Recommended Reading
- The Backpacker’s Field Manual, Revised and Updated: A Comprehensive Guide to Mastering Backcountry Skills by Rick Curtis
- An all in one background to hiking book. Trip planning, rating a trail, finding a route, trip preparation, and packing light.
- Backpacker Magazine
- US based backpacking magazine that features in depth trip reports, gear reviews, contests, photos, and much more.
- Globetrotter Dogma: 100 Canons for Escaping the Rat Race and Exploring the World by Bruce Northam.
- Tips, travel wisdom, and planning advice from an author who has circled the globe five times in the past twenty years.
- National Geographic Magazine (http://www.nationalgeographic.com)
- There’s no better place to learn about the rare and little seen places on Planet Earth than National Geographic. The best photos, well written features, scientific reports and much more.
- The National Outdoor Leadership School’s Wilderness Guide: The Classic Handbook, Revised and Updated by Mark Harvey
- Everything you need to know guide about leaving no footprints, surviving on your own, what to do in emergencies, what to wear, and how to navigate. An all in one survival guide.
- NOLS’s Wilderness First Aid Book by Todd Schimelpfenig, Linda Lindsey, and Joan Safford
- Comprehensive guide to diagnosing, treating, and transporting patients with 75 illustrations.
- The Practical Nomad: How to Travel Around the World by Edward Hasbrouck.
- Travel Guru Edward Hasbrouck teaches you how to travel around the world by explaining trip planning, location choices, and how to take the best independent adventure.
- Rough Guide to First Time Around the World by Doug Lansky
- Basic guide to planning your Round the World trip from finding cheap transportation, choosing your locations, and visa requirements.
- Vagabonding by Rolf Potts
- Inspiring how-to book by a well known travel writer on why and how to travel long term around the world. Tips to save money, ideas on trip planning and paces to go, what to expect, and how to determine if long term travel is right for you.
Useful Websites
General
- Matador Travel Network (http://www.matadortravel.com)
- Not only is Matador a social networking site where you can meet other travelers, but a resource for volunteering, a place to find travel jobs, writing assignments, contests, feature articles, and travel tips.
- Vagabonding (http://www.vagabonding.net)
- Author Rolf Potts’ website, an extension of his book Vagabonding, has practical advice for long term travelers, interviews with travel writers, and frequent blogs by a slew of writers.
- WWOOF (http://www.wwoof.org)
- WWOOF, which stands for Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, arranges light work and volunteering opportunities for members in exchange for light work. Great way to explore an area and find a place to stay without opening your wallet.
North America
- Slackpacker (http://www.slackpacker.com)
- Hiking and backpacking information geared toward the United States, although there are some features on international destinations, with trail maps by state, trip reports, and photographs.
Latin America
- South American Explorer’s Club (http://www.saexplorers.org)
- Excellent non-profit organization dedicated to promoting safe and eco-friendly travel in Latin America. Loads of resources from clubhouses around the continent, trip reports, a magazine, book exchanges, and online databases and forums.
- Click here for Top 10 Around the World Vacations - Overall