“You’ll get robbed” they said.
“Quito is a hell hole full of mugs, low life’s and degenerates.”
“You’ll be lucky to leave with both kidneys intact, let alone your laptop.”

Everyone seems to have an opinion about Quito, and it’s generally not pleasant. ‘The most dangerous place in South America’ had been bandied about while I was in Ecuador, and based on what I had heard, I was pleasantly surprised to get out alive.

I was working at a hostel in Quito last year, and it seemed that every second day a backpacker would return distressed after being mugged while sightseeing. Laptops, iPhones and Cameras were the most thieved items, but it wasn’t unheard of for someone to be held up for their money or passport.

What did most of those victims have in common? They flouted their (comparative) wealth; Camera’s dangling around their necks; they wore expensive jewellery and designer clothes; they explored unsafe areas by themselves (despite being warned not to). They didn’t use common sense.

There’s a fair chance we’ll all run into a bit of strife on the road. You can be the most cautious traveller, but if you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, or just dead out of luck, even the most fastidious of us can get caught out. But it was astounding the amount of backpackers that were bewildered about their mugging after so blatantly advertising their wealth.

Let’s face it – quite a few Ecuadorian’s are considered ‘poor’ by western standards. In fact 35% of the 14,791,000 people in Ecuador live below the poverty line. That’s over 5 million people. So yeah, sometimes people will try to mug you, but that’s going to happen in many developing countries.

It’s frustrating when a country is written off because of someone’s bad experience being on the ugly side of a mugging. Bad news travels a lot faster than good news, and while you would hope people take many factors into consideration when deciding where to visit, word of mouth can be a massive persuasion. It would be a shame for travellers to miss out Quito due to the bad experiences of others.

I found Ecuador to be once of the most fascinating countries I’ve had the pleasure of visiting. The locals I met where so welcoming and engaging, and it does seem a little bit forgotten when it comes to South America; Peru has Machu Picchu, Bolivia the Salar de Uyuni and death road, Columbia is the new ‘must visit’ destination and I don’t need to go into Brazils draw cards. But Ecuador has the goods; The Andean highlands and the Cotopaxi volcano; the beautiful spa’s of Baños, the vibrant university town of Cuenca and the chilled out Pacific coast beach towns like Montañita are all worthy of a spot on any itinerary, not to mention the Galapagos Islands. Also, don’t forget that you can stand right on the Mitad del Mundo (that’s the middle of the world… also known as the equator) -not an hours drive out of Quito (which itself is a vibrant bustling city full of history and culture). There’s so much going for Ecuador, it would be a shame to miss out, which is why I’ve put together the following tips for a visit to the capital of this underestimated country.

The standard traveller musts apply, but are worth mentioning again;

• Leave the valuables and money you don’t need at your hostel. There’s probably a safe you can use, at the very least padlock your locker.

• Know and avoid the most dangerous areas (In Quito these are; El Panecillo, and for that matter anywhere in the old town after dark, especially near the market).

• Be alert, especially in crowded spaces or when people invade your personal space.

• Dress inconspicuously so as not draw attention to yourself as a ‘gringo con dinero’. Leave the Ed Hardy shirts at home (if only to keep the respect of your fellow travellers).

• Leave whatever money you don’t need back at the hostel, and split up into different pockets whatever you have on you.

What to do if you’ve been robbed in Quito

• Head straight to for the estación de la policía . Explain to someone what happened and they’ll more than likely take you right to the station. You might be hard pressed getting the police to fill out a report but persevere, you’ll need it for your insurance.

• I needn’t go into the necessity of having travel insurance. So assuming you already would have taken this out (which of course you would have) give them a call as soon as possible and let them know what’s happened. World Nomads has an online claim system, which means you don’t have to spend half an hour on Skype trying to get through to someone only to have the call drop out halfway through.

• If you stay at a well-known and recommended hostel, like The Secret Garden in Quito, speak to one of the many Ecuadorian staff and they’ll be more than happy to help you out with getting in touch with your embassy or insurance. Tell you’re sob story to one of the foreign gringo volunteers and they might even poor you a cerveza gratis so you can down your sorrows.

• Once you’ve reporting your loss to the police and contacted your insurance head for the black market (mercado negro) and see if you can spot your stolen goods. A guy from my hostel found his camera there, the thief forgot to take out the memory card so all his photos we’re still in the camera. He just showed the photos to the nearby Police officer, who allowed him to take the camera back and be on his merry way.

Above all, don’t freak out about a trip to Quito. It’s an amazing city full of history, lots to see and do, plenty to great clubs and bars, and full of friendly people. Just take care when out and about, don’t flash your iPhone about, and enjoy what this amazing city has to offer.

Follow Shane on Twitter or read more on his travels at sanchezjalapeno.com

This post is supposed to be about doing Melbourne, Australia (my home town) as a backpacker. I wanted to write something on how those of us with itchy feet who want to be travelling but can’t (work commitments, saving money etc) can still do the little things to get that ‘on the road’ feeling back, by seeing our cities through new eyes. I wanted to do all the things I would do as a backpacker, but never do as a resident. So I did the research, got the maps, charged the camera and was ready to hit the town when I realised that Melbourne, while a spectacular city to live in, just isn’t that great as a backpacker.

Melbourne has really funky bars, good museums and due to our large multicultural population there is a diverse rang of authentic cheap eats, everything from Ethiopian to Nepalese. Melbourne also has the highest amount of Italian’s per capita living outside of Italy, so you’d be hard pressed to walk  2 blocks without finding a good Italian place.  All great things to do when living here (and having a disposable income to spend on booze and food), but finding stuff to do as a backpacker was proving difficult. Still, I thought I’d give it a go.

The first thing to do was find a place to stay. The cheapest dorm bed I could find last minute was 35 dollars. I had the intention of doing the entire weekend as a backpacker – bed bugs and all – but when I was quoted this price at check in , I quickly changed my mind. For a grand total of 0 dollars I could sleep in my own apartment in the city. Sans bed bugs and dubious looking stains on the sheets. So that idea was scratched.

I realised though that if I were to do any of this properly, I’d need to hang out with other backpackers that were in town. So I hit the bars and common areas of a few hostels to get an idea on what there was to do in Melbourne.

First thing on the agenda for most British Backpackers was to pick up. The second thing was a trip to the Neighbours TV Set. (American readers probably don’t know what I’m on about, so in brief – Neighbours is an Australian Teen soapie that is arguably much bigger in the UK than Australia and unarguably makes for very awful TV). After that the next most common thing to do was head to St Kilda. Now that’s something I could do.

St Kilda is only 7 kilometres from the city but it’s world apart. Palm trees line the esplanade, beautiful people swim at the beach, and there are plenty of cafes to sit at and read the paper. So I hopped on the 96 tram and headed down there.  Thing is St Kilda is a great place to live, and a great place to be on holiday if you’re from out of town, but as a backpacker it gets a bit boring once you’ve done the beach thing.

Melbournians, like many backpackers, are sports-mad. You can’t walk down the street on the weekend without having to push and shove your way through oncoming masses en route to an AFL (Australian Football League) game or the tennis. Problem is, for me the only thing worse than watching sports is having to participate in sports (I still have nightmares of the mandatory yearly athletics carnival at school) so when I’m travelling I tend to bypass all the sporting events (except Lucha Libre… we all have our vices)

I decided to take a somewhat more cultured approach to my weekend as a backpacker. I headed to the National Gallery of Victoria to see an exhibition of the work of an Australian who lived in Paris at the turn of the 20^th century, as well as another exhibition called ‘Love, Loss and Intimacy’ which was good too. Both were free which is exactly the sort of exhibitions I’d be looking for as a backpacker. I congratulated myself on a job well done by heading into the labyrinth that is Melbourne City’s laneway’s where most of the eclectic and funky shops can be found.

While I found plenty of things that I wanted to get, none of which fell into my backpacker budget, a somewhat reoccurring theme this weekend. I did a spot of people watching and had some gelati before heading back to the backpacker bars for a drink.

On Sunday I spoke to a few people who had recently arrived in Melbourne on the massive Greyhound trip from northern Queensland. Some had come from Fraser Island (the worlds largest sand island, about 2000km’s north) others had come from the Whitsundays – a week of diving at the Great Barrier Reef (2,500km’s away) while some had just arrived from a week in Sydney (900km’s north) Everyone had agreed that Melbourne doesn’t really have many ‘must see’ destinations but was a great place to while away a few days eating out and seeing some live bands (Melbourne, unlike Sydney has a thriving live music scene). A Scottish guy referred to it as the Glasgow of the southern hemisphere.  Someone else said it was like just like Seattle. Having never been to Glasgow or Seattle I’m not sure how to take that.

I spoke to a group of guys who were loading up their VW van ready for the 3,500 kilometre trek west to Perth.  They said they liked Melbourne but it was too expensive so they were leaving a week earlier than planned. By this stage I was starting to wish I were writing a post on pretty much any other city in Australia.

I gave up seeing Melbourne with fresh eyes. It’s a great city, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else in Australia, but it’s not all that great for backpackers. To perk myself up after this failed experiment I went to my favourite dumpling place in Chinatown for some comfort food. In the booth next to me I overhead a bunch of backpackers talking about how much they loved Melbourne. A Chinese backpacker in the group was raving about the dumplings he was eating. Someone else got to see their favourite band that was touring last night, the band apparently never tours in their home town so they were feeling pretty lucky about that. Another person in the group was from Argentina and was saying how good it was to be able to go out to Spanish bars and South American Delicatessens, right here in the city.

I started to think that maybe we don’t need every place we visit to be new and different, maybe when we’re on the road we sometimes want to go to a place that reminds us a little like home. And for that, Melbourne seemed to fit the bill.

Follow Shane on Twitter or read more on his travels here at Havepack or at SanchezJalapeno.com

Headline image courtesy of -=Kuba=-

I’m so sick of the travel section of most mainstream newspapers. The Saturday ‘Traveller’ section of my local paper is pretty much pages and pages of advertisements thinly disguised as destination reviews. I’ve noticed that it’s pretty rare to find a less than flattering review written journalists that travel as ‘guests’ of the tour groups, government tourism departments or airlines that they are writing about. They might point out one or two minor niggles but I’d say 95% of the content in those articles are absolutely glowing reviews of the service or company in question.

This has led to a stock standard format of reporting where each beach is pristine, all locals smiling, flight attendants charming and attentive and the nightlife electric and thumping. It’s a shame. Besides the fact that we’re all intelligent enough to know we’re being taken for a ride, it also makes for a very boring read.

Am I asking too much to expect an unbiased and interesting account of someone’s travels in my Saturday paper? We all know that not every trip is amazing, nor is every single holiday devoted to a beach hopping somewhere in Fiji. Airline service is generally not fantastic and some places just don’t have exciting nightlife. So why isn’t that reflected in what we read in the paper?

I’m over reading about the next paradise found. What about Paradise lost? I find travel disaster stories to be some of the most captivating. We can all relate to an awful flight or getting ripped off. So in the interest of balanced and fair reporting, I’d like to present to you my list of the words most over rated tourist destinations. I put the call out on twitter this week and here are some of the responses, as well as a few of my own;

Phnom Penh

I didn’t naively travel into Phnom Penh without some idea of what to expect. Cambodian’s history is riddled with bullets, persecution and heartache. No city could bounce back with ease from what happened there, so I knew to go in with an open mind. Still, that didn’t stop me from wanting to leave from the moment I landed.

I arrived just on nightfall, and after checking into my guesthouse went on the hunt for some bottled water and toothpaste. I managed to walk 5 metres from my hotel before hordes of touts pounced, pulling me this way and that, promising me cocaine, opium, dope and my choice of teenage kids to take home for the night. I’m not unaccustomed to the ways of the tout, but I have never been as aggressively accosted as I was in Phnom Penh. To top it off were gun shots in the distance and I had a very unsettling feeling about being there.

A lot of the residents in Phnom Penh were lovely, genuine people and I had a few interesting conversations but I still couldn’t shake the seedy and unsafe feeling I was getting from being there. Also, there just wasn’t a lot to do except visit the Killing fields and Museum. I still think Phnom Penh is worth visiting as I’m a firm believer that only by being there to talk to people and witness first hand what happened will we ever fully understand magnitude of the atrocities brought against the Cambodians by the Pol Pot regime, however I just don’t think that the city itself makes for a great tourist destination, yet have you noticed that everyone raves about it? Makes me wonder…

Paris

I think this response from alert reader Kassey sums it up;

Stupid bloody Paris. Honestly what’s the deal about a TV antenna that was supposed to come down decades ago? And the price of food. Astronomical! Down with Paris, it’s way overrated and now it’s got a big head. We need to take it down a notch I say. Though I do like the way the people manifest (protest) on an ongoing basis. I respect that about the French (and love their accents).

Succinctly put I say. Paris is very beautiful, but is also very aware of that fact. Everything is expensive. Everything. Even public toilets cost at least a Euro. Still it’s worth visiting at least once. If only so you can have get surly service at restaurants, pay through the nose for a dodgy guesthouse and swoon over the accent (French does sound beautiful, even when being slurred by hobos in the subway). And yeah, take a photo at the base of that antenna.

Florence

I just can’t get on the Florence bandwagon. It’s so noisy, dirty and expensive. The first time I visited Florence 3 years ago I woke bright and early to head to the museum to see Michelangelo’s David but when I got there the queue snaked down the road for at least 200 metres. I gave up, instead walking around the corner to the Piazza della Signoria to see the free replica. No queues and I got an interesting photo of a pigeon sitting on David’s head. Can’t do that in the museum. I thought that perhaps my initial judgement of the city was too harsh so I went back again last year and am sorry to stay that I’m sticking by my first assessment. Nice enough city, but in my opinion just not worthy of all the hoopla. Who’s with me?

Panama (city and country)

If I had to choose between Costa Rica or Panama I’d choose the former, hands down. Panama didn’t do it for me. I was told that the city of David would make for an interesting stop over on the way to Panama City, but I found David to be too hot to do anything except drink gallons of water and wait for the next bus out of town. Casco Viejo (the old town in Panama City) had some interesting ruins that were worth visiting, but the main draw card is the Panama Canal. It’s really not as exciting as it seems. It takes hours for a boat to pass through the locks. That’s a lot of waiting around watching the water levels slowly rise and fall. Unless you’re a hardcore canal or giant boat fan, just find a video of it on YouTube.

Phuket

Phuket is the last place to go in Thailand to get a taste of local culture. Here’s what Twitterer Cally has to say on Phuket;

Besides the drunk western men with young scantily clad ladies being everywhere, there were signs on most hotel doorways saying, if you have ‘guests’ in your room there is an extra charge- gives you some idea of what you might be in for! Although there were some good points, it was kind of in your face, the cynicism of locals toward tourists (which probably has been earned?!) and there was certainly a constant fear of being ripped off and having to check and recheck everything a million times. Also lots and lots of old European ladies on the beach topless (old, really old, and really having spent their lives in the sun, it was quite eye opening to say the least)

So Phuket – great if you want beach, beer and boobs. If you’re after a little more than that, probably best to look elsewhere or maybe have a read of my previous post on untoursited Thailand

A few other notable overrated destinations twittered to me this week include:

Anywhere in Ireland, Ancona – Italy, Zagreb – Croatia, Gold Coast (I concur) as well as Brampton Island – both in Australia and also Fiji.

So there you have it – my attempt at bringing a little balance to the otherwise overwhelmingly positive destination reviews we tend to read in the paper. If you have any further places you’d like to add to the overrated list, leave a comment below!

You can read more of Shane’s posts at havepack.com, on twitter or at sanchezjalapeno.com

So you want to visit Thailand. That’s cool. It’s a great place to travel to. Got your guidebook yet? Have you noticed all those ‘Must see’ destinations, and the ‘Hidden Gems’?

Well guess what. They aren’t so hidden any more.

You can expect that “deserted beach with powder soft white sand and turquoise blue water” to be full of fat Australians with tribal tattoos drinking buckets of watered down expensive alcohol. That “charming little village with smiling locals and cheap phad thai” is now a backpacker slum bursting with tattoo parlors and crazy Germans on scooters, oh and those locals aren’t exactly smiling because of you, though they are pretty happy to see your baht.

You really can’t blame Lonely Planet or Rough Guides for the gentrification of these places, sure they opened up a lot of destinations to the less than intrepid traveller and in doing so they’ve also helped boost the livelihood of so many locals through boosting tourism, albeit at the expense of a lcations uniqueness and character.

So what do you do – head straight to Phuket, spend some times in the sports bars paying slightly less than you would for a beer back home? Squish into the cramped Shuttle bus, herded along to the Tiger Temple? Buy some ‘Singha Beer’ t-shirts, get a shoddy suit made and be on your way? Au contraire! Quelle horreur! And all those other French sayings that mean no freaken way.

The thing is it’s quite easy to have a great unique travel experience in Thailand, you just have to know where to go. Here’s a few words on my favourite places to visit and avoid the tourist crowd.

We’ll start in the south.

Krabi region isn’t the lonely, off the tourist trail province it once was, and there’s good reason for that. It’s cheap, people are friendly and there’s plenty to do. Krabi Region boasts a beautiful National Park (cabins for rent) as well as some great islands, there’s some limestone cliff climbing (or you could do as I do and watch from below, mango shake in hand). If you’re particularly adventurous you can climb the 1,227 steps to the top of Wat Tham Sua (temple of the Tiger Cave) and there’s a great night marked right on the river.

There’s some nice beaches in the area, most of which are inaccessible by land, so you’ll need to hire a longtail boat to get there, which sort of makes it Krabi town is a cool little town to while away a few days. Check out the night market and a lot of the guesthouses are run by really chatty family’s happy to talk over a cold Singha beer. Krabi town is still one of the only places I’ve come across in Thailand where after turning down an offer of a Massage you are still wished a good day anyway.

Forget Phuket and Koh Phi Phi for that matter. Ko Lanta is where it’s at. The largest island in the Krabi region, it’s a relaxing place to while away a week or so, maybe hire a motorbike and go visit the sea gypsies or if you’re lucky enough to make friends with the kitchen staff at your guesthouse you might get invited up to the market to pick up the days groceries. The beach isn’t the nicest beach in the world, but it’s still beautiful, there’s plenty of beach bars full of cool Rasta Thai guys (more than up for a chat, especially if you’re a pretty foreign girl) and a small expat community, noticeable by the Scandinavian and German bakeries popping up in town.

Also worth mentioning is the flashpacker haven of Railay, the climber & stoner Nirvana that is Ton Sai, and the chilled out Nopparat Thara – all accessible by long tail boat from Krabi town. The best resource you could check out for Krabi is YourKrabi.com. Seema is an expat living in Krabi for years now and runs the website. Independent reviews and online booking facility for most hotels in the area, and a great guide on what to expect at each beach, island and town within the region. Seriously, best guide to the area.

Moving north we’ll bypass the tourist ghettos of Koh Samui and Pha Ngan and go straight to Koh Chang. Chang’s got about 7 good bays worth visiting, catering to all different demographics. The backpackers tend to stay at ‘Lonely Beach’, the cashed up Russians tend to hang out at ‘White Sands’, and as far as kai Bae Beach goes, well, iamkohchang.com says it best;

“If your name is Sven and you are travelling with your wife Annika and your four children aged between 4-12, then this is the beach for you”

Not exactly a rave review, I know. But Koh Chang really is the place to go for an island holiday away from the normal tourist crowds, the touts and the shoddy tailors. It’s a relaxed place where you are just as likely to make friends with a few guesthouse owners as you are talking to other backpackers and there is plenty of sites to keep you occupied and away from the beach, if you’re so inclined. Or you could spend a week floating on a tire tube drinking a Mai Tai like I did. Check out iamkohchang.com or travelfish.org (the best and most up to date resource on S.E. Asia) for more info.

OK Bangkok.

It’s a sprawling, dirty city. And I love it. Most people don’t. The majority only stay a couple of days before heading out but if you dig deeper than the general tourist sites there’s really a lot going on and more than enough to keep you happy for a week or so, if you don’t mind the constant hassle from the touts around Khao San Rd.

Further north there’s Chang Mai, Chang Rai and Pai, but there’s plenty written about those places, and hordes of travelers passing through each day. There’s a reason they are so popular so do make sure you travel through, but for a taste of an authentic Thai city, try Udon Thani. It’s sort of like any mid size city back home, but signs aren’t in English (except for Sizzler) people still give you that quizzical, suprisedlook when they see you, and prices are cheap. There’s not much to see but it’s a good taste of what provincial Thai life is like.

In the North East and just on the border of the Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge is the town of Nong Khai. It’s basically old man-young wife territory with not much besides a market to interest the modern backpacker, but this sleepy border town is worth a look. There are no massage parlors, or ping pong shows. Nor tailors or alcohol buckets. There’s a few temples, restaurants on the river and happy people saying ‘Sawadee’. And that’s perfect. Obviously if you list all the interesting and yet unspoiled places, this page would go on for a while. Also, there’s so much that I’m yet to see. So how about a trade – I’ve told you mine, now you tell me yours. Share your favourite sort of secret Thai destination in the comments below, and we’ll just keep it between us. We don’t want another Phuket, do we?

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The four hour flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia gives passengers amazing views of Patagonia and the snow-capped Andes mountains that stretch all the way down through South America.  Flying in, it’s hard to imagine there is a modern city anywhere in the vicinity.

Ushuaia is considered the southern-most city in the world.  Battling with Puerto Williams, Chile (officially not a recognized city) for the title, Ushuaia is connected to the rest of Argentina by Route 30 and a small but modern airport.  Even five minutes from landing, there is absolutely nothing in sight other than most impressive mountain range in the entire world.

A ten minute taxi ride from the airport reveals a small, but very modern and comfortable city.  Plenty of restaurants line the main street of San Martin and the harbor is busier than one would imagine given it’s remote location.  In fact, Ushuaia has become a major launching pad for cruises to Antarctica.

Port of Ushuaia, Argentina

During the winter months most visitors are Argentinians taking a break from their lives in Buenos Aires to enjoy the wonderful skiing.  Even the hostels are packed during this time and are transformed into party central for the lively Buenos Aires locals.

Ski bums will enjoy a day on the mountain.  Cerro Castor appears the be the popular one with most visitors.  I was treated to a foot of fresh powder from the night before going and bright sunny skies throughout the first half of the day.  I was told that the weather changes five times a day in Uhsuaia and that was evident by the snowstorm that started around 1pm.  It took several hours to escape the parking lot due to how quickly the snow fell on the roads.  Be careful if driving or better yet, pay the AR$30 for a round trip shuttle ride from your hotel or hostel.

Jeff snowboarding at Cerro Castor - Ushuaia, Argentina

Visitors to Ushuaia have to treat themselves to a boat ride of the Beagle Canal.  If you get seasick easily, be sure to take some Dramamine!

There are a handful of boat operators lined up down at the warf waiting for your business or you can book it through your hotel/hostel.  I paid AR$135, about $35 US, for a 4-hour cruise on a small but comfortable boat.  Unfortunately the penguins weren’t around during this time of the year, but a visit to Isla los Lobos made for some great photo opportunities.

Sea Lion eating a Southern King Crab

Sea Lion posing for my camera

King Cormorants - Beagle Canal - Ushuaia, Argentina

For an archeology buff (I’d be a young Indiana Jones if I had a museum funding my adventures) a short stop at a Yamana island was interesting as you get the opportunity to see former dwelling sites of the Yamana people that are all but extinct now.  Move the brush a little and you’ll find shell midden from hundreds of years ago.

An Archeologist's Dream Come True - Yamana Island

I would recommend any visitor to Argentina to hop on a cheap LAN or Aerolineas flight down to Ushuaia and enjoy the southernmost city the world.  Great food, great people, and amazing terrain all make for an incredible experience.  Just be sure to dress a little warmer than I did.

Please take a moment to enjoy this video I shot during my tour of the Beagle Canal.

Beagle Canal – Ushuaia, Argentina from Jeffery Patch on Vimeo.

All photos and video shot by Jeffery Patch with a Panasonic DMC-ZS3 12x zoom digital camera

For many travelers there is a certain Mystique that Cuba and in particular Havana holds. The largest Island in the Caribbean is a treasure of Spanish Colonial architecture, breath taking beaches, classic American Cars and being one of the final bastions of communism. Frozen in time is one of the descriptions I use to convey the feeling and emotion of being in Havana. Every where you cast your eyes you cannot be but reminded of being in a place that has changed little since the late fifties.

Getting to Havana may be the most expensive part of your getaway. Flights at reasonable prices are available through gateway cities in Canada and you can catch a flight daily on Cayman Airways from Grand Cayman, which is well served from Miami, New York, Atlanta and other airline hubs.

For a short break Havana will entertain you and leave you wanting much much more. Location of your accommodation is the key to maximum absorption of Havana’s sights, sounds and smells. My choice is Old Havana or La Habana Vieja. Here you are in the beating heart of Havana and you’ll be using the best mode of transport, your feet. Hotel Florida provided reasonably priced rooms that are clean and comfortable with a great location on Obispa/Obispo Street. For an authentic experience you also may choose to stay at a Casa Particulare. These are family homes that operate like a Bed and Breakfast. For the equivalent of $25-30 us you can have a room where the home owners can also cook you breakfast for 2-3 CUC and an evening meal for $7 to $10.

The street of Obispo is a narrow and busy pedestrian thoroughfare abuzz with tourists and locals alike. Designated as one of the areas for restoration by the government the look and feel of this street is slowly changing and becoming more sterile. However there are plenty of street vendors and market areas keeping the old feel and vibe of the area alive. Peso pizza and Ham Sandwiches (bocadito de jamón) are the staple street foods. For 1 or 2 convertible (1CUC = 1USD) you will have yourself an authentic taste of Cuba. Meat is a scarce commodity and the street vendors and food outlets aimed at the locals don’t always have access to meat supplies, so some times the only thing on the menu is Cheese Pizza and Cheese Sandwiches. Further up the scale of eateries there are plenty of places aimed squarely at tourists and they have tourist prices, but it is safe to say that for 10 CUC you can have a hot meal and a beverage if you don’t feel up to the street food. Prices vary so brows around. The parallel streets of O’Reily and Obriapia are quieter and contain many wonderful bars and restaurants.

Wandering the local markets and streets here is enough to occupy a full afternoon. Havana is a photographers dream with stunning colors and contrasts that will quickly fill your memory card.

Paseo

For one of the best panoramas of the city I recommend you make your way to the rooftop bar at Hotel Parque Central. It seems as this bar is for hotel guests only but if you walk through the lobby confidently to the elevators and take them right to the top, you will be rewarded with stunning views from this Pool Bar perched atop one of Havana’s most historic hotels. From outside the Parque Central one can find many of the remaining Classic American cars that operate as Taxis. These are a tad more expensive than the more modern air-conditioned tourist taxi fleet but to indulge yourself in the nostalgia of being in such a beautiful automobile it is worth the little extra. Take a ride to Plaza de la Revolution where you can see the José Martí memorial and the iconic Che mural on the side of the Ministry of the Interior, (previously the Havana Hilton Hotel) For a more cost effective means of transport within the city the Coco taxis are a fun and exciting, they look like a giant yellow helmet on three wheels powered by a small motorbike engine. A unique and cheap way to get around with fares being 2-3 cuc.

Returning back to Old Havana get dropped off at the Capitolio Nacional which is one of the landmarks of Havana and immediately recognizable from it’s similarities to the US Capitol Building. A short stroll across the plaza here and you will find the terrace of Hotel Inglaterra, a perfect perch for having an evening cocktail and people watching as you unwind from your whirlwind day of sight seeing.

Heading out on the town is an experience and Cubans really know how to have a good time. The city is alive with the sounds of live music during the day but this really intensifies once the sun goes down. Worthy of a cab ride is visit to the popular El Aljibe restaurant. A popular restaurant with the tourists staying at the more upscale hotels in Havana, the pollo asado El Aljibe (CUC$12) house specialty is a must have. This restaurant is more up scale than your typical Cuban eateries and also attracts some of the movers and shakers in Havana but for less than 25cuc you will wine and dine like a king.

The European tourists flock to La Floridita, home of the Daiquiri and a favorite of the late Ernest Hemmingway, it retains some of the old world charm with bartenders in their signature red evening jackets, but even better is Bar Monserrate around the corner, which has a good mix of locals and tourists, live music and reasonably priced beverages approx $3-$4 US.

An authentic old Cuban pub in the form of Bar Bilbao is a must for the adventurer (on O’Reily St). Sparse in its furnishing and limited in it’s beverage selection this gem is decorated with soccer memorabilia and is one of the cheapest bars in Havana. This is a local bar and as such doesn’t carry the Cuban Premium beers of Buccanero or Crystal. Here they have lower grade of beers and rums, and, and if you manage to get your hands on local pesos the drinks here cost the equivalent of 20 cents, albeit they have an acquired taste.

If the music and atmosphere of Bar Monserrate has left you wanting more then continue your evening at the Casa de la Musica. There are two, one in the Miramar district of the city which is the better of the two and one in Centro Havana which is still a fantastic night of Salsa, with big name Cuban Artists playing regularly. Entry can be between $5 and $15 depending on the time you go (Earlier is cheaper for 6pm-9pm) but the 10pm will have you meeting colorful Cubans who love to dance and meet the tourists, the music is sublime with 10-12 piece bands showcasing Cuba’s rich musical heritage. For those looking for a more up beat “club” like experience I suggest the Salón Rojo at the Hotel Capri in Vedado. The Cabaret/Variety show has a little of everything and attracts quiet a younger crowd than perhaps the more traditional Tropicana.

Words of caution however. In the bars and primarily ones like the Casa de la Musica, and Salon Rojo, there will be advances made by pimps and prostitutes. Generally speaking once you mind your own business and tell anyone offering you companionship etc to leave you alone they generally do. If you do wish to buy anyone a drink or drinks I advise that you pay on consumption and know how much you are paying. In some of the less well-known bars there are scams that involve you thinking that it’s ok to run a tab and four drinks later you may be forced to pay the equivalent of $100 us. The Cuban people are wonderfully warm and sociable people, however there are those that will take advantage. Do not let this deter you from engaging with any one but do exercise caution with all your interactions. From any of my trips to Havana I have always felt safe but trust your instincts and do not let any one on the street guide you or bring you to a restaurant, club or a bar at night.

About the author:

Brendan O’Connor is an hotelier with many years experience in Luxury Travel and Accommodation. For personal pleasure he discards the suit and dons a backpack veering off the beaten path in search of authentic travel experiences and local cuisine. Having left his native Ireland he has worked and traveled extensively in Europe, US and Caribbean, and currently is traveling around Australia. He Tweets random Hospitality and Hotel insights @brendanoconnor_

OK, you’ve handed in your notice, packed your bags, said bye to mum, paid off the credit card (well, most of it) and you’re off on your yearlong adventure. Problem is if you are anything like me you’ve spent a little too long in Europe, enjoyed a couple extra flights in lieu of excruciating overnight chicken buses, sampled a few too many brews in Mexico and before you realize it you are not quite half way through your trip and over three quarters through your budget.

There’s a plethora of articles out there on how to continue seeing the sights and meeting new people without breaking the bank. You could volunteer with an NGO rebuilding hurricane ravaged cities in Peru, do some WOOFFing on a vineyard in France, teach English in South East Asia or you could even be luckily enough to support your travels by writing about them, but the easiest way to keep traveling on a limited budget without the need for any specific skills (or back breaking labor) is to work at a hostel in exchange for accommodation and if you are lucky, some food too.

You would have seen signs at the hostels advertising for new ‘crew members’ or at least met a few of them during you’re travels. Generally young (but not always), easy to get along with (but not always) and helpful (definitely not always), it can sometimes be quite a welcome respite to not only be checked into your room by someone who speaks the same language as you, but might even be from the same town or at least country, especially if you’ve spent the last week in the Peruvian jungle absolutely saturated due to the monsoon that you’re travel agent neglected to tell you about, while trying to convince your host family in your rudimentary Spanish that as a vegetarian you really would prefer not to eat that guinea pig. Just saying.

I recently volunteered at the Secret Garden Hostel in Quito, Ecuador. I was asked to work 8 hours a day, 6 days a week for a month, and in exchange I was given accommodation, 3 meals a day, all the alcohol I could drink and some Spanish classes. While 8 hours a day might seem a bit excessive to not get paid for your troubles, I did spend most of that time on the rooftop reception area imbibing a few beers, catching up on some reading and practicing my Spanish with the local staff. There’s not really a great deal of work to do if everyone has already checked in/out except open the fridge and grab someone a beer when they want it. Hardly back breaking work and it was a great way for me to meet some interesting travelers and by hanging out with the locally employed staff I got an understanding of the life of a working class Ecuadorian, something that never would have happened if I were just passing through as a guest.

I’m not saying that volunteering at a hostel is all fun and games and drinking beer at the bar (though sometimes it can, and will be). Sure, you have to deal with some really obnoxious guests, lost bookings, language barriers and the occasional empty beer fridge (including all the repercussions that come with it). Also, some hostels might not offer the same perks that I was lucky enough to get, but if you’re in a predicament like I was and you have to choose between going home early or supplementing your travels by working at a hostel, I recommend breaking down your options;

Work at the hostel

Work 8 hours a day while everyone else is out exploring the sights of the city. But hey, once your stint is up you get to travel again, having saved a bit of cash during the past month and likely met some pretty interesting people along the way.

Go home early

Work 8 hours a day in your crappy little cubicle hating the majority of the very boring people that surround you, desperately wishing you could pay off your credit card faster so you could just quit and go on your next adventure.
The choice is pretty simple really.

If you are keen to do a bit of volunteering at a hostel to supplement your travels, try looking up on the web the details of hostels in your city of choice. If they offer a volunteering program they will usually mention it on their website, or if you are one of those travelers who only really know where they’re going once they turn up at the bus station, just ask the people that run the hostel when you rock up. You’d be surprised how many owners need someone reliable to help them out for a few weeks.

About the author:

Somewhere along the way Shane Brown caught a nasty case of the travel bug, having racked up passport stamps to over 35 countries with no plans to stop any time soon. Currently on a year off from work, you’ll find Shane practicing his dodgy Spanish on the locals (pity they speak Portuguese). When not gallivanting around the world Shane splits his time between Melbourne, Australia and a beach somewhere in Thailand. You can read about Shane’s travels at http://www.travelpod.com/members/shanemilli

I first considered visiting Budapest after reading Tim Leffel’s blog (Tim is the author of The World’s Cheapest Destinations: 21 Countries Where Your Money is Worth a Fortune).  I didn’t pay much attention to the date it was posted and decided it would be my big fall trip thanks to a college graduation present I was ready to cash in.

The first thing I noticed during my pre-planning (I do much less than you would expect) was that there was an impressive amount of hostels listed on HostelWorld. 83 to be exact, as of this posting.  As a comparison, Paris only has 15 listed.

It turns out that it’s rather simple to set up a hostel in a converted apartment and many people are taking advantage of it and the increase in tourism that Hungary has been experiencing over the past decade or so.  Both hostels I stayed in were pretty small but modern, clean and well run.  You can’t ask for much more than that.

One of the things that I always consider when traveling is how easily I can survive on a limited budget.  Budapest was advertised as the secret budget destination in Eastern Europe and your money could go a long way.  Part of the EU, yet still clinging to their currency, the Hungarian Forint, the dollar was said to go much further than elsewhere in Europe.  In some ways, Budapest lived up to this claim, but in others, it exceeded any expectation one could have for larger, more popular European cities.

Széchenyi Baths

For instance, the average price of a hostel bed was around $15-20 which is certainly acceptable for Europe and much cheaper than Paris or London.  A day at the enormous and beautiful Széchenyi Baths was only about $10 and a full guided tour of surprisingly tight caves ran around $25.  I wouldn’t expect any of these to be much cheaper and they were all worth the price.

Then came the food.  For some reason, food was incredibly expensive.  I can’t recall spending more on a meal in any country, city, or state… anywhere.  My guidebook recommended a restaurant around the corner from the hostel I was staying at which offered traditional Hungarian meals for around $5-7.  It had been a year since the guidebook was published and the restaurant owner must have gotten wind of his literary mention.  It’s a common occurrence along the typical tourist trails for hostels, hotels, and restaurants to increase their price once they get a nod in a guidebook, but what I experienced was much higher than anyone could expect, and not only for the places that were published.  In Budapest every normal restaurant, regardless of the area it was in, charged at least $20 for a typical meal.  The bargains were actually on the heavily trafficked tourist districts in Pest which all offered set “tourist” menus.  The downside was that they were very small and left much to be desired.  Even a stop in a Subway chain for lunch cost me about $10 for a 6″ turkey sandwich.  The price of food was bewildering, to say the least.

While Hungarian cuisine is definitely highly recommended, there is much more to Budapest than overpriced restaurants luckily.  Budapest is a very beautiful town with beautiful castles across the Danube River and great architecture across the entire city.  A great day can be had by simply walking around the city with no destination taking in the sights.  Heroes Square and City Park give a taste of history and nature that helps you quickly forget about the hustle and bustle of Budapest’s busy city streets.  Don’t forget that Budapest is Hungary’s center of culture and home to both art and history museums like the House of Terror which reminds visitors of atrocious crimes that occurred during Hungary’s Stalinist regime and WWII.

One of the most impressive things about Budapest though was the amount of people who speak great English.  Obviously it’s in response to the tourist boom, but it’s impressive how friendly and willing to chat most Hungarians are especially seeing how this country was completely communist less than 20 years ago and experienced very little tourism.  Things have changed though and tourism has become a huge source of income for many businesses in Budapest.

If you want to explore the rest of Hungary (or go to just about any neighboring country) nearly all the trains in Hungary run right through Budapest.  I managed to head south three hours to Pécs which is one of the larger cities in Hungary, yet very small when compared to Budapest.  You can cross the entire town on foot in about 15 minutes but it’ll take you an entire day stopping at the many sights like modern art museum or the Mosque Church.  The later is quite impressive.  In the 16th-century the Turks built a mosque with the stones of a ruined church.  When the Turks were forced out of Hungary the mosque became a church again but kept the classic dome and still retains several touches of Moorish design.  There are even a few scribbles of Arabic around the church that can be found if you keep your eyes open.

Mosque Church

For what it’s worth, Pécs also had the best food I experienced in Hungary and at much more reasonable prices.

For more photos from my trip to Hungary, check out the set on Flickr.

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“You stay in hostels?” people often ask when I talk to them about the way I travel.  “Aren’t you afraid of getting robbed or murdered?”

Thanks a lot Eli Roth for scaring the bejeezus out of inexperienced travelers and causing them to think they’re going to get murdered if they stay in a hostel.  I personally haven’t bothered watching his films Hostel and Hostel II, but I can assure you that there are very few similarities.  In fact, if you want to consider your personal safety, aren’t you safer in the small confines of a hostel with other travelers in the same room or nearby than you would be in a hotel?  Just saying.

The truth is that hostels actually provide a great option for budget travelers and with their affordable prices, allow many people to see the world they otherwise couldn’t afford.

What is a hostel?

OK, let’s start from the beginning in case you aren’t very familiar with hostels. A hostel is typically much smaller than a hotel and has fewer rooms.  The majority of rooms are dorm-style accommodations and have multiple (usually bunk) beds.  These rooms can house anywhere from 6 to 12 people usually and may or may not have an attached bathroom.

Doesn’t sound all that glamorous, and it’s not, but they’re cheap.  Depending on where the hostel is located, they can cost between $5-$25 on average.  Obviously, big European cities are going to be more expensive than smaller towns in South America, but no matter where you are, hostels are going to be considerably cheaper than a hotel room.

Need more privacy?

Nobody wants to share a room with strangers, but some people may flat out refuse to do so.  If that’s the case, many hostels also offer private rooms.  These typically have a couple of beds and can be a good option if you are traveling with a friend or small group.  The prices are higher obviously, but usually still cheaper than a hotel room.  It is worth your while to check around though because sometimes you might find a better deal on a hotel room.  I’ve seen some overly priced private rooms before and it doesn’t always  make sense.

What else does a hostel offer?

Not all hostels are the same but the trend over the past couple of years is for hostels to offer more and more amenities for their guests.  Many hostels provide maps and information on the area and some even arrange their own tours.  Sometimes these are complimentary or cheap, but often they will help book tours with local tour companies.  You should be aware that the hostel usually gets a commission for setting you up with a tour company, but most hostels have already done the work to figure out which companies are trustworthy and a good deal.  With the word-of-mouth nature of hostel guests, it’s in their best interest to be honest and helpful as word will get around quickly if they are not.

Most hostels also provide a kitchen where you can store and cook your own food.  While I always recommend enjoying the local cuisine and dining out, many travelers choose to cook in order to keep their costs down.  Some hostels also include continental style breakfast and a few I’ve seen sell their own food and drinks.  In fact, the second-best restaurant I found in Costa Rica was conveniently in the Arenal Backpackers Hostel in La Fortuna.

Another thing that is becoming popular in hostels is free computer use and/or free WiFi.  For travelers with their own computer or wireless-enabled phone this can be a godsend for sending emails or planning many aspects of their trip.

A great form of social interaction

Just like a hotel, you probably want to spend most of your time away from the hostel enjoying wherever you may be traveling, but for lazy days or early nights, hostels can be a great way to socialize.  Whether you are by yourself or with friends, you’ll quickly meet people in a hostel.

Many hostels provide a common room or area with a TV, music, a pool, or just a place to sit and eat and this is usually where most people congregate.  Sooner or later you’ll be enjoying a drink with a handful of people speaking several different languages.  This is one of my favorite things about staying at hostels and I have made some good friends like this.

What you should bring

Nearly all hostels now provide bedding but I’m sure there are still a few out there that don’t, or still charge a small fee for it.  Some people travel with a sleeping bag or bed sheet but this is very rare these days.  You will want to bring your own toiletries as things like soap and shampoo aren’t provided.  Also, my favorite thing to bring is a pair of ear plugs.  Inevitably you’ll have at least one night with somebody who snores so these can really save your night.

The safety of your belongings should also be a concern and while I have been less than smart about keeping my things secure in the past without any negative results, you shouldn’t try your luck.  Many hostels provide lockers but you’ll probably need your own lock.  It’s safe enough to leave your clothes and stuff lying out on your bed, but keep your passport, money, and any valuables like a camera with you just to be safe.  While theft in hostels isn’t prevalent, it does happen.

Another thing you should bring is a towel.  I recommend a thin, quick drying towel made for traveling or camping.  These take up very little space in your backpack and dry fast so they don’t start to stink when packed.  Many hostels do provide towels but not all of them.  Some do, but charge a dollar or two.  Having your own certainly makes life easier.

How to find a hostel

The best website out there for booking and researching hostels is HostelWorld which is why I have a convenient form on the right of this web page to search for them.  There are plenty of reviews for most hostels along with pictures that can help you visualize the place.  It’s easy to reserve a bed or room in a hostel through HostelWorld but I also recommend playing things by ear a little bit.  If you know that your destination isn’t incredibly busy, try only booking for a night or two and then seeing how the rest of your time goes.  Maybe you won’t like the hostel and want to move to a different one.  Perhaps you’ll decide to move on to another city.  Not booking too many nights in advance will allow you a bit of freedom.  Just make sure you discuss the situation about extending your stay when you arrive because many hostels fill up quickly during peak times.  Having at least one night booked to begin with will certainly make things easier when you arrive though so it’s nice to have something arranged ahead of time.

If you are yet to experience a hostel I hope this shed some light on them for you.  I highly recommend them not only for the cost savings, but the experience as well.  If you have any comments or questions about sleeping at hostels feel free to post them in the comments section.

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I asked some fellow travel writers what their favorite budget travel destination was and received some great responses.  Here are my two favorite, followed by one of my own. I’d like to continue this theme in the future so if you are interested in contributing please contact me.

Krakow, Poland

photo by Kirstysplodge

Krakow is quickly becoming one of the top European hotspots for travelers. It has filled the void for people that were looking to go elsewhere once trendy, and overly tourist saturated Prague became too expensive. Krakow offers so much to do for travelers on a budget. Since the exchange rate is so good to Americans and food and beer are already cheap, it is a win-win! Check out Rynek Glowny, which is the world’s largest Medieval town square. This beautiful piece of architecture is the meeting spot for most Poles and tourists alike. It is filled with popular bars, top restaurants, cute cafes and chic shopping. After stuffing your face with local fare like pierogies and Zywiec beer, head on over to Wawal Castle. This popular tourist attraction was built in the 14th century and like most of Krakow’s architecture, it has been extremely well preserved. The castle offers a low admission, and in for certain individuals reduced and free admission is available. Check their website for more information. Krakow is a very accessible city as well. Whether you want to trek by foot or take the train, this city has got you covered. I prefer to rent a bike, which cost about 20 zloty per day ($6 US), and ride along the many beautiful streets of this bustling former capital of Poland. But since my last trip to Krakow, they have debuted a new bike program, similar to the one in Amsterdam, which provides locals and tourists with bike rental stations throughout the city. There are about 15 of these “BikeOne” stations throughout the city and more will be introduced this year. Best part about the bike rentals is that you do not have to return it to the same station. Just drop it off at whatever locale you like. This is just a little taste of what Poland’s hippest and lively city has to offer. Four and five star hotels are priced at what most Americans would pay for a two star locale. There are plenty of cheap eats…and drinks. Plus Krakow is one of the best cities to offer most of their attractions at little or no cost you tourists. Flights, which have been notoriously high in the past, have dropped due to the weak economy. While I suggest spring and summer as the ideal time to visit, this city truly is a year round great and affordable European destination.

Andrew Hickey writes TheBrooklynNomad and obsessed with travel. He is constantly on the look out for a great deal to…well anywhere. He has visited numerous destinations around this planet and never gets sick of talking travel. Andrew has written articles and appeared in the travel sections of such media outlets as USA Today, New York Times, MSNBC , AOL, Travel Muse, and Yahoo! You can also follow him on Twitter.

Thailand

Photo by Shane Brown

Thailand is one of those places that once visited, will leave you with a special memory etched in your heart. Like a Lucy loves Aaron proclamation on a tree in the botanical garden. Well, it would if you were Lucy or Aaron. For some people it’s the smiles beaming from every local you meet. For others it’s the knock-off shoes and ‘iPood’ t-shirts found in all the shops on Khao San road. For a select few it’s the “entertainment” found in areas like Pattaya, but that’s best left for another blog post. For me it’s the incredible food, made with fresh local ingredients, which you can find in pretty much every market in the country (and on quite a few street corners too). From seafood Laksa’s to Green Curry veggies on Rice, all the staples are covered – and at a price which easily falls within even the thriftiest traveler’s budget. It’s not just Asian fare which can be found on the cheap. The best Spaghetti marinara I’ve ever tasted was from the restaurant attached to a guesthouse on Koh Lanta, in Thailand’s Krabi region (easily reached via a very cheap overnight train from Bangkok). Prepared with fresh seafood brought in by the fishermen that day, it was rich in flavour, pasta cooked to a perfect al dente, and at about a tenth of the price I was used to paying back home. Which of course left me with a few baht to spend on some Singha beers, a couple of cheap DVD’s, and well, you can never have enough ‘iPood’ t-shirts.

Shane Brown considers himself a professional Lion Wrangler.  You can follow his blog on TravelPod. You can also follow him on Twitter.

Costa Rica

Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

I’ve heard just about everything about Costa Rica from many different people. From “it’s too touristy,” to “it’s unsafe,” and I’ve found none of the negative things I’ve heard to be true. Once you visit Costa Rica you’ll realize that whoever said those things has never been there to experience the pure beauty that Costa Rica has to offer. I’ve been twice over the past year and an always thinking about returning.  While Costa Rica is maximizing on their tourism industry, nearly everything is still extremely affordable.  The majority of hostels are around $10, and some of the nicest I’ve ever seen, traditional meals can be purchased at “soda’s” for $3-4, and it doesn’t cost much to take in the beauty and nature found all across the country.  I say much, because a lot of land in Costa Rica has been declared part of various national parks and often charge small fees to enter. The advantage is that the land is protected and will be up kept and remain undeveloped. Whether you want to surf some of the best waves in the world, hike up active volcanos, or walk through the rain forest with monkeys at your feet, Costa Rica will delight you.  Just remember to bring some insect repellent.

Jeffery Patch writes Have Pack, Will Travel and does everything possible to see the world while taking vacation from his 9-5 life in California. You can also follow him on Twitter.

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