funtotravel.info: How times change. - 2002 vs 2012.

Although I took my first trip away from the parents in the heady summer of 1998, from London to the mysterious wilds of Italy and Greece, the fact that the whole thing was organised by said parents (who although they wouldn’t be coming insisted on planning most of the finer details) means that we can’t count it.

No, this intrepid explorer took his first trip as a fully fledged backpacker with his younger brother in April of 2002, in the midst of a post-university ‘what the hell am I going to do next?’ gap-year. We journeyed around Western Europe on hastily purchased Interrail tickets taking in the sights, smells, sounds, wine and women (ok, lots of the former and not so much of the latter…) of the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy and Greece. My brother and I met up last weekend for the Christening of funtotravel.info junior, and found ourselves reminiscing on the trip – good times and bad.

What struck us was quite how different the whole experience was then to how it would be now in terms of booking, planning, meeting people, what to do in minutes of boredom and recording your experiences on the way round. It’s hard to imagine a time when the internet was still in its infancy, but it does provide us with an interesting basis for comparison, given that the funtotravel.info family have just booked a trip back to Thailand for a spot of island-hopping in March/April.

	2002	2012
Planning the trip	Using Lonely Planet/Let’s Go guidebooks bought or borrowed from the local library	Using funtotravel.info (obviously!), reading other travellers’ blogs, reading the Lonely Planet website and the Thorntree forum etc. We still bought the relevant guidebook though!
Booking the trip	Through our local STA Travel shop/other cheap travel agency. Interrail tickets were bought in person.	Online: Book flights/hotels using price comparison sights like Kayak/STA Travel/Expedia. All booked online using a secure connection.
Booking accommodation in advance	Either calling the hostels/hotel listed in the guidebook and attempting to bluff our way in that language or going to the local tourist office in the town in question and asking them to find us a room.	Online: Through a website like hostelbookers, hostelworld, sawasdee.com etc
What technology would you take with you	Discman/mini disc player, 35mm camera, and….ummm….that’s it.	Ipod, possibly tablet/laptop, smartphone, digital camera, kindle etc
What did you do on long train or bus journeys?	Read a book, listen to a CD, talk to people	Read a book on the Kindle, write a blog on the laptop, play games on the iPad, look at the pictures I have already taken on the camera etc, watch a movie.
How do you meet people on the road?	Walk up to them, talk to them, leave messages on hostel noticeboards at a push	Hook up on facebook, though twitter or on funtotravel.info!
How do you keep a record of what you’ve been up to ?	Write a diary, on paper, using a pen	Write a blog on my laptop
How did you communicate with home?	Send postcards, call home from a payphone, if you’re feeling daring and trust the dial-up connection in the dodgy looking internet café, then write a group email.	Call on skype using laptop/tablet or an internet café, message people on facebook, write some emails, write a blog. All online.

All of the above provides a stark and very amusing indication of just how much independent travel has changed. The use of the word ‘independent’ is a very pertinent one – the changes in the world of technology mean that  travellers are ‘alone’ less than ever before even if they are, strictly speaking, travelling on their own. The world is covered in wifi spots and high-speed internet cafes, meaning that in a bafflingly large percentage of places that you would ever want to travel, you can be online talking, face-timing, sharing photos, downloading music and movies etc.

Back in the pre-internet days, if you were stuck down in the common room of your hostel in the back-end of nowhere, people tended to be more talkative. The need to communicate in person with your fellow travellers was naturally far greater when you couldn’t fall back on the fact that you could whip out your smartphone to boast about where you are, play Angry Birds on your iPad, listen to one of 20,000 songs on your ipad or even watch a movie on your phone. Travel seemed more sociable back then and created a real sense of camaraderie amongst travellers – if you were on the road you knew it, and the only real way to pick up tips on whether the train was running between Kunming and Hanoi, or whether you needed a visa to get into Cambodia was to ask around the people staying in your guest house. Call us old romantics, but travel the ‘old way’ seemed more open and more in tune with the spirit of discovery. The world has definitely shrunk…

Having said that, we are huge hypocrites. We have booked our trip to Thailand online, fully intend to keep up this blog when we are away, have emailed queries to potential hotel about baby cribs etc and will no doubt be boasting on facebook and twitter about how great our holiday is on the way round. I guess convenience can be a wonderful thing, even if it does make you an unsociable old bastard!

Let us know what you think about the relationship between technology and travel.

funtotravel.info offers help to anyone looking to travel the world. Going on a Gap Year and not sure where to go or how to start planning? Want to go travelling but in need of some inspiration and tips? Use our advise me page for FREE, ON-DEMAND, UNBIASED travel advice written JUST FOR YOU!  

funtotravel.info also offers informative and practical country profiles, real-time traveller reviews for destinations around the world, as well as social networking for backpackers, connecting you on the road like never before. What are you waiting for? Sign up today! For more information on what we offer and who we are, please check out our FAQ section. 

A very Indian experience in Varanasi

Varanasi is the most fascinating, spiritual, confusing and frustrating destination we have ever visited. Nestled on the banks of the sacred River Ganges in the north of India, a few hours’ travel east of New Delhi, Varanasi (previously Benares) claims to be the oldest continually inhabited city in the world.

Our introduction to the city was symptomatic of both its majesty and its infuriating chaos. Arriving on a short-haul flight from Delhi due to all of the trains being booked out, the first part of our journey seemed blissfully simple. We picked up a set-price taxi from Varanasi’s tiny airport into town, lounged in the back of the old but surprisingly well maintained Ambassador car, and were unceremoniously dumped at the point where the ‘new’ and ‘old’ cities meet – no motorised vehicles are allowed anywhere near the old town, in order to protect the ‘ghats’ , the various sets of riverside steps, some of which are dedicated to the cremation of dead Hindu believers (known as the ‘Burning Ghats’). Trying our best to make head or tail of the unsurprisingly useless map provided by our Lonely Planet guide, we attempted to navigate our way through the early evening throng to the tiny lane where our guest house was set.  Arriving in the middle of a Hindu festival, though colourful, loud and hypnotic did not help us in our mission to seek out our digs as we were crushed by throngs of dancing, prancing devotees.

Despite having already had a couple of weeks to acclimatise to the melee of sights, smells and sounds that is India, the culture-shock hit us badly as, laden-down with heavy rucksacks, we were buffeted left and right and accosted at every step with offers of a guide, boat trips, ‘strong ganja’, cheap rooms and cheap women (despite walking within two feet of my wife!). With any number of shopkeepers  having made it clear that they had absolutely no idea where to find our guest house, we made the cardinal error of hopping into a couple of cycle rickshaws (they couldn’t fit both of us, and our bags into the same one). On giving the address of our guest house, we found our drivers heading off in separate directions into the throng of festival goers, before meeting up again to begin an impassioned and furious argument as to who was heading up in the right direction.

We made the wise decision to scarper at this point and fortunately found ourselves under the wings of a couple of German guys who knew where our hotel was. They led us down a series of narrow pathways and lanes, dodging any number of sadhus (holy men) and holy cows until we arrived the entrance to our hotel, the lads resisting our offers of a thank-you beer and disappearing off into the surrounding lanes like a couple of teutonic travel angels. One more unpleasant surprise awaited me, as having taken Amanda’s rucksack on my front as well as my own behemoth bag on my back, I realised that I had no way of seeing where I was putting my feet and had managed to connect with a large and seemingly very fresh cow pat twenty metres from the entrance to the guest-house. Thank you Mr Cow!

Checking in with no problem and mounting the four sweaty flights of stairs to our well-appointed budget room, we made straight for the roof terrace restaurant for some much-needed Kingfisher beers and veggie curries. Taking in the sights and sounds the river, the puja ceremonies, the boisterous gangs of monkeys and the smoking funeral pyres at dusk was jaw-droppingly different and distinctly otherworldly. Of all of our travels, we have never visited such an amazingly atmospheric place, with such character and such verve. A genuine must-visit, though pack patience in vast amounts and a very open-mind.

Great things to do in Varanasi:

• Take a Ganges boat trip. Best done in the evening or early morning. The boatmen will take you along the various ghats. Not many speak a great deal of English, so unless your Hindi is up to scratch take a good guide book for commentary on what you’re seeing. Watching people swim, wash, brush their teeth and do their laundry in some of the most toxic river water in the world is extraordinary!
• Watch a Ganga aarti ceremony at Dasaswamedh ghat at dusk – beautiful lights, hypnotic music and an incredibly spiritual atmosphere, even if you’re as cynical and world-weary as they come.
• See what goes on at the burning ghats but make sure you do so from a respectful distance – the Hindu faithful are cremating their dead and you should ensure that this remains a private, family ceremony for them. Respect the dead.
• Chill out – Varanasi has some great restaurants, cafes and bakeries, most of which either have river views or rooftop restaurants – this is as good a place as any to watch the world go by.

We stayed at Ganga Fuji Home (800 Rupees/night for an air con private double) and would recommend it. We would also recommend the following places to eat/drink:

• Brown Bread Bakery - it supports a local school, runs a women’s empowerment group, uses organic produce, and refills your water bottles for you (Rs5) – the food is also brilliant.
• Dolphin restaurant - great riverside views and excellent veggie food.

Travel Photo Collection 1

We're back...

Hello funtotravellers. Our apologies for what has seemed to us like a never-ending absence. The reason for this is that we have been on some unofficial paternity leave from the site until our daughter, the mini-funtotraveller (or "MT" as she'll now be known) turned one. We're pleased to report that this has not stopped us from travelling, and the MT has already racked up seven countries in her short time on this earth!

We'll be back in the next day or so with some new articles on the places we've been in the last  year and some helpful travel tips and advice.

Safe travelling

funtotravel.info

Photo of the Day - Salta, Argentina

Salta, Argentina
We loved this beautiful, fun and friendly city in the north west of the country, which is fast becoming a must visit for backpackers in Argentina. With its position as a perfect stop going to or coming from Bolivia, the city has seen a boom in backpacker hostels and has brilliant nightlife, particular in the 'zona viva' – the party area of town. Salta is compact and gorgeous, particularly around the cathedral and Plaza 9 de Julio. To get a feel for the city and the surrounding area from above, we recommend heading up to Cerro San Bernardo in the cable car. Take advantage of the cheap rates on offer to hire a car and take the road out to pretty Cachi – it's one of the greatest road trips in Argentina and you'll see the raw, barren beauty of the north west in all of its glory.

Click here for our free guide to backpacking in Argentina.

Photo of the Day - Iguazu Falls, Argentina

Iguazu Falls, Argentinian side, as taken in the dry season in April/May

Eleanor Roosevelt is alleged to have uttered the words “Poor Niagara!” upon seeing the Iguazú Falls for the first time, and it's not hard to see why. These vast and powerful falls are tucked up in the far north-east of the country, bordering both Paraguay and Brazil and are a breathtakingly spectacular sight. Spend a few days exploring the falls by both foot and boat (to get up close and personal) and we promise you'll not tire of their grandeur and majesty. There are some great nature trails in the national park, and Puerto Iguazú makes a pleasant stopping off point on your way to or from Brazil or Paraguay – relax for a few days and enjoy the tropical warmth.

Click here for a free guide to backpacking in Argentina.

Photo of the Day - Rickshaws in Jaisalmer Fort

Rickshaws galore in Jaisalmer Fort, Rajasthan, India

When we last visited Jaisalmer it hadn't rained for seven years and this will tell you a lot about what to expect from this oasis in the Rajasthani desert near the Pakistani border. Many tourists come to visit the giant sand-castle that is Jaisalmer Fort, which is a fascinating experience in itself, but the one thing that you shouldn't leave here without doing is a camel safari out into the Thar desert (expect a tout to approach you selling a safari about once every five minutes...). You'll feel like Lawrence of Arabia as you head out into the dunes, eat a delicious dinner as the sun sets and count the shooting stars as you drift off to sleep – fantastic.


Click here for our free guide to travelling in India.

funtotravel.info TIPS: Should I take my laptop with me when I go travelling?

As long as you have it adequately insured and carry it in a bag that protects it properly then we would definitely recommend taking a laptop that is wifi enabled. Not only does it make it easy to access funtotravel.info, your emails, blogs and Skype while you're travelling, but it also makes it easier to back up your photos, upload and share them and also download music and movies.

It's fair to say that you certainly won't feel like the odd one out if you take your laptop away – an increasing number of people are doing so. So much so that you might find yourself fighting for sockets in the communal area of hostels these days!

You will find so many places with free wifi when you travel: hotels, hostels, restaurants, internet cafés and libraries. This makes it easier than ever to stay in touch with people.

We would though recommend that you are careful with your laptop. Either buy a daypack with a purpose built laptop sleeve in it, or make sure that you have a separate sleeve and that your laptop is carefully stored. Invest in a decent lock and always make sure you carry it on you in your daysack rather than risk leaving it in your main bag in the luggage compartment of buses or trains where it could get damaged, stolen or ravaged by dirt and rain.

Finally, ensure that your laptop is adequately insured and make sure that any important documents or photos that you have on it are backed up in a separate location (i.e. an email account or a CD).

Photo of the Day - Sydney Harbour Bridge

View of the Harbour Bridge from North Sydney

Although we've chosen to show it here, Sydney is more than just a bridge and an opera house! With world class beaches, dining, attractions and nightlife, miss it at your peril! One of the most naturally beautiful cities in the world, it should be part of every backpacker's itinerary in Oz, whether you fancy surfing in Bondi, drinking in edgy King's Cross, holding Koalas in Taronga Zoo or (yes, we know...) climbing the Harbour Bridge, you will never forget your trip to Sydney.

Click here for our free guide to travelling in Australia.

Photo of the Day - Kyoto, Japan



Boasting 17 Unesco world heritage sites and over 2,000 shrines and temples, Kyoto is the cultural and spiritual home of Japan. Perhaps more of an insight into the way Japan used to be pre- Westernisation, it’s not unlikely that a wander down many of the City’s streets will see you come face to face with a Geisha, rather than the usual huddles of well-heeled teenagers. Take a moment to explore the outskirts of the city, where practitioners of Wabi-sabi and traditional landscape gardening will conjure nostalgic imagery of Samurai from a gone by era. Be sure to check out Ginkaku-ji temple at opening/closing time for a sense of real tranquillity.

Click here for our FREE guide to backpacking in Japan.

Photo of the Day - Mount Bromo, Indonesia

The moonscape surrounding Mount Bromo as the mist spreads over the otherworldly Sea of Sand

Mount Bromo - Java, Indonesia is situated at the Eastern area of Java, this magnificent volcano (or group of volcanoes to be precise) is a must-see on the route across from Jakarta to Bali. Bromo is accessed from Cemoro Lawang and is best seen at sunrise as the mist across the sea of sand clears to reveal an incredible lunar landscape. The crater itself can be reached by jeep, horse or foot and seeing its sea of rock, lava and sand truly is an experience of a lifetime.


Click here to read our FREE guide to backpacking in Indonesia

Photo of the Day - Peaceful waters off Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Sihanoukville, Cambodia: Relax, kick off your shoes and take a break from temple-spotting and the heart-rending sights of Phnom Penh. The beach at Sihanoukville is a great one, lined with low-rise thatched beach bars and restaurants: the night-life, though years behind its brasher neighbours in Thailand, is fun and buzzing. Take boat trips out to uninhabited tropical islands, indulge in some decent diving or visit Ream National park to spot monkeys and dolphins amongst the mangroves.


For our free guide to backpacking in Cambodia, please click here.

Photo of the Day: Isla del Pescado, Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

Whether you chose to explore the area from Uynui or Tupiza, you will see more incredible landscapes on your trip to south west Bolivia than you could ever imagine. Stunningly beautiful in a very barren and rugged way; expect to see volcanoes, flamingos, geysers, hot springs, and of course the world famous salt plains (the Salar) themselves. Most backpackers touring the area choose to take a trip in 4X4 complete with local driver/guide and cook – prepare yourself for a few days where you will be constantly wowed by the scenery and also by just how brain-numbingly cold it can get at 5000m above see level!


Click here for our free guide to Bolivia.

funtotravel.info TIPS: How much money do I need to go travelling?

An answer to this question is a real moving feast! It depends on a few different factors (not an exhaustive list):

 · Where you choose to travel to.

· What kind of accommodation you require.

· Whether you intend to go out and party a lot.

The best advice we can give you is to look at the funtotravel.info Country guides for each place you plan on visiting on your trip for an idea of a daily budget. If you want to stay in a basic private room, eat out once a day in a cheapish restaurant and have a few drinks in the evening, we would give these figures as a very, very rough guide:


· If you plan to travel in South East Asia, India, Nepal, Bolivia, most of East and West Africa or most of Central America, then a realistic daily budget is US$50 a day.

· If you are going to travel in Western Europe, the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand or Brazil, the expect to get through up to US$100 a day and quite possibly beyond.

· For other countries and regions expect that figure to be somewhere between the two.


At the bottom end of the scale, if you really wanted to live on a shoestring budget then you could probably halve all of the figures listed above. This would mean sleeping in a dorm room in a hostel or camping, self-catering and either walking or travelling by public transport. You would also struggle to get out in the evening for a few beers in a bar on this limited budget.


Of course every day is different – with these figures we have tried to take into account those budget-busting one-off fees, like a skydive in Australia, a trek in Nepal, a trip to Machu Picchu in Peru or a visit to the Taj Mahal in India. Remember to account for these one off expenses when you are budgeting – they tend to be the things you remember forever.


To balance these big expenses out there are bound to be days when you end up doing very little: days sat on the beach, days nursing a hangover, days spent in transit etc. What we’re trying to say is that every day will be different, but make sure you have enough cash available to ensure that you don’t miss out on the things that make your trip so special.

Photo of the Day - Huacachina Sand Dunes, Peru

Vast sand dunes near Huacachina, Peru - great for sandboarding!

Lacking historical importance and cultural charm, Huacachina is the kind of place to kick back, pass a couple of days under the sun and replenish your travelling zest. Near the city of Ica (where the buses will bring you) and on the road between Lima and Arequipa, Huacachina is a small village of hotels and backpacker hostels built around a manmade lake and in the midst of colossal sand dunes. The ‘oasis’ feel may be a bit contrived, but this is a town built for travellers, with plenty of activities of the adrenaline-boosting (dune buggies and sandboarding amongst others) or more sedate (vineyard tours) variety, as well as the option of just sitting by the pool all day. It is also a great base for exploring the enigmatic Nazca Lines carved into the sand about 60 miles south – the nerve-racking plane ride is the best way to marvel at the bizarreness of these pre-Incan drawings.

For our free guide to travelling in Peru, please click here.

Photo of the Day - Beach scene in Langkawi, Malaysia

Beautiful Pantai Cenang beach, Langkawi Malaysia

We loved the beautiful beaches on modern Langkawi, but not necessarily the rampant development in parts of it. Most of the budget islands are on or around the pretty beach at Pantai Cenang (as well as quieter Pantai Tengah), so bring your sunscreen and enjoy the duty-free beer. It's a beautiful island, with plenty on offer from mangrove tours and eagle feeding as well as diving, island hopping and the chance to take a trip up the Langkawi cable car to admire views over the mountains and beaches.

Click here for our free guide to Malaysia.

funtotravel.info TIPS: How Will I Get My Laundry Done on the Road?

Your're probably laughing reading this, thinking 'why the hell would I think about that?', but...

...this is the kind of issue that we never really thought about before we went away, but it is information that is vital if you’re away for anything more than a couple of weeks. If you are travelling around Australia, Western Europe or anywhere similar, expect to spend a surprising amount of time doing your laundry over the course of your trip! The situation with laundry depends which part of the world you are in, we would summarise the situation as follows:

Southeast Asia, India, Nepal: most guest houses and hotels will take in your laundry and have it washed for you, typically for around US$1 and less per kilo. It will usually come back smelling sweetly and be ironed. If your guesthouse is one of the few not to provide the service, ask at reception and you will no doubt find a place within a couple of minutes walk that will do your laundry for you for similar if not cheaper prices. Expect to have your laundry back within 24 hours. Bear in mind that if it happens to be raining then laundry will not dry as quickly since it is dried out in the open.

South and Central America: a minority of guest houses will have in house laundry services for a reasonable amount (again think around US$1 per kilo), but if you’re in a more upmarket hotel, stay away from the laundry service as they are likely to do a stupidly expensive per-item wash (i.e. $1 for a t-shirt, 50c for a pair of underpants etc). Your best bet is to ask the staff where you’re staying where the local launderette is and take it down there. Launderettes in this part of the world tend only to deal with service washes – i.e. you take in your washing, the staff will take it off your hands and wash it for you and typically you pick it up the next day. Again this will cost around US$1 per kilo of laundry.

There are easier ways of getting your clothes clean - the banks of the River Ganges, Varanasi, India

Europe, the US, Canada, China, Japan, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand: bad news I’m afraid – unless you are willing to shell out a lot for item by item hotel laundry services, you are going to be washing your clothes yourself. Many hostels (and even campsites in the case of Australia and New Zealand) have in house laundry rooms with coin operated washers and dryers. If this is not the case, the hostel will be able to tell you where the local launderette is – most of these will be of the coin operated variety so plan on having a few hours spare to do your laundry as and when necessary!

Africa: outside of South Africa the situation with laundry is, pardon the pun, a real mixed bag. A lot of hostels and guesthouses have a laundry room where you’ll be able to wash your own clothes (most likely coin operated), while others will have a laundry service that should be fairly inexpensive and saves you the time taken to sort it out yourself.

Photo of the Day - Colca Canyon, Peru

Trekking in magnificent Colca Canyon, near Arequipa, Peru

Although not officially the deepest canyon in the world (that accolade goes the Cañon del Cotahuasi, about 50 miles to the west), the Cañon del Colca is the second deepest and the more accessible, and certainly worth the trip out of Arequipa. Organised tours are not everyone’s idea of adventure, but the tour firms in Arequipa provide the simplest way of visiting the canyon in one/two/three night packages, including varying degrees of hiking and sometimes rafting. Tours pass through the barren Parque Nacional de Salinas, where you’ll see wild alpacas, llamas and vicuñas foraging, before descending into the canyon. Although itineraries vary, the highlight of most people’s trip is rising early to see the condors soaring off the thermals at Cruz del Condor. The sight of the world’s largest bird swooping overhead (sometimes a little too close for comfort) is worth the trip alone.


Click here for our free guide to Peru!

Photo of the Day - Sunset in Vang Vieng, Laos

Sunset in Laos's party destination, Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng


Love it or hate it , this Disneyland for backpackers has it become one of the 'it' destinations of South East Asia. A small village set in some incredible mountain scenery, full of bars showing Friends and The Simpsons on loop while flipping out burgers and fries, Vang Vieng is not an authentic experience. But it is a hell of a lot of fun. Floating down the river in a tractor tube stopping at bars and taking on some ridiculous rope swings (aka tubing) is the must-do activity in this part of the world – yes it's shamelessly tacky and more than a little dangerous but for a lot of people it's the highlight of their trip. If you can't beat them, join them!


Click here for our free guide to Laos.

Photo of the Day - Banjul, the Gambia

Young entrepreneurs, ferry port, Banjul, the Gambia

Going on a Gap Year and not sure where to go or how to start planning? Want to go travelling but in need of some inspiration and tips? Use our advise me page for FREE, ON-DEMAND, UNBIASED travel advice written JUST FOR YOU!

funtotravel.info also offers informative and practical country profiles, real-time travellerreviews for destinations around the world, as well as social networking for backpackers, connecting you on the road like never before. What are you waiting for? Sign up today!

For more information on what we offer and who we are, please check out our FAQ section.