My travels
There are so many places in the world that I want to visit. I hope that my choices in life afford me the time and money to visit them all. Here are some of the places I want to visit, in no particular order:
As I travel, and as I write, I discover new places that are good for either, and some times both. My daily travel blog is often just a summary of the days activites, with any thoughts I have had as a result of my experiences.
Often I write information pages about the place I am visiting. For this I generally need somewhere quiet, peaceful and beautiful. Here are my favorites, in a rough sort of order:
- Pokhara, Nepal - A town on the edge of a beautiful lake, backed by the Himalaya. So many things I enjoy, that It would surely take me years to tire of the place. From my moutain view hotel room I can wirte and wirte and write.
- Patnem Beach, Goa, India - A beautiful, little developed beach on the sun-drenched coast of Goa. With swimming, walks and boat rides to keep me occupied. I loved writing here, sitting in my beach hut looking out at the Indian Ocean. With perhaps my favrotie food in the world, this is a cheap place to stay.
- Algarve, Portugal - I love camping with my camper van in the Algarve. I can write between surfing, walks and bike rides, normally parked at the beach looking at the waves.
I travel blog when I am home, and when I am traveling. By taking the right equipment with me when I am traveling I reduce my luggage, my work load and get my information online more quickly. Let me show you what I use and how I do it.
I travel in various ways, each of them offering advantages and disadvantages. The type of traveling I do in an area of the world is determined by several factors:
- Length of stay - having your own transport is great for a year in Australia, but not for 2 weeks in China.
- Safety - living in a camper van in a dangerous part of the world brings extra risks. A home stay in a dangerous area is probably the safest option.
- Cost - backpacking, or independent travel, is normally the cheapest way to see an area. But sometimes a package deal is cheaper when you factor in the flight (e.g. 2 weeks in Ibiza or Egypt).
Backpacking
I normally backpack, as this allows me to travel easily, quickly and cheaply. I can spend as much or as little time as I like in a particular area. I like meeting and talking to other travelers and locals when using public transport and local accommodation. I don't like the potential delays when using public transport though. It can often take a few days to travel a short distance.
Camper vans
In 2006/2007 I spent 9 months traveling around western Europe in the camper van that I converted myself. In 1998 I traveled right around Australia in a van that I bought in Sydney. I saw so much on these trips, much more than I would have seen by using public transport. The downside being I didn't meet quite as many travelers and locals as I would have by using public transport. My European camper van trip in 2006/2007 was probably the cheapest traveling experience I have had. My daily costs were as low as £3 ($5) per day, and that was living well. I was able to drive where I wanted, when I wanted.
Package holidays
I have only been on a couple of package holidays. I don't like taking short trips, or being limited with my accommodation. The few I have taken were great, but I don't intend on doing many in the future.
Sporting holidays
I spent a week snowboarding, which was great. For a short stay a packaged deal is the best value and most convenient option.
