What's in this issue?
RTW TRAVELER PROFILE - Tal Gutstadt
Tal Gutstadt was fascinated by a few friends' stories of long-term world travel. Her decision to switch careers, from a lawyer to a writer and relocate from Manhattan to Toronto, gave her the perfect opportunity to take advantage of this coveted dream. Tal spent almost eight months on the road, traveling to an eclectic variety of destinations. From the skylines of Australia and Hong Kong, to the jungles of Cambodia, Vietnam and Nepal, Tal visited more than 10 countries.
More about Tal's adventures around the world
If you're planning your own RTW trip, you'll find plenty of answers to your travel questions, and can read tips and profiles from other round the world travelers.
The Round the World Travel Guide »
BOOTSNALL TRAVEL BOOKSTORE
Whether you're looking for a gift for someone about head off on their adventure of a lifetime, or researching your own, you'll find more books than you can shake a stick at in our new travel bookstore. For all those members who can contributed to the favourite travel book thread on the message boards, we've created a section of the bookstore devoted to those books.
BootsnAll Travel Bookstore »
Hostels - 145 new hostels
We've added over 145 new properties this month and you can find more hostels and new city and country pages in these locations:
Global hostels and online reservations »
THE BOOTBLOG
Almost like the countless reality shows that plague our television screens, you, too, can glimpse into another "real world." The BootsnAll office, with Court, Sean, Donovan and Dave! Just like most of you, we are working everyday, and sometimes the very mundane becomes, oh so thrilling. But you can experience it with us - free of charge, and free of commercials.
The highlights of the last two weeks include a new office pet, Mr. Squirrel, and watching our Oregon tax dollars hard at work. Sean, Court, and Donovan spied on the Portand Police Department as they issued a traffic citation and towed a vehicle. They also witnessed Portland's notorious, city workers sit on their butts for about one hour, before finally deciding to actually to do some work. The irony is, Portland is called, "the City that works," but we sure didn't see anyone "working."
Check out the BootBlog »
BOOTSNALL IN BALI
From every other street corner in United States, to the Forbidden City of China, and the steps of the Kremlin, Starbucks global empire is now in Bali. Nick discovered an air-conditioned Starbucks, at Jl. Pantai Kuta, that has all of the ingredients to help increase your target heart rate.
With SE Asia attracts millions of tourists year from all over the world, two of the favorite traveler haunts in SE Asia are Thailand and Bali. Read Nick's Bali vs. Thailand evaluation.
Check out the Bali Blog »
BOOTSNALL TRAVELBLOGS
Follow your fellow BootsnAllers as they travel. Check out our top picks from the travelblogs this month, and add your comments!
Don't forget, if you're about to head off on an extended trip and you've just got to have one of your own, talk to us about getting your own Travel Blog. All you need to do is make sure you're a BootsnAll member and we'll take care of the rest.
Sign up for BootsnAll membership here »
Check out the BootsnAll TravelBlogs »
LATEST BOOTSNALL ARTICLES
There are over 25 new articles from the past 2 weeks with some great photos and new authors!
Some highlights include:
- Christian Celind spends four days with two million people on a one mile stretch of road in New Orleans.
(Read)
- CW Lawrence takes an honest look at how the lives of the Vieques
people have been altered by the presence of the US Navy. (Read)
- M. Ahmed Nagoor travels to the heart of Arabian Nights territory
and manages to avoid the bandits, making a new friend along the way.
(Read)
- Joel Burslem fires Chinese assault rifles after enjoying a cup of coffee at
Starbucks in Shanghai.(Read)
- Joshua Hartshorne recounts his trip to Russia.(Read)
And other articles and stories on Saudi Arabia, The Philippines and Ireland and many more:
Go to the articles »
FEATURED MESSAGE BOARD THREADS
The BootsnAll Travel Forums continue to cultivate fresh, raw, coveted travel information on those vital subjects that you can't find in a guidebook. Don't miss these latest threads!
Climbing the Great Pyramids
Did the Pharaoh of Egypt's 4th Dynasty realize that, in the future, loads of tourists would be climbing on his tomb? Well, probably not - Pharaoh Khufu was too busy bossing around his 100,000 slaves to hopefully finish their 20 year project. Climbing one of the seven wonders of the ancient world is probably not a good idea (let's save it for future generations), but we discovered that hoards of Japanese backpackers are sneaking to the summit of Egypt's largest pyramid, in an effort to see a sunrise through the lawyers of smog in Cairo.
Hiding Places for Cash on the Road
Sometimes needless, others instances necessary, traveler's often worry about money, passport's and other belongings being stolen while traveling. From the classic money belts and hotel safes, to multiple pockets or even Robert Pelton's all-knowing advice of never carrying money or passport, learn all the tricks of the trade for hiding money and subverting the thieves.
First Europe Trip Alone
A first-time Europe trip alone is a big undertaking and sometimes the nervous backpacker needs advice from those keen BootsnAll backpackers. Read and help plan a trip from London to Italy.
Is Al-Qaida Watching You?
With countless media and government warnings about traveling abroad, this changed the way some people see the world. Some travelers have changed their destinations and are going to more "friendly" countries, like North Korea, Yemen and Somalia (just kidding), while critics and other travelers argue that warnings are merely propaganda - and those "hostile" countries are actually a better, safer place to travel. Whether you agree or disagree, you should read Gabby's thread on terrorism.
Don't Forget
Want to ride a bike or motorcycle around the world? What about working abroad or even just hanging out for a long time, like Nick in Bali? BootsnAll has other eclectic forums, like Working Abroad, the Spiritual Travelers (visit Old Hippy), and Traveling by Bike and Motorcycle. Check them out today!
TRAVELERS TALK ABOUT...
When you're deciding things about your trip, be it where you stay or whether or not to buy insurance, it can be hard to make a decision. One of the best sources to turn to for help is other travelers. We've been asking travelers a lot of questions lately, and you can check out what they have to say about their own experiences with...
Would you like to put in your 2 cents on any of the above? Email Chris (chris at BootsnAll dot com), and he'll set you up.
YOU GOT QUESTIONS?
Well, we're always working to provide the answers. We're developing a knowledge base of answers to the most common queries we receive and a centralized place for the questions to come to means that there's usually a BootBoy awake somewhere in the world 24 hours a day!
What would you like to know?
TELL A FRIEND and give back to your community
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tell your friends about us and/or give back to the BootsnAll Community in one way or another.
If you have comments both positive and constructive, we would love
to hear them. Tell us what we have done well and how we can improve.
We would appreciate it greatly.
