Paul Karl Lukacs has concluded his traveling sabbatical from the life of a Hollywood lawyer. He blogged from Thailand during the coup, reviewed a book from Jakarta and dropped in on North Korea.
He's back in Sherman Oaks and offering tips to the wanderlusty:

If a solo traveler is naturally gregarious and outgoing, he or she will make friends on the road. If a solo traveler is naturally solitary and introverted, he or she won’t and won’t care.

Both men and women should learn about the more popular teams and stars of English soccer (Man United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Rooney, Crouch). The ups and downs of the English Premier League and “England” are the lingua franca of Anglophone travelers, including many women. No, Americans, knowing that David Beckham is signed to a team in L.A. and is married to a Spice Girl does not qualify as “knowing something about football.”

For many people, the paradigmatic “one year off” is too long. Three months, six months or nine months is a better period of time, especially for a person’s first attempt at extended travel.

His whole what I learned post is at Knife Tricks.