I hate having to go to the hospital and especially abroad. The comfort of family isn’t there and there’s no one to visit me. Still, I’ve come out stronger and learned a few things on my way out. Mostly that I need to take better care of myself.

Luang Prabang, Laos

From my trip through China, I was down to my final days and what better way to end China than to end up with a stomach virus. I did what I could to treat it but I had to leave China since my visa was expiring. I was leaving Kunming, China to Luang Prabang, Laos by land. It ended up being a thirty hour bus ride and with a stomach virus, it was a living hell. I had a big bottle of water and ate nothing throughout the entire trip in fear that I’d have to go to the bathroom while on the bus.

I got up the next day fresh and ready to start exploring Luang Prabang. I hadn’t realized just how strong the sun was in Laos. I walked around for about two hours and in that time, I got completely sunburned. I was sunburned and I still had the stomach virus. The same day, the guests at the hostel invited me to one of the waterfalls in Luang Prabang. I felt somewhat better and thought I should be okay, possibly even be refreshing. This time I put on sunscreen. I felt great at the waterfall and the water was indeed refreshing.

It happened on our way back in a tuktuk from the waterfall. I started to get pins-and-needles throughout my body. Suddenly I started to freeze up and my hands started to crench up. I started to panic and the people in the tuktuk looked away to not get involved. I noticed this and said out loud “what the fuck? why are you pretending to not notice?” Eventually I completely panicked and collapsed. That’s when they took it serious. Luckily, we were close to the hospital and the tuktuk driver was great.

Hospital sign by wayfaringrob, on Flickr

The hospital was fairly big. Mostly empty and boring. White walls and dull in every aspect. The room they brought me to had a fan, table, and a chair. The most basic it could possibly get. The first guy that came in knew nothing of English but did a few checkups. Then the actual doctor came in and spoke a little English, enough to understand and speak. It was a basic conversation but she seemed to know exactly what I needed and why I was there pretty quickly. She told me that she’s the only English speaker in the hospital.

I had Hypoglycemia. I wasn’t staying hydrated enough. For the next four hours, I was under IV and several other checkups. Since the waterfall trip was meant to be a short and low cost, I didn’t bring much cash with me which worried me throughout the checkup. I told her I had no money on me but that I had promised to come back to pay the bill. I didn’t have any sort of ID with me and I could have ran away but she trusted me enough to come back and pay.

The doctor recommended I have lots of coconuts which was perfectly fine by me since I love coconut shakes and was given a few packets of hydration salts for the next few days to recover. I did go back to pay the bill. I checked out the hostel and checked into a hotel that had AC. For three days after, I relaxed and mostly slept. I felt a whole lot better and continued on my journey. Cost was about $20USD for the hospital visit.

Haadrin Beach, Koh Phangan, Thailand

You’d think I would have learned my lesson but I didn’t. It happened again. I wrote the full story already on Art of Backpacking. You can find it here: Hospitalized at the Full Moon Party. The article became a feature on The Australian. Must. Stay. Hydrated.

Siem Reap, Cambodia

A simple and yet annoying ear infection. It was difficult to hear as it was becoming worse. By simply asking locals on the street where the hospital was, I just walked right in. The hospital was much more organized and had many facilities. The ear doctor spoke English, French, and Khmer very well. It turned out pretty well. It was about $10USD. In and out in about 15 minutes.

Singapore

Another annoying ear infection and this one was much worse. My head was pounding and I felt like I was breaking down. I had been scuba-diving for a few days in a row in Malaysia. On my way to the hospital, the taxi driver asked me if it was anything contagious. He relaxed a bit after I said no. The hospital was enormous and had beautiful architecture. Before entering though, I was required to wear a medical face mask as everyone else was in the hospital. It was about $50 and that included all prescriptions as well.

Bangkok, Thailand

My tooth had been hurting for awhile. Eventually Stephanie got tired of me complaining and found a dentist.  I walked in and in about an hour, I was out feeling great. They did a fantastic job and the facility was especially designed for foreigners. For $75, I got a cavity filled. Not exactly a hospital visit but still worth mentioning.

I had to also get new glasses in both Lima, Peru and Xi’an, China. The Lima glasses sucked but the ones from Xi’an came out pretty well. Not a fan of the frame but the lens were great.

What have I learned from all this? Clean my ears and drink more water.

Have you had to go to the hospital abroad? How was your experience? 

Hospital Visits Around The World is a post from Art of Backpacking

Every country has it’s aspects you don’t want to miss and every country has it’s share of scam artists, customs and tourist traps you would be happier if you could avoid. Egypt is no different. I can safely say Egyptians are the friendliest and happiest people I have ever met. It is not unusual to be invited for a cup of tea or to dinner by someone you met only an hour ago. However, it is also not unusual to hear many stories of tourists getting ripped off by people they thought were being friendly.

Cultural differences is the reason tourists fall foul of Egyptian ‘scam artists’. Remember that tourism is the main source of foreign income, especially in Upper Egypt, so many unsavoury practices are accepted in Egypt, under the guise of ‘business’. For the most part tourists do not come from countries where strangers compliment them on their hair, eyes, body, personality etc. – compliments on clothing or hair – maybe a little. Nevertheless, the high level of personal compliments passed in Egypt tends to throw many tourists off guard. In Egypt it is quite common practice to compliment each other in very personal ways.. If you get a chance to listen to Egyptian songs and can get a translation, you will see the language is more like something you would find in a Shakespearian sonnet than in a modern western song.

Most of the Egyptians you will meet on holidays will be working in the tourist trade. If they are in the tourist areas – they are working the tourists, though you may not realise it. So, yes, you can be friendly but don’t let yourself get bowled over by the compliments to the extent that you lose your common sense. Be specially suspect of men (sometimes women but not that often) who try to befriend you in the street, they are mostly good-looking and charming but probably up to no good!

If you don’t have your accommodation booked (even if you do) be aware that, at the airport, in the taxi, at the train station everyone knows a hotel they can recommend and take you to. All well and good – they are getting commission for taking you there.

Carpenters at Work, Tomb of Rekhmire by peterjr1961, on Flickr

Tours - it is normal to be quoted a cheap price by taxi drivers, hotels, tour operators and travel agents – you need to try to clarify additional charges, hidden extras and what exactly is included in the deal. It is usual to be taken shopping or to restaurants on these trips – that is where they make up the loss on the ‘cheap price’ you were quoted.

Apart from Luxor and Karnak Temples on the East Bank, everyone knows about the Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens and Hatshepsut’s Temple on the West Bank. Less often visited on the West Bank, but equally worth seeing are the two perfect tombs at the Workers’ Village – also known as Deir El Medina; the Temple at Medinet Habu; the Tombs of the Nobles; Tomb of Ay; Tombs of Roy & Shu Roy and the Temple of Sety I. The most wonderful temples in Egypt are those at Abydos and Dendera – both of which you can see on a full-day trip from Luxor. The house in which Howard Carter lived, between Hatshepsut’s Temple and the Valley of the Kings, while excavating the tomb of Tutankhamon, is now open and has an excellent restaurant outside, which is operated by the renowned Winter Palace Hotel.

Citadel and the Alabaster Mosque - Dec 28, 2008 - 07 by Ed Yourdon, on Flickr

If you are looking for genuine hand-made craftwork you should not miss a visit to the Women’s Centre in Karnak (Luxor) where they make trays, rugs, bags, accessories and a range of clothing. Souvenirs from Egypt include papyrus paintings (there are fakes also but in my experience they last as long as the originals….so depends on how many you want!); essential oils from Egypt are wonderful but make sure you are watching (and not distracted) as the assistant fills your bottle from the same bottle he gave you the sample scent from; jewellery is good value (but only the jewellery which is handcrafted in Egypt) and you need to know your market price of gold and silver, it is sold by gram weight. Traditional lamps and lights are amazingly cheap and beautiful, as are small pieces of mother-of-pearl mirrors, boxes but look twice to make sure you are buying mother-of-pearl not plastic as it can be very deceiving to the eye if you are looking at it for a while.

Traditional Egyptian food which is not that easy to find, but which you should taste if you do find it, would include mulakhia, kosa, addis, bissara, roast sweet potato, black lentil salad, stuffed vine leaves, stuffed cabbage, potatoes stuffed with meat and rabbit tagine

Places to see in Cairo - The Pyramids, Sphinx, Giza Plateau are top of the tourist list – lesser-known but equally important are the pyramid and temple complex at Saqqara; the Pyramids at Dashur and Abu Sir. In Cairo itself you will not want to miss Coptic and Islamic Cairo, Saladin’s Citadel Complex, Khan El Khalili Market and the free Sufi dancing at the Arts & Cultural Centre.

Sufi dancing in Cairo by nebedaay, on Flickr

Food in Cairo not to miss would include a take-away meat or chicken sandwich in sesame bread rolls from Falfela in Talaat Haarb St., fine food dining in the Barten Section at La Bodega (booking required); the traditional dishes on the menus at Downtown 34 in Adly St and at Café Riche in Talaat Haarb St – near Tahrir Sq; pastries from the El Abd shops (you can’t miss these shops as there is always a crowd outside them – I particularly recommend their konafa, it’s a melt-in-the-mouth light delight!

Finally, for adventurers looking for the unusual can contemplate travelling from Cairo to Luxor through the Western Oases – this is a spectacular trip involving 4-wheel drive transport, guide, traditional food under starry skies and the thrill of sleeping in the desert – which, for a place which seems deserted (no pun intended!) comes alive at night with all kinds of little creatures and unusual sounds! On a trip to the desert you definitely do not want to be ill – so be sure to take Antinal with you. This is the best medicine for the Egyptian tummy bug!

Egypt – Pitfalls to Avoid, Delights to Enjoy is a post from Art of Backpacking

Have you heard of the infamous “Pharaoh’s Revenge”? Whom does it strike? How do you deal with it? Travellers to Egypt are, for the most part, familiar with this dreaded phenomena. You will find the remedy here, along with a list of symptoms that let you know you have been stuck down, a list of ways to avoid it and how to distinguish it from a simple stomach-upset.

“Pharaoh’s Revenge” is the Egyptian tummy bug that many tourists to Egypt dread and/or experience. Therefore, most tourists arrive in the country armed with a plentiful supply of medicinal products designed to combat stomach problems. These remedies, for the most part, are not designed to combat the Egyptian tummy bug.

Many tourists, who get the tummy bug, confine themselves to cruise cabins or hotel rooms because they are afraid to stray too far from the toilet! The mistake these tourists make is thinking it will pass if they drink a lot of water. It probably will not pass, in fact it will, most likely, get worse. The secret to a quick recovery is acting in time. If you have ingested a bad bacteria you will have to take a specific type of antibiotic. Drinking lots of water is most unlikely to ‘wash it out’. There is an added danger in not taking care of the problem while in Egypt. If left untreated, the tummy bug can escalate into chronic, colonic conditions requiring hospitalization.

Court of Amenhotep III - Luxor Temple by Cameron Grant Fine Art Photography, on Flickr

Symptoms

Contrary to common misconception, the onset of vomiting and/or diarrhoea is not always the first symptom of the Egyptian tummy bug. People who are tuned-in to how they are feeling may experience symptoms in the following order:

• General feeling of malaise – a feeling of ’something not quite right’
• Bloated and/or ‘squishy’ feeling in the stomach/bowel area
• Nausea
• Lack of energy
• Weak legs
• Desire to sleep
• Stomach cramps
• Hot or/and cold sweats
• Diarrhoea
• Vomiting

Sources of the Egyptian Tummy Bug

Apart from food, there are other ways people pick up the tummy bug. While most outdoor structures, such as hand rails which are in the sun, are unlikely to have surface bacteria on them, touching almost anything indoors can be a source of bacteria!. Among the main culprits are toilet flushers, door handles and light switches. However, money is the worst culprit of all and few consider the friendly handshake a possible source of infection, but it can run a close second to money as an infection source.

Would you think that licking your lips could end up giving you a tummy bug? Think about this – you have just handled money or shaken hands with a few very friendly children, you are hot and sweaty, you wipe the beads of sweat from around your mouth, a few minutes later you moisten your lips with your tongue – what are the chances you have just ingested some not-so-friendly bacteria?

Treatment

If you feel you are in the clutches of “Pharaoh’s Revenge” the weapon you need is an Egyptian product called “Antinal”, available from all pharmacies in Egypt without prescription, for the princely sum of 5 – 8 Egyptian pounds. One or two tablets should set you right within a couple of hours. If it does not, you just need to take one tablet every 4 hours until you are feeling like your old self again. The best advice for tourists going to Egypt is to stop at the first pharmacy, on arrival in Egypt, and buy a packet of Antinal.

Pharaoh's Head by laurenz, on Flickr

Differentiate Between Egyptian Tummy Bug & Upset Stomach

There is a difference between the Egyptian tummy bug, which contains bad bacteria, and the simple upset stomach, which you can get from any of the following:

• Too many carbonated drinks while in the sun/heat.
• Taking iced drinks in the sun and/or too soon after coming in from the sun/heat. Your internal body temperature will be hotter than normal, and drinking an iced cold beverages can put your body into shock, resulting in tummy upset. Wait at least 30 minutes before taking an ice-cold drink.
• A cold shower, if taken immediately after coming in from the sun, can also shock your system. It cools down the body exterior too quickly, while the core temperature remains hot. Wait at least 30 minutes after coming in from the sunshine or take a warm shower.
• Drinking too much alcohol in the heat/sun.
• Many tourists push themselves too hard in high temperatures they are not used to, travelling from one place to another and attempting to see everything in a short time. This can result in the body crashing and demanding rest, sometimes the first symptom of which is an unwell feeling in the stomach…listen to your “gut feeling”.
• Eating food you are not used to eating.

Finally, it would be a shame to miss tasting all the exotic and different foods in Egypt because of something you may never experience. With Antinal and hand-sanitizer in your bag, you can relax and sample all the delights of Egypt, knowing you have the cure at hand should you need it.

Pharaoh’s Revenge (The Egyptian Tummy Bug) is a post from Art of Backpacking

2 1/2 years worth of pictures, videos, and documents with sensitive information like copies of my passport and social security number. Losing this would be heartbreaking and even worse if stolen. These are the precautions I take and recommend on the road .

Online Cloud Backups

Backblaze uploads everything I do on the computer onto their data servers. The same day I move pictures into my computer, it’s already being uploaded onto Backblaze. The computer and Backblaze are synced. It runs in the background so I don’t even notice it. It scans for all files on the computer. As a bonus, it even scans all external harddrives and backs them up too. All files uploaded within 30 days are kept on Backblaze. That means if I were to upload a file today and delete it from your computer tomorrow, it will stay on Backblaze for 30 days. So if you’ve accidently deleted a file two weeks ago, you can still recover it.

Tips:

• If you have a lot of files to upload that you want in the cloud immediately, keep your computer on in your hotel or private room hostel. Make sure you lock your door and it’s safe. Perhaps hide the computer.
• In the settings for Backblaze, increase the bar for Faster Backups whenever you can.
• I have hundreds of gigs backed up into Backblaze, the first few weeks take awhile to get everything uploaded. If you find it would take months to upload because you have maybe thousands of gigs – Backblaze might not be for you. Or just be selective about what you want to backup in the settings.
• Backblaze has a software you can use to recover your files. It’s easy to use.
• You can’t view things instantly on the software. To recover files, you have to go into their software and recover it.

All Harddrives Die (eventually)

Sooner or later, your harddrive will fail. For every minute they are on, they are counting down to eventually failing. I have little trust in harddrives so I don’t let a minute pass by where I don’t have a second backup elsewhere. Whether it’s on a external harddrive or on your computer, it needs another location. This might sound like a little too much but once your harddrive fails, you’ll wish you had done it.

I have a LaCie All-Terrain and Western Digital My Passport external harddrives. Both have survived some intensive travel.

SD Cards and thumb-drives are cheap. You could backup as much as you can on them and mail them home — or hold onto them while you’re traveling.

Internet Bank Robbery by michaelmolenda, on Flickr

Upload Pictures

For $20 a year, you can upload an unlimited amount of pictures to Flickr. That’s got to be one of the best deals on the internet. I use to upload every picture I had on Flickr and set only a certain amount of pictures to public. Not everything was worthy enough to send to friends and family. Now I use SmugMug which takes photography to the next level. But for your basic uploading of pictures, Flickr is a great deal. Another is Picasa which is similar to Flickr.

Do NOT Keep Anything Sensitive On The Computer Itself

Copies of your credit card information, passwords, and everything else should never be kept on the computer. I frequently use Google Docs to save important documents (Dropbox works as well). I also email myself files I need to save for later and label them on Gmail. If something were to happen to my laptop, I can still access all my important files from another location.

In Chrome, there’s an option called Clear cookies and other site and plug-in data when I quit my browser. Enable it. If you’ve been saving all your information on Google Docs, it wouldn’t be very useful if they can login anyway. It can be a pain having to login every time you want to check your email but you’d do that anyway if you were at a internet cafe. Firefox has simliar features. Firefox has simliar features to never remember your browsing history and more. Look through your preferences for your browser.

Encrypt your data and set passwords

Whether you’re using a Windows or Mac OS X operating system, there’ settings in your operating system to encrypt all of your data. If someone were to gain access to your files, it’d be encrypted and difficult to bypass giving you an extra layer of protection. Make sure you also set user and admin passwords for logging into your computer.

• For Mac OS X, you’ll want to use FileVault. Instructions on how to setup FileVault.
• For Windows, there’s different guides. Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7.

You can even take this further and use TrueCrypt. One of the best ways to truly hide your information and protect it. Check FoXnoMad’s guide to setting this up.

How do you keep your files on your computer safe and backed up?

I’ve included a few affiliate links in this article. These are all products I recommend and use myself. Please, if you can, support us by clicking on them and if you like my recommendation, try them out.

Backing Up and Protecting Your Files On The Road is a post from Art of Backpacking

As always, email me if you have any questions at all about backpacking. My email is contact(at)artofbackpacking(dot)com. You could also find me on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+.

From the email inbox:

Hi Michael,

My name is Kimi, and I wanted to write in & tell you how much I love your site. I spend hours every day looking through all of your articles and features, and it has been a huge help in planning my own long-term travel plans.

I do have a couple of questions for you. First of all, I’m about to turn 23, and while I am working two jobs, I only have about $15K to my name (all school loans paid off). There are certainly things I could sell for extra money like my car, but I just wanted to get your opinion about whether or not you think that’s enough to get me started on my long-term travel plans. I plan to build a blog around my travels, but I don’t want to go bankrupt trying to build a name for myself which is the biggest fear holding me back from traveling. Any advice / tips you can provide me would be extremely appreciated.

Miscellaneous Questions:
Do most airports have signs in English?
How do you cope with the language barrier?
I know traveling is a learning process, but what would you say is the biggest mistake people make when they first set out on their adventures?

Thank you in advance if you choose to answer my questions.

Hope you’re doing well,
Kimi

Hi Kimi,

I’m so glad you enjoy reading the articles on Art of Backpacking.

$15,000 is a good chunk of change. It really depends on you how long that will last but just to give you an idea, I spent $19,568.73 for 11 months of travel. We had a guest post with a couple that spent $33,605 on 9 months of travel.

Starting a blog does not cost any money at all. It only costs as much as you want it to cost. You could start with WordPress.com or go straight into self-hosting by purchasing Hostgator and using their services to host your own wordpress site (more freedom with this option.)

The one thing travel blogs do cost is time. How much time do you want to spend on your blog? What goals do you have for the blog? Do you want to be a travel writer, photographer, or videographer? What exactly are you branding? Travel blogging takes more time than you think. You’ll have to consider that sometimes you’ll have to stop traveling to write a blog post or two. And if monetizing your blog is one of your missions, I think for at least the first year depending on your blog niche and how much time you spent on it – you may not earn a single dollar.

1. I’m pretty sure most (if not all) airports have English signs and even English speakers at the airport. It’s the international language of the world and it’s usually used to talk to people from different nationalities even when neither side is from an English speaking country.

2. Since English is the international language of the world, it only makes sense it would also be the language of tourism. If you’re staying in hostels or hotels, you’ll likely find that the staff also speaks English. Of course it also depends where you travel to and it would be helpful to at least carry a phrase book or a translation app on your iTouch. In China, I use to ask the hostel receptionist to write down a few foods that I liked so I could ask for them when I went out to eat.

3. Mistakes are bound to happen and I think that’s just part of travel. Everyone travels differently but I think one of the most common mistakes some people have is not having things backed up like photos, not keeping copies of their cards or passport, and not having backup money somewhere. I’m clumsy with my stuff and I keep making the mistake of not having a backup method for taking out money. Always have a backup of everything that is important to you.

Image: Graeme Weatherston / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Answering Questions on RTW Planning, Budgeting, and Travel Blogging is a post from Art of Backpacking

We’re not all cut out for long-term backpacker travel and that’s okay. Some of us are ashamed to admit that we get eventually get sick of hanging out at hostels and subsisting off of ramen noodles and the occasional kebab. You find yourself stuck in the rut of “get on bus, arrive in new city, check into hostel, see the sights, repeat.” Isn’t this the type of monotony you wanted to leave behind when you decided to go on this trip in the first place? The side effects of this travel lifestyle can be exhausting, but here are a few ways to keep them at bay.

Slow down your travels.

I know everyone wants to do the big round-the-world trip, but this is the fastest way to get burnt out. If you break up your trip into smaller trips, you will have time to regroup in between. Another option is to spend some time living in your destination, enjoying the expat life.

Give yourself one day per week to “just be.”

Without any sort of to do list, just do what you want to do. If that means sleeping past noon and staying in your pajamas all day, do it. If it means wandering around an art museum and leaving your travel companions behind, do it. If it means spending the day on Facebook and Skype, talking to your family and friends back home, do it.

Change up your accommodations by visiting friends of friends or CouchSurfing.

While some hostels can have that homey feel, there’s nothing like being in someone’s home. Contact family and friends before leaving to see if they know anyone living in the cities you are visiting who wouldn’t mind letting you crash there or could meet up with you for a meal. Alternatively, CouchSurfing hosts can be just as good as friends in the way they show you their city and welcome you into their homes.

Catch some zzzz’s.

More often than not, those moments when I snap on my travel companions are attributed to the fact that I’m tired, hungry, lost or a combination of the three. When given a choice between a full night’s sleep and a hostel pub crawl, choose the former.

Be flexible.

You don’t have to follow that itinerary you created completely. Instead, you can stay longer in a place you like or feel free to leave a city that isn’t doing it for you. No one’s going to judge you for not seeing enough. As long as you’re getting out there, that’s all that matters.

How to Avoid Backpacker Burnout is a post from Art of Backpacking

At the start of this summer I gave myself the challenge of traveling for 3 months with only a carry-on bag. I call it my Minimalist Summer. I was planning on taking a few low-cost flights, hitchhiking and traveling by bus and train around Europe.

Why do it?

1. You are more mobile. You don’t have to lug a large backpack around.
2. You save time. You don’t have to wait for your bags to arrive on the turnstile or worry about the airline losing them.
3. You save money. With most low cost airlines in Europe, you now have to pay for checked bags.

Now, I could have used a backpack like Michael’s but I wanted less hassle from the low-cost airlines. If you have ever had any experience with Ryanair, they lure you in by appearing to be cheap but then screw you over at the last minute. (Kind of similar to a few girls I’ve dated in the past.)

This time however, I was smarter. I even went as far as buying the approved Ryanair carry-on bag to maximise my free allowance (or what I like to call “The Ryanair bribe”). The benefit with these kind of bags is you have more accessibility than with a backpack. But more importantly, while everyone else was made to weigh their bags or put them into the baggage-sizer, I was allowed to walk on by.

What Did I Take

Traveling this way is not without it’s disadvantages of course. You need to be heartless about what you leave out. When I started my trip, this is all I had on me:

• passport
• wallet
• 1 x travel towel
• 1 x sarong
• 2 x shorts
• 7 x underwear
• 4 x socks
• 6 x t-shirts
• 1 x sandals
• 1 x shoes
• 1 x jeans
• 1 x hoody
• 1 x belt
• hat
• laptop (& cables)
• sunglasses
• toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, cologne, soap, shaving cream, deodorant, razor, body power, moisturizer)
• laundry detergent
• vitamins
• small nylon daypack
• eye mask & ear plugs
• pen & notebook

Now that I’m half-way through my trip, I’ve managed to have lost a few things:

• hat
• moisturizer
• soap
• 1 x underwear
• 1.5 socks

And I’ve also accumulate a few things:

• drawing paper and color pens (for hitchhiking)
• disposable camera
• a loofah (because my skin was getting dry and I needed to exfoliate. Shut up.)
• Wacom graphics tablet (because I like drawing)
• a book called “The 100 Best Vibrators In The World”. (Okay, this is awkward, let me explain. It was on sale when I was in Paris and I thought it would make a good gift. But my Couchsurfing host wasn’t too impressed so now I’m carrying it around until I find someone to gift it to).

Drawing by Roy

What I Wish I Had Packed But Couldn’t Fit

• Another pair of jeans (having just one pair is a bit rough).
• Kindle
• Sleeping bag (sarongs are only useful as a sleeping bag replacement if you are less than 5 feet tall).
• Running shoes (not that I run but who knows, I may want to start one day. If only I had shoes).

What You Need To Consider Before Doing This

There are a number of issues you need to consider before attempting this.

1. What are your deal-breakers? Do you need to travel with an overly large stuffed animal which serves as an ice-breaker, as well as a traveling companion on lonely nights? If so, it may be too much of a pain to travel with only a carry-on bag.
2. You can’t buy much stuff. Because you have such limited capacity, you won’t be able to buy many things along the way. Well, you could always lose things along the way like how I lost 1.5 socks, making room for my shiny new Wacom tablet. If you are on a budget this is more of an advantage than disadvantage.
3. You will need to do laundry often. You will probably need to handwash your clothes often so you always have clean “unmentionables”.
4. In Paris, you will look like a dirty hippy. Most the time you can get away will looking decent with just a few things. Unless you go to Paris where you will be shunned by the local hipsters.
5. You will look funny if you try hitchhiking with a carry-on bag. A few people asked me when I was hitchhiking if I was trying to get to an airport. So yeah, you may confuse some people.
6. If you decide to take your own laundry detergent, you are better off bringing a laundry soap bar rather than put the powder into a ziplock bag. Because customs may think it’s drugs.

Do you travel with only a carry-on? Why or why not? Have any extra tips?

The Art Of Backpacking With Only A Carry-On Bag is a post from Art of Backpacking

I’ll be returning home on July 11th after a year in Asia. I visited home last year too after a year around the world. Reverse culture shock hit me hard last time but I think now I know what to expect.

First, I feel I should be telling you that I’m the last to judge anyone. I’m not judging anyone if they don’t like to travel. Whether you choose to travel or not, it’s your choice. Still, I feel non-travelers may not fully understand my travel addiction and what it has done to and for me.

Xi'an China

1. It’s not the norm to be going around the world for a long period of time as an American. We all know this and I’ve killed this topic long enough to repeat it. I’m often asked what I’ll do after my trip is over and my response is usually I dont know. That’s not a good answer for non-travelers. I’m expecting this and I’m okay with it.

2. Traveling has made me curious. I like discovering new places, new foods, and trying new activities. Before I traveled, I was stuck in a routine of eating at the same places and doing the same boring things everyday. I wasn’t adding anything new to my life. The corporate job didn’t allow much time for travel. Last time I returned home, I was eager to go to new cities and discover new restaursants in New York City. I was really excited to go to Washington DC for the first time. So I continued my travels in my own home country visiting and doing things I’d never done before.

3. Going to the supermarket in the states will be somewhat of a mission now. There are just too many selections and Wal-mart is overwhelming. I’m use to going to a small local convient store. It only has a few selections but it has most of what I would need. Buying a shopping cart (or two) of food is crazy to me. I usually only buy a day or two worth of food and at most a weeks worth. Splurging means perhaps buying a week’s worth. Buying fruits is usually done outside on the streets – not at the supermarket. That’s if I have to cook at all because buying street food or eating in a restaurant might be cheaper and more convenient (and more delicious) than if I cooked the meal myself. I get disgusted in wasting food and can’t understand why so many people buy a month worth of food when half of it goes to waste.

Uyuni, Bolivia

4. When I return home, I’m going to have this urge to order Chinese food in Mandarin. I might even go to China Town and simply listen to people talk. I may attempt to look for a hole in the wall place in New York City with people that may not even speak English (they exist in NYC). I do enjoy a few food chains (Qdoba!) but I love finding local family owned restaurants. At home, my friends and family are more spectacle in trying new foods or going to hidden restaurants in danger of the food being terrible but I see it the other way around. I go thinking that the food will be great. Travel has taught me to be less afraid of finding and doing different things. Non-travelers think I’m crazy.

5. I meet a lot of people on the road but I find it more difficult talking to strangers at home. At a hostel bar, I’m meeting people from all over the world with tons of stories. Even in a local bar abroad, it’s easy to start a conversation. These are the places and people I fit in with. It’s easy to relate to these people. At a bar at home, I don’t even know where to begin a conversation. Do I start with where they work? I’m use to asking people where they are from. Telling people about what I do for a living at a bar in the middle of Pennsylvania has interesting responses.

6. I love hearing and sharing travel stories. This doesn’t seem to be the case for non-travelers. I feel I come out as if I’m full of myself as I share my stories. I prefer to give my travel stories in small doses. When I’m asked which countries I’ve been to, non-travelers seem to lose interest by the forth country and I can see it in their eyes (or it could be they’ve never heard of most of the countries).

Vang Vieng, Laos

7. Being a traveler means I’ve built new habits. After living in China for a year, I’ve built the habit of staring which is totally acceptable thing to do. Sometimes it’s at beautiful girl, a food dish I’ve never tried, or anything else interesting around me. I’ll have to readapt to avoid any smacks, ews, or what are you looking at. Other habits include table manners, gestures, the way I talk, and act.

Returning home was awfully difficult for me last year but I think this time I’m much more prepared on what to expect. I also have a lot of future travel plans to look forward to (Everywhere Connection) so I’m not as worried about the next steps as I was last year. I also had the idea that maybe reverse culture shock was all in my head and we’re all not that different. Either way, it’s much harder than normal culture shock.

Did you have a hard time readapting to your home culture after traveling?

What non-travelers will never understand about me is a post from Art of Backpacking

We had close to 40 people in the room at the Backpacking Webinar. An impressive turnout considering this was our first webinar for Art of Backpacking. Our last webinar was on Travel Writing and Growing Your Readership over at Art of Travel Blogging.

If you’d like to watch the webinar again or if you’ve missed it, I’ve provided the link below.

Backpacking Webinar Online Download

A huge thanks to the presenters for coming and providing some great information.

• Chris Richardson (The Aussie Nomad)
• Kate McCulley (Adventurous Kate)
• Jason & Aracely Castellani (2 Backpackers)

And of course thanks to all of you who attended and provided the questions. We had a great time on the chat and speaking to everyone.

I have more free webinars in the works. Join our webinar mailing list for notifications of future free webinars.

What did you think of the webinar? Any suggestions? What topic do you want us to touch next time?

Backpacking Webinar Online Download is a post from Art of Backpacking

It would be a lie to tell you that travel is all blue skies and green grass year round. When I had made the decision to travel, I thought my life was going to be easier once I left. The first few weeks were indeed easy, I felt I had adapted well (partly because China makes travel so easy). I also had saved enough money to travel the entire year without work. I hardy ever looked at my bank account and went on about my days without worry. But it really didn’t take long before things started to go wrong and realize that travel is not at all that easy.

The Bad

It’s exhausting…

Arrive in a new city, attempt to locate hostel/hotel with a large backpack holding you down, finally locate a hostel but it’s over priced, continue searching, locate another hostel, see room if it’s okay, pay, unpack, lock everything up to make sure it doesn’t get stolen, get map out for a place to eat, ask reception for recommendations, see sights and attractions, get lost, attempt again the next day for the sights and attractions, pack, get on a long train or bus ride…. Repeat.

It’s a routine that gets exhausting.

Friends are short term

My friends at home have known me for years -some even since Kindergarten. The friends I have made on the road have known me for a few months if I’m lucky. Still, I can relate to my new friends because of our common interests in travel. Many of them I’ve kept in contact with and met several times more on the road. Unfortunately, most of the friends made while traveling don’t stick around as everyones paths are different. Good Byes are never easy and no matter how many times I say it, I will always hate it.

Positive side to this is I ‘ve met people from all over the world. My friends are spread out throughout the world.

Language barrier can get annoying

There are days when I really don’t feel like everything should be a mission to accomplish. Sometimes I’d like to just buy something and walk away. I attempt at learning as much of the local language as possible but it’s hardly ever conversational. Food is the worse to go wrong. I love trying new foods and I’m not a picky eater at all but there have been meals of total disaster due to the language barrier and having no idea what I was ordering.

The feeling of home

The rush of entering a new city is exciting. Exploring and discovering new things. It’s great. What sucks is when I have to leave as soon as I start to get comfortable in a place.

Things start to blend in

Details that I once noticed when I first started traveling are now blending in with everything else. Not to say that I don’t enjoy where I am but to keep things interesting, I need a change in scenery. Going to too many temples can get boring. One temple every now and keeps me interested.

Then there’s the other side when things DO go right that makes traveling long-term worth everything. I could easily list out plenty of more bad things that effect long-term travelers but I could double it in the things that are good.

The Good

Master of geography

Prior to traveling, the map inside my head was limited to mostly American states and big countries. Now I can name locations in the most obscure places on earth. Two years of travel has taken me to places.

Appreciate family more

I’m grateful to have such a wonderful supportive family. Whenever someone asks me what I miss the most about home, I always say my family and friends.

Socially awesome and growing up

As a child, I was really weird (still am but now I’m cool weird). I was often made fun of or picked on. It was like this for most of my childhood and lasted for many years thereafter. I started by traveling solo for a year which introduced me to new communication skills I had never had prior to traveling. I’m now a much better public speaker and feel more professional when in a social setting.

Relaxed

Perhaps it’s just my mind playing tricks on me but I feel more at ease while traveling. There’s always something going on and I’m never restrained to one place. If I didn’t like where I was, I could just get up and go to another city or even another country. At home, I felt more ‘stuck’ although I could have always done the same. Not sure what the mentally of this is but somehow traveling does make me feel more relaxed.

Open world to settle in

I couldn’t even tell you how many times I’ve said “this is a really nice place, I could live here for a few months.” I’m in the process of apply for an Italian citizenship which will open up a whole new window of opportunities. Whenever I do decide to settle for a bit, it’s going to be because I’ve traveled there before and really loved it.

At the end of the day…

The pros far outweigh the cons. I love long-term travel.

The Effects of Long-Term Travel is a post from Art of Backpacking