Tag Archive for 'Travel'

Island Time

Published on February 7, 2010 in Seoul and Travel. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Welcome back!

Mmm, island time.  A phrase I heard at least 5 times a day on Palawan.  Very similar to my favorite Spanish word ‘tranquilo,’ in fact.  Everything moves at a languid pace on Palawan, and the concept of rushing is something completely alien to the locals.  Me likey.

Palawan

My time in the Philippines was fantastic, and just the break I needed from the manic pace of Seoul.  Palawan is as quiet and relaxing as Boracay is nutso and drunken.  There weren’t a ton of travelers there, but that’s what I was wanting.  Palawan is also known as a haven for adventurous and outdoorsy types, and it didn’t disappoint.

Palawan My days consisted of swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, scuba diving, hiking, and gorging myself on fresh pineapple and cashews.  Pure bliss.  The highlight for me was El Nido, a sleepy beachfront town in the north of the island, known for its perfect water and limestone karsts rivaling places like Vietnam’s Halong Bay.

I spent the majority of my time on the island there, and with good reason.  I stayed at a place called The Alternative, and I can’t recommend it enough.  The staff were all imported from a resort that shut down, so the food is fantastic and the people friendly.  The 2nd floor is also open to the air, with two lookouts perched directly above the water.  I ended every day laid out in one of ‘em, beer in one hand and a book in the other.

My buddy Don, the guy who mentioned ‘island time’ the most, was my tour guide and source of local info for the town.  He took me out on tours of the islands where I got my best photos.  El Nido’s Big and Small lagoons are Palawanthe best sites, and perfect for swimming or snorkeling.  Throw in freshly caught Yellow Fin for lunch, and you’ve got me hooked.  I also rented a kayak to play out my own Robinson Crusoe fantasy, finding my own island to spend the day on.  Who knew rum-soaked pineapple goes so well with your own private beach?

 

I also found the time to get some dives in, and it was a really great feeling to get back in the water after such a long break.  Apparently the Philippines also have the cheapest PADI courses in Southeast Asia, so I’ll be heading back to get some more certs at some point.

This was my first taste of travel in Asia (besides a quick jaunt to Tokyo two years ago), and you can color me excited!  I’ve only just whet my appetite, and trip planning will begin in earnest for this summer soon!

Palawan

If you’d like to see more of my trip photos, feel free to check out my Flickr page.

 

Philippines, Ho!

Published on January 15, 2010 in Seoul and Travel. 2 Comments Tags: , , , .

I’m writing this two hours before I head to the airport for my flight to Manila, which will start my adventure to the Philippines.

I’ll be there until the 30th, with the majority of my time spent exploring the island of Palawan for island hopping, diving, snorkeling, hiking, and general tomfoolery.  I think it’ll be a blast.

As an added bonus, I’ve decided to try an experiment with packing light.  I’m only taking my small pack, with a very light load out of only the essentials.  It should be an interesting trip.

I don’t know what sort of internet access I’ll have available while I’m on my trip, but if I don’t get to post on here during, I’ll be sure to give a trip report at the conclusion!

What Can Long-Term Travel Teach You? Pt. 3

Published on January 24, 2009 in Expat Advice and Travel Advice. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

If there’s one major misconception people have about long-term travel, it’s that it must be expensive.  That’s simply not the case.  There are endless ways to extend your travel dollar on the road, and if you want to keep your adventures going for a long time, it pays to be thrifty.

Baguettes + Mystery Meat=Thrifty

One of the most expensive elements of any trip is feeding yourself.  Restaurants are expensive, and eating out every meal will deplete your travel funds very quickly.  By sticking to local markets and restaurants that don’t cater to tourist dollars, you’ll be surprised how much further your money goes.  In the picture above Davy and I are munching on some baguette and mystery meat sandwiches, which made up about 90% of our diet on our biking trip.  Throw in fruit, and you’ve got 100%.  We rarely ate at restaurants or slept in hostels; choosing instead to look for places to pitch our tent.  Being frugal allowed us to stay in Europe for much longer than anticipated.

Living in Argentina now I’ve quickly discovered the difference between needs and wants.  I have barely any of the creature comforts I took for granted back in the US, but I also quickly learned to do without.  Simple living has been the key that has stretched my money down here, and I’ve seen friends leave after only a couple of months because they don’t budget or plan where their money should go.

Living abroad long-term on little money has been challenging, but these thrifty lessons will be invaluable whenever I return home.  I’ve come to value experiences over things, and this thriftiness that has allowed me to thrive down here will definitely carry over to my lifestyle in the US.

See parts 1 and 2 of this series here:

5 Gadget Greats

Published on December 15, 2008 in Expat Advice, Travel and Travel Advice. 1 Comment Tags: , , .

There are certain toys that I simply can’t do without when gallivanting about the world.  They keep me sane and help me pass the time when I’m not out and about exploring.  They’re become especially important to me now that I’ve been living abroad as an expat.

1. Laptop

Easily takes the top spot.  I use it for countless tasks.  All of my work I do here is done on my laptop.  I work from it, set my schedule on it, research and plan trips on it, you name it I probably do it on my laptop.  It’s my number one piece of hardware.  And with technology allowing for smaller and smaller laptops that have become ultra-portable, I see no reason why they shouldn’t accompany anyone on a long-term trip.  Plus with the increasingly common availability of wifi, you can easily stay connected if need be.

2. iPod

I’m a music freak.  I can’t help it.  I love finding out what the popular groups are in a place I’m staying and throwing them on my iPod.  I also use it for Spanish language podcasts to practice advanced vocabulary and grammar tenses.  Makes for a more productive trip on mass transportation.  Buenos Aires also offers podcast walking tours for free on their tourism website; a great alternative to paying for the guided ones!

3. Digital Camera

My digital camera allows me to shoot photos of dang near everything.  I take it with me everywhere.  I’ve been in Buenos Aires 4 months and I already have well over 1,000 pictures from the city.  Don’t worry, I’m going through them now to add to the photo page on here!  I have two 4gb SD cards that I keep with my camera, so I have more than enough space to shoot any trip I’m on.  Combine my camera with my laptop and iPod, and have all my photos stored and sorted.

4. Cell Phone

Before I left the states I made an investment in an unlocked quad-band 3G phone.  I use the Nokia E51, and it has served me very well thus far.  Quad-band means my phone can be used anywhere in the world, so long as I get a local plan and pop in a new SIM card.  3G means it can use the highest speed networks that the best carriers operate on.  And since my phone is unlocked it can be used with any carrier, even when / if I return to the US.  Pretty snazzy little sucker.

5. Universal Adapter

I bought a set from Brookstone that covers all my bases for power around the world.  They have various plugs and adapters that’ll cover any outlet I come across.  And it all stores in a snug little case that stores easily (with a map of what to use where on the inner lid!).  Definitely worth grabbing if you’ll be hitting multiple countries.

Wrap Up

If you can’t tell, I’m quite the nerd.  I love my toys, and very rarely am I completely disconnected.  I already know that I’ll be working on joining the ranks of flashpackers soon enough.  Backpacking with cool points.  What about you guys?  Any other gadget suggestions that you just can’t live without on the wide open road?

Dolla Dolla Bill Y’all

Published on December 1, 2008 in Travel. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Since my last post I’ve had a couple of people ask me about #35 on my travel list, “Fill up my entire travel dollar.”  I’ve always kept a journal of my travels, and I also like to remember where I’ve been by marking up a little keepsake.  The dollar I currently have is unfortunately version 2.0, I started version 1.0 on my first trip out of the country in 2004 but he was stolen (along with my bike) in Brussels.  I’m still not a big fan of Brussels.

I started version 2.0 when I graduated from college, so he’s relatively fresh.  He’ll get plenty of travel under his belt soon enough though.  Here he is in all his glory:

Travel Dollar Travel Dollar

I keep him around as motivation for doing more traveling.  The US and Argentina look pretty lonely on there don’t they?

Indiana Jones Went There, So Why Shouldn’t I?

Published on November 29, 2008 in Travel. 9 Comments Tags: , .

I caught the tail end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade on late night television the other night, and it got me to thinking. The final temple location that they shot has always struck me as an amazing site, and ever since I first saw it I’ve wanted to visit. With a bit of help from Wikipedia, I found out about Petra.

200811291340 Indiana Jones Went There, So Why Shouldnt I?

Going from there I decided it’d be fun to put together 50 things I’d love to do in my travel lifetime. A sort of “bucket list,” if you will. Only I hope to do all these things before I’m on the verge of death. With that said, here’s what I came up with for my travel life list:

  1. Hike the Inca Trail, trekking under a full moon to arrive at the Sun Gate at sunrise.
  2. Set foot on every continent.
  3. Ride the Trans-Siberian Railroad.
  4. Ride a motorcycle across China.
  5. Go sky diving.
  6. Go base jumping.
  7. Organize another long-term biking trip.
  8. Have an article published in a major travel publication.
  9. Participate in Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain.
  10. Go to a full moon rave in Thailand.
  11. Go to Carnival in Rio, Brazil.
  12. Learn how to surf.
  13. Scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
  14. Take a trip on a round-the-world ticket.
  15. Become fluent in Spanish.
  16. Become fluent in another language besides Spanish.
  17. Ride a motorcycle from Alaska to Chile on the Pan-American Highway.
  18. Visit the Blue Grotto in Capri, Italy.
  19. Dive the Blue Hole in Belize.
  20. Get my Divemaster certification.
  21. Visit the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
  22. See the Aurora Borealis.
  23. Go heli-snowboarding.
  24. Go on an extended sailing trip.
  25. Attend Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany.
  26. Attend the Burning Man festival in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada.
  27. Take an extended backpacking trip through Southeast Asia.
  28. See Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
  29. Live long-term in another foreign country besides Argentina.
  30. Attend a World Cup final.
  31. Spend at least two weeks in the Amazon Rainforest.
  32. Snowboard in the Swiss Alps.
  33. Try hang-gliding.
  34. Keep a photographic journal of all my travels.
  35. Fill up my entire travel dollar.
  36. Visit the ancient temple of Petra in Jordan (Indiana Jones!)
  37. See the Abu Simbel temples in Egypt.
  38. See the temple of Karnak in Egypt.
  39. Visit the Itsukushima Shrine in Japan.
  40. Catch a Liverpool home game.
  41. See a live volcano erupt.
  42. Build a successful travel blog.
  43. Completely fill my passport with places.
  44. Find a beach to lounge on that has less than 5 people on it the whole day.
  45. Go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana.
  46. Attend a Euro Cup final.
  47. Take a long-term backpacking trip through Eastern Europe.
  48. Drink a Hemingway daiquiri in Cuba.
  49. Visit Easter Island.
  50. Visit the Cave of Crystals in Naica, Mexico.

I’m sure other people reading this blog have their own places that they want to see, so feel free to offer suggestions. I want to see everything!

Deck The Halls With… International Travel?

Published on November 26, 2008 in Buenos Aires. 4 Comments Tags: , , .

This is the first year that I’m not going to be home for Christmas with my family, and I’m going to miss it.  I wish I could see all of them, and I’d especially like to see my sister again now that she can walk, but it just isn’t in the cards.  I know she reads this, so I want to say that I’m incredibly glad you’ll be back at UNC next semester, you’ve had an amazing attitude throughout this whole mess, and I love you.  For those of you not in the know, my sister was involved in a drunken driving incident (she was an innocent bystander walking home) that gave her some serious injuries.  It’s amazing what you take for granted until it’s almost taken away from you.  So in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’m thankful that my sister is alive and doing well, that the rest of my family is healthy, and that I’ve been given the incredible opportunity to live in Buenos Aires!

My roommate is going back home for Christmas, and I definitely don’t want to spend it alone in my apartment, so I’ve decided to do a bit of traveling over the holidays.  I’ve got a couple options right now, but Chile with my friends Jo and Kelsey currently holds the top spot.  We’d hit up a couple of beaches in southern Chile and just relax.  A white Christmas, even if it’s white sand.  We’ve even lucked out on one of the reciprocity fees down here, since Chile only charges the fee if you fly in.  Buses it is!

With luck, I’ll even score free accomodation through MiniHostels.  If anyone has tips for things to do around Valparaíso, I’d love to hear them!  I’ll add some more updates on the itinerary as soon as it’s fleshed out.

My Top 5 Travel Resources

Published on November 8, 2008 in Travel Advice. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .

Since I do a lot of research by nature, I’m always on the hunt for great resources — especially with travel now that I’m a staff writer for MiniHostels.  Here are five of my favorites:

1) Wikitravel

Pure awesome.  Think of it as Wikipedia for the traveler.  The entire site is built upon the real-time submissions of people, which means it’s constantly updated and never outdated.  It’s also policed  just like Wikipedia, so bogus information either isn’t there or doesn’t stay up for long.  You can find information about any place you want to go here, along with suggested links to other resources.  I use it any time I’m looking for information about a travel destination.

2) Thorntree

Easily the best travel forum on the web.  Thorntree is Lonely Planet’s massive travel community, populated by knowledgeable and extremely helpful posters for wherever you want to go.  There are threads for every country on Earth.  If you have a specific question about somewhere, chances are you can find your answer on Thorntree.

3) World Hum

A great site for travel inspiration.  It’s a depository of high-quality travel writing, and the amazing stories definitely inspire wanderlust in even the most hearty homebody.  You can find blogs based out of anywhere.  Very cool site if you’re looking for a personal twist on travel information.  Also, Rolf Potts writes a column here, and he’s my hero.  So it has that going for it too.

4) CouchSurfing

A worldwide community of people sharing their homes for budget travelers, CouchSurfing also offers a great way to meet people wherever you’re staying.  Members host events all over the world, so you’re never far from a beer with some cool people.  I’ve been to some of the Buenos Aires events, and they’ve all been fun.  Someone who is willing to share their home with strangers is by nature very open and will probably have interesting stories to tell.

5) National Geographic Glimpse

Glimpse is a project that got off the ground only recently, but has exploded in popularity.  Glimpse is written by young adults living and traveling abroad, and takes story submissions from anyone willing to write them.  They also have a correspondents program that involves paid writing, which I’ve applied to.  An interesting site for reading the perspectives of other young expats all over the world.

These are just my five favorites, but what other sites have I missed?  Where do you go for all your travel information needs?  I’d love to hear about other spots to get my fix!

Employment

Published on October 17, 2008 in Buenos Aires. 3 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Ok, so I promised splendiferous news for all my faithful readers, and here it is!  I am now officially employed as a travel writer / blogger at MiniHostels!

All the aspects of what I’ll be doing are still being hashed out at the moment, but I do know that I’ll be writing and updating multiple blogs, as well as helping the other writers optimize each blog for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and distribution through social media.  It’ll involve working with Google Analytics, identifying specific keywords for our blogs, StumbleUpon, Digg, Reddit, Technorati, and others.  Basically, it’s my dream job.  This type of work is exactly what I do on my own time with Expedition Evan, but now I’m getting paid for it!

They pulled up my blog in the interview, so I’d like to think that you guys reading and encouraging me to keep writing played a big part in getting me the job.  So… Thanks!  Right now we’ll have two in-office meetings a week, with the rest being done on my own schedule at home.  I can definitely dig the freedom of the telecommute!

And I saved the best part for last – since I’m working for a hostel network, there is potential for free travel involved.  Yes, you read that correctly, free travel.  If I stay at one of our network hostels, I can write articles about the hostel in exchange for greatly reduced or free accomodation!  And if newer hostels or travel destinations are added to our website, I might be sent to check out the city and accomodations to write about it!  I can’t imagine a better job for me right now.  When I got the phone call offering me the job, I jumped up and did a legit heel click.  No joke.

This job is honestly the perfect storm of awesome.  I was worried about finding employment when I came down here, but this has affirmed all the sacrifices I made in moving.  It’s just perfect.