If you’re in Europe and you’ve never been to Praha, don’t do the same mistake I did- just go. I don’t really remember why I kept postponing the trip, usually in exchange for other places like Barcelona or Amsterdam. Turns out Prague does not only compare, it outshines (not Barcelona- nothing outshines Barcelona-, but Amsterdam anyway).

… that is, until you see the hordes and masses of tourist crowds run you over. The city feels ike Paris, maybe not as dirty and a fair bit smaller. But in general the Czech tend to be just as rude and cold as the Parisien, and the architecture – untouched from either World War – is just as stunning and breath taking. Besides, it was nice to take a break from the shitty weather and the workload of Berlin. With only 16 € and five hours on a luxurious bus drive (movie, restroom, adjustable seats- I wish Orange Ways would travel within Germany, it’d save me so much hassle and not to mention the money).

Enough of the cheese though. We spent most of the time roaming the city and discovering everything on a slow pace: the food, the markets, the buildings, the history. It was the first sunny and beautiful weekend of the year and a Christian holiday, too, so the city was packed with tourists from all over Europe. There is a lot of history to catch up on, but not many activities. There are a couple of random museums (The Museum of Middle Age Sex Machines? Really?) but nothing that particularly stands out. We tried climbing the hill up to the fake Eiffel tower but our lungs only carried us so far (and my cameras battery died shortly before that, so I don’t even have pictures to prove that we tried at least).

The major tourist bullshit thing we did was to take a boat trip on the Moldau with “the Venice of Prague” which turned out to be really lame. We basically floated half an hour around the same spot while the tour guide mistook his role for a stand up comedian. And it was expensive, too. As attractive as the tickets look, don’t do it, it’s not worth it.

In the evenings we went to local sports bars and enjoyed football and hockey matches. On Sunday, the Czech even won the ice hockey world cup against Russia, so you can imagine what the party was like (honestly, it was nothing like football victories, but it was still awesome).

You can check out more pictures on my Flickr profile.

There was one slightly bitter taste to the trip, though. It had nothing to do with Praha exactly, just what came along with it. In a funny feeling moment we decided to join a tourist Pub Crawl to hang with more tourists, and I think I was instantly traumatized. Underage Brazilian chicks who act like whores because they’re in a different city, creepy old American dudes (along with the less creepy and rather douchebaggy New Jersey type of guy) who try to pump them. Most of them succeeded by the end of the night. And it was just that: nobody cared about the local bars, the music or the city itself. Everyone just wanted to get wasted and do wild style.

Not that there was anything cultural to care about. Imagine the most trashy club you can think of – this is what they sell you on a Pub Crawl in Prague (I know, for a matter of fact, that they sell you the exact same shit in Berlin too). I don’t know if that’s a certain treat of the east or if that’s just a general tourist thing in Europe. It was no surprise there were no Europeans on the crawl, I think they were all chilling in their cool spots, listening to nice music and enjoying cheap drinks with their friends while raising a condescending eyebrow on the mutant animal travelers from overseas. Now that’s a way to make an impression.

Really, I couldn’t care less about what others do. What this showed me though is how hard it is not to generalize. I was a tourist myself, and I was on the Pub Crawl too after all- I wanted to meet interesting people who tried to have a good time, right? But instead they tore shit apart and threw up on dancefloors. I could basically feel the locals stare at me, going all “oh just another shitty tourist”, and you know what? I’m scared this is what’s going to happen all over again when I go on the RTW trip. Especially in well traveled places – Thailand, Australia – I wouldn’t want to be the typical tourist. Except there is no way around it, right? I’m not there to have a party and get wasted, but I do have a backpack, I live in hostels, and who knows how much you can change when you’re far away from home?

I wonder if that change is always as positive as people make it out to be.

from plasmastic

… and while we’re already on the subject of my itinerary: my first stop (after the two day stop over in Abu Dhabi, where I’ll visit my uncle and his family) on the trip is going to be Bangkok. As you’ve surely have heard, Bangkok has been the victim of political riots. Here’s the hasty run-down on why people are actually protesting, stolen from BBC News:

Many of the protesters come from Thailand’s rural north and northeast. They benefited from the populist policies Mr Thaksin framed during his five years in power – such as on health and education – and many of them want him back.

Others are urban intellectuals who want to see more democracy and less military influence in the country.
These various constituencies make up the anti-government United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), and are known for wearing distinctive red shirts.
The red-shirts say Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva came to power illegitimately and is a puppet of the military. They want Mr Abhisit to resign and call fresh elections.

Please read more about it here. If you want to stay up to date, check out the Bangkok Post.

As for my travel plans, well, I’m sure as hell not going to change anything about my decision to see Bangkok. I am a bit worried that the riots will have escalated by October into a grown up civil war, but I guess I won’t be able to change anything about it right now. I am hoping that it will go back to normal by the time we’re there. Fellow travelers have been posting pictures and articles about the current situation- though it apparently doesn’t make for a relaxed family vacation right now, it should be relatively safe if you don’t go into the red zones.

That said, the US embassy (and probably most other embassies) have issued a travel warning. The embassies in town are closed down (though I just read that they have opened up emergency locations), so if you lose your passport you’re all on your own. The firings are deadly and even foreign media has been affected. Be careful should you defer your

travels to other places in Thailand: most of the north seems to be occupied by the riots. Here are the regions that have been listed in the above mentioned travel warnings:

• Chiang Mai
• Chiang Rai
• Lampang
• Nan
• Nakhon Sawan
• Samut Prakan
• Chon Buri
• Nonthaburi
• Pathum Thani
• Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya
• Khon Kaen
• Udon Thani
• Chaiyaphum
• Nakhon Ratchasima
• Si Sa Ket

The Big Picture released some stunning photography in todays issue. It seems very unreal and intimidating- kind of like what we watched when the protests in Iran rose up. I keep telling myself that it probably can’t get worse than the First of May protests here in Berlin, but seeing those pictures I might just change my mind about that…

If you’ve seen my world trip itinerary, you know I’ve left out what is probably the most gorgeous place on earth: India. Everyone who’s ever been there raves about it like no other place I’ve heard of before- the culture, the culinary, the people and the nature are a shoestringers’ rapture.

But I had to leave it out. I want to see India on its own pace, without the stress of travelling through the whole world. I want to take six months and see what India has to offer me. I want to get down and dirty with it. There’s just not time, not on my first trip anyway. This decision is based on rationality, and yet, when I saw what beautiful video Mike Matas shot on his journey, my heart broke and shattered into a million pieces..

photo credit

Here’s what’s booked so far on the ticket itinerary (which does not include all of the stops I’m doing within these regions):

• Frankfurt – Abu Dhabi
• Abu Dhabi – Bangkok
• Bangkok – Denpasar
• Denpasar – Sydney

This will be most likely followed up by

• Brisbane – Nadi
• Nadi – Los Angeles
• Los Angeles – Mexico City
• Mexico City – Atlanta
• Atlanta – New York
• New York – Reykjavik
• Reykjavik – London
• London – FFM

It is possible to piece together a round-the-world route by combining one-way tickets on various airlines without resorting to alliances. In addition, discounts often apply to some long- and short-haul legs. The only practical way to do this — since it requires both knowledge and contacts — is to go to a travel agent who specializes in round-the-world itineraries.

The booking process can take a few days or weeks depending on how fast you wish to expedite the process. These agents will get parts of your ticket issued by their contacts in other countries or in-house contracts. This can save a lot of money over the airlines. – From Wikipedia

After about four hours at the travel agency (and a visibly stressed out, but absolutely lovely and amazing agent) I finally pulled out my credit card and – ka ching! – got the first half of the trip cashed. At first I was absolutely stoked and couldn’t believe that this is coming true. I mean, everybody dreams of this, right? Why should I be the one doing it? Me, I trip every two steps and I drool even when I’m awake and I’m an economical waste of everything. I’m useless! WHAT IS HAPPENING?! This fortune is probably going to be evened out by the death of a close relative or something. I’ll stay wary.

Taken by NomadicLass

Anyway. Ten hours later, the enthusiasm has faded. I’m left with a gut wrenching feeling of insecurity and many question marks. So many I don’t know where to start. Can I really afford this? I mean, the first half of the trip was super cheap compared to what you’d usually shell out for a one way trip, say, from Frankfurt to Sydney. But what if I run out of money in Australia? What if I don’t find a job that pays well enough to fund the next half of my trip through the ever so expensive USA (and yeah, how convenient is it the Euro lost about half of its worth to the Dollar two days ago? That’s just typical)? What if I get ripped off too often and don’t realize until I have nothing left anymore? What if I simply forget to take care of my belongings, what if I lose my luggage? So far I’ve counted on a tight budget that would get me from start to finish, but only now do I start thinking about all the eventualities.

Wow, the next months are going to be full of sleepless nights, I’m sure.

Sony made an interesting viral about taking on the world in 80 seconds. I’ll probably be away for a year, but I hope I’ll come back with footage at least half as interesting as this:

Berlin has gone back to rain and frost and I have gone back to working too long hours. I would love to prepare more for the trip, but really there isn’t much to plan yet without having bought the ticket and with so much time ahead. At least not thinking about it makes time pass by quicker, so that’s a good one.

In the meantime, there are a million of other blogs and resources that will take good care of you if you’re interested in travelling or awesome tales (ditch your life as it is, stop working, sell everything, cash in all your money and get the fuck away from here if you REALLY want to dive into an adventure, don’t just read the blogs about it!).

Sonic Iceland

Amateurs In Africa – Ben and Mitch are going from World Cup to World Cup. They’re absolutely insane and they have definitely not prepared for their five months of adventure in Africa. They make some sick movies of their adventure and if you pick one out of this list, pick this (I might be biased because Ben is my ex-housemate and he holds the record of drinking 36 Jagermeister shots. I’m basically just waiting for him to crack yet. It could happen anytime, so stay tuned to see it all happen. Hehehe.)

Sonic Iceland – Kai and Marcel are currently preparing for the flashpacking side of life – in Iceland. One month will be spent to document the Icelandic music culture.

Flashpacker – a geeky backpacker – youngsters which always carry around a backpack stuffed with ‘indispensable’ gadgetry: laptop, pda, gps etc

also referring to a backpacker with better budget – independent travelers with money to spend.

- Urban Dictionary

Travelettes – One of the most popular travelling blogs among chicks. It’s basically an institution with plenty of females from all around the world who spill their stories, and a rich resource for everyone who’s planning a trip.

Almost Fearless – Less a documentary about someone on the road and more a collection of brave advice, little anecdotes and a bit of travel philosophy for you to dive into.

The Amateurs in Africa

Techguide For Travel – My trip is not the shoestring thing of the early 90ies, I admit it. I suppose it makes things slightly less interesting. Flashpacking is easy, right? Well, I’m trying to find a balance. A balance and the right gadgets to take along with me to communicate and document at my best where I’ve gone lost again. The Techguide for Travel is a pretty nifty resource for advice on the road.

The Aussie Nomad – Another Aussie on the list. Seriously though, what is it with you Australian people? Can’t you settle down? Seriously! … but nah, just kidding. The Aussie Nomad has some very nice stories about the places he’s visiting. Right now he’s checking out Europe and will soon probably pass me in those streets of Berlin.

Have Pack Will Travel – notice something? Yeah, that dude totally stole my idea. Except that blog has been around for way longer, so err, let’s not talk about it shall we? Have Pack Will Travel follows a similar concept to Almost Fearless, a round mix of philosophy, good advice (especially for other bloggers maintaining travel blogs) and some tidbits from around the world.

Uncommon Travel – good writing and nice stories to find on Uncommon Travel. Did I mention how much I love blogs that have good and big pictures to visualize the content? Yeah, it’s one of those blogs, so go pack it in your feed reader.

Have Internet Will Travel

Have Internet Will Travel – Excuse me, another impostor. I feel slightly silly now because that idea of a name is rather not so creative (especially because at least they have made the effort to change the title). Anyway: Have Internet Will Travel is about a freelancing couple that works from wherever they are. I love it.

She’s In Love With The World – More similarities between me and other travelling people, this chick’s name is Sarah (though mine’s without an H) and hell yeah she loves the world. Especially her posts about South East Asia and the budgeting advice was very helpful for me and my own itinerary. See, I love profiting from other’s experiences, I just wish I could do that in real life too.

Alright, I suppose that’s enough for now, gotta get back to the daily crap routine. 147 days left!

For all of you already on the road (or soon-to-be) and who can actually afford such glamorous a companion as an iPhone, listen up: as the Volcanic Ash is still forcing people to stay put in their traveller’s momentum (or maybe even to take the chance to go on a sailing trip, hitchhike a country or pirate a train- it’s what I would do!), our most loyal shoestring friend Lonely Planet has decided to give up some of their iPhone Apps for free.

That means if you find yourself stranded at an airport, desperately waiting to go back home or to your next destination, and if you hold in your hands an iPhone, you dirty flashpacker, then go ahead and take this noble offer as long as it’s still valid. They’re giving away thirteen European city guides, including Berlin, where the sky has never been so clean and clear.

In the meantime, I’ll be here, a bit annoyed how I still and probably never will own an iPhone and can’t make proper use of this. Eh. Have fun, you spoiled rich kids.

You don’t know how difficult it was to pick out a proper and flexibly changeable itinerary. Seriously. Even if you know those two or three sweet spots that you want to see, you’ll always be scratching your head and reconsidering if this is the best possible way to go. This is too much of the beaten track – this I don’t really want to see – this I need to see, but there’s nothing much I could do there – this is too expensive and will break me in – this is too far away from my initial outline – I went insane before this whole deal even started.

Eventually I ditched all my strategic steps of planning because I’m lazy and don’t want to go crazy over this and did something else: I picked out the cheapest Round-The-World ticket and looked where it would get me. The only initial condition was that I wanted to travel one year of summer and that’s that. This is what it turned out to be:

• Frankfurt – Bangkok
• Phuket – Denpasar (Bali, Indonesia)
• Denpasar – Sydney
• Brisbane – Nadi (Fiji)
• Nadi – Los Angeles
• New York – Reykjavik
• Reykjavik – London
• London – Frankfurt

That’s eight flights to get me around the globe for a pretty decent price. Most importantly, they get me back home, an issue my mother likes to discuss with a fierce passion. Yes, mom, I’m coming back. I don’t know from where and when. I’m sure because you would come and drag me back home even if I didn’t have the means to pay. Hi Mom, by the way, if you’re reading this I’m totally mocking someone elses mother.

View Itinerary in a larger map

A word to the people who’re going to tell me that this seems to be a pretty lame itinerary for a world trip: I know. Most of these are expensive countries and I’ll probably get wasted with white rich kids just like I do here (maybe with exceptions of South East Asia, but I doubt it anyway). But this is not supposed to be the last trip I ever take on earth. This is supposed to be my first trip. I’ve never been backpacking. Fuck, I’ve never even went camping before! I’m a spoiled girl! I’ll probably break down in Australia because people are trying to force feed me Vegemite! I’ll cry rape in the USA just because someone was trying to hump me on the dancefloor! Here, I’m already breaking down. This is going to be fun for everyone who’s watching the epic miserable backpacking life of me. I’m a pro at failing, really, so it doesn’t matter where I am.

"Lonley Monks" by Matt Murf

Besides that- I’m intending to go over more than twenty countries, most of them being in South East Asia and some of them being in South America. People might wonder why I haven’t included neither Africa nor most parts of Asia and there’s a simple answer to that: ten months is not enough time (and let’s not even talk about the money). I wish I could see everything, but I stuck to those parts of the world the furthest away from me, and which I’ll most likely not visit in the coming years. I know the Middle East, my parents drag me there every year – from Syria to Jordan to Lebanon to everywhere. I left out India because it seems a trip worth on it’s own. As for Africa… I’m a lone single female. Again, I’ve never backpacked before. I’m currently watching what Benny and Mitch are going through on their sweet little hike. Uh, no, I’m seriously not going there on my own.

Which all doesn’t mean I won’t try to go off the beaten track. Screw the Lonely Planet! Let’s ride elephants and dolphins! … Ok, that’s it so far. In my next posting I’ll get into which places I actually want to cross on my trip, not only the aforementioned airport hubs, but the sun is shining right now (and THAT doesn’t happen a lot lately, thanks to Iceland and it’s volcanic cry for attention) so I have to go and enjoy the shit out of it.

So I guess this question is going to come up at some point or another (because it always does and it’s pretty annoying and I can’t be any more passive aggressive about it): what does Have Love Will Travel mean? Is it a literal German translation of something? Is it a meaningful phrase taken out of a philosopher’s quote book? Is it gibberish?

Seriously, I don’t know. If I had to pick I’d say it’s coked up acid gibberish. But hey, at least I didn’t make it up! In fact, it’s the title of a pretty cool song, called – wait for it – “Have Love Will Travel” by Richard Berry. Actually, The Black Keys have covered it a while back  (it was originally released in 1959).  The song is only great performed by The Sonics, though. And when I think about rock’n'roll road trips in the desert, this is the soundtrack I want playing in the background while me and Prince Charming elope into a rich world of dreams…

Whatever. Here it goes: