Travel Articles | Travel Lifestyle Of Your Dreams

5 Tips on How to Travel in Finland For Cheap

If you’re used to South East Asia, or if you’re a fan of $30 a day backpacking budgets, Finland is gonna be a shock to the system, this place is pricey. But with the Northern Lights, Lapland, Santa Clause’s official [...]

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Partying for Vappu in Helsinki

My mission from Asia to Europe by land is now officially complete. I made it to Europe, jumped on the bus from St Petersburg to Helsinki. I actually left Russia one day early in order to reach Finland for the [...]

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Tuesday’s Travel Rant: Hangovers in Dorms

Pounding headache, craving a pizza, wanna to snuggle up in your bed and shut the curtains – but it’s already 2pm. Why did I drink so much? Why did I do those shots? Where have my pants gone? Partying is [...]

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Motivational Monday: The World Is A Playground

When we are kids, everything is an adventure, every thing is a game and our biggest concern is when we can next do something fun. Then we reach adulthood and it’s just supposed to end, just like that. I guess [...]

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Tuesday’s Travel Rant: Sex tourists, having sex in Thailand or further afar

This one is close to ‘home’ unfortunately so this is gonna be a lot more of a rant and a lot less humour. For any longterm readers of my site, you’ll know that when I’m taking a break from my [...]

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Motivational Monday: Capitalism Gone Mad

When I was in the Philippines waking up every morning to a beautiful sunrise from my $3 beach hut, shaking off last night’s rum with a dip in the azure blue ocean, loving life and really feeling the freedom from [...]

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What to See in Almaty, Kazakhstan

I had planned to dip in to Kazakhstan, visit Astana in the north, near the Russian border and then nip back to Russia a couple of days later. But after telling people I was coming to Kazakshtan, the (very) few [...]

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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? [...]

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Things to Bring On the Trans Siberian Train with You

The most epic train journey of them all, and one which every traveler has on their bucket list, the Trans Siberian conjures images on Soviet train carriages, drinking Vodka with people in your cabin, vast landscapes and huge distance – [...]

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Scuba Diving at the Great Barrier Reef, Cairns

A frequent feature on people’s bucket lists the world over, scuba diving at one of the natural wonders of the world, the Great Barrier Reef, on Australia’s East Coast. This remains my one and only scuba diving experience, and it [...]

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Tuesday’s Travel Rant: Flip-flops breaking

As you guys know, I’m pretty much always on the road but that doesn’t mean I should have to buy new sandals every other week. Admittedly, 90% of the time I’m wearing my flipflops so they do go through a [...]

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Motivational Monday: How Much Money Can A Travel Blog Make? My Story

When I first started blogging about my travels 2 years ago or so I had read about a couple of people making money from their travel blogs. “No way, that can be true”, I thought it was another example of [...]

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5 Ways to Communicate Better With Locals When You Travel

Traveling in so many foreign countries, I’ve had to hone my communication skills down to a tee. It’s something that every long-term traveler has done, and something that perhaps we only rarely recognize as a genuine skill. However when I [...]

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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 [...]

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Culture in Mongolia: Saving a horse, nearly getting stabbed, a Mongolian throat singer, and watching a 16 year old Shaman getting possessed.

Looking back at my time in Mongolia, some crazy, crazy stuff went on there. I had a great time, especially the safari into the mini-Gobi desert. In total, I spent less than a week there but I had 4 very [...]

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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 [...]

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Tourist Scams From Around the World

Unfortunately every country has people who are looking to grab your money in less than legal ways all around the world. The situation is getting worse but if you keep your wits about, stay strong, you’ll never succumb to any [...]

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Tuesday’s Travel Rant: Late Trains and Buses

Pulling into Bangkok HuaLampong train station, on a night sleeper from Chiang Mai, 4 hours late for the third consecutive time – I finally had had enough, travel rant time. What I don’t get is why trains across the ‘developing [...]

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Motivational Monday: “A Round Tuit”

When I was a kid, in my kitchen my mum had hung a small, circular ceramic plate with “A Round Tuit” printed on the centre of it, beneath the title was a small section of text which basically said that [...]

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The Trans Mongolian Train Beijing to Ulaan Baatar: My experience

For anyone who’s interested in taking the train from Beijing to Ulaan Baatar, I thought it’d be cool for you guys to see what it’s actually like, so here’s a quick recount on my time on the train. Being [...]

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Top 5 Things to See in Xian

Xian is probably my favourite city in China, it’s got great character, plenty of things to see, banging nightlife and it’s pretty close to Beijing. Naturally it’s on the map internationally thanks to the Terracotta Warriors but in truth it [...]

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4 Awesome Modern Buildings to See in Beijing

With everyone (rightly) obsessing with the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven and the Great Wall in Beijing, China’s Capital has been putting up some pretty funky modern buildings when nobody’s been watching! I’ve spent almost 2 months [...]

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What Visas You Need to Get in Advance to Take the Trans Siberian Railway

I’m almost in Beijing already, from there I’m gonna jump on the train to Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia, and my trans Siberian train adventure will have finally started. It took quite a lot of work, and a fair [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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Visiting the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China

If you’re staying in a hostel in Beijing, chances are it’ll be around the city centre, hopefully walking distance from these two iconic areas in Beijing. I’m typing this from my hostel, 400m from Tiananmen, sitting in the 6th floor [...]

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Tuesday’s Travel Rant: Running with your backpack on

You slept in, too many beers last night, long goodbye to new found friends, lost on your way to the airport/bus stop/train station, whatever the reason running late for your next mode of transport is a nightmare situation. What’s worse [...]

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How to Buy Your Trans Siberian Train Tickets in Beijing, China

I’m about to embark on my epic journey through Mongolia, Russia and Kazakhstan on the transsiberian railway. Trying to keep it cheap, I wanted to buy the tickets destination by destination as opposed to buying the whole thing in one [...]

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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 [...]

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5 Tips to Keep Yourself Healthy on the Road

Staying healthy on the road is a tough ask especially with all those late nights, long journeys, cheap booze and dodgy food taken into account. If you’re on a two week holiday, your body can take the hit but try [...]

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Motivational Monday: Living with Passion

An Irish travel buddy, Gerard Darragh, of mine was sitting on a bus beside me this week in China and we were talking about life. He recollected a story about how the Romans were the first people to use obituaries [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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Tuesday Travel Rant: I’ve been to more countries than you

My dad could beat up your dad and that’s the end of it. “So, how many countries have you been to?” This one-upmanship exists in every backpacking corner of the globe and it truly, truly baffles me. In order to [...]

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Top 10 Travel Apps For Iphones and Smartphones

Remember when you took that first grainy photo on your camera phone in 2004 and it blew your mind? Those were the days, sort of. Well we’ve moved on since then, so jump on the technology train, grab your smart [...]

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5 Crazy Destinations I’ll Visit in 2012

Following up my article about 5 of the most obscure places I’ve ever visited, I thought I’d follow up it up 5 crazy places I’ll be heading this year. I’m off on my Tibet to Ireland by land trip in [...]

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Am I too old to travel?

My first reaction to the title statement is one of utter derision – I’m someone who resents being told I can’t do something, and I certainly don’t feel too old to do anything! Mark Twain said “Age is an issue [...]

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Hard Rock Café Foam Party in Pattaya

I’ve sung the praises of attractions nearby Pattaya before, with an awesome Bangkok day trip to Lan Island, but I’ve never spoken about Pattaya directly before, and there’s a distinct reason. A lot of Pattaya revolves around sex tourism and [...]

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The 5 Most Romantic Destinations in the World

After paying over the odds for a Valentine’s dinner in Bangkok last week, I thought I’d continue in the same vein and get all loved up with 5 sexy places around the world. If you’re trying to lure your sweatheart [...]

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5 Best Places to Shop in Bangkok

Sorry about this article gentlemen, it could cause a few very comfortable days getting dragged around Bangkok by your enthusiastic better halves (queue sexist furore). Bangkok is a huge international city, but it’s still much cheaper than our home countries [...]

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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 [...]

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Tuesday’s Travel Rant: Grading your language

I’m Irish and my first language is English, I studied French throughout high school and most of university but it’s pretty weak. I’ve lived in Thailand on and off during my travels and my Thai is ok, but not fluent [...]

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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 [...]

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Teaching at English Camps in Asia – FAQs

I have spoken about English camps in Asia briefly before but I wanted to go into a big more detail considering the fact that I’ve just finished a 3 week camp in South Korea in January. I just had one of the [...]

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Traveling in North Korea – Part 2

After my last post about my thoughts on North Korea I thought I’d finish my little round up ahead of showing you guys the awesome things to see if you ever do decided to take the plunge and visit the [...]

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Traveling in North Korea – Part 1 (Politics, Money and Pyongyang)

Following up my FAQs about backpacking in North Korea I thought I’d give a run down of my time there, my thoughts and my recommendations. It was truly an awesome travel experience and it gave me pure backpacking points to [...]

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The 5 Best Full Moon Parties Around The World

There’s something about a full moon in the sky that makes us backpackers go a little bit mental, and I’m all for it. Thailand is the poster child for these all night get togethers but there are more unknow party [...]

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The Best 5 Bungee Jumps in the World

aWhat’s life without a bit of near-death experiences, right? With that, I thought I’d roll out the best 5 bungees in the world including 2 I’ve had first time experiences with. If you’ve never bungeed before then it’s gotta be [...]

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The Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin, China – amazing!

I’m currently in Harbin, North Eastern China – near the Russian, Mongolian and Japanese borders. It’s almost -30 degrees Celsius and the Ice and Snow Festival here is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. I love a [...]

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Backpacking in North Korea (Yes, I did it!)

With only around 1800 visitors per year, North Korea is one of the least visited countries in the world. That, coupled with it’s role as one of the few ‘functioning’ communist states around mean that’s is arguably the most intriguing [...]

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Missing flights, losing my bag, the kindness of strangers and breaking my foot (almost) all in 3 weeks in South Korea

Missing flights….. So I’m working on a one month English camp in South Korea the moment (through my new company www.teach.travel) and it’s been quite the ride. The camp itself is only 3 weeks long due to an early [...]

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Motivational Monday: Jealousy isn’t all bad

It’s easy to be jealous of someone who travels around the world, of someone who doesn’t put in the hard corporate yards, of someone with the handsome/beautiful partner, but jealousy is a weak emotion, so acknowledge that and transform it. [...]

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The Ten Commandments of Egyptian Travel

Egypt is one of the most visited countries in the world and with sights like the Great Pyramids and the Valley of the Kings, it’s certainly no surprise. I spent 3 weeks backpacking around Egypt last year and was really [...]

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Hiking In Bukhansan, South Korea

South Korea is frequently labelled as one of the most overworked nations in Asia, this busy population take their downtime seriously and hiking is popular a way to escape the polluted capital. Bukhansan national park lies within Seoul’s huge subway system, but [...]

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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 [...]

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5 Things Travel Has Taught Me

Traveling is a great lifestyle, everyday is an adventure but sometimes it can be frustrating, tiring and (at times) boring! That being said, I would never begin to truly moan because the more awesome opportunities that fine there way to [...]

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Is Dubai A Country? What is the UAE?

So I had a conversation with an American dude the other day, and he had never heard of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), he though Dubai was he capital of Saudi Arabia and he through their nationality was Muslim. Where [...]

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Top 10 Things to See in Western Australia – amazing pics!

When people backpacking in Australia all you hear about is the trip down the east coast – Sydney, Cairns, Whitsundays etc and while that is undoubtedly awesome there’s more to see in Australia. Locals will tell you if you wanna [...]

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Working Holiday Visa in Australia

Having spent over a year in Australia myself, I really wanted to explain in detail how the working holiday visa in Australia works. It’s a great opportunity for people to explore Australia in depth and if you’ve got no cash, [...]

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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 – [...]

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Best 5 nightclubs in Beijing

Backpacking in China is real traveling – difficult language, huge culture shock, crazy foods and general mass confusion so when it all gets a little much for you, find a place to kick back, grab a long-island and forget all [...]

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UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Tunisia

After getting far too excited about all the awesome UNESCO sites in Turkey I thought I would spread the love to Tunisia. Other than Ethiopia, Tunisia has more UNESCO world heritage sites than any of the other 54 African countries, [...]

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Top 5 Things to See and do In Wales

Backpacking around Europe is one of the most popular traveling trips around, and as an Irishman, I’m disappointed that most people don’t make it to Ireland, Scotland, Wales and, London aside, most of England. When you’re crossing borders on trains [...]

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5 Tips on How to Find Cheap Air Fares

Travel costs money, there’s no two ways about it so when it comes to booking flights, you’re gonna want to cut costs at every available opportunity. Have a look at my 5 tips on how to save money when it [...]

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Tuesday’s Travel Rant: Just getting drunk EVERWHERE

I love to party, love it. In fact, I’ve been accused of loving it a little to much, but that’s ok. We’re only young once, so we gotta enjoy ourselves as much as possible, right? Right. But we have to [...]

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The 10 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Turkey

In preparation for my trip to Turkey next year I thought I better do some research at the awesome things I’m going to find there. I discovered that there are 10 UNESCO world heritage sites, behind only China, India and [...]

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Super Unusual Hotels

If you are tired of the run-of-the-mill hostels and hotel chains which make up a sizeable chunk of the places you lay you head for the, here are a few more ‘unusual’ choices to give your holiday a little extra [...]

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2 Days in Berlin

Berlin is a massive city, and it’s pretty tough to squeeze it all into a couple of days but us hard-core backpackers need to undertake a spot of speed-tourism now and again to keep costs down and experiences up! This [...]

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What is a Visa Run?

I’m writing this sitting on a local bus to Cambodia from Bangkok on a ‘visa run’. Basically, a visa run is a trip you have to take in order to remain in a country where you’re visa is soon to [...]

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Tuesday’s Travel Rant: People wearing backpacks on their front

This seems to be a growing trait and one which needs to be nipped in the bud. I guess it goes hand-in-hand with a new breed of travelers, walking the battered tourist trail through South East Asia and Australia but [...]

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Motivational Monday: Dispelling Myths

We should all embrace lifestyle design, in our own way. We can do what we truly want in life, we just have to believe it. I just want to remove some barriers that a lot of people feel hold them [...]

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5 Reasons to Go Backpacking in Cuba

Cuba has been opening up more and more over the last decade and there’s never been a better time to grow a Che Guevara style beard (you too ladies) and head over, backpack strapped on your back, and wander around [...]

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7 Best Beaches in the Caribbean

I’ve been going crazy for beaches in recent weeks, must be all the time I’m spending pent up in my apartment sorting out my new ventures. Anyways, continuing in the same vein let’s look at a region famed for the [...]

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Tuesday’s Travel Rant: Buying Sunscreen in Asia

I admit it, I’m a pasty Irishman. A natural bronzed Adonis I am not however I don’t think I’m asking too much by wanting to have a choice of sunscreens I can buy within a whole bloody continent. The thing [...]

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Essential Tips for Not Killing Your Significant Other on an Extended Backpacking Trip

My rules, my schedule, my itinerary and my trip! That’s the mantra of a solo traveller. Romantic relationships formed on the road often fizzle out because of a difference in travel style, which is ok since you didn’t really have [...]

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Tuesday’s Travel Rant: People arguing over $0.20 with poor locals

Cheap travel is awesome no doubt, it allows us to travel for further and for longer, that’s pretty cool. Asking a hotel for a discount, or seeing if the bus company will sell you 3 tickets for the price of [...]

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Book Review: The Motorcycle Diaries, Che Guevara

Whether your love getting stuck in a book on your travels or you’re just trying to impress the sexy Swedish girl sitting across from you in your hostel, a good book is always key. I’ve just finished reading Che Guevara’s [...]

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The 5 Coolest Things to See in Jamaica

Home to Bob Marley, some of the funkiest, greenest grass and insane beaches – Jamaica’s is a hotspot for package tourism BUT it doesn’t have to be that way. Independent travel is easy in Jamaica, and if you can prise [...]

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Tuesday’s Travel Rant: Renewing a (British) Passport

As if it costs more than $300 for a small little book, yet that’s how much I got charged this month to get my new passport – thanks a lot British embassy. A*sholes. We all need passports, they look cool, [...]

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Cheese Dreams: The World Series

The best hot cheese dishes from around the world Cheese is great. People who appreciate good food love a good cheese, and different cultures around the world have all come up with unique ways of making and serving the stuff. [...]

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Motivational Monday: Tomorrow is Promised to No One

When did the world become so obsessed with planning? Finance plans, pension schemes, mortgages. It used to be house and cars on long term finance plans, now it’s designer jeans and watches. Keeping up with the Jones is not the [...]

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Best 5 Nightclubs in Bali

Indonesia amazingly gets skipped by the masses on the South East Asian tourist trail, and personally, I think that’s absolute madness! It’s fun, there’s loads to see, the climate is tip-top, it’s cheap as chips and once you’ve seen enough [...]

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What’s It Like To Work in the Middle East? Q&A

Ever though about moving to Dubai? Dreaming of a tax free life and saving some real cash? Lots of people I come across talk about it so I thought I’d give you guys the lo down! So, if you’re interested [...]

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Bucket List: Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Halicarnassus

I’m still chilling in Bangkok, setting up a few online things, longing for my awesome trip next year, spending far too much time on the internet dreaming about my destinations when I stumbled across Halicarnassus, one of the seven ancient [...]

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Motivational Monday: Make Money from Your Travel Blog

I’ve wanted to share this concept with the travel blogging community, and my readership, as a way to motivate other would-be travelers and travel bloggers to get out there and do it and to show that it really is possible. [...]

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Bucket List: Running of the Bulls

Straight to the top 10 in my bucket list is the ‘Running of the Bulls’, held in Pamplona, Spain each year from the 6th to the 14th of July. What is the ‘Running of the Bulls’? Held in a few [...]

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Tuesday’s Travel Rant: Walking escalator things

I’m not sure about the name of these things, but you know what I mean right? The conveyer belt things you find in airports and malls, where you walk on them and they move in the same direction thereby taking [...]

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Seeing Orangutans in Borneo

Borneo conjures images of deep jungle, exotic wildlife and local tribes – and rightly so, Borneo has it all! I already wrote a post about climbing Mount Kinabalu here (the biggest mountain in South East Asia). Borneo also offers a [...]

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Motivational Monday: Our Best Shot of Happiness is to Be True to Ourselves

Of course none of us know the meaning of life but I can tell you guys one thing, a good shot at it is to feel truly happy in what you do and to be truly happy with the person [...]

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When Is Oktoberfest, and what is it anyway?!

Anyone self respected backpacking boozer will know exactly what, when and where this amazing festival is held however, on the off chance it’s slipped your mind through some drunken stupor, let me full in some details. I’m heading this way [...]

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A Backpackers Guide to Nepal

One of my favourite ever countries Nepal is a backpacking feast! It’s a landlocked country flanked by Bhutan to the east, Tibet to the North East, India to the south and China all around so it offers some great overland [...]

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Things to See in Bangladesh – Top 5 Sights

Bangladesh is a country that most people skip on their Asian backpacking trip, and it’s a real shame. Sandwiched between 2 backpacking hotspots, India and Thailand, I’m surprised that more people don’t take the plunge and visit a country where [...]

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Tuesday’s Travel Rant: Ordering Food

I don’t speak your language, and for that I’m sorry, and I do appreciate that you’re trying to speak to me in English. The menu looks good, I’m absolutely starving, I’m going to order exactly what I’ve been craving and [...]

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Motivational Monday: Your time is finite, but it belongs to you

Time is a strange concept, one which people have struggled to comprehend since the beginning of humankind but we know one thing about it – our time is finite. We get born, we do what we do and we die, [...]

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Loy Krathong Festival – Thailand

Another Awesome Thai Festival: I’ve waxed lyrical about the Thai festival ‘Song Kran’ on my site countless times before, but Loi Krathing is another festival that should demand your attendance too. Less chaotic and fast paced than Song Kran, Loi [...]

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Day trip to Macau

Macau, ‘Vegas of the East’, lies very close to Hong Kong, and so most tourists nip on a ferry for day at this place and then make their way back to the city. A day will give you enough time [...]

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The Most Obscure Ski Destinations in the World

Ok, so your friend spent a ski season in whistler, or your cousin goes to the Swiss alps every year. I’m sure it was great, and I’m sure you were joined by tens of thousands of other skiers in the [...]

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Tuesday’s Travel Rant: Tuk Tuk Drivers

Getting from A to B shouldn’t be so difficult, nor should it cost double the real fare. Furthermore, if I want a tuk-tuk (which is unlikely), I’ll search for one. There are few things more infuriating in the world than [...]

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Motivational Monday: “But I’ll be jeopardising my future if I do that”

You’ve always wanted to see the world. You constantly see pictures of the most amazing sights, and you dream of being the one who took them. Your mind floats to the Serengeti, Peru, the Northern Lights. You want your friends [...]

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Sharing prostitutes in Bangladesh? Errrr, No Thanks

I should quickly add that this is my second post related to both Bangladesh and prostitutes – that’s a tad harsh on Bangladesh to be honest, but it’s just the way my travels panned out. I had been in [...]

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Tuesday Travel Rant: Air Conditioning in South East Asia

Ok Mr Businessman, you have spent $500 on a brand-spanking new air-con unit, well done. And yes, it is bloody hot outside and using the air-con unit is completely acceptable. However, it’s not necessary to blast it on 100% power, [...]

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Motivational Monday: Don’t Miss Your Opportunity

It’s Monday again and the weekly grind may be kicking in round about now but it doesn’t have to, not if you really want your life to be something different, something exciting, something fun. It’s scary but it’s possible. How [...]

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The Night I Nearly Got Arrested in Bangladesh for NOT having sex with a (non) Prostitute

Guide book – no, local currency – no, map – no, knowledge of the language – no, accommodation booked – no, injections – no… this was my check list as I flew from Bangkok To Dhaka, Bangladesh’s underdeveloped capital. To [...]

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MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY: It’s All About The People

Sorry for being a couple of days late with this – I was stuck on Koh Chang (a beautiful Thai island) for a couple of days longer than expected, I had a great time with some cool people and it [...]

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TUESDAY’S TRAVEL RANT: The same old sales pitch

You can try to get off the beaten track all you want but it’s inevitable that eventually you’ll end up in yet another bloody tourist market, selling the same wooden frogs, the same fake football shirts and of course the [...]

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Damnoen Saduak Floating Market – Day Trip From Bangkok

Another great day trip from Bangkok is the much-fabled floating market. Bangkok attracts tens of thousands of backpackers every day but few make the effort to visit this cool site. Found west of Bangkok, Thailand’s most famous floating market is [...]

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Travel Rant Number 4: Immigration Queues

Ok, I’ve started to rant a bit over the last month, so i thought I’d give it an actual section on my blog! That way I don’t seem like a grumpy, perpetually p*ssed off backpacker (right?!). It’s called ‘Tuesday’s Travel [...]

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MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY: You’re Never As Young As You Are Tonight

“Do it while you’re young”, “Youth is wasted on the young”, “You’re only young once” – same old clichés, same old story. It’s true that youth is an awesome thing but it’s all relative. As a kid I thought I’d [...]

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Bagan Temples – Burma (Myanmar)

Burma’s biggest draw is their awesome temple complex at Bagan. Rivalling Angkor Wat as the most impressive temple complex in the world, the Bagan temples come without the tourist hordes, relentless hawkers and overpriced fees. Bagan is located roughly between [...]

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Live your life, take it all and don’t feel guilty for it

Life is meant to be lived, it’s meant to be enjoyed and appreciated. It’s not supposed to be taken for granted, and it should never be wasted. It’s a gift, one that we should cherish every day. The best thing [...]

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Travel Statistics

I’m a bit of a sucker for statistics, so when I came across this I thought I’d share it with you guys. People really don’t venture too far from Western Europe and the US eh!? Anyways, check it out This [...]

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The 5 best dishes in India?

If you’ve never heard the acronym I.N.D.I.A – INDIA I’ll Never Do It Again, you’ll understand the second you arrive and leave this awesome country. But the thing about the acronym is that it’s true for about 24 hours after [...]

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Travel Rant Number 4: Transport Touts

Wow, the people in this new country are so friendly. Everyone is trying to help us get a ticket, they’re literally fighting over who should help us – amazing. Hmmmm – the only thing amazing about this is how many [...]

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Inspiring Travel Quotes

Inspiration can come in many forms, but sometimes a little nudge in the right direction is all you need. So if you’re waiting around for something to happen, stop – go and grab it, do it now. If you need [...]

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Travel Rant: Number 3 – Taxi Drivers Around The World

The fastest, easiest way to travel? Gimme a break… 3) Taxi Drivers Around The World You’re tired, jaded and just want to get somewhere fast. Well, you’d be forgiven for thinking your best method to do that would be to [...]

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Teaching English in Taiwan – Case Study

*Neil Dutfield is a 26 year old marketing graduate from England who is currently teaching English in Taiwan. I asked him to write a little bit about what it’s like to teach English there, what’s the money like, does he [...]

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Travel Rant: Number 2 – Laundry When You Travel

I’m still in Taiwan and this topic haunts me on a regular basis, i hope some of you guys can relate to this – make’s my blood boil!! aaaaaargh…. 2) Dirty clothes and doing laundry: I completely understand that life [...]

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Travel Rant: Airplane f*cking tanoys!

Re-reading some of my posts I was left thinking that I only talk about the awesome side of traveling BUT sometimes things just suck! And there’s always one thing that makes things just a little bit better… a good old [...]

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9 Strong Emotions You Feel When You’re on the Road

To explore the world is a gift which the majority of the world will never have the opportunity to do, and that’s something I try never to lose sight of. When I meet people in impoverished countries around the world, [...]

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Thai New Year – Song Kran Festival : The Best Festival in the World EVER

I’ve been in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand for the last week or so to celebrate Song Kran, or Thai New Year. I think I can safely say that: a) Chiang Mai is probably the best place in the whole [...]

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Watching the Malaysian Grand Prix Live for $10 USD

I love Malaysia, I really do. I just spent a great weekend with some awesome Malaysian friends in Kuala Lumpur, we went to the Formula 1 Grand Prix together – the qualifying session on the Saturday and the race proper [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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, [...]

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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 [...]

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Are You Successful? Is it me or do we have it all wrong?!

Was does it take to be successful? Do you deem yourself successful? Presumably the opposite of success is failure and everybody actively seeks to avoid that – but what is success? As I continue to gallivant around the globe, visit [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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Teaching on English Camps

Moving to a new country to teach English is a daunting process on many accounts – culture shock, new industry to work in, the logistics involved in setting yourself up in a new country – all of these things are [...]

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Cheese Rolling, No Pants Day and a Few Other Random Holidays

Ok guys, now the reality of me being stationary for a month (admittedly in Thailand, so not all doom and gloom) or so has hit in I’ve caught myself looking at awesome holidays around the world o check these out: [...]

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African Camel Safaris – riding the desert caravan

After completing my trip through Africa last month, I can look back and really appreciate what an amazing continent it is. Home to the largest hot desert in the world and gigantic mountain ranges, what better way to traverse the [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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New Year Resolutions That Will Improve Your Life

Another year has come and gone – I hope we can all look back on 2010 with a smile on our faces. If not then this year can be different, will be different. This can be the year where we [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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5 Books to Read When you Travel

Lounging in a hammock on a Thai island or squeezed into a minibus with 25 locals for 12 hours, a good book can complement any scenario. Reading another generic John Grisham novel you picked up in the airport might pass [...]

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The Benefits of Studying Abroad

I have just started my Masters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this week (dec 2010) so studying is on my mind. Moving to a new country and getting immersed in education has really got me feeling positive so I thought therefore, [...]

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The good, the bad and the ugly of Khao San road, Bangkok

Bangkok, Thailand’s fabled capital, is frequently the first stop for round-the-world (RTW) trippers and certainly features heavily in many long term travelers histories but what is it that draws in the hordes exactly? Well, first off Thailand is cheap (not [...]

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Partying in Beirut, Lebanon

I was expecting Beirut to be more bombs than bars but I was very much wrong – this city parties hard. I’m currently in a very hungover state, with a disgusting Beirut shaped hole in my bank account and (hazy) [...]

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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 [...]

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Seeing Sights Because You Feel You Have To?

‘The traveler’s obligation’ Being on the road a long time, we get to see some of the most amazing sights imaginable – Great Wall of China, Sydney Opera House, Empire State Building, Machu Picchu. Often they blow our mind and [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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, [...]

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What is a TEFL course exactly?!

So you want to teach English overseas, you want to travel the world while you work, you want to live in far flung and exotic countries, you want to enhance your CV and learn a language, you want to have [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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