Blog

on the road

41 essays

1. How an Investment Banker Quit Her Job to Travel the World Solo

   This is a reader profile. ( Read others or nominate someone to be featured .) Kristin Addis seemingly had it all: lucrative banking job in sunny Southern California, and all the things that go with th

2. “Traveling Taught Me How to Be a Parent”: On the Road with Christine Gilbert

   This is a reader profile. ( Read others or nominate someone to be featured. ) Several years ago, Christine Gilbert packed up the kids and hit the road. She and her family have been roaming the world e

3. Inspired by Strangers: How to Talk with People While Traveling

   This is a traveler case study. ( Read others or nominate yourself . ) We all meet people on the road—it’s part of the fun of traveling. But for Marc Smith, his meetings on the road are especiall

4. How One Family of Four Created Enough Passive Income to Travel Forever

   This is a traveler case study. ( Read others or nominate yourself . ) Sharon Gourlay didn’t want to stop traveling as her family grew—so she gathered up her two kids and husband, then figured ou

5. Former Stockbroker Travels through Europe on $10 a Day

   This is a traveler case study. ( Read others or nominate yourself . ) Former stockbroker Tomislav Perko says he’s nothing special: just an everyday guy who lost his job, and decided to take a di

6. “If We Never Booked the Tickets, We’d Never Go”: On the Road with Serena Star Leonard

   This is a traveler case study. ( Read others or nominate yourself . ) Well into her third year of continuous travel, Serena Star Leonard and her husband John spend their days exploring the world and d

7. Learning, Connecting, and Asking : On the Road with Derek Loudermilk

   This is a traveler case study. ( Read others or nominate yourself . ) A scientist turned world traveler, Derek Loudermilk has put research on hold, and discovered he loves waking up and going to work

8. A Traveler Who Loves Coming Home: On the Road with Megan Cain

   This is a traveler case study. ( Read others or nominate yourself . ) I love finding people who are able to incorporate travel into their lives without making it their whole life. Here’s how Meg

9. The Five-Year Road Trip: Two Adults and Two Teenagers Live Full-Time in an RV

   This is a traveler case study. ( Read others or nominate yourself . ) Dissatisfied with the typical suburban lifestyle, the Boyinks packed up their teenagers and hit the road. For the past five years,

10. “We Don’t Know What it’s Like Not to Travel”: On the Road with Sarah Glashegal and Scott Haywood

    This is a traveler case study. ( Read others or nominate yourself . ) Sarah and Scott are at an exciting time in their lives: after incorporating regular travel into their routine, they’re now t

11. Taking a Travel Break Mid-Career: On the Road with John Fiddler and Kathleen Egan

    This is a traveler case study. ( Read others or nominate yourself . ) John and Kathleen opted to take a mid-career break and travel the world under three tenets: sightseeing, athletics (trail running,

12. Building a Global Community One Beach at a Time: On the Road with Mirva Lempiäinen

    This is a traveler case study. ( Read others or nominate yourself . ) Mirva Lempiäinen fell in love with beaches of all kinds during college. Her passion caused her to build a career and friend base t

13. Homeward: Notes from TG 910, Bangkok-London

    Originally posted on May 21, 2015 — Greetings from the skies over Helsinki, on-board a well-aged Thai Airways 747 that has two hours remaining in its

14. The Modern Day Swiss Family Robinson: On the Road with Sheralyn Guilleminot

    This is a traveler case study. ( Read others or nominate yourself . ) Sheralyn Guilleminot didn’t want to run the risk of never getting around to traveling the world. She and her husband Paul to

15. “I have always sought to have autonomy”: On the Road with Evan Dufour

    This is a traveler case study. ( Read others or nominate yourself . ) When I learned of Evan’s tale of medical woes in India, I wanted to hear more about his decision to travel the world before

16. Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse: London Heathrow Airport

    I love airline lounges and regularly spend four or more hours at a time working from them. This series explores some of my favorites from around the world. Way back in 2007, one of my very favorite lo

17. Finding Yourself in Thailand: On the Road with Alana Morgan

    This is a traveler case study. ( Read others or nominate yourself .) I stumbled across Paper Planes and was intrigued by Alana Morgan’s story of leaving the U.S. to live abroad. I asked her to tell us

18. The Year-Long Honeymoon: On the Road with Jes Albro

    This is a travel hacking case study. ( Read others or nominate yourself .) I first met Jes way back in Minneapolis. She was one of the first readers of AONC! A couple years later, I saw her in New Yor

19. Unpacking in Hotel Rooms

    After losing things in hotel rooms over the years, I learned a critical rule: be careful about spreading out. If it’s just a one-night stay, I unpack immediately after arrival, but almost everyt

20. Forward Motion

    I had an early-early flight, so I booked a hotel near the airport and took the train out the night before.

21. Be Nice to the Cleaners

    I went to participate in an event held at a bookstore in a big city. I saw on the store’s calendar that a Very Famous Author (we’ll call him Mr.

22. The Worst Thing That Can Happen Rarely Does

    Somewhere in my journey I learned an important lesson: whatever your location, you can choose to be at peace or you can choose to be anxious.

23. Worst Case Scenario: Losing It All in Europe

    When you’re evaluating a big decision, sometimes it’s helpful to ask yourself, “What’s the worst thing that can happen?” Most of the time, the worst-case

24. Reflections from the Road: 18 Cities Down, 22 More to Go

    Over the weekend I headed home for a brief pause in my adventures to 40 cities to meet with readers as part of our fall book tour.

25. To Express Gratitude, Put the Do-Not-Disturb Sign Back Where It Belongs

    When I check into a hotel room (something I do 100+ times a year), I immediately put the do-not-disturb sign on the door.

26. Upon Being Deported from Eritrea

    I always knew it would happen one day. Having successfully arrived in Saudi Arabia , Pakistan , and Angola without the necessary visas, I had been pushing my luck. Having challenged Belarus to a blogg

27. Service Is Free to Offer But Incredibly Valuable: Lessons from an Airport Shuttle Driver

    At the Hyatt Dulles, my shuttle driver was named Abdullai. He was extremely enthusiastic about welcoming his early-morning travelers on board for the ride to

28. If You Lost Everything, Would You Look Back or Look Forward?

    I went to the hotel gym one morning while I was traveling. When I finished on the treadmill, I went back to the elevator to head down to my room… except

29. Sleeping in Hong Kong on My 100th Visit

    I’m not actually sure I’ve been to Hong Kong 100 times, but that’s probably a close guess.

30. Packing Essentials

    It doesn’t take me long to pack for most trips. I typically bring the same clothes and “stuff” with me no matter my destination or purpose of travel.

31. Midnight Sky Notes from Jakarta to Tokyo

    Sometimes it’s good to live for the moment. Case in point: you’re flying JAL from Jakarta to Tokyo. It’s an overnight flight, but a short one.

32. Revisiting Montana, 25 Years Later

    If you didn’t love your childhood, you probably don’t love the place where you grew up. Maybe you tried to get as far away as you could.

33. If You Have No Challenges, Maybe It’s Time To Change Your Life

    Have you ever walked around endless airport highway ramps for more than a mile? When it’s after 10pm and you’ve got your carry-on bags with you?

34. “Everything Is Figureoutable:” Notes from Paris to Doha

    On a recent trip, I had to get back to Doha from Paris, a 5 1/2 hour flight. I was transferring via an initial connection from Zurich, and I booked the

35. Contentment in Five Short Stories

    I. Dairy Queen in Udon Thani In Northern Thailand I sit in the Udon Thani airport eating a custard pastry. It costs 20 baht (60 cents). Along with a cup of coffee ($1.10), it is my joy. I sit across f

36. Making Money From More Than One Paycheck Can Help You Follow Your Dreams

    This year I’ve been focused almost entirely on helping people take action. Side Hustle School, my daily podcast, shines a spotlight on people who are

37. The Best Place to Be Is Somewhere Else

    On the road is where a traveler feels most at home. Sure, you can take it slow for a while, staying in one place to save up funds or work on a project or do

38. Vampire Living in Jakarta

    It’s a new day in Jakarta, Indonesia. The sun rises at 2pm—or rather, that’s when I manage to get out of bed.

39. What Time Should You Arrive at the Airport?

    I’m unusual in that I love airports. I’ll regularly arrive 2-3 hours in advance of my flight, sometimes even at a small airport without a lounge.

40. How to Buy Plane Tickets on the Same Day of Departure

    On a recent excursion I found myself in Washington, DC, and I was ready to leave. There were just two problems: I didn’t know where I wanted to go next,

41. Do This When You Visit a New Place

    Pandemic life has taught many of us to appreciate moments in life that might otherwise pass us by.