Booking in advance is for wimps, right? · Added by Chris on 28th Jul 2008

Nope. And that's a very definite NOPE. It seriously isn't. If you're going to stick to the tourist trail when travelling around the world then there's a good chance you're also following the wisdom of guides by Lonely Planet, Rough Guides or some other equivalent.

They all have a ton of suggestions for places to stay and you have to keep in mind that pretty much every other guide-following punter out there will be using the same book as you when they're looking for somewhere to stay in Outer Mongolia, Tokyo or wherever your destination of choice might be.

Sure, turning up in a foreign country or city and taking your chances might be the way some do it but I assure you they've all had their fair share of doing just that and not finding anywhere that'll give them a roof for the night.

So, what does this mean? If you don't want to miss out on the cool places to stay BOOK IN ADVANCE. Cool places might mean the cheapest and nastiest but best located place or it might mean the most expensive and in-demand spot on the map. It might just mean the middle-of-the-road place that everyone wants to stay. No matter which it is you'll need to ring, email or otherwise contact them well before you arrive.

If you don't you wish being stuck trying to find somewhere to stay at the last minute or, worse still, stuck sleeping in the local railway station for the night ... not so cool in the middle of a European winter!
Where should I stay in Tokyo? · Added by Chris on 16th Jul 2008

A colleague of mine is going to Japan soon - woohoo! As is part of going pretty much anywhere when you know someone who has already been there the natural thing to do is bombard that person with questions about everything.

One of the most important things you'll need to work out is where to stay. Japan has an overwhelming selection of hotels and the like but also a whole load of traditional 'ryokan' or Japanese Inn. Before I go on though I'll say this - BOOK ACCOMMODATION WELL IN ADVANCE!

Annie and I have been to Japan twice now and the first time we stayed in a place called Ryokan Kangetsu, an authentic ryokan located a decent train ride from Tokyo central. The second and 3rd times in Tokyo we stayed in places much closer to the main train lines, e.g. Kimi Ryokan in Ikebukuro.

The train stop for Kangetsu is called Odaiba and it requires, from memory, 2 train changes to get there from central Tokyo. This is a bit scary if you're new to the place. Kimi on the other hand is located on the JR Yamanote line, probably the most important train line that loops around Tokyo's major city centres.

So, where to stay? The transportation systems in Japan are amazing. They're immaculately clean, on time EVERY time and get you where you want to go quickly. Don't be scared to stay a little bit out of Tokyo city, especially if it means getting an authentic experience and staying at a place like Kangetsu. If you're into walking everywhere though, it might be an idea to stay somewhere a bit closer.
How long is too long to travel? · Added by Annie on 8th Jul 2008

I know a few people, myself and Chris included, who have taken what some people consider to be a really long holiday. I'm not even talking about year long breaks - like Brook Silva-Braga from A Map for Saturday (which, by the way, I totally recommend!!) did - but 3~4 month breaks. Most people look at you in awe and jealousy when you tell them that you’re off and won’t be back for 4 months. Some people, however, tell you that they couldn't handle living out of a backpack or suitcase for that long. Some people try it and love it, others try it and hate it. So how long is too long?

Personally, I believe that if I could travel for ever, I would. I grew up traveling so I guess I'm used to planes, hotel rooms, strange and unknown locations. In fact, I'm not just used to it - I crave it. Some people, however, do not subscribe to the same sort of lifestyle that I do and would prefer to be somewhere they feel more at home, somewhere they are familiar with. Those people often don't travel at all, or if they do, it's a 1 or 2 week stint in a luxury resort in Fiji once in their entire life-time. It is precisely these people who can't understand why Chris and I would ever choose to live out of backpacks for 4 months.

To be honest, even I get sick of sight-seeing after 2~3 months of being on the road. Another museum, another park, another pretty view. It does all become rather mundane after a while. Perhaps it’s because your point of reference shifts to the point where something that most people consider out of the ordinary becomes somewhat commonplace to you and stops being amazing. Or maybe we only have enough space in our brains to fit a certain amount of amazing new things. Either way, once things stop being amazing to you, you will probably get bored and want to go back home.

For most people, you’ll probably also stop using your brain as much as you would if you were still at your 9-5 work / study back home. Sure, that's what holidaying is all about right? A bit of down-time and relaxation? Yes, but if you’re too relaxed for too long, you’ll probably get bored and crave something to challenge your mind. Traveling (in some countries more than others) can in itself provide that challenge but it's still not quite the same as sitting down and trying to write a software requirement specification for a high availability and precision technology solution, is it?

Having said all that, it certainly doesn't mean that after 2~3 months I'm ready to go home. For me, personally, it means that after 1~2 months I'm ready to start exercising my brain again. It means that rather than vacantly staring at another well architected building, I'd rather be doing something more meaningful and useful to me, like learning how to speak the local language or volunteering at a local charity. Basically, it means taking time out of your down-time to do something challenging and difficult. Perhaps subconsciously I feel that I need to give myself a reason to want / deserve some more mindless relaxation and down-time. Taking a ‘break’ from your holiday to do a course or some volunteer work also means that you’ll probably have to stop moving and base yourself somewhere for a week or two, rather than constantly being on the move – which can be very tiring.

So maybe it’s not about how long your holiday is in total, but more about how you spend your time while you’re on the road. If you’re thinking about taking a year long holiday to travel but don’t think you could handle doing ‘nothing’ for that long, why not try breaking it up by alternating between 1~2 months of sightseeing, and 2~4 weeks of doing a course, doing some (mentally or physically) challenging community or working on a business? You may just come back relaxed, more worldly and perhaps a better person for it!
How should I carry all my stuff? · Added by Chris on 8th Jul 2008

How should I carry all my stuff? That's a question that a lot of people ask. Here are my thoughts.

If you're going to be lugging your things around a lot, don't bother with a suitcase, not even a 'wheeley' one - get a backpack. Imagine trying to wheel your suitcase from your boat, over 3 more boats, along a rickety pier then along a pretty much unmaintained road on Thailand's Ko Phi Phi island and you get the idea. Your stuff should be on your back.

Personally both Annie and I choose to carry Interloper packs by Kathmandu. They can hold a LOT, can behave like a normal top-load backpack but also have the main flap located on the front so you can open it right up like a suitcase. They also come with a small day pack that's part of Kathmandu's 'Gluon' range - it can be carried by itself or can attach to the main pack so you can carry both at the same time. Ok so this is starting to sound like an advertising pitch but I swear by the travel stuff from Kathmandu. It's awesome.

If you're going to be shuttled everywhere in taxis and take a holiday of the more luxurious style, sure, get a suitcase but otherwise I'd go for the comfort of backpack-style storage. You'll also look like a real backpacker too, not a pretend one. :)
Japanese onsen etiquette · Added by Chris on 28th Jun 2008

Onsen? What's that? The word 'onsen' is Japanese for 'hot springs' and often describes the bathing facilities that occur around the thousands of hot springs in Japan. When using an onsen, though, there is a very particular etiquette you must follow. Here's the order you should do things in (this comes from experience!).

- Bring your own small towel and soap.
- When you arrive, remove your shoes before you step onto the wooden grate/grill that will be on the floor near the lockers.
- Put your shoes into an unoccupied locker and take off ALL your clothing. Entering the onsen wearing clothing, including bathing suits, implies you are dirty under the covered bits. Save yourself embarrassment and the risk of insulting Japanese custom and just be naked - everyone else is.
- Head over to the washing area and wash yourself COMPLETELY, including your hair. You are expected to be immaculately clean when you enter the onsen itself so make sure you are. Without making a fuss make sure it's obvious you really are clean. Don't EVER use soap or shampoo in the onsen itself.
- If the onsen is 'co-ed' you are advised to cover your private parts while you're walking from the wash area to the baths.
- Pick a clear spot in the bath and kneel down near edge before you enter the water. Splash a little water on the edge of the bath - this makes it yours.
- If people look at you while you're doing any of this it's fine to nod politely or bow but DO NOT STARE. Respect other's privacy and modesty. Remember that a very large part of the Japanese custom is built on respect.
- Enter the water slowly without making any noise or making waves in the water. People are usually trying to relax after a hard day's work.
- If you're with a friend talk quietly. As another website I read says, 'spoken Japanese is less loud than spoken English'.
- Don't care that you're naked. As I said, everyone else is and nobody cares. Really.
- If someone talks to you, answer politely. It's fine to have a conversation while in the onsen.
- When you're done, towel yourself down, dress quietly, put on your shoes when you're off the wooden grate/grill and leave.

That's it. I was stupidly nervous before I went to an onsen for the first time but once you get over the fact that nobody cares that you're naked, it's a very liberating experience for us wussy westerners. :)
Side-trip too expensive? · Added by Annie on 24th Jun 2008

On our recent 'Exploring the East' trip, Chris and I had originally wanted to go to Japan. Having spent a couple of days there a year ago, we wanted to go back badly.

We spoke to our travel agent back in New Zealand about the possibility of a side-trip from South-East Asia to Japan. Our idea was to either have return tickets from somewhere like Hanoi to Tokyo and then from Hanoi to London, or to fly one way to Tokyo and then from Tokyo straight to London (since London was our final destination). We were somewhat surprised when she quoted us an extra $2500(!!) NZD each for both of these scenarios. That was almost as much as our return tickets to Europe had cost, but for one leg only! The travel agent told us that that was just what you pay to fly to Japan. Needless to say that our plans to see Japan went down the drain at that very instant.

However, once in South-East Asia (Bangkok to be precise), we decided to try our luck again and investigate how much it would cost us to fly to Japan from there. We wandered into a travel agent in downtown Bangkok and were quoted, for 2 return tickets from Bangkok to Japan (with a stop-over in Hong Kong for good measure), only about $900 NZD each. Japan was back in the game!

The moral of the story?

If you're planning a rather convoluted route and your travel agent back home quotes you a ridiculous price for your dream holiday, buy a return ticket (or one way!) to somewhere that you were planning to visit anyway and then, once you're there, look around for good deals on flights to your other far-fetched destinations. Buying airline tickets that don't depart from the country that you're physically in when buying the ticket will cost you easily two or three times as much as buying it from the departure country. Internet prices sometimes aren't worth it either. In my opinion, it's definitely best to wait and see what you can find once you get there. :)
Angkor Temples - 1 or 3 day pass? · Added by Annie on 5th Apr 2008

Some people will tell you that you can do all the temples of Angkor in 1 day. I disagree.

There are SO many temples at Angkor, and they're all SO big that if you try to fit them all in one day, you're bound to get very very tired and start to hate temples by the end of the day. Let's face it, that's not why you came to Siem Reap. You came because you wanted to see and *enjoy* the temples... so do that! Buy a 3 day ticket and take your time walking through some of the most magnificent temples left on the planet.

With a 3 day ticket, you'll could even take a day off in between to wonder around the streets of Siem Reap if you felt like it, to rest your feet, regain your strength and be able to resume your Lara Croft impersonation the following day.

There are also a couple of really neat temples quite far away from the main group of temples (about 1 hour by remorque-taxi) and you just wouldn't be able to get out to those if you only had one day.

So my advice is to bite the bullet and spend 3 days at the Angkor Temples. There really is a lot to see!