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:

deep fried chicken heads
Street food is fine but be careful! (look carefully at this pic :S)

1) You cross a border and have no idea about how expensive/cheap the country is going to be. Don’t jump in a taxi and get ripped off, jump in a newsagents, 7/11, street vendor and buy a can of coke. Relate that back the country you’ve just come from and it’ll give you a quick idea of what to expect. If it’s a similar price so the taxi price should be similar too (*also works well with McDonalds AND that gives you an excuse to eat fast food in a foreign country without feeling guilty, all in the name of research thank you very much)

 

2) You know you are getting value for money on long distance trains or buses if the ratio of hours spent traveling to USD spent is 1:1. For example 10 hours in a bus for $10 is a good deal almost regardless of where you are. I would go as far as 1:2 but beyond that and you should start looking for alternatives (Europe, ANZ and North America excluded of course)

 

3) Eating on the street is normally fine (regardless of what your guidebook says) if there is a crowd of people eating it to. Never eat food from a street vendor if they are no locals doing the same.

 

4) Check out time from your hostel is too early and you need another hour or two. Just before it’s time to check out, go and talk to the person on the counter, explain to them you know when the check-out time is but you’re running a little late and you’re sorry, you should be downstairs in 20 minutes or so. That WILL buy you at least an hour, probably 2.

 

5) First time travelers often believe that traveling by bus/train overnight is great because it saves you $5 – $10 on accommodation. I do agree with this but with stipulations, it saves you money and of course that’s great but at what ultimate ‘cost’. If you travel over night, save your $5 and then sleep all day in your new destination, you’ve lost a day of your travels for $5. So calculate what you’re saving and ask whether, when you go home, would you pay another $5 to have had an extra day on your trip? I think you know the answer.

 

6) Changing money before you get to a new country is pointless aside from a couple of exceptions (you’re getting rid of a currency you’ll never need again, you’re going to a country with no ATMS – Sudan, Somalia but this is rare). You’re flying to Vietnam, don’t bring Dong with you, nor Baht to Thailand, Yen to Japan or Real to Brazil. Simply use the ATM in the airport and save yourself the time and hassle.

 

7) Understand the visa situation of the countries you want to go to on your trip. I’m no planner, not by a long shot, but I’ll always know if I need a visa before I hit the border. You don’t want to turn up to the Chinese/Russian/Bangldeshi border to get told to climb back under the rock you came from  (it happens!).

 

Ok guys if I think of more as I continue to meander around the world I’l update it. Please add any more you can think of in the comments below. Good luck and happy travels! J

Remember, never travel without travel insurance! And never overpay for travel insurance!

I use HeyMondo. You get INSTANT quotes. Super cheap, they actually pay out, AND they cover almost everywhere, where most insurance companies don't (even places like Central African Republic etc!). You can sign-up here. PS You even get 5% off if you use MY LINK! You can even sign up if you're already overseas and traveling, pretty cool.

Also, if you want to start a blog...I CAN HELP YOU!

Also, if you want to start a blog, and start to change your life, I'd love to help you! Email me on johnny@onestep4ward.com. In the meantime, check out my super easy blog post on how to start a travel blog in under 30 minutes, here! And if you just want to get cracking, use BlueHost at a discount, through me.

Also, (if you're like me, and awful with tech-stuff) email me and my team can get a blog up and running for you, designed and everything, for $699 - email johnny@onestep4ward.com to get started.

Do you work remotely? Are you a digital nomad/blogger etc? You need to be insured too.

I use SafetyWing for my digital nomad insurance. It covers me while I live overseas. It's just $10 a week, and it's amazing! No upfront fees, you just pay week by week, and you can sign up just for a week if you want, then switch it off and on whenever. You can read my review here, and you can sign-up here!

sep-icons
teach-blog

So if you’re ready to…..

1) Change your life
2) Travel the world
3) Get paid to travel
4) Create a positive influence on others
5) Be free of offices and ‘real world’ rubbish

Then Sign Up Below and Let’s Get Started!

Follow me on Instagram @onestep4ward