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Belize on a Budget Is Mostly About Boats and Tours
Belize can look inexpensive when a guide adds up a guesthouse, rice and beans, and a bus ticket. Then the trip reaches…
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Vietnam Is Affordable. Moving Too Fast Is Not.
Vietnam has earned a reputation as an inexpensive place to travel, which is true right up until you try to see the…
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Australia on a Budget Starts With the Map
Australia is not expensive because travelers have failed to discover the correct hostel. It is expensive because the country is enormous, distances…
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Si Phan Don: The Mekong at Walking Speed
The name “Four Thousand Islands” suggests a place that requires a spreadsheet. It does not. Si Phan Don is a broad stretch…
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Ten Days in Laos Without Racing the Map
The old version of this itinerary attempted Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang, Nong Khiaw, Muang Ngoi and the Plain of Jars in…
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Vang Vieng at River Speed
An inner tube is a poor vehicle for ambition. This is part of its appeal. The Nam Song River moves through Vang…
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The Road Through Ha Giang
Everything about Ha Giang makes you want to look away from the road. This is a terrible instinct. The loop runs through…
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Five Ways Into Vietnamese Food
Vietnamese food is often introduced as a neat list: pho, banh mi, spring rolls, coffee, repeat. It is an efficient way to…
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Hoi An Is Not the Venice of Anywhere
Calling Hoi An the “Venice of Southeast Asia” does neither place a favor. Yes, there is water. There are also lanterns, boats…
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Vietnam’s Beaches Are Not One Trip
Vietnam has more than three thousand kilometers of coastline, which makes a list of its “best beaches” about as useful as a…