In the best-selling book and motion picture ‘Eat Pray Love,’ Elizabeth Gilbert spends an entire year on the road. She visits three different countries for four months each. How did she do it? Apart from having a book deal already in place to fund her journey, she also travelled smart and travelled slow, especially in her choice of lodging. From Italy to India and Indonesia, she chose longer-term apartment and lodge rental.

We believe that the different forms of local transport are unique qualities of a place that, when experienced, are a vital part of a local travel experience. To know a place is to get around it the way local people do: cramming yourself into a chicken bus in South America, throwing caution to the wind in a tuk-tuk in Southeast Asia or boarding a ferry in Africa. We’re sure you will find these rides to be a brilliant bonding experience with locals.

All around the world, horses are often the star athletes of best-loved sports that go way back in history, most tracing their roots to the ancient equine traditions and horsemanship originally practiced in Asia and the East. We’ve taken a look at some of the most fascinating horse sports in Asia – tournaments, games and traditions that helped define the local cultures of which they are still an integral part today.

Whether one agrees with local cultural norms or not, it is often advisable to abide by them: Following common customs – especially those pertaining to women – will not only make your trip safer, it will bring you far closer to a culture than an expensive camera or souvenir ever will.

There is much I could share about the delights and dangers of travelling with a baby (or two). There are countless lists I could write about what to bring, what not to, where to go, when to travel etc. But easily the single most important thing for me when travelling with my babies was something I couldn’t even leave behind: breastfeeding.