Looking for a volunteer experience with a difference? Take a look into Cloudhead.org if you're heading through Northern Argentina.

It's been some time since we've highlighted the best of the travel gear we are carrying. While there are thousands of new product releases each year, there's only so much stuff you can fit into a carry-on sized bag, so everything we carry is carefully considered in terms of both utility and weight. We cover: * Electronics * Clothing * Packs and bags * Equipment and other stuff * Things we don't carry We also have a new-look website at the same address: http://indietravelpodcast.com/ Please send in your feedback.

Paraguay travel advice from independent travellers who have just been. We cover visas, Ciudad del Este, Encarnacion, the Jesuit ruins and the capital of Paraguay, Asuncion. Our world fact book claims that Paraguay and Bolivia have a very similar GDP, but our experience of Paraguay was that it was much more affluent and faster-growing than its andean neighbour. There seems to be more indigent people living in Asuncion than the other cities we visited, and there are large areas of farmland that provide little more than sustenance living for its workers ... so maybe those stats are true. All in all, we felt very safe travelling in Paraguay, even when walking the streets in the late evening or on long bus trips. While we've heard reports of some scams, we encountered none at all. We never felt threatened, hassled or oversold because we were foreigners ... which was a nice contrast with our time in Bolivia. Paraguay's a great destination, with lots more to see. There are wonderful natural sites, an intriguing and accessible modern history, and is very well priced. I really don't know why more people don't visit, so plan to go soon before tourism really picks up.

We recently travelled from Buenos Aires, Argentina through Uruguay to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with Intrepid Travel. It was a fast and fun 17 days with lots of great stops along the way. In this podcast we break down the itinerary with our own comments and give the feedback we feel most important when considering this trip as part of the tour or independently. We visit: Argentina * Buenos Aires Uruguay * Colonia * Montevideo * An estancia * Salto Brazil * Foz Do Iguacu * Paraty * Ihla grande * Rio de Janeiro

We talk about some of the oldest -- and newest -- tricks in the book for travel scams, cons, and how you can safeguard against them. For more, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/travel-safety/travel-scams-cons/

Things to do in Kangaroo Island, South Australia ... Well know to many Aussies, this doesn't feature highly on international agendas ... perhaps because people don't know about it. For more (and photos!) visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/australia/things-to-do-kangaroo-island/

Uruguay is an excellent country to explore independently. The long-distance buses run frequently and are clean and comfortable, and there are lots of hotels and hostels to choose from throughout the country. That said, we recently travelled through on a tour and learnt a lot from that experience too. This travel podcast covers places to go in Uruguay was well as independent travel and intrepid tours through Uruguay.

What are the best ways to learn a language while you are travelling? What are the keys to success when learning a language? For more, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/ If you're learning a language to travel, your main goal will be communication … speaking! No matter how much you read or how many grammar activities you do, or how much vocabulary you understand … if you want to speak to people, you have to speak. We've been teaching English as a Second Language since 2003, and over the last two years have been learning Spanish. We've seen what works and what doesn't, and can recognise the same successes and failures in our own language learning. Here's the gist of what we've learned.

Trip planning for couples can be tricky, but we share everything you need to know to travel without fighting ... from dreaming to planning the trip. For more, see: http://indietravelpodcast.com/preparation/planning-couples-travel/ We talk about dreaming, creating a plan, and the four points to help you frame your next trip: 1. Time 2. Non-negociables. 3. Destinations. 4. Money

Best cities in Australia - Australia is a huge country, but most of the population and action are centred in its cities -- each with its distinct personality. We cover: Perth Adelaide Melbourne Sydney, and Brisbane For more, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/australia/best-cities-australia/ or http://indietravelpodcast.com/oceania/australia/