Travel The World | TravMonkey World Travel

Traveling Culture Shock: Re-entry

TravMonkey — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:17:46 +0000

Returning home can be a culture shock of it's own.

Even before you set off on a lengthy trip around the world it is worth recognising that it will be a challenge to return back home. In many cases it can be a bigger culture shock than the one you experienced at your first destination.

I remember ordering a coffee shortly after touching down back in the UK, in my head all I could hear was my order in Spanish. It was strange to be in a situation where I was speaking English after 8 months in South America.

Re-entry

At first you may find it a relief to be back home, seeing your friends and family after such a long period of time. All the comforts of home will welcome you back, clean clothes and your own comfy bed. But don’t get too comfortable because just around the corner are a whole heap of re-entry issues to deal with.

Distance

You may find that you feel like there is more distance between you and your friends mainly because you have a different outlook on things.

Travel Stories

Don’t be surprised that friends and family won’t want to hear every single story from your travels, if they haven’t been there they may find it difficult to relate.

The questions

Be ready to be confronted by repeated mind numbing questions such as “how was the trip?“, “where was your favourite place?“. This doesn’t sound too bad, but when you’ve heard it for the hundredth time in can start to grate. It’s almost as bad as the questions you get when you’re traveling, “where are you from“, “how long are you traveling for?“.

How to cope

Keep In Touch

Try staying in touch with the people you’ve met whilst traveling, this can easily be done via the likes of Facebook these days. By keeping in touch when you get home will increase the likelihood you’ll meet again.

Language Lessons

If you were learning a language on the road you should try to keep up the lessons back home or even if you never quite learnt any how about taking some lessons now?

Find new hobbies

Finding new hobbies or interests you’ve always wanted to do but never got around to is a great way to get back into life at home. There are many hobbies that you just couldn’t do whilst traveling, now is the time to do them.

Take a short trip

Take some time out and take a short break. You don’t have to go away for a long time or to far away places but to do some independent travel will help even if it is just to meet some like minded travelers.

Bring back the memories

Bring back the memories from your travels, read back some of your travel blog or organise your photos.

Keep busy

The worst thing you can do is to sit around and do nothing. Having some time to chill out for a while is good, but don’t over do it. Find some hobbies and interests or learn that language that you never fully mastered.

Although your traveling experience may change your outlook forever you may find it difficult to re-adjust once you make it back home.

It’s always a good idea to have this in mind even before you depart.

Have you ever experienced culture shock on re-entry after coming back home? What happened and how did you cope?

Slumdog Marketing: The Art Of Begging

Eric Sensenbrenner — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:20:51 +0000

Photo by: navint

How would you react to the art of begging?

Exiting an airport in most of the third world is a daunting chore.

First the smells hit you. As you near the door the waves of heat trigger the sweating. As you walk through the automatic sliding door someone grabs your left arm, then you’re right. Soon you are swarmed with droves of strangers, tugging at you from all directions. [Who are these people and why are they touching me?]

In the movie Slumdog Millionaire, we were shown how children are exploited for their puppy dog charm in the art of begging for the cause of crime rings. Our instinctive sympathy for children makes us, as westerners in a foreign land a great target for this slumdog marketing campaign. This is true in many cases. We are drawn to these kids’ disposition.

They use movie quotes in their sentences and have cool names like Spider Woman, which they have dubbed themselves.

In Cambodia, for example, a lot of the street kids speak perfect English, with an Australian twang. They use movie quotes in their sentences and have cool names like Spider Woman, which they have dubbed themselves.
According to the World Bank, over 1 billion people live on the salary of $1.25 per day. This sounds sad, however the good news is this wage has gone up a quarter since 2004.

Now how can we contribute to these kids lives without aiding in the delinquency of this underground industry? Here is what I usually do…

Buy them a soda
Get them a snack or candy from a street vendor
Give them something from your home country

I travel a lot, and have lived in several third world nations. When I used to walk out of my flat, I would always see the same kid, Lizard. He would hang out on the Mekong, always playing with his buddies hitting empty water bottles with a stick.

Whenever he would see me he would run over and start up a conversation. I could never tell who Lizard was working for or with, but he always was discreetly looking over his shoulder when talking with me. He wanted to just be a kid, but knew he was working. Every now and then, when I was on my way to eat I would invite him to eat with me. Immediately after finishing he would always say he must go and would ask to take leftovers with him. I never gave Lizard cash.

I have seen people give pens and generic school supplies, but these kids are not at that point yet. They are trying to survive. Many of them beg saying that they must pay for school. Some cases of this statement are true, however most nations provide free education funded usually by non-governmental organizations working within the countries. The catch is many of the teachers charge for test copies or you can just buy your grade. Sadly this is the mentality these Slumdogs grow up with.

There really is no good way to reward begging and we shouldn’t condone it. We aren’t going to stop giving. We just have to think about the effects that what we give may have on our surroundings. Usually a well thought out item is better than cash or change. Try to give something immediate and consumable.

If you buy a street child a hat or shirt, it may act as a bulls eye for other kids making him a target for thievery. The best thing you can give them is just the time in your day to notice they exist.

Should I Take A Guide Book Traveling?

TravMonkey — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:19:34 +0000

It's sometimes good to give you guide book a rest.

There are plenty of guide books on offer for those looking to travel the world.

From backpacker favourites such as the Lonely Planet, Rough Guides and Footprints to more middle of the road guides such as Fodor’s there is quite a range of choice when it comes to choosing a guide book.

Traveler’s preferences depend on how they like their information presented to them. I prefer the Lonely Planet’s guide book because I know exactly where to find key information I might need, where as with other guides it seems to take me longer.

This much depends on your own personal preference, visit the local book shop and choose one you are comfortable with.

Don’t always take what the guide book says as being true, often you’ll find the opposite

Guide books are great for giving you a general reference. They can give you a basic guide to certain place and often provide you with a map. These maps can give you an idea of a place but should never be taken as an exact mapping of the idea.

Don’t always take what the guide book says as being true, often you’ll find the opposite and recommendations shouldn’t always be followed to the letter. Word of mouth is often a lot more reliable and up to date if you want to find a hostel or restaurant based on recommendation.

Following your guide book too strictly you’ll find yourself traveling to the same towns, villages, cafes and restaurants as every other traveler. It’ll take some adventure out of your travels. Try to use the guide book as simply that, a guide.

Have you been guilty of over using your guide book? Let us know about you experiences in the comments below.

When is a Backpackers Hostel Not A Hostel?

TravMonkey — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:25:53 +0000

Does having a dorm room define a place as a hostel?

Recently I had a comment left on the article 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Hostel by Josh from HostelManagement.com.

The article suggested:

They take up a huge portion of the current travel industry – It is now estimated that there are two million hostels across the globe.

But Josh commented:

I can only imagine that it’s a typo or a mistake that their editor missed. I’ve been in the hostel industry for 8 years and the “2 million” number is just not anywhere close to reality.

Now, personally I’m not really sure. I’ve emailed Hostel Bookers (who wrote the original article to see what they say) so we will find out soon. I put forward the view that perhaps it would depend upon what you defined as a hostel.

Josh then pointed me to hostelmanagement.com were there was a discussion about what the definition of a hostel really is.

For me there are lots of places that I would class as a hostel that don’t have dorm rooms, my own defination would be a place that is fundermentally communal. Communal kitchen, facilities, common room etc would be enough to define the place as a hostel.

What do you think? Does a hostel have to have dorm rooms to class it as such? I’m not so sure.

TravMonkey’s Weekly World Travel Round Up 12/10/09

TravMonkey — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:10:20 +0000

This week I took a trip to Madrid, Spain.

This week I caused a bit of a stir on the BootsnAll website with my article on Is Flashpacking Killing The Art Of Backpacking. My intention was to open a debate on whether or how much flashpacking is a different experience to backpacking. Although most commentators seemed to disagree with my view it was interesting to see such an interest in the topic.

Also this week Hostel Bookers launched the Hostel Bookers Photo Competition where all budding photographers have the chance to win a copy of Earthbound: A Rough Guide to the World in Pictures every week. The first topic of the competition is Actives and if you’re quick you maybe able to submit your photo for this weeks round.

Lastly, a shout out to Hostel One Centro in Madrid, Spain. I stayed there for three night last weekend and had a great time, lots of friendly staff, good location, nice kitchen/lounge and even pro evo soccer on the PlayStation! I booked it through our friends at Hostel Bookers and would definitely recommend.

Have you stumbled across any great backpacking articles on the web recently? Do you agree with my article on Flashpacking? Let us know by commenting below.

Backpacking Itinerary, Plan For Burnout

TravMonkey — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:44:20 +0000

Backpacking the world can be exhausting.

Traveling is a great experience and most of the time you will be having fun, but this isn’t always the case every single step of the journey.

When traveling the world there always comes a time where you need to take a break. This is why it is a good idea to factor in some time in your trip rather than planning to rush around on a super tight internary.

Stumbling off a sweltering hot bus with your heavy rucksack weighing down on your back, then attempting to find your way around an unfamiliar city at an unfamiliar time can be a very testing time. With locals staring, people hassling you, trudging around several filthy hostel’s until you find one that is reasonable can all take it’s toll. It’s reasonable to give yourself time to rest after such an exhausting experience.

“…you will find yourself hitting a wall.”

Having said that, I have meet many backpackers who have planned their trip down to the very last detail, including what they want to see in every little town. Unfortunately with all the excitement of wanting to see so much in a relatively short period of time they often forget to plan in time to rest and relax.

Usually after three to four months of visiting museums, temples and markets on a daily basis you will find yourself hitting a wall. You just don’t want to go to see that amazing temple that you’re supposed to see and you end up spending more time in the backpacker haunts such as bars, cafes and DVD lounges.

There is nothing wrong with this of course, but it is better to accept that you will face burnout after traveling so quickly and seeing so many things. It’s worth taking time to chill out in one place until you rediscover that excitement at going out and seeing new things. Write some postcards home, update your online travel blog, chat to fellow travelers, have a night on the town or chat to the locals and get to know the place a little better.

There is a great deal to be said about spending a little extra time in one spot whilst on the road but in the planning process this often gets over looked.

Have you ever faced burnout from intense traveling? Let us know in the comments below.

Backpacking Around The World: Accommodation

TravMonkey — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 19:04:28 +0000

Guest houses can offer comfort for those on a budget.

It often takes a little bit of time to get used to staying in budget accommodation when backpacking around the world. At first it may seem a little bit daunting but hostels actually offer a lot more than most people realise.

Hostels are great places to meet people and have a much more of a open environment than that of a hotel. The vibe of a hostel can often change and very much depends on who’s checked in that day. Sometimes you’ll find hostels quite quiet and on other occasions you could find them buzzing with other travelers.

If you’re backpacking the world it can be a great opportunity to try out a few new things. Why not opt for staying in that Tokyo capsule hostel or how about camping in Europe? Whatever you choose, you’ll be able to mix and match throughout your journey.

Independent Hostels

The bread and butter of any backpacking trip, hostels are great for those on a budget looking to meet other travelers. These days, hostels come in many different forms, even catering to the flashpackers amongst us. Some hostels have a great little bar and restaurant whilst others may just consist of dormitories and common room.

Super Hostels

Super hostels such as Base Backpackers tend to exist in Australia and New Zealand and are large franchise hostels. Often used by tour groups such as the Oz Experience they tend to be great places to party but also quite sterile and lacking in the customer service department.

Hostelling international

Hostelling international have a network of hostels throughout the world. They usually meet a certain standard and are clean and well organised. They seem to lack a certain personal touch of that of the independent hostel but they are great value non the less. For more information you can check out their website here.

Guesthouses

You’ll often come across places where people open up their own homes for travelers. This may consist of a few spare rooms that they let out or bungalows. Guesthouses differ from hostels in that they usually offer private rooms but less services. You also have to be a little more respectful after all you are staying in someone’s home.

Farms

Farm stays are a great way to experience the farming way of life and typically offer courses in riding or farming work. They can be a great unique experience and certainly different to staying in a hostel.

Homestays

Homestays are run by locals who have opened up their own homes for travelers to stay. They offer good value for money and can give you an insight into how the locals live. Homestays are often packaged with language course and charity work and can be very rewarding experiences.

Camping

If you’re prepared to carry the camping gear with you then you could find many opportunities to camp out under the stars. Usually it is actually illegal to camp for free although it usually goes unnoticed outside of large cities. Paid camping involves pitching on a camp site with other campers where the site will often have a number of facilities.

Have you stayed in any unusual forms of accommodation? Let us know by posting a comment.

Great Ideas For Backpacking Across The World

TravMonkey — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:20:37 +0000

S-21 Cambodia, history can give you an insight into a country's culture.

So you know you want to travel around the world and you know roughly how long you want to go for. You have one or two places you’d love to go, but where else are you going to go? So many places, so many choices.

We’ve put together a list of places to find great ideas for backpacking across the world.

1. Travel Blogs – Try reading a few travel blogs, it’ll give you a great insight into traveling a country that you wouldn’t otherwise get from a guide book. Try www.travbuddy.com or www.travelpod.com for some great inspiration.

2. Travel Forums – Try checking out the lonely planet’s forum the thorn tree, it has sub forums for different continents. BootsnAll.com also have a similar setup and it can be a helpful place for general advice as well as country specific advice.

3. Inspiration Travel Books - We all know about “The Beach”, both the book and the movie but there are hundreds of inspirational travel books out there. Try reading “All the Wrong Places” by James Fenton or “The Great Railway Bazaar” by Paul Theroux for starters.

4. Inspiration Travel Movies - There are so many inspirational travel movies, for me “Lost in Translation” had a inspirational depiction of Tokyo as well as “The Motorcycle Diaries” ride through parts of South America.

5. History – For me I’m always interested in a countries history as it can tell us a great deal about it’s culture and way of life. Cambodia in particular was both fascinating and haunting in the dramatic historical events that happened not so long ago. See S-21 prison and The Killing Fields.

Should I Buy A Ticket Round The World?

TravMonkey — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:39:36 +0000

RTW flights can be a good deal, but lack flexibility.

“Should I buy a RTW ticket?”

It’s a question that faces every backpacker intending to travel around the world.

RTW tickets tend to be relatively complicated and I’d recommend visiting a travel agent to discuss your plans if you are thinking of purchasing one. Personally I used STA Travel to book what was a half a RTW ticket. The reason for this was that I was traveling for longer than a year and RTW flights tend to expire within the year.

Travel agents usually offer two slightly different tickets, the most common tends to be a ticket that is offered by an alliance of airlines (Airline alliance ticket). The other less common type is a ticket that is basically several different flights packaged together.

Airline Alliance Ticket

You usually choose the places you want to fly to along with the dates, these can be altered but often have a charge for reissuing the ticket. When I changed my flight dates on one occasion in cost about £80 and on another occasion it didn’t cost anything.

The airline alliance ticket is valid for one year and the cost is usually based on the number of miles you cover. Your route has to be in the same direction around the globe.

When customising your ticket it’s usually best to keep it as simplistic and as flexible as possible, if you don’t you’ll probably see the price increase. Side trips and flights on certain uncommon routes will add to the cost.

Flights Packaged Together

If you are lucky enough to find a shrew travel agent, you maybe able to get a bargain by purchasing a package of one-way flights from several different airlines. These flights are often discounted flights from national airlines. Again, being flexible with both your route and the dates will help you to find the best deal.

Round the world flights can offer great value, but they can also be a little restrictive. When traveling you’ll often face delays ranging from broken down buses, bad weather, illness or even just because you’re having such a great time somewhere. Having a tight itinerary of flights can restrict your freedom to travel on a whim and head to places you wouldn’t otherwise go.

Having said that if you allow enough time between flights this needn’t be the case. When I used my half RTW ticket I booked one flight from Singapore for 5 months after the previous one landing in Bangkok. This gave me 5 months to wander around South East Asia and if I felt like it, time to spend an extra week in a certain place.

I purchased two half RTW tickets that cost approximately £900 and £800 respectively.

Manchester to London to Beijing, Hong Kong to Bangkok, Singapore to Brisbane

For the second part of my trip:

Sydney to Auckland, Auckland to Queenstown, Auckland to Santiago, Sao Paulo to London

If you are looking for a rough estimate of cost for your RTW flights you could try the following sites:

www.statravel.co.uk (UK)

www.statravel.com (US)

www.statravel.com.au (AUS)

www.airtreks.com

www.trailfinders.com

Ten Ways To Stick To Your Budget When Backpacking

Brian Eckert — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:31:08 +0000

Photo by: ecmorgan

When backpacking, try taking local transport to cut costs.

It’s safe to say that almost every backpacker is on some kind of a budget when they travel. It of course varies depending on a variety of factors but most of us can’t afford to spend like the drunken German tourist we meet at the bar who’s buying shots for everyone in between embarrassing rounds on the dance floor.

Learning to sponge off of free spenders didn’t actually make the list, but here are ten ways to not only make a budget, but actually stick to it while still making an allowance for nights to set free your inner Üter.

1. Set a Budget

Yes, this sounds obvious, but how you manage your budget is what’s important. First, set a spending goal for the week and figure out how much you can spend per day. Write down everything you spend money on by categories (such as ‘food’, ‘entry fees’, etc) so you can more easily see where your money’s going. If you find yourself going over track your expenses and eliminate the culprits.

The key to sticking to a budget is having a realistic one. It’s easy to swear to spending $5 a day by living as a total ascetic but let’s face it: you don’t have the willpower of a monk. Knowing that you’re going to want to splurge once in a while is vital to staying on target. Spend leanly when you can so that if you end up wanting to have a night on the town or coffee at a nice café you can do so within your budget. This can be worked directly into your spending goal or, what I often do is each time I go under budget for a day I put the amount into “splurge fund” which can be used to pay for more expensive things other days.

Photo by: ecmorgan

Stick to your travel budget and dine with the locals.

2. Buy Your Own Food

Food is always going to be one of your biggest expenses. However, buying the bulk of your grub at a grocery store is guaranteed to save money in the long term. Almost every hostel has a communal kitchen. Also, it is easier to make healthy choices at the grocery store. Buy foods such as fruit and nuts that you can snack on throughout the day.This will keep you satisfied between meals and less apt to make an expensive culinary mistake.

3. Don’t Be Such a Tourist

Eat at local restaurants. Ride public transportation. Shop at outdoor markets.In short, live as much like a local person as you can. Stick to the tourist spots and you’re going to pay tourist prices. Not only will this strategy pinch pennies but it will provide chances to rub elbows with the locals, making the experience much more genuine

4. Go With a Group

Generally, the more people you travel with the more money you’ll save, especially when driving. Even if you’re not traveling by car many tours or package deals have cheaper rates for large parties. Also, buying larger quantities of food and supplies lowers the unit cost.

Photo by: Victor Chapa

Camp to keep down the costs when backpacking.

5. Camp

Pitching a tent is one of the best and most reliable ways to save money. The downside is carrying the equipment, but the extra weight will lighten your spending. In keeping with the ‘reasonable budget’ theme allow yourself a bed once in a while.

6. Plan Smart

This can include many things, but in general, think ahead at all times. For example, don’t run to the bus station at the last minute and get on a bus that arrives at it’s destination at 2 a.m. where you haven’t made sleeping arrangements and are so tired you’ll spend three day’s budget on a taxi ride and a hotel bed. Instead, get the bus schedule ahead of time so you arrive at a reasonable hour and can take a local bus to a youth hostel or campsite you’ve made a reservation at. Basically, the more you plan ahead the less chance you’ll get into a tight spot and have to spend your way out of it.

7. Book Ahead

Flights are almost always much cheaper when booked in advance; usually the earlier the better. Also, check the peak tourist times at your destination and book for the off-season when rooms will be cheaper.

8. Find Free Things to Do

While money may not be able to buy happiness it certainly can provide a helluva night on the town. Luckily there are other ways to have a good time, many of them free. Taking a walk through a new city will cost you nothing and is the best way to get a feel for it. Go hiking. Have a picnic in the park. Arrive early to the subway and get a seat on a bench to watch the madness of a local rush hour. Throw stones at old people. Whatever your tastes, there are always small pleasures to be had for free.

9. Adjust Your Expectations

This is especially useful advice for first time travelers but is also important for veterans to keep in mind. Realize before departing that you’re not going to be living like you do at home and trying to do so will destroy your budget. Rough it a little. You’re going to miss meals. You’re going to sleep in communal beds that have suspicious stains. You’re going to be dirty and tired. Splurge once in a while on the finer things, but remember one of the best things about travel is breaking out of a routine. Instead of complaining about a lack of luxuries bask in the glory of being a dirty hippy. Plus, it will make having those small comforts even sweeter back at home.

10. Get Funded

This one is a bit of a stretch, but be creative. Are you a writer with a great idea for a travel memoir? Pitch the idea to an agent before setting off. Those aspiring to do charitable work may be able to get a small allowance from a sponsor. Lay a guilt trip on Mom about why you’re training to shrink your stomach before the trip. Remember those old Sally Struthers ads where for just $20 a month you can sponsor a child? Why not: Sponsor a Backpacker: “For just $20 a month you can see to it that little Brian has beer money on his trip through Laos.” Give it a shot. Friends and family have the tendency to say they’re living vicariously through your adventures. With a little work maybe they can be convinced to spend vicariously as well.