For many people, travel blogging is the ultimate dream; working online as you travel, your office ranging from a cruise ship in Antarctica, to a hammock in the Caribbean.
And with a constantly changing environment, improvising with your work-space is a guarentee. You work from bar stools, futons, and cramped economy seats. You hike 30 minutes with a picnic blanket, in minus 2 degrees, because it’s the only place the WiFi will reach.
Travel blogging means that my office view is constantly changing; it’s exciting, it’s inspiring, and I’m passionate about waking up every day. But, after 5 years of working on the floor in airports, and editing photos on the plane, it’s messed with my posture something shocking.
Without intentionally trying to sound like my mother, I’ve discovered first hand that bad posture leads to spinal problems, including neck and back pain.
The solution?
I now use the VARIDESK Pro Plus 36 and it has saved me; it’s a standing desk solution that converts any regular desk to an adjustable sit to stand desk. And it’s amazing.
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We’ve come a long way from classifying eyeglasses as bulky medical equipment intended purely for optic aid.
These days, glasses have become less about vision correction and more of a fashion statement, saturating the eyewear market with thousands of different shapes and styles.
While fashion has always blurred the lines between the classic and the avant-garde with perennial collections by the likes of Gucci, Ray-Ban and Tom Ford – it’s often the underdogs who rewrite the rules of the game.
With e-tailers like SmartBuyGlasses carrying more than 80,000 products across over 200 brands, it may seem impossible to find that diamond in a sea of glass(es). So we’ve created a list which celebrates ingenious functionality from eyewear brands you may not have heard of!
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Urban life in Russia is a far cry from the adventure that lies further out, and it’s only here, among the icy Siberian tundra; among communities who have never seen a foreign tourist; among Nomadic desert tribes on the Mongolian border, that you’ll find the true soul of Mother Russia.
And it’s this soul that is so perfectly captured in Fabio Bertino and Roberta Melchiorre’s new book “Destination Russia. A ship and a cat in the tundra and other extra-ordinary encounters”.
Having recently been released in English after immense success in Italian, the book is a captivating collection of stories that takes you on a journey with Fabio and Roberta as they travel to the farthest corners of the country, discovering the treasures (and adventure) that lie beyond Russia’s increasingly westernized veneer.
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We’ve well and truly entered an age of female empowerment, and as far as I’m concerned, I’m dubbing this the year of the wander woman.
Over the past few years women have tipped the scales to become the majority of travelers over men. We’re taking more active adventures, and saying no to sipping cocktails on the beach. And we’re not letting age be a limiting factor (the world is now being taken OVER by amazing traveling grandmas).
Some women are doing it solo, some are traveling with their families, and some are dragging along their husbands (lucky guys!). Some have quit their jobs and sold everything, while others travel while holding down a job and a mortgage.
Women these days who want to travel aren’t letting anyone tell them how it should be done, they’re making their journey their own. But even better, they’re writing about it to inspire the rest of us.
If you’re looking for a great travel memoir to add to your summer reading list, make sure you pick up one of these; brand new titles from kick ass women who haven’t been afraid to follow their dreams.
I’ve been absolutely captivated by their stories!
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Camping can mean an incredible adventure, but the one thing that can easily ruin your experience is a bad camping mattress. Not only does a bad mattress have the potential to compromise your health, it’s usually even worse than if you were to just sleep on the ground!
There are many things you’ll need to consider when buying a quality camping mattress, but the biggest thing to remember is that not one size fits all; you should be buying a mattress that’s suitable for you.
From the size to the practicality of traveling with it, the following are essential factors to consider when buying a camping mattress.
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In today’s age of social awareness, travelers are increasingly aware of the environmental impact in tourism.
A recent revolution which prioritizes responsible travel has swept up the travel industry, and it is becoming more and more difficult to ignore that irresponsible travel choices have a long-lasting effect on our planet.
But ecotourism goes beyond taking steps to reduce our carbon footprint, and if you’re truly committed to reducing your environmental impact, this should reflect in more basic choices too; like the fabrics you choose when purchasing travel clothing.
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If you’re someone who travels regularly you’ll know that one of the most important decisions is picking up the right suitcase – after-all you can’t just take it home and switch it!
Today the luggage industry offers variety of different luggage options to suit individual travelers’ preference, though one of the most significant innovations over the past decade has been the hard shell suitcase.
While previously known to crack and fall apart, the travel industry has seen significant innovations in overall quality of the hard shell suitcase. Most companies nowadays use polycarbonate, a softer material that actually flexes a little bit to absorb impact when dropped or thrown onto hard surfaces.
The following are 3 reasons why hard sided polycarbonate luggage is a better choice than opting for a soft case.
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Essential Oils have been used for thousands of years in various cultures as a natural alternative to medicine (an ‘essential oil’ is made from separating the most powerful healing elements of a plant, like eucalyptus or sage, into a single oil that you inhale or rub on your skin).
They are one of the world’s most ancient methods for healing, boosting energy levels, reducing anxiety, and from Egypt to England, from China to the United States, aromatherapy has become the most popular way to treat yourself in a natural, safe and cost-effective way.
Nebulizing deffusers are used in people’s homes, in yoga studios, and in medical centers everyday. It’s a machine that disperses your chosen oil into the room so that you can breathe the healing properties into your blood stream.
Ever instantly felt calm at a luxury spa? Did your mother ever cure your cold with eucalyptus? That’s aromatherapy.
In the context of travel, just because you’re constantly on the move doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from aromatherapy. I’ve recently discovered the mobile-mini nebulizing diffuser from Organic Aromas … it’s compact, portable, wireless, and fabulous for traveling with.
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I don’t know if it’s because I’ve recently turned 30, but I definitely remember a time when I used to have more energy.
Whether you’ve traveled for an active adventure, or urban exploration, a very common goal among travelers is to get the most out of every day. After-all, you have limited vacation days, and you’ve traveled to an exotic location – you want to experience as much as possible.
But there’s no denying that moving around all day comes with one downside; exhaustion, aches and pains. Long days of traveling, sightseeing, and walking are incredible, but they definitely take their toll.
Many travelers experience soreness, muscle pain, and fatigue overseas, and it can be especially difficult if you’re wondering how you can possibly head out again tomorrow.
If you’ve ever found yourself in this situation, wondering how you’re possibly going to continue with your itinerary, I’ve got you covered. Pranamat ECO is a therapeutic accupressure massage set you can travel with, and a great way to relax and get rid of muscle pain.
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There’s literally nothing worse than losing your photos or files (maybe travelers diarrhea, but to be totally honest, given the choice I would probably prefer the diarrhea!).
Imagine this: you’ve spent 2 weeks in Finland taking incredible photos, kept an excel document of everyone’s phone numbers and email addresses that you met along the way, but 2 weeks later it’s all been completely wiped from your computer.
And that’s not a fake scenario, it actually happened to me. I literally have zero photo proof that I’ve ever been to Finland or eaten reindeer.
Or you’re in the middle of an epic round the world adventure, and suddenly you can’t find the folder with all your flight confirmations, hotel and tour bookings, and itinerary.
Also happened to me.
And even though I consider myself to be reasonably tech savvy, trust me when I say it’s a struggle to recover those important files. And before I heard of Disk Drill, I never succeeded at file recovery. Now though, it’s a totally different story.
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Are you looking for an excellent gift to give to your friend who is a photographer? Or perhaps you want to say thank you to the person who captured one of the most important moments in your life?
Photographers make memories, so of course you want to come up with an idea for a memorable gift. But more often than not photographers already have all the gear they need, so you may be wondering what’s left to be gifted!
Well, worry not! We’ve done extensive research to find out what photographers like best, and with the help of some expert camera operators, we came up with this excellent gift list.
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I didn’t exactly know when or where I was going to find my forever partner, but I never could have predicted it would involve a man who lived 15,000km away from me.
Having successfully navigated the 1am phone calls, the miscommunications, the extreme highs of seeing each other after so long, followed by the extreme lows of being kept in immigration limbo, we have compiled our experiences and advice into the ultimate ‘how-to’ guide.
Our ultimate goal with publishing this book? To offer other long distance couples the tools, knowledge, and the hope that your long distance relationship can be just as successful as our own.
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Almost every traveler packs their phone these days; when you have a GPS, a translator, an entertainment system and a camera all rolled up into one device, your phone becomes an essential part of the travel experience that you can’t afford to lose (with the prices of new phones lately, it’s often literally something you can’t afford to lose).
But every year thousands of smart phones are lost, stolen, or damaged while on vacation. In Australia alone, the AMTA reports more than 100,000 mobile phones are lost or stolen every year. That’s 2,000 each week or one mobile phone handset every six minutes.
And that’s not even considering the phones which are damaged, or hacked as part of cyber-theft.
Considering the expense of phones these days, the inconvenience of losing your boarding passes, photos, and contacts, and the security risks of having your personal data and information available for hack, it’s imperative to protect your phone when you travel overseas.
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Our smartphones have become like our own personalized travel agents these days. From finding flights, to accessing real time translations, they have become a one stop shop for everything we need to search for, book, and enjoy our holidays.
Through the use of helpful apps, we can now easily travel all around the world like a pro. Though the usefulness of an app can definitely be regional; for instance what might be a brilliant app for Australia, might not do you any good in Europe.
When travelling through Europe you are faced with a wide variety of transportation options, hotel decisions, languages, currency conversions, etc. As such, knowing what the best apps are to help you with your journey is vital in order to enjoy a flawless travel experience.
The following are our favorite apps for European travel. I guarantee you’ll be well taken care of if you have these seven apps on your phone!
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If you’re in the market for new luggage this year, choosing a high quality, durable bag is crucial. After-all, most travelers get at least 5 – 10 years out of a good bag, if not finding something they can use for life.
The last thing that you want is for your luggage to get ruined while you’re on the road, and shopping around is not something you want to continually have to do.
Research is crucial to finding a high quality bag, and you should definitely compare the market before deciding to buy. That said, if you’re not a big research person, there are a couple of brands who you can rely on every-time.
After examining the best luggage brands revealed by review sites, the following are the top five luggage brands this year.
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As adventure travellers, Mike and I often find ourselves travelling to off the beaten path destinations. Whether it’s engaging in all day treks in search of wildlife, or biking down the world’s most dangerous road in Bolivia, for some reason we’re drawn to a destination’s less explored places.
Getting off the beaten path has led to some incredibly unique and memorable experiences, but one definite hazard is that once you leave the main tourist route, you do put yourself at a bit of a risk in terms of safety.
It’s often the case that exploring off the beaten path means finding ourselves off the grid, without a means of communicating. But there’s one device that aims to change that, and become the ultimate device for outdoor networking, allowing you to stay in contact with friends and access emergency assistance without needing the internet or a phone signal.
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As I travel around the world, it never ceases to amaze me just how many people are fluent in more than one language. Granted, I am blessed that the only language I can speak is spoken nearly everywhere to at least some degree. Though this isn’t always true once you start travelling off the beaten path, and it is a sign of respect when visiting someone else’s country that you at least attempt to speak in their native tongue.
I am well aware that I should be the one to learn other languages. I don’t expect other cultures to conform to my native language, and I do actually enjoy discovering destinations that haven’t adopted English as an alternate or additional language. Like many frequent travellers though, I don’t have the aptitude to learn16 different languages, but I still want to communicate effectively wherever I go.
Last year I wrote an article about using MESAY, which is a portable language translator that you speak into, and it spits out translations in real time. Though the company has recently developed an upgrade, and will soon be launching MESAY 2.0.
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Travel pillows have become an important aspect of a comfortable trip. Whether you’re taking a flight or simply hitting the road, you’ll find them handy for catching some sleep in otherwise awkward positions.
But with so many travel pillows on the market, finding the perfect one for you can be cumbersome. Because not all travel pillows are created equally – there are many different designs created to suit the needs of different travelers, and they come in many different shapes, sizes, weights, and filling.
With so many things to consider when choosing a travel pillow, we’ve put together five tips to help you find the best one for you.
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Choosing the wrong luggage for a trip leaves you with a cumbersome problem – you can’t just take it home and switch it! But there are so many types of bags available these days, that making an informed decision can be the most difficult part of your trip!
Whether it’s trying to lug a suitcase through the jungle and beating the crap out of your wheels (been there), or throwing everything into a hiking pack for a stay at a luxury hotel, a travel experience is often about choosing the right kind of bag.
The most important thing to remember is that different types of luggage will be suitable for different types of trips. So in this article we’ve broken down four popular styles of travel, and the type of luggage that is best suited to that trip.
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When traveling, the luggage you have can spell a great time or a tiring time. You don’t want to spend the whole of your vacation lugging around a broken suitcase because the wheels snapped, or it couldn’t handle the weight of all your clothes and things.
Traditionally, shoppers have gone to the mall or department store to buy their luggage, and been able to physically inspect a bag before making a purchase. But with the growing trend of buying online, less and less people are making the physical trip.
It’s certainly a lot easier and more convenient to do your shopping online, however make sure you keep the following points in mind to ensure you get your money’s worth.
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I met Oren Liebermann in 2014, 5 months after he had been diagnosed with diabetes. Though his journey to diagnosis was anything but conventional.
In the middle of a yearlong backpacking trip around the world with his wife, Oren was teaching English to young Buddhist monks in Pokhara, Nepal, when his body began to fail him. He had picked up a virus in Kenya weeks earlier, and had been traveling for two months as a medical time bomb.
He had been brushing off signs of poor health for months; dismissing constant thirst as a consequence of the Bangkok heat; exhaustion in the Himalayas to the altitude, and weakness / extreme weight loss to malnutrition.
But after visiting a local clinic in Nepal, a doctor gives him a diagnosis that will change his life forever: “I’m sorry to tell you, my friend, that you are a diabetic.”
Oren’s reaction? “Holy shit”.
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Your luggage is your most important travel essential. But there are so many types of bags available these days, that making an informed decision can be the most difficult part of your trip!
Whether it’s trying to lug a suitcase through the jungle and beating the crap out of your wheels (been there), or throwing everything into a hiking pack for a stay at a luxury hotel, a travel experience is often about choosing the right kind of bag.
The most important thing to remember is that different types of luggage will be suitable for different types of trips. So don’t fall into the trap of thinking any bag will do, because you just need something which will transport your things.
The right bag should fit with your travel preferences. So the following are things to consider when choosing the best suitcases, bags and carry on luggage which matches your style and needs.
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Travel is an incredible experience. The sense of freedom is exhilarating as you escape the confinements of your job and monotonous everyday. But unfortunately travel can be just as expensive as it is exciting.
Of course you want to look good as you wander the streets of Paris, or relax on the beach in Phuket, but purchasing high-end designer labels can really eat away at your travel budget, and less budget usually means eating ramen noodles out of a youth hostel!
So we’re in favor of ditching the designer for the destination, and thoroughly enjoying your travel experience. There have been many experiments conducted that prove spending money on experiences instead of things result in more overall happiness. And a great place to start is with your sunglasses.
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Travel is the perfect opportunity to sport fun looks and trendy styles. But when traveling for business, it can be tricky keeping up with the latest trends while still maintaining professionalism. It also depends on the industry you’re in.
Whatever your business is, bonding with colleagues, engaging in business meetings, and impressing clients is a part of all business travel. In order to make a good impression, you have to look good from head to toe.
Choose a suitcase that compliments your style and makes you look put together. From mid-century to sleek, here are some of our favorite catalog finds and brand favorites specifically for trendy business travel.
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Do you have an instant pot? They’re like magic, right? You put ingredients in, head to work, and eight hours later this amazing meal emerges.
Accessories are the instant pot of the fashion world. They can transform ensembles without a ton of time, effort, and often even money. Which is exactly what the savvy traveler needs.
Although comfort is top of the list, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to look stylish too whether you’re heading off to the wilds of Africa, or urban exploration in chic New York.
With this in mind, check out these tips on keeping your style on point, whilst travelling this season. Read on for eight accessories you need in 2018.
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