Travelling - Tips and Advice

[Raritas 6,820]

Hi, so I have a huge dream to travel when I'm older. I really want to visit America, along with places like Germany and New Zealand. The thing is, I'm only 17 so I can't exactly do much right now. All I want is to know from anyone who travels often how they afford it and any tips and advice they could offer.

 

I hope this makes sense, travelling has been a big interest for me for a while now, seeing as I enjoy hiking and walking. I couldn't find another thread like this on the Forum, so I guess I'm the first?

 

Thanks!

[K.K. Slider 391]

I've got an ask thread specifically for these kind of questions.

[Invincible 2,091]

In an underdeveloped country, don't drink the water. In a developed country, don't breathe the air.

 

Jokes aside, some things you might want to watch for:

 

* Different power grids in different continents use different voltages so some electric devices might not function properly without an adapter.

* Look for the forecast for the dates and locations you'll be traveling at, and if you have the extra space pack a little thicker clothing just in case.

* Get cable ties for your stuff - you do not want to get your stuff stolen, obviously.

* Check out for events coinciding with your travels - they can affect tourism and travel rates and may change your travel experience.

* Learn how to say "Where's the toilet?" (and possibly "Thank you") in the prime language of the area you're travelling to. Trust me - this can save your life in ways you cannot imagine.

[boiteporte 591]

 

 

In an underdeveloped country, don't drink the water

 

It's actually quite a sensible advice. In Thailand, for example, they gave us bottled water to brush our teeth. Considering how dangerous tap water actually was. 

[K.K. Slider 391]

In an underdeveloped country, don't drink the water. In a developed country, don't breathe the air.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPrAuF2f_oI

 

Dude, you win the internet. I've only heard one other person reference Tom Lehrer.

[Glaci 119]

My idea for travelling includes going to college and going into the US Airforce. 

 

This way you are able to enter as an officer, and are put with a group of people whom you are able to travel many different places of the world with and be stationed there. Aside from that, the education is good, you get paid for your jobs, and your trips and places you stay are paid for. 

[Raritas 6,820]

I've got an ask thread specifically for these kind of questions.

 

Oh hey K.K., I didn't realise this! I will certainly be popping over to see what's going on haha. Btw how was England? Hope everything went well

 

 

In an underdeveloped country, don't drink the water. In a developed country, don't breathe the air.

 

Jokes aside, some things you might want to watch for:

 

* Different power grids in different continents use different voltages so some electric devices might not function properly without an adapter.

* Look for the forecast for the dates and locations you'll be traveling at, and if you have the extra space pack a little thicker clothing just in case.

* Get cable ties for your stuff - you do not want to get your stuff stolen, obviously.

* Check out for events coinciding with your travels - they can affect tourism and travel rates and may change your travel experience.

* Learn how to say "Where's the toilet?" (and possibly "Thank you") in the prime language of the area you're travelling to. Trust me - this can save your life in ways you cannot imagine.

 

Haha, there's a few points in there I haven't actually thought of...  Certainly worth keeping in mind. I'd definitely plan on learning parts of the language before I went, helps to learn the culture I guess. Thanks for the advice

 

 

My idea for travelling includes going to college and going into the US Airforce. 

 

This way you are able to enter as an officer, and are put with a group of people whom you are able to travel many different places of the world with and be stationed there. Aside from that, the education is good, you get paid for your jobs, and your trips and places you stay are paid for. 

 

Yeah, over here in the UK I know a lot of personnel get stationed all over the place, and that'd be cool. But too be honest, I haven't ever planned on joining the army personally

[Glaci 119]

 

Yeah, over here in the UK I know a lot of personnel get stationed all over the place, and that'd be cool. But too be honest, I haven't ever planned on joining the army personally

 

I know that I would love to do something like that, it sounds like a lot of fun! Although it would partially be for the education you get there, it's in all the areas I want. 

 

As far as the language, that's important too and I imagine in the military you would be forced to learn the basics so you could communicate while you were stationed there. Which I actually like language, so even if they didn't I'd love to take some time and learn some!

 

Also, one of my dream trips has been to go to the UK. Partially because of some of the great stuff they have there and also because of some of the great friends I've met who are from there! 

[K.K. Slider 391]

As far as the language, that's important too and I imagine in the military you would be forced to learn the basics so you could communicate while you were stationed there.

Not the case in the U.S. military, though language courses are optionally available. The reality is everyone can speak rudimentary or even fluent English in most place where bases are. If the locals wouldn't usually know (somewhere in the Middle East) people around the base certainly would. Personnal bring in money. You have no need to speak the local language as a base has everything you could want or need; the PX stocks all American products and even has rubbish like Taco Bell.

 

Source: Been in 19 countries, has two brothers in the military (and have been in the countries they were stationed), was on a U.S. Navy base in Japan via invitation from a brony stationed there.

 

---

 

@OP - While I don't use their immensely popular written guides, Lonely Planet's 'Need to Know' section has useful tidbits.

Here's an example for Poland.

 

Oh hey K.K., I didn't realise this! I will certainly be popping over to see what's going on haha. Btw how was England? Hope everything went well

The last post I made in that thread answers one of your questions. It went very well, thanks for asking! I'll PM you the details tomorrow - got a brony meetup here in Kraków to attend so I gotta get to sleep!

[ponypowa96 106]

Wow, you sound like a carbon copy of me. 

 

I mean I guess there's a few ways you can do things. You could enrol on a TEFL course which allows you to travel to various different countries worldwide and teach in various schools and colleges in those countries. You only need to know English and you need a minimum qualification of A Levels (since you're 17 I guess you're doing them this year or maybe you've just finished them like I have? btw I'm also 17). The agency I looked into also paid for your travel and gave you accommodation at ridiculously cut prices, although the wages were admittedly not the best.

 

TEFL was certainly something I wanted to do until I discovered I actually did very well in my exams, and now am going to uni instead. It is of course very viable just to get some qualifications and a job and travel around in your free time, although maybe that's not ideal for you. If you're good at writing, perhaps you could get a job writing travel guides for companies like Lonely Planet? Or you could produce travel apps such as Triposo for a Smartphone. The possibilities are endless!

 

My only advice for travelling abroad is if you're on a budget, just stay in the cheapest place you can. A bed is just somewhere to hang your head at the end of a day and it doesn't need to have six thousand jacuuzis and a minibar attached to it. You're saving money, and as a plus, the more horrid your hotel is, the less time you'll want to spend in it and the more time you'll want to spend out and about exploring!

 

Hope you're able to reach your dream of travelling, best of luck!

Edited August 16, 2014 by ponypowa96

[K.K. Slider 391]

My only advice for travelling abroad is if you're on a budget, just stay in the cheapest place you can. A bed is just somewhere to hang your head at the end of a day and it doesn't need to have six thousand jacuuzis and a minibar attached to it. You're saving money, and as a plus, the more horrid your hotel is, the less time you'll want to spend in it and the more time you'll want to spend out and about exploring!

(X/post from here)

 

"As far as backpacking in cities goes, it's definitely a lifestyle. There isn't a fixed way of doing it as everyone has their own preferences for comfort, security, expenses, etc. but there's two specifics that are a must IMO.

 

- Hostels. Accommodation with shared facilities (dorms, kitchen, bathroom/shower, common room, etc.) though most also have much more expensive private rooms. This is infinitely cheaper than staying in a hotel and usually have a very social atmosphere. You can meet people from all over the world without even stepping outside. Most also organize walking tours and pub crawls; some even have a pub in the hostel. I wouldn't be able to travel for so long if hostelling wasn't a thing. Not all hostels are created equal and you can find some for incredibly low prices but you get what you pay for. I find hostels in the United States (normally a branch of Hosteling International) to be very generic and lacking personality compared to ones overseas. I use Hostelworld for everything. Here's some pictures of Castle Rock Hostel in Edinburgh, Scotland."

[ponypowa96 106]

(X/post from here)

 

hm, never even seen that thread before (also your post is huge so I didn't even bother to read it now actually). But it's not some kind of intelligent revelation, it's just common sense. although unlike you I would never recommend for somebody to stay in a hostel since the quality varies a lot unless you can find a "chain of hostels" which is quite rare. And personally I don't like the idea of shared washing facilities. But most cities should have hotels you can stay in very cheaply especially if you can be flexible on the dates. 

Edited August 16, 2014 by ponypowa96

[K.K. Slider 391]

If you bothered to read you would understand the context - I was answering a question. It's an ask thread. Seems obvious, eh?

 

Tell me mate, how many hotels/hostels have you been in? Travel much yourself?

 

A site like Hostelworld has a rating system for a reason...

[Luna 831 466]

Just save your money. For the trip you want to go to or travel too.

[ponypowa96 106]

Tell me mate, how many hotels/hostels have you been in? Travel much yourself?

 

A site like Hostelworld has a rating system for a reason...

 

Yes, I would never trust something like that since everyone has their own personal preferences and can rate their experience according to what they're used to in a hostel rather than accurately assessing the quality of any given one properly. This is because a good number of the reviews come from people such as myself who prefer to stay in hotels rather than hostels and some will even mark a hostel down simply because they didn't understand what one would be like when they got there. Maybe someone has to leave in the middle of the night and didn't think to pack their bags before they slept, and so they do so in the middle of the night as they are leaving and inadvertently wake everyone up. A review on Hostelworld may describe the hostel as "noisy", when in reality it's just someone being inconsiderate and it could happen anywhere. If you've been in a hostel before I guess you'll know what I'm talking about.

 

As for travelling, I've been to USA, France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Mallorca, Morocco, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Croatia, Tunisia, Turkey, Ireland, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia. How many places have you been? :) :) :)

 

EDIT: I forgot Luxembourg. Added to the list.

 

EDIT 2: And I'm going to Iceland in October. Hope my "travelling credentials" satisfy your personal curiosity.

Edited August 16, 2014 by ponypowa96

[K.K. Slider 391]

Yes, I would never trust something like that since everyone has their own personal preferences and can rate their experience according to what they're used to in a hostel rather than accurately assessing the quality of any given one properly. This is because a good number of the reviews come from people such as myself who prefer to stay in hotels rather than hostels.

 

So you're suggesting a hostel with a 91% percent rating and over 6 thousand reviews from verified (people who paid) accounts is unwarranted? That the vast majority of reviews isn't from people like me who backpack long distance? There's no objective standard for quality/desirability? Yeah, sure mate.

 

This is because a good number of the reviews come from people such as myself who prefer to stay in hotels rather than hostels and some will even mark a hostel down simply because they didn't understand what one would be like when they got there. Maybe someone has to leave in the middle of the night and didn't think to pack their bags before they slept, and so they do so in the middle of the night as they are leaving and inadvertently wake everyone up. A review on Hostelworld may describe the hostel as "noisy", when in reality it's just someone being inconsiderate and it could happen anywhere. If you've been in a hostel before I guess you'll know what I'm talking about.

 

When you have a low rating and consistent complaints about the same problem then you have a good idea whether it's just an inconsiderate roommate or not. Reviews are pretty useful dude, people leave them for a reason. You also get people who stay somewhere that describes itself as a party hostel or right in the nightlife and complain. Sometimes you can't win. What point are you trying to make? You haven't put up any real good reason to prefer a hotel over a hostel as a traveler who wants to meet people and see the world. Btw, 6 hotels (excluding horse conventions), 6 B&Bs, 187 hostels and counting. Regarding not liking the idea of sharing wash facilities; private rooms in hostels are still cheaper than a hotel, you get the atmosphere, and they even normally have an en-suite bathroom.

 

Furthermore -

 

My only advice for travelling abroad is if you're on a budget, just stay in the cheapest place you can. A bed is just somewhere to hang your head at the end of a day and it doesn't need to have six thousand jacuuzis and a minibar attached to it. You're saving money, and as a plus, the more horrid your hotel is, the less time you'll want to spend in it and the more time you'll want to spend out and about exploring!

 

The cheapest hostel is still cheaper than a hotel by a signifigant margin. A hotel has no personality. Even the most generic hostel in the world at the very least still has other travelers, and is more personable.

 

"As for travelling, I've been to USA, France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Mallorca, Morocco, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Greece, Croatia, Tunisia, Turkey, Ireland, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia. How many places have you been? :) :) :)"

 

The United States (all over), Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Austria, Finland, Denmark, France, the United Kingdom (rode a pedal bike all the way across from Land's End to John o' Groats), Ireland (also cycled across), Hong Kong, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan.

 

I'm also doing Spain, Portugal, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Italy, Vatican City, San Marino, Morocco, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecudaor, Peru, Boliva, Chile, Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil over the next 8 months.

 

Here's a nifty map

 

I've been traveling for 15 months now and have been to 9 horsecons (+2 more this year) on three continents. I'm 21, independently traveling and self-financed. You're 17 on your mum & dad's leash/bankroll. Impressive track record yourself, but nice try.

 

You also forget that at your and the OP's age you can't even book a hotel in most countries. Not even sure if you can get a flight either. Even some hostels have a minimum age of 18.

[Glaci 119]

5. Do NOT drink the water in underdeveloped countries. You could get very sick!

 

 

 

Places in South America especially. You do NOT want Montezuma's Revenge. I had a family member dealing with it when we were in Costa Rica, accidentally swallowed some of the shower water. It's really bad.