Hi, I'm 28 and I've always wanted to travel but I never had the chance, after beating cancer I now want to chase my dream and see more of the world, please give me some advice?
Hey Mel,
Thank you. I just handed in my notice, so if my doctors approve (which I'm sure they will) I'll be off in March, yay!!
I'm becoming a bit concerned with the backpack though because of my lower back problems. Can you advise of any good shops that will give me good advise with regards to which pack I should travel with?
Also what can hostels be like.? I've heard lots of good things but they're all different and I'm really curious, like do they offer a safe for your valuables (passport credit cards etc) I'm worried about leaving my pack in the room when going to use the bathroom or something.
Liz
Reply to this hi Liz,
A lot of hostels do offer lockers which you can use with your own padlock. The best guide to hostels apart from forums like this are reviews from travellers who have stayed there.
hostelworld and
Hostelbookers are popular sites for hostels.
Reply to this Thank you. I just handed in my notice, so if my doctors approve (which I'm sure they will) I'll be off in March, yay!!
Congratulations, on taking the big step! 😊
I'm becoming a bit concerned with the backpack though because of my lower back problems. Can you advise of any good shops that will give me good advise with regards to which pack I should travel with?
I always travel with as little stuff as possible. I generally take less than 10 KG. It is not just good for it you have back problems, but it is also more relaxing getting from here to there, if you dont have a huge heavy backpack. I dont know of any shops in particular, because I am not fussy about my bags. I just buy any no brand one that looks like it will hold all my stuff.
Most hostels these days have safes at least big enough for laptops. Some even have lockers big enough for backpacks. As regards going to the bathroom, I would get a moneybelt/wallet to wear under your clothes that straps around your waist to put money, passport, credit cards... in. Also a small bag to put things such as phone, laptop... in so you can take it to the bathroom with you in cafes etc. In hostels lock it in a locker.
Mel
Reply to this Hi Liz,
Congratulations on your recovery 😊 And awesome about your travel plans. I travel a lot so I hopefully I can offer some insight...
I'm Canadian but I live in Amsterdam. I'm lucky to have an EU passport so I traveled quite a bit before making this place my home. I have also been to Italy, which I loved and if it's on your list, it's definitely worth taking the trip. Amsterdam is called the Venice of the North because of it's many canals, so if you haven't considered it, I would add it to.
Another benefit of being in Amsterdam, is that because of the large Moroccan community, travel to Morocco is common and you can get some cheap flights - the same is the case with Turkey.
I see that many people have already mentioned travel by rail. In many countries you can buy a travel card for national rail, and for a small additional fee it gets you extra discounts on travel abroad as well, which might be worth looking into. If you're coming from London, eurolines busses are also a good option. They're convenient because tickets are cheap, stops are right in city centers, and you don't have to do a lot of waiting like at airports. I traveled from London to France with stops in Belgium and the Netherlands for no more than 15euros each ticket. So, if you book ahead, you can get some really good deals especially if you're looking to travel shorter distances.
A trip to Australia and Asia sounds awesome as well 😊 I've never been myself, but hope to go one day.
I didn't mention that I was born in Poland and traveled around Easter Europe a bit, so let me know if any of those countries end up on your list!
Good luck! Reply to this Hello, Thankyou so much :-)
I'm going to go bag hunting today, I dont care about the brand, I just want something that wont aggravate my lower back.
Thank you Jo, I will have a little browse on those websites :-)
Mell, thank you, your advise is always great x
Thank you Anna, I would love to explore more of Europe when I get the chance, especially Italy, but at the moment with only 3 months to travel, I'll have to stick with Asia and Austrailia for now. xx
For South-East Asia is it advisable for me to take water purification tablets??
xxxxx
Reply to this For South-East Asia is it advisable for me to take water purification tablets??
I never take them. I have always been able to buy bottled water everywhere and it is not expensive. Maybe if you go trekking they would be necessary. But, hopefully somebody will post firsthand experience here about that, because I never go trekking. 😊
Reply to this First hand experience - yes - but only for trekking 😊 even then - you might not need them.
Reply to this Hello Everyone,
My flight is all booked now, yay!!!
Here is my itenerary:
Tokyo - 6 days
Perth 15 days
cairns - sydney 5 wks
Aukland - christchurch 3.5 wks
Thailand 3 wks.
What do you think???
I'm now really nervous, especially about Tokyo... anyone able to give me any advise or tips??
As I've never travelled can you tell me any hostel etiquettes I need to know, or are these different to each
country? Do I need to book them in advance? How do I locate them?? I'm really anxious, I'm worried I'm going to be sleeping on park benches :-s
Help!!
xxx
Reply to this What do you think???
Looks pretty exciting ot me. What is your actual flight date?
These days you can easily book the hostels in advance on the internet. I would do this for everyplace except Thailand. In Thailand you can easily find guesthouses and beach huts to stay in everywhere you go. The there prices are better if you dont book on the internet and so is the variety.
There are sometimes threads on TravelBlog about hostel etiquette. The lists of do and donts that any person gives will depend on how tolerant, easy going... that person is. I will try to find one or some of these threads and post them here.
To locate the hostels, Google the city and hostel and a list will come up. You can book them there. Or else just go to the Front page of TravelBlog and click on 'Find a Hostel' at the top of the page. There are some good priced hostels listed there and you can book them there.
Reply to this Hey Liz,
Just noticed this thread and had to comment... MAJOR congrats on beating cancer... not an easy achievement.
I was in a very similar situation to you in 2006 at the grand old age of 26, (testicular cancer), once I finished all the treatments and given the all clear I decided I needed to mix things up a little. After a year of surveillance, (3 monthly checkups), my wife and I decided to travel for a year.
My schedule required continued 3 monthly checkups but after discussions with my oncologist it was felt I would be ok with one done just before I left, one at 6 months and one as soon as I arrived back home, so I engineered our itinerary so that at the midway point we'd be in Sydney.
My Doc gave me an info pack to give to the doctor, detailing what I need and although I had to pay for everything privately it was totally worth it, eased my mind and we were free to continue travelling. I even got all my scans on CD to give to my doc back home.
Not sure how you're feeling at this point (excited probably, you're going to have the best three months imaginable), but 4 years on I can honestly say, getting and beating cancer has changed me for the better. You never know how strong a person you are until you're tested, and as you know beating cancer in your twenties takes strength.
As for those destinations... I've visited them all, and can guarantee your trip is going to be amazing.
I'd book a hostel in Tokyo before you go, it's not a cheap destination at all and you don't want to get stuck and have to stay somewhere budget busting. We stayed at K's House, it was great. You must take a day trip to Nikko too, that was pretty amazing.
Have fun and travel safe... 😊
Mike.
Reply to this Helloooooo,
Not long left now, I fly out on the 4th of March. I've bought a rucksack wheelie bag and that's it!!!
Please please tell me what the essentials are that I need. I have a bag, but what essentials should I not leave the UK without??
I'm struggling with finding hostels, am spending today trying to book accommodations. I was hoping to
visit Kyoto but I dont think I have enough time in 5/6 days. I'm worried about finding my way to the hostel whan I get off at the airport, any help??
Also how do you conquer jetlag???
Mike, congrats to you beating cancer too, 4 yrs clear, that's brilliant. I've just made it to my 1 yr clear now!!
And travelling for 3 months is my reward., unfortunalty my docs do want to see me in 3 months which is why I cant travel longer :-( I totally agree with you, although I wish I never got this horrible disease, I'm so much braver now and confident than I used to be and it's all beacuse of my experience with cancer.
Do you have any other tips for me in Japan, this is the place I'm most nervous about??
Mell, I need some "female" advise, can you point me in the right direction??
I'll be back here soon panicking no doubt.
Love Liz xxx
Reply to this It's good to panic, and can be expected this close to a trip like this... 😊
As for Japan, I was pretty nervous before I went last year and I count myself as quite experienced when it comes to independant travel. I also had a 6 month old with me so was unsure how he would cope.
We had a blast. Like I said earlier, we stayed at a hostel called K's House, which was ace. Really friendly with good english speakers, good communal areas so plenty of oppurtunity to meet people. They also have good instructions on how to get to it from the airport using public transport.
5/6 days wouldn't really be long enough to go to Kyoto and give it the time it deserves but there's plenty in and around Tokyo.
I found this site invaluble when I was planning our trip:
http://www.japan-guide.com/
hope it helps?
Mike.
Reply to this Mell, I need some "female" advise, can you point me in the right direction??
Is the following what you are looking for? 😊
Girls only!! 😊 Reply to this Also how do you conquer jetlag???
What I try to do is drink plenty of water on the flight and after it. Then even if I am tired I try to stay awake at the destination until it gets dark. Then I have a good nights sleep and feel OK next morning. To help you stay awake until dark at the destination, either hang out with somebody or get on the internet. Both can distract you from the tiredness and help keep you awake.
Reply to this Heeey,
Thank you I will try to take your advise re jetlag..... am so nervous!!
Can I ask do I have to book every single accommodation now, or just my first few nights at each destination, and then book or walk into hostels whilst I'm travelling in Australia and NZ?
Hi Mike, K's House is fully booked so I'm still looking, many thanks for the advise xx
Also how do you carry money on you? I dont feel comfortable carrying everything on me in one go....
Hey Mel, have checked out those two forums many thanks hun xxxx
Sorry to keep bombarding you guys with questions the panic is really beggining to kick in now especially over this hostel and cash thing,,, and whatever else I think of.
Lots of Love
Liz xxx
Reply to this Sorry to keep bombarding you guys with questions
No problem! That is what the forums are for. 😊
As regards carrying money, many use a debit card. You can carry some cash, if you keep it concealed in a moneybelt or under clothes wallet. There are some threads about this too. I will dig them up tomorrow and post them here.
Reply to this Hi Liz,
Not sure of your exact dates, but the main holiday coming up for Japan is
Golden Week , and for NZ is the Easter/Autumn school holidays, 1 -19 April.
Japan is still very much a cash society, so I wouldn't expect to be able to use a credit card from home. On the plus side you won't have the sames concerns about carrying cash that you may have in other countries (doesn't mean you should be careless though of course 😊).
The most useful train line for getting around Tokyo is the JR Yamanote (the green circular loop) . I agree with Mike you should have no trouble filling your time just basing yourself in Tokyo.
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