Jan 07
0
Doors in Valladolid, Mexico

Day Trip to Valladolid, Mexico

Posted by | culture, Mexico | 13 Comments

One of the best aspects of living long-term on the ground in any given destination is that you have more opportunities to explore the surrounding countryside and villages in comparison to backpackers who are just flitting through for a two or three-night stay. It’s the difference between skim-reading the novel and actually reading the whole thing cover to cover.

While I’ve been to Valladolid in the past, our recent day trip over the holidays with Ryan and Angela from Jets Like Taxis along with Devlin from Dream In Reality was jam-packed with over 500 photos shot, 2 hours of video footage filmed (including two Life on the Road entries for International Travel Writers), a massive lunch and two naps in between (there and back again via ADO). The following post is our adventure for the day, complete with a Viajes Con Cristina episode to boot :) Read More

Dec 19
1
teaching blogging classes

The Business Side of Travel Blogging

Posted by | Blogging, Entrepreneur, Passive Income, Social Media | 16 Comments

If you are one of the armchair readers of the world, you may think travel blogging is some sort of lucrative party gig, lounging beach-side with cocktails and bikini (or speedo)-clad deviants while you sip mojitos and your articles rack up thousands of hits while your social media platforms receive thousands of clicks and likes and shares and companies around the world pay you tens of thousands of dollars to travel the world on the company dime and your books sell tens of thousands of copies while you simply lay there, writing a few words here and there and taking a few photos.

The reality is that while you can certainly have all of those things, and there’s absolutely a lot of perks that come with the job, it takes a lot of hard work to get to the point where you start receiving comped trips, sponsorships and perks, and until you get to that point (and even after) travel blogging is a job just like any other, which means there’s a lot of hard work, long hours and strategizing involved, not simply lounging around and watching the views come in. Read More

Dec 13
0
Self Defense

Safety While Traveling Abroad – Self Defense

Posted by | Safety, Traveling Tips | 8 Comments

This post is a continuation of our Safety Abroad series, which started with Monday’s Situational Awareness, and continued with Wednesday’s Physical Demeanor. 

Almost every single travel guide or website related to traveling abroad has one, unified theme they talk about in great detail: if you are ever assaulted you are recommended to simply hand over all of your things and let the assailants take all of your hard-earned money, clothing, backpacks, cameras, cell phones, gear and other sundries.

Lay down. Play dead. Tuck tail and run.

This is the most ridiculous, cowardly, idiotic thing you could ever do. You have a human right to defend what is yours, and unless the person(s) attempting to mug you has a gun pointed at your head, you should be doing everything in your power to keep your possessions where they belong: with you.

Self defense is the ultimate weapon, not just when traveling abroad, but also for your general safety and well-being. It can help you from being mugged, raped, assaulted and taken advantage of. It can help you go from being a victim to a survivor. Read More

Dec 11
0
Destination Freedom group in San Cristobal de las Casas

Safety While Traveling Abroad – Physical Demeanor

Posted by | Safety, Traveling Tips | 14 Comments

This post is a continuation of our Safety Abroad series, which started with Monday’s Situational Awareness.

Your physical demeanor is also an important aspect of avoiding issues in any city around the world. If you are constantly pulling a guidebook out of your backpack, glancing in all directions, trying to get your bearings, looking like a tourist and acting nervous and staring over your shoulder ever five seconds expecting something bad to happen…you stand out like a sore thumb. You don’t look like a local. You look like a lost, nervous tourist trying to figure out your way to a destination.

And chances are, something bad will happen to you because you are making yourself look like a lost little tourist just ripe for the picking. Read More

Dec 09
0
Mugging

Safety While Traveling Abroad – Situational Awareness

Posted by | Safety, Traveling Tips | 14 Comments

I was recently doing some light reading and came across several stories from travelers who had been robbed or mugged during their travels to specific countries. I found myself going through the stories and shaking my head in chagrin at the fact that each of the individuals in question had suffered some sort of robbery or mugging and rather than analyze what they had done wrong were instead pointing fingers at the people of a given country and blaming it on the country and its people rather than their own lack of awareness and common sense. Read More