Advice and tips for round the world travel!

On a bridge in Prague

In a club in Liverpool 

On Tower Bridge London

In Venice

Overlooking Palermo, Sicily

In Barcelona in front of Sagrada Familia

Trying Guiness even though I hate beer

With my friend in Dublin

An amazing house near Blarney Castle in Ireland

On Koh Phi Phi with some friends and girlfriend

With my girlfriend in Thailand

With a Thai fighter in Chang Mai

With some Cambodian kids near the killing fields

Angkor Watt

In a Cambodian hotel basement with staff 

In Laos

How I looked after an eye infection from tubing in Laos

While I was working in a bank in Perth

Down town Hanoi

On August 12th I returned to New Zealand after 370 days travelling overseas.

August 5th last year I departed Christchurch to Thailand on the first leg of my multi-continent journey. I was unsure of the next stage for my career or study and in the meantime, travel seemed like the best option.

It was the longest I'd been away from my family and friends and it was incredible.

My trip was 20 countries in Oceania, South East Asia and Europe.

Here are some simple tips that I have drawn from my trip that could help you next time you are on the road.


Travel doesn't have to be expensive:


In my year travelling by far the highest expense was flights. Aside from that, travelling was cheaper than my every day life in New Zealand. I didn't have to pay regular rent (I got cheap accomodation a lot of the time and couchsurfed), I didn't have to pay car maintenance and food was generally cheaper than in NZ too.

Have a practical bag and pack light.

 If you are in a developing country and want to have a ride on the back of a scooter, a giant suitcase will be a massive pain in the arse. A comfortable and sturdy backpack is ideal. Along the journey you will inevitably collect souveineers so best plan is to leave half to three quarters empty.


Write down details of where you are going who you are meeting and try to have a map in advance.

If you're melting in the sun carrying your backpack from the airport or train station you just wanna get to your accomodation pronto. The simple step of writing down a meeting point and putting details on your phone plus carrying a map prevents needless waiting, searching and feeling pissed off.


Have a place sorted in a city before you stay

 I don't mean booking well in advance. Sometimes you can book on the very day you travel. It will make you feel better going to a city and knowing that you have a room sorted to stay. Just turning up to a hostel will often mean paying extra because the staff know you probably can't be bothered finding somewhere else. Hostelfinder and hostelworld are easy sites for booking accomodation and the advice from other backpackers is a good guide for whether a place is a shithole or not. 

Couchsurf!

I'm going to write a separate post about this later but off the bat I can honestly say that joining couchsurfing.org is one of the best things I've ever done..

 You can meet amazing people from all around the globe, you get a cultural experience from a local and free accomodation. I couldn't have stayed in Europe for so long if it wasn't for my great couchsurfing hosts. I got places in the centre of Paris, Siciliy, Brussels, Berlin etc etc.


Put your money in multiple places and carry a credit card.

When going out I tend to only take as much as I think I'll spend and leave the rest in a safe place at my residence. Having a credit card can come in handy for booking or emergency purchases. Don't put all your eggs in one basket cause if you lose your money and passport together, you will be underneath a shit volcano just as it errupts.

Dress sensibly and for the climate

There are times in the trip when I didn't have the right clothes for the environment and paid dearly. If you wear too much when it's hot you will be repelling potential friends with your body odour and feeling dredful. Flip flops are pretty good but not for climbing a hill and not on slippery rocks. A quality pair of all purpose shoes are a must.

Be respectful of the local culture

 Westerners have a bad reputation in parts of Asia because we are viewed as being loose and disrespectful. I went to Vang Vieng last year and had a blast but I can completely understand the perspective of some of the locals in Laos when I read this article:

 http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/international/5372627/Laos-tubing-craze-destroying-town

 It's fine to enjoy yourself but think about the image you convey if you are in a conservative country wearing next to nothing, especially when visiting a temple or a religious site. Determine the social norms of a country to establish whether strolling round in a group of friends staggeringly drunk is accepted or not.


Sleeping aids are your friend:

If you are crashing in noisy hostels after a long journey on a train or bus you want a good night's kip. Some earplugs and face mask will aid you especially when people in your dorm are getting up at 5am to catch their flights. A good neck pillow will come in handy many times as well so keep one on you.


Try travelling alone:

 You are never really alone while travelling because you will literally always meet people. It's much easier to make friends when you are by yourself because other travellers feel more at ease approaching you. I've had locals take me to a Vietnamese movie in Vietnam, people buy me dinner or drinks and all sorts of cool experiences which would not have happened had I been with a friend. If you suddenly have an urge to go with a new friend to a different place than you originally intended you don't have to consult another party to see if they are up for it.  Try it out, at least once..


Don't look like a tramp at customs:


Customs staff the world over are notorious fucking assholes. It's in the nature of their job to be suspicious of everyone but there's no need to wave a flag that says "I look like I'm a drug mule". If you want to be searched and delayed and the airport then don't shave for a few months and dress in your most shabby clothes.


Bring entertainment for long journey

Get as many small books crammed into your carry bag as possible, charge your Mp3 player and bring some cards or games if you've got them. 18 hours on a train through Vietnam or a 16 hour boat trip in Laos will gradually make you lose the will to live. Great scenery will only keep you entertained for so long.



Agree on a price first:

This is very important. Write the price down if the person doesn't speak English and make sure they agree to it. One of the most common things you hear travellers tell you about is "that bastard taxi driver who charged me 20 dollars when the trip usually costs 5.."


To save money:


Buy your lunches at supermarkets

If there is a water cooler at your place, fill your portable bottle.

Have a daily budget, and try hard to stick at it, unless you are loaded you can't travel long if you are shredding through 50 bucks a night on alcohol.


Know the local exchanged rate and have a rough idea of the typical price of things

In some countries, people don't look at you as a person as much as a walking, talking ATM. Be clued up on money or you will get shafted


Go to museums or shopping malls to use toilets:

Sometimes you will spend an hour looking for a loo and in some countries the restaurants wont let you use the bathroom if you don't buy something.


Try street food but be careful:

If there are flies on the food displayed, go elsewhere. If they fry the food in front of you, you should be okay.

Bring some medication and toilet paper in your carry bag because you never know when your body will say "get this crap out of me!" I had a horrible moment on a plane shortly after having food poison in Jakarta. I was talking to a nice American girl and had the sudden feeling I would explode.. Fortunately I didn't.