More Travel Tips, Tricks & Recommendations

One of the great pleasures of travel, especially the slow variety, is the chance to meet and speak with so many other vagabonds along the way - hundreds of them so far. They become our fellow travelers and friends, and have provided libraries of information and inspiration on hikes, over meals, via email. Since they have been kind enough to pass along their insights and stories to us, we thought why not share it with you. (With their permission, of course.) So here you go … Enjoy and if YOU have any insights or stories YOU would like to share, it’s easy, just write your thoughts at the bottom of this page, or send Chip an email here. We look forward to hearing from you and hope you’ll explore ALL of our recommendations when you’re looking for a new adventure of your own.

From Francis Hurteau (whom we met on the Ponant Transatlantic Voyage)

Visit Madurai (formerly Madura), India. This is an off-the-beaten-path city of a mere 1 million people that can trace its roots back over 2500 years. Francis tells us that you’ll find the best massages in the world there.

From Patty Linde (our shipmate on the Antarctic Expedition)

Patty was an absolute encyclopedia! Her thoughts deserve an article of their own. Here are some highlights. If you’re interested in more ideas from Argentina or central Europe leave us a comment (below) and we’ll pass along more of her insights.

Buenos Aires, Argentina. Teatro Colon: “We loved our tour. It’s just under an hour. There are only a few English tours throughout the day.” She recommends purchasing tickets directly through their website. El Ateneo Grand Splendid: “A bookstore, but WOW! It’s in an old Opera House… one of the world’s largest book stores.”

Garmisch, Germany. “This is where you can see the cows come through the streets when they go out in the morning and home in the evenings.” Zugspitze: “beautiful and breathtaking. You can often find a gentleman in lederhosen blowing the pipe.” Gasthof Fraundorfer: “the food is wonderful! Plus in the evening they dance in full costume.”

From Peter Krebs (from New Mexico, whom we met in Buenos Aires)

Mexico. Regarding El Chepe (read about our own experience in Dispatch XXVI): “Never use First Class… much too expensive. Do not buy tix online - except at high season. The real interesting part is only Creel to/from El Fuerte. The real attraction is Divisadero.” (Note: Chip’s not sure he agrees entirely with Peter on this one, but he’s done it more times than we have so it’s fair to share :-).

From Gail Mazer (A Vagabond Fan)

Egypt. “I would not suggest the north coast Mediterranean Sea unless you are there after September. The traffic is the worst nightmare you can imagine.” (Chip: Gail also said to go to Alexandria and the sea anyway - it’s amazing. And deal with the traffic.) Tombs of Luxor and Aswan. The Valley of Kings. The High Damn. These areas can be explored by boat, train, minibus, or taxi. A Trip Down the Nile: It’s amazing.

From Mike Hyman (whom we met on the Miami to Lima Hurtigruten voyage; has visited more 115 countries)

Barcelona. Bar Marsella: “…old, dusty, and spider webs abound but there is nothing like lighting a sugar cube soaked in absinthe to put a grin on your face!!!”

Switzerland. Grand Train Tour: The train system of Switzerland is fabulous. The “Glacier X-Press” is a must. If you have 8 days, you can do most of them and it is all fast and easy.

From Ginny and Bryan Maupin (whom we met on the Australis cruise)

Israel. “It is a must when traveling to Israel to travel with a church group. Having a church service in a boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee and being baptized in the Jordan River were only some of the highlights of that trip.”

We hope you found these helpful for your own inspiration and travel planning. If you do take one of their suggestions we want to hear about your experience. Even better, share your own suggestions, again, in the comments below or by contacting Chip directly. And if you’re looking for additional recommendations, please have a look at our own Recommendations page, indexed and sortable. We add new entries every day, drawn from our personal experiences.

We’ll also be adding more recommendations courtesy of our world-traveling friends. Coming soon so keep an eye out!

Recommendations from our Fellow Vagabonds Around the World