A few hints for travelers...
Introduction
This note was originally only a few advices based on personal experiences and observations that will reduce the risk of troubles when backpacking and increase your interaction with local folks. I end up by adding many more things that came to my mind about various subjects.
Table of content:
Preliminary remarks
- Some advices seems obvious, but most of it is based on real things I've seen or heard. Sometimes, you'll smile about it, and so did I.
- Remember that your reactions might be very different when you're immerged in a completely different and unknown environment and/or under stress.
- This is obviously not exhaustive, neither it's the absolute truth. It's all very personal and subjective. Your comments, experiences and tips are more than welcome here.
- Check out other info & hints to prepare and enjoy your trip even more!
Use your good sense & feelings!
- Miracles don't exist in the real world. If the deal is too good, there will be some bad surprises later on. There's no reason someone will propose you to make a huge sum of money for doing a very simple and risk-less thing. He would do it himself. So forget about transporting stuff for a cousin, cheap diamonds you'll resell a fortune home, magic carpets & alike. If you feel you're in a trap, run away (pretend you have to catch a bus or meet a friend), don't try to find other excuses to leave the place, those guys are used to counter any of your arguments.
- Trust your guts: if you don't feel a place, don't stay there.
- Same for restaurant. As a rule of thumb, the more people (especially locals) eating there, the best, most traditional and safest. Explore local food, don't stick to pizza or burger. That's also part of the adventure!
- Similarly with people (locals or travelers), if you don't feel them, don't stay with them, don't buy their tours, don't go to eat at their place, don't follow them, ... . No need to be paranoiac, but pay special attention with :
- Touts (the guys who wait at the touristic places, bus stations, ...), their deals are usually not that good at the end of the day.
- Taxi drivers (and any other mean of transport) when claiming that an hotel is closed or similar stories. They have commission with other hotels if they bring in people. Try also to have a vague idea of the route they're supposed to follow and don't hesitate to tell them that you're not stupid and you realized they're going the wrong direction.
- Pseudo-tourist stuck in a country for too long. They might get involved in scam when they run out of money, and use their "similarity with you" to get your confidence.
- The "last seat on that tour" or the incredible "last minute deal that you have to sign-up right now". Take your time to shop around for the best deal.
- Try to figure out what is the interest of the person you're talking with when asking questions or analyzing responses (e.g. don't be surprised if a tour operator tells you it's dangerous to go on a trek on your own, remember he's trying to sell you his tour and guide.)
Preparing your trip
- The first thing to build a "high-level plan" of what you want to see or live, how much time you plan to travel and a budget. Then there are a few very important things to keep in mind:
- Check the weather for the whole trip and adapt your itinerary to what you want to do. Leaving at the "wrong" time or starting from the "wrong" place might mean you'll have bad weather for 6 months. Note that it might be what you want, so there's nothing really wrong. It's just about being aware that e.g. some roads are closed during rainy season (or the trip might take 3 times longer) or that planning to ski in the Andes in December is not optimal.
- Define a rough budget and the type of travel you expect (camping, hostel or hotel), and compare with the cost of living in the coutries you'll visit. I wouldn't travel in a specific place where I won't be able to afford visiting the main sites, doing basic activities, trying the local foods and drinks, or having a bit of fun. Traveling is not about staying in your dorm all day long and eating self-cooked pastas because everything is too expensive. Most of the top visited places are very expensive. And for some of them, there's no alternative then "Pay and do with a tour". Be aware of those and plan the necessary budget if it's on your top list. Check the money I've spend during my World Tour.
- Distances. I've heard so many times "I'm planning to go from Lima to Santiago with a quick stop in Rio". Sounds good, but have a look at the map. It's a bit like going from Rome to Barcelona with a stop in Moscow... Keep in mind that some countries are really huge. And transports are not cheap. Might cheap per hour, but when you cumulate 27 hours in a bus, it get expensive at the end.
In principle, I never fly (except intercontinental, to go on islands or when it's really competitive vs. buses) as I prefer to explore as much as I can of a country before going to the next one, so I travel overland from border to border.
So it takes even more time, but that's part of the local experience!
- Don't make too many plans and avoid booking too many things in advance. You plans will change all the time and it's a pitty to have to rush because of a plane ticket. You'll stay longer in places that you like, skip some other places because all the feedback you got is not what you read on the net, hook up with people and travel a bit with them, extend your stay just because you love what you live. And that's the fun about traveling and being free!
- Check some more admin hints before you leave.
Local people, logic and culture
- Don't expect the whole world to think like you and have the same logic as you. Many times you'll tell a local "But it's obvious!!! Why didn't you tell/warm/...me before???". Yes, it might seem obvious to you, but it's not for them, they have different rationales. You might want to try to understand them, and I can only recommend that, but don't be disappointed if you don't succeed... .
- In some culture, saying "No" or "I don't know" means losing the face. So people will respond the best they can, but it might be far from being sufficient and not helpful at all. A simple way to avoid a "fake yes" response is to use open questions, i.e. using "Where is the station?" instead of "Is it the right way to the station?".
- Don't hesitate to double or triple check information, especially if you're sure at only 99%.
- Learn (at least) a few word of the local language, it will change radically the way people perceive you and enrich dramatically the experience.
- No-one will eat you. Don't hesitate to go and talk to people and share a beer. Locals are the best source of information.
- Couch Surfing is a very good way to meet local people and see the place from another angle.
Do you speak Swiss?
No, I speak neither Swedish nor Swiss. There are 4 official languages in Switzerland, depending on the location. German, French, Italian and Romansh. In the western part of the country, where I live, French is the spoken language and hence it's my mother tongue. If you’re fluent in French but have a very limited culture, avoid telling me (or one of my peer) “Waow, your French is really good”, you'll look ridiculous.
Your stuff
- Be systematic when packing your gears. Store your items at the same place all the time. Firstly it will be easier to find them, secondly you'll notice immediately when something is missing and it might not be too late to go back to the hotel to pick it up.
- Always close the zips of your bags, even if you just take something for 5'. And always put back in the bag what you're not using. Avoid spreading your stuff on the table or in the pockets of the bus seats. You might have to rush out because you arrived early and will for sure forget something. Be especially careful if you have to leave stuff in the overhead compartment such as a hat or any large object.
- Never hide anything in your room, such as money, passport or other valuable. Rational:
- There's no good hidden or secret place in a basic room, and, guess what, the first place a thief will look at is under your mat.
- Once, you'll have to leave the room in a rush to catch a bus. And you'll realize later on that you forgot (if it's still under your mat) the most valuable items you had.
- Never leave valuables in your backpack, keep them with you in your daypack, especially on buses or other means of transport. Keep at the same place your earplugs, very useful in buses.
- If you're not confident with the security of a room, keep your valuables with you, or leave it at the reception (and ask for a receipt).
- If there's a windows in the room, close the curtain or hide the valuables away from the windows and avoid tempting honest people.
- As general rule, but especially in public places (including buses), secure your daypack, e.g. strap it around your leg or arm, or use a cable-lock. At the beach, don't hesitate to ask people to watch your bag.
- Back-up your data (especially pictures), remotely, on a USB key, on several SD cards, on a CD you ship home... and obviously don't store all the copies in the same place/bag.
- Have electronic copies of important documents (passport, flight ticket, ...) in the could (try Dropbox).
- Choose the right gears. Check-out It's all about equipment.
About travel guides and exploration
- Travel guides are a must, I wouldn't recommend anyone to travel without, would it be just for the maps and for high-level info on what to see and where are the main areas for lodging and eating. But don't follow blindly and only what's written in it. Improvise. Explore. Use your imagination. Go out of the beaten tracks and behind the scene. Ask locals about alternatives, their favorite places, where they go with their family.
- Go the markets. That's where local people "live". You'll always get fresh and cheap food. And have a chance to get out of the touristic way.
- Try to sleep in remote places instead of just doing day trip from a large town.
- Bring some emergency food when going into remote places. A pack of risoto doesn't take much space, but can be really useful.
- It might also be welcomed to bring a few gifts depending on the local culture. Get something useful such as pen, paper, ... instead of candies.
- Some places have understood the value of being in a travel guide and have significantly increased their prices, claiming the inflation since the visit of the travel guide and that the prices are the same overall... pay a visit to the neighbor to get the truth.
Going on an organized tour?
- Try to avoid tours. It's easier, but the experience is never the same. You'll never see the real life when traveling with 25 other tourists where local people expect tourist buses to arrive every day at the same place and time. And you might want to stay a little longer in a cool place than the 15' that your guide has decided. Sunrise and sunset are usually good timing to visit places, but the tours usually don't stay long enough.
- Sometime it's simply not possible to do it on your own, either because of local regulation, timing issue or the cost would be prohibitive. Then:
- In touristy places, most of the "tour operators" are just sales agents and don't know much about the product someone else is running. Try to find the person that is really operating the tour and that has some control on it. Otherwise, go for the cheapest as most of the time, the only difference is the commission the agent is taking. They'll end up by packing up customers from different agents in a single tour. You'll be surprised to see the huge difference in what people paid for the exact same service. If the sales guy has something very distinctive points to differentiate from other tours and justify a premium price, ask to get that written on the sales receipt.
- Ask as many questions as possible and get the most important written down on the receipt, such as transport (what kind of transport is it? is it a private car or public bus? how many people in the car? how long it the transport vs. the activity? is the return journey included?) food (what is included? what kind food will be served? are drinks included?) and other expenses (is it all inclusive? what extra will you have to pay such as national park entry fees, tips,...?). This will help when you realize that the sales agent over-promised and you're not getting what he said, and on top of that it will gives you very rapidly an idea if the guy knows what he's selling.
- When a tour operator asks for feedback, be fair and right. The goal is not to be nice with the guide or the organization, the goal is to help them to improve their service. You're not helping at all saying "Oh but it's not his fault" or "This went wrong, but the rest was OK, so it's all good". Be specific and objective on what didn't go as expected and you will help them much more (and at the same time other travelers that will have a better experience). And if there's something going wrong during the tour, talk to the "leader" and make sure you are getting what has been sold, it's pointless to wait the end of the tour to complain when back at the office.
Money
- If there's no menu or price board, ask the price before ordering (might ask to write it down if you don't understand or in some countries known for ripping off tourists), otherwise it might be different once you've eaten or drunk, and it's then too late. If you stay in a place such as trendy hostel that charge half in US$, half in local currency and offer you to charge all you expenses on your bill, be even more careful, the final bill is never right (e.g. "yeah, the price of the dorm increase during the week-end, no-one told you???" or "the price of the beer in the lobby is not the same as at the bar").
- Always, always check the bill and don't hesitate to ask for correction. Usually, it's not just a mistake. You might also see some obscur taxes or tips that appear randomly, feel free to reject it or ask where is that written down.
- In taxi (or other means of transport), try to get the meter on. If it's broken, pretend to try to find another taxi, that might "fix it" immediately. Ask for a rough price before leaving. Firstly it will avoid bad surprises. Secondly, if you know what it should be (e.g. you roughly know the distance or you've asked the guest house), it might point out that the driver doesn't know where you're going or they are several location with the same name in different areas. If there's no meter, agree on the price before getting in the car. Walking away usually reduce the over-rated price to a much more reasonable value.
- When changing money, be the last person to count the money. Don't let anyone touch it after you, even for a fraction of a second. They are very fast to hide part of it under the counter. See what happen in Bali.
- When getting back change, always count before leaving the counter.
- Don't use money belts, it's not discrete and everyone knows that you have one, especially people that are looking to steal your money.
- Avoid taking all your notes out of your wallet and showing them to the crowd when buying stuff, make sure you've always some small change readily available.
- Tipping is not common in most of the country, and you'll notice that when observing the local people in the street, restaurants. In some touristic places, locals understood that in some countries, typically in USA, tipping 15-20% is normal, and explain you that it's similar in their country. Up to you to believe them or not.
- Avoid spoiling people and giving the impression that money is nothing for you. That creates bad habits and unbalances the local economy.
- The fees for getting money from ATM vary greatly between countries and banks, so check carefully with yours. With Swiss cards, getting cash from a credit card is extremely expensive (5% of the amount), much more than with a debit card that has fixed fees (something such as 5 CHF per withdrawal). So better get large amount with a debit card! But local ATMs have also limits of the amount that can be taken, and those can vary a lot. So shop around a bit before taking only 100 CHF...
- Carry a few 20 US$ notes well hidden, the best emergency money.
- Check Hostelling International and get a membership card if there are hostels in the region you're going, it offers good discounts.
- The best way I found (but luckily never used) so far to get emergency cash if you get all your cards stolen or blocked (you still need a ID though) is Western Union. Very expensive as there fees are pretty high, but simple, fast and everywhere.
- Here's how to prepare the stuff before leaving:
- Go to Western Union web site and open a free on-line account.
- Enter your credit card details (not the one you're traveling with as you might need to block it if it got stolen) and save it in your profile.
- Remember the 3 digits security code of your card as you'll need them later.
- Now if you need money:
- The reception process is country dependent, so go to a Western Union office and ask how it works there.
- Go back to the web site and create a money transfer for yourself in the place you are. You'll be asked the 3 digits security code.
- 5' later, go back to the office with the transaction number and get the cash!
Passport
Make sure your passport is valid at least 6 months after your expected return date and have enough empty pages for stamps. Some custom officers enjoy stamping in the middle of the page and wasting it.
Your passport is the most important document you have and the most complex and expensive to get replaced, so make sure you take good care of it. I have my passport always with me in my wallet, and I refuse to give it to anyone as deposit for renting a car or other (I leave instead my insurance card (yes, it works) or my ID). If someone insists, tell him that you're not authorized to leave your passport as it doesn't belongs to you, it belongs to your government (it's written somewhere in it).
Visa
Tricky subject as every country has different rules depending on your nationality.
Beforehands, you might want to check on-line what you'll need for the whole journey. Even though the info might not be 100% up-to-date, it gives you a good idea.
Then, when buying a plane, boat or bus ticket crossing a border, always ask the seller what is the procedure for your specific passport.
In general in South-America, if you're from Western countries, you don't need to ask for a visa in advance, they'll stamp your passport at the border. Be aware though that some countries (such as Argentina, Brazil or Bolivia) have introduced "reciprocity fees", i.e. if you hold a passport from a country (such as US, Canada or Australia) that ask them money to get in, you will be asked money too, and that can go up to 150US$ (in cash only).
In Asia, most of the countries requires a visa, and it can take several days to get it, whether from your home country or on the road. Some visa are valid from the day you enter the country (within a certain timeframe), some other are valid from the date of the stamp. Sometime, multi-entries is the same price as single-entry, so ask for the first, you never know. Some countries (Iran or Pakistan) ask for a "recommendation letter" to apply for a visa. It's simply a paper from your embassy saying you're a good guy, but that might take time to be issued and cost up to 70US$ depending on your embassy.
To summarize, plan ahead to avoid paying much more then needed or be stuck waiting a week to get the right document. Note that in many large cities (notably Bangkok), you'll find tourist agents that organize all the stuff for you instead of going twice (or more) to the embassy and losing hours (and sometime your nerves).
Dorms
You might end up in dorms if you're traveling for a long time and/or in expensive countries (see the World Tour budget). Don't be scared, it usually good fun and for sure a perfect place to meet other travelers and get hints. Sharing a room means also respecting other people (looks obvious, but you'll be surprised by the number of people you'll hate after sharing a dorm). So:
- Get the stuff you need ready
next to your bed: flashlight, earplugs, sleeping mask, alarm clock and a bottle of water.
- Use your flashlight instead of turning on the light at night.
- If you leave early, pack as much as you can the night before.
- Avoid playing with plastic bags, that makes horrible noises.
- Keep your alarm clock close to you so you don't need 5' to turn it off.
- Don't spread your stuff all around and make sure others can open their locker.
- Put your valuable in the locker.
- Turn off or put on vibra your cell phone. Same for your laptop if you leave it on overnight, turn off the speakers.
- Don't wake up the whole dorm talking loud, whispering works fine.
- Be aware that a bunk beds move a lot, especially when someone is moving vigorously in one of the bed.
Pictures
Right, we all have a digital camera now, and we can all do hundreds of pictures for free. But please, avoid posting them all without sorting them, no-one is interested by seeing 12 times this cathedral under various angles and the same number of pictures of those nice kids. Also, rotate and crop if necessary.
On average, I publish 2 pictures per day. That requires quite some work to sort and choose (and yes, I know, this means deleting sooo many beautiful pictures you're so proud of).
Drugs (the illegal ones)
This is not an endorsement by any mean, just some advices. Be aware that some countries have very tough laws and are extremely strict with their application. There's nothing worth taking the risk of spending 20 years in an Indonesian jail. Or being hanged in Singapore.
Don't trust anyone in that business, in many places dealers and police work together and there's many bad stories about foreigner being caught and treated as an example.
Couch Surfing
Not familiar with the concept? Check their website. I used it several times, and had good experiences and met nice and fun people. But that requires a lot of organization and planning (host understandably don't like the style "I might arrive in a few days, but in fact I've no real idea", and many people don't have daily access to email, so need to request 1 week ahead of time) and a lot of time on-line (the response rate is very low, so you need to ask a lot of people). So eventually, I didn't use it that much, but I love the concept, not for the "sleep for free" part, but really for the sharing experience and the way you discover a place with locals!
Altitude sickness
The stupidest quote on that subject came from a Belgium couple: "We're not subject to altitude sickness". Meaning you've no idea of what you're talking about. Altitude sickness is random and can affect any one even if you've been 20 times to the summit of the world. Of course, there are some hints to minimize the risk of being sick (Coca leaves and a catalyst, Diamox, a good and progressive acclimatization, ... you'll find a lot of info on Google). Just be aware that it might affect you, so learn how to recognize the symptoms and how to deal with it.
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Credit
© (March 2012) Fabien Fetter
