I‘m excited to announce the launch of a new project I’ve been working on.  It’s called DigiTraveler and it’s the sister-site to Have Pack, Will Travel.

I’ve reviewed and featured products here before, but I’m looking to separate them and expose my inner geek over at DigiTraveler.  I hope this site site proves to be helpful for travelers with gadget-lust, digital nomads, and location independent professionals.

I encourage you to stop by, sign up for updates, and maybe even leave a comment somewhere if you are so inclined.

Thanks!

I‘m writing this post in Northern Thailand, the city of Pai to be exact.  I find myself quite inspired by this trip I’m taking along with resident guest poster Shane Brown.  See we showed up to Thailand with only one thing planned, to rent motorbikes and ride through the northern mountains from Chiang Mai to Pai, along the Mae Hong Son loop.  Other than that, we didn’t care much about what we did, where we stayed, what we ate, or how we would manage any of it.

I’m a self-professed guidebook addict.  I proudly display my used and retired guidebooks on a bookshelf in my home and carry at least one with me every time I travel.  It does seem like a bit of overkill as I tend to take things as they are and do what I want when I travel, but I still like the comfort of having a backpacker bible readily available should I need some information.

That said, over the past few days we have covered a considerable distance using a means of transportation that neither of us have ever done before.  And neither one of us have opened our Lonely Planet once nor have we missed relying on it.

Here’s a few tips on how to do it successfully and probably enjoy your trip more than you would should you be following the backpacker’s bible.

Talk to people

You should always be willing to chat with people and get their opinions and advice on things.  You never know when somebody will refer you to a great guesthouse or hostel, restaurant, or a secret road that leads to natural hot springs (thanks Thai coffee shop guy!)

Walk around

We went ahead and booked our initial guesthouse in Chiang Mai online so we didn’t have to deal with finding one with our packs on our back in 30+ degree heat.  It was a fine place, but while walking around and exploring the city we found plenty of comparable places for about half the price.  Of course these places aren’t online so they don’t get the constant business and price increases that the digitally-inclined places do.

This definitely goes for restaurants as well.  While in many places I have found myself relying on my Lonely Planet to provide me with tasty and safe places to eat, I find that I end up arriving only to overpay for basic food that’s often less than impressive.  All of the best meals I’ve had have come from randomly stumbling upon a place on the street and most are actually just from street vendors or food stalls in markets.  You won’t find anything written about these places in your book.

Be open to ideas

It’s nice not to have a strict agenda and be willing to take things as they come.  On our motorbike journey we went seeking out some hot springs off the main road that a coffee shop owner told us about.  10 minutes down a dusty road through the hills we came across several elephants being walked by some Thai guys in camouflage.  We’re still not sure what they were doing, but it was a startling and awesome sight.

Have a basic understanding of the area

It truly helps to at least glance at a map before arriving or having an idea of what parts of town are where.  You should definitely be aware of any areas that may be unsafe before arriving dead smack in the middle of gang warfare (ask Shane about Casco Viejo in Panama City).

Many places are very simple to get around by foot but of course many can also be riddled with confusing streets and neighborhoods so a map might not be a bad idea.

Often though, you can have an idea and just stroll up and go shopping for rooms.  Currently we are in Pai, Thailand and knew we wanted to stay somewhere near the river.  So we headed that direction and 15 minutes later we had some great little bungalows on the river for about the cost of a fast food meal back home.

I won’t tell people that they shouldn’t have a guidebook.  They can come in handy and for years I’ve carried one with me everywhere I go.  I probably won’t stop any time soon, but the point is that it’s nice to not have to rely on it and doing so can really open doors to a lot of things you might miss should you be following your guidebook to the letter.

What about you? Do you often travel with a guidebook or without one?  What do you like about whichever method you’re used to?

Panasonic was kind enough to send me a DMC-ZS3 to test out during my recent trip to Argentina.  At first I wasn’t too excited to try out a new camera.  I really like my Nikon S600 for its wide-angle lens and small compact body.  It’s easy to us and takes good photos.  I don’t like to mess with success.

I took a look at the DMC-ZS3 anyway and was quickly excited to try it out when I saw some of the specs: 25mm wide-angle lens, 12x zoom, and best of all, 720p HD video recording.  OK Nikon.  You’re sitting this one out.

I played with the camera a bit and noticed a few things right off the bat.  It’s a little larger than most Point & Shoot cameras, the black metal body looks pretty slick, and the menus and settings are pretty easy to navigate.  In reality, those are probably the top three things shoppers look at when purchasing a camera.

Picture Quality

Technology has moved incredibly fast over the last few years and even the cheapest cameras take great photos.  If you are shopping for a new camera and you’re spending hours browsing the internet comparing photos to see which camera takes the highest quality photos, you’re wasting your time.  They may not be identical, but nearly every camera being produced takes great photos.  I don’t care if it’s $99 or $499, you are going to be hard pressed to find much difference in picture quality between them.

The DMC-ZS3 is no exception.  The pictures look great, just like I’d expect.  Shots taken around town, indoors, and other normal photo situations look great but don’t exactly stand out above any other consumer grade camera.  Where the DMC-ZS3 shines is in harsh lighting conditions.  Maybe it’s the high quality Leica lens that has been coated in ways only professional glass ever receives, or maybe it’s the great 10megapixel sensor.  I’m not sure, but either way, it excels in harsh light.

Many cameras couldn't handle the exposure range and flare from the sun, but the DMC-ZS3 does so wonderfully in this photo from Ushuaia, Argentina

The Lens

Speaking of the lens, the DMC-ZS3 is packed with a 12x wide-angle Leica zoom lens.  Most cameras that are advertised to have a wide-angle lens have a focal length of 28mm and widest.  I’ve never seen it before in a Point & Shoot, but the DMC-ZS3 is 25mm at its widest.  3mm doesn’t sound like much, but it does provide a somewhat significant increase in viewing angle.  It’s a great bonus for travel photographers who constantly find themselves shooting beautiful landscapes, classic architecture, or even large groups of people.  Most standard Point & Shoot cameras have 35mm lenses and the difference is astounding.  I always recommend people look for a camera with a wide-angle lens.  It’s a necessity and I’m glad Panasonic not only recognized this, but expanded on it.

The only thing better than the 25mm wide-angle is the 12x zoom.  Roughly equivalent to a 300mm telephoto lens in traditional film photography, the 12x zoom allows you to get photos that were impossible with most other cameras.  I realized how powerful this can be when taking a boat tour of the Beagle Canal down off the southern tip of Argentina.  While the other people were using their 3x zooms to capture half of the island pictured below, I was able to use the 12x zoom and optical image stabilization to capture great close-up shots of the sea lions that were posing for us.

12x zoom, from a boat - Isla de los Lobos - Ushuaia, Argentina

Sea Lion eating a Southern King Crab

Wide-angle shot from hostel window - Beagle Canal in the distance

The Video

There has been a lot of hype on this camera and most of it has been surrounding the 720p HD video.  I’ve used several flash camcorders and always have been underwhelmed with the video, even when it’s 720p.  Encoding HD on flash memory has been around for a couple of years now, but due to the codecs and processes used to encode video into a usable format that is also small enough to fit on a memory card typically causes some pixelation.  It’s a trade off that most people can live with if they want a compact video recorder.

Some pixelation is present in the DMC-ZS3‘s video, but it is, by far, the best flash memory video I have seen with a compact camera.  Even the stereo audio sounds good though users should be careful of covering the mic with their finger when holding the camera.

Overall the video is clean and sharp, the audio is good, you can zoom while shooting video, and best of all, the optical image stabilization does wonders.  Without OIS, it would be practically impossible to hand hold the camera and shoot at 12x zoom without making your viewers sick.

Take a look at the video I shot during my boat tour of the Beagle Canal.

Watch this video in HD: Beagle Canal – Ushuaia, Argentina on Vimeo.

Keep in mind that much of the above video was shot with the lens fully extended to 12x and was on a moving boat.  It moves up and down quite a bit, but there is very little shake from hand holding the camera.  Overall I am extremely impressed.

Another thing you might notice with the video is the purple lens flares when shooting directly at the sun.  This is pretty common with video as the sensors can’t handle the full range of bright colors like still photography can.  It’s unfortunate, but I’m not surprised.  I doubt there is a consumer level camera that could do better.

Size

The last thing, and possibly most important to many people is the size of the camera.  Because of it’s impressive lens and beautiful 3″ LCD screen, the DMC-ZS3 is larger than most current Point & Shoot cameras.  As somebody who has used Digital-SLR cameras for most travel needs, it’s very small.  It’s not a “pocket” digital camera though.  I held mine in a waterproof Tucano neoprene case and it fit decently in my pants or jacket pockets, but it was more bulky than others I have used over the past couple of years.  It’s a trade off.

The Verdict

The Panasonic DMC-ZS3 is by far, the most impressive Point & Shoot digital camera I have ever used.  For the traveler, this camera should be a no-brainer.  I can’t imagine a better option in its class.

For the average user though, it may be a little overkill.  If you like to tuck a camera in your pocket and bring it out with you to the bar or club, this may not be the camera for you.  If you like to get out and go hiking, play sports, travel, or shoot high quality video, you’ve found the right camera.  It’s sturdy enough to get tossed around and take a beating so it will serve travelers well.

Overall, I’d give the DMC-ZS3 a 9/10.  The only thing that could use improving is the size, but if making it smaller means losing any features, I’d stick with the size it is.  It’s worth it.

MSRP is $399 but Amazon has the Panasonic DMC-ZS3 for closer to $300 currently.

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

Click to see this video in HD: Trip to Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco from Jeffery Patch on Vimeo.

From a scary taxi ride through Casablanca to a truly magnificent piece of North African architecture, my visit to Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca was wonderful. This mosque is the second largest in the world after Mecca and is one of the few mosques that allows non-Muslims to enter.

If you’re anything like me you love gadgets, especially cameras.  I’ve done a lot with digital cameras and video cameras over the years and the innovations that are constantly being released never cease to amaze me.  If you’re an independent traveler, you better have a camera with you.  And, chances are, you find yourself in some interesting places and environments so let’s take a look at some of the coolest cameras for these various uses.

Note: How to Choose the Best Digital Camera for Traveling has been discussed here before.  The truth is, just about any camera will work for most jobs.  But if you’re picky, a gadget freak, or find yourself in some adventurous and unique shooting environments, you might want to consider these innovative cameras.

Olympus Stylus Waterproof Cameras

Olympus really is the leader in consumer waterproof digital cameras.  They come out with more models than anybody else and really, they’re all pretty good.  Definitely do your research and find the one that fits your needs the best, but I personally like the slightly outdated Olympus Stylus 1050SW since it is considerably cheaper than some of the newer models and still a very capable camera.  They’re pocketable and work just as well in standard weather as they do underwater

Olympus PEN E-P1

I have nothing against Olympus, but I never thought I would write about their cameras twice in the same post.  Then again, it wasn’t until earlier today that I learned about the Olympus PEN E-P1.  This camera looks SLICK.  Every camera aficionado loves classic rangefinders and the PEN is certainly stylish.

But it’s not impressive just because of its looks.  The small size packed body is equipped with a micro four-thirds sensor that offers both the quality and features of a standard DSLR.  It is nothing to ignore, especially for travelers.  I’ve found it too difficult to travel with a DSLR camera lately and usually opt to leave it home.  The Olympus PEN E-P1 just might be what photography enthusiasts need for traveling.

The PEN E-P1 starts at $749 and is available for pre-order.  It’s set to ship in July.

Nikon D5000

Sure, I just finished telling you how I don’t like to travel with a DSLR anymore but that’s just me.  Many still do and let’s face it, they are the ultimate in quality.  If you are serious about photography, you’re either currently using, or planning to start using, a Digital SLR camera.

There are higher end cameras available, but the Nikon D5000 is a great mid-range model.  Lots of features, great quality, and best of all, the first articulating LCD screen on a DSLR.  This can come in very handy in many awkward shooting angles.

The Nikon D5000 is available with an 18-55mm kit lens for $799 or less (sale prices have been common lately)

VholdR ContourHD Helmet Video Camera

The ContourHD helmetcam is part of the new wave of affordable helmet cameras available for extreme sports.  Of course these can be used for plenty activities like hiking or rock climbing.  I’m considering one for a motorcycle trip to Peru this fall.

What sets the ContourHD apart from the rest of the pack is, if you couldn’t tell by its name, the ability to shoot in HD.  It records about 8 hours of 720p H.264 encoded video to a microSD in a very compact unit.  The best part? They list for only $299.

The VholdR ContourHD is currently on sale for $279 at Amazon and if you purchase before June 27th, you’ll receive a $50 gift card, bringing the price down to only $229 with free shipping.  Hard to beat that!

Canon VIXIA High Definition Camcorders

Canon keeps updating their VIXIA line of HD camcorders faster than I can memorize them.  They’re sold to consumers, but don’t let the sub-$600 prices and soccer mom followings fool you.  These are very capable devices!  If you’re pretty serious about producing travel video, these are a great start.

A standard camcorder will rarely make professional quality video right out of the box, but the VIXIA line of camcorders are darn close.  Add on a decent microphone and wide-angle lens, then learn how to shoot, and you can be making 1080p HD footage that rivals most Travel Channel shows.

Canon VIXIA camcorders come in several different models with built in hard drives, flash memory, or HDV tape recording and start at $599.

Flip MinoHD Pocket HD Camcorder

The 3.3oz Flip MinoHD pocket camcorder is the ultimate in portability.  If you are shooting memories, you’d be hard pressed not to justify owning one of these to slip in your pocket or bag and be able to shoot decent quality HD video wherever you are.

They are extremely easy and convenient to use, but the video quality is nowhere near as good as the above mentioned Canon camcorders.  Nor should you expect it to be for less than $200.  But if you want to capture memories and share them online, you can’t beat it.

The Flip MinoHD costs less than $200 and also comes in various flashy colorings as well.

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Highway 30 - North/North West Maui

I’ve been traveling as much as possible for nearly a decade and to be completely honest, Hawaii was never really on my mind as a place to visit.

I pictured big high-rise hotels and resorts, families, and overweight German tourists wearing speedos.  And let’s not even bring up how expensive it all must have been.

I can admit that my ignorance clouded my judgment, but one thing I’m sure I had right was about how expensive Hawaii was.   Then this little thing called an economic crisis came in to play.  A year ago I briefly flirted with the idea and a round trip ticket from Los Angeles was $700.  Today it is $235 round trip to Honolulu, or about $330 to Maui.

So we have our first requirement for a good budget destination; cheap airfare.

Next, we’ll need someplace to stay.  The $200+ hotels on the beach in Lahaina probably won’t be feasible.  Don’t worry too much though because Maui has three hostels that I was able to track down online.

There is Patey’s Place in Lahaina which had pretty poor reviews so I chose not to stay there.  In Wailuku there is the Northshore Hostel and Banana Bungalows.  Based off of Hostelworld’s reviews, I opted for Northshore but Banana Bungalows looked decent enough from the outside when I walked past.  I had just read too many horror stories online about them which is why I continued to skip it.  All three places cost about $25 per night which isn’t cheap, but affordable enough given that we are in Hawaii after all.

Wailuku is a sleepy little town with little to offer travelers other than good central point for exploring the island.  It’s easy to get to from the airport and both the Hana Highway (37) and the amazing scenic route 30 are easily accessible.

In fact, my favorite thing to do in Maui was to simply drive those roads.  Everybody has heard about the road to Hana, and it definitely lives up to the hype, but Highway 30 is an amazing drive along the north coast along a winding 1.5 lane road.

Both highways are literally littered with hikes.  So many that you will have a difficult time deciding which ones to do and which ones to skip.  You’ll want to consult your guidebook the night before so you don’t waste precious time that you could be using to be exploring this wonderful island.

Don’t forget the beaches.  Kihei and Lahaina have great beaches for snorkeling or just relaxing and catching some rays.  Both places have plenty of places to rent snorkel gear or surfboard and you’d be surprised how cheap it can be.  A complete snorkel package should run you less than $10 for a 24 hour rental.

So we have our second and third important items for a budget destination;  free or cheap things to do and beautiful nature.

Maui really surprised me by being so easily accessible for budget travel.  You’ll spend your time exploring rather than paying money for tours or other types of entertainment.  I heard horror stories about food and everything else being extremely overpriced but other than one overpriced breakfast wrap I had, everything was priced the same, or cheaper than back home in California.

I know what you are thinking: “there has to be a catch!” Right?

I suppose the only downside to visiting Hawaii is that you really need to have your own car.  I rented a car through Thrifty which cost $179 for 5 days.  I used DiscountHawaiiCarRental which saved me about 10% over using a larger travel search engine.  Add in about $50 in gas and you have a pretty major expense.  This is where it helps to have a friend traveling with you so you can split it.

Not counting food, I spent less than $30 on entertaining myself.  It cost $10 to drive into Haleakala National Park, $6 to enter the Waihe’e Valley Trail and $4 for snorkel gear.  One night I spent another $9.50 on going to see a movie.  Not bad for five full days of never being bored.

I try to keep a fair balance between staying frugal and enjoying myself but I never attempted to be cheap on this trip.  It just ended up that everything that I wanted to do was basically free.

I should thank my amazing guidebook, Maui Revealed.
I typically swear by Lonely Planet, but I picked up this book at the store and then read the reviews on Amazon.  It is packed full of information that other books don’t have and every time I visited one of the more secret places in it, I was either alone, or with only a couple of other readers of the book.  You can’t visit Maui without it.

There we have it.  I deem Hawaii, and Maui in particular, a great budget traveler’s destination.  Thanks to this economy for providing cheap airfare, you can now visit for less than half of what it would have cost last year.  Assuming you like the sun and outdoors, you’ll have a great time exploring the island.

If you would like to see more photos from Jeff’s trip to Maui please check out the photoset on Flickr.

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Monkeys in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica from Jeffery Patch on Vimeo.

There were an unbelievable amount of monkeys swinging all around us last month in Manuel Antonio.  They came right up to us but luckily didn’t attack.  I was afraid they could smell our snacks in my backpack!

Throughout my travels I have learned a lot of things about what and what not to bring when traveling independently. If you’re the type of traveler who is constantly on the go, I think you’ll benefit from this list.

1. A good backpack:

Sure, you might have some fancy luggage in your closet but if you’re going to be traveling independently on trains, buses, or by foot, you’ll soon be sick and tired of dragging that rolling suitcase behind you.

That’s why I bought the Kelty Redwing 3100 (read my review) for as my main pack when traveling. I’ve gone through three packs before I found this one. It holds about 50 liters of gear, has great padding, and can be adjusted to fit snug and comfortably.

And as a final testimonial, I had shoulder surgery a year before using this for the first time and I never once got sore wearing this bag.

Of course, everybody’s tastes will differ. It might be a good idea to try on a few at your local outdoors store, but with this model being such a bargain, it might be worth the risk to just give it a shot and return it if it doesn’t work out. Note: good backpacks can run upwards of $300.  They might have more space or pockets, but unless you’re packing snow clothes, you shouldn’t need more than 40-50 liters of space.

Best part about this pack, you can carry it on the airplane!

2. A good day pack:

Not everybody will need a second bag, but it can be useful of you will have a base location and be venturing out on hikes or day trips. It’s much easier to leave your large bag behind and load up your day pack with the things you’ll need to get you through the day.
Almost any backpack will do but I particularly like the North Face Recon pack. It holds plenty of gear and is extremely comfortable. As with the Kelty bag, this is one of the first bags I’ve had that doesn’t hurt my shoulders despite loading it up daily with a gallon of water and other junk.

You’ll probably want to have a pack that can hold a water bladder, or at the very least, pockets for water bottles.  You can never have enough water with you!

3. Lonely Planet guide books:

Depending on where you’re going, you’ll likely have a choice of several guidebooks. Over the years I have found Lonely Planet to be the most accurate and helpful for the independent traveler. They tend to cover all types of restaurants and accommodations from the bottom of the barrel budget hostels to five star luxury resorts. Several times I have brought two different guidebooks with me and every time, I end up relying solely on the Lonely Planet.

4. Rough Guide books:

Ok, I wasn’t entirely truthful before. When in Morocco I found myself relying a bit more on the Rough Guide. Since Morocco is a bit difficult to navigate, I often utilized information from both books to determine the best route or activity.

On the other hand though, I’ve browsed other Rough Guides at the book store and some have not been very good. When in doubt, check the reviews on Amazon.

5. Digital Camera:

This probably goes without saying as many people don’t leave home without their camera these days.  My trusty pocket camera is a Nikon S600 which has recently been replaced by the Nikon S610.
You can’t go wrong with just about any modern digital camera and the choices are endless.

I also use a professional Nikon D200 body, but often I find myself leaving it behind and relying on my smaller camera. It’s easier to carry and takes great photos. Don’t forget, most of these small cameras also record movies now. The quality may not be as good as an expensive camcorder, but they work surprisingly well.

6. iPod touch:

Can you tell that I’m a bit of a gadget freak yet? I’ve always brought an iPod along with me ever since I began traveling. You won’t find me walking around the street with headphones in my ears (I prefer the sound of the world around me), but they are great on airplanes and long train rides.

Earlier this year I learned how great my new iPod touch really was. Not only could I use it to listen to music and watch videos on, but its built in WiFi allowed me to hop on to the Internet at every hostel I’ve been at this year and keep in touch with my friends and family. Check your email, surf the web, even post to your blog. Not to mention you can use it to find the latest information on happenings wherever you may be. I’ve since upgraded to an iPhone, but it is so powerful that I don’t even bother carrying a laptop with me anymore. Not even for business trips!

7. Bpa free water bottle:

Ok, enough with the gadgets. No matter where you are, you’ll need to drink water. Depending on where you are, bottled water can often be much more expensive than you’re used to. Solution? Carry your own bottle and refill it with tap water. Just be sure the water is safe to drink where you are visiting!

These CamelBak BPA free water bottles are  great.  Safe to use, strong as heck, and spill proof.  I carry a 1 liter bottle with me every day.

8. Hiking shoes:

You might not need shoes specific to hiking but if you’ll be doing any treading on uneven ground you’ll surely appreciate them.

They’ve evolved over the years to fit and look more like regular old sneakers and less like the mountaineer boots of yesteryear so you won’t feel dorky wearing them around the city as well.

9. Sport sandals:

These are something I wish I had in Costa Rica (and now I do). I tried to make due with my sneakers but every stream, lake, or waterfall we came to I had to sit down and take off my socks and shoes. Then try to keep them dry as I crossed the river only to put them right back on.  I’ve learned my lesson.

They’ll do for mild to medium hikes and you don’t have to take them off when you want to get wet.

10. Quick drying towel:

Last but not least is a quick drying, lightweight towel. They’re thin, light, extremely absorbent, and dry quickly. Much easier to carry than a regular cotton towel, they dry so quickly that they won’t get mildew easily.  Perfect for camping or showering at hostels where you generally need your own towel.  Some hostels will let you use a towel, but there is often a charge. I won’t travel without one anymore.

That’s it! Throw in a few t-shirts and a couple pairs of shorts and you have my backpack, loaded and ready to see the world.

Do you have any suggestions or special items that you can’t travel without?  Please share them in the comments below.

I hope you found this list useful.  If so, and you plan to purchase any of these items or anything else from amazon, I will earn a small percentage of any sales made through the above links.  Anything helps to keep the site up running.  -Thanks!

3/31/08

With some new travel partners I was excited to get on with my first real day of enjoying Morocco.

The hostel put on a small breakfast consisting of pastries and cafe au lait. The pastries were very tasty but it’s always difficult for me to transition from the typical hearty American breakfast I eat at home.

Dominique, Rob, Lauren and Lizzie and I decided to explore Fes el Jedid, the new medina of Fes. While it is called the “new” medina, it is anything from new. Built about 900 years ago, the medina is a walled medieval area where most people live, shop, and eat.

It wasn’t a very far walk so we passed on taking a cab. Before arriving at the entrance to the medina, we passed the king’s palace with it’s beautiful tiled walls and towering carved doors.

Entering the medina is like stepping into another world. The walkways are thin and often difficult to navigate with the crowds. You had better be prepared to hug a wall when a donkey cart comes rolling through!

You’re presented with an abundance of sights, sounds and smells. Fresh foods are being cooked in a stall next to a shop specializing in rugs or finely woven silk. The goods are amazingly beautiful with the exception of freshly butchered legs of lamb and the occasional head as well. That was certainly a surprise.

The new medina was less threatening than expected. The guide books warn of unofficial guides looking to hustle you or rude shop keepers whistling at passing girls. We had a few people try very hard to get us into their shops, but we didn’t have any problems.

After exploring the winding streets of the new medina we headed to the Jewish cemetery and paid 10dh to enter. Fes once had a very large Jewish population and nearly every one of them who died there were buried at this cemetery. Bleached white headstones mark the above ground graves and a few small mausoleums have lit candles that look like they had been burning for weeks. At the far end was a wall which offered us a great view of kids playing football down below.

Kids playing football in Fes, Morocco from Jeffery Patch on Vimeo.

After the cemetery we headed back to the hostel and had Abdullah help book us an official guide to tour the old medina in the afternoon.

The girls decided to buy some snacks for lunch at a small shop but Rob and I opted for a bigger meal. We found a street front cafe and took a seat on the patio. For about $4 or $5 I had a salad with a plate of chicken kabobs, fries and hummus. It was quite tasty and the price was certainly fair.

Back at the hostel we met up with three people from Scotland who had also hitch hiked all the way to Morocco. They asked about joining in with us on the tour. Dominique decided to go at it alone so we had a group of seven. The tour guide didn’t seem to mind. It was much cheaper being split seven ways so at the end we gave him a pretty decent tip.

Fes el Bali, the old medina, was fascinating. It was much larger than the new medina yet the walkways were much thinner. It is built on a hill and there is no method to the layout of the hundreds of streets. I would have been extremely lost without a guide.

He took is to a mosque/madressa which I was surprised to be able to enter. It was small, but so unbelievably detailed that I was in awe.

There were so many sights to stop and look at but eventually we made our way up to where the leather tanneries are located. We visited a shop where we were shown some leather goods (the story of any tour in Morocco will likely involve being taken to a shop). After a short sales pitch we were walked to the back of the shop where there was a wonderful view of the tanneries below. Unfortunately the work had already ceased for the day but the smells coming out of the pits was powerful and unique.

Through out the tour we taken to several shops. While none of us young back packers were planning on purchasing anything we enjoyed the short demonstrations we were shown. It was interesting to see their techniques up close and in person. The mint tea at the rug shop was quite tasty as well.

Despite not planning on purchasing anything, several of us bought some scarves from a silk shop. Not only did they show us how they wove them, but they then proceeded to dress me up in one and show how a desert crossing Berber man would cover his face from a sand storm. I didn’t think the look was very fashionable for me, but I found a couple that my sisters would like so I bought them each a nice silk scarf.

One thing I was looking forward to was picking up some spices for my tagine recipes back home.  We visited a big spice shop and I picked up a bunch of Ras al-Hanout to smuggle back in.  The girls all got some henna done on their hands as well.

Lauren gets Henna in Fes el Bali, Morocco from Jeffery Patch on Vimeo.

Before the tour came to an end we samples some fresh almond filled pastries. They were amazing!

When we finally returned to the hostel for the evening we were all starving. We found a restaurant that was recommended to us not only by our guidebook, but a random stranger on our way. I’m pretty sure he wanted a tip but I don’t think any of us gave him one for reaffirming our choice in dining.

As every other meal I had so far, the food was wonderful. Chicken, golden raisins and some vegetables cooked in a tagine, served over fresh couscous. So juicy and full of flavor.

The food took a little longer than expected though so I went back with two of the other guys to make sure the hostel would keep the doors open past the 10pm curfew to allow the rest of our group to pay the bill.

Unfortunately they got lost on the way back and the security guard went to sleep. We had to wake them up when they arrived around 11pm and he wasn’t very happy!

Several of us stayed up and hung out on the patio again and met some other people who were also staying there. Long night of chatting with people from all over the world. It’s always interesting who you can meet halfway across the world.