In the past, I’ve urged you to put your camera down at times during your travels. I’m going to piggyback off of that here and encourage you to not bring your entire arsenal of camera equipment to every corner of the world.

Just because you have four cameras, six lenses, two video recorders and special cases for each piece of equipment doesn’t mean that you need to give yourself a hernia before you even get to the airport. Sure, we all want to document our trips, but unless you have been commissioned to do so an a professional level, you can probably get by with a single camera (and it doesn’t even have to be that great).

As a chronic overpacker, I am probably being a bit of a hypocrite here. But I speak from experience when I say that lugging around extra weight makes any trip significantly less enjoyable. Prior to your departure, decide what camera equipment is most essential to accomplishing your goals. Then leave the rest at home. You don’t need a big lens to impress the ladies.

The Northeast is (once again) blanketed in snow. In New York City, this has been one of the snowier winters in recent memory. Not surprisingly, my Twitter feed has been littered with 140 character complaints about the cold, the snow and the slush. Why does winter get a bum rap? It doesn’t take that much effort to enjoy this season. Here are five ways to make the best of winter.

1. Go Outside
Experience your own hometown while it’s covered in snow and under gray skies. It’s easy to take beautiful pictures on lovely spring days. Try to find the wonder when things look their bleakest.

2. Head to the Mountains
Skiers and snowboarders love this weather. Don’t enjoy throwing yourself down a mountain? Try snowshoeing. It’s essentially winter hiking and it’s an amazing workout. Or, just take advantage of the après-ski scene with a few beverages and a dip in the hot tub.

3. Be Productive
Simply hate the cold and snow too much to go outside? Take advantage of that by being productive inside. Edit those summer trip photos that you’ve neglected. Read those guidebooks that you bought for your upcoming trips. Heck, book and plan some of those trips! If you’re going to stay inside and avoid winter, you might as well have something to show for it when the thaw arrives.

4. Cook
Nothing warms up a home like a hot oven (except for maybe a furnace or a fireplace). You know all of those foods that you’ve loved during your trips? Try to recreate those dishes in your own kitchen. No matter what the wind chill is, a bowl of homemade pho is sure to warm you up and remind you of that trip to Vietnam.

5. Enjoy Being Home
Summer will surely bring road trips, weekend getaways and more destination weddings than your bank account would care to discuss. Use winter to recharge your batteries and reacquaint yourself with your own bed. There’s nothing wrong with being home for a stretch. Your friends have probably missed you…and your homemade pho.

How do you get through winter? Share your snowy tips in the comments.

Some of the best meals I’ve ever had have been cooked in a truck. From amazing hot dogs in Stockholm (with mashed potatoes and shrimp salad), to jerk chicken on Governors Island to curried goat in Darwin, I’ve enjoyed some amazing food truck meals.

Have you enjoyed food prepared in the back of a truck? Share your food truck tales in the comments.

The way in which addresses are written differs from country to country. Some places simply use building numbers. Others reference whole blocks. If you think you can just look for numbers on doors, you may be in for a disorienting surprise. Before you hit the ground, be sure to learn how buildings are identified so that you can find that hidden ramen shop that you’ve heard so much about.

Photo taken in San Francisco.

Keep track of how much you spend on a trip by hanging onto receipts for cash purchases and paying close attention to your credit card bills. When you get back home, sort through everything with your tripmates, figure out how much everyone is owed and settle up. Do this within your first week back from your trip. The longer you wait, the fuzzier the memories become and suddenly you’re fighting over money. No trip should have its memories ruined because you can’t recall who paid for you ugly friend to get his first handjob.

Andrew Evans did it. Grant Martin picked one up. They both lived to tell their tales.

Have you stuck your thumb out? Have you picked up a weary traveler? Share your stories in the comments.

Photo from somewhere in southern Montana.

You lose the majority of your body heat through your head. By packing a hat, you’ll ensure that you stave off the effects of the wind and cold that awaits you outside. Whether it’s with a ball cap, knit cap or an art installation that looks like the NBA championship trophy, cover up your head.

We’ve all been talked out of souvenir purchases. “It’s too big to carry home.” “It’s way too expensive.” “What are you going to do with that once you get home?” Occasionally, it’s for the best that you didn’t pull the trigger on that impulse buy (such as when I almost very drunkenly got a tattoo of the Yebisu beer logo while in Osaka, Japan). But more often than not, you end up regretting not taking home that special item.

So, justify that purchase. Negotiate a better price with the shopkeeper. Take home whatever you damn well please. If I had it to do over again, I’d find the $385 needed to take home that sweet taxidermy tableau above. Sigh.

I don’t have kids, so I don’t really know how challenging it is to tote them around when you travel. That said, exposing kids to the world, allowing them to experience other cultures and showing them that there’s life outside of their sandbox can only be good for them. I believe the children are the future. Teach them well and let them lead the way.

Whenever possible, time your travels such that you don’t leave or arrive in cities during rush hour. You’ll lose all momentum (and sanity) when you’re sitting in a virtual parking lot on the highway. If you want to keep things moving, let the work-a-day folks do their business during the busiest times of day and attack the road in between the rushes.

Photo from Yellowstone National Park – May 2010.