Backpackers.com

Using Facebook For Your Travels

Nice little article posted today on The Lost Globe, all about using social networking site Facebook on your travels.

If you haven’t delved into Facebook as yet you’re probably in the minority. I quite like Dan’s description, and comparison to MySpace:

Facebook is yet another designed to connect friends although unlike the MySpace popularity contest Facebook prefers that you actually know your friends. When you add a friend it will ask you how you know the person, are they related, a schoolmate, co worker, teammate, partner? Or for travelers, did you travel together and if so where to?

Check out the article for some insight into the various Facebook applications available for travellers.

Related entries:
Social Networking Sites For Backpackers
Cool Site: Ball Of Dirt.com
Social Networking for Backpackers

Travel resources backpackers might find useful:
Book hostels worldwide – find and book your hostel online at special discounted rates
Airtreks Travel Planner – plan your round the world trip with Airtreks
Backpackers Travel Gear – buy 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 General Travel, Staying In Touch, Travel Community, Travel Tools | No Comments »

Social Networking Sites For Backpackers

Mashable, a site dedicated to ‘social networking news’, has published a fantastic list of what they call ‘Essential Sites for Summer Travelers’.

It’s one of the most comprehensive lists of travel-orientated social networking sites that we’ve seen so far, and backpackers on the road, or those thinking about going would do well to take a looksee.

Some, like TripUp (formerly TripMates), and Travelistic, we’ve mentioned before, but there are a bunch of other ones backpackers are likely to find rather useful.

Go check it out.

Related entries:
Backpackers Bookmarks: TravelDodo – Sharing Your Travel Do’s And Don’ts
From Volcanic-Black Beaches In Guatemala To Powder-White Mountains: We Find Out What’s New At Travelistic
Cool Site: Ball Of Dirt.com

Travel resources backpackers might find useful:
XE.com – online currency converter
Cheap hostels – choose from over 12,000 hostels worldwide and book them online!

Travel Insurance – instant, cheap travel insurance for backpackers
Travel newsletter – sign up for our free monthly travel newsletter ‘From The Road’

Posted in General Travel, Staying In Touch, Travel Community | 1 Comment »

How To Find An Internet Cafe When You’re Travelling

Ever wandered around a new town and paced the streets for hours trying to find an internet cafe?

It’s not always that easy to locate one, especially if you’re travelling off the trodden trail and, let’s face it, ‘internet cafe’ doesn’t translate too well into sign language.

Well, if you’re an internet junkie, and cannot bear the thought of not being able to connect with the cyberworld and those on the other side of it (friends, family, whoever), Ian Mackenzie of Brave New Traveler has some tips worth checking out.

He also lists four internet cafe directories to help you find an internet cafe anywhere in the world.

Then check out About.com’s list of internet cafe chains and independent international internet cafes.

Sorted. Just be sure you consult the list before you get to your destination… little hard to access the lists when you’re not online.

(Photo: Naci Yavuz/Flickr)

Travel resources backpackers might find useful:
Book hostels – book your hostel online – it’s cheaper!
Travel Insurance – instant, cheap travel insurance for backpackers
Travel newsletter – sign up for our free monthly travel newsletter ‘From The Road’

Posted in Staying In Touch, Travel Tips & Planning | No Comments »

How To Use A Cellphone Abroad

So, you’re heading off into the great unknown.

You have a few important things booked: flight ticket over, place to stay the first few nights, a few nights booked in all the likely-to-be-booked-out places (Munich around Oktoberfest, Pamplona during the Running of the Bulls).

You’re planning to wing it, mostly, and you’ll keep in touch via email, the occasional postcard, a social networking site like TripUp or travBuddy and occasionally even Skype.

But, you’re thinking, why not bring along a cellphone with you – just in case. Better to have it than not, after all.

These days cellphones aren’t just a way to get in touch, they’re also places to store travel guides and music, digital books and much more.

If you’re planning on using a phone, though, you’re going to need to make sure (before you go) that your phone is going to work overseas, what it’s likely to cost you, and what alternative sim card options are available where you’re going.

The New York Times has published guidelines for using cellphones abroad, covering everything from GSM vs CDMA technologies (incompatible with one another), temporary sim cards (cheaper than international roaming costs) and how to unlock a blocked cellphone.

Of course, if you haven’t already got a phone, you could always get hold of National Geographic’s affordable global travel cellphone, a global roaming device that’s perfect for the roaming backpacker.

Useful resources for backpackers:
Travel Insurance – instant, cheap travel insurance for backpackers
Cheap Hostels – find and book cheap hostels online.

(photo by ratnesh bhatt)

Posted in General Travel, Staying In Touch, Travel Tips & Planning | 1 Comment »

Have Postcards Gone Out Of Fashion?

Staying in touch with family and friends whilst you travel is getting easier and easier. Gone are the days when the only way to send news of your progress was snail mail postcards and telegrams.

We wrote recently about the new (affordable) global travel phone brought out by National Geographic and have often highlighted the wide array of social networking websites aimed at travellers.

The Baltimore Sun (via the LA Times) yesterday published its own 10 ways to stay in touch while abroad.

Hotel phones (pricey), email, cellphones, calling cards, VOIP (eg Skype) and more – the options are seemingly endless and increasingly inexpensive.

But, at number ten is one option that echoes my own sentiments on the matter:

Postcards – They don’t ring at inopportune times. They don’t cost a fortune. And they are simple to operate. Could it be possible that whatever we have to say to each other could wait a while?

Long live the humble postcard, say I. No obsessive email checking for me (well, maybe just a little bit) – I travel to get away from the norm, not to check in on it at every possible opportunity.

Then again, what with the proliferation of digital cameras amongst travellers, I guess we take our own postcard shots these days, don’t we.

Related stories:
How travel has changed – (Vagablogging.net)
Tools for the trade: Staying in touch on the road (Vagablogging.net)

Useful resources for backpackers:
Cheap hostels worldwide – find and book cheap hostels online
Travel Forums – find travel buddies, get travel tips, see what’s under discussion

(Photo: ortonesque/sxc.hu)

Posted in General Travel, Staying In Touch, Travel Tools | 1 Comment »

National Geographic’s New Very-Few-Strings-Attached Global Travel Cellphone

Via Worldhum comes the news of a ‘Talk Abroad’ Travel Cell Phone recently introduced by National Geographic:

Using a cell phone overseas has always been an expensive proposition, and that’s if you get service. But National Geographic, in partnership with Cellular Abroad, is about to release what it’s touting as an inexpensive solution for travelers that will work in more than 100 countries, from Aruba to Yemen: the National Geographic Talk Abroad Travel Phone. (link)

The phone costs $199, is prepaid (ie no contracts), comes with a universal wall charger and has the ability to receive unlimited free incoming calls in 65 countries – perfect for the roaming backpacker!

Visit this website for full details and to preorder.

Posted in General Travel, Staying In Touch, Travel News, Travel Tools | 1 Comment »

Cool Site: Ball Of Dirt.com

Here’s another social networking, travel-mapping, journal-writing website to add to the growing list.

This one looks pretty cool (we like the ball of strings image) and here’s what they have to offer:

BoD lets anyone share their travel photos, stories and experiences on the web – for FREE! Friends can see where you are with maps, photos, blurbs and receive emails as you move around automatically – no need to write long boring group emails… You can also explore the world, read about new places and get the inside story from real travellers!

So, if you haven’t already signed up somewhere else, or like their style so much you want to make a change, give them a try.

Useful resources for backpackers:
Hostel bookings – find and book cheap hostels online
Festival forums – speak to other festival-goers about upcoming festivals

Posted in Backpackers Bookmarks, General Travel, Staying In Touch, Travel Community, Travel Tools | No Comments »

Virtual Keyboard: An Invaluable Travel Tool For Backpackers

Found a cool travel tool via BraveNewTraveler today.

It’s a virtual keyboard that allows you to bypass completely foreign keyboards and ‘type’ in your own language on the screen instead:

This site enables you to write in your language wherever you are in the world, with an online onscreen keyboard emulator. All you do is select your own language, and a familiar keyboard pops up onscreen for you to start typing your message.

After you’re done, you just highlight the text box and paste it in an email, blog entry, message home, or whatever. Fantastic. (link)

Fantastic indeed!

Other cool sites:
‘Frugal Japan: Money-Saving Tips In The Land Of The Rising Sun’
‘GeoJoey: Mapping The Best Experiences The World Has To Offer’
‘TravelHiker.com – Social Networking For Backpackers That Brings Home The Bacon’

Useful (related) resources for backpackers:
Hostel bookings – find and book cheap hostels online

(Photo: Enoch Ko/Flickr)

Posted in Backpackers Bookmarks, General Travel, Staying In Touch, Travel Tips & Planning, Travel Tools | No Comments »

TravelBlogger Globs: Keeping In Touch With Your Favourite Travel Buddies

Travel Blogger is a great place to keep an online journal of your times on the road, as well as to keep in touch with the folks you met during your travels (the ones you want to keep in touch with, that is).

Some cool things about Travel Blogger

• It’s easy to sign up. Just a short online form and you’re sorted.
• It’s free (there is an upgrade available, but that’s only necessary if you really really hate banner ads, or want more than 5MB of space for photos).
• It sends automatic email notification to friends and family whenever your site has been updated (no more mass-mailing lists).
• You can choose between public and private profiles (there are just some things no one wants their mom to know about).
• If you have another blog elsewhere, you can list that, but still be part of the community.

All these are great, but the best part about Travel Blogger (I think) is the innovative notion of ‘Travel Globs’:

‘A Glob lets you invite your friends that you meet on the road to start their own member profiles, and link up with you under one group name. Then you can see where your friends are from their last post, and leave them messages on the Glob message board for everyone in the Glob to read.’

The site is easy to use, and the admin tools uncomplicated. Plus, they have walkthroughs and a glossary to make sure you’re on the right track.

All in all, a fantastic website for backpackers and other independent travellers out there, so go and check it out!

Related stories:
‘Meet your ideal travelbuddy online’ (Backpackers.com)
‘Finding A Travel Buddy’ (Backpackers.com)
‘Social Networking for Backpackers’ (Backpackers.com)

Posted in Backpackers Bookmarks, General Travel, Staying In Touch, Travel Community | No Comments »

MySpace or Yours?

The Backpackers.com team signed up on MySpace a couple of weeks ago, more as an experiment than serious social networking for travel buddies.

We’ve since found that The Space is filled with inspiration for travellers!

For example, check out Darrin Duford , who sent us his new book “Is There a Hole in the Boat? Tales of Travel in Panama without a Car”, and also joined our Flickr Photo Group. What a score!

It’s another great place to log a journey and connect with other travellers, interesting musicians, travel companies and even festivals!

Become our friend to keep in touch on “the space” – we really enjoy getting your messages, questions and comments about backpacker travel.

Posted in Staying In Touch, Travel Community | No Comments »