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Get Your Ass On A Plane: Why Getting Laid Off From Your Job Could Be The Best Thing That Ever Happened

Pia Taylor — Tue, 13 May 2008 16:15:45 +0000

Ever needed an excuse to travel? Probably not, but have you gone beyond dreaming about saddling up your trusty backpack, and actually managed to hit the open road?

Ah, there’s the rub. For there be dragons (aka bills to pay, things to buy, future to secure, blah blah blah…).

In the words of Jason Kester, author of Code on the Road:

“When you get right down to it, you’ll probably find a way to talk yourself out of taking that dream trip. You’ll come up with some pretty believable excuses, but really it will come down to the fact that you’re scared.

That’s cool. Travel is pretty scary when you look at it from the outside. But here’s the thing. It stops being scary the moment your feet hit the pavement on Ko San Road in Bangkok. You’re going to get blasted by 100 degree heat, power-wafted by smells of the most amazing street food one minute and an open sewer the next, assaulted with music from a thousand bars, and crammed into a tiny room overlooking it all with a fan that doesn’t work. And you won’t be able to wipe the silly grin off your face.

Book the flight today, because every day you delay it is one more day wasted on the couch, and one more day to come up with lame excuses for why you shouldn’t go.”

Rock on! If you’re laid off from work, all the better – use the opportunity to book a flight, and head for South East Asia (unless it’s May). It’s cheap, it’s cheerful, and you’ll be so happy ‘you won’t be able to wipe the silly grin off your face’.

Doubts? We all have ‘em, but sometimes you have to just grab the bull by the horns and get out there. The rest will take care of itself. Seriously, read Jason’s post, cover to cover, and then “Get your ass on a plane.”

Travel Photo Of The Week: Cagbalete Island, Philippines

The Backpackers Team — Mon, 12 May 2008 07:35:50 +0000

Ain’t this shot a beauty?

We love the choice of colours and the tranquillity of the moment… Don’t you just wanna be her right now, wandering slowly down the powder-white beach, time on your side?

Selected from our Flickr travel pool, this awesome shot was taken by regular contributer, Ian Felix Alquiros (we’ve featured his photos before – here and here).

For more great travel shots, visit our travel photo pool on Flickr. Or, even better, send us some of your own!

Useful travel photography tips for backpackers:
TravelPhoto.net – ‘Photo Tips: How To Take Good Travel Pictures’
Photo.net – ‘Hargett’s travel photography tips’
CNN Traveler.com – ‘Photography tips for the traveler’
About.com – ‘Travel Photography 101: How to Take Better Travel Pictures’

Travel resources backpackers might find useful:
Book hostels – book a hostel at thousands of locations around the world.
Travel Insurance – instant, cheap travel insurance for backpackers

Glade Festival 2008: Tickets On Sale Now (Or Work As A Volunteer)

The Backpackers Team — Thu, 08 May 2008 11:10:15 +0000

The Glade Festival is all about getting away from the mainstream, and delving deep into things alternative:

“Having been the renegade dance stage at Glastonbury, The Glade exploded out into its own multi-genre music festival and has steadily grown to be the premier cutting edge electronic music event in the UK. With a strong aversion to all things corporate and mainstream and with a great love of all things alternative, underground and interesting, the Glade has a mind boggling array of artistic ideas; musically, sonically, visually and extra sensorily, from all over the world..”

Held in Berkshire (only 50 minutes drive from London), this popular electronic music festival is unsponsored, shunning the “bollocks of the corporate world“ in favour of “keeping it real… in creating a space for people to dance and laugh, connect and reflect, teach, learn and be here now”.

This year’s festival takes place over the weekend of 18-20 July, and a ticket will cost you £125 (Camper Van Tickets are £45).

If you’re a little out of pocket (or hoping to save more for travel), why not consider volunteering as a litter picker? You pay a deposit (returned after you’ve completed the requisite 3×7hr shifts) and you do 1 shift during the festival, and 2 after it. In return you get free entry and you’ll get a free meal before and after your shift as well! Check out the Glade website for more info and to apply.

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’

BmiBaby Summer Sale: Flights from £10

The Backpackers Team — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:30:06 +0000

Low cost airline, BmiBaby is having another summer flights sale. Backpackers can pick up flights from selected UK cities to destinations in the UK and Europe from as little as £10 (one-way, including taxes and charges).

Sale ends midnight Wednesday 7th May 2008 and is valid for travel May and June.

One Week Left To Enter The April Travel Quiz (& Win A Trip On The Eurostar Plus Your Very Own ISE Student Card)

The Backpackers Team — Mon, 05 May 2008 13:31:37 +0000

There’s just one week left to enter our April Travel Quiz.

Answer a few easy travel-related questions and you could win 2 tickets on the Eurostar (London-Paris return, or vice versa) as well as 2 money-saving student discount cards from ISE Cards!

Having an ISE Card to hand not only gives you access to worldwide discounts that can realistically save you hundreds of dollars on your trip, they also provide for medical benefits whilst you’re travelling (up to $2,000 in medical expenses, and up to $5,000 in evacuation fees, if necessary).

And, if you didn’t know so already, hopping on the Eurostar is one of the quickest and most painless ways to get from London to the continent of Europe.

It’s also more eco-friendly than travelling by gas-guzzling planes (good for the conscience) – hop on at St Pancras in London and just over 2 quiet hours later you’re stepping off into Paris’s Gare du Nord, ready to explore the City of Lights.

So, if you’d like a chance of winning this awesome travel prize, head over to our Travel Quiz right now, and we’ll put you into the draw. Good luck and happy travels!

BmiBaby Sale Extended: 30% Off All Flights (Until Midnight)

The Backpackers Team — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:59:19 +0000

UK budget airline BmiBaby has extended its summer sale. Book by midnight tonight (GMT) and you could find flights for as low as £44 return!

The offer is valid on all flights from Birmingham, Cardiff, East Midlands, Manchester, Belfast Intl, Glasgow Intl, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Jersey and Newquay for travel from until 26 June 2008.

Last Day Of The National Express East Coast Sale: Spring Bargains From £8.40

The Backpackers Team — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:30:42 +0000

UK rail operator National Express East Coast is offering travellers some big discounts on travel between 26 April and 11 July 2008.

A special springtime release of additional low-price Standard and First Advance train tickets means prices start from a very low £8.40 (one-way).

So, if you thought all you’d see of the UK is London, think again – get yourself a ticket to York, or Edinburgh or elsewhere on the rail route, and see more of beautiful Britain.

Offer ends today, so hurry! Valid for travel between 26 April and 11 July.

Afrika Burns 2008: Earlybird Tickets On Sale Now

The Backpackers Team — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:59:28 +0000

Earlybird tickets for Afrika Burns have just gone on sale. Like its sibling festival, the great and famous Burning Man, Afrika Burns is a participant-created experiment in temporary community building and a “fantastical amazing mind-blowing party” into the bargain.

The African version takes place this year between 16 and 19 October on a farm a few hours from Cape Town, South Africa.

Earlybird tickets will be available for ZAR200, until the end of April, whereafter a sliding scale applies: May – ZAR250; June – ZAR300; July, August & September and October (until the 10th) ZAR350. Tickets at the gate will cost ZAR400.

Virgin America Summer Flights Sale

The Backpackers Team — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:15:48 +0000

Virgin America is having a sale on selected flights around the United States. For example, fly from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles for from $119, Vegas to San Francisco from $44 or from San Francisco all the way to New York City for from $139.

Prices quoted may be subject to taxes and charges, and, as always, terms and conditions apply. Sale ends tomorrow, April 25th.

April Travel Quiz: Win A Trip On The Eurostar And Your Very Own ISE Student Card

The Backpackers Team — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:25:13 +0000

One of the quickest and easiest ways to get from London to Paris is on the Eurostar.

Not only is it more eco-friendly than travelling by gas-guzzling planes (good for the conscience), it’s far less stressful (good for the nerves).

You hop on at St Pancras in London and just over 2 quiet hours later you’re stepping off into Paris’s Gare du Nord, ready to explore the City of Lights.

Well, we love giving away stuff, and this month’s quiz is no different. Answer a few easy travel-related questions below and you could win 2 of these very same Eurostar tickets (London-Paris return, or vice versa) as well as 2 money-saving student discount cards from ISE Cards!

To enter the April Travel Quiz, simply answer the questions below and use our contact form to send us your answers and contact details before 10 May 2008. First correct entry drawn, wins!

True or False: ‘flying between London, Paris and Brussels generates ten times more emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO₂) than travelling by Eurostar’? (hint)
What does an ISE Card cost to buy?

Good luck and happy travels!