Travel Lifestyle Of Your Dreams » Backpacking

Spending Christmas Overseas – it’s tough but it’s my choice

Johnny — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 13:29:16 +0000

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 in the last 5 years. 2007 was spent in China, 2008 in Japan, 2009 in Australia, 2010 in at home in Ireland and this year half in Thailand and half in Malaysia.

My family is very close and I’m lucky enough for them to fly out to see me wherever I am around the globe once or twice per year but spending Christmas overseas, in (Australia aside) countries that don’t celebrate Christmas, is the only time of the year when I feel I’d actually be happy at home.

My Christmas dinner in Ireland last year, misssss this so much! (>.<)

This article isn’t trying to induce any sympathy, far from it. I’m well aware my life choices have caused this but December 25^th is probably the one day of the year where’d I’d be happier in a ‘real job’, around the table with my family in Ireland having a glass of Champagne or two. On that note, I’ve added a few nostalgic pics from my last Christmas at home =)

My awesome grandmother and me last Christmas, merry xmas Gran x

Homesickness is a common fear of people before the set off around the world for their respective trip of a lifetime and it’s a justified one especially if you’ve never spent any considerable time overseas. If this applies to you I’ve got one spot of advice for you. Sure, sometimes you’ll have days when travel seems so overwhelming, when you’re worried about cash, careers and you just wanna sleep in your own bed – but roll with the punches, it’ll be worth it in the end.

My gorgeous sister at Christmas in 2010

As I sit here feeling quite sorry for myself in this soulless airport, envious of people coming from, or going home to spend Christmas and the New Year with their families, I force myself to remember why I chose this life in the first place. Of course I’d rather be home on this day, but I focus on what how this lifestyle this year alone has allowed me to experience the following:

- Visited 10 countries

- Explored the jungles of Burma at length, visit Mandalaay and the Bagan temples.

- Cast for an Asian Samsung commercial, (surreal!)

- Visited the world’s highest bungee jump in Macau

- Filmed a Thai TV Travel show for a month in Taiwan

- Been offered awesome jobs across Asia

- Attended a close friend’s Muslim wedding ceremony in Malaysia

- Couchsurfed in Hong Kong

- Found an awesome girlfriend for the first time in 6 years (!)

- Started 3 new websites, and an internet business that now allow me to travel without having to ‘work’ for the forseeable future if I choose not to.

- Semi-based myself in Bangkok, Thailand and visit countless Thai islands around the country while other people toil in their day job

- Spent a week on a company credit card in Singapore

- And now I’m off to North Korea in 3 weeks, and then to the ice festival in Haerbin, China

So do I want to be at home at Christmas? Absolutely. Do I feel homesick around the festive period? Yes sir. Would I swap my lifestyle just to avoid a day or two of sadness each year? Categorically not. Christmas can wait for me, my youth certainly won’t. Happy travels and merry Christmas folks!

My amazing mum after cooking Christmas dinner x

P.S Love ya sis, mum and gran and sorry I’m not there with u guys xx

Spending Christmas Overseas – it’s tough but it’s my choice is a post from: onestep4ward.com

How to Visit Uluru & Should You Climb it?

Johnny — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 04:38:13 +0000

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 see it, only a small portion of the backpackers every make simply because it’s such a mission to visit. When I was there, it was a huge priority for me and it may have cost me a bomb but it was well worth it. Let’s have a look at your options on how to visit Uluru:

Just before sunset at Uluru

How to get to Uluru: There are two ways to visit Ayers Rock in Australia.

Either you bring your own transport, or you don’t.

Public Transport: From the east coats or west cost (Perth, Sydney, Melbourne etc.) you’ll have to fly, either to Alice Springs Airport (5 hours from the rock) or Uluru airport (15km from the rock but only Qantas fly and it’s very pricey). These flights don’t come cheap, there’s no such thing as cheap airfare to Uluru so be prepared to spend upwards of $500 for the return flights. Ouch!

What I did: Flew Sydney to Alice Springs and booked a 3 day tour which picked me up in Alice Springs, this is a common choice and if you don’t have your own transport it’s the easiest thing to do too.

My tour from alice springs to uluru

With your own transport: Ayers Rock is roughly at the centre of Australia, and is about 1800km from Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Darwin and Perth. Driving to Uluru from the East cost takes around 4 days, so be prepared. Direct from Sydney for example, in perfect conditions, requires 35+ hours driving, so on 9 hour driving days, that’s 4 days!Top up with petrol and every available opportunity and make sure you’ve got provisions, people die every year from lack of preparation. Also, make sure you have good travel insurance. Once you get to Alice Springs, it’s a walk in the park.

Anywhere from around Sydney, I’d recommended taking the great ocean road and heading via Melbourne and Adelaide, give yourself about 5 days for this.

Should you climb Uluru: In my opinion, absolutely not. Uluru is a sacred site and the Aboriginal owners ask you to respect their law and not to climb it. The climbing route is a sacred path of spiritual significance that is only taken by few Aboriginal men on special occasions. I certainly opted not to climb it.

However, there is no law against climbing Uluru. So ultimately it’s your choice. Uluru is 348 metres high (that’s a 95 story building). The climbing path is about 1.6 km long and can be pretty treacherous. The first part has a chain to hold on to. It is a very strenuous climb (most of the over 35 deaths at Ayers Rock were due to heart attacks) and takes about two hours to complete. If you are fit I’d say half an hour up, half an hour across the top, some time spent up there and the way down.

Also, the option to climb Uluru is often closed due to high winds, excessive temperatures etc so don’t get your heart set on going up. Often it’s not even possible. Oh, and the Australian Government have been talking about banning all climbing anyway so this all may be a moot point soon regardless!

Instead you can walk around the whole rock, the ‘base walk’ is about 10km and takes around 3 hours. Just bring plenty of water and sunscreen.

When’s the best time to visit Uluru: If you just want to see the Rock then the Australian winter is best time (April to October) because the temperature is cooler and the tropical climate is dryer. The area is often plagued with millions of flies (literally, it’s crazy) but in the Ozzie winter there are a lot less.

That being said, I went in the peak of summer so it was 40 degrees in the shade! Still awesome though! Regardless of when you go, sunset and sunrise at Uluru are two amazing sights to behold, it really is mesmerizing.

In the shade!! :S

Around Uluru:

Kata Tjuta (also known as “The Olgas”) is a collection of 36 variously-sized rock domes 36km to the west of Uluru. Here you can take the ‘Valley of the Wind’s Walk’. The walk consists of a single path to the first lookout point. From this point, the walk enters further into Kata Tjuta, where a loop trail brings you to the second lookout point, it takes about 3 hours in total so leave the flipflops at home guys.

Ok folks, that’s Uluru for you. I had an amazing time there but it certainly doesn’t come cheap. With the strength of the Australian dollar, without your own transport you’re looking at a minimum of $700 to visit it (flights included) but it’s well worth it. It had been a dream of mine to visit Uluru and it was worth all the effort, happy travels!

How to Visit Uluru & Should You Climb it? is a post from: onestep4ward.com

Tubing in Vang Vieng, Laos

Johnny — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 08:07:05 +0000

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 down for free shots and plenty of buckets – welcome to tubing in Vang Vieng, Laos. A place quite like no other. So….

What is tubing?

It has more legitimate definitions elsewhere but in Vang Vieng, Laos it involves you renting a tire innertube for the day, heading down to the Mekong river, and floating down the river past the various bars, rope swings and diving boards. Each bar offers free shots to entice you in, as you float down the river, some Laotian guys will throw you a rope, you grab the rope and get pulled into the bar. Order some drinks, and carry on down the river. Absolute madness.

Some tips when tubing:

Don’t buy a wet bag there, they cost a couple of dollars but they don’t work. Put your camera in one of these bad boys and say goodbye to your camera!

To rent the tube you need to pay around $6 with another $6 deposit. You don’t get the deposit back if you bring it back late at night, which you will. So be aware.

The first 4 bars are the most popular, and they’re all within a couple of hundred metres of each other so you don’t even need a tube, you can easily swim that section. If I was to do it again, I’d prob give the tube a miss.

People honestly die here every year so just be careful. Most people die from being so drunk they pass out and drown in the river OR showing off and doing crazy rope swings into shallow water. Don’t be that guy.

Lay off the drugs! There’s so many mushrooms, opium and weed kicking around here you’d almost think it’s legal – it’s not. But that’s not where my advice stems from, after 4 buckets and 6 beers before 5pm, the last thing you need when you’re trying to swim is imaging huge sharks attacking you and aliens kidnapping you. If you have to dabble, don’t don’t it when tubing.

A standard menu in Vang Vieng

Is there anything else to see and do in Vang Vieng?

Besides getting ridiculously drunk? Yes actually, although 99% of the people you see here won’t know about it! Check out the blue lagoon, a beautiful area to chill, eat a bit and jump in the crystal clear blue waters – really nice. Also, the scenery around the area is breathtaking, so rent a scooter ($6) and spend a day exploring.

The Blue Lagoon, Vang Vieng

* How to get to the Blue Lagoon: This can be quite tricky! Either get a tuk-tuk to take you (about $13) or rent a bike and drive yourself. If you drive yourself, which I’d recommend, prepare to be fooled by Blue Lagoon imposters! Drive out of Vang Vieng, cross a bride (pay $2) and keep going straight, straight, straight – ignore all the signs for other Blue Lagoons until you finally reach it. You won’t have had to take any majore turns, just keep going straight and you’ll know by the restaurants, other tuktuks and tourists when you’ve actually made it to the real one!

How long should you stay in Vang Vieng?

In my opinion, 2 days – one day to explore, one day to tube and then get out as soon as possible! It’s great, crazy fun but one day really is enough. So many people spend (waste?) a week or more here, doing the same thing every day and if that’s your thing, then by all means stay longer. But in my opinion, you didn’t come to Asia just to get drunk with a load of other white people (at least I hope you didn’t!).

Me on the way to the worst hangover known to man

How do you get to Vang Vieng?

From Luang Prabang to the north it’s about a 6 hour bus ride. You can take the local bus ($11, 7-8 hours) or the tourist bus ($15, 5-6 hours).

From Vientiane in the south, it’s only 3 hours away. Again you can take the local bus ($10, 4 hours) or the tourist minivans ($12, 3 hours).

You can book these tickets yourself at the bus station or at any of the 10 zillion booking agent stalls in Vientiane or Luang Prabang. It works out cheaper to go through an agent, the commission they earn is less than the taxi fare for you to get to the station and back to book it for yourself. You can generally book on the same day you want to go, but doing it the day before is better if you’re on a tight schedule, just in case it’s full.

In conclusion folks, Vang Vieng seems like a sort of rite-of-passage for the south east Asian backpacking crew, it really is great fun but it’s not the real Laos, that’s for sure. So enjoy it, go crazy but don’t linger, go and see the real Asia after you’ve got your booze hit. Happy travels!

Tubing in Vang Vieng, Laos is a post from: onestep4ward.com

No related posts.

Backpacking in Sri Lanka – Colombo

Johnny — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 10:27:54 +0000

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 supplies endless things to see and do. Let’s have a look at how to deal with your time in the capital city:

Getting to Colombo:

FLY: You can get a Kingfisher or Jet flight from India which brings you straight to the capital Colombo. You can find cheap airfares easily in this region (around $50), and Sri Lanka offers VOA (Visa on arrival) so no stress there either. There are a lot of travel packages available so it’s pretty easy to sort out.

-from the airport, take the bus (90 mins, $3) or a tri-shaw (60 mins, $10) to the city centre.

FERRY: Or you can be a real traveler and travel by boat, the boat service between southern India (Tuticorin) and Sri Lanka has recently opened again. It leaves around 6pm in the evening, and arrives around 8am in Colombo the next day – this is true traveling! Costs around $40.

Things to See in Colombo

Sri Lanka’s capital is the financial centre of the country, so if you need anything for the rest of your time spent gallivanting around the country, buy it here or you’ll be doing without it! When you’re in Colombo make sure to check out this stuff:

Fort: Effectively the CBD, charge your camera and walk around for a couple of hours, this place is full of landmarks.

The Clock Tower: Marks the start of the pretty cool Pettah market (well worth a walk around), it’s an iconic image of Colombo.

The President’s Residence (or Queen’s House): A big part of Sri Lanka’s (turbulent) past, make the effort to read up and check out this impressive, colonial structure.

The Galle Face Green: An awesome long stretch along the Indian seafront, with vendors, buskers, picnickers. This is a cracking spot for sunset.

The Cinnamon Gardens: The richest area in the whole country, it’s a great place to walk around and with it playing host to the massive expanse of Viharamahadevi Park, Colombo’s largest green space, it offers genuine respite from the hawkers and noise!

Mt. Lavinia Beach: This is Colombo’s main ‘swimming’ beach and also the place to party. It’s about 10km from the city centre (20 mins, $3 in a rickshaw/tuk-tuk), if you’re ready to party hard, clubs open until around 4am at the weekends. Special mentions to Amusuem, Silk and Kama

Colombo is a great introduction to Sri Lanka, so when you get here, chill for a couple of days, soak up the awesome atmosphere and then venture further afield. I’ve got a whole lot more sites from Sri Lanka to show you, so hold on and with so many package deals available, you never have to miss anything. There’s a lot more of Sri Lanka to come. Happy travels!

Backpacking in Sri Lanka – Colombo is a post from: onestep4ward.com

Backpacking in Kanchanaburi

Johnny — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 06:12:19 +0000

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 a chilled but fun nightlife. It’s so accessible too, there’s no excuse not to whack it on your Thailand itinerary. It’s a similar atmosphere to Pai and Chiang Mai but with less people, all in all one of my favourite spots in the whole of Thailand.

Things to see in Kanchanaburi:

Bridge over the River Kwai: Made famous from the movie with the same title, this is the main draw for visitors to Kanchanaburi. It’s found at the end of the town, so hop on your rented scooter and spend 2 minutes burning down the mainstreet to get it to and you’re all set.

You can walk across the bridge or you can actually take the train from Nam Tok to the River Kwai station (2 hours) where you actually cross the bridge by train, to be honest it’s a bit of a waste of time though.

Also, Hellfire pass is worth a mention if morbid tourism is your thing :S The Australian government funded a great museum and cleared the jungle back so you can see the tunnels the POW worked on for 18+ hours a day, months on end. Grim.

Erawan Falls: Maybe not Thailand’s tallest waterfall but arguably it’s best, 7 tiers of ridiculously gorgeous waterfalls, with bright turquoise waters all of which you can swim in. The falls are about 70km from Kanchanaburi, I drove my scooter there and it took about an hour, cool drive too. You can take a bus from Kanchanaburi bus station, every hour for about $2,takes 90 mins.

Also, tour companies run day trips here from Bangkok, it’s certainly possible but it would be a bloody long day, better to make your way to Kanchanaburi, spend a day or two there and venture to the falls from there. I wouldn’t recommend squeezing it all into a day trip.

Sai Yok Falls are worth a trip too, much closer than Erawan and still pretty awesome (complete with hot springs)

Tiger Temple: This is always a bit of an ethical choice, personally I didn’t go but it’s very popular so I thought I should include it. Basically, 30 mins outside the town you can go to Wat Pa Luang Ta Bua, pay exorbitant fees ($20+ to $200!) for various types of photos with strangely subdued tigers (read: drugged up). You may want an awesome new facebook profile pic, but ask yourself is it really worth it at the expense of the tiger’s freedom and health. Also, there have been attacks on people when the tigers get antagonised, which is pretty predictable considering the life they life, some worldwide travel insurance might be a good idea. That, or avoiding the place altogether. End of rant.

I've chosen this boring photo, because the tiger photos are so cute, they'd make u wanna go :S

How to get to Kanchanburi: From Bangkok, it’s pretty easy.

BUS: From BKK’s southern bus terminal, leaving every 30 mins or so. $4 and 2 hours.

Also, from Khao San Road you can get mini-vans for around $5, easy and convenient.

TRAIN: From Thonburi Train Station, a train leave BKK at 7.45am and arrives around 10am. This is my preferred choice, comfortale and awesome views. Costs around $3.

There are so many guesthouse to stay at, with rooms starting at $4 you won’t struggle to find cheap places. Food is great too, and street food starts at $1. Kanchanaburi is the sort of place you could find yourself staying for a week or two, it’s that nice! Happy travels!

Backpacking in Kanchanaburi is a post from: onestep4ward.com

Backpacking in Pai, Northern Thailand’s travelers retreat

Johnny — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:46:03 +0000

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 – this place should be right near the top of the list for places people need to visit in Thailand, it’s really that good.

How to get to Pai:

Pai is 3 hours from Chiang Mai, so the best way is to take a mini-van from Chiang Mai’s arcade bus station ($5). You can take the local bus if you’re feel like slumming it too (5 hours+, $3) OR better yet, you can rent a bike in Chiang Mai and drive – it’s an awesome sweeping, windy road for the whole 130km. Beautiful. Also, with so many guesthouse (over 350!) you can find some awesome last minute deals, so you don’t have to break the bank either.

3 hours, $5 from Chiang Mai to Pai

Things to see and do in Pai:

Pai is a great place to lie in a hammock and chill, enjoy the cooler mountain temperatures, go for a dip in a pool somewhere. It’s really cheap too, around half the price of Bangkok. All that being said, there are still a few cool things to fill 2 or 3 days here so have a look at the following:

The Memorial Bridge: Not quite as impressive as Kancanaburi’s River Kwai Bridge but worth a look none-the-less. Built by the Japanese during WWII, it offers some great photo ops and the river it crosses is gorgeous.

Tha Pai Hot Springs: My personal favourite. The hot springs can be quite tricky to find, so listen up and how to get to the Pai hot springs. Take a motorbike or bicycle and drive 8km south east out of Pai, towards the sunset-view restaurant. Cross the bridge when you leave the town, and keep going straight straight straight until you see the signs, 7km away. Then basque in the roasting hot water (40 degrees Celsius+) with the pools at the top reaching 80 degrees!! Hot enough to boil an egg, needless to say, you’re not allowed in those ones!

80 degree hot spring (celsius!)

Pai Canyon: AWESOME place for sunset. It’s not quite the Grand Canyon but it’s beautiful all the same, Thai health in safety is in full force here too, I’ve there is none so be careful of the 50m drops on each side of the narrow path around :S

Chinese Village: Feature heavily in guidebooks etc but not all that interesting, a fake chinese settlement built where Chinese (Yunnanese) settled here a 100 years ago or so. If you want kitsch chines epics but figure China is too far to venture to, here’s your place

Waterfalls: Thailand is jam packed full of the things, so if you haven’t od’ed on watefalls already, check out the two best in the area – Pam Bok waterfall and Mae Ya waterfall.

Pam Bok Waterfall pai

Mae Ya Waterfall

How to get around Pai:

There are 3 options really, rent a bicycle ($3 per day), rent a scooter (starting at a ridiculously cheap $3 per day) or go on a tour to see everything (day tours start around $15-$20). Personally, I jump on a scooter all the time, everywhere I go. In fact it’s normally the first thing I do after getting off the bus or train, straight to a scooter rental place. It saves you a fortune, it’s fun, you’re free and you can see everything at your own pace.

I’m delighted to have finally made it to Pai, years of avoiding it because I had heard of it being full of wannabe hippies turned out to be wasted, better late than never though. Get your asses there asap. Happy travels!

Backpacking in Pai, Northern Thailand’s travelers retreat is a post from: onestep4ward.com

10 Reasons Why You Should Never Travel

Johnny — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 08:42:30 +0000

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 bit reckless, surely? You might be right, so just to help you I though I’d draw up 10 reasons why you should never travel:

Boring...

1) Seeing amazing things just doesn’t rock your world. Who needs to see a wonder of the world, who needs to see a cheetah chasing a gazelle in the plains of Africa, why would you want to see the Northern Lights illuminate the sky when you have the inside of your cubicle to stare at all day, every day. Besides, when the office walls start to seem a little familiar, you can always go to the photocopying room again – it must be at least 48 hours since you’ve been in there.

2) You hate eating delicious food. Pad Thai on the streets of Chiang Mai? Disgusting. Fresh sushi from the Tokyo fish market? Makes me sick. A 2kg steak in Buenos Aires? Pleeeeease, just stop it. Pot noodles for lunch everyday and a Dominos pizza for your Friday night treat – now that’s what you really want. Who needs all that foreign rubbish when you’re on first names term with the guy at the Deli counter in your local Wal-Mart.

Disgusting...

3) Warmer weather makes you itch. If the thought of lounging on a beach in 30 degree sunshine makes you want to run back to your home country, then this traveling malarkey is not for you. Grey, grim weather with single digit temperatures – that’s where your true happiness lies, leave the nice weather to the locals.

4) You hate good value. Ever since old Milton declared “there’s no such thing as a free lunch”, we’ve all been a very cynical bunch. So if the thought of a new tailored suit for $100, or a 3 course meal for $5 makes you skeptical then stay at home – the last thing you need to do is see how far your money can actually go. And anyway, $7 for a beer isn’t so bad, is it?!

All a load of tacky rubbish...

5) Friendliness makes you nervous. Friendliness, hospitality, warmth, generosity – if you travel you will be running a huge risk of experiencing all these things in abundance so be careful, very very careful. Stay at home and rejoice in the grumpiness, embrace the selfishness, who needs all those heartfelt smiles anyway?

6) You have more than enough friends already. Whoever said ‘you can never have enough friends’ was clearly an idiot. You have your 2 friends, and that’s more than adequate. If you travel you’re liable to meet a lot of good people, probably a few friends for life, from all over the world, and we certainly don’t want that now do we.

They all look like idiots, no thanks....

7) Your know everything about the world. Lucky you, because the more I travel the more I realize I know so so little! You would be constantly learning about new cultures, religions, parties and festivals. So you know everything already, you don’t need to bother with traveling then, all these interesting cultures probably have nothing to add to your life.

8) You speak English and that’s more than enough. Unless you’re very careful, you would probably pick up more than a few words in other languages if you were to travel or relocate somewhere else. So stay where you are and don’t risk diluting that already packed brain with a worthless second or third language. Waste of time really.

Can't these foreigners speak English?!

9) You just love your comfort zone. Your life is already a nice, steady 6/10 – why would you ever want to risk that?! For goodness sake what happens if you give traveling a go and you hate it?! You’d have to go home and you’d be right back where you started, having lost nothing. 6/10 is enough anyway, only idiots strive for more.

10) Being interesting just isn’t interesting. You don’t want loads of awesome stories to tell when you get back – you’ve already got football, Desperate HouseWives and Gordon Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares to talk about, how would you even fit in conversation about anything else? Madness!

Ok guys, if these 10 points apply to you then don’t dream of hitting the road – it could have disastrous consequences (new languages, friends, experiences) so be careful! Happy travels

10 Reasons Why You Should Never Travel is a post from: onestep4ward.com

Fear of Commitment or Travel – the Chicken or the Egg?

Johnny — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 09:14:54 +0000

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 and, in theory, that means I have to remain in one place for the next ten months (whether that proves to be the case is another issue entirely, with trips to Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Burma planned in the next 6 months – anyways, I’m digressing). On signing the contract a cold fear enveloped me and know I’m struggling to come to terms with the fact that I have a ‘base’ again, albeit only for 10 months.

I appreciate I’ve been traveling, working and studying overseas for 5 years now and with that comes a certain expectation of constantly being on the move, and now that’s ceased temporarily it’s stressing me out! With this recognition, it brought me to the question…

“Does (long term) travel cause a fear of commitment OR is it an existing fear of commitment within certain people that then causes them to travel (long term)?”

I’m very interested to hear your thoughts on this…

I think it’s fair to say that the general consensus is that travel is good for you, it enlightens us, broadens our minds, helps us take a more holistic view of our lives and the relative ease in which we grew up. I am a huge advocate of travel and believe all of that without doubt. But very few people discuss the potential damage that traveling could cause, what if this lifestyle of ultimate freedom, where a day without a cool new experience is seen as a ‘boring’ day (forgetting the fact that in the ‘real world’ people do the same thing, day in – day out, for decades), causes us to shirk commitment. Living on the road, traveling so much, constantly meeting new and interesting people from all walks of life, our senses being constantly stimulated, new brief relationships burn brightly for a few days but are extinguished before they have a chance to flourish due to the weekly sleeper train leaving Kathmandu tomorrow morning, and you have to be on it! Then when you do re-settle, is something always going to be missing? Can you face a stable (stagnant?) social group and the same job for the next 2,3,10 years? Can you meet that one girl/guy and know that they are enough, that they will supply you with the same excitement that you had on the road? If you can, that’s great but if you can’t what then? My question is this – has travel caused that, or was that in your personality long before you booked your ticket?

Personally, I want to have my cake and eat it, every last slice– when I’m on the road, I want to savour every moment, live it and love it but when I settle, for however long, I want to feel satisfied, content and stimulated by that life in its own right. I’m just not sure if it’s possible. I’ll keep you posted.

Fear of Commitment or Travel – the Chicken or the Egg? is a post from: onestep4ward.com

A Quick Guide to Backpacking in Paris

Johnny — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:32:22 +0000

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 you have one look at your depleted bank account, then you’ll probably be sprinting out of the city). Although you could spend a lifetime exploring Paris, if you’re on a budget you’ll want to allocate 3-4 days, that should give you enough time to see the highlights without eating into your cash too much.

Ok, so let’s have a look at the things you’d be a fool to miss on your itinerary:

THINGS TO SEE IN PARIS

The Eiffel Tower: The monument that symbolizes Paris, and France for that matter. You can’t go to Paris without paying a visit here! Queues can be long to get up it BUT fear not as you can book your time to climb the tower online now (check out their site, but don’t miss your spot or your ticket is worthless!). Costs about $10 to get to the top of the ‘legs’ and $17 if you want to go from the bottom all the way to the summit. Also between dusk and 2am there’s an awesome 10 min lights show on the hour, every hour.

The Arc Du Triumph: Another iconic Parisian sight, The Arc is located at the end of the Champs Elysee (see below) and splat in the middle Place Charles De Gaulle, it’s much larger than you think it’s going to be. It costs around $13 to go up (although if you’ve been up the Eiffel Tower, I’d save your money). It’s accessible by underground passage, if you try to cross on foot you will probably die, everything you heard about French drivers was true! After you’ve had enough, head down to the next stop…

The Champs Elysee: Join the hordes of tourists and wealthy Parisians whilst you waltz up and down the 2km stretch of upscale boutiques in one of Paris’s richest area. Then quickly remember you’re a backpacker, balk at the prices, take a couple of photos and make a hasty escape.

The Louvre: Overlooking the Siene and home to the Mona Lisa amongst other world famous sculptures and paintings. Reputedly the biggest museum in the world so prepare to get lost inside. Even if you’re not an art person, you’ll need at least few hours set aside for this visual feast. Entrance is free with EU passport, free on Sundays for everyone.

Sacre Coeur Basilica: The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris would be worth the 5 euro just to see the amazing architecture but inside, as you get reach the top, its Dome allows tourists amazing views of the entire city, it will take your breath away.

Notre Dame Cathedral: Certainly one of the most beautiful and enchanting buildings in Paris and believe it or not but Notre Dame is France’s most visited attraction, beating the Eiffel tower, with 13m visitors each year and it’s easy to see why. If gothic architecture is your thing then you’ll in for a treat because this place is creepy (in a wonderful, historic way, obviously). The cathedral itself is free to enter but the tour costs $10 USD.

The Palace of Versailles: A full day trip from Paris, The Palace at Versailles is one of the most popular and magnificent attractions in all of France. It served as the capital of France for over 100 years. It’s inspiring architecture, and beautiful gardens are an inspiring sight for tourists from all over the world. Visiting this awe-inspiring palace offers an insight into France’s incredible history.

Accommodation in Paris:

Paris must be one of the most expensive cities in the world for accommodation so be ready to dig deep into that backpacking budget to find somewhere to lay your head each night however

Hostels: Not cheap guys, a dorm room will cost you upwards of $20 USD but they are normally pretty nice and most of them now have free wifi.

Hotels: Finding nice accommodation in Paris is easy, just jump online and search for a cheap hotel in Paris.

Food:

Amazing, as you’d expect, so push the boat out and order your snails and frog’s leg, enjoy some red wine – it’s all part of the experience of being in France. But only do it once or twic because you’ll be lucky to escape with less than a $50 bill. Eating in delis, supermarkets etc will save you a fortune and you can eat well for under $5

Transport:

There is a great train/subway network called the metro in Paris, it’s quick, efficient and relatively cheap (about $2 a journey, or day passes for around $10). This will serve you well throughout your time here.

A Quick Guide to Backpacking in Paris is a post from: onestep4ward.com

A Quick Guide to the Australian States

Johnny — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 12:50:22 +0000

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, Alice Springs etc and all of these are serious distances away. There are 7 states in Oz and I’m going to give you a quick run down of the highlights in each one, make sure you don’t miss any of it when you get there!

New South Wales: This was my first stop and is often the first place that people land in when visiting Australia. NSW plays host to some of the most recognised landmarks in the world such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the iconic Sydney Opera House. There is lots here to explore, from the Botanical gardens, to the rocks where the very first European settlers landed and set up camp. Outside of the city, the surrounding areas are full of awesome beaches (such as Bondi Beach), and there’s a fabulous coastal walk from Bondi to Coogee. Carry on the backpacker route North and you’ll reach Byron Bay which is full of hippy surfers, and there are also the Blue mountains to explore as well.

Queensland: QLD hot, humid floods a lot, but it’s a great place to go for an action packed holiday. Surfers Paradise in the Gold Coast has loads of casinos and high-rise buildings. In Brisbane you can hire a 4×4 and drive from Hervey Bay to Fraser island (brilliant thing to do!) where you drive on the beaches as well as enjoy bathing in lagoons, camping and drinking too much wine with other backpackers. Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday islands are great if you fancy a bit of yachting, and then of course there’s the coral reefs off the Queensland coast. Cairns to the Great Barrier Reef you can explore the wonderful sea life that lives here with a spot of snorkeling or scuba.

Victoria: Melbourne in Victoria is the Australian culture capital. Artists, fashion design, music, this cultured and edgy city has produced some amazing talent in all these areas. There is a strong café culture here which along with Victorian style terraces, historic trams, shopping, music, galleries and restaurants give the place an almost European feel. You can walk along the banks of the Yarra, visit with friends in Federation Square or rent a car and drive the Great Ocean Road (another massive highlight in my opinion). The Yarra valley is famous for it’s wine, and if you head over to Phillip island you can watch some crazy penguins as they waddle along the beaches here. Or check out the Australian institution that is Aussie Rules at the 100,000+ capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground.

South Australia: Adelaide in South Australia is famous for its Fringe Festival season, with cabaret, comedy shows and a great time to be had so try to time it right! Outside the city, you can ride a tram to Glenelg beach town and relax on the pier here, or take a ferry from Cape Jervis to Kangeroo Island to watch the kangaroos and the seals . If booze is more your thing, the Barossa wine valley offers the chance to experience some of the regions best wines, while the adventurous can seek out Port Lincoln where they can experience cage diving in the shark infested waters off the Neptune Islands (you can only do this in two countries in the world, the other being South Africa)

Western Australia: Perth experiences a crazking 3,000 hours of sunshine every year, and much of the entertainment here is outside. Picnic in Kings park – one of the worlds largest inner city parks, or enjoy a glass or two of wine in the Swan Valley region (spotting a theme here?!). Take a ferry across to Rottnest Island where you can see the Quokka – a stranger looking creature you may never get to see as it looks something like a cross between a giant rat and a kangaroo. Ningaloo Reef close to Exmouth is a great place to experience swimming with whale sharks. Near Kimberly the wilderness of the outback offers a chance to go walkabout without straying too far. Camel rides along cable beach, walking among the limestone pillars (The Pinnacles) that rise from the sands of Nambung National Park, and paddling along the Upper Ord River can all be added to your itenary.

Northern Territory: The most famous rock in the world – Uluru (formerly known as Ayers Rock) lies here in an area of incredible natural beauty. The rock appears to change colour during sunrise and sunset, and there is much to learn here about aboriginal culture and the sacred meaning of the rock. You’ve a moral decision to make as to whether or not climbing the rock is the right thing to do – technically you ‘can’ climb it but the indigenous Australians urge you not to, personally I chose not to and I’d encourge other to do the same. At Kata Tjuta you can do the Valley of the Winds walk and see a collection of these giant red domes as well as hiking through Kings Canyon with its spectacular views of the outback. Kakadu national park is home to saltwater crocodiles, and at Katherine Gorge you can take a dip in the Matarakna Thermal Pools. The Devils Marbles is another collection of huge red boulders that can be seen nearby.

Tasmania: Not part of the mainland, but an island off the south coast of Australia, Tasmania is the smallest Australian state and gets the least visitors unfortunately. Its nickname is the ‘natural state’ and it has a relatively unspoiled natural environment which nature lovers will enjoy exploring. There are a large number of national parks here, all packed with wildlife, and you can see the Tasmanian Devil here too, it can only be found in Tasmania, and is carnivorous. Wineglass bay here has been voted as one of the world’s top ten most beautiful beaches, and it really is stunning. As well as all the natural beauty here, Tasmania is all about adventurous outdoor pursuits, so if you want to try your hand at white water rafting, kayaking, absailing, trekking, or a host of other sporting activities then Tazzie is a great place to visit.

Australia is an awesome place to backpack and with working holiday visas so easy to get you can fund your travels there for up to 2 years. I really had a great time in Oz, saved loads fo cash, met so many awesome people so get yourselves over there asap! Happy Travels!

A Quick Guide to the Australian States is a post from: onestep4ward.com