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Experience Speaks
When traveling, one of the greatest resources of information is other travelers.
Chatting over a meal or a drink, or even just a quick question on the street will
often provide you with exactly the answer you were looking for, or better! It
is with this in mind that we created this section. Here we’ve included the
thoughts and advice of travelers who’ve been there, done that. As with other
sources of information, you will have to try out some suggestions, disregard others
and eventually decide what it is that works best for you.
For each heading we’ve included a variety of answers. We will be changing
these semi-regularly to offer as wide a range of answers as possible, so check
back from time to time. Who knows, maybe your name will be here one day soon!
Methods/Tips for:
Best Experience
Methods/Tips for point to point travel:
| Always use the local known method. Travel and talk with the locals, get to
know what things should cost, then you can barter more effectively with agencies
and individuals. |
Dean Bilton - Australia |
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| I like to try as many ways of getting around as possible, but usually it is
a balance of time, money and comfort, probably in that order. |
Bill Hoffmann- United States |
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| Have a plane ticket that's easily changeable for no fees!! You never know
when you're going to fall in love with a place and want to stay forever. Have
a guide book on the place you're going to next just to be that much more prepared. |
Jana Dougan – Canada |
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| I will choose my means of transport depending on the country (in some countries,
it’s not that common to travel by train, for example), depending on how
long the travel is, how much time I have, and depending on the kind of landscape
I will go through. |
Caroline Hamel - France |
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Planes:
| Beware of charter flights. They’re cheap but unreliable. Stick with
good airlines, who will maintain their equipment, stick to their schedules, and
give refunds or credits on other carriers if there are problems. |
Cort Morgan - United States |
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| Talk with airline personnel as if they were people. Kindness goes a long way. |
Robin Gulick – United States |
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| Don’t drink more than a few cups of coffee or alcoholic drinks unless
you want your calves to swell up like giant sausages. Do leg exercises, get up
and walk, and don’t wear tight socks. |
Kris Padilla– United States |
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Trains:
| Good for long scenic journeys in off the beaten track areas. |
Peter Baillargeon – United States |
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| Learn to read a train schedule and carry a local language dictionary because
not all of this information is given in English. |
Donna Fava – United States |
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Buses:
| Try to book your ticket where the locals buy theirs and always have a look
at the bus because the picture of the bus doesn’t always match the actual
bus. |
Dean Bilton – Australia |
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| I hate traveling by bus and do it as little as possible, though, in some countries
it is a very economical way to travel. It is also a way to experience the local
culture, up close and personal. Don’t avoid it totally. |
Donna Fava – United States |
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Methods/tips for locating/assessing accommodations:
| INTERNET!!! And, if you're on a common traveling path, ask other travelers
at the hostel you're at if they have any good recommendations. They're usually
the best source because they've already been there...done that. I find guide books
favor some of the hostels sometimes and it's made out to be much better than it
really is (payoffs?). So, stick with what people say...they're going to be honest
about it...especially if they had a bad experience. |
Jana Dougan – Canada |
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| Lonely planet has always been my first port of call for accessing accommodation
but word of mouth from other travelers is just as good so mix in with other backpackers
travelers for great tips. |
Dean Bilton – Australia |
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| Local B&B type accommodation preferred. Word of mouth from fellow travelers
is important; otherwise, good backpacking guides like Footprint, Brandt or Lonely
Planet (in that order). Will often look on web prior to a trip as well; pictures
of a place a big plus. |
Peter Baillargeon – United States |
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| Ask to see a room before you register and pay. Guesthouses expect this, and
there’s no offense implied or taken. Check the bed, the bathroom, the windows,
the fan or a/c. You can always ask to see another room, or just say no. |
Niklas Girardet– Germany |
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Methods/tips for dealing with money/currency:
| Make sure you know how easy or hard it will be to change currency where you
are. Be tough when haggling over exchange rates. Be ready to walk away from any
deal. Keep in mind that an American will seldom be able to haggle down to the
prices and rates that a “local” would pay. In many cases, haggling
and bargaining are expected. |
Cort Morgan – United States |
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| I'm a big fan of having at least 1/3 of your travel money in travelers cheques
(although they are at times a pain to cash), and then credit cards or debit cards.
It seems that everywhere in the world has ATM's now, so if you've got a card you
can use all over the place, stick with that. You just never want to have everything
for your whole trip in your pocket. |
Jana Dougan – Canada |
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I usually carry cash and (knock on wood have not had it taken so far!)
In more developed countries I use a credit card, but don’t really prefer
that.
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Bill Hoffmann – United States |
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| I try to bring a calculator with me when I travel (it’s very useful).
I also bring a reminder note with the exchange rate, and some round sums and their
values in the corresponding currency. |
Caroline Hamel - France |
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Methods/tips for eating in foreign countries:
| In less developed countries, only bottled water, fruit with skin taken off
and thoroughly cooked vegetables. Pepto Bismal tablets are a constant companion.
If food is really dodgy, typically I will eat rice dishes and bread, etc. as during
a month long trip through rural Burma. |
Peter Baillargeon – United States |
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In saying all this, don’t be afraid to try the local cuisine. I had
some lovely meals in the dodgiest little restaurants where there are no other
Westerners around (Bolivia 3 course meal for $1.25AU!). Just stick to some rules.
Mine were,
- don’t eat seafood if your hundreds of bloody miles from the ocean (self
explanatory)
- don’t eat chicken before cutting it open to ensure it has been thoroughly
cooked, and if eating chicken, ensure the other items on your plate are not raw
produce.
- If there are others doing it, I should be OK.
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Dean Bilton - Australia |
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Methods/tips for female travelers:
| Walk with confidence, like you own the place. I find that when I do this,
I don’t get hassled or taken advantage of as much. Also, dress conservatively.
No need to veil or always wear long pants. Just watch the spaghetti straps, halter
tops, etc. Be aware of what is culturally appropriate and don’t set yourself
up. |
Donna Fava – Untied States |
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| When you’re going somewhere with someone you don’t know or alone
(trekking, or something), let a person from your accommodation know at what time
you think you’ll be back. |
Caroline Hamel – France |
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| Pack a one piece bathing suit (two pieces are not appropriate in many places)
and at least one long skirt that covers your knees (easy to fit and always handy
if you travel in developing world). |
Robin Gulnick – United States |
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Best experience:
| Sitting quietly with a friend in a mosque at twilight, in Central Asia, watching
old people gather for the evening prayer. |
Cort Morgan – United States |
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Toughest experience
| A stinky, dirty hotel in Syria after missing a bus… had a fight with
my girlfriend. |
Bill Hoffmann – United States |
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| Having Giardia in Peru and needed the toilet every 5 minutes. |
Dean Bilton - Australia |
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Most important thing, tangible or otherwise, that
you travel with?
| I treasure my journals from my travels. In fact, when I was working on a yacht
going across the south pacific, and we encountered a huge hurricane, boat flooded,
really thought we were getting in the life rafts, the only two things I packed
in my ditch bag besides clothes etc, were my journal and my camera. They were
the two most important things to me. |
Jana Dougan – Canada |
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| Curiosity, patience, optimism. |
Cort Morgan – United States |
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Advice for new travelers:
| Be flexible and enjoy ‘being there’. |
Bill Hoffmann – United States |
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| Keep all your senses alive to what’s different around you. |
Cort Morgan – United States |
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| Keep a budget. Know what you have and what you want to spend. Don’t
base your travel decisions on “American” ideas and values. |
Donna Fava – United States |
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| Don’t be attached to expectations or plans. Expectations are quickly
shattered and plans have a way of changing and then changing again. The way it
works out is the way it was meant to work out. |
Chelsie Olney – United States |
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