Travel Tips

“I want to go travelling, but I’m afraid of getting robbed or scammed in another country.” Travelling the world is an amazing adventure, but the truth is that there is an element of risk involved. Although most people you meet will be pleasant, no matter where you go there is always a chance that someone there will be dishonest in …

Night markets in Southeast Asia are a feast for the senses. The chatter of the crowd and the smell of sizzling meat fills the air as you wander through a row of stalls packed with silver jewelry, pirated DVDs, souvenir t-shirts, charm bracelets, key chains and brightly patterned sarongs. You are sipping on a cold freshly squeezed papaya and banana …

Travel scams are awful. The people who perpetuate them take advantage of the ignorance of tourists who really don’t know enough about how things work in the destination to be aware of when something is fishy. Scammers play upon this innocence, taking advantage of the trust of inexperienced travelers. When you are taken advantage of in this way, not only …

Are you worried that when you go traveling for the first time you will have no idea what you are doing and you will do it all wrong? Don’t stress out too much about it. I felt the same way when I started traveling. It’s totally normal. After all, as I often mention on this blog, travel is not something …

Are you planning to travel the world on a budget, but you aren’t sure how hostels work? If you have never stayed in a hostel before you probably have no idea what to expect from this type of accommodation. The cheaper price might appeal to you, but you have some questions about how it all works – is it totally …

Like driving a car or playing the piano, travelling well is a skill you learn with practice. On your first trip, you can guarantee you will do things wrong. I made a ton of mistakes when I planned my first trip abroad. Don’t worry too much about it, no one gets it right the first time. Your stupid mistakes will …

There are more ways to save money while you travel than you might think I always think it’s funny when people ask us if we have won the lottery.  It’s as if the only way we could afford to travel the world is if we had some sort of enormous financial windfall. Travelling doesn’t have to be as expensive as you …

You’ve arrived jetlagged but bursting with excitement in a brand new travel destination… so, what next? How do you actually find local things to do during your trip that are interesting and fun? You can Google “Top 10 Things to Do in _____” or look in your guidebook… but what if the main tourist attractions don’t interest you? Or what …

Antarctica. The final frontier. The most remote and difficult continent to visit. The ultimate travel adventure. Although human beings have colonized most of the world, we have yet to permanently set up shop in Antarctica. This frozen continent is only accessible from November to March and it has no towns or villages – just a few odd expedition huts and …

Who wouldn’t want to spend a year working and traveling in Australia? The wide open Outback stretching beyond the horizon. The exciting concerts, shows and nightlife of trendy cities such as Sydney and Melbourne. Strange and bizarre animals and birds that you have never seen before. Tiny coastal surfer hideaways where time stands still. The stunning array of colorful sea …

It’s not always easy to save money on travel, but there are a few frugal travel websites out there that can help. Travel doesn’t have to cost as much as you might think – there are a lot of ways that you can bring down the expense. With a little bit of know-how, you’ll find many frugal travel websites that …

Climbing the crumbling steps of Mayan ruins in the Mexican sunshine while tropical birds squawk in the treetops. Sinking your toes into the sugary sand of a beach in Belize. Swaying slowly in a hammock in a hostel in the Guatemalan jungle. Surfing on a black sand volcanic beach in a sleepy seaside town in Nicaragua. Watching monkeys swing through …

Do you love to travel but don’t have infinite piles of money to fund your dreams and feed your wanderlust? The ideal plan is to look for jobs you can do while traveling. But let’s face it: a job is a job and many have come to realize doing the job actually obstructs the exploration side of traveling. Not so many …

Our two hour layover was changed into an 11 hour layover and there was really not much we could do about it. (Thanks, AirAsia!) So, we made the most of it by paying to sleep in a little box. We were flying from Melbourne, Australia to Medan, Indonesia with a stopover in Kuala Lumpur. I’m really not sure why the …

I have been traveling since 2009 and over the years products have been released that make my life on the road that little bit easier. Every single year a new travel product comes out that I get excited about. As we travel pretty much full time I am always on the lookout for new gadgets or products. Here are a …

I was 21 years old when I left North America for the first time, on a plane headed from Vancouver to Paris. I didn’t know what would happen – I just knew I wanted to travel the world. My only experiences outside of Canada prior to that had been weekend trips to Seattle and a vacation in Disneyland, California when …

No matter where you go in the world, there is always a chance that you will run into an unscrupulous person who aims to take advantage of you and scam you out of your money. As I wrote in this post, it’s important to research the common scams in advance so that you are aware of them and can spot …

Update Feb 2018: When I wrote this post a year ago I was quite happy with the travel pants from anatomie. However, within 6 months of owning them I had to throw both pairs away. The belt loops on the grey, flared pants broke and on the black skinny pants the seams along the crotch and inner thigh fell apart. …

You’d be surprised at the number of cheap travel destinations around the world where you can stay for less than $25 USD per night. If you are travelling in Europe or North America $25 USD per night wouldn’t even cover the worst room in a ramshackle motel on the side of an unsightly and depressing highway, or a dorm bed …

I love trains – they are probably my favourite mode of transport. They are so much more spacious and comfortable than buses and you will often get a bed that you can lie down in and sleep if you pay a bit more for the sleeper class. You can get up and walk around the cabin, or sit and watch …