Gap Year Escape

Alcohol, anonymity, exotic locations and a lack of inhibitions; it’s going to happen. Holding hands you stumble back to your hostel, stealing glances, the occasional kiss and then it occurs to you; where do we go?

Hostel sex is one of those topics that a lot of people cringe at and yet the amount times I have been woken from my sleep just goes to show; someone is having hostel sex!

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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!

As I write this everything is vibrating. My bed, the walls and most annoyingly, my head. This was clearly not the place to stay if you wanted any sleep!

It was an interesting two days of planes, trains and ferries getting to Koh Phangan. Sleeper trains are quite an experience especially if you are my height. I half expected to wake up in the morning and be on a submarine. Still it’s a rather good laugh and you meet some interesting people if you go on an adventure up and down the train. One thing worthy of note (purely for its comedic value) is the toilets. Imagine being on the runaway train at a theme park. Now imagine trying to pee in a straight line. Outstanding.

It’s a right of passage for those going to Thailand to attend a Full Moon party. Having rushed to get here we left our accommodation booking in the hands of some friends who were already here. I’d heard of Paradise Bungalows before but couldn’t quite put my finger on why. It was only when I arrived that it came back to me. This was the site of the original Full Moon Party back in the 80’s and still to this day is right in the thick of things.

I’ve attempted to give a glimpse of a Full Moon Party through another video I have put together but I can’t say my camera likes the dark. Lonely Planet describes it as the “ultimate party experience” which couldn’t be more accurate. 30,000 people on a beach, buckets galore, lots of fire, bars, UV body paint, dance podiums and DJ’s spinning anything from Techno to Dance, Hip Hop to Drum and Base.

Can’t say I have slept much in the last three days. I am five metres from beach which also means I am five metres away from a rather larger sound system currently banging out a Kings of Leon remix. Still it’s been a great experience.

I hardly noticed dawn approaching. Even at 6am the party was still in full swing. Dotted around the beach were a few people curled into balls sleeping. Giant lanterns lazily floated off into the sky. As glimmers of soft light broke through the clouds I was being talked at by a rather drunk Irish girl who kept speaking to me in Arabic. She was surprised I didn’t speak the language. Why would I? It’s not even my parents’ native tongue! You have to love casual racism. Yup, he’s brown. He must be an Arab.

I wasn’t really listening though. Too busy watching the sunrise. Beautiful things, should stay up and watch them more often.

Anyone who has gone tubing uses the same word – “awesome”.

I am currently in Vang Vieng (Laos) nursing several injuries after one hell of a day. Tubing is quite hard to describe. Imagine an 18-30’s holiday TV advertisement and stretch it throughout a day. Throw in a river, tractor inner tubes and rope swings and you get the general idea. If you still can’t picture it I have made a video for you!

Tubing is great fun and unlike anything I have ever seen or done before. However, the experience can sour if you are not careful. We had been advised by several backpackers to be mindful of the time. I think we were having too much fun to notice…

We found ourselves at the penultimate bar with only a few tubes. We had to share one between three which is a particularly difficult feat. I can only speculate that people steal them and collect the deposit. It soon became dark very quickly and despite being beautiful, star light wasn’t particularly helpful. We all linked up and I guess we thought there was safety in numbers at least.

We hit a patch of fast rocky water and found ourselves split up. I must admit I was pretty scared. I couldn’t see anything or anyone. I’d heard that only four days before a young guy on his honeymoon had drowned. Was certainly food for thought as I was on my own in the dark floating down a strange river. I managed to scramble to a riverbank but the current was so strong that I fell and hit some rocks and would have been swept away if I hadn’t of been pulled out by one our party (thanks Nick you literal lifesaver). Half of our party had made it to the same riverbank but we had no idea where the rest were. We couldn’t see a way out besides a fence which couldn’t be climbed so we ended up knocking it down. We had just knocked our way through into someone’s back garden while they were sat in it!

All I said was: “Taxi?”

You wouldn’t get away with that in the UK!

To cut a long story short we made it back safely and the others had managed to make it to a different riverbank and get a taxi. It wasn’t entirely a happy ending though. During our treacherous adventure a local boy had swam out to us, helped us paddle and then swam off. Turns out while we were distracted by the thought of drowning, he was busy robbing a bag which had four girls passports, cameras and purses.

Despite all this I would still do it again. Tubing is so much fun. It just happens to also be a bit dangerous. My advice would be don’t do it in the dark! The guys and girls have gone to do it again today! My knee and ankle is painful to walk on so I gave it a miss. Who puts big rocks in the river for me to fall into? Silly if you ask me.

On a happier note, enjoy the video!

Lies. You will be told many of them on your travels. You’ll be told that things are closed, that it’s two minutes away, that it’s a special price or that you don’t look fat. Bullshit. You’ll hear it all the time but the biggest one has to be that you shouldn’t do the two day slow boat down the Mekong River in Laos.

I left idle Pai to its own devices and made my way by bus to the border. As the door slid open I prayed for someone to talk to. No more Hebrew or German, please let the guys in here speak English! I didn’t get someone to talk to, it was even better; great friends and one hell of a brilliant time.

I was apprehensive about crossing the border, had some drug cartel stashed drugs in my backpack while I was sleeping? It all played on my mind. Unfortunately it was rather ordinary. Especially the part where the passport control officers didn’t smile. Is it in their job description that they can’t smile or is stamping passports and looking at terrible mug shots all day really that depressing?

Our arrival guide wanted to have a talk with us in his office which consisted of a plastic table set up right next to this shiny minivan with its air con blasting away. This friendly chap told us all kinds of stories. You can’t stand up on the boat, there is no food or drink, hotels are expensive and captain jack sparrow might come and get us. The list went on, but there was however hope. The shiny minivan could get us to Luang Prabang in one day rather than two and of course was a much better prospect. I didn’t care if I had to sit on the roof, with a rooster for company. I was getting on that boat no matter what he said. It turned out to be the best thing I ever did.

Fearing the worst we stocked up for our hellish journey. Supplies included Oreo’s, copious amounts of Whiskey, an acoustic guitar, nine plastic cups, iPod with speakers and a sense of humour. Nine plastic cups? There were eight of us. It’s a mystery, it really is…

I’ve never had so much fun on a boat. Although saying that I don’t think it had much to compete with as the ferry between Dover and Calais isn’t much to write home about. However, sitting on a bag of rice for nine hours is. The sky was always blue with puffy white clouds that looked like candy floss. If the captain (aka captain pug wash) was in a good mood you could lie outside and top up the tan. There was no shortage of embarrassing music to be pumped from my mp3 player (read: Peter Andre, Steps, Savage Garden etc) and everyone seemed to be able to play the guitar and sing. I’m considering buying myself a guitar now. Although I realise this won’t help me with the singing.

I’ve so far only noticed two differences between Laos and Thailand. This being the 11.30 curfew and having to take your shoes off before you go into places. Taking your shoes off with a backpack on is more of a challenge then you might think. Was a bit strange getting kicked out of a bar at 11 and we were told the only place left open after this time is bowling. Late night bowling it is then. Very strange!

This amazing bar in Luang Prabang, Utopia, also has a volleyball court in the middle of it. As you do. After a rather heated and undecided game, a re-match is in order. After pulling off my shirt, beating my chest and doing the Haka, I’m going to have to put my money where my mouth is. Don’t worry those guys are going down…

P.S If you haven’t already done so you can subscribe for free updates using the links on the right!

I’ve just come back from a Thai massage… that got your attention didn’t it! I’m afraid to report that there was no happy ending however having my arse cheeks massaged was oddly satisfying. Nevertheless, a massage was just what I needed after the last few days I’ve had.

I’m currently in north Thailand, Chiang Mai to be precise. After a 12 hour bus journey I was eager to get stuck in so signed myself up for a two day ‘trek’ in the jungle. The clue was in the name.

After a spot of shopping at a local market for supplies I was naive to think that the following hour of sitting on an elephants back was as hard as it was going to get. After lunch, the fun really began. We started our 8km ascent to the summit through the slippery jungle paths. The downside of going to Thailand in off-peak season is the monsoon rain which doesn’t stop it from being hot! The sun beat through the canopy and after a few falls I was just caked in mud and sweat. I don’t think I have ever looked or felt so bad and any sense of decorum was quickly abandoned.

I’m sure that there would be some who would have found this mild but for me this was one hell of a challenge. As I turned every corner I would hope for some flat ground but there would be nothing but more steep climbs. Brilliant.

Through laboured breaths and gritted teeth I dragged myself to the top where just out of relief I collapsed on some bamboo. I closed my eyes and just wished that I could no longer feel my legs. I could hear children laughing and playing. Was I dead?

I pulled myself together to take in the sight. At an altitude of 1400m was the tribal village of the Lahu. So far out of the way they have preserved much of their way of life. The village was very basic and missing some ‘fundamentals’ as I would see them, namely electricity. I learnt about this one the hard way when I had to stumble down bamboo steps to find the ‘toilet’.

The descent was also challenging but broken up with a swim in a waterfall, bamboo rafting and white water rafting, it was somewhat more manageable. It was just so rewarding. Our tour guide called ‘Good’, who was actually pretty great, said that I should do a seven day trek next time. I’ll think long and hard about that one…

Despite being one of the hardest things I have ever done it was totally worth it. It was such an incredible experience.

You would think after getting back a long shower and bed would be in order but not quite. Instead I decided to have a rather crazy night, which finished just shy of 6am, with a group of Kiwi’s and Irish folk. Just imagine some deleted scene from Snatch that was too crass to make the director’s cut and you get the idea. Madness.

You never see an unhappy backpacker. Why? Because they are all too damn busy having an awesome time!