Outdoor Stories: Spotlight On A Backpacking Wilderness Guide

As Insider's travel reporter in Singapore, I've backpacked in four countries across Asia and have stayed in a dozen hostels.

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Whether you’re going on a trekking trip or visiting a mountain town, casual attire is becoming increasingly popular and stylish—which is a godsend for frequent travelers. The comfortable fabrics and easy-to wash-materials are perfect for those constantly on the move.

Tipping for services is a tricky part of traveling—and one that could cost you undue money (or some awkward encounters) if you don’t do your research. But it’s now easier than ever to find out how to tip in your next destination. One guide to tipping even lays it all out in one interactive map; bookmark it for those moments when you’re wondering how much to leave.

Choosing a destination is the first of many vacation decisions, and those who choose to visit Bonaire will no doubt want a hotel that matches the Dutch-Caribbean island’s quirky, colorful, relaxing, and nature-centric vibe. Among the many Bonaire resorts in and around the capital of Kralendijk, the Courtyard Marriott Dive Resort Bonaire became the island’s first American property on the island in 2016.

Fishing trips to Canada are a tradition for Jeffrey Hardy and his three friends from Vermont. They have, since 2001, been anglers loyal to Quebec’s northern wilderness, where the walleye are plentiful and the cellphone service is not.

In Willemstad, the capital city on the island of Curaçao, the waterfront is dotted with buildings the color of tropical fruit: mango orange, banana yellow, kiwi green. Paired with the bright blue water in nearby bays, it’s almost a full kaleidoscope of color. Originally, the structures were limestone white, but an 1817 law forbade white facades on buildings to protect islanders’ eyesight from the bright reflections of the Caribbean sun – but locals joke that it was a money-making bid on behalf of the island’s only paint supplier.

Most people think traveling from the US to Europe means crossing the Atlantic Ocean, usually on a six-plus-hour flight. However, there’s a whole other part of Europe smack in the middle of the ocean that melds the green, rocky hillsides of the UK with the Mediterranean vibes and culture of Portugal.

Train travel in the United States may not be as common or practical as in other parts of the world, but that does not mean it’s nonexistent — far from it. There are high-speed trains operating on the coast of Florida; there are Amtrak trains that will take you through some of the nation’s most beautiful national parks; there is a train in Colorado that runs at the bottom of a 1,200-foot-deep gorge and one that goes through California’s most celebrated wine region; and there are trains in Alaska that will take you for the ride of a lifetime through the most spectacular scenery — in glass-ceiling cars, no less!

A guide in China's Yunnan province caused a heated online debate about tourist etiquette when she yelled at a passenger on her tour for sleeping on the bus.

A few hours’ drive from New York City (and just one hour from Washington DC), you’ll find Baltimore. Once viewed as a gritty seaport with a reputation for crime – a perspective reinforced by TV shows such asThe Wire – this Maryland city is now home to scores of millennials, magnetised by a lower cost of living and a quirky vibe.

With striking landscapes, large stretches of lovely coastline, intriguing cities and excellent food, it’s no wonder the number of tourists in Vietnam has more than doubled in the last decade or so.