Travel news and deals of interest to YOU from around the Web compiled and edited by NoDebtWorldTravel.com

If you know any great travel stories or tips we all should read, please send it to me and I will put an acknowledgment of your contribution in the posting.

Volunteers give free tours in cities around the world

I forgot they had this program in Tokyo when I was there. Fantastic idea wherever you go so do a quick search whenever you hit a big city. It is pretty nice being in a new place and having a local lead you around, making YOU feel like a local.

Flying Pasties hide your privates from full body scanners

For those of you so concerned about being exposed to the TSA agent behind the counter, you can now cover up. But when they can’t see anything, don’t you think that would just bring more attention to yourself and your privates?

And always remember you can ask to skip the full body scanner and get the full body patdown by a TSA employee.

Travel Video of the Week
How To Get Your Seatmate To Shut the Hell Up
I think the title says it all…

Learning a Language From an Expert on the Web

The language barrier scares a lot of people from taking the plunge and traveling to a foreign country. As the Internet has revolutionized everything else, learning a language has become as easy as getting yourself a microphone so you can speak with a native speaker of any language you want to learn, anytime, from anywhere.

Surprise! Fall bargains will abound — and here’s where to find them

It’s never too early to start thinking about your travel plans. Vegas is a great location because of the glut of hotel rooms. $25 per night on weekdays/$55 per night on weekends if you can find the right deal on The Strip. Continue to watch the euro vs. the dollar and frankly the euro vs the currency of your home country.

World’s Scariest Airports

Some of the takeoffs and landings from these airports would turn even the calmest flier among us into white-knuckled, seat gripping scaredy cats. Why you would put an airport in the middle of mountains is beyond me, other than there really was no other place to put it.

How to Volunteer Your Way Around the World

There are always ways to travel around the world. Volunteering you can help others and get your fill of new people and new experiences. Win/win situation.

Getting Married with Your Sights on Long Term Travel? Check out the Honey Fund

If you’re getting married to someone else who shares your love of travel, the Honey Fund will help you save up the funds for the trip. The typical wedding registry has gifts from a particular vendor. The Honey Fund allows you to collect cold hard cash for your honeymoon or extended travel.

Who needs another toaster anyway?

The Worst U.S. Airlines for Canceled Flights – May 2010

This makes sense. Hawaiian Airlines, which flies mostly in Hawaii (surprise!) had the least cancellations. One thing that would be helpful would be to know if the cancellations were caused by weather, mechanical issues or some other reason.

How New Yorkers Can Spot a Tourist

As a New Yorker I had to drop this in. Just one tip for visitors to the NYC – Nothing annoys us more than a group of 6 tourists who walk side by side down a city block…and then move with the speed of cold molasses. A New York City sidewalk should be thought of as like a highway. Keep to the right for slow strolling, picture taking and examining your map.

Travel Deals and News – August 3, 2010 – Free Tours Around the World, Learning Language from the Internet, Scariest Airports is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

10 Ways To Get A Cheaper Airline Ticket for Round the World Travel

These rules are referring to round the world trips and long term travel from the folks at Airtreks, which is where I purchased my RTW ticket.

Five Foods to Avoid Before Flying

What caught my eye was the study that showed that not eating before a flight may lessen the effects of jet lag. Now going without food for 16 hours to lessen the effects of jet lag may not be an option for you. I know it would NOT be an option for me. I’ll be the grumpy one on the flight they take off the plane in handcuffs because my blood sugar is low and I start acting up.

Pack Light and Travel Happy

Best Travel News and Deals – February 2, 2010 – 10 Most Asked Travel Questions, Cheaper RTW Tickets, Beat Jet Lag By Not Eating, Learn a New Language is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

If you do get the ‘privilege’ of getting a meal served to you on a plate and not from a cardboard box for $5, here are some suggestions on what to do with it.

Travel News and Deals – September 8, 2009 – Airlines Lies, When Speaking English Really Isn’t, Trying to Cheat the Brazilians, Thailand Travel Contest is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

Travel News and Deals – September 1, 2009 – Eat Cheap in Japan, Getting Your Laptop Jacked By Customs, The Advantage of a Second Language, Eco Hostels is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

Travel News and Deals – August 4, 2009 – What To Tip Overseas, Amsterdam, India Train Travel, Virgin America Video, Buckle Up For Rough Air is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

A site completely dedicated to packing light. Not only does it save you the aggravation of trying to figure out what to pack and carrying it, but it could save you the hefty fees. Airlines are nickel and dimeing us to death. Don’t give them another reason to take money out your pocket.

World Funniest Airport Names: Rudest, Weirdest and Strangest

There is a Batman Airport. Also Mafia Airport, Deception Airport and a Woodie Woodie Airport. How they got their names is not important right now. But the fact that they exist, funny!

7 Tips for Traveling Where You Don’t Know the Local Language

One of the biggest fears is traveling and not knowing what is going on around you because you don’t know the language. You can prepare yourself beforehand with some simple tricks. English works in many places, but not everywhere. That doesn’t mean you should not go there.

How to Travel Europe on a Budget

The peak European summer season is upon us and folks are flocking to Europe. By the way, air fares prices have been rising the last few weeks, so plan your trips and get moving.

The Lowdown on Low International Airfares

Speaking of rising air fares, this article goes into ways to save if you’re traveling internationally. The most interesting concept: Split your trip into two tickets. For instance, if you’re going from London to Los Angeles, get a ticket from London to Atlanta and then Atlanta to Los Angeles. Try London to New York, London to Chicago, London to DC… you get the idea.

Travel News and Deals – June 30, 2009 – Packing Light, Weird Airport Names, Travel Europe on a Budget is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

6 Tips for Introverted Travelers
You don’t have to be an extrovert to enjoy travel as the byline states, and the author is absolutely right. This is a follow up to a previous article I posted about. If you’re not talkative don’t let that hold you back from seeing the world.

Subways of South America: Your Underground Guide
Subways are not relegated to North America and Europe. Fun and cheap way to see a city. You won’t see as much underground, but you’ll definitely see people of all shapes and sizes on the local train system.

Without A Passport: Is Traveling Domestically Really Traveling?
I thought about this. A lot can be said for crossing a border, where the food, weather, currency and language is different. But if you go from NY to LA, or London to Birmingham, is that ‘traveling’? I say yes, as long as you have an open mindset. Any time you go someplace outside of your normal comfort zone, it is an opportunity to learn, to experience something new.

50 Things to do for Free in Europe
Exhaustive list that covers Western and Eastern Europe and probably some places you never heard of. This is a good thing. One of the reasons I loved London was that a majority of the museums are free all the time. In fact many museums around the world have one day a week where they have free or reduced admission. I remember the Louvre in Paris is free to the elderly, children and to French citizens who can prove they are unemployed.

No-Nonsense Traveler: 10 Simple Truths About Travel
Leave your cell phone at home and take less clothing – just two of the many nuggets of wisdom in this article. Packing less and not checking any luggage will make your travel experience so much better, as I recently experienced firsthand.

Solo Travel: The Pros and Cons
I talked about this before when I traveled with Ayana. There is something to be said for both sides of this argument. Or you can have the best of both worlds and travel a little bit solo and a little bit with a partner or two…

Guide to Boutique Hostels
The boutique hostels are catching on. Lubd, where I stayed while in Bangkok, is mentioned here again. Check out Hostelworld and book your next hostel experience. Read the reviews and make sure the amenities and location fit your needs.

How to Travel to Iraq Without Getting Killed
Yes you can travel to Iraq. Would I do it? Probably not. But not everyone is me. Would you want to is a whole other story. But there is a way to systematically approach this. Read on.

How To Learn a Language in 96 Hours
It should be said this is 96 hours of study over the course of weeks or months. Totally immerse yourself in a new country or take language classes in a country and your new language will come to you very quickly. I thought about heading down to Central America for a month to pick up my Spanish. I’m just not getting enough practice dropping into my corner New York City bodega…

7 Ways to Annoy a Flight Attendant
If you recognize yourself in this article, shame on you. It’s hard enough dealing with the variety of people flying across the planet in an enclosed metal tube. Between annoying passengers, extra, heavy luggage in the cabin and other assorted reasons, flight attendants have one of the hardest jobs in travel. Please don’t add to their aggravation.

120 Degrees + 150 miles – toilet = fun
Marathons, move over. The extreme is in. The biggest thing you gain by doing this particular race or a marathon is that the small things don’t bother you as much, and you feel anything is possible. Try and succeed and your life is much richer for it.

Travel News and Deals – May 19, 2009 – Subways, Free Things in Europe, Solo Travel, Rolling to Iraq? is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

Wegolo.com
Wegolo.com is an airline ticket search engine that include flights to/from Europe, America and the Caribbean that includes smaller, LOW COST airlines like Ryanair and Easyjet. The big search engines like Kayak, Expedia, Orbitz only have the major airlines (American, British Airways, Lufthansa) which tend to have correspondingly bigger prices.

Bed Bugs Bites: National Bed Bug Summitt to Combat Creepy Crawlers
Ewww! Read this article and look for the signs for bed bugs. The more the world is interconnected and travel is more affordable and easier, the easier it is to end up with unwanted blood sucking guests in your bed.

Top 10 Boutique Hostels in Eastern Europe
Combined with the NYTimes article above, this has been a good week for hostels. You have got to try it at least once. Like I said, get a single with the en-suite bathroom to get started. You’ll be still be saving compared to hotels…and have more fun and interaction in the process.

Tourists Have To Try To Combat the ‘Ugly American’
Ah yes the ‘Ugly American’. But there is the ugly French, the ugly Brit, the ugly *you fill in the nationality*. Good ideas on how to behave wherever you are from, wherever you happen to be.

learn10.com
Haven’t used this myself, but Learn10 gives you new words in a foreign language on a daily basis to help you comprehend and retain. Repetition is ONE key to learning. If any of you happen to use it, let us know how it goes for you.

Find Free and Budget Activities in Expensive Japan
Cheapskate Confessions: Japan on a Budget
Wish I had some of these ideas when I was in Tokyo. Trust me, every city has free to inexpensive things to do that you will be able to enjoy and share with family and friends later on. I reposted a link I have mentioned before.

10 Ways to Save With Frequent Flyer Programs
The frequent flyer miles are harder or easier to redeem, depending on who you talk to and which airline you are talking about. Investigate and use in your own particular situation.

Travel News and Deals – April 21, 2009 – Hostels, Hostels, Bed Bugs, Frequent Flyer Miles and oh yeah Hostels is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

One question I get repeatedly asked about my round the world trip (RTW) is about the language ‘barrier’. How we communicate on a trip of any length makes a huge difference in how well we travel and how others perceive us, both by other tourists and natives of the country we are visiting.

As I have stated before, I had no problem going from country to country with just English. But I would recommend learning some of the local language. It breaks down barriers and opens people up. You get more respect as a foreigner who took the time and effort to learn some of the language instead of leaning on English. As you get outside of major cities, you’ll find less and less English used.

There are many resources on the Internet for learning languages. If you have an iPod there are numerous free podcasts that teach language. One I subscribe to via iTunes is

SurvivalPhrases.com

If you want to go a little more in depth, I have used Pimsleur language courses on CD in the past with great success. When I traveled to Brazil I picked up the Conversational Brazilian Portuguese before the trip and was able to ask for directions and find the bathroom easily and confidently. No stumbling for words in Salvador after listening to those CDs for a few minutes every day before my trip.

Here are some of the Conversational Pimsleur Courses on Amazon.com

Portuguese (Brazilian)

French

Spanish (Latin American)

Italian

Japanese

Mandarin Chinese

Whether you are planning a trip for next month or just wanted to pick up a few words to impress your friends, use the language resources above to get to your goal.

Not Traveling Because of a Language Barrier? is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

Loyal NoDebtWorldTravel.com reader Darice writes:

One question for you…. do you speak other languages? How are you managing to communicate in each country?

Thanks,
DARICE

The answer I am communicating fine, because I speak English.

People don’t travel because they think that because they can’t speak the language, they won’t be able to do anything.

So wrong…

It helps to learn a few key phrases in any language:

Help!
Where is the bathroom?
Please
Thank you
Hello
Goodbye
Excuse Me

But the travel industry is based on English. Most every hotel, airport and restaurant has English speakers, signs, etc. Here in Hong Kong as was the case in Tokyo, the subway system is in both English and the local language.


Air traffic control is all done in English, so every pilot knows English, whether she/he is Brazilian or Hungarian. Most flight attendants are bi and tri-lingual, with English being one of the languages.


Despite what you’ve seen in the news in the last few days, the vast majority of people admire the West and want to learn English. Western English speakers generally have:

The least visa restrictions, so they can travel almost anywhere.
The most disposable income to take vacations overseas and spend while they are there.


So people know that if they learn English, they can raise their standard of living.


Huge, huge demand for English teachers overseas.


So don’t let the fact that you don’t know Brazilian Portugese, Russian, Japanese or Arabic scare you.


If you speak English you can get by EASILY. I am living that truth right now…

From the MailBag: Do You Need to Speak The Language? is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel