For those who have never visited Vietnam, what comes to your mind when you think of Vietnam? Many would say war, jungles, traffic jammed motorbikes, and movies like Apocalypse Now. It’s unfortunate but it is indeed what first comes to mind for many people. Honestly, I didn’t know much either until I had visited. I was surprised that most of what I had experienced isn’t what Vietnam is popular for (outside of the country) although it’s such a large part of the country.
Tips / Planning
“You’re lucky you’re not unconscious right now” the doctor said to me. Although I was shocked, I knew something was wrong when I had finally decided to get medical attention. I had the feeling of ‘pins-and-needles’ coming up through my body as walking became more difficult. Stephanie was there to hold onto me and to get me to the clinic. Luckily, this beach has dozens of clinics spread out all within walking distance making it quite easy to find one.
Last year I traveled through Thailand during the low season months of July and August. I’m back in Thailand during the highest possible season during the months of December and January. There’s high season and than there’s peak season within the high season. I feel like I’m traveling in a whole different country.
Today marks 600 days of living outside of the box. Over two years ago, I had this grand idea to travel the world and to see and experience as many things as possible. The more research I did, the more I felt I had to see and the longer I knew this lifestyle would exist in my life. For the first few months of my trip, it all felt like a dream. I was city hopping every few days (or everyday), going from village to village, going to every world heritage cultural site, and meeting an endless amount of people. The hardest part of my day was figuring out what to eat from the endless selection in every country. It was exactly what I wanted… or so I thought.
Art of Backpacking turns two years old!
The first post went out on December 4th, 2008 with a simple picture of Grinnell Glacier Moraine. I was just testing the waters. Next was the ‘official’ first post by Teresa which was hardly a post. I had no idea what I was getting into and it started with really simple and lame articles. The site was hosted for free from a friend and we didn’t even have SEO friendly URL’s because the host didn’t have that functionality.
As residents of North America we are accustomed to travel on this continent and beyond much differently, in my humble opinion than say our European or Australian & Kiwi counterparts. When we think of travel to the Caribbean or Central America we tend to think of resorts with all inclusive packages, providing us with unlimited food, drinks & activities for a worry free set price. Now while I’m not stereotyping all North Americans (Canada AND USA) there are plenty of lovely Canadians & Americans who are not afraid to pack a backpack and explore the unknown, The numbers are just much smaller.
No one in my circle of family and friends had ever taken on a trip of this size. The inspiration was present in the form of blogs, pictures, books and websites, each one tantalizing me to visit their country on display. But who was there to show me the logistics, like information on what to do with my cat, which ticket to buy, what do I do with my mail, or the big one: how much to budget?
A lot of my decisions revolve around music. One of my must-do’s while traveling is to take in as much of the local music as possible. In fact, several times I’ve changed my entire travel plans just to hear a band or go to a venue to hear a DJ play. I can hardly write this article without having music in the background. I’m obsessed.
I’m teaching English as a second language in Xi’an, China. Keep in mind the cost of living would be dramatically higher if I were living in Shanghai or Beijing. Since this is my first month, I needed a lot of basic things for the apartment. I landed in Beijing August 25th, 2010 and arrived in [...]
When your travel plans go wrong, you might find yourself in unfortunate sleeping circumstances. Perhaps your flight is cancelled or you learn the bus service runs less frequently than advertised. Maybe the hotels are too expensive or you are far away from a hostel. Regardless, you’re now stuck in a public place with nothing but your backpack and a slightly anxious feeling in your stomach. Worst of all, you’re exhausted.
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