Backpackers.com

March Travel Quiz: Win A Student Jetpack!

This month we’ve teamed up with the guys at Student Jetpacks to give away two of their Jetpack PLUS packages, for the destination of your choice (from currently available destinations).

Every Travel jetPack contains country-specific maps, information and accessories for your trip Plus, with a local SIM card in every jetPack, you can give your friends and family your phone number before you go, and call them as soon as you arrive.

The Jetpack range currently includes the following destinations: Australia, Austria, Germany, New Zealand, Poland, Spain: Barcelona, Spain: Madrid, UK, UK:London and the USA.

Right, so, to enter the quiz to win one of these cool prizes (worth up to £34.99 each), all you need to do is answer the following questions:

1. How much airtime is already loaded on to a pre-pay Australian SIM card in the Australia Travel jetPack – Plus?
2. How many new railpasses is RailEurope offering in 2008? (hint)

Use our contact form to send your answers, your preferred destination and your contact details to the “March Travel Quiz” before 20 March 2008 (extended to 25 March 2008). First two correct entries drawn win!

Good luck!

Posted in Competitions & Giveaways, Destinations, Travel Gear, Travel Guides, Travel Tips & Planning, Travel Tools | 1 Comment »

Virtual Backpacking: 100 Things to do with Google Maps Mashups

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 »

Schmap Guides: Free Online Travel Advice For Backpackers

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 »

Travel Advice on Tap at the Melbourne Adventure Travel and Backpackers Expo This Weekend

The Melbourne Adventure Travel and Backpackers’ Expo is coming up this weekend. It’s a must-visit for any backpacker setting out for the first time, and fun-to-visit if you’ve already been there, done that, but secretly might just be thinking of heading out again (aren’t we all!).

Over the weekend of 22 through 24 Feb 2008 (Fri-Sun), you can talk to (and get advice from) over 150 exhibitors, all gathered at the Royal Exhibition Building, (Carlton, Melbourne).

Plus, a series of free informative travel talks by experts in the field of budget travel should get the travel bug biting in a big way.

And, for those of you interested in working overseas, there’s also the Work & Travel Expo – part of the overall expo – where you can find get advice from a bunch of work, employment and volunteer exhibitors.

The expo is on from 10am-4pm Sat/Sun (12 noon-7pm Friday) and costs AU$7 at the door, but you can get in for half that by visiting this page.

Related entries:
Get Lost: How To Ditch Your Job And Get Travelling
How To Plan Your Round The World Trip
Sticking To Your Budget: Free Things For Backpackers To Do In Europe

Useful (related) resources for backpackers:
Hostels in Australia – find and book your Australian hostels online right here!
JustAustralia.org – travel guide for Australia
Pure Australia – your guide to gapping it in Australia (work visas, jobs and more)

Posted in Destinations, Travel News, Travel Tips & Planning, Working Holidays | No Comments »

Is There Such A Thing As The Perfect Backpack?

Finding the right pack to take on the road isn’t quite as simple as popping into your local travel store and picking the first one that takes your fancy.

It’s more like choosing a travel buddy… because the pack you choose is going to be up close and personal (and housing all of your belongings) all the way, and you’re going to want one that doesn’t drive you crazy.

Every pack has its pros and cons. This one has too many straps, another too few. Too big, too small, too many pockets, not enough pockets. And every traveller is different, of course, carrying everything from techno-gadgetry (laptops, cellphones, cameras and all the many cables that go with them) to hairdryers and evening wear.

So, how to choose the perfect backpack for you? Well, if you’re not quite sure, Christopher Cook of Vagabondish has some handy advice on what to look for (easy access, suspension systems, the right size) and how to make your final decision (try it on, in-store, filled with weights, grill the shop attendants).

And Jacob Bielanski, on his own personal quest to find the ultimate backpack, should give you an idea of what to avoid (he learnt the hard way) and what to seek out (cheap, tough and practical).

As you’ll see from the comments below Bielanski’s article, there’s no such thing as the perfect backpack for everyone – there are just too many variables – but the ultimate backpack for you?… Well, that’s entirely possible (with a little bit of trial and error along the way).

(Photo: Denni Schnapp/Flickr)

Posted in General Travel, Travel Gear, Travel Tips & Planning | No Comments »

Get Lost: How To Ditch Your Job And Get Travelling

Well, the start of a new year has a funny way of making even the most complacent of us ponder the Year That Was, and the Year That Shall Be.

And with it, inevitably (unless you’re lucky enough to be doing something you love, or already travelling), come the haunting questions: ‘am I doing enough with my life?’; ‘do I really want to be running in the race of rats all my life?’; ‘is there a way out?’.

If thoughts like that are doing the rounds of your brain, and you’re not quite sure how to get started (leaving your job and life behind, though ultimately exceptionally rewarding, is a daunting prospect), you’re going to need to get some good solid advice from people who’ve done it (and done it well).

The Lost Girls travelled the world, and so can you. Sneak some time in to read their recently republished ‘How to Quit Your Job to Travel‘ – it’ll give you sound tips on how to quit, without burning your bridges completely. Then, bookmark it, and read it again (and again), to strengthen your resolve…

After that, it’s time to plan your trip around the world and get lost!

Useful (related) travel resources for backpackers:
Hostels worldwide – book your hostels online
World Nomads travel insurance – insurance for backpacking traveller.

(Photo: ‘AuntieMabel/Flickr‘)

Posted in Travel Tips & Planning | 1 Comment »

How To Plan Your Round The World Trip

Thinking about planning a round-the-world trip, but not quite sure how to get started on the planning, let alone buying the right plane ticket?

Well, you’re certainly not alone, and you probably need all the help you can get – it’s a confusing world of options out there… So, the best thing is to carve out some internet time and start doing some serious web-browsing.

First up, get all fired up by poring through the travel blog of the Lost Girls, a trio of 20-something New Yorkers who ditched their media jobs to ‘embark on a yearlong, round-the-world journey in search of adventure and inspiration’. These girls know how to travel… and how to write about it.

Then, it’s time to watch Matt dancing badly all the way across the world, and go to the extreme with uber-traveller, Robin Esrock, a.k.a. Modern Gonzo.

Right, that should get your travel bug biting good ‘n’ proper. Now it’s time to consult some round the world guides – look here, here and here – and then find out how you can use low cost carriers to circumnavigate the globe for only £500.

And, finally, read ‘Traveling the Globe on a Single Ticket‘, a rather useful guide published recently by the New York Times.

Sorted. Now all that remains is to go ahead and buy your ticket and you’re up, up and away!

(Photo: Bruno D Rodrigues/Flickr)

Posted in General Travel, Travel Guides, Travel Tips & Planning | No Comments »

The Latest Flight Deals For Backpackers

Backpackers on the lookout for airline flight deals in the next few months have had quite a few to choose from, particularly around Europe.

In case you haven’t had a chance to snap up any of these budget-friendly tickets, here’s a quick summary of what’s been thrown into the flight-sale mix (and is still available):

• Ryan Air’s 2-for-1 Sale: buy one flight, get the second free (you have to buy the first one before you can claim the free one, and they won’t necessarily be on the same plane). Book your flight before Monday 14 January.
• British Airways’ 25% Sale - 25% off selected routes (including international flights). Book by the 22nd of January, for selected travel dates (mostly between 15 January and 20 March 2008).
• FlyBe’s New Year Sale – 8.5 million seats from £18.99 one way. Book during the month of January (no end-date given).
• Virgin Blue’s ‘One In A Million Sale‘ – 30% off one million domestic flights, mostly for (but not limited to) travel between 15 Jan 08 – 15 Mar 08). Book before midnight 16 January ’08 (offer extended twice).

(Photo: ‘wicho’/Flickr)

Posted in Destinations, Travel Deals, Travel Tips & Planning | No Comments »

Partying For A Cause Next Summer: Roskilde 2008

July might seem a long way away, and for the rambling no-cares-in-the-world nomad it might seem peculiar to organise something so far in advance.

But some things are worth pinning down on that thing those of us not currently on the road call a c-a-l-e-n-d-a-r.

And one of those things is the Roskilde Festival, held every July in the Danish town of Roskilde (35 km from Copenhagen – 30 minutes by train).

Roskilde Festival is huge. It’s one of Europe’s largest music festivals – a week-long celebration of European summer – with what is always a stellar line-up of international and local bands and musicians. And it’s not just about the music.

Next year’s festival takes place between 3-6 July, with a warm-up from 29 June. An 8-day ticket (Camping access from 29 June 2008 at 08.00) costs € 220.00, and every cent of profit goes to ‘humanitarian and cultural purposes’. Supporting a good cause has never been this fun!

Or, if your budget won’t stretch quite that far, you can always apply to join the Roskilde Festival ‘Work Camp‘ and be one of the 25,000 volunteers required to keep the festival running. If successful, you’ll not only get a free pass, but get fed whenever you’re working and have time to check out parts of the festival. More info about volunteering here.

So, mental note: Roskilde Festival. June/July 2008. Be there.

Related stories:
‘Roskilde Festival 2007: It’s Not Just About The Music‘ (Backpackers.com)
‘Capturing An Audience: Roskilde Festival’s Best Crowd Photo For 2006‘ (Backpackers.com)
‘Roskilde Festival 2007: Volunteering Can Get You In For Free‘ (Backpackers.com)

Posted in Destinations, Festivals, Travel Tips & Planning | No Comments »

Tips For Finding The Lowest Airfares

Cutting down on the cost of your main airfares is a good way to keep the budget down, and can ultimately make a big difference to the total length of time you’ll be able to travel.

Mark Kahler of About.com has some advice for backpackers in this regard, recommending five internet tools for tracking low airfares.

And, if you’re planning a round-the-world trip, give our flight travel planner a try.

(Picture: sohvimus/Flickr)

Related stories:
‘Planes, Trains, Automobiles, Buses And Boats: Getting Around Europe On A Backpacker’s Budget‘ (Backpackers.com)
‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles: Tips For Getting Around Europe, On A Budget‘ (Backpackers.com)

Useful (related) travel resources for backpackers:
Skyscanner.net – find and compare flights on low cost airlines in Europe and Australasia.

Posted in Destinations, General Travel, Transport, Travel Tips & Planning, Travel Tools | No Comments »