February 16, 2014

You Know You're A Traveller When...

by Lindsay Shapka in Travel, Travel Tips

There are people who travel and then there are people who TRAVEL. I'm talking to those of you that have been jumping on and off planes solo before you were legally allowed too, those that have stayed in a $2 bed, on the floor of an airport, and in one of the nicest hotels all in the same city... YOU know who you are.

You know you're a diehard traveller when...

You don't need to get any immunizations before going on a trip because you have already had ALL of them (more than once).
Unless you are going trekking in the Amazon, you ignore the traveller health clinic's warning to take Malaria pills because you have tried them before and have decided that the hot flashes, vivid dreams, and flu-like symptoms aren't worth it. You pack mosquito spray instead.
You have more visas in your passport than in your wallet.
You always have mini shampoos, lotions, and toothpaste in your medicine cabinet just in case.
Every time you make a large purchase at home, you compare it to how many nights you could spend in Rome, or how far you could travel by RyanAir in Europe. (With the price of my rent per month, I could live, eat, travel, shop, and party in Thailand for a month... sigh.)
You know where all the plug-ins near comfortable chairs are located in all of the biggest airports (and chuckle as you walk by the suckers who are sitting on the floor to charge their computers.)
You lust over luggage.
Ever time you buy something new, you picture yourself wearing it on the streets of Paris.
When you've committed to a trip, it is all you can think about, talk about and shop for — even if it is still six months away.
Your walls are covered in maps and your bookshelf is overflowing with travel books.
Most of your friends on Facebook are from other countries — as are most of your photos.
You relate more to the question "Where have you been?" than "What do you do?"
You always have duct tape and a swiss army knife close by
You look forward to eating airplane food

Got any more? Share them in the comments section below!

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October 27, 2013

22 Quirky, Unique, and Wonderful Things To Love About Thailand

by Lindsay Shapka in Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Tips

There are so many reasons to love Thailand — many more than the 22 listed here — but these are some of my most favorite things about the Thai culture, and should give you some insight into why so many people make this country their vacation destination!

October 12, 2013

6 Reasons Why You (ladies) Should Stay In The Co-ed Room At A Hostel

by Lindsay Shapka in Travel, Travel Tips

As a solo female traveller, sleeping in a room with a bunch of male strangers might seem like the LAST thing you want to do. But trust me, it has its benefits. Here's why you should sleep in the co-ed room at a hostel.

1. Women are waaaaaay messier

True story ladies. Walk into the 'women only' room at the hostel and it will look like everyone's bag exploded. (Hey, I'm the first to admit that I end up pulling everything out of my bag when settling in). Guys seem to be able to keep their stuff neater, in their bag, or at least confined to their bunk and out of the way (don't ask me how).

2. They cost less

Yup, the more 'exclusive' segregated rooms are often a few dollars more. It isn't a crazy amount, but is enough to make a difference if you are travelling long-term or on a budget.

3. Men are protective

Not that I am saying you need protecting ladies! Hell, you are travelling solo! BUT, it is in the nature of the average male to look out for the average female. If nothing else, you will have a few people who notice when you are coming and going, and who might want to chat with you about your day.

4. In my experience, males staying in a room where there are women they don't know are extremely respectful

I stayed in a co-ed room in Paris with five guys — I was the only girl. All of them would get up and ready as quickly as possible in the morning to give me my space and full access to the bathroom. It was actually really sweet, and a trend that I have seen repeated over and over.

5. Co-ed rooms are full of friendly couples!

Couples who opt out of private rooms, or cheap hotels, to stay in hostel dorms are the kind of couples who want to socialize and meet new people — especially the innocent solo female traveller in the bunk next to them. I have been asked to join these travellers on many occasions and have made some really great friends because of it.

6. There is usually a bed available

The co-ed room is usually the last to fill up because most people automatically ask for a female only, male only, or private room. You are pretty much guaranteed a place to sleep in the mixed dorm.

What Room Should You Stay In At a Hostel?

The Co-Ed Room In a Hostel is the Best Room in The Place!

Travel Tips: The Best Games to Play on Long Travel Days (these are also great Icebreakers!)

by Lindsay Shapka in Travel, Travel Tips, Travel Adventures

There is, surprisingly, a lot of downtime when you travel.

There are those long train and bus rides, cramped flights, and hours after the sun goes down and the sights are closed, but you are not yet ready for bed.

What do you do to fill this time?

Well, there are the usual things — reading, writing, listening to music, watching that movie you put on your iPod for the millionth time. But, my favourite thing to do (and a great way to make new travel friends) is by playing a game that forces you to chat with the person across from you in the train or on the other side of the bar.

My first game suggestion, Would You Rather, is one that I am sure many of you have heard of (there are board games made out of it now), but things can get a bit crazy when you are on the road and forced to come up with (often inappropriate) questions of your own. I was introduced to this game in Italy, on a train from Venice to Rome, by a group of Aussies sitting across from me.

The first question they asked me was: “Would you rather have to wear a cardigan for the rest of your life OR listen to the annoying song by The Cardigans EVERY time a song was playing?”

Now, you may have an instant reaction to one choice or the other, but here is where the fun of this game comes in — asking questions.

Will it mean that if you get married you have to wear a cardigan over your wedding dress? Would you have to wear it swimming? Would the song come on in every bar you went to and just play over and over?

See, it's not as easy as you might think, and what the game really comes down to is that no matter which option you choose, they both suck! It took me about 20 minutes to answer the cardigan question alone (clearly a great way to pass the time) and, as you can imagine, they only got more complicated from there. One of those Aussie guys from that train and I kept in touch for years, emailing ridiculous Would You Rather questions to each other from opposite sides of the world!

I was introduced to another fun meet-people-travel-game while in a bar in Vietnam.

My friend and I had just grabbed a drink and were sitting together, hoping the half empty place we were in would fill up and become more of a party than it was at that moment. We had only been in the country for a few days and had left the people that we had met behind in Hanoi the night before, so we were in the mood to make some new friends.

As we were finishing our first drinks, a guy came and sat down at our table with us and said in an Australian accent; “Don’t say anything.” Then pointing at my friend he said; “You are Irish,” and then turning to me, “and you are from Denmark. Right?!”

We both laughed and said no, we were from Canada. As soon as he heard our voices he cringed and yelled over our heads, “They’re Canadians, we were all wrong!” Turning around, we noticed a group people standing over in the corner laughing.

Apparently, they were playing a game where they would pick a person in the bar, and make bets on where the person was from just by looking at them. You were not permitted to leave the group (at the risk of getting close enough to hear them talking) until all bets were made, and then someone was nominated to go and guess where they were from to their face.

The game had started with just two guys and by the time we joined to play, they had gathered three more. By the end of the night we had a group of about ten and ended up travelling together for the rest of our time in Vietnam, picking up people as we went thanks to our nationality guessing game. Best icebreaker ever!

What sorts of games to you play to fill the time on your adventures? Do you have any good Would You Rathers for me?

Hitchhiking: Where Is It Legal And Would You Do It?

by Lindsay Shapka in Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Tips

We've all seen them (or been them).

The scruffy looking traveller, overstuffed pack on their back, a bandana either on their head or around their neck, thumb out, and holding a sign to try and entice you to pull over and give them a ride.

You can't deny that hitchhiking is an incredibly affordable, unique and adventurous way to travel. You meet some VERY interesting people, and end up in places that you have never even dreamed of heading before.

But you also can't deny that this form of travel comes with some pretty high risks.

I have only hitchhiked once (and I don't know that it even really counts as hitchhiking), in a small town just outside of Paris. My friend and I had just gotten off the train and were trying to get to her cousin's house, where we were going to crash for the night, and we approached a young looking couple loading things into their car for directions. Taking pity on the two of us (we were pretty scruffy looking at that point), they offered to take us to our destination. So, we jumped into the back of their large, windowless unmarked van (in retrospect, maybe not the smartest vehicle to catch a ride in) and hoped that they were actually taking us to our destination.

Luckily we trusted the right people and got there safely, but, after watching one too many crime shows where the hitchhiker turns out to be an axe murderer — or the person who picks up the hitchhiker keeps them captive in their basement for ten years — I was more than a little nervous!

I have recently been following the progress of fellow travel blogger, the Expert Vagabond, who has been hitchhiking across the United States, documenting his travels (and all the creative signs that he used to snag a ride).

Where I live, picking up hitchhikers is illegal, and watching his progress has got me wondering where it is actually legal to embark on this form of travel.

“RABIES FREE (Since June)”

— a sign held by the Expert Vegabond while hitchhiking in the USA

After a bit of quick research, I have discovered that in MOST of the world (other than North America) hitchhiking from the side of the road is not only legal, it's encouraged! Some countries (like the Netherlands) even have designated areas at the side of the road for hitchhikers to wait at.

Being female, I would still be wary to jump into a car with a stranger unless I had a travel buddy with me, and the same goes for picking someone up.

What do you think? Would you hitchhike? Would you pick up a hitchhiker?

Durian Fruit: It Tastes Delicious But Smells Like Roadkill — Would You Try It?

by Lindsay Shapka in Travel, Travel Tips

It is described as having a smell that is overwhelming, revolting and reminiscent of rotten onions, turpentine, and raw sewage. A smell that penetrates fabric and remains on your hands for days. It has even been banished from hotels, public transit and public spaces because the smell has been known to linger in the air for days.

Yet, the soft, delicate, creamy fruit apparently tastes delicious (if you can get past the smell — I admit that I never have).

What is this strange food that I speak of?

The durian fruit.

Trust me, I do not usually shy away from street food, even when I can't identify it, but this large, spiky fruit — known as the King of Fruits — has bested me. But it isn't just me, most Westerners find the smell too offensive to get near, let alone eat.

The fruit can be found all over South East Asia, with Thailand being the largest exporter of it — they even hold an annual World Durian Festival each May in Chantaburi.

What makes it smell so bad, you ask?

A study conducted in 1995 discovered esters, sulphur, and ketones (the compound responsible for morning breath) all present in the fruit (GROSS).

So why on earth are people eating the stuff?

First of all, it is apparently really good for you as it contains a generous natural source of magnesium, potassium, copper, folate, thiamin, and other elements that are often missing from our diets.

Second of all, and most interestingly, the fruit contains super high levels of tryptophan (the same amino acid found in chocolate) which explains why those that eat it claim that it is addictive and hard to put down once you start eating it. Apparently is produces euphoria when eaten as a dessert.

Have you been brave enough to try this smelly fruit before? I would love to hear what you thought of it!

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July 4, 2013

Travel Tales: Riding A Roller Coaster Up The Great Wall Of China

by Lindsay Shapka in Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Tips

I had spent my first full day in Beijing walking all over the city. I went from my hostel to Mao's Mausoleum, through Tiananmen Square, and into the Forbidden Palace complex that seemed to stretch for miles. Then I hopped in a cab and headed to the Temple of Heaven complex and a hutong before sitting down for a delicious dinner of Peking Duck — it was a BIG day.

So, despite my aversion to organized tours — they usually involve getting taken to a souvenir shop or wasting time at a sub-par restaurant — the next day I welcomed the chance to sit on a tour bus for a few hours as it wound its way through the suburbs of Beijing towards one of the most famous walls in the world — The Great Wall of China.

“It is often said that the Great Wall can be seen from the moon with the naked eye, but in 2003, China’s first astronaut Yang Liwei failed to spot the famous barrier from space”

Building started on this must-see sight (considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of The World) over 2000 years ago when China was unified under one Emperor.

Separate walls that had been constructed by individual kingdoms were linked together to create the wall as it exists today. Hundreds of thousands of workers (most were prisoners of the Emperor) used earth and stone to form the original wall — legend has it that the bones of some of these workers, who were worked like slaves, were also one of the building materials.

Though the wall never was the impenetrable wall of defense that it was meant to be, it acted like an elevated highway through incredibly mountainous terrain, and a way of sending signals over a vast territory very quickly.

The majority of the wall has now badly disintegrated, but thanks to the tourist industry, it is continually being restored.

My tour took me to the most popular part of the wall 70 km north of Beijing called, Badaling. I realized that I really was on a "tour" when my bus pulled up to a bus filled parking lot and our guide ushered us into a dark building.

Once my eyes adjusted to the light, I noticed a few benches and what looked like a roller coaster... A ROLLER COASTER?!

I blinked again just to make sure, but yup — apparently my tour ticket involved a roller coaster ride up the side of the mountain to the top of the wall. Tourism at its best. Only in China do ancient ruins and roller coasters go hand in hand.

The part of the wall just outside the roller coaster drop-off was packed with people, but because I was there in April, and during the week, it was pretty quiet once I passed through a few of the watchtowers. Some sections were even completely deserted, making for some amazing photo opportunities.

If you are planning on visiting the wall yourself, try to avoid May-August.

The pollution in China is pretty awful, and when smog mixes with the heat you can barely see a few feet in front of you and the view is badly compromised.

If you must go during the hot season, I recommend visiting the wall first thing in the morning to try and see as much as you can before the smog descends.