As worldly as we expats like to think of ourselves, it is still a shock when we receive our first paycheck in pesos. All the bargains we enjoyed as tourists - gourmet food at six dollars a plate, fifty dollar woven rugs, twenty dollar a night hotels - suddenly seem expensive.

As English teacher or study abroad advisor in Mexico you will earn between 3,000 and 6,000 pesos monthly. That’s right, with all you college degrees and professional training you make less than you would flipping burgers at home. Welcome to the Mexican middle class.

But the true reality check comes when you realize that most of your Mexican friends earn half what you do. Yet they are some of the most generous people you have ever met; since the day you arrived they have welcomed you in their homes and at their tables as if you were a long lost family member. We marvel that they manage to survive, much less embrace life in a way that is all but forgotten in our country. This ability to relish the moment is both a product of economic uncertainty and the most important tool for overcoming it. But Mexicans also know practical tricks, trucos which can help us stretch our pesos.

•Ask your Mexican friends where they shop.
Certain markets have reputations for higher prices, especially those near tourist centers. Most markets have a “plaza” once a week which attract merchants from around the area. They set up shop in tiangis, a temporary outdoor market, where the best bargains are usually found.

•Buy from the women seated floor of the markets on petates (mats woven from dried palm leaves).
They generally charge less than the merchants who have permanent stalls.

•Bring your own bags.
Venders usually charge at least one peso extra for a bag. The colorful nylon bags that Mexican women carry are not just fashion statements, but necessities.

•Learn how to bargain.
Ask Mexican friends what is a reasonable price and stick to it.

•Cultivate relationships with particular venders.
In addition to making new friends you will get better prices. Unfamiliar foreigners are usually assumed to be tourists and charged accordingly.

•Buy used clothing in the mercado or in thrift stores known as Tiendas americanas which sell second hand clothing from the US. There it is possible to find popular and even exclusive American brands at affordable prices.

•Swap goods and services: English is a valuable commodity.
Trade English classes for from anything from carpentry to household appliances (that’s how I came by my refrigerator!).

•Learn to sew.
It is not very difficult to make simple sheets or curtains. Fabric stores sell discounted scraps, or sobras which are usually piled haphazardly near the entrance. Join the crowds of housewives sorting through them and you can find treasures.

•Purchase rugged jerga material at five pesos a meter.
It comes in bright cheerful colors and makes nice rugs or dish towels.

•Buy petates, woven mats, for 20-40 pesos.
They can serve as “futons” for sleeping or as sturdy area rugs.

•Decorate your walls with the pictorial calendars that businesses give out at New Years.

•For bathing, heat water on the stove and mix it with tepid water in a bucket.
This requires less gas than your heating your shower with a water heater. Or just set out the bucket in the sun for a while.

•Save water in buckets so that you have it on hand when there are shortages which are common, especially in the spring. This saves you the expense of ordering a pipa or truck which pumps water into your home.

•Instead of shelling out 10 pesos a kilo at the lavandería, hand wash your clothes.
That’s what that grooved concrete basin on your patio is for. Not only will you Mexican neighbors be impressed by your sencillez but all the scrubbing and squeezing does wonders for your arm muscles. Washerwomen also charge less than the lavandería, but they don’t usually advertise, so you will have to ask around.

•Most department stores have payment plans where you pay in installments, or abonos, every week or every month. This is the preferred method of payment in a country where few people have the cash to pay for goods up front.

These tricks can not only help you to stretch your quiencena (your bimonthly paycheck) but integrate you into the Mexican culture. By sharing in their day to day struggles you learn to empathize with the Mexican people in a way that few foreigners are able. Sure, you will have days when you feel deprived because you cannot afford the same beach resort vacations as many expats, days when you would give anything to have a dishwasher. But what you gain by living in pesos is appreciation for what you do have, a value which can be hard to come by in the world’s richest country.

Anna Laird Barto spent three years living and working in Oaxaca Mexico. She is currently an MFA student at Emerson College in Boston.

It took me a while to figure this out, but being an English teacher in Madrid is like being a recovering drug addict. You’re always trying to quit and you get dodgy about publicly admitting that you can’t put the stuff down. So while I’ll be quitting English teaching again soon, I doubt I’ll be quitting for good.

In the past I thought I could quit anytime I wanted, and believe me, I tried. I’d work for one academy and have some private students for a few months until I couldn’t stand the charade anymore and I’d quit them all. (Unsurprisingly, Madrid’s academies and teachers consider the other faction to be disposable.) Then I’d go back to my editing and my writing and my freedom and my bohemian poverty and quickly adopt the hours of a vampire again.

I’d concentrate on enjoying Madrid as it was meant to be lived: the marathon dinners that start and end with rounds of kissing cheeks and sipping drinks; the long afternoon strolls in Retiro Park amongst the runners and the drum circles and the families and the tourists and the young couples and the kids; all those bright flags and embroidered scarves and displays of Spanish pride, that childlike joy, the wild collective euphoria shared in homes and bars where heroes are made over televised soccer games; the endless parade of museum exhibitions, fairs, concerts, art displays, workshops, markets, and protests in a constant stream of art and culture and creativity and political and commercial activity and the wild bursts of human experience against the wide canvas of the city. I’m young and healthy and in a cosmopolitan European capital. What else could you expect?

Holing up under florescent lights in the conference rooms of multinational companies or Spain’s national ministries and feigning interest in phrasal verbs or Spanish businessmen’s obsession with American TV shows was no longer on the agenda.

I’d feel so smart about beating the system and being able to go and write all day at a café if I wanted – in the event that I’d had enough money to go to a café after paying rent, that is, but that wasn’t the point. The point was that I could go to a café and pay homage to Western culture and the birthplace of the great Spanish institution – the tertulia.

Yet like the inevitability of the boom and bust cycle, a few months later there I’d go knocking on the door of another academy and a new set of private students would find me, and I’d say to myself: “Well, it really isn’t all that bad.” I could go on and on about all the downsides to teaching English and rant and rave and foam at the mouth about the industry itself, but I must admit that after writing articles for 20 euros a pop, there’s something sexy about being paid to do little more than show up and babysit for 20 euros an hour, and that goes for adults as well as for children.

Even as an allegedly experienced English teacher I still feel like the world’s biggest fraud, especially since a few of my students know more about English grammar than I do. I keep waiting to be fired (disturbingly enough, not that’d I’d care) or for my private students to run away screaming, but no, I receive good marks when my bosses observe my classes and my private students always come back for more. “But how? But why?” I ask myself because I still can’t figure it out. Some mysteries are best left unsolved though.

Last year I tried to kick the habit for good and had the bright idea of joining the Spaniards of my generation and gaining what I thought would be a quintessentially Spanish experience – working in a Spanish office and becoming a mileurista. Well, that bright idea translated into waking up earlier than is good for one’s health, three hours of daily commute to an office park on the outskirts of Madrid with a troupe of other unhappy commuters, and staring at a computer screen for eight hours a day doing the same rote, asinine tasks over and over again for the grand sum of 1,000 euros a month.

I mean, if I wanted to spend the rest of my life politely chained to a desk, I could have just stayed in San Francisco at the job I had had, making more money and actually having some authority. Otherwise, what’s the point of moving half-way across the world to do new, exciting things if after spending my days being slowly bored to death I couldn’t muster up the enthusiasm for it? So off I went back to the love-hate relationship that is English teaching, where, when all’s said and done, it’s not all doom and gloom.

It’s Monday and guess what I did today? I woke up at 11 a.m. and went to the gym next door. Then I came back, showered, and ate “breakfast” while answering e-mails and glancing at El País online. Next I completed an editing assignment and sent it back to the client, took the Metro to a private student’s house, taught an English class, took the Metro back to my house, had “lunch,” started writing a new article for a website but got sidetracked by writing a poem to my lover and shooting the bull with my flat mates, and then went for a quick drink with a friend. Now I’m back at home writing and rocking out to music on my headphones and I’ll try to be in bed by 3 a.m. but, like most days, I’ll probably fail miserably.

So until my art novel (or my cookbook) comes out and hits it big and I’m rich and famous (I can dream, can’t I?) and I can afford to live in a real place with a Queen-sized bed again, I’d say moonlighting as an English teacher ain’t so bad after all. As long as it allows me to stay in Madrid and enjoy life and go write in cafés with my red beret now and then, I’m happy to fall off the horse at regularly-spaced intervals and get back on the dope of teaching English in Madrid.

A fan of over-used words like bohemian, romance, revolution, and Google, Sarah E. Rogers is a 27-year-old American writer (www.innoword.com/writing), editor (www.innoword.com), and researcher who once upon a time earned a Bachelor’s degree in History and Spanish and now lives in Madrid, Spain where she loves to plot and conspire. God only knows about what.

I have about 60 new articles coming up, sorry for the slowdown – I have been traveling around the Middle East and generally being lazy. But starting next month I will be running The Professional Adventurer full-time so expect allot of new features and several new articles a week

Also to anyone that has submitted articles I am going over them this week and I will get back to you ASAP

I will start posting the new articles up within the next few days

Seems like only yesterday when I decided to sell my business and make the move to Thailand. After a couple of trips to the country, I was certain Thailand was my Utopia. Years later, older and slightly wiser, I’ve concluded there is no Utopia – at least not in the physical sense. Not to burst anyone’s bubble but heaven on earth is a figment of our imaginations, devoid of any complete reality. Heaven is far reaching and every so often extends its hand – only until reality slithers its way back into the picture.

When I moved to Thailand, I was 32 years-old, I’m now 46. Fourteen years changes a person and while I’m certainly happy with my decision, I’m not sure I would have made a move at my current age and in my current situation. In other words, I made the move when the time was right.

As I said, Thailand is no Utopia, nonetheless, I can’t think of a whole lot of other places I’d rather be. Once you are entrenched in a foreign country’s society, its morphs from an exotic destination to a place you call home; normalcy replaces the euphoria of a vacation.

So when you’re on holiday in Thailand (or elsewhere) and thinking, “I’d love to live here,” never lose sight that living in country foreign to your own is much different than vacationing in one.

A few years ago, I spent three weeks in Cannes, France with friends. It didn’t take long before I thought, “I want to live here!” The French were not rude – at least to me – and the lifestyle was right up my alley. Every day I woke up, threw on a sports jacket, took a leisurely stroll to one of the many cafés in the city center, and had a croissant and a cup of Joe with friends. Each night, I dined in fine restaurants (sometimes with celebrities like Mischa Barton) and partied until the wee hours of the night – often on someone’s yacht whose name I did not know.

Without a doubt I thought, the south of France is one of the most magnificent places on earth and I had to find a way to live here! Occasionally, I’d go in to the Carlton Hotel (that’s the one where most of the movie stars hang out in case you didn’t know), all for the privilege of paying $20 for a cappuccino. When I somehow ended up spending the remainder of my vacation with two pretty, young Swedish girls, it was official, I was moving to Cannes. Yes, life was grand, indeed.

My holiday ended, as holidays always do and I flew back home to Thailand. Once settled, I sat down and began to figure out how to live in Cannes. When the thought to live in France initially hit me, I didn’t kid myself – it would be expensive. But, where there’s a will there’s a way, I thought. After crunching the numbers though, I wisely concluded it would be much more difficult than I originally thought, logistically, financially, and otherwise. The grass is almost always greener on the other side; Cannes is a great place to visit but living there as an expat is nowhere near as easy (at least financially) as living in Thailand unless you’ve got movie star dough.

When I left the U.S., I was relatively carefree, living with a girl I knew I wouldn’t marry, and running a business that made me quite a bit of money but that had me frazzled on a daily basis. Then I moved to Thailand. Since moving, I’ve learned to speak the language, married a Thai woman who sired my two children, became a moderately successful photojournalist, visited eight countries in Asia, and learned the meaning of responsibility. Oh, and I almost forgot, I took a pay cut. If this doesn’t constitute change, I don’t know what does.

Chinese philosophy, more specifically the I-Ching, refers to the acceptance of the inevitability of change. Just like dying and paying taxes, change is inevitable. Better to accept it than cling to yesterday.

Nick Gatsby has lived in Bangkok for nearly a dozen years. He has done everything from teaching English to exporting Thai goods to his current love, photographing and writing about Southeast Asia . He is now married with children (2).

I moved to Japan last year to teach English at a Tokyo public high school. I came armed with a few phrase books, some sound cultural advice, and an outfit for every occasion. Tokyo is a major world center. It’s multi-cultural. It’s diverse. Surely there would be expatriates to befriend, little pieces of home to make my transition here pain-free. Right?

It’s true that if you send me a letter, you’ll need to write Tokyo on the envelope. That’s where my relationship with the largest city in the world ends. The tiny island I live on is technically part of Tokyo’s metropolitan area, but it is a world…no, it’s a universe away from the 24-hour thrill ride on the mainland. Here the stars shine brighter than the billboards, the volcanoes outnumber the convenient stores, and I can count the native English speakers on one hand.

Coming from San Francisco, there were more than a few life changes I would have to make (being 300 kilometers from the nearest burrito being high on the list). I had to learn to live without friends, for one thing, language for another. I had to keep my sanity through a long, lonely winter and mind-numbingly boring weekends. I knew the old standby pieces of advice already: join a club, talk to strangers, study the language, play a sport. Along the way, I picked up a few more things that made settling in easier.

1. I love me! I do. In my time here, I have learned to love and accept myself more than I had in nearly 30 years. Of course, I knew it was going to be a long year if I had to spend everyday with someone I didn’t like. So, I set to getting to know myself, trying to like her. When I looked in the mirror and saw the five pounds of udon and beer I’d piled on, I didn’t panic like I used to. I admired how well my tummy was filling out, and vowed to fit one more hour of exercise in each week. When I wanted a cookie, I had a cookie. When I didn’t feel like exercising, I didn’t exercise. I realized that my new life would be stressful and difficult at times, and that little pleasures were important. And you know what happened? Once I stopped beating myself up over these little things, I started behaving. I didn’t go for the cookies. I walked to work. I stopped smoking. Because I’d started to like myself, I liked taking care of myself. I’m wonderful and deserve to be treated like the beer-bellied princess that I am!

2. Hobbies in Hyperdrive Sure, playing tennis once a week at the local community center is a great way to fill an afternoon. “Once a week” hobbies are great for people with full schedules. But my “free time” hours began to greatly outnumber my “doing stuff” hours. I was going to have to kick those hobbies up a notch, take them to the next level. I decided to take one thing that I love doing and do it big! For me, it’s travel. I love traveling. Before moving to Japan, I took one two-week vacation a year. I always looked forward to them for months, and planning them took up a good chunk of my time. I formed a plan. I would leave my island at least once a month. I would leave the country at least once every three months. Those were my goals. I know what you’re thinking, and yes. It was damn expensive. But I can’t put a price tag on how good it made me feel to finally see the sun rise over Angkor Wat or lazily glide down the Mekong River. Spending countless hours researching for and planning those trips made my life easier. I had something to look forward to, and afterwards I had brand new memories to daydream about. I was able to focus my energy into something just for me, something extravagant that made me happy. It also went a very long way to shake off the creeping sense of cabin fever I got when I stayed on the island too long. So pick a hobby and supercharge it. Train for a marathon. Get that black belt. Learn to scuba dive or play the guitar. Become an expert.

3. Stop Being so Cheap I’m all for saving money. I’ve got an IRA. I’ve got a savings account. Debt is bad. So is sitting in your apartment alone eating noodles in a Styrofoam bowl and watching Ferris Beuller again on VHS because you’re trying to save money. Believe me, it is worth it to buy a new, cushy couch. It is worth it to go with your coworkers to that expensive restaurant. It is worth it to spend half your paycheck on a vacation. Being comfortable in a strange, new place can do wonders for your mental well-being. When I first moved here, I thought, “Why spend money on things I’ll only use for a year?” Well, because a year can be a very long time. Now, I’m not saying go out and blow all your yen on new things because you think they’ll make you happy. In the long run they won’t, but being able to curl up on a squishy couch under a fluffy new blanket watching a DVD might make that flu seem a little less severe.

4. Mmmm…Taste that Local Flavor When I moved to Japan, I knew I’d try out the usual cultural hobby suspects: meditation, ikebana, the tea ceremony. In addition to that, though, I explored my island and tried things I never anticipated trying. I never thought I’d bang on a taiko drum or go deep-sea fishing. Is your city or town famous for a particular thing? If so, try it. Learn to cook a local dish. Play a local instrument. It can help you become a more active part of your community, and just think how cool you’ll be at parties when you head back to your home country.

5. Be Easy Make yourself accessible and approachable. Be easy to hang out with. Smile a lot. Let people know that going out with you doesn’t have to be a huge production or an English lesson. Invite your neighbors over for language-less activities. I’ve found that beer and movie nights are universal.

6. Me, Version 2.0 I wanted to make myself better. I wanted to come away from my year here with more than just a full passport and some new hobbies. I had a lot of down time, and I used it. I studied Japanese. I mean, what better place to learn, right? I also studied for the GRE and took online writing courses. This made me feel like I was using my time a little more wisely, that I was being productive. The Internet provides many ways to further your education or hone a skill. You can start work on a degree, read a psychology textbook, or get a TESOL certificate. Thanks to websites like www.gutenberg.org, I was also able to catch up on some literary classics I missed out on. At the end of this year, I’m thinking about getting “I read War and Peace!” printed on a t-shirt.

Living in a foreign country can be an exciting thing, but it’s also important to know how to survive once that excitement wears off. Being armed with a few cabin fever combatants, I have kept myself entertained and comfortable. While I may not have the most active social life, I have stopped dreading the downtime. After all, that trip to Malaysia isn’t going to plan itself.

Rachel Turner’s articles have appeared in Japanzine, The Kansai Scene, Weekender Magazine, and The Kyoto Journal. She is also a regular contributor to Being a Broad Magazine and www.seekjapan.jp. After years spent writing textbooks in the United States, she moved to a far-flung island in Japan, where she enjoys exploring her new home and butchering her new language.

Soekarno-Hatta Jakarta International Airport

When you Fly into Jakarta and hop off the plane you will first go down a clove cigarette smelling hallway, the visa on arrival booths will be on your right and left (they sort of look like money exchange booths). Try to get off the airplane as fast as possible otherwise you could end up waiting in line for a wile.

You will first pay the visa fee then slide down to the next teller for the actual visa, the visa itself is a sticker that will take up an entire page in your passport. People tend to cut line and shove a bit so stand your ground but keep your cool.

After you have your visa you will continue down the hall to the immigration line, not much you can do here except wait for your turn. If you are traveling with a companion or spouse you each will have to come up one at a time to get stamped (unlike in some countries where a husband and wife can come up at the same time).

If you want to speed up the process then pick a booth with a female immigration officer working in it, they tend to be faster with less chit-chat.

Proof of onward travel:

Indonesian Immigration will sometimes check if you have proof of onward travel (ticket out) when you arrive. That is the law, but it is sporadically enforced. I have entered Indo over 50 times and I have only been asked to show proof of onward travel a few times.

But over the past year showing proof of onward travel is becoming more and more common so be prepared.

If you are asked for an onward ticket (and you don’t have one) you have 4 ways to get out of it:

-Buy an onward ticket (SOL if its after 8pm, sleep on a dirty floor until morning), also you will pay full fare if forced to buy a ticket in the airport.

-Ask to speak to the supervisor (in a white shirt) and be very polite, be respectful to his “high” position and say something like “The onward ticket is too expensive if I buy one here at the airport sir, I would really be thankful it if you could help me, maybe we could speak in your office sir?” You will stand around until everyone else has gone through immigration, then they will take you to an office and give you some song and dance about how expensive it is to buy a ticket in the airport. Don’t pay more than 50K Rupiah, 20Krp is the norm (That’s about 20 to 50 USD).

-Be the “Angry, Arrogant Westerner” and Demand to see there supervisor, and then speak down to him because you are more important than him. Also say things like “This is Bull Shit” and “I am an important person”. Enjoy your flight home idiot.

After you get through immigration you will head to the baggage carousel, as soon as you get there grab a porter (they are wearing jumpsuits) and give him your baggage claim tickets. Indonesia is probably the only country in Southeast Asia where using a porter at the airport is suggested and safe.

He will get your bags for you, don’t worry if you don’t see him for a few minutes (he wont steal your bags). After he grabs your bags he will lead you through a small customs area (usually two customs guys and an x-ray machine). Hand the customs form to the customs officer (the yellow bordered one you got on the plane), your bags may or may not get scanned.

Once you clear customs the porter may or may not stay with you, if he does stay with you go outside and grab a cab and have him load your bags into the trunk. Tip him 10 to 20Krp.

ONLY use a Bluebird or Silverbird cab (Silverbird costs about 20% more than Bluebird). A cab into the city should cost less than 100K Rupiah, you will also have to pay a small airport surcharge and for tolls. So if the amount he asks you to pay is 10 or 20Krp more than the meter its ok. Tip 5 to 10Krp.

Throughout your stay in Jakarta if possible only use Bluebird or Silverbird cabs, they always run the meter (without having to ask), are well trained, honest drivers that generally won’t try to scam you.

James Grey is a self proclaimed Professional Adventurer and Expat Bar Braggart. Raised in a small crappy town in Virginia USA, James decided to chuck it all in after watching Indiana Jones too many times and ventured out into the world to seek Fortune, Glory and Exotic Women. James has lived in Jakarta, Indonesia for 4 years and occasionally works in the Middle East

You got to love a country which has Bean soup as its national dish…

Nyala is the capitol of the southern Darfur region of Sudan. It is an extremely dirty, run down, out of touch and low sprawling town set away from the Nyala Wadi. The only 21st century convenience I have seen in Nyala is a currency exchange and a DHL office which were both inconveniently located on back streets. Nyala has a huge market where it is possible to buy everything from hand made tools to weapons to livestock, Nyala also has the best transportation connections in the Darfur region.

Their are Sudanese airways flights to Khartoum 3 days a week, a train which runs to Khartoum twice a month that takes about 4 days if the tracks are clear of bandits, camels or large herds of cattle. Unimproved dirt roads link Nyala to Zalingei (famous in Sudan for citrus), El Geneina, El Fasher and east to the paved road at El Obeid.

The main system of travel aside from walking seems to either be Donkey cart or tuk-tuk. Their is one stop light which no one pays attention to and one paved road which runs from the “International” airport to the 1st roundabout in town, approx 10K. The airport hotel is the main “5” star and is found in an unattractive location across from the UN peace keeper’s camp.

On the positive side, I like the look of the country outside of the populated areas and I am reminded of places like Arizona, South Texas and New Mexico. The local people are extremely friendly and courteous. I do like the fact that the area has not been Americanized with KFC or McDonalds, but I have not seen 1 flush toilet so far.

Independent travel in this region is not recommended due to the warring factions, remote locations, disease and lack of any type of modern convenience.

Tom Daniels is a former Army Ranger and current International Civilian Contractor working in Africa and the Middle East. He spends his off times in Thailand Pubs telling drunken “I was there” story’s to impressed tourists

Food is the hardest thing to stay disciplined with when it comes to staying on budget. I battle with my stomach every day to pass up the chance to eat at a culturally rich-looking restaurant in order to maintain the bank balance I will need to continue my trip. The obvious choice is shopping for groceries at grocery stores or local markets, and cooking them in your vacation rental/apartment/hostel. Here are a few tips I’ve discovered through trial and error, to help stretch your grocery dollar/euro/yen/etc:

1. If the store offers membership, sign up before buying anything.

Too many times I have gone shopping at a grocery store without signing up for the membership first. Many chain grocery stores offer membership programs that allow you to purchase food at a discounted rate. There is almost always no charge for these cards, and missing their availability can cost you. All that is usually required is completion of a form with your mailing address (if you have none, make one up), phone number, and name. If you’re not sure (and such a program is not advertized within the store), ask an employee if there is any form of rewards program or club card, especially if you are going to be at your location for more than one night.

2. Sucking noodles sucks.

Ramen and spaghetti may be inexpensive and easy to prepare, but they, along with other starchy foods, will not provide you with enough sustenance to keep your energy up throughout the day. Instead, look for straight shots of protein that will get you back on your feet. Beef jerky, cold cut meats, cans of tuna, and thick lentil soups are all good options.

3. Be cheap where it counts.

If you’re in an extremely expensive area (such as tourist dense areas, the “downtown” of big cities, or isolated islands with shipping costs factored in), you may want to consider lowering your standard of eating for a few nights. Hot dogs, hamburger meat, and homemade tacos are all high-value for low-cost options. The quality/taste of these meats may not be the best, but all of these options can be spruced up and added to using inexpensive seasonings, often found for free in commonly-used hostels.

4. Seek out the specialty food of your location.

Not only will the traditional/native food of your location be high-quality and unique, it will also be cheaper (providing you get away from tourist-ridden areas). Look online or ask a local what the specialty “in season” food is during the time of year of your visit and seek it out at a local market or restaurants.

5. Buy one big and one small bottle of water.

At the local store or supermarket, buy the biggest bottle of water you think you can consume during your stay. Once you have found one, pick up a smaller bottle of water to use as your water bottle. Filling the small bottle up each day, or at points throughout the day, is many times more economical than purchasing small water bottles as you go along.

6. Look for the store with the local clientele.

You might need to walk/taxi a little bit further, but finding a grocery store or market that caters to the local clientele (versus the tourists) will often save you 30-50% on pricing. In developing nations, it can help tremendously to have a local friend or family member who speaks the language with you when you shop. They will often be able to negotiate the price down another 10% or more.

7. Street food is your friend.

Whether its a New York street fare, or a roadside barbeque in the Philippines: street food can’t be beat for its authenticity, affordability, and convenience. Think of it as a healthier, higher-quality fast food. Unfortunately for them, many tourist’s miss out on the opportunity to sample some great street food out of fear of unsanitary microagents getting into their bodies. You have little to worry about, however, as the act of cooking the food (particularly over an open flame) will kill almost any microbial criminals. Make sure to check if the meat is fully cooked before purchasing.

Depending on your dietary requirements, some of these tips may work better than others. As you go along, you will find the items that work for you well, and you can watch out for them in each new place you visit. Keep in mind, it is good to get out and sample the local food as well. Make sure to look for smaller, less tourist-oriented restaurants for truly affordable authentic flavor!

In late 2007, Christian David Holmes decided to quit his job, sell all of of his stuff, get a backpack, fill it with only the essentials, and travel.

Travel medical insurance is what you’ll need if you’ll be traveling around a lot. If you are going to become an expatriate and live overseas permanently, then you’ll need some type of permanent insurance.

In many countries, you’ll be able to receive medical services for just a little money, but you will still want to have an option to see the physician of your choice. If you are going into a developing country where the medical science might not be that great, then a medical insurance plan will airlift you to a better hospital in the event of an emergency.

The costs for travel medical insurance vary, but they aren’t as bad as you might think. Travel insurance can start around $700 for a year’s worth of protection. That’s not that expensive considering that it may save your life.

Your policy may be specific to the area you are traveling in. Be sure to do your homework with several different medical insurance agencies before you commit to a plan. Here are a few popular travel medical insurance agencies that can help you get started:

STA Travel – www.STATravel.com
Travel Guard – www.travelguard.com
Air Brokers International - http://www.airbrokers.com/
World Nomads Travel Insurance – http://www.worldnomads.com
Good Health – http://www.goodhealthworldwide.com

Another option instead of using traveler’s insurance is to become a member of the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers (IAMAT). As a member of IAMAT you’ll be guaranteed qualified medical assistance from an English-speaking doctor, at reduced rates. You can get more information at www.iamat.org.

If you are going to be staying in your foreign location permanently, or at least for most of the year, then you’ll need a different type of insurance. Many companies specialize in all inclusive insurance for world travelers. Clements (www.clements.com) for example, has a ProfessionalsAbroad program that can include property, automobile, personal liability and health insurance. For more information on their program.

~Staff Article

I just picked up a Sony VAIO VGN-UX280P UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC) from a buddy of mine that gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse. Well, he didn’t have to try that hard – if someone is selling a gadget around me I am sure to buy it.

The Sony VAIO VGN-UX280P is one of the smallest UMPC’s around, you can fit it in a case and wear it on your belt, or even shove it into the leg pocket of a pair of cargo pants.

An ultra portable PC like this could potentially be the ultimate “laptop” for Independent Travelers, it is only one pound and the size of four packs of playing cards 5.9 x 3.75 x 1.5 inches (WxHxD)

Some of the features (from Sony):

–4.5″ Touchscreen and mini Keyboard
The small screen is not as bad as you would expect, I didn’t have any problems navigating and reading. If something is too small you can zoom in and out by just pressing one button. The QWERTY keyboard is pretty easy to use but you probably couldn’t type just by feel. The touchscreen is cool but I haven’t really used it that much.

–Intel Core Solo Processor U1400, 1 GB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive
Not screaming fast but for the size it seems pretty fast, especially considering you are running a full version of Vista on a PDA sized gadget. 40 GB is more than enough room for most people. The internal components also have Sony’s G-Sensor shock protection that basically pads everything to prevent data loss or damage if you drop it or handle it roughly.

–Biometric fingerprint reader
I use this to lock the UMPC, secure certain private files (no, not porn) and store passwords.

–Tri-mode Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g), Bluetooth connectivity
Wi-Fi, not much more to say, good for airports and hotspots and Bluetooth is good for transferring stuff between the UMPC and your mobile phone.

–USB 2.0 port, headphone, microphone jacks and camera
I am going to use the USB for a portable hard drive (for movies and backups), and the camera might be good for sending video emails but I haven’t tested the quality yet.

–Memory Stick slot
I don’t like Sony’s memory stick format, this is my one complaint so far. Sony knows damn well that everyone uses SD cards.

–Microsoft Windows XP Professional
A real operating system!

Bringing a laptop with you wile you travel is pretty much unavoidable these days, but lugging around a full-sized laptop is a big pain and adds serous weight. So if this works out as a viable alternative to a full sized laptop it would be great. Heck, You can hardly go wrong with a laptop that fits on your belt so we are off to a good start.

I am going to test this wile I am traveling over the next two months and report on it in a series of articles from around the world. So stay tuned for more…

Next Stop, Dubai! - Really fast Wi-Fi in the airport there!

James Grey is a self proclaimed Professional Adventurer and Expat Bar Braggart. Raised in a small crappy town in Virginia USA, James decided to chuck it all in after watching Indiana Jones too many times and ventured out into the world to seek Fortune, Glory and Exotic Women. James has lived in Jakarta, Indonesia for 4 years and occasionally works in the Middle East