Gap Year Escape – Gap Year Travel & Backpacking The World

In the world of travel blogs, social media is huge. I have only recently just got myself on twitter and starting to see its potential. Take Gary Arndt from Everything Everywhere for example, right this second he has 101,226 followers on twitter. Micro-blogging has incredible scope!

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There are many reasons for travel. Some escape a broken heart or the 9-5 grind. Many people take a Gap Year or Travel to find themselves.

But what does this actually mean? What do you find and where do you find it?

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Exactly what it says on the tin! International Comment Leaving Week starts today for, you guessed it, a week!

The idea is to leave 5 comments on other blogs and return a comment that has been left on yours. More info can be found here

So to kick start this occasion, leave a comment!

What’s the one place in the world people should visit? Is tubing better than the full moon party? Coogee or Bondi? What did you have for dinner? How many fingers am I holding up? Comment with anything you like!

Feel free to retweet this…

Going on a Gap Year could be one of the best things you do in life. Wouldn’t it be great if you could travel for free? It can’t hurt to look, can it? Click here for more details!

It still baffles me that even on the other side of the world you can still stay in touch with people. Technology is a wonderful thing (when it works). The time difference can make it awkward – "Why the hell are you ringing me? Do you know what time it is?!"

I just wanted to say a massive public thank you to Andreas from London Cyclist. Without him you wouldn’t be reading this blog right now.

If you have an interest in cycling during your travels or specifically cycling in London, check out his blog.

"Though our communication wanes at times of absence, I’m aware of a strength that emanates in the background." – Claudette Renner

People the world over draw their inspiration from many different sources. I know from talking to a variety travellers there are many things that inspired them to travel. A picture, a video or a friend but one of the most powerful tools is the written word.

If you are sitting at your desk at work or procrastinating on the internet at home, read these. Feel inspired and get up and do something about it. I’m living my dream. What is really stopping you from living yours?

Any quotes I missed? Post your favourites in the comment section!

1. “All that is gold does not glitter not all those who wander are lost.” – J. R. R. Tolkien
2. “The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land.” – G. K. Chesterton
3. “Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” – Miriam Beard
4. “A good traveller has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.” – Lao Tzu
5. “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust
6. “The saying ‘Getting there is half the fun’ became obsolete with the advent of commercial airlines.” – Henry J. Tillman
7. “Travel is only glamorous in retrospect.” – Paul Theroux
8. “Travel only with thy equals or thy betters; if there are none, travel alone.” – The Dhammapada
9. “A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.” – George Moore
10. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover” – Mark Twain

11. “When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” – Clifton Fadiman
12. “He who would travel happily must travel light.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
13. “The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” – Saint Augustine
14. “I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
15. “Experience, travel – these are as education in themselves” – Euripides
16. “The traveller sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.” – G. K. Chesterton
17. “I should like to spend the whole of my in life travelling abroad, if I could anywhere borrow another life to spend afterwards at home.” – William Hazlitt.
18. “Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travellers don’t know where they’re going.” – Paul Theroux
19. “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference.” – Robert Frost
20. “Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” – Maya Angelou

21. “Don’t tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you have travelled.” The Prophet Mohammed
22. “I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.” – Rosalia de Castro
23. “The travel writer seeks the world we have lost – the lost valleys of the imagination.” – Alexander Cockburn
24. “I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” – Mark Twain
25. “You lose sight of things… and when you travel, everything balances out.” – Daranna Gidel
26. “All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” – Martin Buber
27. “Travel becomes a strategy for accumulating photographs.” – Susan Sontag
28. “If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears.” – Glenn Clark
29. “We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfilment.” – Hilaire Belloc
30. “I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.” – Oscar Wilde

31. “Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life.” – Michael Palin
32. “The worst thing about being a tourist is having other tourists recognize you as a tourist.” – Russell Baker
33. “A man of ordinary talent will always be ordinary, whether he travels or not; but a man of superior talent (which I cannot deny myself to be without being impious) will go to pieces if he remains forever in the same place.” – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
34. “Never go on trips with anyone you do not love.” – Ernest Hemingway
35. “Make voyages! Attempt them… there’s nothing else.” – Tennessee Williams
36. “Like all great travellers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen.” – Benjamin Disraeli
37. “To get to know a country, you must have direct contact with the earth. It’s futile to gaze at the world through a car window.” – Albert Einstein
38. “Through travel I first became aware of the outside world; it was through travel that I found my own introspective way into becoming a part of it.” – Eudora Welty
39. “I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.” Lillian Smith
40. “The world is a country which nobody ever yet knew by description; one must travel through it one’s self to be acquainted with it.” – Lord Chesterfield

41. “The journey not the arrival matters.” – T. S. Eliot
42. “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” – Lao Tzu
43. “Journeys end in lovers meeting.” – William Shakespeare
44. “The traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes sight-seeing.” – Daniel J. Boorstin
45. “Travelers, there is no path, paths are made by walking” – Antonio Machado
46. “We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.” – Anais Nin
47. “Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and enjoy the journey.” – Barbara Hoffman
48. “If you actually look like your passport photo, you aren’t well enough to travel.” – Sir Vivian Fuchs
49. “It is not down in any map; true places never are.” – Herman Melville
50. “I am so convinced of the advantages of looking at mankind instead of reading about them, and of the bitter effects of staying at home with all the narrow prejudices of an Islander, that I think there should be a law amongst us to set our young men abroad for a term among the few allies our wars have left us.” – Lord Byron

Below is a collection of the best travel blogs in the world. I hope that among them you will find the inspiration or information you need. It was rather painstaking to put together so if you find it useful I would really appreciate a tweet or stumble. Things to note:

- Over 150 travel blogs were looked at in the creation of this list.
- I used many criteria including; Alexa and Technorati ranking, RSS membership and incoming links.
- Where the blog was not the primary focus of the website it has been omitted.
- Only websites that are still currently being updated have been included.
- I can appreciate that some great websites may have been missed, so my apologies for that. The internet is a big place! Feel free to comment with any suggestions.

Without further ado…

1. Gadling
2. Brave New Traveler
3. Everything Everywhere
4. Nomadic Matts Travel Site
5. Almostfearless.com
6. Upgrade: Travel Better
7. World Hum
8. Intelligent Travel Blog
9. Elliott.org
10. Travel Rants Blog

11. The Perrin Post Travel Blog
12. The Cranky Flier
13. A Luxury Travel Blog
14. MiceChat
15. PeterGreenberg.com
16. DeliciousBaby.com
17. Uncornered Market
18. Tim Leffels Cheapest Destinations
19. Vagablogging
20. Europe a la Carte Blog

21. BudgetTravel.com’s This Just In…
22. Kyspeaks
23. Rick Steves: Blog Gone Europe
24. BrilliantTrips.com
25. Vacations Blog
26. Budget Travel Tips – EuroCheapo
27. GoBackpacking
28. Travel Guides
29. Lifecruiser
30. foXnoMad

31. Go Green Travel Green
32. Travelwires.com
33. Viator Travel Blog
34. My Jet Set Life
35. whl.travel Blog
36. What A Trip
37. Neil Duckett
38. Go Galavanting
39. WanderingEducators
40. Nerds Eye View

41. Hole In The Donut
42. The Lost Girls
43. The Frugal Travelers
44. Perceptive Travel Blog
45. Holland America Blog
46. Travellious
47. Travel Wonders of the World
48. The Professional Hobo
49. Two Backpackers
50. Velvet Escape’s blog

The fun part of pre-travel: Shopping!

I’ve tracked down the best and essential travel items so you don’t have to.

Travel Guide

Two main choices here: Lonely Planet and Rough Guide. Having used both I would recommend the Lonely Planet travel guides. No travel guide is ever going to stay up-to-date however I have found Lonely Planet to be far more accurate.
For those travelling Asia: Southeast Asia on a Shoestring. The brand new Thailand guide is also very good. For Australia I would suggest either East Coast Australia or the more bulky Australia Lonely Planet guide. Those heading to Latin America I would strongly recommend the newer Rough Guide to South America on a Budget.

Travel Towel

Lifeventure do some great travel products and one of their best is the travel towels. Light, compact and quick dry, they are perfect for travelling.
Lifeventure do two sorts of travel towels: Soft-Fibre and Micro-Fibre. Soft Fibre is thinner and lighter but the Micro Fibre has more of a towel ‘feel’ to it. Depends on whether you want to balance home comfort vs. weight and size.
For men an extra large towel will be sufficient (a large won’t fit round your waist) and you can get the Soft-Fibre and Micro-Fibre options.
For the ladies, a giant towel in Soft-Fibre or Micro-Fibre would be best to properly cover your modesty. The even do it in pink!

Travel Locks

Knowing your backpack or suitcase is secure is one less thing to be concerned about. Firstly, you don’t want to be worrying about losing keys so always get a combination lock. Secondly, you want a TSA approved lock. This means that if airport security wants to check your luggage they can do it without smashing open your locks.
That being said the best travel locks are the Lifeventure TSA 3-Digit Pack Lock or 4-Digit Pack Lock.
Your luggage may be locked up but what’s stopping someone from walking off with the whole thing? A great deterrent is a Mini Cable Lock . Loop it through your bag lock and attach it to your bed frame, door hinge, pipe, another backpack or whatever you can find!

First Aid Kit

Golden Rule: Safety first. You have several options available to you depending on how much room you have and the kind of activities you will be doing. If you want something more heavy duty and are planning on being off the beaten track you will want something like the Solo Traveller or the World Traveller. Something a little more basic is the Trek and more midrange would be the Explorer.
If you are going to be travelling remote parts of Asia or South America it would be advisable to buy a sterile kit. Do you really want to trust the needles? I would recommend the sterile kits by Lifesystems or Care Plus. Lifesystems also do a mini one too!

Silk Sleeping Bag Liner

There is nothing worse than getting to your guest house or hostel and seeing some rather dubious bed sheets. A silk sleeping bag liner is a great remedy. It weighs nothing, is compact and is comfortable to sleep in when it’s hot. It’s also a good protection against mosquitoes.
There are a few brands out there like Travelproof and Sea to Summit. Whether you prefer a mummy or rectangle design is up to you. I opted for the rectangle as I like the leg room but some people like to feel snug. I would exercise some caution over buying cheap sleeping bag liners from EBay. These can have bad stitching and the colours may run.

Backpack

Probably one of the most important things you will buy for your travels! There are some important things for you to know. Firstly, you want a travel pack not rucksack. What’s the difference? Rucksacks tend to be top loaders whereas a travel pack is one that zips all around and opens like a suitcase. The latter is far more convenient. Secondly, the backpack picks you, you don’t pick the backpack. You must go into a Millets or Blacks and try it on and get a feel of it. Then hop online and buy it cheaper!
I firmly stand by the Berghaus brand. I personally have the Berghaus Jalan 60+15, which is a great backpack, well designed and ideal for guys. If you are a tall woman might be worth looking into this one too as the women’s version may not fit you properly. For the ladies try the 55+15 or the 65+15.
If Berghaus isn’t for you, try Karrimor. They do some good backpacks in the form of the Global 70 – 90, Global Hobo 65 and the Global Gapper 65. Some like the Gelert, especially as it’s one of the few decent backpacks you can get in pink.

Mosquito Gear

They are pesky little things so you should do your best to avoid being bitten.
Discuss your needs with your travel professional as to whether you will need a Mosquito Net. You will need a Hanging Kitto go with it.
Deet based products at 50% strength are scientifically proven to be the most effective mosquito repellent. No more and no less. Try the Nomad or Lifesystems spray.

Travel Adapters

Pretty simple this one. You are going to need one for your camera, phone, mp3 player, speakers, shaver, hair dryer etc. If you are travelling to a few countries it is advisable to get a Universal Travel Power Adapter With Surge Protection. Come to think of it, get two. You’d be surprised how useful they are!

Camera Memory Cards

You might have a small camera card that has done its job so far but you will be far more trigger happy with your camera when you are travelling. There are lots of brands out there including some cheap ones but photos are forever and I would never want to risk my photos vanishing. I only use SanDisk products as a good balance between price and quality.
For SLR users you will want a decent compact flash card. At the very least an Ultra II in 4GB or 8GB. If you have a decent SLR or just want to ensure your camera is writing images at an optimum try the SanDisk Extreme III ( this is what I use). Get either two 4GB or an 8GB.
For compact cameras depending on what card it takes, you would do well with the SanDisk 4GB SDHC or the SanDisk microSDHC 4GB Card. Double check you are buying the right card for your camera. For example, Sony cameras will take either a Memory Stick Pro Duo or a Memory Stick M2 Micro.

Power Monkey

You’ll never be without power with a solar powered Power Monkey. You may not have heard of one of these nifty little gadgets but they are a genius invention. Read the product description, you’ll see what I mean!

Well it has been quite an adventure, seen some incredible sights and met some amazing people, but it’s on to the next step of my journey. Australia!

Before I leave just wanted to give you a little present. Asia really is incredible and here is just a glimpse of some of the beauty here. Enjoy!

Lying on the beach in Kuta, Bali, catching some gorgeous rays, I feel a shadow coming. Towering above me is a local man with a bow and arrow!

‘Hey boss, you want to buy bow.’ he called cheerfully.
‘What exactly am I going to do with one of those?’ I replied indignantly.
‘Hunting.’ he beamed.
Humouring him, I jokingly said ‘I can’t go on the hunt for women with one of those.’
‘You use this mate’ he replied while pulling out a Taser and demonstrating how it worked.
I may have been joking but I really don’t think that he was!

I bought a flight to Bali on a whim. I was perusing the Air Asia website and found myself a rather cheap £30 return flight from Singapore. Bargain.

I just fancied a nice chilled out week, on a beach, low cost and no hassle. Kuta is one of the main backpacker spots in Indonesia and the logical choice of destination, or so I thought. Before I go on to describe Kuta and its ‘clientele’ I do wish to say that I did enjoy my time there, you just have to be in the mood for it. The Americans have Cancun, the British have Ibiza and the Australians have Kuta!

There are many ways to describe some of the Australians (mostly male) who flock to Kuta for the surf. “Dumbass surfie” would be one way but another would be “Bogan”.

For those of you not familiar with the term, wikipedia states that “the term is a regional equivalent to the English slang terms chav or pikey, Scottish ned, Irish scanger or spide, Dutch tokkie, and the North American white trash, redneck, hick, or hillbilly.”

I would surmise that the male to female ratio is about 9:1 and most of the males are nothing but Neanderthals. These men could be found banging rocks together trying to make fire and clubbing women over the head and dragging them back to a cave. I did wonder if any of them would discover the wheel.

If you want to go to Bali stay in Kuta for no longer than a few nights to hit the party scene and then get out. Seminyak has some incredible restaurants which cost next to nothing. Get yourself over to the Gili Islands for incredible beauty.

There is more to Bali then Kuta.

Finally, if you are going to try surfing for the first time, wear a rash guard. This small but important piece of information was not relayed resulting in me shredding the skin from my chest and abs. Ouch.

Life is just one long lesson.