Travel gear

Just because you’re traveling or living in a cheap destination doesn’t mean things will be cheaper across the board when you pull out your wallet. Some prices may be more expensive than you’re used to at home. Does it surprise you to hear that many Mexicans crossing the border legally to come to the USA …

A reader asked me back in 2008 if there was a way to travel around the world without ever plugging into a wall socket. The answer was “sort of” and it has not gotten much better since then, unfortunately. If you only carry a smartphone it’s not hard to be a solar-powered traveler, but it …

Founded in 1923 in Europe and based in Germany, the Lowa footwear company still has Lowa Boots as its official name and website. You’ll see plenty of their hiking boot models out on the alpine trails of Switzerland, Italy, Austria, and where many of their shoes are made: Slovakia. Over the years they have gone …

Which country in the world has the highest rate of crime per capita? It’s not some third-world country that sounds mysterious and shady. It’s the Vatican. Yes, the city state ruled over by the Pope and his crew often gets reported as having the worst crime rate per capita in the world. I first wrote …

When I went on my Nepal trek last year, there was a lot of travel gear carnage on the trail. Someone’s backpack strap broke. My hiking boots literally fell apart and had to be super-glued to make it through until the end. Many of us had supposedly waterproof jackets that didn’t turn out to be …