Video: The Sun from Austria to South America
I sorted the sun photos I took in Europe and South America on my backpacking trips in Germany, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Austria and Spain.
Slideshow & Video for: 7 Things Every Backpacker should have in his Backpack
Due to the wide success and great resonance on my post 7 Things Every Backpacker should have in his Backpack, I put together a video and a slideshow. Enjoy! Feedback welcome!
Posted 1 year, 1 month ago at 8:00 pm. 1 comment
6 Useful Tips for Travelling with a Bus in South America
Introduction
Travelling by bus is the common way to travel in South America. I travelled only by bus and once by plane. Here are some general tips and hints. Yet, there is sometimes a huge difference between the buses in different countries depening on their development stage and/or tourism level. Thus, I added an additional post about the different countries, we know about: Travelling by Bus in South America - Different Countries
Know what you need on the ride and get it beforehand
Usually a bus ride takes about 5-15 hours, so it is good to know what you need beforehand. I always bring some food and water. Most trips include a breakfast, food and drinks, but this could be a cookie with a small cup of tea, which might not be enough. Check out the package list for convenience and safety, about what you should definitely bring.
The travelling outfit
Usually, when I board a bus I put my most practical and worst clothes on. First, practical means good and many pockets (deep, ideally with zippers or another way to close them) on my trousers and comfortable. I have a special trouser in greenish, with many pockets and I can detach the legs of with zippers to make it medium or very short. Second, worst clothes, well usually you are rich compared to the locals, thus I prefer to look more like a poor traveller than a rich one.
Should you keep your valuables with you or in the cargo bay - short checklist
First of all, in South America it is quite common that you need your passport / ID card even within the borders of one and the same country. Thus, when travelling with a bus I recommend to keep your passport always with you.
-Do you travel alone? Yes, 1 point for the cargo bay.
-Do you travel with another person or a group that you trust and keeps an eye on your stuff too? Yes, 2 points for keeping it with you in the bus.
-Is it a long ride? Yes, 1 point for the cargoy bay.
-Are you tired or do you fall fast asleep? Yes, 2 points for the cargo bay.
-Do you have the possibility to really secure your stuff in the bus, e.g., small backpack with lock and a chain to mount it to your place? Yes, 3 points for keeping it with you in the bus.
-Do you travel with a secure bus company with strong regulations special staff, vouchers, etc.? (Like the first class of the Cruz del Sur fleet in Peru? Yes, 5 points for the cargo bay.
-You like peace of mind, while sitting in the bus and tired of watching your stuff? Yes, 3 points for the cargo bay.
In my case, I nearly always put a vast amount of my valuables in the backpack that was stored in the cargo bay.
Know what you should take with you in the bus
Well, check what you need, then what you want and then what you could need.
My list is as follows:
-Something to drink
-Something to eat
-Hygenie stuff
-Something to entertain me (book(s), mp3player)
-My Camera
To get some ideas about what you should have with you, check out: The package list for convenience and safety and 7 Things every Backpacker should have in his Backpack.
Check and/or determine where they put your backpack
This is necessary if you are travelling with a bus that carries liquids or stuff that can run out. If they put your backpack below a bag of eggs and these eggs break, well bad luck. I heard from some travellers that insisted that their backpacks are put on the top of the bus to avoid such situations. Personally I think this is only necessary in a very few occassions. If you want to be on the safe side you can always put your rain gear around your backpack everytime it is stored in the bus.
Watch your stuff
Watch your stuff before it it stored in the bus.
Watch your stuff while you are in the bus.
Depending on the security level also watch it after it was stored in the bus AND everytime the bus stops. (I only did this in Bolivia). In Peru, Chile and Argentina I always got vouchers for my stuff and they bus stops and service was quite organized, thus after I gave them my backpack I was pretty sure that it is safe and it was always. In Argentina I once forgot my hat, while changing a bus and then they asked who forgot it. Wow, I was pretty amazed about that.
Yet, in Bolivia the service and security is quite different - also depening on the bus company - there I always watched my stuff, right before the moment we took off and at every stop we took a look at the cargo bay. Sometimes even leaving the bus.
Posted 1 year, 1 month ago at 5:23 pm. 2 comments
7 Things every Backpacker should have in his Backpack
These are the 7 things you should have with you on a backpacking trip:
Rain-wear for you and your backpack
In case it gets rainy or you have to put your backpack somewhere that you don’t consider “dry enough”.
Additional money in a hard currency
I always have some USD and EURos hidden somewhere in my backpack and/or clothes, which I don’t use for “daily payment”. This is for several reasons. First, it can be considered a hard currency, thus (nearly) everyone takes it. Second, in case of emergency you have something left in order to get out of harms way (fast transport, secure place, good doctor, etc.). Third, peace of mind, I never ever used it, so far.
Additional small backpack/rucksack/handbag
I use this for several things. When travelling on the bus, the backpack is stored in the “cargo bay”, thus I put my food, books, etc. in my small rucksack. While exploring a city, I use it to put in my camera, food and a map. Also it is great for shopping. There are many more situations, where you don’t want to run around with your big backpack or where it is inaccessible.
Some padlocks
For safety, security and peace of mind. One of the first thing I do in a hostel is: I get a locker, put all valuable stuff in it and lock it. I recommend having a small, medium and a big padlock. Since every hostel has different lockers. Also you can lock your backpack or other equipment too, if you like, I don’t. They are cheap, small and extremely practical.
First aid kit
A first aid kit while travelling can save your day. Its mostly to treat inconveniences and slight “injuries” fast and effective. Some patches, some stuff for your digestion and an anti-infective agent. Check my package list for safety and convenience for hints about other things you should put in.
Extra food and some water
Especially on long trips you should always have some extra food and water with you. The bus could break down, a road block could force a delay, etc. Also you can share it with fellow backpackers and/or natives.
Something to entertain you
This could be anything a live-journal, a book, a MacBook, a mp3player etc. While travelling you will wait for transport, being in transit or sometimes you just want to have a “break” from all the adventures and cultures. Then you want something familiar from “home” or just something that helps you to relax. I stick to books and mp3s. In case, it is something expensive: be aware that you can use it appropriately - I would not get out a MacBook in a Bolivian bus, cause it could be the value of all other passengers yearly salary summed up…
If you are looking for good book suggestions check out Books to Read while Traveling from The Art of Backpacking.
Posted 1 year, 2 months ago at 1:50 am. 4 comments
5 Things I learned while Backpacking
While travelling I learned a lot, some epiphanies came instantly others took a while til they settled. Anyway, sometimes your brain works faster than you think ;)
Here are 5 things that I learned while backpacking that are of general interest.
1) Appreciation of small things
While backpacking you can’t rely on many things, thus I quickly knew what I missed and what was of lesser importance or even completely irrelevant. Also it showed me what I am able to endure (in most cases it merely reminded me, since I had a rough time in bootcamp during national service). This makes common things like warm water, a decent bed or a warm meal even more enjoyable, since you learned that not everything is that common every-time and everywhere.
2) Key factors for well-being and peace of mind
Additionally, I found out all the small and big things that are really important for my well-being and/or peace of mind. Note that everybody is different: I know people that need a lot of space, but care less about privacy, whereas I prefer privacy over space. Such things can be very valuable later on, when you search for a new flat or thinking about moving in.
3) Experience is King - don’t believe every bullshit they tell you
I always thought that the South America is a dangerous place, well so is my neighbourhood or isn’t it? Of course it is sometimes and somewhere, also I may have been lucky - sometimes I was for sure. I have also been scared about going into Bolivia. Then one day before entering a met a girl from Germany and she had travelled through Bolivia for a few weeks on her own without any problems - I felt like a real pussy then. A few days before I met two girls from Ireland who told me that my beloved Arequipa was dangerous! I spent about four weeks in Arequipa the year before, going out, exploring the down on my own, walking in various areas and taking photos all over the different places. Of course there are dangerous places there, but there are also ones in Berlin, Vienna, London, New York, Hamburg, …
Sometimes it is better to ignore the bullshit people telling you, sometimes it is better to ignore the bullshit you tell yourself - challenge your assumptions and be careful while you do it.
4) Monitoring and managing “emotional energy”
One thing what was pretty tough for me and took me a while til I figured it out, was my ability to monitor and maintain my “emotional energy level”. I worked as a bar manager in a hostel for 3 weeks, since I don’t drink alcohol I could afford to join my customers into the downtown nearly every night. We had a great time, sharing the best stories, dancing, shouting and then suddenly your new best friends were gone to the next city. Yet, we just developed a quite deep connection. This costed me quite a bit of energy, I wasn’t used to that, thus after a few weeks I don’t wanted to meet new people, yet I didn’t know it consciously. Something was just not feeling right. Later on, I understood and now I know when it is time to go on my own. Lately, this was really practical after I visited two intense one-week seminars in one month and joined a small company with about 50 employees. I knew that I had to get a bit more privacy than usual to balance my “emotional energy level”.
5) Learning about my own country and people
While I was travelling through South America I learned to appreciate the fact that we have 4 different seasons in Austria. We have hot summers and freezing winters, we have a beautiful spring time and the rainy fall. In some countries these seasons are way less clear or don’t even exist. Also I learned factors that are important, when it comes to economics. A taxi in Austria is really expensive, whereas in Peru it is common for most people to use one. Well, since public transportation and private cars in Peru are very uncommon, taxis are common. Things that are totally counter-intuitive provided me with a new understanding of certain situations, when I got the big picture.
This helped in many areas from the debating club to marketing, cause I know that the situation in my country is based on other assumptions that may not exist somewhere else. Hence, I can question these common assumptions or take into account the factors that are prevalent somewhere else, but nobody thinks about at home.
What are your epiphanies and experiences, feel free to leave a comment or two ;)
