The main cave of Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park in Vietnam is a spectacular underground river, meandering through gorgeous stalactites and stalagmites. The main pathway to the cave is on a boat, and in the local tradition, all the boats are rowed by women. It’s not an easy job – the boats are quite…
Places To Go To Avoid Overtourism
In a recent article, The Economist wrote about the phenomenon of “overtourism” and how big an issue it has become for some of the world’s most famous destinations. Venice was cited as the best known example, and it is true – as magnificent as that city is, life there has become unbearable for the few…
Should You Travel With Friends?
The biggest decision that you will have to make about your trip is not where to go, or for how long to go. It’s with whom you will go. Your options are – go with your friend or friends, go with a special someone, or go alone. I’m not including traveling with parents here –…
Your Packing List – Clothing and Footwear
Now that you have your backpack and your daypack, let’s talk about what to pack in them for your trip. In other words, your packing list. And when I say “list”, I literally mean it: making a good packing list on a piece of paper is half of packing. So what should you have on…
The Story of a Photo – Ticketless (India)
The Silchar-Lumding route in Assam is only about 250 km in length, yet the scheduled night train journey between the two towns is about 7 hours. In reality, it took around 11 hours total, with lengthy stops in-between. As the only foreigner on the train and indeed, at the train stations at both ends, I…
Top Ten Countries on My Bucket List
The world has around 200 countries (depending how to count), so unless you are one of the very few people who have visited them all, there are always the ones remaining on your bucket list. There are some major countries I haven’t visited yet, and would really like to. This is the top ten, in…
Happy New Year!
I hope 2018 has been a good year for all my fellow travelers. Far away destinations have been made ever more accessible by lower cost air fares, and with the digital tentacles spreading into every nook and cranny of the world, you can get plenty information about just about anywhere you can imagine to visit….
How Many Picture IDs to Bring On Your Trip?
Recently on a trip to Thailand, I was shocked by the police traps around the island of Phuket, stopping all foreigners on motorbikes and checking if they have an international driver’s permit. I say shocked because in almost 12 years of regular trips to Thailand, I had never been questioned or stopped or otherwise harassed…
Your Daypack
In one of the previous posts, we discussed your travel backpack and what you should consider when choosing one. Today, let’s talk about your smaller daypack. A daypack serves two important purposes. First, it’s great for walking around cities and various day hikes and trips you will be taking that don’t require too many items…
Vietnam Visa Tip
Vietnam, as the appealing destination that it is, still requires a visa from most of Western passport holders. And many travelers arrange for the visa in the seemingly easy way: apply for a visa letter electronically via a third party provider, get a piece of paper or an email and arrive with it to one…