By Lisa Xia On the road, things tend to follow Murphy’s law. When everything is on the upswing and things couldn’t be smoother, nothing ever seems to go wrong. On the flip side, it seems that when everything and anything can go wrong—it does. Traveling on a shoestring means that when things break down, there is less disposable budget to …

By Lisa Xia The idea of sharing travel to some far-flung destination with six of your closest friends seems to be a golden opportunity to amplify a great experience. If Christopher McCandless is indeed right that happiness is only real when shared, then sharing the love of exploration with a group of friends can be appealing. As anyone who has …

By Lisa Xia After an exhilarating day rafting the Rio Cangrejal—arguably the best white-water rafting in Honduras—we find ourselves at a small lodge in Pico Bonito National Park recovering at the bar. “Do you want to try something local?” the bartender asks. “Of course, “ I say, and I quickly find myself face-to-face to this concoction: Garifuna Giffity, homemade blend …

By Lisa Xia My simple view on mini-vacations is that you should take them. Simple. As I write this, I am, in fact, taking one tomorrow—72 glorious hours with my best friend hiking through Antelope Canyon, skydiving over Lake Powell with a little camping and whiskey thrown into the mix. Yes, in exactly 1439 air miles tomorrow, my mind (and …

by: Lisa Xia “Things are so expensive now….” My friends’ voices trail off. And, unfortunately, they are not wholly wrong. Gone are the days where you could pay $280 for a round-trip flight to Costa Rica (I did in 2009) or fly anything other than Spirit to Colombia for less than $500.” Yes, if you were smart from 2008-2011, you …

Lisa Xia has a career in corporate social responsibility and sustainability and has traversed more than 40 countries (and counting). In this series, she will address, pre-travel considerations; getting more time; planning tips and tricks; how to stretch a budget; and any other burning questions from readers about how she’s done it successfully, and how you can too. Ask any …