Have Itch, Will Travel

The type of traveller you are and the type of activities you want to do will affect your packing list greatly! As for me, I like hiking and active travel, and do not go clubbing, dine in expensive restaurants, or stay in 4- or 5-star hotels. My packing list therefore, does not include smart clothes and shoes, heels, make up or dresses. Packing would still be a challenge. Near freezing temperatures some nights, over 40 degrees Celsius some days, eight months long a trip, some Muslim and Orthodox Christian countries, modern cities, rural towns, hiking, swimming, camping... could everything I need fit in my 24L backpack and remain under the 7kg carry-on luggage limit? Yes, it could and it did. The secret to light packing is this: Pack versatile, mix and match, and layering clothes Buy quality performance items that moisture wick, quick dry, and last Accept that you will be washing clothes frequently Remember that you can acquire and discard things during your trip My test-pack d...

People rave about their trips to Ethiopia . It's off-the-beaten-track but full of amazingness and culture... I suspect these people enjoyed Ethiopia in the comfort of their 3- or 4-star hotels, coaches, and internal flights, according to a planned and packaged tour. Now, I'm not saying Ethiopia isn't amazing or doesn't provide a different experience in culture etc. The towns (and especially the local markets ) are lively and exciting places, their cuisine is surprisingly varied and tasty, the coffee is the best in the world, and unique landscapes like the Simien Mountain range and the other-worldly Danakil Depression are found there. Hiking the Simien Mountains was a highlight. Finding a place to pee in the bushes around camp where 50 other people shit, not so much. Ethiopia is also a land of fine print, smarmy opportunists , entitled children demanding money, and money-grubbing tourism operators. If you are thinking about going to Ethiopia, I would say, "...

The tourist town of Victoria Falls is named for the 3km wide waterfall that has a coveted place on the Seven Wonders of the Natural World list. Victoria Falls additionally offers a range of adventure tours including rafting, bungee jumping, microlight flights, helicopter rides, and game tours of the neighbouring Chobe National Park . It is no wonder then, that it is one of the most popular destinations in Africa. The tour websites, magazines, and pamphlets paint a pretty picture of the town, but on the ground, it is a different story. Crocodiles, hippos, buffalo and elephants are some of the wildlife in Botswana's stunning Chobe National Park. The town appears to see very little of the tourist dollars that pour in. There is no street lighting, and limited public space and amenity. Some people believe that a lack of local government is to blame, though an internationally famous attraction might still be expected to garner closer federal attention. Private tour companies...

One-bag travel means packing can be a challenge, especially with essential but relatively bulky items like a jacket . This video shows how you can fold your jacket into an even, tidy roll to strap to the outside of your backpack in the pack cover. Packing it this way means you can save valuable internal space, have the jacket easily accessible, and keep it clean.

Oh! The Adriatic Sea ! We had heard of its beauty. Though scared away by the exorbitant accommodation prices in Croatia, four times greater than elsewhere, we were determined to find a way to see the coastline. Montenegro offered some popular holiday spots at more affordable prices, and we chose the smaller town of Ulcinj . What we found was a coastline of rocky cliffs and beaches, met by a calm, deep green sea. Holidaymakers lay on the grey sand on Small Beach , shunning the shady umbrellas to obtain a deeper shade of pink. Meanwhile, a hundred sun lounges were unoccupied along the bottom of the cliffs. We learned that the sun lounges and much of the cliff coast were privately owned by hotels and restaurants, surrounded by fences to keep the public out. Further fuelling our displeasure at the rampant privatisation of what should be enjoyed by all, was learning about the alleged corruption and embezzlement committed by the Ulcinj mayor. It started to make sense. In Ulcinj, cars a...

The 500 year old ceiling was domed and punctuated with small stained glass windows. Sounds of dripping water echoed in the connected marble chambers. I took advantage of the silence and closed my eyes, trying to relax. As awkward as the solitude was, I was glad for it. Soaked in a mixture of spring water and sweat, and lying on a hot marble slab in nothing but my undies was best as a personal experience, I decided. I wondered if Rob, in the men's section, had been allowed to wear his underwear, and grinned as I recalled his resolute stance to abandon the idea of a Turkish bath if there were free roaming penises during his session. The allocated 15 minutes of sweating in the heated room elapsed and a woman entered. She was singing a local song and smiled at me, then slipped off her robe to join me in my semi-nudity. She instructed me to lie on my stomach and started rubbing every inch of exposed skin firmly with a textured mitt. Flip over, sit up... I was as passive as a child be...

As we prepared to leave Turkey after 6 weeks, we reflected on our experiences and observations. Sadly, a common theme through most of the country was one of declined tourism due to the negative reports in Western media. Warnings of terrorist attacks have failed to emphasise that conflict largely remains at the Syrian border, which you would be foolish to visit. The volumes of refugees seen some years ago has dissipated across the country, over other borders, and absorbed in areas rarely frequented by tourists. These fears that have driven tourists away have endured longer that any likely threat. To anyone visiting East Europe, I encourage you to visit Turkey! The people are some of the friendliest you will meet. If you overpay by 1 lira (0.33AUD), they will return it. The hawkers at restaurants or food carts will have a joke with you. The countryside offers a variety of experiences, including cosmopolitan cities, coastlines, deserts, hiking, rural settings, ancient ruins, and unique ...

To keep my pack light, I left my pashmina scarf behind and brought a head tube (like a Buff) that could be used as headwear or a neck gaiter. Throughout Turkey however, a hijab was required to visit the mosques, and in Georgia and Armenia, I would need to be covered similarly to enter the Orthodox Christian churches. While many sites provided garments for free or for a small fee, less touristed sites did not. Determined not to purchase a scarf, I looked into my backpack for another solution. I had a t-shirt.

Wikitravel is a good resource for transport to Ani from Kars , but we found some details were outdated or not applicable when we visited in May, 2018 ( shoulder season ). Here are some notes from our experience: We checked with the wait staff at Antik Café  who told us that the bus service was operating once daily, departing from outside the cafe at 1100 . They advised us to turn up at 1030; the bus arrived outside the café at this time and departed at 1100 . There were 16 passengers  in our trip, so lots of seats were not filled. The journey cost  14TRY return per person . (Our hotel offered us a private car for 150TRY!) The site entrance fee was 8TRY per person , but multi-site passes were accepted also. There was a snack and tea shop at the entrance. There was a WC (1TRY) at the new complex across the road. We were at the site for 2 hours , which was enough time. It was cold and windy at the site, and there was a little rain. Dress appropr...

Captivating Cappadocia  provides a detailed description of the Green Tour if you don't mind spoilers. Theirs is a rosy account, but if you want some practical pointers, read on. As independent travellers who usually avoid tours like this, we had mixed feelings. On one hand: It transported the group to places around Göreme that are difficult to reach independently It is good value , including lunch (drinks extra) and all entry fees Almost all the stops were worthwhile attractions Minimal market stops Selime Monastery was a highlight; you can climb all over the site. Image courtesy Ephesus Tours Guide On the other hand: It is a typical tour group activity with time limits and crowds Did I mention crowds? The underground city stop was spoiled by cramming a dozen groups into it The lunch, while tasty, was a relatively small portion by Turkey standards If you are interested in this popular tour Ensure you have some level of fitness! There are a lot of steps ,...

The Lycian Way is a continuous hiking trail along 500km of Turkey's southern coastline, starting from Ölüdeniz and ending in  Geyikbayırı (near Antalya). It is named after the ancient Lycian people who inhabited the coast from 1200-1500 BC until the 7th to 9th centuries AD, when the culture and population declined due to earthquakes, war, conquests, the introduction of Christianity, and the plague. Remnants of the ancient culture can be found along the trail in the form of city ruins and sarcophagi. In 1999, the trail was researched and marked by Kate Clow, and has since attracted hikers from around the world. View of Ölüdeniz from above This post outlines some tips and lessons learned from personal experiences. You may find them useful if you are interested in hiking the Western section from Fethiye to Alınca, and I highly recommend that you do! Context Route: Fethiye to Kabak trail and then a Kabak - Alınca - Kabak loop Time of year: April Weather: no rain,...

Travelers have a love/hate relationship with cab drivers. On one hand, they will take you to a familiar place if you are lost , but on the other hand, they are far more expensive than public transport, even when they're not ripping you off. They don't provide you with the authentic local experience like public transport does, but they can be more comfortable . Some cab drivers are honest and have suggestions for places to stay or eat... that is, if they are not getting a commission from the owner of the place. Cab drivers can be a great source of other information though, and good practice on your language skills... if they are not distracting you from their partner in crime pulling out a knife in order to mug you... Yes, there is a love/hate relationship with cab drivers. Individuals may have many good attributes and generally, taking a cab can have advantages , especially when you are not confident in taking public transport, have luggage or shopping, are lost, in a dodgy ne...

People seem to be concerned about mosquito-borne illnesses while traveling in the tropics, and with good reason too. Rarely, they are concerned about catching the dreaded common cold . Sure, a cold is no big deal but it's uncomfortable and in this age of H1N1 panic, it is potentially inconvenient to be held up at border crossings. So how do you get a cold in hot climates? Let me tell you the three ways I caught a cold during my travels. The first time was in the middle of the Peruvian Amazon . It was a warm day, perfect for Joe and I to try our hand at fishing the river. Borrowing a canoe, we clumsily paddled out and it began to rain . Surprisingly the rain was bitter cold and soaked us, and we endured about two hours of shivering. This was sufficient to land me in bed for two days with a fever , and I didn't recover completely for weeks, thanks to Limeño smog. The second time it happened on the Costa Rican coast . It was stinking hot, so much so that it sapped your energy and ...

Rio de Janeiro's Carnaval celebrations are world renowned, with colorful samba dancers parading around the stadium and that sort of flash. I chose to spend Carnaval in Salvador because I heard that the party was superior there. The way I would describe it is more like a mobile music festival than the mardi gras that people usually think it is... though there was by no means a lack of cross-dressing men. It was pretty crazy! Salvador has three circuits: The Dodô or Barra-Ondina Circuit along the coast, the Batatinha or Pelourinho Circuit in the pretty colonial part of town, and the main one, the Campo-Grande Circuit , also called the Osmar or Avenidas Circuit. The Barra-Ondina and Campo-Grande Circuits host a parade of trio eletricos , which are basically mobile stages pulled by semi-trailer trucks. Pop singers from all over the world perform and fans can buy an abadá , which is a shirt that grants them access inside the ropes around each trio eletrico . Together, the mass ...

While I had grasped Spanish enough to get by, I was unprepared for Portuguese. Sure, it looked similar to Spanish words, and I had written down a few choice phrases from the internet to help me out, but pronounciation was an entirely different matter. I had only just managed to reconfigure my English pronounciation inclinations to Spanish, so I was completely taken aback at how Brazilian Portuguese sounded. I had never heard it before then. Take the city name, Recife , for example. Initially, I had pronounced it in the very gringo way "Reh- seef ". After learning a bit of Spanish, I thought "Rrre- see -feh" was better. No, of course not! In Portuguese, it is closer to "Heh- see -feh", though sometimes I heard it as "Heh- see -fee". Similarly, the word "internet" is a little different. While in Spanish pronounciation you would only slightly roll the R, in Brazil, if you say " inch -netch" or " in -che-netch", they wi...

There is an argument that not all travelers are made equal. There is a distinction between travelers and tourists, self-proclaimed travelers assert, as they sneer upon innocent tourists who have no idea that they have been allotted a lowly class. You see, tourists are those who room up in hotels with their 20+kg of rolling luggage, get about in high-class coaches and pay at least $15 each for a meal. On the other hand, travelers carry their backpacks from town to town via chicken buses and eat where the locals do. There are different levels from extreme travelers to hard-core tourists, of course. Here are some I've come up with on the fly. What kind of traveler are you? The Super Traveler is someone who immerses himself in the culture by taking public transport, eating where and what the locals do, sleeping in cheap hostels or homestays, and befriending the locals. He usually packs minimally and hangs around the same area for long periods, including places off the gringo trail...

I was warned by everything and everyone about safety in Latin America. Websites, guide books, my family, friends, even total strangers would warn me not to trust anyone, to set cab prices before getting in, to watch my luggage at all times, to keep my valuables within sight... all of the sensible things one should do when traveling. So I was well informed about various scams, guarded about pick-pockets and bag snatchers. It was inevitable that I would encounter at least one loss due to unscrupulous human activities. I had heard many stories, but have been lucky so far. But no one warned me about that which I would end up losing my things to. My forgetfulness. I have a terrible memory. If I just met you, I won't remember your name, even if we've been hanging out for the last four days. I don't remember birthdays unless you're direct family, nor do I remember anniversaries, long weekends and other important dates. I have a terrible sense of direction which is mostly due t...

When Nini arrived at Tamarindo from Santa Elena / Monteverde, she recounted the difficulties of the trip since there was no direct service. So I had an idea what I would encounter during the reverse trip. The route I took was Tamarindo - Liberia - Cañas - Tilarán - Santa Elena . Notes and some recommendations: Tamarindo to Liberia - Take the earliest bus . It leaves at about 5 or 5:30am. Any later and you will miss the connecting bus in Tilaran like I did. Liberia to Cañas - It's easy to find a bus to Cañas from the Liberia terminal as they are very frequent. But ask if they stop at the Cañas terminal or you might just go straight through the little town. My bus dropped me off about two blocks from the terminal, which was not easy to find since the streets were fairly deserted and there was no one to ask directions from. Also, Cañas is a bit dodgy, evidenced by my experience in being chatted up by some scary looking guy who looked like he just escaped from prison, having served t...

Most travelers with lots of time and little money travel across Latin America overland, taking long distance buses and chicken buses. But to travel between Colombia to Panama overland is nearly impossible due to the thick jungle in the area and the rebel guerrilla presence there. That leaves two choices; by land and by air. To go by air costs roughly 260USD which sounds a little bit cheaper than sailing, at just under 400USD. But factor the five days involved and the all inclusive package of sailing and consider this. It only takes five nights of accommodation at 12USD/night and a food budget of 16USD/day to make up the difference, nevermind the three day excursion in San Blas and the experience of a sea adventure. The Route From Cartagena, it is a straight two day sail to the San Blas Archipelagio. With a decent constant wind and waves behind us, we did it in an excellent 32 hours, arriving in San Blas at about midnight on the second day. The next two and a half days involved visi...

Here are a few things that I have found to be almost indispensable. Small Notes And Change: Argentinean city buses for example, only accept coins and it is rare to find anyone who has change for the 100 and 200 notes that the ATMs dispense, from cab drivers and market stalls all the way to restaurants, hostels and even the general post office ! Every time we spend money, it is a game to try to break the large notes, or to buy things that will give us some change. They are good for times tango dancers pass around a hat and paying small surprise taxes and tips for porters and public toilets. Cards And Cash: I have had problems in Argentina withdrawing more than a measly 300 pesos a day (about $AU100) from my travel debit card, and all my other cards didn't work in their machines for some reason. I managed there, but had more problems in Bolivia. None of my cards worked when we arrived in Uyuni (we only found one ATM there), so I resorted to exchanging some of the US dollars that my...