Maybe it’s something in the water, but when Ute Junker heads overseas her clothes seem to fall away with her inhibitions.

We tell ourselves a lot of fibs about why we travel. We say we want to explore new countries. We want to see the sights, to meet the people, to eat the food. Really, though, the reason most of us like to travel is because when we’re abroad, we’re more adventurous, more experimental, more fun. We become the people we’d really like to be.

For most of us, daily life is about routine. We don’t just catch the same bus every morning: we walk the same route to the bus stop. Every day. We don’t just grab a coffee at 10am: we order a decaf double soy latte with one sugar. Every day. There’s not a lot of room for spontaneity or for experimentation.

 

Take us out of our comfort zone, however, and we break free from the rigid routines we’ve built up. The woman who orders a BLT for lunch every day (“no butter, bacon on the side”) will gamely grab something unidentifiable from a street vendor to see what it tastes like. The man who never exchanges a word with anyone on his daily train trip starts trying to have a conversation with the African woman sitting at the bus stop holding a goat.

Personally, I find it’s not just my inhibitions I shed when I’m abroad: it’s also my clothes. Somehow, my getting-friendly-with-the-locals routine often seems to involve some degree of nakedness.

I’m not what you’d call an exhibitionist. At home, I expose about as much flesh as the next person. In the gym changing room, I don’t struggle into my underwear while trying to keep a towel secured around myself, but nor do I parade around buck-naked (unlike some people).

When I was working in magazines, I was once accosted in the gym changing room at lunch by a woman wearing only a towel (around her head), who greeted me enthusiastically. It took me a moment to recognise her: she turned out to be an advertiser who, last time I’d seen her, was in a boardroom wearing a three-piece suit. Awkwardly, I blurted out, “Sorry, didn’t recognise you without your clothes on.”

Take me to a different country, however, and I’ll happily get naked with anyone. I could blame the Finns for it. (Much can be blamed on the Finns, particularly if you try to keep up with them when they’re drinking.) On my first trip to Helsinki, I made some great Finnish friends who introduced me to a range of local customs, including the mixed sauna as a social activity – something you do on a Friday night instead of going to the cinema, say.

At home, I might think twice before getting naked in front of 20 of my closest friends. When you’re away, however, it’s easier to go with the flow. And when a naked Finnish man sits down next to you and starts flirting with you, well, you just flirt right back.

It was also the Finns who, on another trip, took me to St Petersburg, where we decided to explore the Russian sauna experience. We went to a sauna in a rundown suburb of St Petersburg, where the only other people soaking up the steam were red-faced, broad-backed babushkas who looked as if they should be out working the potato field.

I was sitting in the sauna, squeezed between three of these bulky, sweating women, when suddenly I felt a great whack across my back. I looked around, startled, to see one of the grandmas grinning at me, a hefty selection of birch twigs firmly gripped in her meaty fist. Apparently this is part of the Russian spa experience. Now, I can’t imagine any circumstance at home in which I’d get into mild S&M with someone’s naked grandma: but hey, this was Russia. Smiling my acquiescence, I let her beat me – then offered to do the same for her. It seemed only polite.

 

In Korea, I also ended up in one of the country’s famous bathhouses with a new acquaintance, a petite local (five-foot-nothing to my six-foot). As we sat together, naked, side by side in a steaming bath, she proceeded to itemise the differences in our body shapes – a catalogue that went something like this:

“Look at feet – yours so big, mine so small,” pointing at our feet. “Look at legs – yours so long, mine so small,” stroking my thigh. “Look at your backside – yours so big, mine so small …”

It was about this time my jaw hit the floor – until she ran her hand up and down my back, and I realised she was talking about the back side of my body – that is, my back.

Some people might dismiss this serial nudity as the chameleon effect: it’s easy to lose your inhibitions when everyone else is doing it. But I’d argue it’s something more than that.

When you’re travelling, there’s no one to judge you, so you can play by your own rules. You relax enough to become the person you’d like to be, not the person circumstances have made you. You shed the baggage you usually lug around with you – and as any frequent traveller knows, travelling light makes any journey much more enjoyable.

- Sunday Life

 

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Ironically, traveling by air is getting more and more inconvenient as overbooked flights, lost luggage, and pricey ticket sales become more common. Unfortunately, booking a flight is sometimes just plain necessary, a fact that airlines know all too well, allowing them to continue maximizing profits while we passengers often get stuck on the ground.

The following is a list of useful secrets that will help you find cheaper, better, more convenient ways to fly. Bon voyage!

 

 

1. Rule 240: Understanding your rights according to Rule 240 is vital. This article from Aviation.com explains the ins and outs of Rule 240, which states “that if an airline [can't] get you to your destination on time, it [is] required to put you on a competitor’s flight if it would get you there faster than your original airline’s next flight.” Some airlines, including Delta, “no longer make any mention of transporting passengers on other airlines in the event of a flight disruption,” so it’s in every passenger’s best interest to speak up.

 

2. You can get better deals and schedules without buying directly from the airline. Sure, we all know about discount travel sites like Expedia.com and Orbitz, but matching a good deal with an ideal schedule and direct flight is sometimes tricky. Airlines often rely on travelers who can’t afford to waste time during long layovers and would rather shell out extra cash to keep them on schedule. There are alternatives, however. This article, from the Microsoft Small Business Center, suggests contacting a travel agent or even checking your newspaper for special deals. Agents “can have affiliate agreements with a large travel company that negotiates lower rates on their behalf,” and “often, tour operators will advertise ridiculously low fares and package deals in the Sunday travel section.”

 

3. First class seats are available at coach prices. You may need to ask your travel agent to help you out with this tip, but it’s definitely worth it. According to San Diego’s 10News.com, coach tickets can be booked under codes like YUPP, QUPP, or Z, which award ticketholders automatic upgrades to first class. How does it work? According to Rick Seaney, president of FareCompare, “a lot of times the YUPPs are matching some sort of low-cost carrier in a particular market.” According to the article, in 2006, a “round trip flight from Dallas to St. Louis on American Airlines, the YUPP fare is $278 — that’s nearly $1,500 cheaper than a regular seat in first class and more than a $1,000 less than the most expensive seat in coach.”

 

4. Find out which days equal the cheapest tickets. According to Wendy Perrin’s The Perrin Post by Conde Nast Traveler Magazine, “You’ll find cheaper fares and greater seat availability if you fly on a Saturday and return on a Tuesday, instead of going from Thursday to Sunday or Friday to Monday.”

 

5. Take advantage of lesser-known airlines. The European and Asian travel markets are noticing a boom in the number of smaller, cheaper airlines. Ryanair and Easyjet are popular airlines that are just as safe and probably more efficient than their larger competitors. Book flights on Jetstar or Malaysia Airlines for Asian travel. You won’t be able to fly direct from the U.S. on some of these airlines, but once you’re abroad, they’re definitely the way to travel.

 

6. Fly foreign. Air France hosts its on U.S. site, which features extremely reasonable prices for tickets from various cities in the United States. You’ll probably find cheaper fares by checking with your destination’s airlines rather than American ones. Just be sure you calculate the exchange rate, however, to avoid paying more than you had intended.

 

7. Re-work your travel schedule. If you plan on flying to several different cities, either within the U.S. or abroad, arrange your travel schedule so that you’re always flying into the cheapest cities. Wendy Perrin suggests looking “into flying via Dublin instead of London” if you’re going to Europe. “Aer Lingus has cheap flights, and low-fare carriers fly from Dublin to many European cities.

 

8. Make sure you understand refund policies. Airlines can be reluctant when it comes to passing out ticket refunds, so make sure you’re familiar with their policy before getting duped. The article “Airlines’ policies on refunds and changes” from the New York Times connects you to the refund policies of all major U.S. airlines, including American, Delta, Southwest, and United. The article is dated 2001, but the links should take you to the most updated information.

 

9. Buy consolidated. To find cheap fares even at the last minute, buy your tickets from a consolidator. wikiHow publishes a thorough step-by-step guide with tips on buying from a consolidator, including planning on departing from larger cities and finding great international ticket deals.

 

10. Schedule your departure from a larger city to avoid higher prices. If you leave near a city like Dallas, Atlanta, Boston, or Los Angeles, consider driving to those hub airports instead of departing from the regional airports in your hometown. You can save hundreds of dollars and will avoid the hassle of having to connect (or miss) your next flight. Read the list of U.S. hub airports here.

 

Now that you’ve got the inside information on these top airline secrets, you’ve got a better chance of saving lots of cash, flying in more comfortable seats, and avoiding some of the inconveniences of traveling with major airlines. We hope you enjoy your trip!

There are many reasons we keep ourselves from heading out into the world.

Not enough money. Not enough time. I have to work on my career. I’ll get to it when I’m older.

The truth is that the external realities are rarely the reason we choose to stay in a job, relationship, or 30 year mortgage. It’s our internal inability to make that leap of faith; to deal with the uncertainy that comes along with a life on the move, with little more than the clothes on your back and your items in your bag.

 

 

Here are 12 websites filled with 12 people who decided to make that leap.

1. Down The Road

www.downtheroad.org

Quote: “We are Tim and Cindie Travis, an ordinary American couple who decided to live out our dreams. We saved our money, quit our jobs, sold our possessions, and set off to travel around the world by bicycle. We left our home in Arizona, USA on March 31, 2002 and have been on the road ever since. Our plan is to continue to bicycle tour and travel for the next several years.”

2. Gone Walkabout

www.gonewalkabout.com

Quote: “The term Walkabout comes from the Australian Aboriginal. The idea is that a person can get so caught up in one’s work, obligations and duties that the truly important parts of one’s self become lost. From there it is a downward spiral as one gets farther and farther from the true self. A crisis situation usually develops that awakens the wayward to the absent true self.

It is at this time that one must go on walkabout. All possessions are left behind (except for essential items) and one starts walking.

Metaphorically speaking, the journey goes on until you meet yourself. Once you find yourself, you sit down and have a long talk about what one has learned, felt and done in each other’s absence. One talks until there is nothing left to say — the truly important things cannot be said.

If one is lucky, after everything has been said and unsaid, one looks up and sees only one person instead of the previous two.”

3. Modern Gonzo

www.moderngonzo.com

Quote: “My tiny Modern Gonzo has now become a horde of inspiration from my journeys to over 50 countries (and counting) on 6 continents. I built and maintain the site myself, for I’m certain that within its pages lies a spark that can help others fire up their dreams too. Things appear to happen for a reason after all. You hear about these dream stories, and then one day, you wake up and find yourself living one. ”

4. Expedition 360

www.expedition360.com

Quote: “I had absolutely no interest in the watery sections of such a proposal, having always failed to be convinced by recreational mariners of the supposed fun to be derived from being cold, wet and seasick all at the same time and for extended periods of time.

But the overland sections sounded intriguing: my head was filled with wildly romantic images of riding bicycles across the steppes of central Asia, trekking through the frozen wilderness of the Himalayas, staring into the flames of a roaring campfire after a hard day hacking our way through the Amazon jungle.

And the 2 years the expedition was projected to take traveling through predominantly warmer climes sounded like a welcome escape from that cold, wet island known to us natives as England.”

5. Let Me Stay For A Day

www.letmestayforaday.com

Quote: “My name is Ramon Stoppelenburg . When I was 24 I left my house in The Netherlands, on May 1, 2001, with a backpack filled with clothing, a digital camera, a laptop, and a mobile phone. From May 2001 to July 2003 I traveled the world without any money, visiting people who invited me over through this website. I crossed distance with my thumb or with help of sponsors and supporters. In return for all support I wrote about this all in my daily reports on this website.”

6. Mark Moxon

www.moxon.net

Quote: “In early 1995 I visited a friend who had just bought a new house. I remember it quite clearly: at the top of the stairs he had a perfectly formed bathroom in which I had what can only be described as a religious experience. The bathroom was one hundred per cent peach. It had a peach-coloured bath, a peach toilet, peach tiles on the wall and a peach basin on which sat a bar of peach-scented soap.

Hanging on the racks were fluffy peach hand towels that neatly matched the peach carpet below, and sitting on the windowsill was a bowl full of peach-coloured potpourri. I realised then and there that if I didn’t do something pretty radical, I was going to end up with a peach bathroom all of my own, and the thought filled me with dread.”

7. Where The Hell Is Matt?

www.wherethehellismatt.com

Quote: “Matt is a 29-year-old deadbeat from Connecticut who used to think that all he ever wanted to do in life was make and play videogames. He achieved this goal pretty early and enjoyed it for a while, but eventually realized there might be other stuff he was missing out on. In February of 2003, he quit his job in Brisbane, Australia and used the money he’d saved to wander around the planet until it ran out.

A few months into his trip, a travel buddy gave Matt the idea of dancing everywhere he went and recording it on his camera. This turned out to be a very good idea. Now Matt is quasi-famous as “That guy who dances on the internet. No, not that guy. The other one. No, not him either. I’ll send you the link. It’s funny.”

8. Hitch50

www.hitch50.com

Quote: “Why are we doing this? We both just graduated college and didn’t exactly pursue the typical business jobs our classmates were chasing, so we needed something to do. Something fun to do, which involved traveling and meeting people and sharing experiences with them. So… we decided to hitchhike to every state capital, in 50 days or less. This gives us the opportunity to meet fun people and see fun places all over the USA.

As much as we’re into seeing all the great places we’ll visit, we’re even more excited to meet the people that will take us to those places. Hitch50 isn’t really a project about places; it’s about people. Are you one of those people?”

9. Vagabonding

www.vagabonding.com

Quote: “I view travel as life’s great educator. There’s no better way to learn about people and nature and your place in the world.

I got hooked on travel during my final semester in college, when I studied literature and theater in London. After school ended, I stayed in Europe for a year, working at pubs, record stores, and Italian restaurants to fund further travel. I managed to get as far south as Morocco and as far east as Turkey.

Those dramatic, vivid destinations fueled my appetite for more travel, more experiences, further-flung places. The more you travel, the more you realize how little you’ve seen.

I came home from Europe penniless and began to write for a newspaper in my hometown. These vagabonding dreams were born at that newspaper. I figured I’d travel around the world and write a column for the paper as I went. Of course, travel is hard to fund on a bottom-rung journalist’s salary.

I took a job in Chicago a little later, writing copy for web sites. I’d never seen a web page, had never sent an email before that job. It doesn’t seem like a day’s gone past since I haven’t. I bought the vagabonding.com URL while at that job. That was 1998.”

10. The Travel Junkie

www.thetraveljunkie.ca

Quote: “My year around-the-world taught me a lot of things: never turn down an invitation, bargain hard and always carry a roll of toilet paper. Most of all, travelling made me globally aware.

I learned about abducted child soldiers in Northern Uganda; the loss of indigenous culture in Tanzania; the construction of the “separation wall,” also dubbed the “apartheid wall,” across the disputed Israeli-Palestinian land. I learned that the Turkish government has been accused of denying the Armenian genocide; that despite the AIDS epidemic in Africa, humanitarian aid money often doesn’t reach the people it is supposed to help. I learned about the persecution of the Falun Gong and saw the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide.

I may be a McGill University graduate but travel has been the ultimate education. My trip has given me a deeper understanding of what’s going on in the world and where I fit within it.”

11. The Argonauts

www.theargonauts.com

Quote: “Ask yourself this question, “If you could do anything — anything in the world — what would you do?” You can guess my answer. I feel that life is a gift and that I have only one chance to live. In the words of Henry David Thoreau, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”

And, to be honest, I had more than my fair share of angst and riding around the world was the only option I could see to overcome my malaise and become (or is that prove) to the world who I thought I “should” be.”

12. Goliath Expedition

goliath.mail2web.com

Quote: “Many years ago, when based with the Army in Dover, I would stand on the white cliffs looking out across the English Channel at the distant shores of France in wonder.

I swear, some days I could almost see a ragged figure looking back at me, a spectre from my future. I could not help but wonder what he had seen along the way and who he was now. It was difficult to imagine what he’d given to get to that point. What would he be thinking, looking back across the Channel at that young paratrooper on the other side?

Well now my life is all about closing that loop. It’s about standing in France looking across the Channel at the White Cliffs of Dover. Maybe I’ll be able to spot that young man so eager to prove himself, prove that he could hold his own and go the distance. Prove it to himself more than anyone else…

One day I will stand on the coast of France, closing the loop and you will be there with me.”

Are they any websites I missed that have inspired you to go traveling ?  Please share them in the comments.

Photo by jeremydeades

Photo by colvid daorado

Photo by faceme

Photo by Scootie

 

Going abroad will be fun in all kinds of ways.  These three will make your trip mind-blowing.  You will be hooking up with a whole slew of internationals and you will have a damn good time doing it (safely, of course).  If some drugs are on the menu, we won’t judge.  Moderation is always key (nobody likes a crackhead).  As for partying, there are beach parties, club parties, hostel, hot tub and pool parties for the taking abroad.  Here are a few things we have learned along the way that should maximize your fun times:

Sex

The conditions abroad are perfect for getting laid.  Everyone is excited in every way when they travel so they let go of their inhibitions.  Hooking up with fellow backpackers should be fairly easy as they are in the same boat with you mentally (and sometimes, close to the same bed).  Check out our Hostel Sex article for advice on how to seal the deal with hostelmates.

 

As far as hooking up with locals, there are a few factors to consider that will increase your chances:

• Looking your best abroad may be hard.  Groom, shower and primp if you plan to get laid.  Go grungy when you’re in between places.  Balance is key.
• Culture matters when it comes to sex.  Some places, like Jamaica, are very lenient on the sexual liberation front.  Other places, like the Middle East, have very strict hook-up rules and pre-marital sex may be out of the question all together.  To get in the know, check out the Top Ten Horniest Countries according to askmen.com.
• Buying drinks or playing dumb will not get you laid everywhere.  Modify your tactics based on location.
• Smile often.  Brush your teeth.

None of this working out for you: Here are the prostitution policies of 100 countries around the world.

Drugs

Amsterdam comes to mind instantly, right?  It is known for its liberal drug laws and partaking in some pot smoking (or brownie eating) is allowed and normal.  There will be cafes that sell marijuana; all different kinds, in varying forms for different types of consumption (on premises).  You will be tempted to get stoned out of your mind.  Just keep it fun and don’t overdo it for risk of sleeping through your whole trip to Amsterdam.  Also, great greasy food will be available everywhere to cure those munchies.

Colombia is where cocaine lives.  It will be cheap ($5 a gram), varies in form and will be available all around you. We’re not suggesting you go out into the streets of Colombia and start asking everyone for cocaine, we’re just saying there’s lots of it out there. Keep in mind that the drug wars here have been raging since the beginning of time. Stay sober enough to be careful and don’t let it become a reason to stay in Colombia.

All kinds of drugs will be available everywhere and their legality will vary from place to place. Here is a tool to find the drug policies in the places you want to visit so you can know where to smoke, snort and shoot up (we really hope it doesn’t get to this) abroad.

Partying

A party is to be had anywhere in the world.  You can find something that fits your partying moods and needs in every country.  Some will be organized annual celebrations, some impromptu park  and house parties, there are clubs, bars and costume balls (during the day, night, morning and any time in between). A taste of what’s available:

• Oktoberfest in Germany  (September 20 to October 10, annually) is dedicated to beer consumption and messiness.  Here are some photos from last year’s party to call your taste buds to attention.
• Carnival in Brazil (February 22-28, annually) is known worldwide for their elaborate costumes (with built-in nakedness) and wild celebrations.  A couple of photos for your viewing pleasure.
• Botellons in Spain: these are organized park drinking parties.  You bring booze, everyone else brings their booze and you share.  Most large plazas in Spain will hold one around 10pm every weekend night!
• Australia Day: January 26^th.  The whole country (well continent) celebrates the discovery (through European settlement) of Australia.  It’s all about beers, barbecues and beaches.

Read Matador.com’s list of top ten parties for more inspiration.

When it comes to sex, drugs and partying, the same precautions apply abroad as they do at home.  Keep an eye on your drink at all times (roofies are roofies at home or while traveling), don’t get belligerent (you’ll look stupid and possibly get robbed and/or raped) and know your limits.

With So many cheap flights,cheap hotels,& Airline tickets available for International Travel deals,from Budget to Luxury. Booking Vacation packages online, is EASY.

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