About Marybeth, National Geographic Author, Writer

Curious Explorer. Award-winning author.

Gutsy Traveler: A woman, like travel expert Marybeth Bond, stands among purple flowers, raising her arms and smiling in front of a wooden building in bright sunlight.
Polar bear tracking and snorkeling with beluga whales in the northern Canadian Arctic.

Marybeth knows travel. She has hiked, biked, dived, danced and trekked across all seven continents – from the depths of the Flores Sea near Komodo Island to the summit of Kilimanjaro.

More recently, she tracked polar bears and snorkeled with beluga whales in the Canadian Arctic, then kayaked among icebergs in Antarctica.

Somewhere in between, four years of studying in Paris earned her two degrees – and a taste for good wine and strong cheeses.

Twelve books (three with National Geographic), countless travel articles, and numerous TV and radio appearances have built her devoted fanbase. She won the esteemed Lowell Thomas, Gold Award for the Best Travel Book of the Year from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation.

Woman on cliff in front of a monastery in Bhutan
Yesterday’s Video below. A decade or more later. Is Marybeth still GUTSY? Here in Bhutan.
Marybeth in Antarctica with penguins, snowy mountains, and water—just the kind of moment travel expert Marybeth Bond would capture in a travel video.
Kayaking and camping near penguins in Antarctica.

Yesterday….

Even the most experienced travelers need help packing and are constantly learning new travel tips.

luggage
Use an expandable suitcase for items you buy along the way.

Packing tips

Start to pack early. Don’t wait until the night before you leave.

My check list of what I’ve forgotten on past trips:

  • a power strip to plug in several electronic devices when there aren’t enough, conveniently located,  electrical outlets in a room of your itinerary in your luggage,
  • a bathing suit for hot tubs and jacuzzis,
  • cell phone, camera, laptop charger cords,
  • washcloth (many hotels overseas do not provide them),
  • large safety pin or clothespin to fully close hotel curtains, that, annoyingly, do not quite close in the middle,
  • a rubber door stopper for added security in hotel rooms,
  • duct tape for all sorts of repairs to broken or torn backpacks, purses, sandals, sunglasses or luggage,
  • empty Zip Lock bags for dirty laundry or a wet bathing suit,

To Do Before You Go

1. Call your credit card company

to add a “Travel Alert” to your account. So when the bank sees ATM debits and credit card charges from overseas they’ll accept them. Ask what your daily limit is for ATM withdrawals.

2. Call your cell phone carrier

and add the International Plan.  The charge can be pro-rated, so make a note to call and cancel it as soon as you get home. Most importantly, ask how much each minute will cost if you call from your destination to the USA. How much will text messages cost? If you plan to use SKYPE then turn off the phone (use Airplane Mode), or you’ll be charged minutes for every phone message and text sent to you.

Note: Travel to Canada is like traveling overseas: it is long distance to call from Canada to the USA and beware you may find surcharges on your credit card for “foreign currency exchanges.”

money

3. Go to the bank

and get lots of crisp, clean $1 bills to use for tips and shopping (when the vendor doesn’t have change). I take a couple hundred dollars in US currency, which I keep in my money belt or lock in my suitcase in my room, if a safe isn’t available

4. Make copies of your passport

and hide it in my luggage and leave copies of your credit cards with someone at home in case they are lost or stolen.

5. Make a list of medications

that you currently take. Write both the product name and the pharmaceutical name of the drug – in some countries your medicine may have a different name. Print out this document to stash in your luggage and also send a copy to your smartphone. If you have a medical emergency, doctors will need to know exactly what medication you are taking.

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Marybeth Bond