7 Miles of Beaches in Drug War Zone

Lately I've been jonesing to travel, to get out of the wintery NW. Usually it is the rainy NW but the last week or so it has been more like the Mid-West than the northwest. Anyway I have been dreaming of going here: and so when I read this I started dreaming of sandy beaches, brown skinned girls, tropical elixers, and a couple of weeks free to properly enjoy them.

Perhaps the gods do not like when us mortals indulge in rapacious thoughts. Shortly after reading the above article i came across this one.

How can I enjoy booze, beaches, and babes, if I am in the middle of a drug war?

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Sail Around the World from Home

How cool would it be to sail around the world-ALONE? Well for some of us it would be pretty cool. Now even for those who might not find this cool it is possible to join in a virtual Vendee Globe race.

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African Walk About

In 1997 Fran Sandham left England and walked across Africa, coast-to-coast. He published a book about his adventures called Traversa. This is definitely on the must read book list.

I love to travel but I don't believe I have the cajones to attempt this feat. I think I will stick to the arm chair on this adventure. Of course, if there are trains involved I am there.

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Hostel.com is the place to find cheap sleeps on the road

I love to travel. And for me one of the essentials for traveling is getting a decent, cheap place to lay my head. I don't need a 3 or 5 star place to hold up in. I just need a place to sleep for 8 hours, take a shower and maybe catch a nap, if the caffeine wears off. If I spend more than 11 hours a day in my room I am doing something wrong. So when I found Hostels.com, I knew I had stumbled upon a little slice of traveler's Heaven.

At Hostels.com one can search for hostels and other cheap places to stay, around the world. The front page claims they list more than 26,000 places to book. All that is required is for you to pick which country and city(ies) you plan to travel to and when and helpful booking app on the front page does all the work. After a few moments it spits out a list of available hostels and other cheap places. It lists what kind of rooms are open and how much the rooms cost. You can book the rooms right then and only pay a 10% fee of the total cost. The balance is due when you check in.

CAUTION:Each place has terms and conditions, so you would be wise to read them. For example, one of the two hostels I booked in Washington D.C. does not take cash, and I must confirm my reservation 24 hours in advance, or I lose the room. Also check here for check-in times.

For each of the hostels I booked I was given clear directions on how to get to them, either by train, plane, bus or Metro. Also included where photos of the place, of staff and former guests. More importantly there was a section where former guests rated the hostel. Most seemed to like the hostels I booked, but it seemed almost every bad review was from a fellow American. I am not sure what to make of that. There was also a star-rating system for such things as Character, Security, Location, Staff and Cleanliness. For me the most important consideration is security. There is nothing worse than a fellow traveler who steals. 9 times out of 10 if some asks I would be happy to buy them a meal, or lend them a couple of bucks for beer, or a ticket to their next destination. But that is neither here nor there.

So if you are planning a trip here in the good ole US of A, or Asia, or Europe, or Africa, or South America, Hostels.com is the place to find a decent, cheap place to lay one's head.

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