austin's blog

Whenever I'm traveling, or even just out exploring in Seattle, I've always got a collection of things that I keep a lookout for. A pulled pork sandwich. A stack of vintage LPs. Food cooking in an open air market. These are things that cause me to drop my plans to stop and stay awhile. Not necessarily addictions (ok, maybe they are just a little), but glimpses into my personality, who I am, and what I love. They make travel, and life in general, more fun.

I'm sure you've got your own set of favorites, all your own, that you indulge in on a regular basis. But do you take those with you when you travel? If you don't you should.

While many of my finds are serendipitous, some of the best encounters were planned well in advance, so I suggest that you factor in your personality when you plan your next trip. Instead of following the guidebook itinerary blindly, give yourself time to visit that antique shop in Paris, or Italian comic book store, or a bakery in Vietnam. Think about what you really enjoy when you're at home, do some research before you leave, and give yourself time to discover your foreign self.

I'm not a shaving kind of guy. While I'm not a beard lover either, I don't long for a clean shaven face and if I could find a way to keep a permanent 5 o'clock shadow, I'd be a happy man. When I combine shaving and travel, I'm even less fond of it. But since I can't avoid it completely, I've found several ways to make shaving on the road cheaper, simpler, and less painful.

I'll be the last person to deny that I'm a bag nerd; messenger bags, backpacks, you name it, I've got a soft spot for it. Recently, I found a great man purse carry on bag in the Ben Sherman Canvas Commuter.

If you're anything like me, when you're on a plane and it starts rocking, you wish you were safely on the ground. Despite the fact that I know, in my heart of hearts, that a little bit of turbulence won't crash my plane, it doesn't stop me from thinking, "Is this it? Am I going to die?" But after reading Cliff Mass' recent post on turbulence and its causes, I have the best weapon to combat my fear, knowledge.

With all sorts of bad airline-related stories popping up lately (fees for blankets, Kevin Smith too fat to fly, and the ever present airline strike...this week it's British Airways.) I really got to thinking about the choices we make when we buy airline tickets. Many people simply buy the cheapest ticket available, without regard for other factors. Sure, a cheap ticket can get you from point A to point B, but are you really getting the most bang for your buck when it comes to your entire trip? Keep reading for a few reasons why the cheapest ticket may not be the best ticket for your next trip.

Our friends, Francesco and Fabiola, took a Valentines Day trip to Verona, a city known for love and the backdrop for the famous love story Romeo and Juliet. We fell in love with these shots of the city decorated in hearts.

Since the release of the App Store, users of the iPhone and iPod touch have seen a virtual flood of new applications that are useful for the traveler. Some of them are aimed at a particular city, while others are useful virtually anywhere. A few applications aren't aimed at travelers in particular, but can be invaluable when you're on the road.
To help you sift through the mountains of apps available, we've selected some that we'd gladly take with us on our next trip.

Vancouver. Host of the 2010 Olympics and host to an abundance of reasons for a traveler to visit. But, if you're a traveling foodie, you simply can't find a reasonable excuse not to be planning a trip in the near future. It's home to both vibrant immigrant communities (with their food culture in tow) and a burgeoning foodie culture, which means that there are like-minded folks, out finding the best of the best. This includes the best of the cheap. Check out what I've found, so that the next time you find yourself in Vancouver, you won't ever go hungry.

CES or the Consumer Electronics Show rolls into Las Vegas every year, with new toys and desires for tech addicts to drool over. This year was no different, with loads of TVs, 3D technology, e-readers, and more. But what does it have to offer the traveler? I've poured over reports from the show, and have showcased a few things that, once they're released, would help you out on your next trip.

2009, despite all of its economic turmoil, was a good year for us, both in our travels and for Travellious. We wrote some fantastic articles, got lots of good press, traveled even more than we hoped, and met lots of great people while doing it. To top it all off, we finally got started on a long-awaited project, now known as the Wondermap. Bear with us, this post is gonna be a long one.