Travel Tips

10 German Words and Phrases You Should Learn Before Going to Oktoberfest

4 Comments / Destinations, Europe, Germany, Practical Traveler, Travel Tips / By

Oktoberfest has long become an international tourist destination. And while most of the Munich natives certainly speak some English, the festival still retains its traditional Bavarian origins. (To read more about that, check out my article on the history of the Oktoberfest. Also, see our Best Places to Stay in Munich for Oktoberfest) When celebrating […]

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10 Things She Should Know Before Couchsurfing: Tips for Women

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Couchsurfing Tips For Women By Sally Kay The Couchsurfing Project is a great tool for the curious and thrifty traveler.  The project idea is a cultural exchange in which members are the type of people who want share their culture and to learn about others.  Couchsurfers want to get to know more than just the

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A Hitchhiker’s Guide to South America

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By Sally Kay South America is a huge continent, and a lot of backpackers want to hitchhike through it.  But in this vast continent every country is different, so hitchhiking can vary quite a lot.  Here is a rough guide to hitchhiking in the different countries of South America. Argentina Argentina is a wonderful country

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Couch Surfing Over 50

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I want to address the fact that, although GoMad Nomad readership is primarily budget, independent travelers, they are NOT all broke twenty-somethings. So I want to talk about the Couch Surfing Project, and how it’s for all ages. It is, however, only applicable for people who are interested in meeting other people.

Aren’t I too old for this?

No, you aren’t too old. Although only 3% of couch surfers worldwide are between the ages of 50 and 69 (72% are between the ages of 18 and 29) it still adds up to 48,000 participants over 50, as the total number of worldwide couch surfers is almost 1.7 million. And with 75% knowing English, you shouldn’t have a problem finding a host whom you can

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Learning French in France

13 Comments / Destinations, Europe, France, Practical Traveler, Travel Tips / By

I was never really interested in France or French, preferring to study a less bourgeois language like Spanish in school. Not that my language prejudice mattered, because like most Americans I never mastered a second language at all. Sure, I later got by hitchhiking in Cuba with my rudimentary Spanish, but I didn’t speak the language. And then I married a guy from France…

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sheep hearder in Kazahkstan

Getting Beyond the Backpacker’s Scene

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We’ve all been there. The crowded hostels of Europe. The well-beaten path along the Turkish coast. Khao San Road or Jalan Jaksa’s traveler’s ghettos. You’re getting tired of spending so much money to be so far away from home only to fritter away much of your time drinking and talking your next travel move with other western backpackers…

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