Joyce Copeland‘s love affair with vacation rentals started about a decade ago, when she was planning a vacation for her extended family and spotted a newspaper ad for short-term rentals in Lake Tahoe. “I was astounded by how little money we’d have to spend, and we could bring the dogs,” she says. Joyce often travels […]

Many travellers who arrive in a foreign destination without a vehicle head straight to the rental car counter at the airport. While that can be the best strategy in some situations–if you’re visiting a largely rural place, for instance–I’d argue that in many cases, you’re better off taking public transit. Depending on the place, it’s […]

The Caribbean island of Montserrat is one of my very favourite places to travel like a local. It’s hard to do anything else; the island has only two hotels and they’re only 18 rooms each, so even at a hotel you pretty much feel like you’re staying with family. Private villas are the main form […]

Julie Ovenell-Carter’s contest to win a free membership in a home exchange club continues to generate interest! Just this week, another home exchange website, 1stHomeExchange.com, offered to give away a one-year membership to her readers–and sent a link to 66 great tips for home exchangers. Head over to the contest post at theseboots.travel for details.

Looking to keep your eyes–or ears–on the wider world, even when you’re curled up safe at home? Here are five great places to start. The Economist: This venerable, London-based magazine may be a bit stodgy for some, but there are few better consumer publications when it comes to covering just about every corner of the […]

My friend Julie Ovenell-Carter writes a great travel blog called These Boots, which is aimed at independent travellers, and she’s running a contest. The prizes? One-year memberships offered by two home exchange organizations, HomeLink International and Intervac. All you have to do to enter is go to the blog post announcing the contest and leave […]

One great way to get a feel for the local vibe is to pick out one small part of it and focus on it while you’re travelling. One avid traveller I know always takes a dance class, wherever she goes. Several people (including me) like going into grocery stores, just to see what’s hot and […]

Amnesty International–the same folks who brought you those rockin’ concerts back in the 1980s featuring the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Tracy Chapman–have released a new song and video to mark the 60th anniversary of the UN Declaration of Human Rights. And “The Price of Silence” is a great tune, featuring artists ranging from Stephen […]

Although I strongly suspect these two Aussie women, Pip and Kym, are playing up their Aussieness for the cameras, I still enjoyed this little video that tries to teach non-Australians a bit of Down Under culture–from how to make bush tea to what the heck “Good on ya” means. It’s a promo to draw attention […]

OK, I realize I’m very late to this party–the book came out three years ago. But I just finished reading Three Cups of Tea, the story of mountain climber-turned-philanthropist Greg Mortenson, and I was captivated. For those of you who, like me, somehow missed this book when it first came out, here’s the scoop. After […]