Mike Barish Writer. Funny guy. Knower of things.

Breakfast is good. Burritos are good. Combined the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Kind of like Voltron.

With which hand should you hold your tea? Is slurping OK? Should you avoid using your left hand? Before you head to an exotic locale, take a few minutes to research local customs and etiquette with regard to table manners. The last thing you want to do is offend someone by shedding in their paella.

Even if you’re a health nut who would never eat something from a vending machine in the States, you should have fun with the myriad products that can be mechanically delivered to you overseas. From interesting beverages to hot foods, vending machines are there for you late at night when shops are closed, when you’re [...]

There are nail clippings everywhere. There are tiny hairs on everything. It’s all covered in a layer of semen. Trust me, I reviewed the Dirtiest Hotel in America. Wash your hands often, wear slippers or sandals when you walk around your room and resist the urge to lick the TV remote.

Before you depart for your adventure, be sure to pack clothes that are appropriate for your destination. Going to places of worship? Men should wear long pants. Women should have skirts that go well below the knees and keep their shoulders covered. Take your shoes off before entering homes in Asian countries. Basically, don’t stick [...]

Music helps pass the time. Music helps make the moment. Music helps you ignore someone else’s snoring. Before you hit the road, pack your iPod full of good music that can adapt to your moods and itinerary. I put together a playlist for Gadling’s Travel Tunes series. Sure would be neat if you checked it [...]

Without fail. your trip will not go perfectly. A hotel will lose your reservation. The museum you want to see will be closed for renovations. You won’t find that “perfect” paella. Rather than wallowing in self-pity and complaining about those “failures,” mange your expectations, expect a few things to go wrong and make the best [...]

People are connected more than ever before. Between Twitter, Facebook, foursquare, Flickr and all of the other social networking sites out there, you no longer need to leave your house to interact with friends and strangers (looking at you, Chatroulette). Social networking sites are also becoming key tools for travelers as they both plan and [...]

Currency. Weights. Distances. You’re going to be doing a lot of math on the road. Speed limits may be posted in km/h. How many dollars did that 14 dinar dinner cost? You bought how many kilos of peanuts? Probably too many. Take note of conversion rates. Bring a calculator with you. Perhaps pack one of [...]

It’s easy to take planes, trains and automobiles. It’s also likely that you’ll get stuck with a large population of nimrods, morons and downright smelly people when doing so. That’s because they are the common forms of transportation. For a true adventure, utilize some of the less trafficked (pun alert) means of people-moving. Perhaps a [...]