Learning how to travel around the world

When you’re planning an around the world trip, there is so much to do and learn. This isn’t such a problem for a hyper-organized super-focused person like Lauren, but I just get overwhelmed by it all.

Being on the road for a full year requires all sorts of special knowledge and skills. Visas, airlines, backpacks, hi-tech travel underwear?! Where do you start?

My savior has been The Practical Nomad: How to Travel Around the World by Edward Hasbrouck.

This isn’t a travel guide; there’s very little information about specific countries. This book is about how to travel. Hasbrouck uses his experience as a traveler and a travel agent to walk us through the process of planning a trip.

For all the practical information in The Practical Nomad, it’s very readable with plenty of real life examples. His emphasis on traveling responsibly and the genial personality he displays in his writing make me trust him. You can tell, this guy, he’s a nice guy.

Now, the travel planning is moving ahead full steam. I’ve spent hours with The Practical Nomad in front of me while I looked at websites like BootsnAll Travel and The Tranquillo Traveler (where I first learned about The Practical Nomad). The view has become very familiar, so I drew a picture of it (that’s what I do). In the background is a calender which looms larger and larger with each passing day.

Tagged book, Edward Hasbrouck, sketch, The Practical Nomad, time, travel advice, travel planning