The intrigue of the unknown lies in not knowing. In addition to sightseeing, eating exotic food and partying in strange places, the draw of traveling is discovery. Finding that little town untouched by the things you hated back home. Whether you’re basking in the rays of the sun on a secluded, remote beach or participating [...]

Travel Dork: Michael Tieso Website: ArtofBackpacking.com Right off the bat, The Art of Backpacking has a homey feel, possibly because of its beginnings as a way for creator, Michael Tieso to share his travels with family and friends. It has since evolved into a great resource for backpackers. Tieso is all about inspiring others to [...]

Travel Blog Dork: David Lee Websites: Gobackpacking.com & Travelblogsuccess.com David Lee is a huge travel dork.  His sites, Gobackpacking.com and Travelblogsuccess.com are chart-toppers.  Although various independent travel-related info is available on his site, gobackpacking.com focuses on around-the-world travel.  Inspired by his own 2007 around the world trip that took him to 22 countries in 20 [...]

Taking a Gap Year is the buzz around Europe.  What’s all the noise about?  Gap Year is a year (or some increment of time) a person takes off to travel before going to college, into a career or in between jobs.  This time off is Europe’s answer to riding out the college/work unfriendly times of [...]

 Travel Porn Weekly are pictures from around the world that make you say, OH-MY-GOD! We’re not talking about things your parents would consider pornographic. Ever seen the cottage bungalows stretching out into the teal, aqua tinged ocean in Bora Bora? That sort of porn…

The American dream, rags to riches, is an alluring thought. Our society has constructed a fool-proof plan to get you from American dream to American reality: college. Get your degree and you will always have enough to pay your mortgage, take family vacations and finance that spacious, yet stylish, minivan you’ve always wanted. How about [...]

What does it take to become a successful blogger? Everyday, more and more “get rich quick” schemes are popping up all over the internet with the exciting prospect of becoming financially independent as a blogger. For those who have spent time developing a blog, you may find these adverts laughable (though understandably enticing). Developing a successful blog takes [...]

We all know Cancun, Miami and Cabo are great for spring break. There is nothing wrong with enjoying the company of drunken college chicks and cheap tequila on the beach. But this year, we urge you to dig a little deeper. An entire world of similarly (likely more) satisfying experiences lie ahead and the best [...]

The ability to travel internationally by airplane, brought with it paranoia about lost luggage. Every passenger boarding ANY flight (even a direct one where luggage stays in the cargo area beneath the plane) harbors negative thoughts of “what if today is the day; what will I do without any of my clothes? How will I [...]

We are off to Bogota, Colombia this Monday to begin developing, researching and exploring material for OTP’s South America Travel Guide. For 2 months, we plan to explore the revival of Colombia, then down into Peru for Machu Picchu, up and across the Amazon River into Brazil and completely wing it from there on. We [...]