Crossing the Arctic Circle, Private Saunas, and Chasing Northern Lights in Finland
So finally I’m backpacking in Europe. The rest of the world has been good to me, but now it’s time to visit my own back yard, and Finland is up first. I made it to Helsinki, partied for Vappu there [...]Read More..
Motivational Monday: How Many Hits Do You Need to Make Money from Your Blog?
Everyday you hear about some new blogger cashing in on their website, press trips around the world, free flatscreen tvs or a new pair of shoes sent to their house. How do they do it? How can I do it? [...]Read More..
Backpacking in Mongolia; What to See in Ulaan Bataar
My first proper stop of my Trans Siberian trip was Mongolia. After a 30 hour train from Beijing to Mongolia’s Capital Ulaan Bataar, I arrived around 8am and went straight to my hostel. I only had a day and a [...]
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Going on Safari in Mongolia
I’m currently in Ulaan Bataar, Mongolia and I’ve just got back from one of the most amazing trips I’ve ever been on. I went for 3 days into the mini-Gobi desert, to Gengis Khan’s former Capital Kharakhorum, I went horse [...]Read More..
Witnessing a Shaman getting possessed by two spirits in Mongolia
On my second night in the mini-Gobi desert I slept in a ger with a local nomadic family. There was a full moon in the sky, and a full blown dust storm was brewing. I finished watching the blood-red sunset [...]Read More..
What’s the difference between a hard sleeper and a soft sleeper on Chinese trains?
With my 21 hour train journey from Yichang in Hunan Province to Beijing finally over (all 1500km of it) I thought I’d cast a little light on how the class system of the Chinese trains work. Basically there are 4 [...]Read More..
Seeing The Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an, China
Xian is only 12 hours by train from Beijing and with the famous UNESCO Terracotta army being found there, just jump on a night sleeper train and you’ll be there in the morning. Xi’an is a really cool city, one [...]Read More..
How much does it cost to travel in China?
This is my 5th time in China and once again I’m loving every second. Hopefully you guys are seeing another side to this massive country, different to the one the western media try to propagate (big factories, communist government, stifled [...]Read More..
I’m A Self-Confessed Flash Packer! 5 Pieces of Tech I travel With…
As I write article after article on my laptop, and snap away with my SLR camera it dawned on me that over the years of backpacking around the world I’ve slowly developed into a fully=fledged flashpacker. If you’re not familiar [...]Read More..
Zhangjiajie National Park – The Inspiration behind Avatar’s floating Mountains
Feet throbbing, calves burning and hamstrings tighter than ever before but very, very satisfied with a great day backpacking. Today, and yesterday for that matter, I walked about 10km around Zhangjiajie National Park in Hunan Province, China. It’s my 3rd [...]Read More..
Yangshou, China – the most beautiful place I’ve ever been?
I’m currently sitting in an awesome hostel, at the foot of a 200 foot karst mountain, on the shore Li Jang river awestruck by the scenery in front of me. Yangshou is a small town next to Guilin in Guang [...]Read More..
Holding a panda in Chengdu
After telling you guys about how awesome Chengdu is, and the great trips you can take from here to Leshan with the biggest Buddha in the world and Jiuzhaigou and its UNESCO National park, it’s time to shed a little [...]Read More..
Things to See in Ranong, Thailand
I was off to find a true island paradise in Koh Phayam and on the way there I stopped off in Ranong to recover from the night bus journey from Bangkok. The boat to Koh Phayam leaves from Ranong so [...]Read More..
Where did all the travelers go?
Being semi-based in Bangkok and often taking trips around South East Asia I’m well aware of the backpacking crowd in the region. the more trips I take around here, the more I feel inclined to stay in Bangkok and forget [...]Read More..
Koh Phayam – Thailand’s Best Kept Secret Island
I’ll take your Koh Samuis, Koh Changs and Koh Phangans and raise you my perfect Koh Phayam, an island on Thailand’s Andaman coast that the tourist boom seemed to bypass, and it’s all the better for it. I just [...]Read More..
Should I go Traveling Alone?
Waking up in the morning not knowing where your next destination will be, making new friends from all corners of the globe, finding romance on some foreign shores – there’s nothing better than hitting the road but doing it alone [...]Read More..
Spending Christmas Overseas – it’s tough but it’s my choice
2012 is just around the corner, and it’s Christmas again, this year I’m sitting in Kuala Lumpur airport waiting for my flight to South Korea. Thanks to the lifestyle I’ve chosen to live I’ve only spent one Christmas at home [...]Read More..
How to Visit Uluru & Should You Climb it?
Uluru (Ayer’s Rock) is one of the main draws of any backpacking stint in Australia. However, you have to earn your stripes with this one as it’s in the middle of bloody nowhere. Although everyone visiting Oz seemingly wants to [...]Read More..
Tubing in Vang Vieng, Laos
South East Asia is a backpacking hub, no doubt about it. Booze flows, full-moon parties rave and sometimes, just sometimes, you get to float down the Mekong river in an inner tube, getting pulled into wooden shacks as you go [...]Read More..
Backpacking in Sri Lanka – Colombo
Sri Lanka is a great way to escape the madness of India during your sub-continent backpacking trip, although it can still be pretty manic itself. It’s a slightly cleaner, less chaotic version of it’s Indian big brother but it still [...]Read More..
Backpacking in Kanchanaburi
So I finally made it to Kanchanaburi, and what a place it is. It’s about 2 hours from Bangkok and has become quite a traveler hangout. Laid back atmosphere, plenty of stuff to see and do, dirt cheap accommodation and [...]Read More..
Backpacking in Pai, Northern Thailand’s travelers retreat
I’ve just spent the last few days in Pai, Northern Thailand. A place I’ve never been to before despite living 100km away in Chiang Mai for over a year, criminal I know. Anyway, I had clearly been missing out – [...]Read More..
10 Reasons Why You Should Never Travel
You’ve thought about it, hitting the road for an indefinite amount of time, ‘living the dream’, you want people to live vicariously through you for a change – but you’re scared, is it the right thing to do? It’s a [...]Read More..
Fear of Commitment or Travel – the Chicken or the Egg?
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? This has been on my mind a lot recently, the cause and effect theory of commitment fears and (long term) travel. I’ve just taken a lease out on a condo on Bangkok [...]Read More..
A Quick Guide to Backpacking in Paris
Paris oozes culture, sophistication and style which is why it is so often the highlight of a trip around Europe. With so many monuments, museums and old architecture to feast your eyes on, you’ll find it difficult to leave (until [...]Read More..
A Quick Guide to the Australian States
One look at a map and you’ll see that Australia is massive Flying from Sydney at one side to Perth at the other side takes a full 5 hours. When I lived in Sydney last year I visited Cairns, Darwin, [...]Read More..
Malaria – What Drug You Should Take to Prevent It!
I think it’s fair to say that nobody wants to die on their travels around the world. Death avoidance 101 begins with preventing malaria. Having spent the best part of a year in Africa during 2010 and a good few [...]Read More..
10 Cheap Things To See and Do in Tokyo
Fly to New York, Bangkok, Cairo, Paris and, sure you’ll see some amazing sights and see some awesome cultures, but deep down you know you’re in the conveyor belt of travelers, fly to Tokyo and you’ll feel like you’re really [...]Read More..
Traveling rules of thumb / tricks of the trade
When we travel we learn things from country to country, tricks of the trade so to speak so I thought I’d share a few that I have managed to pick up along the way: 1) You cross a border and [...]Read More..
Is travel harmful to my career prospects?
People often email me and share their concerns about going traveling, which is entirely understandable – I did exactly the same thing before I set off in 2006. A common concern from Generation ‘Y’ers, whether directly out of school/university or [...]Read More..
Climbing Mount Kinabalu in Borneo
At 4,095 (13,435ft) Mount Kinabalu is the tallest mountain in Borneo (20th tallest in the world) and to normal backpackers and travelers alike, takes around 2 days to summit and descend. After conquering the mountain, prepare to have your ego [...]Read More..
The Night My Friend Sh*t On His Passport
Your passport is your most valuable item when you travel which sort of explains this story, although not in a manner in which you would expect…. Read on for an unbelievable story about a lost passport, a pile of poo [...]Read More..
What is Lifestyle Design?
I remember growing up and people saying to me that your school days are the best days of your life so make the most of them. This scared me. Then, at university, even more people told me that your university [...]Read More..
Backpacking in Turkey
Europe’s gateway to the Middle East or the Middle East’s gateway to Europe, whichever way you look at this fascinating country it’s a sight to behold. Western Turkey has a distinct Balkan flavour and as you move further east you’ll [...]Read More..
Getting from Bangkok Airport To Khao San Road (or the city centre)
Bangkok’s main airport, Suvarnabhumi Airport, is located around 30km from Bangkok city. If you’re flying into Bangkok from pretty much anywhere, this is the airport you’ll fly into. I’m in and out of this place every month so I thought [...]Read More..
Taking a political tour in Belfast, Northern Ireland
Belfast, the Capital of Northern Ireland, is a city with a distinctly checkered past, a past that belies the laid back, welcoming nature of the people who live there. One of the most poignant, fascinating and eye-opening things to do [...]Read More..
Should You Bring a Laptop When You Travel?
To laptop or not to laptop huh?! A tricky question indeed. This is an issue close to my heart, one that thought long and hard about before first hitting the road. Lets look at some of the pros and cons [...]Read More..
Is Long-Term Travel Selfish?
As I sit in the airport waiting for yet another jaunt to Asia I got to thinking about the ethics behind long-term travel and lifestyle design in general. I’ve been on the go pretty much since summer 2006 and since [...]Read More..
Choosing the Right Backpack
Choosing the right backpack is absolutely essential to any successful traveling experience, but with the market being flooded with so many sub-par, generic rucksacks it difficult to know what to choose! How many litres should your backpack be? Is the [...]Read More..
Pretending to be a boyband in Vegas
If it’s true that “all’s well that ends well” then the following little white lie can be more than excused! Ok, the title sums it up but this story leads to a stint of medical research and marriage! So… I [...]Read More..
Trekking to Mount Everest Base Camp – Nepal
50% less oxygen than you’re used to, freezing temperatures, no showers for a week, blisters bursting through your socks and one of the best experiences of your life – that is Mount Everest Base Camp Trek in a nutshell. At [...]Read More..
Cage Diving With Great White Sharks in South Africa
South Africa has a lot to offer backpackers and a few weeks gallivanting across Africa’s wealthiest nation wouldn’t be complete without coming face to face with nature’s oldest killing machine – the Great White Shark. How much does it cost [...]Read More..
Trekking with Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda & Uganda
For any keen backpacker, the first question is presumably “How much does it cost to see the mountain gorillas in Rwanda?”. Rumours of crazy expenses are unfortunately pretty accurate – to trek with the Mountain Gorillas in either Rwanda or [...]Read More..
How Much Does it Cost to Go From Cape Town to Cairo?
Cape Town to Cairo may be a classic backpacking route but what a trip it is! From snorkeling in the azure blues of the Indian ocean, the white beaches of Zanzibar, wildlife galore in the Serengetti, standing on a glacier [...]Read More..
A Backpackers Guide to Jordan
If Indiana Jones felt the need to visit Jordan then who are we to argue with its merits? What Jordan lacks in geographical size it more than makes up for in world class attractions. In Wadi Rum, Petra and the [...]Read More..
Top or Bottom Bunk?!
You sort out your dorm, wander into the room and there’s one bunk left that is completely free. Moment of truth – do you choose the top or bottom bunk?! This is a common dilemma for us backpackers and one [...]Read More..
How much Does It Cost To Climb Kilimanjaro
Africa’s highest peak (5895m) and the highest free-standing mountain in the world, climbing ‘Kili’ is a huge highlight of any trip to East Africa. I’m going to dispel a few of the myths about the costs involved and give you [...]Read More..
How Much Does it Cost to Go Traveling?
I must have googled this 100 times before I first set off traveling in 2006 and only now, 4 years and 50 countries later, do I feeling truly qualified to answer it categorically. The answer is reassuringly simple – not [...]Read More..
5 Reasons why Traveling by Boat is Awesome
The one recurring feature of a long backpacking stint (aside from dirty laundry and malnutrition) is public bloody transport. As any traveler can testify when you get the option of taking any other mode of transport rather than another long [...]Read More..
10 Things I Hate About Traveling on Buses
Long distance buses are part and parcel of any backpacking trip so love ‘em or hate ‘em, you’ll be spending countless hours on these mobile prisons. Poultry, screaming babies, puke, any and all forms of wild stock, cockroaches, sheer drops, [...]Read More..
A Backpackers Guide to East Timor
Portuguese flavoured East Timor became the newest country in the world when it was finally granted its official independence in 2002. Due to that face and the political turmoil its found itself in, this country is almost untouched by tourism [...]Read More..
What to Do with a Couple of Days in Luxor, Egypt
If your impression of Egypt is well refined tourism, world-class ancient sites and too many pairs of fake ray bans then Luxor is its poster child. That being said, it’s a tourism hub for a reason so prepare to be [...]Read More..
You know you’ve been traveling too long when…
When you’ve been on the road longer than you remember, sometimes you forget what the ‘real world’ is like. If the following statements apply to you then you, like me, have gone past the point of no return! You think [...]Read More..
A Backpackers Guide to Ethiopia
Ancient temples, wild hyena feedings, the most delicious cuisine in Africa, cheap as chips – now that sounds like a backpackers dream. Welcome to Ethiopia! I spent just shy of a month in Ethiopia and even that didn’t seem to [...]Read More..
Taking the Ferry from Sudan to Egypt
Taking a ferry up the Nile from Sudan to Egypt – now tell me that doesn’t sounds pretty amazing!? This is actually the only border crossing available between the two countries so if you’re traveling through Africa overland, it’s your [...]Read More..
Visiting the Pyramids of Sudan
- “Have you ever seen the pyramids?” - “The ones in Egypt or the ones in Sudan?” Instant backpacking points! Seriously though, when people talk about the pyramids they are generally referring to the ones in Egypt. Then again that’s [...]Read More..
A Backpacking Guide to Sudan
Sudan is reportedly the place where Africa meets Arabia and I would struggle to disagree with that. I suppose I should add that despite what people’s preconceptions of Sudan may be, as long as you stick to the approved areas [...]Read More..
Witnessing a Camel Sacrifice in Sudan
WARNING: Gruesome pics and story :S I had no idea what to expect to expect when I arrived in Sudan but seeing a camel get its head cut off was probably not near the top of the list, yet on [...]Read More..
5 Tips to Save Money on Food While you Travel
If you’re on a long backpacking trip then naturally eating 3 times a day will take its toll on your bank balance. My initial solution to this was simply not to eat 3 times a day, but excessive weight loss [...]Read More..
5 Tips to Help you Barter
So as you make your way around the world it is inevitable that you will find yourself bartering for pretty much everything you need to buy – accommodation, taxi rides, generic touristy goods that we all seem to fill our [...]Read More..
5 Great Travel Movies for Africa
Africa is something else. The source of mankind, natural beauty that will take your breath away, history that will shock and amaze you in equal measure. If you haven’t yet made it to the continent, if you have and you [...]Read More..
A Backpacking Guide Djibouti
Djibouti – the only country name I’m aware of that contains a synonym for ass, that alone should be enough to justify a visit but if that doesn’t quite do it for you, there are a few other gems in [...]Read More..
My time in Somaliland with the Saudi Property Tycoon
My first 2 blog posts about Somaliland were informational and ‘guide-bookesque’ as opposed to a chronicle of my actual time there so I would like to remedy that with a quick chat about the surreal things I experienced while I [...]Read More..
A Backpackers Guide to Tanzania
Tanzania, blessed with some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the world. Not an expensive country yet if you want to ‘do everything’ here you’ll spend a fortune and be heading home before broke before you know it! Highlights [...]Read More..
7 Tips for working at American summer camps
OK, so having worked at 3 summer camps in America over the years and having unforgettable times, meeting unforgettable people and seeing unforgettable things – I want to impart onto you some of the hard earned knowledge I’ve accumulated over [...]Read More..
Backpacking in Somalia – How To Get There
The last frontier of traveling? Perhaps, but in reality it’s really not that daring – that’s not to say, however, that Somalia isn’t a great place to go if you’re trying to get off that well trodden path because after [...]Read More..
A Backpacking Guide to Somaliland
Somaliland may not have the Taj, the Statue of Liberty or even a Macdonalds but I’d trade all three of these for one trip here. Really, of all the places I have been Somaliland really shakes up your preconceptions. You [...]Read More..
10 Things to Pack When You Travel
It’s always a huge dilemma – you’ve got all the stuff you want to bring placed on your bed at home, you stare at it then glance at your tiny rucksack, then back at your bed and back at your [...]Read More..
Backpacking in Malawi – Llongwe and Nkhata Bay
From Senga bay we headed to the capital, Llongwe. This was more of a transit point than anything else as we headed to Nkhata bay in the north, the last stop on the ‘tourist trail’ really and as we move [...]Read More..
Backpacking in Malawi – Senga Bay
From Cape Maclear there is a great way to get out – the LLawa ferry (and i loooove boats!). Anyone who has ever been on a longterm backpacking stint will know all too well the endless hours you spend on [...]Read More..
Backpacking in Malawi – Blantyre
So we crossed the border from Mozambique to Malawi and it didn’t quite go according to plan – by that I mean, I got bloody ROBBED!! Arrrrrrrgh! I thought with my crazy travel experiences I was now immune to scams, [...]Read More..
Backpacking in Malawi – Cape Maclear
Transport in Malawi is, erm.. rather unpredictable. After a 10 hour bus journey, shared with some noisy chickens, stopping every 4 minutes for people to buy unimaginable things from street vendors, we approached Monkey Bay. An overloaded pick-up truck with [...]Read More..
Backpacking in Malawi – Guide to Malawi
Goodbye to the Portuguese-flavoured Mozambique and on to a whole new world – hello Malawi! I hate to repeat myself time and time again but Malawi is yet another amazing country (thinking about it, maybe it’s the traveling that’s always [...]Read More..
Backpacking North Through Mozambique
Having now been in this crazy continent for a few months I can say that Mozambique is Africa with a safety net. It’s awesome of course but there’s certainly a distinct tourist trail as you move north from one beach [...]Read More..
Backpacking in Mozambique – My time in Maputo
Maputo Maputo Maputo – cracking city! We arrived after an arduous journey from Swaziland crammed into a minibus with 20 Africans across a road bumpier than anything I had ever come across. I had traveled into the country with 2 [...]Read More..
Backpacking in South Africa – Johannesburg, Soweto Township
I should probably nail my colours to the mast and say first up, I’m not Johannesburg’s biggest fan. That’s not to say, however, that I don’t recommend visiting – just don’t stay too long! It’s expensive and we all know [...]Read More..
Backpacking in South Africa – Cape Town
The World cup is the World cup and of course it’s awesome but South Africa still has a lot more to offer and my favourite place in the whole country is, without doubt Cape Town. People can wax lyrical about [...]Read More..
Backing in Southern Africa – Getting to South Africa Via Botswana
I had to be in South Africa by the 16th of June to meet some friends and watch the first of my matches and I was in quite a quandary in how to get there on the right date – [...]Read More..
Backpacking In Zambia – Victoria Falls
What a cracking country Zambia has turned out to be! I want to say, right off the bat, everyone should visit Zambia if they get the chance – amazing sights, fascinating culture, warm and open people and scenery to take [...]Read More..
Backpacking in Africa – Zimbabwe
Just to confuse things I’m going to take a detour from my trip around Asia :S It’s just that my Asian adventure was last year and I’m trying to transcribe my journal onto the blog, RIGHT NOW I have just [...]Read More..
Backpacking in Bangladesh: The Boat from Dhaka to Kulna
After leaving our new adopted Bangladeshi family in Dhaka we managed to procure some ‘second-class’ tickets for the rocket steamer (gotta love boats!) down towards the Bay of Bengal, which we planned to get off in Khulna and try, from [...]Read More..
Backpacking In Bangladesh
We had our hotel in Dhaka sorted so now it was time to do some sight-seeing, first-off was a trip to the waterfront, Sadarghat, on the banks of the river Buriganga- this place is an eyeopener for sure! Crowded with [...]Read More..
Cheap Travel: Bangladesh
I finished my contract teaching English in Thailand, I had been in Asia well over a year by now and felt quite a home in the continent…. until I went to Bangladesh, suddenly – not so much. So here was [...]Read More..
Cheap Travel: Backpacking through China, Kunming & Xi’an
Kunming and Xi’an were our last 2 proper destinations in this trip and they are tip-top places to go, really both cracking places to visit – dirt cheap, so much culture your head could explode and everyday is an experience [...]Read More..
JetSetCitizen Interview: Long-term traveling questions
Following up my interview last week about teaching English in Thailand I was asked by another website to answer a few questions about long-term backpacking, how I have managed to stay on the road so long, what I have done [...]Read More..
Cheap Travel: Backpacking in China – Yunan Province
Bloody hell it felt good finally landing in China, we were in a port-town called Guan Li which certainly wasn’t ideal as we thought we could get a life on the cargo boat all the way to Jinghong – apparently [...]Read More..
Traveling Cheap – the boat from Thailand to China contd…
It was the evening of our 2nd day on the cargo boat, day 1 had certainly been an experience and as day 2 wore on we realised China was nowhere to be seen. We did, however, seem to be coming [...]Read More..
Cheap travel – boat from Thailand to China (taking a cargo boat, up the Mekong river, from Thailand to China)…
Now I was settled in Chiang Mai, Christmas came around and I had some time off from teaching so my two housemates (Max and Swede) decided to do a little hardcore backpacking… my first real adventure… I wanted to go [...]Read More..
Chiang Mai – Travel Guide
This is the one place where I feel fully qualified to chat about and having spent over 18 months here I can truly say I love this city! It’s the first place outside Europe I could really consider ‘home’ and [...]Read More..
One Tree Hill, Ohio and Home
After New York City, Philapdelhia, Vegas and California money was getting tight and we were still on the east coast. We got a cheap flight to North Carolina as Dan had been there previously and had a cracking time. So [...]Read More..
California and the rest…
I would like to stress that my time in America was before I was a true global traveller and hence my spending habits, experiences and escapades are much different to how I travel now. Ok, so that’s my disclaimer finished [...]Read More..
Vegas Baby!
So I managed to make my flight to Las Vegas, Nevada, just! Met 2 of my best mates from Uni (Dan and Swede) who also had just completed summer camps and had amazing times. We landed at the airport and [...]Read More..
Traveling after summer camp – New York
Camp was over, we had our paychecks burning a hole in our pockets and we had just been dropped off (from a yellow school bus no less) in Central Station, New York City. I was due to meet my best [...]Read More..
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