I love traveling and everything traveling provides, although since I decided to leave Thailand, I’ve come to realise that long term travel is a completely different kettle of fish to short term travel. And as with everything you do for a long period of time, things start propping up that annoy you.

Hence today, I thought I’d list the things that annoy me about long term travel

1. Not being able to cook
Cooking and food are my biggest passions and while being able to eat lot’s of new foods while traveling around is certainly one of the best things about traveling, I do miss being able to cook for myself.

I like experimenting with food, and as a result I can’t find the things I would normally eat (Parma ham and red Leicester cheese Panini comes to mind). I long for getting into a kitchen with an apron on and coming up with more of my own creations (most of them taste like cats piss).

2. Living out of one bag
You have seen what goes into my bag when I travel… and there’s not much there. But packing everything up when I move onto somewhere new is like shaving… it needs to be done but doesn’t mean I have to enjoy doing it.

3. Not being able to find perfect working conditions
Compare these 2 pictures:

Me working in Laos on the floor, using net access via GPRS/Mobile phone. Aggggrr!

My home office set up in my apartment in Bangkok last year.

Finding great working conditions, without costing a small fortune are a very rare find while on the road. There’s always something wrong whether it’s noise, lighting, internet speed or table height. I sometimes dream about a nice desk, a desktop PC and a dual monitor set up

4. Home comforts
I miss simple things such as blasting the stereo at maximum volume while dancing around the pad naked Or simply getting a pizza in on a Sunday evening, move the bed covers into the living room and watching 3 DVD’s in a row. No can do when you’re on the road.

5. Friends
Again, one of the best things about travelling is the people you meet - whether you can communicate in the same language or not. I’ve met some really cool people in the last 10 months, but it’s never long before you go separate ways and the only time you’ll hear from them again is via checking their Facebook updates. I miss having friends I can go and visit, or have friends come round my place for dinner/poker/socialising.

6. Baggage limitations
There have been so many times when I’ve wanted to buy an odd painting, kitchen utensil or surf board… but where would it go?

7. Personal space
Every Saturday morning I would drive 3 to 4 hours across London and back to buy some pretty special sausages (Old Spot sausages from Lidgates for those in the London area). Everyone thought I was nuts for traveling this far for some sausages, but most didn’t realise I did it more for the drive and time alone than anything else.

While traveling around with my girlfriend… I often go out for an afternoon on my own, but no matter where I go, it’s very hard to find complete privacy.

8. Finding the time to work
I want to write a post on how to work while traveling… but I can’t as I still haven’t figured it out yet. It is super hard… more than most realise. There’s just so many distractions and noise that it really does take a lot of discipline to work rather than going out to explore what the new destination has to offer.

9. Getting my hair cut
I’ve always been anal about who cuts my hair… as I had the same lady cut my hair throughout my childhood and she could do it in 5 minutes flat, while speaking on the telephone… and every time is turned out perfect. 

So when I moved to Thailand, it was a shock to the system that I had to go through 5 or so bad haircuts before I found someone who could cut my hair to the way I like it (The gay french guy at the Sofitel hotel in Silom for those that are interested)… Now I’m on the road, it means I have to put my trust into some guy I don’t even know every 2 weeks… and 9 times out of 10 I walk out with the sulks looking like a a blind hairdresser had just cut my hair into funny shapes.

10. Exercise
Okay, this one could be fixed with a little more discipline, however I find it really hard to go out running while traveling…. not only is there so much to do (mixing work with travel) but I’ve found most of the places I’ve visited have had very poor running opportunities.

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Anyway, enough bitching… if I were to write a post on the things I do like about long term travel it would take many days to write.

What do you dislike about short, or long term travel?

Here are a few images from my day exploring Yangshuo, a really beautiful river-side town that has so much charm it’s unreal.

Although I’ve never met Dan, he come across as a generally nice guy, has shit loads of experience with generating sales on the internet - he’s project, The Tropical MBA, could provide the perfect break for someone looking to cut the 9-5 routine and inject some adventure and experience into their lives.

The deadline is 30th November, so check out the details here and if you think you’ll be a good fit, why not apply!

Good luck!

They were warm, and had a slightly sweet eggy flavor, which was gooey yet creamy in texture, wrapped in light pastry with white sesame seeds on top. I had 2 for breakfast with a cup of coffee for 3 days in a row. Very satisfying with the cold bitter weather outside. Yum!

Apparently everyone in China knows this stretch of the river, and everyone wants to visit at least one in their life. They even have the hills as seen below in the images printed on the back of their 20Y note! And I see why - It’s absolutely beautiful.

A day spent outside in the fresh air doesn’t get better than this.

Typical wooden Chinese mountain home

This was a meat market in someones house!

Isn’t she cute!

Just biding the time… I look forward to doing this when I’m all old and wrinkly

Stunning view over-looking various peaks.

A mountain side village of around 300 people. Most families here have around 6 kids.

The rice terraces that where just everywhere.

I couldn’t imagine someone her age grafting in the sun in the west, could you?

Very beautiful… shame they didn’t have cell phones

China just keeps on getting better and better. I’m scratching my head as to why there’s not more tourists here. Maybe it’s just me, but every day China gives me grins and excitement every time I go outside and I can’t wait for more over the next few weeks!

I have been going through my own portfolio of sites to see if they are blocked, and fortunately they are not. Although I have noticed that some Thai blogs have been black listed. This is what appears when China doesn’t want you to see the site:

I wonder who decides what ads go on this page? Are they sold?

Of course, if I really wanted to view the sites that are blocked I could always go through a proxy, so no real problem for me.

If you want me to check to see if your web site is blocked in China, leave the URL in the comments and I’ll check them for you.

By the time we got to our hotel from the 5 hour train journey from Nanning to Guilin, it was already dark. I checked into the Backstreet Hotel, dropped off my bags, had a shower and was eager to get some food before the partying started.

The first port of call was food. I opted for the Sichuan style beef. Hot and spicy, but full of flavor. Just what I needed.

The view from the restaurant.

This swanky bar was great… possibly one of the best bars I’ve ever visited. The thing with Bars in Asia is that everyone is up for a good time… and this bar was no different.

You know when I’m drunk when I put silly masks on my face. All part of the fun mind you.

The beer was sipped from a shot glass. It was an interesting concept… one that made me finish by beers a lot faster than normal.

Coyote dancer shaking her bits.

More dance moves from the Coyotes.

Honestly… I was dragged onto this podium.

My new found friend, with me doing the typical Asian camera pose.

It’s Halloween baby!

Or should I say sexy Halloween!

Fuck the after hours kebab, we opted for oysters!

I had just had a red bull so was seeing if I could fly…. it didn’t work… their marketing is full of lies.

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Maybe I should take the camera along more often when I go out to have fun (4+ times a week!)… what do you think?