archives: Books

5 Travel Memoirs by Women

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The air is getting chilly and the rainy season has begun. My typical urge to fly south for the winter has kicked in. Unfortunately, travel is not an o  More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 11/16/09


I want to make a difference by making people laugh and get a reprieve from responsibility with my articles.   More »

Book Review: Heart of Dryness

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Heart of Dryness, a new book by Matador contributor and award-winning journalist James G. Workman, is a masterwork of narrative non-fiction with criti  More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 11/09/09


"I'm a cook and a hiker. It works out really nicely."  More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 11/02/09


I want to make a difference by volunteering on different project wherever I go, educating people about living in harmony with the earth & their souls   More »

Book Review: First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria

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"How a Peace Corps Poster Boy Won My Heart and a Third-World Adventure Changed My Life."  More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 10/26/09

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I travel to see how few places I've actually been...   More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 10/19/09

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“Travel begs the mind to stop and truly listen to the heart.”~Laura McNamara (me)   More »

Armchair Travel: Raw Journalism

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This past week, I joined an online symposium called Seeking Justice: Social Activism through Journalism and Documentary Practice.....  More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 10/12/09

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I want to make a difference by working hard and trying to be a credit to my god and my country.   More »

The Adventure Cookbook

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Sofia Brandon goes from a stressed and unhealthy corporate lifestyle to an around-the-world adventure based on clean food and self-discovery.  More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 10/05/09

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I feel the most immersed in a foreign culture when I take the time out to ask the locals questions, learn a bit of the language, and at best, live and  More »

Book Review: Waking Up in Eden

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There's something appealing—especially to Matador readers—about the narrative of someone who has it all—the coveted job, a nice house that's bee  More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 09/28/09

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I love to laugh and converse into the night with complete strangers. I cry and dance when I listen to music....  More »

Armchair Travel: 4 Legendary Authors You Should Read

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Staying home for awhile? Pick up books by these four authors to keep your wanderlust aflame.  More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 09/21/09

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I write because it keeps me sane. I travel because it gives me something to write about - a circle that conspires to keep me busy and broke.   More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 09/14/09


I travel because I want to be cultured, to appreciate the world and because my aunt always says that people who don't travel are ignorant.  More »

Book Review: The Idealist.org Handbook

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A guide to building a better world because actions speak louder than words.  More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 09/07/09

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I want to make a difference by treading lightly on the earth, being open-minded, preserving stories so we never forget.   More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 08/31/09

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I want to make a difference by teaching kids to love good food and know their history.  More »

Book Review: Rick Steves’ Travel as a Political Act

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A book that's as good for experienced travelers as for those journeying forth for the first time.   More »

Book Review: The Voluntary Traveler

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Just released, The Voluntary Traveler mashes up diverse and inspiring travel narratives with a guide to volunteer programs around the world.  More »

Twitter Contest Giveaway: Speaking Boricua! Books

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As part of the Matador Twitter contest, we will be spotlighting cool gear we'll be giving away  More »

Book Review: Thailand, Men’s Paradise?

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Matador Network editor Julie Schwietert reviews the latest book to touch on sex tourism in Thailand.  More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 08/10/09

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I want to make a difference by showing true love to everyone I meet.  More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 08/03/09


Being able to express myself creatively as a travel photographer and writer is fulfilling and taps into one's uniqueness.   More »

Armchair Travel: On the Road

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It's summer and we've been hitting the pavement Jack Kerouac-style, crisscrossing the States and ot  More »

Book Review: An Irreverent Curiosity

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Matador Contributing Editor Eva Holland reviews that latest refreshingly offbeat travel book by writer David Farley.  More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 07/20/09

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I travel to experience different cultures, ideas, thoughts and outlooks on life, adventures, and beauty of nature in all of its forms.   More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 07/13/09

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Before I die, I'd like to write and publish three books: A collection of travel essays, a memoir about my dead father, and one other that's a secret.   More »

Little Passports: Growing Young Explorers

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This company has developed a fun and completely innovative way to get kids interested in other countries and cultures.  More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 07/06/09


Before I die, I'd like to have made a life for myself that those I leave behind will be proud to remember me by.   More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 06/29/09

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One of my goals is to spread peace, one person at a time, through listening, understanding and sharing stories.  More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 06/22/09


I am fired up on eating ultra spicy and flavorful delicacies.  More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 06/15/09

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I like to exercise almost as much as I like to eat.  More »

Winner – Travel Therapy Book Giveaway

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And the winner is...........  More »

Book Review + Giveaway – Travel Therapy: Where Do You Need to Go?

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If you're really stymied about where to go on your next trip or what kind of getaway you need, then this book might be a useful place to start.   More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 06/01/09


Whatever I do though, I know it has to involve plenty of travel.  More »

Winner – National Geographic Book Giveaway

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From the beaches of Corpus Christi, Texas to the sands of Sanibel Island, Florida, Matador readers shared their favorite family vacation spots.  More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 05/25/09


I like to travel minimally, with fewer people, possessions, and plans.   More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 05/18/09

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Ideal place to watch the sunset: The beach in Salvador, listening to live music and eating acarajé.  More »

Book Review + Giveaway – The 10 Best of Everything Families

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Just in time for summer, this latest offering from National Geographic pulls the focus back on family fun and travel.  More »

Winner – The Andes Trekking + Climbing Book Giveaway

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From trekking the Himalayas to conquering Quebec’s Mont-Mégantic, Matador community members sent in their favorite hiking shots from around the wor  More »

Book Review + Giveaway – Nepal: 25 Classic Treks and 12 Climbing Peaks

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With beautiful photographs, color maps, and detailed information about Nepal's most popular and least traveled trekking routes, this book helps would-  More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 05/04/09

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Before I die I'd like to live unconventionally. Travel unconventionally. Sail across an ocean.  More »

Armchair Travel: Cover Your Mouth!

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With the recent outbreak of Swine flu, it seems like we've retreated back to basic etiquette and cleanliness.  More »

Book Review – Fuera de Cautiverio (Out of Captivity)

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To a casual reader, Out of Captivity provides an insight into the horrendous conditions that “prisoners of war” in Colombia are subjected  More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 04/27/09

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I enjoy watching people and learning how communities work, and then communicating what I learn in creative ways.   More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 04/20/09

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I am restless. I have always been this way, even as a child. I cannot stand to be in one place too long. I feel that the world is too large to not wan  More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 04/13/09

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My ideal place to watch the sunrise is on a rooftop hotel in the Moroccan city of Fez, on the morning of Eid-al-Ftr when the Muslim fast is broken.  More »

5 Montana Coffeetable Books

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"A good landscape photo should draw you into it. It should make your spirit fly"....Salvatore Vasapolli  More »

My Favorite Books: Member’s Pick for Week 04/05/09

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The things I've seen and done, the people I've met in my travels, all have led me to believe that there's something great out there worth experiencing  More »

Travelling Europe for just $5.95

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Now for the low price of $5.95, you can pick up "Travelling Europe" - a practical travel planning guide to Europe.  More »

Armchair Travel: Arctic to Pacific

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From Russia and Finland to Australia and Papua New Guinea, we've been hanging at extreme ends of the globe this week.  More »

Book Review: Backpacking with Brian

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Matador Contributor David DeFranza gives a raw, honest review of this travel journal-turned-paperback.  More »

Armchair Travel: We Heart Food!

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That's right. And we've been eating up a storm around the globe  More »

Poems for Travelers: Sometimes My Heart Pushes My Ribs

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Sometimes the most vital thing to take with you is a book of poems that makes you feel less alone.   More »

Book Review: South Carolina (On the Road Histories)


The bulk of South Carolina reads like a popular history book. That makes sense; the author is a professor of American History who lives in My  More »

Timeless Classics at Planet eBook

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Thanks to Planet eBook, I can finally finish up Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy without havi  More »

Book Review: Whatever You Do, Don’t Run


Advice gleaned from this book applies in any location where you, as a human being, represents a lower rung of the food chain  More »

Armchair Travel: The Spirit of Carnaval

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From Colombia and Bolivia to the home base, Brazil, we’ve been bringing you some exciting dispatches and vibrant photography from Carnaval celebrati  More »

Book Review: Café Life Venice


Café Life Venice is a remarkable hybrid: part guidebook, and part coffeetable book. Written by Joe Wolff, and beautifully illustrated with photograp  More »

The Cure for Jet Lag

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If you’ve ever crossed time zones, no doubt you’ve probably experienced these decades old symptoms of jet lag at some point: Fatigue, ir  More »

10 Sets of Sheets to Get Between on Valentine’s Day

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Who says romance is dead? Check out these modern day tales of love.  More »

Book Review: Wanderlust and Lipstick for Women Traveling to India

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Matador Pulse Editor Eva Holland reviews this popular niche travel book.  More »

Armchair Travel: Sampling City Life

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Getting off the backroads less traveled this week, we’re once again spotlighting some of the world’s favorite cities. Photo by SarahDepp  More »

Armchair Travel: Traveling Minds


Messages about the importance of travel have been cropping up all week. Photo by Rain Rannu 5 Writers Who Affirm the Importance of Travel by Olivia  More »

10 Photography Books You’ll Never Get Tired Of

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Every one of these amazing and diverse photography books belongs on the coffee tables of photographers and photo lovers alike.  More »

Killing Yourself To Live by Chuck Klosterman

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Today’s travel book recommendation comes from Matador community member Chad Barnes. Chuck Klosterman doesn’t travel to the ends of the   More »

Guidebook Review: Broke-Ass Stuart’s Guide to Living Cheaply in New York City

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I don’t know; maybe I’m getting old, but when I cracked the spine of Broke-Ass Stuart’s Guide to Living Cheaply in New York City and read : “  More »

The Wrong Way Home by Peter Moore


Today’s travel book recommendation comes from Matador community member Samuel. London to Sydney the Hard Way…This was one of the first  More »

Armchair Travel: Focus on the Middle East


What do you really know about the Middle East? Photo by liber That’s the question we’ve posed to Matador readers this week. In What Eve  More »

In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin

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Today’s travel book recommendation comes from Matador community member Sarah Menkedick My favorite travel book of all time would have to be B  More »

Essential Cookbooks for the Culinary Traveler

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The fastest way into the heart of a culture might very well be through its local cuisine.  More »

What Every American Should Know About the Middle East

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Today’s recommendation comes from Matador Video Editor joshywashington, who recently sat down with Melissa Rossi, a special correspondent for Ne  More »

In Siberia by Colin Thubron


Today’s book recommendation comes from Matador Travel community member, lukenye. All of British travel writer Colin Thubron’s books are well   More »

Armchair Travel: Protect Thyself

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Even the most intrepid of travelers always has safety and wellness on the back of their mind at all times. Photo by visulogik No one I know (beside  More »

Book Review: First Stop in the New World

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Mexico City, The Capital of the 21st Century.  More »

Three Essential Medical Books for Travelers

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Fill up on handy medical information to help you while traveling with these books.  More »

Book Review: Walking to Guantanamo


There’s no shortage of travelogues penned by restless travelers on journeys they hope will help them resolve a midlife crisis. Photo by Paul Kelle  More »

Armchair Travel: Spotlight Asia


You’ve started jotting down possible travel locations for 2009. No doubt you’ve consulted our 12 Resolutions for Travelers in 2009 guide.   More »

What is Mumbai Reading?

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The top 10 most popular books on nightstands in Mumbai, India. Here in India, students and professionals alike can almost always be spotted with a boo  More »

10 Gift Ideas Under $40

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The thought is what counts most. Nothing is truer when faced with the Christmas gift-giving season.  More »

Book Review: Where Am I Wearing? by Kelsey Timmerman

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Bias declared: Kelsey Timmerman is a Matador community member. So of course we’re thrilled to see his first book, Where Am I Wearing?, hit book  More »

Armchair Travel: Rwanda

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Rwandans can breathe a little sigh of relief this week. Photo by TKnoxB In Rwandan Genocide “Masterminds” Convicted, Sentenced, Matador Pulse edi  More »

10 Spiritual and Philosophical Books to Take Traveling‏

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Fuel your inspiration and spiritual core with these books while on the road.  More »

5 Classic James Michener Novels

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Theodore Scott introduces you to an iconic American author.  More »

Guidebook Review: Lonely Planet Mexico City

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Matador member Hal Amen reviews the latest guide to Mexico City from Lonely Planet.  More »

The Devil’s Cup By Stewart Lee Allen


Today’s travel book suggestion comes from Matador community member, J.Moreland Travels. The Devil’s Cup is an account of the author’s tr  More »

Book Review: Survive! by Les Stroud

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Essential skills and tactics to get you out of anywhere—alive  More »

Armchair Travel: Cooking Up A Feast With Gratitude

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You’ve probably stuffed yourselves on turkey or other vegan friendly dishes over the Thanksgiving holiday break. Maybe you tried one of Chef Fra  More »

8 of the Greatest Adventure Stories Ever Told (Fiction)

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Not being in some exotic location doesn't mean you can't travel.  More »

8 of the Greatest Adventure Stories Ever Told (Non Fiction)

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The call of adventure has motivated travelers for centuries.  More »

Armchair Travel: Study Abroad In… Chile?

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Here are a few books on studying abroad and choosing Chile as a viable option.  More »

Come Back Alive by Robert Young Pelton


Today’s book recommendation comes from Matador Travel community member, AdventureDoc After I had gotten some European travel under my belt, I read t  More »

Indie Travel Guides: 30% off Travelling Europe


From the brains behind Indie Travel Podcast (Craig & Linda Martin) comes the latest in comprehensive travel guides. Their first title, Travelling   More »

Book Review: Party Across America!

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101 of the Greatest Festivals, Sporting Events, and Celebrations in the U.S.  More »

Armchair Travel: Running with the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain

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Ah, the running of the bulls. It's an event that captures the imagination, that draws travelers from around the world.  More »

Book Review: Marco Polo Didn’t Go There

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Marco Polo is a travelogue equal parts entertaining and thought-provoking.  More »

Moleskine City Notebook

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We’ve already touted the quality and practicality of Moleskine journals here on Matador Goods. The company has recently taken it up a notch with  More »

Princess with a Backpack by Lauren Resnick

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Read if you're a bonafide princess, are about to go backpacking overseas for the first time, and you’re genuinely clueless as to where to start.   More »

Guidebook Review: Lonely Planet Cambodia

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Matador editor Tim Patterson reviews the newest edition of Lonely Planet’s Cambodia guidebook. In the past two years I’ve spent seven mont  More »

Make Your Own Business Cards

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Today’s travel tip comes from Matador community member, Turner Wright. Check out his blog, Keeping Pace in Japan . If there is one practical ha  More »

10 Indispensable NYC Guidebooks

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A New Yorker who's skeptical of guidebooks applies her critical eye to Amazon's vast selection of NYC guides and chooses the 10 best on the market.  More »

Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell

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Today’s book recommendation and review comes from Matador Travel community member, Charlotte (acb2140) George Orwell’s account is not only a   More »

Vagabonding by Rolf Potts

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Today’s book recommendation and review comes from Matador Travel community member, Mojo From the first paragraph to the last word I couldn’t p  More »

West With The Night by Beryl Markham


Today’s book recommendation and review comes from Matador Travel community member, theworldisgettingsmaller. First published in 1942, this memoir is  More »

The World: Life and Travel 1950-2000 by Jan Morris


Today’s book recommendation comes from Matador Pulse editor and community member, Eva Holland. Jan Morris is quite possibly the greatest travel writ  More »

Me No Speak: Asia Series

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At some point during our travels, we’ve all resorted to comical gestures and weird hand motions in fruitless attempts to communicate with a loca  More »

Berlitz European Phrase Book

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12 European languages in a pocket-sized phrase book?! The essential language guide for backpackers traveling around Europe, carrying around a copy of   More »

Moleskine Pocket Journal

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Today’s favorite travel item is the Moleskine Pocket Journal, recommended by Ben Polansky, co-founder of Matador. Ben carries one of these arou  More »

Abroad: A Travel Organizer and Journal

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I remember walking into Barnes and Noble a couple years back looking for the perfect travel organizer for my first backpacking trip. Perusing the jour  More »

Tales from Nowhere by Don George

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We all love mouthwatering travel anthologies and Tales from Nowhere edited by Don George provides an array of appetizing stories that leave you wantin  More »

Amazon Kindle

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The new Amazon Kindle is the iPod of books. Thanks to electronic paper, a revolutionary new display technology, reading Kindle’s screen is as s  More »

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