Study Abroad Packing: What to Bring, What to Leave Behind
I’ve interviewed former students and a long-time trip leader about what you should pack — and, just as importantly, not pack — for study abroad trips. Add to that my own two study abroad experiences and a decade of living in all sorts of countries for extended periods. The result: some quite strong opinions and …
Here’s How We Solved the Problems with Booking On Trenitalia’s Website
I’ve been booking trains in Italy for many years, and oh, the problems. Trenitalia’s official website is buggy to say the least, and the ticket machines in train stations are as confusing as the humans at the ticket counters. Worse, using foreign (American, French, etc.) credit cards can cause even more headaches. Italians have these problems …
Solved: The Problems with Renfe’s (God-Awful!!) Website and How to Get Around Them
Oh the problems with Renfe.com! I’m fluent in Spanish and have used the site for years, but I still get plenty of error messages myself. We’ve put together some of the major problems and what to do about them in this article, but basically the solutions boil down to one simple thing: buy your tickets …
The Best Booking Sites for Train Tickets for Spain — Reviewed
In our search for the cheapest tickets and easiest booking, we’ve reviewed all of the options for buying train tickets for Spain. We looked at the official Renfe site and compared it to a number of private portals. While Spanish trains in general are a pleasure to ride, the national train company’s own website is …
How much stuff fits in the Osprey Meridian daypacks?
Will the Osprey Meridian’s daypack hold a large laptop, second screen, and everything for a digital nomad’s portable office? One of our readers recently purchased the based on our wheeled carry-on backpack recommendation, but she says she freaked out when she saw how … streamlined the daypack looked in real life. So she did a …
Our Test Results: The Best Train Booking Platform for Europe
We performed hundreds of searches for train tickets on the websites of national European train companies as well as private portals. The goal: determine the cheapest and best way to buy tickets for riding the rails in Europe. We’ve been riding around Europe ourselves for a few combined decades and plan to continue to do so …
RailEurope vs Trainline: Which European Train Booking Platform Is Cheaper?
We ran dozens of searches on our two favorite European train booking platforms, RailEurope.co.uk (formerly Loco2) and Trainline, and compared the results. The goal: determine which booking experience is smoother and results in better and cheaper routes. We have found that both of these platforms are better than booking directly from mainland Europe’s national train companies. …
Osprey Ozone Wheeled Series vs Osprey Ozone Convertible Rolling Bags
What are the differences between the Osprey Ozone Wheeled series and the Osprey Ozone Convertible series of bags? They’re both great lightweight luggage lines, but the names sound pretty similar and the pictures don’t do enough to help distinguish them on their own. Here for example are the Osprey Ozone Wheeled 75L on the left …
Our Recommended Larger (Checked) Rolling Backpack: The Osprey Meridian 75L/28
What is the best full-sized luggage with both wheels and backpack straps? We’ve analyzed all available options as well as the reviews put out by consumer testing organizations, travel bloggers, and professional critics. This is more than just an obsessive research exercise; after 20-plus combined years of living around the world out of suitcases and …
What to Pack for Brazil: The Minimalist’s Checklist for Smoother Travel
We’ve been taking long trips around Brazil for years, and boy, the dumb things we’ve seen our fellow gringos carrying. I suppose it’s hard to know what to pack for Brazil, but heavy clothes, wheeled oversize plastic suitcases, fancy watches — these are all asking for trouble in various ways. The ideal packing checklist for …