the Wi-Fi in Namibia to be passable at best, and even if you pick up a SIM card, don’t expect it to work anywhere but in the cities and towns. Much of the country is empty desert where there are no cell phone towers.
• Stay full and hydrated – No matter what kind of transport you use, it’s important to stock up on food and water, although Western-style supermarkets can be found in Windhoek, Swakopmund, Walvis Bay, Luderitz, and other relatively large towns.
• ATMs can only be found in main cities and towns – You will be able to withdraw cash in Windhoek, Swakopmund, Walvis Bay, and Luderitz, but we would be wary about being able to in other places. Make sure to have enough cash on you to make it to your next major destination, as credit cards aren’t widely accepted. Almost all places in Namibia accept the South African rand as well.
• Prebook in the high season – Namibia’s high season runs from mid-May to mid-November, so we would recommend booking your accommodation for these months ahead of time. Even the campsites book up with overlanders. We visited in November and ran into problems a few times with hotels being at capacity.
• Stay safe – Namibia is one of the safest countries in Africa. However, it is still a developing nation, and common sense should be utilized, especially in the capital of Windhoek, which in recent years has seen a rise in crime. Don’t show signs of wealth, use vigilance at night, and all should be OK.
• Namibian national parks are affordable – We found that Namibia has some of the cheapest national parks in Africa. Etosha National Park, for example, is the largest and easily most recognized park in the country, with entrance fees costing as little as 80 NAD ($6 USD)! The wildlife spottings are fantastic in the dry season as well.
• Take care of your electronics – The desert heat is no joke, and neither is the sand. Cameras, laptops, and even cellphones should be well protected from the dry air and dust that can easily find its way into the tiny crevices of your valuables.

When people ask us what country they should visit in Africa, Namibia is always at the top of our list. There is just something about seeing the stars twinkle in the desert night without a soul around.

Even though we had a month in the country, we still felt we could have delved way deeper into the remote parts and explored more. The country is vast and has so many interesting things to offer, we can’t wait to return!

Natasha and Cameron run the blog The World Pursuit, focusing on adventure and cultural travel. The two of them met in the film industry before they decided to abandon the American lifestyle and travel the world together. They’ve been traveling together for three years across 55 countries and six continents.  They recently bought a 4×4 at the tip of Africa and are traversing the continent while documenting their story on Instagram and Facebook. 

Photo Credit: 1,3

The post How to Travel Around Namibia on a Budget appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

June 08, 2017 at 05:38PM

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How to Travel Around Namibia on a Budget

Welcome to the latest post in our Africa column by Natasha and Cameron from The World Pursuit. While I’ve been to the continent in the past, I’ve only seen a few countries so I’m super duper excited to have these two travelers share their knowledge about traveling the continent. This month they are sharing how to travel around Namibia, one of my top five countries in the world, on a budget!

As steam rose from the tarmac and mirages presented themselves in the far distance, our truck’s engine nearly boiled over. We drove through empty Namib Desert in 40°C (104°F) heat with the windows down and heat on full blast to cool it off. Traveling around a sparsely populated desert country in Africa presents its challenges!

Despite our desert adventures, we loved traveling around Namibia and think it’s a great African destination to explore, especially for first-time travelers to the continent. We saw the sun rise over the largest sand dunes in the world in Sossusvlei and listened to thousands of seals give birth at the Cape Cross Seal Colony. Just driving around the country without seeing a single other person for hours made us feel as if we were on another planet.

Namibia is a special place that many in the world have never even heard of. Compared to South Africa, it’s a lot less visited by tourists, especially those traveling on their own and not on a tour. But we found the country easy to visit and affordable.

Where did we go?

We entered southern Namibia, as we were traveling north from Cape Town, and exited via the Caprivi Strip into Botswana. Here is the route we followed.

Fish River Canyon – Luderitz – Aus – Kalahari – Namibrand Nature Reserve – Sossusvlei – Walvis Bay – Swakopmund – Skeleton Coast – Spitzkoppe – Etosha National Park – Caprivi Strip

This route took us a month to complete, with most stops taking up 3-4 days of our time. We wanted a relaxing holiday, but if you move fast and are short on time, you can easily do a Namibian road trip like this in 15-20 days.

We decided to skip Windhoek, as there wasn’t much in the capital city we were dying to see. Due to lack of time, we also skipped the northwestern Kunene region, which is where the Himba people live. For those wanting to travel to this part of the country, the only way to get there is with a fully equipped vehicle or a tour. The region is isolated, so you must be fully capable of getting yourself out of any circumstances and stock up with food and water.

How much does it cost to travel around Namibia?

Namibia is one of the cheapest countries in Africa. It uses the Namibian dollar (NAD), which is 1:1 with the South African rand, and all prices are about on par with South Africa . Depending on your chosen method of transport and accommodation preference, Namibia can easily be done on a budget.

We averaged about $45 USD (600 NAD) a day per person for campsites, food, beer, and transportation, with a majority of that going to fuel (our Land Cruiser was thirsty – 6km per liter/14 miles per gallon – and distances are long).

Here are some average prices:

• Campsite – $6 (80 NAD) per person per night
• Dorm bed – $8 (100 NAD) per person per night
• Private double room – $45-$60 (600-750 NAD) per night
• National park fees – $6 (80 NAD)
• Petrol – $0.80 (10 NAD) per liter
• A cook-your-own-pasta meal from the supermarket – $2.50 (30 NAD)
• Salad from a café – $4 (55 NAD)
• Bottle of Windhoek beer – $1.10 (15 NAD)
• Cup of coffee – $2 (25 NAD)

So if you were staying in dorm beds, taking the train, and cooking all your own meals, you could get by on a budget of $20-30 a day. However, if you want to camp and get outside the main cities, you will need to take a tour or have your own vehicle, which will up your costs to about $45 (to self-drive with four passengers) to $90 (for a tour) a day.

How to get around Namibia

Bus
There is no official public bus system in Namibia, but there are local buses that connect almost all of the major towns and cities.

The most reliable bus option in Namibia is the Intercape bus service. They are generally in good condition and safe, and even provide air conditioning. Intercape buses do not run every day and don’t have many stops, so it’s important to look at the website for their routes and schedule.

Prices vary according to the distance traveled: a bus from Windhoek to Livingstone, Zambia, costs roughly $50 USD depending on the exchange rate, while a bus to Springbok, South Africa, from Windhoek costs $31 USD.

Rental Car
This is the most popular form of traveling in Namibia. The rental truck industry in Windhoek, the capital, is booming! With wide-open desert roads, towering sand dunes, and no one around, a road trip in Namibia is the perfect way to go exploring.

Rates for a rental truck stocked with everything you need for camping and a pop-up tent vary depending on the season. In low season (January–July), you can pick up a two-person Hilux for $75 USD a day; in the high season (July–December), it will go for around $130 USD a day. The more bells and whistles you add on to your rental, the higher the cost gets. When we last visited in November, the entire country was sold out of rental trucks in what was traditionally the shoulder season, so it is highly advised to book in advance.

Overland Tour
We talked about overland tours previously. There is a really wide range of ways in which you can do a tour in Namibia. The least expensive option is to go with one of the many overland tour companies such as Oasis, Nomad, Acacia, or Intrepid.

Tours are great for solo travelers looking to meet people, and also for those that want maximum fun with minimal planning effort. Overland tours in Namibia start at an average of $87 USD per person per day. These tours cover all transport within Namibia, activities, camping, and most meals.

Train
The TransNamib passenger train makes only a few stops, but it definitely provides interesting views of this desert country out the window. Trains mostly operate at night, so if you plan to make use of the train you should be prepared to sleep in a first-class seat or economy reclining seat. There are no sleeping cabins aside from the Keetmanshoop-Windhoek train. Tickets range from $6 to $15 USD for economy and business-class seats, respectively.

The Desert Express is another train service geared toward more the luxury-minded tourist, with prices starting at $230 USD per ticket.

Hitchhiking
There seems to be an increasing number of vagabonds in Africa who are getting themselves into dangerous situations and relying on strangers to bail them out. We would not recommend hitchhiking in Namibia, as the population is sparse and it could be hours between passing cars.

Tips for traveling in Namibia

Traveling around Namibia is fairly straightforward. Here are ten tips to keep in mind for your trip there.

• Learn how to change a tire – Namibian roads are very rough on cars. They are badly corrugated and dry and dusty. Make sure you know how to change a tire in case you get a flat or else you could be waiting on the road for a few hours.
• Avoid night driving – Whether self-driving, on an overland tour, or taking buses, we would advise against any kind of night driving. There are no streetlights on Namibian roads, and cattle roam freely on them.
• Don’t rely on the internet – We found the Wi-Fi in Namibia to be passable at best, and even if you pick up a SIM card, don’t expect it to work anywhere but in the cities and towns. Much of the country is empty desert where there are no cell phone towers.
• Stay full and hydrated – No matter what kind of transport you use, it’s important to stock up on food and water, although Western-style supermarkets can be found in Windhoek, Swakopmund, Walvis Bay, Luderitz, and other relatively large towns.
• ATMs can only be found in main cities and towns – You will be able to withdraw cash in Windhoek, Swakopmund, Walvis Bay, and Luderitz, but we would be wary about being able to in other places. Make sure to have enough cash on you to make it to your next major destination, as credit cards aren’t widely accepted. Almost all places in Namibia accept the South African rand as well.
• Prebook in the high season – Namibia’s high season runs from mid-May to mid-November, so we would recommend booking your accommodation for these months ahead of time. Even the campsites book up with overlanders. We visited in November and ran into problems a few times with hotels being at capacity.
• Stay safe – Namibia is one of the safest countries in Africa. However, it is still a developing nation, and common sense should be utilized, especially in the capital of Windhoek, which in recent years has seen a rise in crime. Don’t show signs of wealth, use vigilance at night, and all should be OK.
• Namibian national parks are affordable – We found that Namibia has some of the cheapest national parks in Africa. Etosha National Park, for example, is the largest and easily most recognized park in the country, with entrance fees costing as little as 80 NAD ($6 USD)! The wildlife spottings are fantastic in the dry season as well.
• Take care of your electronics – The desert heat is no joke, and neither is the sand. Cameras, laptops, and even cellphones should be well protected from the dry air and dust that can easily find its way into the tiny crevices of your valuables.

When people ask us what country they should visit in Africa, Namibia is always at the top of our list. There is just something about seeing the stars twinkle in the desert night without a soul around.

Even though we had a month in the country, we still felt we could have delved way deeper into the remote parts and explored more. The country is vast and has so many interesting things to offer, we can’t wait to return!

Natasha and Cameron run the blog The World Pursuit, focusing on adventure and cultural travel. The two of them met in the film industry before they decided to abandon the American lifestyle and travel the world together. They’ve been traveling together for three years across 55 countries and six continents.  They recently bought a 4×4 at the tip of Africa and are traversing the continent while documenting their story on Instagram and Facebook. 

Photo Credit: 1,3

The post How to Travel Around Namibia on a Budget appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

June 08, 2017 at 05:38PM

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How Amanda Educates Her Kids From the Road

Ever wanted to travel the world with your family? Not sure how to do it on a budget? Not sure what to do about their education? Well, even though I don’t have children, I’m always curious about how families manage to do these things. Maybe one day I’ll have kids and this will become important! So, today, I’m sitting down with Amanda, a community member and writer of children’s books from Idaho. In this interview, Amanda explains how she takes months off to travel with her kids, does it on a budget, and how she continues their education from the road!

Tell us about yourself!
My name is Amanda (but I write as AK Turner). I’m a 40-year-old mother of two from Maryland now based in Idaho. I write full-time, my husband owns a real estate brokerage, and we spend about four months of every year living in other countries.

Before writing full-time, I spent a solid decade in starving-artist mode. I waited tables and cleaned houses. When I became a mother, I was inundated with advice and shocked at how many people think there is only one way to parent (usually their way). I channeled that energy into writing. The result was my first book series, a fairly foul-mouthed, parenting-humor trilogy of This Little Piggy Went to the Liquor Store, Mommy Had a Little Flask, and Hair of the Corn Dog. The books did well and eventually made the New York Times best-seller lists.

As our travel increased, I began writing the Vagabonding with Kids series, travel humor books that chronicle our adventures and mishaps along the way.

How did you get into travel? 
Many years ago I first traveled to Russia when I was 15 for an exchange program. I spent four months in Schelkovo, a Moscow suburb, where I attended a Russian high school and lived with a host family. I’ve had the travel bug ever since. I went back four years later for a semester of college at Moscow State University, this time living in a dorm with a Korean roommate. She spoke no English and I spoke no Korean, so it really forced us to work on our Russian skills. She also fed me excellent kimchi.

What made you decide to travel with your kids so often?
After having children, it would have been easy to settle into a routine in one location, but that didn’t feel right as a way of life. It’s not just that I like to travel, but I also see a huge benefit for my children by exposing them to other countries and cultures. The value of that education can’t be quantified. They learn adaptability, gratitude, compassion, languages, and cultural appreciation. I think it’s also important for children to know that there are many different ways of life extending far beyond their suburb.

Another motivator is recognizing the importance of getting out of your comfort zone. Don’t get me wrong: I love comfort. Ordering takeout and bingeing on Netflix sounds fantastic! But I think staying in one place and repeating the same routine year after year breeds stagnation. For both me and my family, I see great value in a varied set of life experiences.

What’s been the biggest lesson so far?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that there is no one right way to go about exploring the world. We become hell-bent on proving that we are “travelers” and not “tourists,” as if one term means we are authentic and doing it right, while the other categorizes us as displaced, unadventurous failures. Shedding these falsehoods was freeing. I learned that it’s OK to take the tour and get off the beaten path. Our means and method of travel are whatever work for us at the time, and I’m not out to prove anything. Just because Anthony Bourdain ate goat brains in South Africa doesn’t mean I have to partake.

What advice do you have for people looking to travel with their children?
Children are often more adaptable than adults. We tend to forget that and assume everything will fall apart if they don’t have their daily schedule and routines. They might just surprise you.

I know many parents who fear long, international flights with children. In truth, international flights are far easier than domestic flights. On international flights, you are catered to more, and each seat comes with a screen and an endless library of movies. Our kids love long flights now, because they know they get to indulge in movie marathons. We’re not big on screens and devices, so it ends up being a treat for them.

I’ve met many parents who think they can’t travel with their kids during the school year. At present, we homeschool (whether we are in Idaho or abroad) but for a few years they attended the local public elementary school whenever we were in Boise. There were many times during parent-teacher conferences when I’d tell a teacher we’d be leaving for a few months. Not once did a teacher respond negatively. They were overwhelmingly supportive and often gave us materials to take with us. I think it’s important to know that not only can you buck convention and break the rules but you also might be commended for it and helped along the way.

Traveling with kids seems costly. How do you keep your expenses down? 
We use three different Alaska Airlines credit cards: one for my husband’s business, one for my business, and one for personal expenses. Regular bills, like telephone charges and monthly subscription services tied to the businesses, are automatically charged to one of these credit cards, so each month we accrue miles. In addition, our daughters each have their own mileage numbers, so they gain miles with every flight we take. The miles accumulate and we redeem them for travel, leaving us with only taxes and incidental fees to pay for out of pocket. We recently booked round-trip flights for our family of four from Boise to Madrid over a six-week span — and paid just over $300.

We use HomeExchange.com to trade homes with people around the globe. Leveraging our home in this manner allows us to eliminate the expense of hotels or long-term rentals. By having a house with a kitchen, as opposed to a hotel room, we save money by preparing our meals instead of eating out all the time.

If we’re unable to set up a home exchange, we’ll rent out our home on VRBO.com. The income from two weeks of renting out our home covers our mortgage payment, plus approximately $600. This overage can then be applied to accommodations in our destination country (in many cases a home or apartment booked through Airbnb — again so that we can have a kitchen, prepare meals, and reduce the costs of eating out).

We often trade vehicles as well as homes, which is an option that can be negotiated on HomeExchange.com. By negating the expenses of accommodations and in-country transportation, we’re able to travel for longer periods of time.

Of course, vehicle exchanges aren’t always an option. We had two stretches of time in Australia when we needed to rent a car. With a little online research, we discovered there are options other than the typical car rental agency. Through DriveMyCar.com.au, which matches up would-be renters with people who have spare wheels and the desire to earn a little extra cash, we were able to rent vehicles much more cheaply than what they would have cost otherwise. We ended up saving over $300 on a month-long car rental by using DriveMyCar.com.au versus what we would have paid to a rental agency.

We also treat long-term travel as life versus vacation. We travel to live in another culture, not vacation there. Meaning we’re looking for experiences, not souvenirs, fancy restaurants, and tourist traps. Our goal is to spend the same or less than we would while living at our home in Idaho. If that means peanut butter and jelly sandwiches so that we can travel the Australian coast in a camper van for a few weeks, bring on the peanut butter and jelly.

What’s been the biggest challenge traveling with your kids?
Adapting our children’s education to a more nomadic lifestyle can be a bit of a puzzle. We use an extensive mix of online education tools, including IXL (worth the $20 monthly subscription for access to K-12 lessons in math, social studies, science, and language arts — cheaper packages available with lesser access), Khan Academy (math tutorials, coding, adult education), YouTube channels (Señor Jordan for basic Spanish, Crash Course Kids for science lessons), Duolingo and Memrise for language learning (for faster, adult-paced language acquisition, I prefer Pimsleur — pricey but effective), Typing.com for keyboarding, and Magic Treehouse and Prodigy for game-based learning. E-readers come in handy, as our daughters read chapter books at such a pace that would prohibit carting along enough material to get them through a trip.

Given that laundry list, one might think our daughters are glued to screens when we travel, but just as much as we use computer-based learning, we also try to employ local culture. An educational assignment might include interviewing a local business owner about the three biggest challenges they face in their community, comparing flora and fauna to that in the US, or learning the meaning behind a country’s flag. Though figuring out how to educate our children on the road has been a challenge, it’s been an enjoyable one.

What other challenges are there to consider?
Children are challenging as it is. I don’t find it drastically more challenging by being in a different location. That said, navigating foreign hospitals and emergency rooms can be difficult if there’s a significant language barrier, so I’m always an advocate for having at least a rudimentary knowledge of the language of your host country (it’s also just the considerate and appropriate thing to do). Sign language and patience go a long way when your language proficiency is less than fluent.

The biggest challenge in my family of four is time. We cannot afford to stop working when we travel, so my husband and I have to figure out effective tag-team parenting that allows us the time we need to put into our respective businesses. The rough framework we use (but again, this is a malleable undertaking that changes as needed) is that my husband wakes early and begins work. I deal with the kids in the morning (breakfast, schoolwork). My husband takes over around lunchtime; by that time he’s put in a full workday. This gives me time to write and work on my business. By mid-afternoon, we’re ready to venture out and explore.

Do you meet a lot of other families on the road? Are there any good resources or websites out there for families to connect?
We’ve met many traveling families: in campgrounds, hostels, and simply when exploring a new city. On a remote beach in Mexico we met a family from Virginia with similar plans and children of similar ages to ours. We met up with them a few times, connected on Facebook to stay in touch, and fostered an ongoing pen-pal relationship between our daughters.

Worldschoolers and Multicultural Kid Blogs are both excellent for connecting with other traveling families and discovering new resources for education, travel, and parenting abroad.

Why do you think few families travel like this? More and more seem to do so, but compared to solo travelers, traveling families aren’t as common.
Many parents are afraid of the dangers their children might face in another culture or country. In reality, I think my children are safer when we travel, because I’m more alert and aware of my surroundings. I pay more attention so that I can effectively navigate in unfamiliar territory.

Money holds people back, often because they associate travel with expensive flights and hotel rooms, which doesn’t have to be the case. But by far the biggest thing holding families back is simple convention. Our society, until fairly recently, promoted a monochrome ideal of what family life should be, and this involved staying put during the school year, with a two-week family vacation during the summer. The information age has brought examples of alternatives to this routine to light, and as more positive stories of long-term family travel are heard, more families will take those first steps and take flight.

What have been some of your favorite experiences? 
Some of my favorite experiences have happened during the Christmas holidays. One year we were in a small town on the Tasman peninsula in Tasmania. We spent Christmas Eve visiting the Port Arthur convict settlement (I have a morbid fascination with facilities of incarceration). Then on Boxing Day [December 26] we visited a Tasmanian devil sanctuary, where they try to save the species from devil facial tumor disease, which has decimated the devil population. I don’t think I’ll ever forget watching a Tasmanian devil eat. Table manners are not their strong suit.

We spent another Christmas in the Amazon, hiking through the jungle and fishing for piranha. A few months later we took our daughters to an all-night Carnaval parade at the Sambadromo in São Paulo. These were great lessons in the adaptability of children. I wasn’t sure how our kids would fare with long jungle hikes, but they rallied.

What’s your number one piece of advice for new travelers?
There will never be a perfect time. It’s better to get out there and learn as you go. You’ll be glad you did.

I know so many people who say they’ll do it someday. And honestly, “someday” is one of the saddest words there is. There isn’t any guarantee of someday. Others have the intention of traveling but they constantly push it back, because they think they need everything planned and perfectly in place, but again, it always comes back to the fact that there is no such thing as the perfect time.

Travel can also be on whatever scale works for you. It doesn’t have to be selling everything you own and traveling around the world for two years. You can start with small, close-to-home trips to test the waters and make sure the world doesn’t end because you left town, then branch out from there. (Hint: the world will not end because you leave town.)

For more travel tips and tales, be sure to check out Amanda’s website. You can also follow her as she adventures around the world with her family on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

P.S. – There are two spots left on my Austin tour for later this month, so if you’re interested, check out the announcement page for all the details!

The post How Amanda Educates Her Kids From the Road appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

June 01, 2017 at 03:54PM

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