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….

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Last weekend I picked up great travel tips at the sold-out Womens Travel Fest. I had the honor to share the stage with  with Patricia Schultz,  author of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die,  Felicity Aston, the first and only woman in the world to ski across Antarctica alone and Paula Froelich, Editor-in-chief, Yahoo Travel.

I spoke about travel safety. Here are several of my tips. Click.

Here are ten other tips I picked up at the show.

  1. Medical advice from Dr. Natasha Bhuyan, at Banner Good Samaritan in Phoenix, AZ. Suggested a list of medication must-haves:
  • Get vaccinated depending on destination
  • Basic over-the-counter meds like Tylenol, Ibuprofen
  • Zofran for nausea
  • Scopolamine for motion sickness
  • Cipro for traveler’s diarrhea
  • Macrobid or Cipro for those prone to UTIs
  • Diflucan for those prone to yeast infections
  • Acetazolamide to prevent altitude sickness
  • Melatonin for jet lag
  • Plan B or Ella (the “morning after pills”)
  1.  Budget tips. Monday and Tuesday are the best days to book travel. The airlines post low fares on these days.
  2. How to afford a trip. Have “no spend days” and don’t even spend $1.00. It’s harder than cutting carbs but works to rack up the savings for a great trip.
  3. How to snag an airline deal. Sign up for airline newsletters, Twitter and Facebook feeds so you’ll be the first to hear about discounted fares.
  4. How to save on the road.
  • Try Airbnb. You can even do your laundry there.
  • Take public transportation.
  • Use hostels. They offer private rooms and lots of seasoned traveler company for advice.
  1. How to find cheap hotels with hostel rates. Check out generatorhostels.com/‎ with stylized, boutique décor. A new once just opened in Paris.
  2. What’s a great site to find hotel deals?com or the Hoteltonight app. https://www.hoteltonight.com/
  3. What are budget friendly destinations? Southeast Asia, Thailand, Mexico. Vietnam.
  4. How can you pay for your travel while on the road? com, www.housecarers.com Teach English and live with a family (in Italy www.acle.org)  www.helpx.net/  or www.workaway.info
  5. For your safety, never leave home without; a rubber door stopper (some hotels don’t have dead bolts, and the door to the adjoining room may not be secure).

 

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Marybeth Bond