Photo by russelljsmith

Many people experience similar feelings before traveling. You’ve been looking forward to your trip for months. Now that it’s finally here you’re feeling unsure of yourself and your decision. Even an experienced traveler may get nervous before a solo trip or an extended journey.

Take a deep breath and follow the following suggestions:

1. Find a mantra.

Sometimes having a single memorable quote can be all it takes to stay focused and calm. In her article, The 50 Most Inspiring Travel Quotes of All Time, Matador editor Lola Akinmade writes, “Memorable travel quotes are like messages found on the beach; beautiful, timeless, and read at just the right moment.”

Find a quote that speaks to you. Write it down; put it in your journal or in your planner, reminding you of the reasons why you travel.

2. Peruse travel blogs.

Beyond just info and tips, good travel blogs provide inspiration and perspective and a sense that others are passing through similar feelings and experiences. Check out Almost Fearless and Euros Ate My Dollars. Search Matador for blogs that relate to where you’re traveling.

Photo by ckaroli

3. Set a game plan for healthcare, emergency contacts, mail, and taxes.

This is the part almost nobody likes to deal with, but if you get it out of the way early it can save you from more stress later on. Having a game plan for medical emergencies while traveling is key.

Similarly, taxes, mail, and other paperwork can be much more stressful if you have to deal with them on the road instead of at home. Here’s a great guide for tips on all of these.

Finally, if your anxiety comes from fear of the unknown, prepare numbers you can call. Look online to find the local emergency numbers of the place you are visiting, as well as having all of your personal contacts in order. Also, if you are traveling in affiliation with a school or business, carry contacts you can reach if needed.

4. Keep in touch.

Separation from family and friends is always difficult. One method of dealing with this type of travel-related anxiety is to create easy methods of communication. This could be something as easy as a Facebook or Myspace account. You could also set up a blog on Matador that your family can visit. Another good way of keeping in touch is sending weekly emails.

5. Remember how amazing your trip is going to be.

There is a reason you wanted to go: remind yourself of it now.

Photo by Mat Honan

6. Provide plenty of time to pack and remember last minute items.

There is no greater stress than realizing the day before you leave that you still haven’t gone to the bank, to the store for a few more pairs of socks, or called your credit card company to let them know that you are going to be out of town.

Give your mind a break and begin packing several days before your departure. There are entire articles dealing strictly with packing as well. How about a 2 minute video that shows how to get everything you need into a single carry-on?

7. Plan ahead for flight fears / boredom.

For most people, trips include a ride in an airplane. If the flight makes you edgy, Fodor’s offers some effective tips to beat airplane anxiety.

8. Remember: you can handle it.

Travel is messy and rarely goes according to plan. You just have to be flexible enough to deal with what is thrown your way. There is no greater asset to the traveler than the ability to adapt!

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

For more tips for nervous flyers, check out 5 Simple Ways to Conquer Your Fear of Flying.

What are your pre-trip calming rituals?

Photo by Lex in the City

You know the feeling. You’re walking to the market, to the store, to meet a friend, all caught up in the plodding forward of your day…and then suddenly, you take notice of where you are. The light on a wall, the expressions on people’s faces, the feeling of the weather. A distinct sense of place creeps over you, and for a moment you feel like a traveler.

I love this feeling. It is a relief to me; ah, I haven’t forgotten what I learned on the road. How to be fully present in a place.

But it’s rare at home. We tend to get used to our surroundings pretty quickly, especially if they’re surroundings we’ve grown up in or lived in for years. And this familiarity isn’t all bad—our brains, freed up from paying acute attention to the unknown, can focus on other things—writing, school, relationships, work, projects.

And yet sometimes, the desire (Overwhelming! Insatiable! Get me on a freaking bus to Belize!) for that novelty and spark of travel is overwhelming. Sometimes a sense of sadness creeps into the everyday—why can’t I see and feel this place like I’ve seen and felt so many other places traveling?

So this is a guide to traveling at home–taking “home” to be a place you’ve stuck around for a while and grown accustomed to. A guide to seeing it through a traveler’s eyes and bringing it back to life again.

Photo by sanjibm

Walk.

As simple as strolling out the front door into the great beyond. Pay attention to detail as you go. The way the light hits buildings, the noises and conversations drifting out of restaurants, the sky, the view.

Roam without concern for routes and take advantage of the fact that you know this place’s geography well. Wander into neighborhoods you don’t usually explore and examine them as if you were stumbling across them for the first time.

See a city from different angles—how does it look from the top of a hill? From the bottom? Walking from the west, or east? Sometimes, when I feel my senses have been numbed by walking the same old routes around Oaxaca, I cross the city and go way out east, where the city starts dipping into the valley.

Then I turn around and start walking back, this time with a view of the narrow parallel streets stretching before me, and the arched back of a purple mountain in the distance. It feels like a different city.

Sometimes all you need is a fresh point of view.

Be a tourist.

Even if you are living in a village buried deep in the Nepali highlands or in, say, Columbus, Ohio, there are places a tourist (even if he or she just happened to get stranded overnight there) would go in your area. Investigate as if you were planning a trip—where would you go, where would the tourist lit take you?

Go as if you know nothing about your hometown at all. Imagine the tourist destinations were your first impression of it. What would they reveal to you? How would you interpret them? What would you write home about them?

Duck into a restaurant nearby, order a local delicacy (buffalo wings? Wisconsin cheese curd? Spaghetti and meatballs? Chilaquiles?), and eat it as if the flavors were a revelation, an odd local phenomenon. Imagine all of it is giving you new information about where you are and what this place is like.

Photo by Humanoide

Be a host and a guide.

Sometimes the best way to yank yourself out of your own stale vision is to exploit the viewpoint of a novice. Perhaps “exploit” is a tad harsh: offer a couch, a good meal, a ride, a long conversation, local insight, and in exchange throw yourself behind the fresh perspective of your guest.

Couchsurfing is an excellent way to travel at home. The rush of traveling rubs off, and having to think like a traveler and act like a guide illuminates your hometown as you don’t usually see it. You may, like me, end up surprised at how much you take the local for granted once you actually get to show it off.

Having family or friends pop in for a visit can make you appreciate all the little things you love about your home, the little things that are so etched into the everyday that you no longer notice them. And it can bring the big things—the local attractions, the feel and vibe of your hometown—back into focus.

Look for new perspectives.

Unless you’re living in a tent buried deep somewhere in the Andes, there are bound to be at least a few people from a few different places in your area. Hit up Chinatown if you’re in a major city, practice your Spanish at a Mexican restaurant, volunteer at a shelter for refugees, or work with immigrants.

Hearing about the experiences of a foreigner or an immigrant in your hometown paints it in a whole different light. You may be surprised, as I was roaming through a Mexican grocery store in Columbus, at just how different the place you think you know so well looks from this perspective.

Photo by Geoff LMV

Love your public transport.

One thing I do when I need a sense of escape is hop on a bus. And then another. And another. No, I’m not fleeing to Guatemala, I’m just riding around. One public bus after another, bumping and jostling ‘round Oaxaca.

Maybe this is intense nostalgia for all the buses I took crossing South America, or maybe I’m just a big baby who loves the gentle rocking motions of moving vehicles, but I’m willing to guess that many travelers find something soothing about being in motion.

The familiar feeling of looking out the window, trying to put the pieces together, absorbing the scenery. The bus transports me out of my neurotic consciousness, my obsession with whatever I need to do that day and the next, and makes me feel like I’m traveling.

Travel, I think, should not merely be the act of getting way the hell out there into the Himalayas or hitchhiking your way across Borneo. It can be that—but it can, and I would argue should, also be a way of seeing.

Thinking of travel as a particular type of vision frees you from the obligation to go fleeing from one destination to another, and liberates you to rediscover the places you think you know so well.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION:

Need some more advice about planning an in-town vacation. Check out these seven steps!

Photo by sputnikrent

When the Japanese occupied Taiwan from the late 1800s to the first half of the 1900s, they left an indelible social, cultural, and urban imprint on the island. Among the remnants are the continually popular Beitou Hot Springs facilities located in the northern portion of Taipei County.

From royalty to common folk, these facilities have seen a range of visitors since their institution. Today, people from all over the world still flock to Beitou for a relaxing hot spring respite.

I made my first visit in 2006 while living in Taipei. At the time, I was buckling under heavy stress and the idea of “paotang”, the Mandarin phrase for soaking, grew in appeal each day.

Being low on funds, I hit the local bookstore in search of an economical way to enjoy the hot springs. Hotels in the area offered everything from one hour soaks to two-night stays. I wasn’t interested in the latter and couldn’t justify shelling out $1000 NT for just an hour in the tub.

Lucky for me, I discovered a thin, nondescript book outlining directions to a traditional hot spring bath frequented only by the locals. Best of all, the hot spring was free.

Having no idea what I was getting myself into, I headed for the obscure site. From the posted signs and cacophonous reprimands of the other patrons, both in Mandarin and Taiwanese, I learned the basic, yet stringent rules of the traditional Chinese hot spring baths.

Photo by Prince Roy

1. Don’t wear clothes.

The minute I walked in, I was struck by the unabashed nakedness of all the women. Hot spring facilities are typically segregated by gender, and the women here were taking full advantage.

I wondered if Americans are the only people with a real discomfort with nudity as I peeled off my clothes and mashed them into one of the cubbies on the side of the wall.

The facility couldn’t even be described as “roomy” on an optimistic day, and there was no hiding to be had. I comforted myself with the knowledge that I was the youngest woman in the room.

Requiring every person to soak only in their birthday suits seems to be a sanitary issue. The patrons are all very fanatical about the facility’s cleanliness, which brings me to the second rule.

2. Clean up.

Every person must wash before hitting the bath. Some people go so far as to bring their own bars of soap. I had just showered before I left the house and only needed a rinse before soaking.

The ahmas watched me like hawks as I cleaned up. Being a 20-something removing American-brand clothing, I attracted the immediate attention and concern of the other women.

They were sure I was going to do something wrong, whether it was not washing up properly or jumping in still wearing my skivvies.

And do something wrong I did, as I had no awareness of the bucket situation.

Photo by Prince Roy

3. Don’t confuse the buckets.

Next to the tubs lay buckets filled with hot spring water. These are for cleaning before entering the tubs and there are strict, specific rules of engagement when using these buckets.

Not knowing this, I inadvertently contaminated a bucket by using a ladle from one bucket to rinse off, but placing it back in a different one.

The ahmas did not like this at all. Getting screamed at becomes less humiliating after a couple of runs. The contaminated bucket had to be emptied, rinsed out and cleaned, and then refilled with hot spring water before it could be used again.

Ladles are to remain with their original bucket or put in the dirty pile if they have had skin or floor contact. Visitors are never to stick their hands directly into the buckets, but must use the ladles to scoop up the water to clean themselves off. Dirty water should never come in contact with the buckets, ladles, or baths.

4. Don’t move.

Only after cleaning was I allowed in the hot spring bath. Being a traditional bath, there was no way to control the water’s temperature. It was scalding and I had my first true experience as human soup.

Photo by ♥ H.G♥

Once in the bath, patrons are not to move at all. I ran my hands over my legs to try and alleviate the feeling of conflagration. Surprise: I got yelled at. I think this rule may also relate to the sanitation issue as well as aid in patrons’ comfort.

It was only when I sat completely still that the fire subsided and a woozy sensation of warmth and relaxation emerged. The low-level grumblings of the ahmas contrasted starkly with their previous high-pitched yells, and I was able to Zen them into the background.

5. End it after 20 minutes.

People can–and do– pass out from all the heat and steam. A sign posted on the wall dictated that patrons were not to soak for more than 20 minutes at a time for their own safety. That was fine by me, as I couldn’t make it past 10 minutes in the piping hot water.

I did three rounds of 10 minutes in, five minutes out, and felt ethereal when I finally emerged. My skin felt like silk, I was more relaxed than I’d ever been, and I was more convinced than ever of the spring water’s purported health benefits.

Since then, I have visited other baths in different parts of Taiwan. Soaking privately in a modern hotel room will never compare to my first experience with the ahmas. Although I have to admit, it is nice not to get yelled at while naked.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Looking for some unusual relaxation practices while you’re overseas? Check out the World’s Weirdest Spas, or go more mainstream with How To Choose Your Perfect Yoga Retreat.

Photo by Zebra Pares Feature photo bya.saliga

Editing your video

The following services allow you to upload and edit your video, then compress the results for distribution.

Mogulus

Mogulus is more of a roll-your-own TV station than a simple editor. You are able to stream live and on-demand content as well as a “linear” TV-style player. Embed graphics, use news-style tickers, and work with inbuilt-templates or build your own.

Matador TV, anyone?

Photo by Steve Garfield

Jaycut

Jaycut provides one of the smoothest and desktop-like environments for editing video online: it features drag and drop capabilities allowing you to quickly build a timeline from a gallery of several clips. All the normal cropping and editing tools are available, along with a library of title effects.

Jaycut sets itself apart from competitors with its collaborative abilities, and the ability to upload directly from one’s phone might be a killer feature for travellers’ spontaneous shots.

Unlike many competitors, Jaycut allows you to download your file as well as embed it directly from their server.

Jumpcut et al

Upload your videos directly from your computer then crop, re-arrange, add visual and sound effects to complete your masterpiece.

Now owned by Yahoo, Jumpcut also allows you to e-mail clips to your account or import videos from Facebook and Flickr. Although you can embed movies you create here, you cannot download them for further distribution.

Similar tools are Muvee Mix and Rifftrax Cuts.

Converting file formats

You spend ages creating your video, only to find it won’t play on your host’s strange operating system.No worries; several powerful, free online conversion tools are available.

If you have a relatively new computer, there are definite advantages to downloading a conversion programme and making use of that processing power. Older machines and netbooks will struggle with large, processor intensive files.

Photo by Travelin’ Librarian

Zamzar

Zamzar, if you can remember the name, is to online file conversion what chewing gum is to MacGyver: almost certain salvation. With the free (advert-supported) version, you can upload files of up to 1G and choose from many end-formats.

Subscribers are allowed larger uploads, ad-free pages and faster processing time. Zamzar isn’t just good for movies. You can also convert documents, audio and several other file types.

Media Converter

Otherwise, try Media Converter. They not only convert from uploaded files, but will also convert from a URI or rip videos from flash players like YouTube.

Distribution

Now that you’ve crafted your video, you want to share it with as many people as possible. It’s time to upload it to YouTube, right? Well, not really.

Tubemogul
The king of video distribution is undoubtedly Tubemogul, followed by a couple of niche travel sites that Tubemogul doesn’t pick up.

Do one upload, one set of notes, one set of tags, and see your video launched on the following sites:

• AOL Video
• Blip.tv
• Crackle
• Daily Motion
• Google Video
• Graspr
• Howcast
• I2TV
• Imeem
• Metacafe
• MySpace
• Revver
• Sclipo
• StupidVideo
• Veoh
• Webcastr
• Yahoo Video
• YouTube
• Viddler
• Vimeo
• 5min

That’s amazing distribution for one upload. It gets better though: using the Tubemogul dashboard you can track views and comments on many of these systems. It’s a one-stop shop for your video tracking.

It still behooves you to get out into some of these communities and comment, network and build relationships if you want to get some views to your work, though.

Three places Tubemogul doesn’t support are also of interest to travellers:

Facebook

If you play within the blue and white walls of this closed garden, you’re probably going to want to upload your video here to be tagged and enjoyed by your closest friends.

Those of us with limited bandwidth or time use the YouTube Video Box application to embed our videos or simply create links using the “Post a link” feature.

Travelistic

A small but growing video site aimed specifically at travellers. At present it’s got fewer than 10,000 videos so you have the potential to become a leading user of the site. Limited by its niche, it’s a perfect place for us Matadorians to share our passion for travel.

Flickr

Better known for its photo sharing prowess, flickr now handles video, too. Video can supplement your photo stream and it can be a great distribution point if you have already built a solid number of contacts within the service.

Other resources

Many more video resources are available through Mashable’s video toolbox of 150+ resources.

Published in June 2007, some of these links are rather out of date. I would be remiss if I didn’t point you towards Make Internet TV’s great site for people dabbling their toes into online video. Their simple step-by-step guide walks you through each step of the process, from equipment to promotion.

Community Connection:

Keep an eye out for Craig’s upcoming ebook on travel blogging and multimedia podcasting, to be released through Indie Travel Guides in the middle of 2009.

Feature photo by Photocapy. Photo above by goosmurf.

As readers familiar to Matador know, no matter how savvy a globetrotter you are or how in-tune with the local culture you try to be, international travel is not without its risks. The fact is, there are people out there who make a living preying on folks who have the means to move about the globe.

Frequent travelers have heard all the warnings before: “Don’t leave your bags unattended! Always stick to well-traveled streets! Don’t carry too much cash!”

But what about some deeper insight? How can travelers get inside the mind of the international petty thief or pickpocket, understand what makes them tick, and think creatively to keep themselves from being victimized?

Dr. Barbara Oakley is an associate professor at Oakland University in Michigan, and is the author of Evil Genes, a nonfiction thriller that explores themes of morality, genetics, and brain research. The book was partially inspired by Oakley’s travel adventures, which include rubbing elbows with KGB agents as a translator on Soviet ships.

Recently I was able to connect with Dr. Oakley via email to gain some insight into the workings of the international criminal.

Photo by Matt Biddulph.

Nature vs. Nurture

Petty criminals are often regarded as folks who have suffered from a rough upbringing and, therefore, have almost been forced to turn to a life of crime in order to get by. However, Oakley contends that this passive attitude can be dangerous.

“Our schools and universities indoctrinate students with the idea that a poor environment is the sole cause of criminal behavior,” says Oakley. “This conditioning is used by criminals to their advantage.”

If a criminal has been caught in the act, says Dr. Oakley, they will try to appeal to your sense of altruism and empathy for you to let them go. They could accomplish this through crying, saying they’ve never stolen before, or telling a sad story about their life or family.

If you’re a reasonably nice person, you can completely let your guard down.

“Some thieves have been trained since they were children to think about robbing ‘rich Westerners’ as something that’s a fully justified activity,” says Oakley. “Knowing this kind of information can help you to be more alert to the kind of physical cues that can alert you in situations of possible immediate harm.”

Watch out for eagles and chameleons

So you think that scruffy looking teenager with a staring problem in the seat opposite yours is eyeing up your iPod? Maybe you should pay closer attention to the little old lady whose bags you helped load into the overhead compartment. According to Dr. Oakley, these two fit into two thief sub-categories: eagles and chameleons.

“Eagles are thieves in great shape, who swoop in to grab their loot,” says Oakley. “Poor countries generally don’t have expensive forensic luxuries like fingerprinting, so if caught, a teenager can give a false name, be released, and go right back to a train or bus station to steal again. (An example of an eagle in action in Chile can be found on YouTube – here)

The chameleon’s approach is more subtle. These are the con artists or masters of disguise, and they may victimize you without you even realizing it.

“The chameleon may be a very good-looking man in a nice suit that gently slips his hand in your pocket as he moves past you in the aisle, or a nice-looking young woman who trips and falls against you,” says Oakley.

Their methods are no less insidious. When caught, the chameleon will often try to employ psychological techniques to get themselves off the hook. They’ll appeal to your sympathy through any means available to them.

“They’ll even cry, which can get your mirror neurons going–you feel sorry for the thief because you actually feel the feeling that the thief is simulating,” says Oakley.

Photo by Kieran Huggins.

What Can You Do?

Here are some expert tips straight from Dr. Oakley to keep in mind in your travels.

• Security guards keep a wary eye on known thieves, who generally can’t be thrown off public property. Thus, it can be a good idea to follow the eyes of security guards in a train station or other public place, to see who the guards are watching.
• It can be a good idea to wear sunglasses if you are dozing on a bus or train. That way a thief cannot tell whether you might be observing him.
• Always look suspicious individuals in the eyes. There are neurological reasons for this–following the eyes means you are hyper-aware of someone. Looking at a potential thief in the eyes can scare him off, because he suspects you know what he’s up to.
• Thieves are often just looking for the opportunity to get close to you–perhaps simply by asking for the time. You mustn’t let them get close. Often thieves act in pairs–the first buddy will see where you look to ensure things are safe when approached by the other buddy, and as you are distracted by the other buddy, the first buddy will move in to grab your wallet.

Community Connection

For more on preventing dodgy travel situations, please reference How to Survive Dangerous Border Crossings, and for an emotional look at one traveler’s experience with tragedy on the road, read Jon Brandt’s The Great Bus Heist.

Feature photo by Donnaphoto. Photo above by orphanjones.

Ever spent your holiday mornings blundering around a tiny hotel room, trying not to wake your sleeping family and feeling claustrophobic? It doesn’t have to be that way. On your next trip, you could have a whole apartment—or even a house—to yourselves. While some people snooze, others can be far away, watching the sunrise from the terrace or whipping up café au lait in the kitchen.

And here’s the best part: in many cases, you can get an apartment or house for less than the cost of a hotel room. If you’re willing to do a home exchange, you can even stay for free.

Photo by Wolfgang Staudt.

Rent a vacation home.

You can rent directly from a property owner, but for peace of mind—especially if this is your first rental—consider working with a rental agency that provides a local contact person who can help you if you lose your key or break the dishwasher.

Here are a few other tips:

• Narrow down the type of property you want: urban or rural, apartment or house, luxurious or rustic.
• Pinpoint your destination. In a city, focus on a couple of neighborhoods.
• Find an agency that specializes in your destination or type of home. Ask friends for recommendations and ask companies for testimonials. In North America, check the firm’s record with the local Better Business Bureau.
• Identify your deal breakers. The fewer you have, the easier it will be to find a place, but be realistic. If you treasure quiet and space, don’t book a studio apartment in Manhattan.
• Ask lots of questions. Clarify what’s included—you may need to bring your own sheets or pay for local phone calls. Ask about nearby transit and stores.
• Be careful about payment. Most vacation rental agencies are legit, but fraudsters do exist. If possible, negotiate a small deposit and pay the rest only after you’ve seen the property. Don’t use wire services such as Western Union, which are popular with scammers. Use a credit card with a low limit, send a check drawn on an account with a small balance, or pay your deposit via PayPal.

Now that I’ve given all the scary caveats, I’ll end on an upbeat note: I’ve rented apartments from agencies on three continents— Aloj Argentina in Buenos Aires, Metro-Home in New York City, and Paris Best Lodge in Paris — and never had a problem.

Photo by brighterworlds.

Arrange a house swap.

You can also swap your house for another elsewhere. You’ll have less flexibility than with a vacation rental, as your options hinge on who wants to travel to your location and when.

On the bright side, you may discover a place you never considered visiting before. Stories abound of swappers who had their hearts set on London, only to have a fabulous time in York instead.

How do you find someone to swap with? The simplest way is through a swapping website. If you’ve seen the Kate Winslet movie The Holiday, you’ll know how this works: pay a registration fee, register your home, browse the list of available properties and make a connection. (Kate used a site called Home Exchange.)

Isn’t it a bit creepy to let strangers into your house? If you’re shy and extremely house proud, the answer is probably yes. House swapping does take a certain insouciance.

The key is frequent communication between you and your host. By the time you put your key in the lock of your temporary home, you’ll have probably exchanged numerous e-mails and phone calls. So, in essence, you’re not really “strangers” anymore.

Here are a few other tips for a successful house swap.

• As with a rental, be honest about your deal breakers and ensure you understand what’s included. (The range of inclusions and exclusions is even broader with a swap. Your host may give you the keys to his car, but may also want you to feed his cats.)
• Set the dates of the swap early– and in writing.
• Be honest about your home’s pros and cons, and check swappers’ claims. In particular, check the address. That apartment “in the heart of New York” may be halfway to Albany.
• Give your guests a warm welcome. Make sure your home is spotless and well maintained. Clear out some space for your guests’ clothes. Leave lots of soap and clean linens. Write a guide to your neighborhood.
• Lock away valuables and fragile items—off-site, if necessary.
• Tell your neighbors someone will be staying in your home, so they don’t suspect you have burglars. Nothing says “Welcome” less clearly than a visit from the cops.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION:

Still not sure if a house swap is for you? Check out 6 Convincing Reasons to Try a Home Exchange.

Photo by rearechelon

As a tour guide, I receive lots of questions from passionate travelers wondering if the job is right for them. Here are some frequently asked questions…and my answers:

Tour Guide/Tour Leader: Is there any difference?

These job titles are often used interchangeably, though there are some subtle differences between the two. The skills of a tour guide and leader, though are usually required by most companies.

Generally speaking, tour guides are expected to know a city (or country) intimately and offer guests interpretive information such as history and anecdotes on all sites.

While tour leaders also need knowledge of the places they are visiting, they are also responsible for the logistics and planning of a trip, ensuring everything runs smoothly. It is not uncommon for guides and leaders from the same company to work closely together. For simplicity, the term “guides” is used in the rest of this article to refer to both positions.

Photo by Marcin Wichary

I love to travel. This must be the perfect job for me, right?

You’ll certainly be traveling, but your job is to be there for your guests. You may be visiting the same places week after week, but even when you do go somewhere new it’s unlikely you’ll have much time to yourself.

Being good with people, being a great organizer, and possessing a real interest in history and culture are more important traits than just wanting to see the world.

Do I need any qualifications?

Some cities require you to be a licensed guide to lead tours. While a relevant degree– Travel and Tourism, Art, History, Geography, Languages– can be of benefit, very few guides have any kind of formal qualifications.

What skills do I need?

• People skills- You’re spending practically every hour of every day with your guests and not all of them will be nice.

• Logistical management- A lot of aspects go into planning a holiday. Even if you’re not responsible for setting up those details, you’ll be responsible for keeping on top of them all once your group is on the road.

• Organization- You don’t want to get mixed up on where you’re supposed to be going, or what you’re doing.

• Calm under pressure- Anything could happen on a tour, and everyone will look to you when things go wrong.

• Quick learner- From “Where’s the bathroom?” to “When was that built?” you’ll need to have answers at hand.
• Good public speaker- Speaking to your group is more than half the job. You want to make sure they understand you.

• Energetic- You’ll be working almost every waking hour, often for weeks at a time- you need to be in top form at all times.

Photo by mke1963

I don’t speak any languages. Can I still be a guide?

This depends on the company you work for. If you’re looking to work in Italy, for example, it would be difficult to get by without Italian, but very few companies would expect you to speak Vietnamese to lead in Asia, for example.

Is there any job security?

Not really. Most guides work on a tour by tour basis. While you’ll be over-worked during the peak seasons (usually summer), come off-season you’ll probably be looking in the Help Wanted ads. Many guides are on the books of several companies so they can maximise their work opportunities.

Photo by marie-ll

Could I be a guide in a country that I’ve never even visited?

Absolutely. Most companies find it difficult to recruit guides in certain countries and many guides are sent to new regions. While this may sound great, imagine trying to guide 50 people around a city you’ve never even been to. And with a busy schedule, it’s unlikely you’ll get time to explore on you own.

How much do I get paid?

As a qualified city guide you could make several hundred dollars in a single day. If you’re an overland driver you could struggle to make this much in a whole month.

While pay varies hugely, it’s rarely much more than minimum wage. Depending on the guests you have, tips can be generous- if you’ve done a good job, of course.

Are all my expenses paid?

This depends very much on the company, however, most professional companies pay your expenses while you’re working- typically food, accommodation, and any work-related travel.

Photo by marie-ll

Okay, this sounds like the job for me! Where do I sign up?

There are hundreds of companies looking for guides. Some are more professional than others and you should always research any company thoroughly before taking up an offer of work. Just a few to get you started:

www.eftours.co.uk

One of the world’s largest providers of educational travel with coach trips on every continent.

www.backroads.com

One of the market leaders in luxury biking and hiking trips around the world.

www.dragoman.co.uk

Overland adventure company with long duration trips on four continents.

www.trafalgartours.com

One of the world’s most popular coach touring companies.

www.intrepidtravel.com

Guided backpacking trips across the world.

Like any job, different companies look for different traits and tasks from their employees and every position comes with a different job description. These answers are only a general guide and will vary considerably from company to company.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Looking to combine your work and your travels? Take a look at How to Travel the World by Crewing on Yachts, Join the Navy, See the World, or many more in Matador’s Travel and Adventure Jobs Archive!

Catch a cargo ship. Photo by Dave Minogue.

Lara and Tom are taking a 10 month trip around the world. . . without flying. You can do it, too—using the following lessons from the World In Slow Motion team as the how-to guide to get you started.

1. Plan your ocean crossings first (and well in advance!).

One of the first things Lara and Tom began investigating was how to cross the Pacific Ocean by ship. They discovered several tour operators who book passages on cargo ships; through these operators and their own Internet research, they came up with a plan.

They’d originally wanted to go from Asia to Central America, working their way up to the U.S. Shipping routes, however, follow international trade,and there aren’t many connections between certain places–for example, Shanghai and Tegucigalpa.

So they booked their passage from Hong Kong to Long Beach, and altered their route to do a loop down through the southwestern U.S all the way to Guatemala, then back up through Mexico to New Orleans and the East Coast of the U.S.

In planning an ocean crossing, you have to make a few executive decisions beforehand about departure or arrival points. If the Caribbean or Brazil are absolute musts on your RTW itinerary, you might need to nix a trip through Asia.

Keep in mind that certain routes are more popular than others, and as the number of passengers cargo ships can take is quite limited (usually topping off around 10), it’s important to book well in advance. The World In Slow Motion team recommends three to six months, depending on the route.

2. Know your public transport systems.

In Japan, it’s possible to purchase a rail pass which, while costly, allows one the freedom to travel almost anywhere in the country (in style!)

The Eurail pass and the USA Rail Pass (yes, this actually exists) also offer ways to save on large stretches of train travel.

Photo by Jennifer Feuchter.

Checking out these options beforehand helps both with route planning and saving money. It’s also a good idea to investigate the train/bus systems in particular countries. In China, for example, train tickets can only be bought from one’s departure city—that is, tickets leaving Beijing for Shanghai can only be bought in Beijing.

During holiday periods, trains will fill up beyond the grasp of human imagination. On popular routes, trains tend to be quite full all the time, and you might find that the only available seats are in “hard seat” (which is just what it sounds like) or standing classes.

Also, as most anyone who travels around the U.S knows, getting to certain places without a car can be quite an ordeal. What to do? Couchsurf, as Tom and Lara did ( in Elizabeth Taylor’s old house, no less), and use the power of Craig’s List and forums like Matador’s Travel Partner forum and Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree in order to hook up with rideshares.

The WISM team had luck with Craig’s List and even ended up scoring a 600 mile ride from Phoenix to El Paso from an enthusiastic American swept up by the idea of their trip.

3. Beware the bureaucracy.

Traveling overland can come with more bureaucratic hassle than hopping from airport to airport. For one, there tend to be more visa difficulties. This is particularly true where the U.S of A is involved.

Lara and Tom found that they were not qualified for the British visa exemption if they arrived in the U.S by ship, so they had to go through the whole (lengthy and costly) tourist visa application process. Many countries have similar visa regulations that apply to overland (or sea) arrivals only.

Make sure you double check the fine print and verify you have your paperwork sorted out beforehand.

4. Be flexible, and don’t cave in.

There came a moment in Beijing when all the train tickets were sold out, and Lara and Tom thought, “Wouldn’t it be nice to fly?” They stuck it out and ended up appreciating their extra time in the capital and their ensuing cross-country train journeys.

The idea is to balance careful planning with the roll-with-the-punches attitude necessary to navigate the messier, more local, less systematic world of overland travel.

Cram your head, notebooks, and laptops full of info, make sure you jump through the necessary bureaucratic/logistical hoops ahead of time, and then allow yourself that inch (or two, or three) of flexibility to take advantage of what travel fate offers up.

5. Tell the world about your journey.

Photo by Jill

Start a blog, write an article, e-mail your friends and family… the more information about local, sustainable overland travel, the better, particularly at a time when jet fuel is guzzled like water and a transatlantic flight is, for many, akin to a quick drive around the block.

Etch out the local, regional details, the differences and continuities between places as you bump and jolt and glide over the Earth. Not only will sharing your experiences open up new possibilities for other travelers, it might also open some doors for you along your journey.

People want to be part of grand ventures they can relate to and believe in.

And most of all, savor the feel of traveling at a human speed, seeing, as Lara and Tom have done, the world in slow motion.

Follow Lara and Tom at World In Slow Motion.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

If your interest in slow traveling round the world has been piqued, check out a guide to traveling by cargo ship or some detailed advice about planning rail journeys.