A cool tool can be any book, gadget, software, video, map, hardware, material, or website that is tried and true. All reviews on this site are written by readers who have actually used the tool and others like it. Items can be either old or new as long as they are wonderful. We post things we like and ignore the rest. Suggestions for tools much better than what is recommended here are always wanted.
Tell us what you love.Ever since ExOfficio went into decline after a buyout (they only sell underwear now), it has been more difficult to find tough travel clothing meant for adventurers. That was partly because UK apparel company Craghoppers pulled out of the U.S. market for a while. I’m happy to say they’re back in action at CraghoppersUSA.com and I’ve been trying out some of their “guaranteed for life” rugged shirts and pants, many items treated with Insect Shield to keep the bugs at bay. They also make treated skorts, leggings, and other items for women too. See my rundown here and get 15% off if you click from there or directly here with code TL15.
Via partner Kevin Kelly (and of Recomendo), we’re getting reports of people finding crazy low flight prices to Japan on budget airline ZipAir. (They’re so cheap the domain is zipair.net—couldn’t afford the .com!) Kevin says one friend got a $300 round trip from the USA West Coast to Japan and another found a round-trip deal for $276. Lie-flat business class flights can be as low as $1,408 from Los Angeles to Tokyo if you pull up the next few months of dates. The website looks like a Coding 101 school project and the contact info is limited though, so be sure to have travel insurance in place. And expect to pay add-on fees.
I often highlight tips for keeping transaction fees to a minimum while traveling, but I’ll be the first to admit that USA citizens have a lot more options than those in most other countries. My blogging buddy Bri Mitchell covered the best steps for Canadians though in her Substack newsletter The Weekly Traveler. Get the scoop here on what she advises for travelers from Canada in terms of debit and credit cards on the road.
Chiang Mai has been the top digital nomad destination in Southeast Asia for about as long as people have been working remotely from a laptop. Bali was a close second, with Canggu especially getting plenty of transplants. James Clark of Nomadic Notes knows the scene in the region better than anyone though and his recent travels have convinced him that Da Nang in Vietnam is now the champ. Getting my attention: “part of the 27 km coastline that goes all the way to Hoi An” and “beer is somehow cheaper than a coconut.”
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