Travel Blog Travel Guide

AKA: The Beginners Guide to Independent Travel

29 Replies:

Ali Watters
Post Count: 3859

Msg: #1 1645 days ago, May 8th 2005

The long awaited TravelBlog Travel Guide - aka "The Beginners Guide to Independent Travel" - has been released.

I've tried to produce a guide that will inspire first timers to take the plunge, deal with some of the practical aspects of travelling, on a long extended journey independently, reassure those worried about some of the aspects and ultimately be useful to people reading it.

I know many of the people reading here and on travelblog are experienced, seasoned, gnarled and in some cases grizzeled travellers - so I ask for feedback! - lots of it, details, suggestions, missing sections, constructive flaming - it will all be appreciated.

Thanks for the support from my family and friends (and editor! Ron) - it's probably the longest document I've ever written :)

[Edited: 15:27 - Ali ]

Ali

Ali Watters
Post Count: 3859

Msg: #2 1639 days ago, May 14th 2005

Thanks - I'll update this with the next rewrite.

Alisdad

Robert Watters
Post Count: 2

Msg: #3 1638 days ago, May 15th 2005

The Gutenburg project might be very useful for those who want to read and have a laptop. Download a book for free! Or find it on Google! I have't used it myself, yet. Over 6000 texts available.

[Edited: 13:45 - Matt ]

mleo21

Matt Crowley
Post Count: 1

Msg: #4 1496 days ago, October 4th 2005

Hey all,

Just wanted to let you know about a cool travel tool I discovered the other day. There's a website called Hz.com that provides free mobile information via specific queries through your phone or palm-pilot. For example, if you wanted to know the weather in Chicago, you could send a blank email/text to Hzweather*Chicago*IL@Hz.com and they send you back a text/email with the forecast.
There are all kinds of features like this that are great for travellers, such as directions, flight information, or even the location of the nearest starbucks! Anyway, you can find all the details at the website (www.Hz.com). Enjoy!

Alisdad

Robert Watters
Post Count: 2

Msg: #5 1477 days ago, October 23rd 2005

For those interested in Hohner G3T guitar, here are some (poorish) pictures to give a size comparison, with a full size acoustic!
Closeup
Full
Size
Extra close!

[Edited: 20:26 - Matt - Linked]

AnneQ

Anne McIntyre
Post Count: 2

Msg: #6 1473 days ago, October 27th 2005

We have just travelled from Australia to Germany and Italy, via Singapore, booking all our hotels via a couple of web sites that offered great discounts:

http://hotelhome.biz/ offered great last minute savings. We booked the Royal Plaza on Scotts in Singapore, paying a little extra for a Club Room. This turned out to be a great idea as the free evening cocktails were an endless supply of drinks and eats. We never made it out to dinner as there was so much to eat. The free afternoon tea was also great. Definatley to be recommended. On our return we had a change and stayed at the Pan Pacific, which was a great location, and we saved over $100 a night.

On our return to Perth we stayed in a Duke's Apartment, http://www.dukesapartments.com/, before heading south.

Karl Julie

Karl van Kessel
Post Count: 7

Msg: #7 1382 days ago, January 26th 2006

First Aid Kit - Ask your doctor/travel doctor for a general antibiotic. Should montazuma visit you, you can defend yourself. A general antibiotic can get you back on your feet quickly (1-3 days) rather than knock you down for a week.

Keep Smiling

Mike Fossey
Post Count: 20

Msg: #8 1378 days ago, January 30th 2006

Travellers' diarrhoea (aka Delhi Belly, Montezuma's Revenge...) is the most common illness for those away from home - take a look at almost any of the backpackers' blogs! I highlighted this in one of my own early blogs: "Be prepared 1", because I'd been struck down on every previous visit to India, even when I'd been ultra-careful about hygiene and what I ate.

The grapefruit seed extract idea has been tested, but the only difference I noticed was grapefruit-flavoured burps. However, my discovery of Travelan can only be described as life changing!

I've recently returned from two weeks in India, spent mostly with an Indian friend, and I ate things I've never tried before in places I would never have even dreamed of going before - and the magic Travelan pills, which you take before eating rather than after you've got the awful symptoms of nausea, vomiting and the runs, worked one hundred percent. My emergency pack of Imodium remained sealed, as did my digestive system.

Travelan's quick and easy to obtain from Australia. They may not be cheap at USD19.90 for 30 tablets, plus mailing, but they certainly beat wasted days in bed and constant excursions to the loo.

Keep smiling!

[Edited: 10:36 - Keep Smiling - grammar!]

Nywoman

Fanny Farkas
Post Count: 1

Msg: #9 1377 days ago, January 31st 2006

I keep a copy of all my travel documents as a webfile in my Yahoo mail account. This way when and if something is lost it can always be retrieved without expensive phonecalls etc. When my passport disappeared in Ecuador the embassy could retrieve a copy very easily.
You did a great job putting this together

Ali

Ali Watters
Post Count: 3859

Msg: #10 1350 days ago, February 27th 2006

A few more helpful titbits - will be rewriting the whole guide soon...

Mail 2 web = a way to access your email account from the road (assuming you're not using hotmail/gmail etc)
Vpod = a replacement for itunes - much simpler package and much smaller down load.

Gravol - ultimate sleep inducement, an anti-motionsickness tablet that just knocks me out. Popular in Canada and perfect for overnight bus trips.

Vitamin B12 - anti-hangover properties... got to find some research to back this up...

Ibu

Vicki Ogg
Post Count: 1

Msg: #11 1293 days ago, April 25th 2006

Hi Ali,
Thanks so much for your Travel Guide. I've found so many things in it that I've been searching high and low for on the Net for the last few months.
This June I'm travelling for 6 months as a solo woman traveller to Peru, Ecuador, Galapagos Islands and further on to Spain and Portugal. As I've never done anything remotely like this before and besides the excitement, there has been quite a bit of angst at the enormity of what I am going to do.
Your Guide contains so much practical and personally applicable info and yet it's free!!! I'd gladly have paid to acquire something as useful as your booklet and I'm sure others would feel the same.
Thanks again for all your efforts.
Vicki

Ali

Ali Watters
Post Count: 3859

Msg: #12 1291 days ago, April 27th 2006

Hey Vicki - thanks - glad the guide is useful :) - you'll have an awesome time and I hope you'll write back with some tips and tricks of your own in a few months!

Anywherebuthere

Jake Nielson
Post Count: 9

Msg: #13 1262 days ago, May 26th 2006

hey you should add a last-updated note at the introduction along with a short summary of updated sections

vicntol

vickie & rhys
Post Count: 1

Msg: #14 1191 days ago, August 5th 2006

really helpful for a first time, nervous traveller, thank you

wee brian

Brian McPherson
Post Count: 1

Msg: #15 1105 days ago, October 30th 2006

A fantastic resource for extended travel medicine is "Where There is No Doctor", by Hesperian press. Available for $22 USD, or download the whole thing for free from their site:

http://www.hesperian.org/publications_download.php#wtnd

TorGuy

Asim
Post Count: 17

Msg: #16 1004 days ago, February 7th 2007

Hi Folks,
I am from Toronto, Canada.

It is my 1st blog. The reason I chose euroblog was that I am planning to visit europe in June 2007. I will be going with my wife and 17 month son to raom around europe.

I would need a little help from any of you who, I am sure traveled several time to europe. First, I 'd like to go to London(london, because my cusion lives there i want to visit him), Germany, Denmark and Norway. What would be the best way to go. I browse the europass website. Is this the best way to go? any one can give me any best and cheapest way? where to stay during visit to those countries? cheapest accomodation?

Any suggestions as to what places to visit in those countries. Specially in Norway? I want to see midnight sun rise. i saw the pics on web. it is so cool.

Any suggestions, cautions etc.
Please advise. Will appreciate.

TorGuy

[Edited: 23:08 - TorGuy ]

budget traveler

L. A. Collins
Post Count: 1

Msg: #17 884 days ago, June 8th 2007

Here's a tip for making free phone calls when traveling abroad ... use one of the new Web phone services, like Jangl ... you can use the phone you already have and there's no int'l calling plan required. You just enter an email address for the person you want to call, and the service will connect you through a local number, on each end, to talk live. It's also useful when you don't have Internet access, because the service enables you to leave a voicemail that's delivered to email. Make sense?

One other thing ... if you're like me, my mobile access is restricted to the US, so even when I'm not traveling, these services are great for keeping in touch w/friends I make overseas.

Rolls

Keertika
Post Count: 1

Msg: #18 832 days ago, July 30th 2007

Hi ,
I am Keertika from www.IdiscoverIndia.com . I am glad to let you know that your website has been selected as “Recommended Resource for Reading” for other India Travelers by our editors.
www.IdiscoverIndia.com is the only independent third -party travel website that independently reviews places ,hotels, travel agents and any other things related to travel in India .
As part of our new program to provide adequate coverage and validity to acclaimed independent travel blogs and sites like yours we will be providing a link to your website from our site. We will also be listing your site in our “Favorite Listings” section on our site.
Moreover in next couple of weeks ,we will also be sending you our “Seal of Recommendation” - as a token of our appreciation.

Please let me know if there is some specific “Title” you want us to give your site a link from.
Also , if you want to give some introduction to yourself or your site for upto 150 words, please feel free to send me a note.

Thanks.

Regards,
- Keertika

vatoya

Vanesa Montoya
Post Count: 5

Msg: #19 741 days ago, October 29th 2007

Ali

Thank you so much for this guide. I´ve been planning my trip to India for quite a while but...surprinsingly I still found great advices...even so I got a new things-to-do list of things I didn´t remember.

You manage to give us a broad but integrated way of designing a good trip.

Hope to be writing soon giving some tips

sprucemoose

Justin
Post Count: 24

Msg: #20 723 days ago, November 16th 2007

Great stuff Ali, codifies all the essential things you need to know. Another reason why this is one of the two greatest websites on the entire Internet (the other being Facebook). I loved the Travel Types part, it's all so true...

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