Interesting Topic For Backpackers
I posted an question on the forums. Would love to get your thoughts
Recent Tragedy in China and Myanmar
The Final Checklist
Well tomorrow nights the night. We leave Australia at 10:35 and arrive in Singapore at 3 in the morning, from there its a 5 hour wait and onto Bangkok. The pre-trip stress has just started to creep up, my sister is packed and ready to roll whilst I'm lagging behind trying to finish up all my work before I go.
Last time I left I had made sure to carefully write down everything I needed to take with me, this time I wasn't so smart.
Having a final checklist of items you're taking with you on your backpacking trip will keep you stress free and a lot more happy. Be spontanious and carefree when you're on your trip, but when you're planning it is best to keep things nicly stuctured. You don't want to end up being in the middle of france only to find that you've forgotten to bring your sleeping bag... oh trust me it happens. 
The Ultimate guide to America
I was just checking out News.com.au and saw that they had an artcle titled 'Ultimate Guide to America'. Whilst not actually being a guide at all, it's a decent overview of major things to check out if you ever head to America.
Los Angels
THE lure of La-La Land, with its famous "Hollywood" sign that has come to symbolise the movie industry and the city itself, is undeniable. It is home to some of the world's great movie stars.
How to do it: Take a tour of the homes of the stars. Visit Universal Studios. Drive down Sunset Boulevard or go cruising along Rodeo drive.
Visit a famous West Hollywood nightclub.
Best times: Any time, but the weather is most settled from April to August.
Hot tip: Rent a car.
Check out the entire article, dont expect anything off the beaten track though.
Thailand Entry Visas
Do you need a Visa to enter Thailand? Depending on where you're from you may need to get yourself a visa to stay in Thailand even for a short trip. The best place to find information about Visas for Thailand is to check out the Thai Misistry of Foreign Affairs, they cover all you need to know about Thailand Visas. Here are some quick links...
General information
Types of Visa
Issuance of Visa
Tourist Visa Exemption
Visa on Arrival
Non-Immigrant Visa "B" (business and work)
Three-year Non-Immigrant Visa “B” (Business only)
Non-Immigrant Visa "O-A" (Long stay)
List of countries which are declared Yellow Fever infected Areas
List of countries which have concluded Agreements on the Exemption of Visa Requirements with Thailand
Questions & Answers on Thai Visa
If you check out the Tourist Visa Exemption section, there's a list of countries that have an agreement that allow entry without Visas for 30 days.
Checking for information about Visas is an important step in planning your backpacking adventure, you really don't want to be turned back from a country just because you didn't know you required a visa.
Book Hostels Ahead - Or Miss Out!
For the past few days Mariel and myself have been franticly looking for accommodation for the Full Moon Party on Ko Panang. So far we're not having much luck, ever single hostel and hotel seem to be booked out, which I guess is understandable.
The lesson here folks is to make sure you book your Hostels / Hotels in advance or you will simply just miss out. This is the first time I've not booked ahead and I feel that I've proved my own point... to myself!
One thing I have noticed though is that booking Hostels and Hotels in Thailand is a lot different that booking somewhere in Europe, all places seem to only allow bookings via a few booking websites, and none mind you look all that professional. You really have to ask yourself: "How much of the actual cost you are getting quoted from the websites is actually commission?".
Anyway we are still hard at search for a Hostel / Hotel on Ko Panang / Ko Samui, so if you know of anything post a comment and let us know.
Thailand Pre-Trip Injections
Before you head to any new country it's always best to visit your local doctor or GP to see what vaccinations you may need before embarking on your trip. My sister and I headed to the doctors yesterday to determine what jabs we needed to have before heading to Thailand. Not surprisingly there actually were quite a few...
| Vaccination or Disease | Recommendations or Requirements for Vaccine-Preventable Diseases |
|---|---|
| Routine | Recommended if you are not up-to-date with routine shots such as, measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT) vaccine, etc. |
| Hepatitis A or immune globulin (IG) | Recommended for all unvaccinated people traveling to or working in countries with an intermediate or high level of hepatitis A virus infection (see map) where exposure might occur through food or water. Cases of travel-related hepatitis A can also occur in travelers to developing countries with "standard" tourist itineraries, accommodations, and food consumption behaviors. |
| Hepatitis B | Recommended for all unvaccinated persons traveling to or working in countries with intermediate to high levels of endemic HBV transmission (see map) and who might be exposed to blood or body fluids, have sexual contact with the local population, or be exposed through medical treatment, such as for an accident, and for all adults requesting protection from HBV infection. |
| Typhoid | Recommended for all unvaccinated people traveling to or working in Southeast Asia, especially if visiting smaller cities, villages, or rural areas and staying with friends or relatives where exposure might occur through food or water. |
| Rabies | Recommended for travelers spending a lot of time outdoors, especially in rural areas, involved in activities such as bicycling, camping, hiking, or work. Also, children are considered at higher risk because they tend to play with animals and may not report bites. |
| Japanese encephalitis | Recommended if you plan to visit rural farming areas and under special circumstances, such as a known outbreak of Japanese encephalitis, see country-specific information. |
| Polio | Recommended for adult travelers who have received a primary series with either inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) or oral polio vaccine (OPV). They should receive another dose of IPV before departure. |
Quite the list isn't it? You may not require all of these for Thailand Travel it depends on the areas you want to visit. We ended up getting the Hep A, Hep B, Typhoid and Polio injections and damn my arm is sore!
Safe travel is what it's all about people, so make sure before you visit a new foreign country you check out all the vaccinations you require and get them!
Wat Kow Tahm International Meditation
Ever wanted to experience a more spiritual side of travel? Well if you're in Thailand and on Ko Panang for the Full Moon party why not check out Wat Kow Tahm International Meditation Center. They offer 10 day, 19/20 day and 3 month work retreats so there are plenty of choices for how long you're going to be on the island.
Check out their website for more information, I'm thinking of taking this course myself and will definatly post up my impressions.
Why we travel...
You wake up in the morning, you shower and get ready to go to work, same old routine day in day out.
We travel because we are intrigued in the unknown; we travel becuase we know there is more to life than the daily grind.
I was talking to a few people last night and the consensus was that backpackers / world travellers views on life are oh so unique. Personally I see myself travelling all my life, of course there will be a period of time that I 'settle down' purchase a house, have some kids, but there is no reason why can do that and travel. Why do you travel?
Argus offer low cost car hire which is an easy and comfortable way to get about!
Why not stay for longer?
Yesterday I was talking to a friend about our imminent trip to Thailand, she mentioned to me that she wished sometimes that we could stay in places for longer than just a few days. When you're in a place for a few days you only get a small teaser of the countries customs and culture, now if you stay for a few months you integrate yourself into the day to day life and really learn what its all about.
Accommodation is the key to being able to stay for a longer period of time in another country, you can't be staying in a Spanish hostel for months on end, you're going to require something a little more comfortable and practical like a villa. I did a bit of hunting this morning to see what I could find for renting houses / villas around the world and came across a site that deals with
self catering accommodation called Rentals 365.
They have a simple search engine that allows you to search through a huge bunch of available properties. You may be looking for
villas in Spain, vacation rentals in the Caribbean or villas in Rome. There are a lot of people who dream about living for an extended period of time in another country, tools like this are useful for you to get an idea of what your budget can afford.
Backpacker Forums
Just a small update to let everyone know I've been working hard on the Backpacker Forums. I created the software myself from scratch so I'm pretty proud of it. Now if you want to join the community its 100% free!
The Backpacker Forums