Traveling Safely During Covid: Research, Planning and Managing Risk

Planning and Travel Tips During COVID-19

How can one travel safely during Covid? What Covid research and travel planning can you do manage risk while still having a fun vacation? What any additional travel safety measures should one take? How might choices as to where to go, activities, accommodation and transport change during the pandemic?

In this article we address all of this, focusing on the stuff and choices in our control with the goal to mind the health and safety of others, as well as yourself. These lessons apply not only to travel but also to daily life, during the pandemic and beyond. We touch on decision-making, logistics, managing risk, flexibility, adapting to new information, managing expectations, gratitude and satisfaction. Oh, and how it's still possible to have fun and enjoy yourself even in the midst of pandemic challenges, risks and uncertainties.

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Our Offbeat Travel List: 13 Destinations You Are Not Considering…But Should

Unusual Treks, Ethiopia

There is certainly no shortage of “Hot Travel Destinations” or “Best Places to Visit” lists circulating these days. However, we find that most of these lists include many of the usual or well-known travel destinations. So we offer our own version here with our favorite offbeat travel destinations from around the world.

This is an ever-growing list of unusual, lesser-known or unconventional destinations that might not be on your travel radar — but maybe should be.

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Protect Thy Passport: Safety Tips for Your Passport When Traveling Abroad

Passport Safety, Laminated Passport Copy

Oh, the places your passport can take you. That is, if you keep it safe and protected. Here are a few passport safety tips for your next trip abroad that go beyond just making a copy of your passport. This includes how to protect your passport, avoid passport scams and what steps you should take before you leave home in case your passport is stolen or you somehow lose it on the road.

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Stay Open, Stay Safe: 5 Unconventional Travel Safety Tips

For all our readers that ask around the question, “How do you balance safety and openness on the road?” A few thoughts.

The U.S. State Department Travel warnings are shaking the news once again. Apparently, many people are wondering whether to cancel their travel plans. We’re getting notes from family and friends asking us to be careful. And we’re currently in Berlin.

And while we could not finesse our way to safety if we happened to be right on top of the next terrorist attack, there are all those other times — whether we find ourselves at home or on the road — when a few safety approaches and techniques come in handy. Some are natural, but most are acquired and honed from our years on the road in places like Guatemala and Uzbekistan, Egypt and Myanmar. These approaches not only enable us to travel more safely, but they also give us the freedom to open ourselves up to more people and better experiences.

So when we’re asked, “Is there a way to stay open and stay safe?” the answer notwithstanding that there are absolutely no guarantees in life is yes.

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Travel Health Tips from 10+ Years Traveling the World

A travel health guide to the basic sicknesses and ailments that travelers often face on the road — diarrhea, malaria, altitude sickness, motion sickness, headaches, birth control, eggy burps, cuts, scrapes, green snot, blisters, and more. Plus how to research the travel vaccinations you need for your next trip and where to find other travel health resources.

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Capturing Humanity: 10 Tips for Great People Photos

Child Welfare and Photography

Do you pay for your photographs? Do you ask permission? Have you had any problems taking photographs of people on the street?

We field these sorts of questions often. Several readers also recently requested that we write a post about how we take our people portraits in street and market settings.

In response, we share ten tips for taking engaging photos of the humanity that colors our planet.

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