The road more traveled can be easy to follow. Food, transportation and accommodations are all readily available. However, many travelers dream of seeing something few others have. With adventurous travelers making new paths every day, it can be harder to find these unique places.
However, there are many countries that don’t have as many tourists as others. And if you’re looking for that passport stamp that few others have, I would check out one of these six countries.
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Walk into any bar in the world and you’ll find friends having fun, sharing tall cold ones. The communal aspect of beer is what draws millions of people each year to beer festivals around the world.
There is no shortage of beer festivals to choose from. I’ve narrowed the list down to the biggest beer drinking parties in the world. So if you’re looking to expand your beer drinking repertoire or just looking for the biggest party around, check out some of these festivals and have a pint or two.
Of all the skills in life to learn, I believe risk taking is the most important. Imagine how dull your life would be if you never took chances. Without taking risks, you might never have found that great hole in the wall restaurant, traveled the world or found the love of your life. Everything great in life requires a little bit of risk to make it happen.
For example, several years ago I was asked by a friend of mine to accompany him on a trip to Southeast Asia. He asked about twenty people to go with him. Everyone eventually backed out except me. That trip became one of the defining moments of my life. Why did I do it and so many others back out? Because I am a risk taker.
Becoming a risk taker seems to have a negative connotation to it. The word brings up images of danger, hazards or even loss. But no matter how dangerous the idea of risk taking is, there is an even greater danger of not taking risks. Risks are a key ingredient to living life to the fullest. Fortunately, the skills of becoming a successful risk taker can be learned.
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Traveling the way most people do it isn’t enough. Saving all year long at a job for just two weeks a year won’t let you see the world the way you want to see it.
So you find someone to take care of your stuff while you travel the world. You’re all set to see everything you ever wanted for as long as you want. Then you realize something: you don’t have enough money to do it. So what should you do? Here are six ways to see the world long term on the cheap.
1. Couchsurfing (Hospitality Exchange)
Couch surfers are a huge network of hospitable people who open up their home to fellow travelers and let them stay on their couches (or floor) for free
In turn, the site lets you open up your home to travelers who want to use your couch.
Most programs take safety seriously. Referrals and references are encouraged and a system of verification is also available. However, a healthy amount of caution should be used.
Sites include:
Couchsurfing, Servas, Hospitality Club, BeWelcome
2. House Sitting
All over the world there are amazing houses that people want you to take care of and live in for free. These sites connect you with them. By joining one of these services, you take care of general house sitting duties such as looking after the pets, the garden, keeping trespassers off the property and readdressing mail
Sites include:
Caretaker’s Gazette, Mind My House, House Carers
3. Wwoofing
WWOOF is short for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. It is an international organization of gardens, ranches, farms where you can exchange work for food and shelter. It is a great way to save money on accommodations and food expenses
WWOOF is the most well known work exchange program in the world, but there are plenty of other options available. All these places charge a small annual fee, but this fee makes up for all the money you save in the long run.
Sites include:
4. Elance 
There is a community of businesses out there that need to hire people on a contractual basis. Elance helps you connect with these businesses. The beauty of this work is that it can be done anywhere in the world. This is ideal for anyone who wants to be location independent, but also maintain their career.
The variety of work is diverse from web programming, administrative support, sales and marketing, legal work and engineering. The flexibility and variety of work means that many people can find something. As long as you do the project that you are assigned, you are free to go anywhere and live anywhere you want
Elance is the most popular site for people looking for freelance work while traveling, but there are many other freelance websites.
Sites include:
Freelancer.com, ifreelance.com, guru.com, list of other freelance websites
5. Teaching English
This is a popular way to travel if you want to get to know one place really well. This is something that almost every native English speaker can do. You don’t even need to know the language of the host country before you go. Your experience depends entirely on the program and location you go to so you should know what you should know what you are looking for before you look around
Make sure to get a licensing certificate in ELT/TEFL/EFL since most places will require this. The places that don’t often pay less and are questionable in reputation.
Sites include:
Goabroad.com, Council on International Educational Exchange
6. Tripping
Tripping is similar to Couchsurfing. However, tripping doesn’t stop at providing a place to stay; it is a cultural exchange site. The focus is on meeting new people while you are traveling through the country. That person would introduce their city and culture to you so that you get a deeper and more meaningful insight into the place you’re visiting.
These friends that you make will give you many travel tips and introduce you to cool local places that you might never have found on your own. The best part about this is that you can do this all over a cup of coffee or in their home.
Their goal is to connect people all over the world. The more connections you make, the more people and places you’ll have access to. According to their site, it is “about creating an entirely new way of seeing and experiencing the world”
photo credit: Moyan Brenn
Some people see a sand dune and see a hill of sand held together by various plants or as a feature of the desert. Others see it as a way to have some fun. There is definitely a thrill to this sport where speeds up to 51 mph have been recorded.
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It’s almost 8AM and several hundred people, mostly men, are gathered in the street. They are dressed traditionally all in white with a red scarf. After some stretching, many gather to sing a prayer for protection to a statue of Saint Fermin. In a few minutes a rocket will be set off to signal the start of the event and for the next three minutes chaos is going to erupt on the street.
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They only spent 15 minutes at the summit on May 29, 1953, but Sir Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa guide Tenzig Norgay were the first people to climb to the top of Mount Everest. The low oxygen in the air prevented them from staying any longer. Photos were taken, Tenzig left chocolates as an offering and Hillary left a cross. The two took care coming down since drifting snow had covered their tracks. Reportedly the first thing Hillary said upon descending is, “Well, we knocked the bastard off.”
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