travel

If we believe the newspaper, or even worse, the advisories of the government, traveling is one of the most dangerous things men can do. A trip of a month through Central America seems only slightly safer than a blindfolded stroll on the highway.

Every traveler has some kind of list in his or her head with specific places they want to visit. Cuba while the embargo is still on, Iceland while it's still suffering from the crisis and everything is relatively cheap, the village of Corleone in Sicily - if that's also on your list, I can assure you that there's really nothing to do in that dust hole, walking the Inca trail in Peru, getting stoned in Amsterdam, go diving in the Great Barrier Reef, go fishing in Canada, celebrate carnival in Rio or walk around for a week in your naked butt at the Burning Man Festival.

Are you tired of heavy backpacks?

Are you tired of dragging around stuff that you don't really need?

Are you tired of paying extra for luggage at airports?

Are you tired of being afraid that someone will steal your precious stuff?

Are you tired of this stupid post that looks like a cheap commercial?

Have a look at my new travel article: 9 Useless Things Travelers Tend To Pack !

Also published on BootsnAll

Some time ago I was going through the first chapter of The Art of Travel by Alain De Botton, the chapter that handles about expectations we have about travelling and how they are never similar to what we actually experience.

Even blindfolded, I could find my way back in Havana, I can show you around Amsterdam, Lisbon or Barcelona and I can certainly recommend you a couple of good restaurants in Singapore, but drop me off in Liege and I'll be totally lost. I've never been there, although it's one of the largest cities of Belgium and only about 150 kilometres from my home. I even don't have a single clue if there's anything to see or to do over there.

A little bit of Google taught me that there actually isn't that much to see in Liege. It doesn't have an Eiffel tower or a large golden Buddha but it looks like a nice cosy city. The recommended sights are some museums and a couple of churches and the to do list also doesn't seem that big. It is surrounded by nature and hills though.

Have you ever wondered what drives people to travel on their own?
Do you want to experience solo travelling but you don't know how to start?
You want to overcome your doubts and fears?

Then this article is a good place to start. It lists five online resources where you can get all the information you need - and much more - to start planning your first solo trip to anywhere you would like to go.