You will likely come across many different animals along your travel trail. Among others, I’ve seen monkeys bite and dogs nip. All were avoidable, but once in a while someone wants to show-off or maybe just had one to many drinks and found a dog simply irresistible, that would otherwise seem completely mange and disgusting. Keep away from fleas, ticks and injury by keeping your distance.
Tag Archives: travel
Keep your passwords and credit card info safe from Internet Cafes
I started doing some research on this subject because a travel friend of mine is currently dealing with credit card fraud in Panama. Internet cafes may have software that records your keystrokes as you type. In this way, when the “keylogger” sees 16 digits in a row, it knows its is likely to be a credit card number, or possibly a password if you type your password multiple times while online.
One way to combat this is to open another internet window. Then, when you are halfway through writing your credit card number or password, type some random numbers or charictures in the additional window before completeing your password.
Taking Risks on the Road
I am currently in Panama, but was reflecting on my time in South East Asia last year, where I experienced many friends and fellow travelers fall victim to accidents including motorbike and water activities. We all travel to experience new things, often pushing the limits of our own personal comfort zone by taking it a step too far. Know your limits and don’t let the excitement of travel take you over the edge. If you haven’t been on a Motorbike before, its best not to rent one out in the hectic streets of Hanoi, Vietnam. If you haven’t surfed before, don’t rent a surfboard and hit the big waves on your first day in Panama. These may seem obvious, but unfortunately i have seen both of these circumstances play out several times over. If it’s not your own urges, it could be from the pure pressure of you travel mate(s). I’m guilty of taking things too far on many occasions, but I’ve been lucky enough to come away unscathed. It’s interesting how our minds change and transform while we travel, but its essential to keep your urges in order.
Travel on an Ocean Freighter
Ranging between $65 and $130 USD per day, per person, traveling on a cargo freighter is a unique means of travel that not many people get to experience. At freightercruises.com you can look up the different routes of the cargo freighters to see what works for you. They typically do round trip tickets, but offer one-way trips or “segments” as well.
Dealing with the Travel Jitters
For my trip to South East Asia, I went though the Travel Jitters for about six months. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to travel anymore, but I didn’t want to make the wrong choice in leaving my life behind. It had a lot to do with what was going on in my personal or work life day to day. But, over time, I knew if I didn’t get on that plane, I would look in the mirror some day and see that my own fear of the unknown defeated me. I spoke to countless people from generations above me and the resounding answer was they wished they had traveled more when they were young, or they absolutely loved their time traveling and wouldn’t give up the memories or friendships they created along the way for anything.
Overanalyzing the details is completely normal. Typically analyzing all the things that could go wrong, and assuming you will eventually wish you hadn’t left your life at home. I have yet to meet someone in any age group who regrets traveling for an extended period of time. I will not say it’s always easy, as traveling has its hardships, but I assure you that it’s not only the path to foreign discovery, but to self. The best way to find out who you are is to get out of your familiar space and explore. At home it is much more difficult to find the same stimulation that will automatically bombard you while traveling in the way of smells, sights, sounds, history, architecture and lifestyle. With all these senses firing, you will gain a much broader outlook of the world and, as a result, yourself.
Knowing who you are will allow you to choose a path that will ultimately make you a happier person. Maybe you will realize leaving you past job is what you want to do for the rest of your life after traveling for a while. Maybe you’ll leave that job and be completely disgusted by the thought of it. What’s important is that you questioned it and traveling has given you a clear view on life and the confidence in knowing who you truly are.
As Confucius said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” That first step is deciding to travel. Once that step is taken, the hardest part is over…I promise.
How to Haggle Overseas
Haggling is still a way of life in many counties around the world. If you are new the to concept outside of purchasing a car or going to the local swap-meet and want to be prepared for the lively and sometimes overwhelming wild west of open markets you will confront abroad, have a look at the tips below.
1. Don’t get visibly excited. When you find something you like, get a solid poker face on and be ready to bluff your way to a good price. If your face lights up and give off the “Oh my god this is perfect” vibe, you will likely get an even higher markup from the vendor, as they know you really want the item.
2. Decide how much its worth to you. How much are you willing to spend on the item? If you don’t set a limit in your mind, the item may remind you of the high price you paid as opposed to the cultural memento it should remind you of.
3. Allow the vendor to give you a price. I typically cut that price by 1/3 to 1/2 of the asking price and work my way up from there. This cannot be a set rule as all counties and vendors are different. It typically depends on how much im willing to spend.
4. If you are not happy with the price, feel free to start walking away. Often, they will bring the price down further. If not, you may have brought them down as low as they’ll go. There is no shame in walking right back to the vendor to make your purchase. The vendor has their tactics and we have ours.
More often than not, there is another store or market vendor near the one you are at which is selling a similar or the same item you are bargaining for. If you cant get the price you want, take a second to look around and compare prices. Its one of the greatest powers you have over the vendors.
Haggling is not about being a hard ass. It works for some, but I don’t recommend it. You are going to want to do haggle with a smile and try to connect with the vendor. This should be a fun experience. Maybe even learn how to say clever statements like, “you’re breaking my heart” in the native language. The vendor will likely get a kick out of it and laugh. If the vendor likes you, they will give you a better price than the person who says something like, “F%&$ that, ill give you $6”. The vendor would rather have fun at work, just like you when you’re at work. You don’t necessarily have to try to be their buddy, but try to be nice.
Also, if you are serious about your markets and want to make sure you are able to get the best price, leave the nice watch (which you shouldnt bring traveling with anyway) and designer clothes behind. If you reek of the big bucks, that’s what you’ll end up paying.
Choose your Travel Guide Book
Over the past two decades, the popularity of guidebooks has grown rapidly. There is likely to be several guidebooks to choose from no matter where you travel. Typically, popular guidebooks like Lonely Planet, Lets Go! and Rough Guides cover an overview of the history and statistics of the city or town your visiting, followed by suggestions for accommodations, restaurants, activities and transportation. The only way you will be able to find the right guidebook is to have a look for yourself. I suggest going to your local book store to check the formats of each and browse amazon.com for online reviews. The following points should be considered:
- How current is the book? Is it the most current addition? The accuracy of guidebooks begin to fade before their even printed, so you don’t want an old book which could have outdated addresses and contact information.
- Are you looking for more information about the history of a location, or the most popular bar to meet fellow backpackers? What does the writer emphasize?
- Look at the maps given in the guide. Are they detailed?
- If you choose the popular Lonely Planet as your guide, you can expect to see high demand for accommodations suggested in the book. Know that many other travelers will be reading exactly what you read, and as a result, competing for the same beds. During high season, consider contacting popular accommodations before arrival.
- If you’re visiting a few countries in a region, consider buying a guide which covers multiple countries. As I write this I am in Cambodia, but I have been carrying the same lonely planet guide that covered other destinations i have visited on this trip including Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar. The book also covers Indonesia, which I wont be visiting, but it was worth not having to carry several book or purchasing one for each country. Consider cutting out the pages of the countries you wont be visiting.
- If you plan to carry a book for each country, buy one for your first stop and trade guide books with someone as you leave for your next country.
Once in a while, put your guidebook away and find something off the guides trail. Guidebooks are a great tool for reading about culture, history, language and suggestions, but its important to branch out from time to time if you find yourself sticking to a guidebook.
Online Diagnosis – How to determine an illness if no doctor’s available
If you are away from a doctor and want to figure out what illness you have, you need to check out WebMD Symptom Checker for a free online diagnosis. I have used this website at home and on the road and its been a great aid to me. In fact, I was in Myanmar two weeks ago and used it, which is the reason I’m writing a blog about keeping healthy this week. Its a great site, which allows you to first choose your age and sex. Then, choose a section of the body and your symptoms. It will then give you the possible conditions you may have and the likelihood of which illness you have come down with.
Vaccinations for travel abroad
Depending on the region you will be traveling, you should prepare your body to face the foreign diseases you have no natural immunity. Some vaccines and immunizations can be expensive, as many are not covered by insurance. But, if you come down with Yellow Fever, you’re going to wish you had splurged for the treatment.
On one of my first trips, I decided to visit my doctor the days before I left. Bad idea. I was able to get my Malaria pills squared away, but they didn’t have Typhoid available. I left on my trip and ended up being fine, but my doctor was able to scare me enough to make sure that the next time I took off on a trip, I would come to the office six weeks before departure.
Your doctor should know about all the vaccines needed for each country, but its always best to check with the CDC (Center for Disease Control) or Netdoctor before hand. Its a good to have and idea of what treatments you need, so you have time to make sure you in fact did get that Tetanus or Hepatitis booster shot you think you had 5 years ago BEFORE the doctor asks you. Some of the most common medical issues that may come up in discussion with your doctor are:
Yellow fever
Malaria
Hepatitis
Diphtheria
Tetanus
Polio
Typhoid
Cholera
Meningitis
Rabies
Encephalitis
You will also want to make sure you get the appropriate proof of immunization from your doctor. Some countries require proof of immunization, so discuss the requirements with your doctor during your consultation. One example is Yellow Fever, which is a vaccine required to enter some countries in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical South America.
The CDC website and NetDoctor.com allow you to click on the particular country you will be visiting on their websites world map and it will kick back information on what vaccines they recommend and other tips for staying healthy in the country selected. Here are the Links for each:
Center for Disease Control
NetDoctor
Creating a backpackers travel budget
Your budget will depend on the region you choose to travel. Traveling to South East Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe or South or Central America is going to be much cheaper than Australia, Western Europe, New Zealand or North America.
There are four basic aspects to a travel budget:
- Transportation
- Accommodations
- Activities
- Food
Transportation is the necessary evil that can be controlled to some degree. You can travel with the locals on public buses or in economy class trains. Besides the initial flight to your destination, which is typically one of the first items to go into your budget, you can decide not fly if there’s the ability to travel by slower means. Also, transportation adds up no matter what country you’re in. The more you move around, the more expensive it gets. You will be able to save yourself a lot of money if you stay in one place for an extended period of time.
Accommodations can give you a good estimate on how much you will be spending in a town or city. I can typically estimate how expensive a destination is by the cost of their hostels or budget guesthouses. I usually assume if my budget accommodations are $4 US per night, I will be spending an additional $8 each day. If its $15 per night, I should expect to spend an additional $30 that day in food, activities, and transportation around town, Simply double the cost of my accommodations. It specifically depends on how you prefer to travel. I personally look for the cheapest option in town. These hostels and guesthouses are typically not for people who need a strip of paper over the toilet, while they convince themselves they are still the first person to sit there. More often than not, its got a friendly group of international travelers whose budget reflects mine. This is also a benefit when you start making friends in a hostel and decide to go out for food, activities, and onward travel. Activities and onward travel will often cost less if you link up with fellow travelers. For example a cab ride or a shared room in a guesthouse will cost less if divided among friends.
Food is on of my favorite subjects while abroad. I love heading into open markets and searching out new things to try. In fact I was able to do this today in Mandalay, Myanmar/Burma. If you can find an open market or street food is typically the most economical way to eat. You’re also able to immerse yourself in cultural foods, which you may miss if confine yourself the touristy restaurants which are typically overpriced. Obviously, markets aren’t everywhere, so look for restaurants where the locals are eating. Typically shows the food is well priced and prepared safely. I realize that street food and markets can cause some interesting bowel movements, but in the end when i return home I always De-worm myself. But, i would suggest that to anyone who has traveled to 3rd world countries upon their arrival home whether they eat from street vendors or not. Also, drinking alcohol can severely deplete your budget. In some typically inexpensive countries, a beer will be expensive in comparison to food and accommodation.
Activities are the most manageable part of your budget. You either choose to do the activity or you don’t. If i plan to do an expensive activity such as a 3 day elephant tour home-stay, skydiving, or scuba certification you will likely want to balance the cost with a few days of being more thrifty.
There are several ways to look at a personal budget and whats discussed above is what works well for me, but possibly not for everyone. If it looks like it will work for you, make it your own and tweak it along the way, as your budget has the ability to make or break a trip of a lifetime.
Travel by Backpack - Steps to prepare for travel from someone who's done it 