My idea for this blog was to organise all the information I have about my travels in to a neat pile for someone else to stumble upon and use for their own trip. The problem is that everything overlaps and becomes so repetitive that I couldn't actually decide where to start... At the beginning? What to pack? What flights to get?...
Bollocks to all that...
Hundreds of lists will tell you what to take, just look on trip advisor or lonely planet for a list of stuff you don't need. Maybe I'll do a real list at some stage taking out the things we packed and never needed.
The idea of this page is to put your mind at ease. Read it over and realise that travelling can be an experience every day while you keep your costs down. This blog is for travellers, not day tourists.
The most important information are the things that you probably won't find in to many other places. So let me start with one of the more important things I have realised in the last year and a bit.... walk
-------------------------------------------
Nearly every city you come to will have a central tourist location for hotels and shops and 99% of the time you will stay here. Don't feel bad or like some normal 'tourist' for doing so, you are bound to find the cheapest options for accomodation and food and a close proximity to sights. And that's where walking comes in. Just as certain as the hotels you'll stay in is the fact that with a map and a bit of time, walking is a rewarding and fun way to see cities.
In Bangkok we quickly realised that we could walk everywhere and save ourselves the hassle of tuk-tuk touts taking us to every single suit shop the city has. From Koh-San you can walk to all the main temples and sights. Our second discovery was a river boat that goes straight to downtown Siam for 12 baht, more on that in the public transport post to come soon, but for now walking.
Walking presents it's own issues with the biggest one being dieing of dehydration on the streets. Bottles of water are a must be you'll realise quickly that you can buy water anywhere. You'll walk down roads that you never though existed and if you're lucky you'll find some of the back streets that tuk-tuks won't take you to. You usually become more of a tourist attraction than the place you're in is to you and the people are usually a lot easier to deal with because you interest them and aren't just a walking dollar sign.
The same goes for some of the biggest cities we came across. Hanoi, Ho Chi Min, Kuala Lumpa, Delhi, Mumbai, Istanbul, Athens, Frankfurt, Munich, Paris, Vienna, Rome, London.
Obviously you won't go everywhere on foot without several days to get around. I'll describe this more in the transport section but quickly, learn the amazing underground systems and busses you can get in nearly every city you come to.
If the big cities are this easy to walk around it stands to reason that the smaller towns will be easier still, and you're half right. Usually sights are outside the town centre and you'll be told to find a taxi or a daily tour. It's a lie. Asia especially is great for hiring bicycles and motorbikes to get to things, eg Angkor Wat is a great easy ride 20 minutes from Siem Reap and we got bikes for $2 a day rather than a $25 tour.
In nearly every city there will be public transport that goes past the area especially in India or Europe, just keep asking people and find a better map than the lonely planet gives you. Eg the zoo in prague is a €1 bus trip away rather than a €30 taxi.
If you've got a few days in a city (which you should if you're travelling) walking is the best way to see a city in its whole, rather than wizzing by in a tuk-tuk.
-------------------------------
As always, if you want any more specific information on places I've been, let me know!
