General Travel - Backpackers.com

May 09, 2008

You Love Your Travel Blog (But Does Anyone Else Read It?)

April 14th, 2008 by Pia Taylor

So, are you one of those travellers who lovingly and enthusiastically updates your travel blog with all the latest tidbits from your adventures… where you are, what you’re doing, your contemplations and general (totally profound, dude) thoughts on a place.

You think it’s the bee’s knees, metaphorically speaking, but would anyone else agree (ie is anyone else actually reading the thing…other than dutiful family members, that is)?

If you’re not getting the thousands of avid readers you were hoping for (and counting on to help keep you on the road indefinitely), you might have to consider that, actually, your travel blog sucks and you need to make some changes (or give up entirely).

So, take a deep breath and then dive into Chris Mohney’s take on ‘10 Reasons Why Your Travel Blog Sucks‘. And then, try, try again.

(Photo: retro traveler/flickr)

Travel resources backpackers might find useful:
Cheap hostels – find and book your hostel online at special discounted rates
Airtreks Travel Planner – plan your round the world trip with Airtreks
Backpackers Travel Gear – backpacks and other travel gear
Travel Insurance – instant, cheap travel insurance for backpackers
Travel newsletter – sign up for our free monthly travel newsletter ‘From The Road’

Posted in Cool Travel Blogs, General Travel, Travel Writing | 1 Comment »

Doer, Watcher, or Wanderer: What’s Your Backpacking Style?

April 2nd, 2008 by Pia Taylor

Are you the kind of traveller who arrives at a new place, guidebook in hand, ready to see everything worth seeing, do everything worth doing, and then move on? Or do you prefer a more laid-back approach, chatting to the locals, absorbing the atmosphere, wallowing in a city’s culture?

Or perhaps you’re just a drifter, not too concerned about where you end up or why, just as long as there’s fun to be had, and booze to be consumed?

Ben Groundwater, of the Sydney Morning Herald Travel Blog today pondered those questions, dividing backpackers into three main types: Doers, Watchers and Wanderers.

Doers arrive with expectations: they ‘line up at the museums to see the important pieces, take the open-topped bus tour around the city to get their bearings, climb all the things that are there to be climbed, see all the things that are supposed to be seen, and, if they do all that, walk away thinking “mission accomplished” ‘.

Watchers, on the other hand, prefer a less mapped out experience. They’re the kind of traveller who could ‘spend a whole afternoon in one cafe, sipping coffee after coffee (or beer after beer), chatting to people, and watching the city’s life go by’.

And then there’s the Wanderers, those with no fixed ideas on what to do, or where to go. Wanderers, Groundwater surmises, ‘don’t have any real purpose for travelling, it’s just another place in which to do what they want to do at home – ie, hang out, get drunk, lie in the sun’ (not that there’s anything wrong with that, he adds).

In my case, I’d say I was somewhere in between a Doer and a Wanderer – there are many things I love to see in a new place, but I don’t like racing from one place to another in a mad rush to ‘see it all’. In between, I like to balance it with some watchful down-time, giving me a chance to absorb the experience instead of it becoming just another stop on a long list of must-sees.

What kind of traveller are you?

(Photo: Werner Schnell/Flickr)

Useful (related) links for backpackers:
Book Hostels – find and book your hostel online
Backpackers Travel Insurance – cover your trip with comprehensive travel insurance from WorldNomads.

Posted in General Travel | 1 Comment »

Tough On A Backpacker’s Budget: The World’s Most Expensive Cities

March 20th, 2008 by Pia Taylor

Travelling around the UK and Europe can be expensive, but there are some cities that will be especially hard on a backpacker’s penny-counting budget. A recent survey by Swiss bank UBS should give travellers an idea of where to be most careful.

According to the survey, Oslo, London and Copenhagen rank as the three most budget-busting cities in the world (Dublin came in fourth), so keep a hawk-eye on your spending if you’re planning on visiting some time soon.

The good news, though, is that American cities are becoming cheaper – weaker dollar et al – with New York slipping down the ranks to a relatively lowly 18th place.

And, what you really want to hear: the world’s cheapest cities for backpackers – Kuala Lumpur, Buenos Aires and Mumbai.

(Source: IOLTravel)

Photo: j.caluk/Flickr

Posted in Destinations, General Travel, Travel News | 1 Comment »

Sterling Easter Sale: Fly Around Europe For Under 40 Euros

March 14th, 2008 by Pia Taylor

Easter time means… even more flight specials for backpackers, of course. Down south there’s the Virgin Blue Easter Holiday Sale, and now for those in the currently colder climes of Europe, looking to explore the continent cheaply there’s the Sterling Easter Sale.

The Copenhagen-based budget airline is offering 200,000 seats on its European routes, for as little as 40 Euros one-way. The offer runs from now until to 27 March 2008, for travel between 13 March to 31 August 2008 (blackout period during high season, from 20 June to 12 August).

Cheapest seats will be mid-week, and off-peak times.

Useful (related) links for backpackers:
Hostels in Europe – find and book your hostel online
Backpackers Travel Insurance – cover your trip with comprehensive travel insurance from WorldNomads.

Posted in Destinations, General Travel, Transport, Travel Deals | 1 Comment »

Backpackers Bookmarks: Global Incident Map

March 12th, 2008 by Pia Taylor

We mentioned it a little while ago, as one of the fun things you can do with Google Map Mashups, but we thought this one deserved its own special mention.

It’s the Global Incident Map and on it you can see a ‘global display of terrorism and other suspicious events’ – everything from threats to consulates/embassies to tampering with food products.

Probably not something you’d want to spend too much time studying (for fear of never leaving your home/hostel/helipad), but perhaps useful to get a sense of what’s happening wherever you happen to be headed.

Posted in Destinations, General Travel, Travel Guides, Travel News | No Comments »

The EasyJet 2008 Spring Sale: Up to 25% Off All Flights

March 3rd, 2008 by Pia Taylor

Well, backpackers planning to zoot around Europe in the coming months might find the latest Easyjet sale enticing.

The European budget airline is having a ‘Spring Sale‘, offering up to 25% off every seat, every route, every day on flights from 01 April to 30 June 2008, including April school holidays, May bank holidays, and May half-term holidays.

When you’re watching your budget, every discount helps, especially with bigger-ticket items like flights, so if you’re organised enough to know where you might be going around that time, you could save yourself some cash.

Not much time left, though – the sale ends midnight 4 March 2008 (that’s tomorrow).

Posted in Destinations, General Travel, Transport, Travel Deals | No Comments »

Virtual Backpacking: 100 Things to do with Google Maps Mashups

February 27th, 2008 by Pia Taylor

Ever played around with Google Map ‘Mashups’? If you haven’t, hoo boy have you been missing out!

With these cool online adaptations of Google Maps, you can do all sorts of nifty mappy things like:

Locate your nearest coffee shop/public toilet/fast-food joint
Get a weather overview for wherever you’re headed.
Check out the latest global incidents happening right now around the world (and make sure you don’t stumble into one)
Take the mystery out of wondering where you’d end up if you dug a very (very) deep hole.
Find out what countries you’d pass through, if you walked in a straight line, all the way around the world.

The possibilities are endless, really, given enough bandwidth and web-surfing time, and Google Maps Mania, an ‘unofficial Google Maps blog tracking the websites, mashups and tools being influenced by Google Maps’ has put together a list of 100 Things to do with Google Maps Mashups.

Some of them of particular appeal to backpackers might include:

Finding a nearby brewery
Browsing through photos of the world
Finding the perfect mid-point meet-up
Locating a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Pinpointing a world airport, airline or connection (or make your own map)
Find a popular map in any area
Find out what the time is, anywhere in the world
Watch a travel video (or find a local webcam)
Avoid disease outbreaks
Calculate a New York cab fare
See where UFO’s have been spotted (I kid you not)

And that’s just a drop in the proverbial ocean – Google Maps Mania has many, many more (some of them conveniently organised into a travel-related mashups section). Be prepared to set aside some serious surfing hours, folks – this can get addictive.

Posted in Backpackers Bookmarks, Destinations, General Travel, Travel Guides, Travel Tips & Planning, Travel Tools | 1 Comment »

British Airways Sale On At STA Travel: Great Deals On Travel Between The US And Europe

February 22nd, 2008 by Pia Taylor

Backpackers currently in the USA, but wanting to hop over to Europe in the next few months, listen up: there’s a sale on at British Airways via STA Travel.

Fares from US$252 (New York City to London – roundtrip). The offer is valid for travel March 24 – May 25, 2008, and included in the sale is a FREE stopover to London.

But, taxes aren’t included: “Prices shown are per person and do not include US- and foreign government-imposed taxes and fees associated with travel, which can be up to an additional $400 per round-trip ticket.”

This info comes via the About.com Student Travel blog, who debate whether buying a ticket to Europe with a London stopover is worth it, instead of flying directly to London and then going the budget airline route:

“Cost of an NYC-Barcelona ticket on the current sale with a stopover in London: $636 roundtrip. Compare that to a “normal” adult fare — $632 NYC-London plus $207 London (Heathrow)-Barcelona — savings of $203. Cost to do the Ryanair from Stansted airport to Barcelona thing is $532 — $476 NYC-London on the sale plus $59.22 London (Stanstedt)-Barcelona — savings of $100 over the STA sale fare with the free London stopover.”

More from About.com here

.
Sale was to have ended yesterday (21 Feb), but has since been extended to 12 March 2008.

Posted in Destinations, General Travel, Travel Deals | No Comments »

Venice’s Gondolas Stuck In The Mud: Lowest Tides In The City’s History

February 21st, 2008 by Pia Taylor

Backpackers heading for Venice shortly and planning to take a ride on one of the water-logged city’s famous gondolas might just be in for a surprise. According to the UK Telegraph, the distinctive boats have recently run aground:

“Gondolas have been left stranded in mud along Venice’s Grand Canal after the city witnessed one of its lowest ever tides.
Ferry companies and private boats had to find new routes around the Italian city when the water level fell to about 30 inches below sea level, the lowest figure recorded for the past 14 years.”

(link)

So, before you go planning any uber-romantic expeditions, be sure to check that that there tide is coming in…

Useful (related) links for backpackers:
Hostels in Venice – find and book your hostel online
Backpackers Travel Insurance – cover your trip with comprehensive travel insurance from WorldNomads.

Posted in Destinations, General Travel, Travel News | No Comments »

Schmap Guides: Free Online Travel Advice For Backpackers

February 19th, 2008 by Pia Taylor

Schmap Guides produce regularly updated online travel guides, perfect for backpackers looking for advice, tips and news.The guides are easy to access, free to all, and contain invaluable information about an impressive number of destinations in Europe, North America and Australasia. They cover just about everything: a neighbourhood guide to Amsterdam, events and festivals in Munich, top attractions in New York and loads more, all accompanied by interactive maps to help you get your bearings.

If you’re not yet travelling, or have access to a fast internet connection (and unlimited bandwidth), you can also download it all at once with their Schmap MegaPacks for the world (199 guides), Europe (95 guides) and America (94 guides).

We like, we like a lot.

Posted in Backpackers Bookmarks, Destinations, General Travel, Travel Guides, Travel Tips & Planning, Travel Tools | No Comments »

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