For many of us we wait all year, and save all year, to go on holiday and when we do go on holiday we like to make it worth while, which is why so many of us now opt to go on cruises. However with aspects such as the current economic climate there has never been such a need to find means of saving money whilst on holiday and cruises are no exception. So just how do you go about saving money whilst you are on a cruise?
Tell your parents you’re going backpacking in India, Southeast Asia or even travelling Australia and they are going to panic, worry about your safety, and worry about your bank balance. But with good advice and sensible travel planning you will be able to prove to anyone that doubts you, travelling with just a backpack is the best way.
The question is, where do you get advice from about a country on the other side of the world?
Well, to start with you have travel guides such as The Rough Guide and Lonely Planet, while these are great for telling you where to go, what to see and which place to stay – the downside is that it can be very easy to travel along the guide book, never straying from the well trodden path. Use the book wisely, but don’t be afraid to put it down, deep in the backpack!
Another option would be to surf the web, hunting for different blogs that will tell you more about adventure backpacking and gap year experiences. This is a great way to get a very personal account of one person’s experience travelling, just remember that countries can be like Marmite – you either love or hate them! Everyone has his or her own journey, whether it is backpacking one country or travelling round the world, the best way to know if you’ll enjoy something is to do it.
Which brings us to my final recommendation for travel advice, sites such as Travelblogs and Round My World. These sites are social hubs for backpackers and travellers to meet and share stories and experiences. You are easily able to discover a multitude of opinions and tips about places to visit that aren’t quite on the beaten path, there are also heaps of photos of destinations around the world. Checking out travel blogs on these sites can give you a real insight into whether the horror stories you’ve been told by friends are accurate or not!
The next step is to check for travel advice from your government, the British Foreign Office website is usually excellent for providing reliable information about safe travel.
By now you’ve probably picked a shortlist of countries to visit, places to go and sights to see – just to throw some extra options into the mix I’ll give you a list of my favourite places to travel to worldwide – and why I loved them;
1. Nepal.
Nepal is one of the most stimulating places on earth to backpack. Everywhere you travel in Nepal brings new sights, smells and sounds. The pollution of Kathmandu is soon forgotten as the friendliness of the locals wraps you in a protective bubble, the noise of the rickshaws is drowned out by the laughter of friends as you drink Everest Beer – and then you discover Momos, a Tibetan dumpling, and my favourite food of all time.
After a few days you leave Kathmandu, and ride the whitewater of the Trusili river all the way down to Chitwan National Park on the Indian border – here you can ride elephants, see wild rhino, and hear the tigers roar at night. If you get really lucky you’ll see the tigers too. Then it is another exciting bus ride, up into the Himalayan foothills to Pokhara, the town by the lake. If anyone can show me anywhere on earth as stunning and as comfortable as Pokhara – I’ll buy the ticket there today!
2. Hoi An, Vietnam
Vietnam is a still a communist country, so sending a faulty iPhone to England is tricky as the censors cannot check the content (god bless DHL!) In an odd way this just makes it even more endearing, and nowhere in Vietnam is quite as charming as Hoi An.
Cobbled streets and old world comfort are not what you’d typically expect when travelling to a tiny town in South East Asia. But this is where to drop the backpack, put your feet up, and chill. Great food, the cheapest beer on the planet (the delicious, home brewed Bia Hoi) and the fact that Hoi An was one of the few places to escape being destroyed in the war make it a travellers heaven.
3. It’s a Secret!
My favourite island on earth is very quiet, very friendly and very unknown – I hope it stays that way for a long time, it would be terrible to see it turn into the tourist trap that is Kho Pi Pi. It may be mentioned on my travel blog at Round My World, so if you’re a keen backpacker, come check it out!
Made it this far? Great! You’re ready to start looking into flying, and arranging travel insurance. Booking flights can be one of the most exciting times in your travels, as you will be finally setting a definite date to escape on your adventure! There are companies out there that cater specially for gap year students and young travellers, STA Travel are one of the best – they can also provide you with good insurance cover, be sure to let them know which extreme sports and adventures you plan on trying, they can then make sure that you are insured for skydiving in Fiji and diving in Australia!
Finally, if you’re about to go away on your own backpacking adventure.. Good Luck and have a great time!
Dave and his kids offered me a place to crash in Charlottesville.
So it has been 9 days since my last post!!!
A lot has happened in that 9 days including the fact that my home is now rented to, what seem to be, responsible tenants and all my stuff is either trashed, at Goodwill, or jammed in my car.
Three days ago, I locked up my doors to my house and walked out the front door, not to return!!! (well, in a year or so)
It was a rainy, mid-50 degree morning. Chilly!!! To top it off, I was sick. Green loogee’s and a slight fever were accompanying me as I stuck my thumb out a block from downtown Farmville.
I was headed to Charlottesville today. A new friend, Anna, had been so kind as to take my, constantly crashing Mac to the Best Buy store there and I was off to retrieve it.
The rain was steady and felt like it was going to be coming all day. But, I was hoping it would help me snag a ride. A pity ride!!!
Well, not 5 minutes later and less than 10 blocks from my home, I was leaving Farmville with Eddie.
The Journey had begun!
Eddie worked at the hospital in town, but was an hour early for work so he drove me to Dillwyn.
“Car don’t work so good in the rain.” It sputtered and shuttered, but kept on.
Eddie was into miracles. We were listening to a preacher from California on a CD and he could work miracles. He told me stories of bones being healed, incurable diseases cured, and other amazing acts.
Eddie had done some hitchhiking himself back in the 90’s. He has gone all around the country too, spending most of his time in national parks though.
“There is a whole subculture of people that just travel the country.”
He learned alot. I asked him what he had learned.
“We are a lot more resilient than we think.” How all this stuff we think we “need” like electricity, for example, that we can do just fine without it.
When we stopped at the stoplight in Dillwyn, he took a moment and prayed for me. I felt good about that.
***
Dillwyn has been the scourge of hitchhiking zones for me. For some reason, it is really hard to get a ride here. But I was hopeful. It was 7:20am, so I had plenty of time.
The rain kept on and so did my cold. I made a sign with Sharpies and a folder.
“C-VILLE”
A couple hours went by and a friend drove up. Yeah! Erin Banovitz. She works at Bear Creek Academy, where I wrote one of my first blogs on. She wasn’t going my way, just to the local store, but it was good to see a familiar face.
Quickly after that though, a large semi pulls over.
Bo Allen is headed through Charlottesville on his route.
I am happy.
He cranks up the heat for me and tells me about another hitchhiker he had picked up. The hiker was recently out of prison for stealing cars.
“He had had a rough life,” Bo tells me.
Bo gave him money and pointed him to a church in Lynchburg. The man had cried.
Bo is retired. But he couldn’t sit still.
He has traveled the country and he thinks I should become a truck driver to do the same.
Dillwyn is his favorite spot in the country.
He lets me off close to Charlottesville with a wave and a honk. The rain is still steady and I seek out a place to dry out and sleep for some of the day.
I feel accomplished though, especially under non-ideal circumstances.
***
The next week or so I am going to be relaxing with my family in Somerset, New Jersey, where I hope to write posts on my new friend, Jason, the Charlottesville Photography Festival, where I was interviewed by Bilal from NPR, and how I think the lesson of Impermanence is going to be a constant theme on my journey.
Please keep me update with all of our journeys as well.
Create our world,
ben.
“The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of this life is this: Decide what you want.” – Ben Stein
Roatan, Bay islands, HONDURAS – - Maya sea caves and fringing coral reefs – they’re all in a day’s dive in the Bay Islands of Roatan, Honduras. With no phones and no TVs, Anthony’s Key Resort (AKR) offers travelers rustic elegance with cabanas on the beach and resident parrots in the trees.
Anthony’s Key Resort is a certified, all-inclusive diving resort perched on the edge of the world’s second longest barrier reef. Roughly 96 per cent of all species found anywhere in the Caribbean can be seen on the Bay Islands’ reefs. Divers can observe a myriad of marine life including reef sharks, bottlenose dolphins, parrotfish, seahorses and sea fans. Guests are free to explore the many wrecks nearby, including a sunken plane covered with sea grass and coral sand. With water visibility ranging from 75 to 150 feet (25-43 metres), and 35 distinct dive sites 5 to 30 minutes away, the possibilities underwater are unlimited.
Thanks to AKR, Roatan’s newest and finest cultural attraction will give visitors a little taste of Honduras all in one place.
Maya Key is located in the harbor of Coxen Hole, Roatan. Opened to visitors in the first week in June, 2009, Maya Key boasts reconstructions of Copan’s famous Maya ruins, a native arts & crafts studio, a traditional Maya village, and a wildlife rescue center displaying many of Honduras’ diverse wild animal species.
“Honduras is a small but diverse and culturally rich country and we want to pay tribute to that,” says Samir Galindo, General Manager of AKR. “We are very proud of our country and we want the world to get to know us better.”
Maya Key will operate on a beautiful 11.5 acre private key conveniently located just three minutes across the bay from the Roatan cruise ship terminal, home to the familiar Fins and Flippers program operated by AKR. This key offers two secluded beaches, excellent snorkeling from a scenic pier, a 70,000 gallon swimming pool, a 5,000 square foot lounge deck and lush garden paths bursting with indigenous flora. Within minutes guests can enjoy the sand and surf of the Caribbean upon arriving at the cruise ship terminal.
Twenty years ago AKR pioneered Honduras’ only research and educational dolphin program, the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences (RIMS). The Institute is a unique on-site research and educational facility with the only dolphin program in Honduras. As one of Roatan’s first dive resorts over the years Anthony’s has expanded to include the RIMS, the Roatan Museum, a fully-equipped medical center, dolphin activities and now Maya Key.
Anthony’s Key Resort is a five-star PADI Instructor Development Center, offering a full range of courses and certifications for all levels, including Open-water Certification, Rescue Diver, Divemaster, and Adventure Diver. For children, they offer a Dolphin SCUBA Camp and SASY (Supplied Air Snorkeling for Youth) programs.
The all-inclusive dive resort is located 35 mi (56km) off the coast of Honduras on Roatan, Bay Islands, part of the second largest barrier reef system in the world.
IF YOU GO:
1-800-227-3483 or (954) 929-0090 in the US
Honduras Tourism: http://www.letsgohonduras.com
Jamie Gripich is a professional freelance writer, editor and communications consultant living in Victoria, B.C. who has written on diverse subjects such as the civil war in the former Yugoslavia, to the peace and tranquility of B.C.’s West Coast resorts and retreats.