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Why I Love Vietnam!

First stop in Southeast Asia: Hanoi, Vietnam. Population: 7 million. Motorbikes: 1.5 million. Girl from Albuquerque, New Mexico: 1. My first time to Southeast Asia, I couldn’t have chosen a better country to begin my journey. Vietnam is beautiful, historic and eye-opening. Tropical paradise, mountainous terrain, eat and drink like a king, buzzing night life, the list goes on and on! Here’s why I love Vietnam..

Halong Bay

Vietnam’s hidden wonder and absolute paradise. This World Heritage site is a must-see on every backpackers’ list. It’s a personal fave! Begin your trip on an authentic Vietnamese “junk boat” (nothing junk about it!) exploring the turquiose waters and viewing the never ending rock formations. Here you can kayak, rock climb, cliff jump, perfect for the adventure seeker. After one night spent on the boat, you arrive to your very own private island. Yes. That’s right, a private island for just you and your friends! Where else can you say you did that?! Play beach volleyball, drink cheap beer, watch the sun go down and karaoke the night away.

Explore Sapa

Want to see the real Vietnam? Venture to Sapa and hike through the endless rice fields. Meet our guide, Vu and her daughter Sho Sho, the giggliest child of them all. We spent two days exploring Sapa by foot and it wouldn’t have been the same without these two. Sapa is truly majestic. The people are colourful in both their attire and spirit, the views are breathtaking and it’s off the beaten path!

“Same Same But Different”

Anyone who has travelled Southeast Asia knows this common saying. If so – you probably still use the saying today. You may even own a vest with the same writing! Often used when purchasing, this phrase with no doubt will bring you confusion, understanding and most often laughter.
Example: “Are these real Ray Bans? Is this chicken? Is this the correct bus?”… “Same same but different.” All different questions, very same answer. Sometimes a good response, other times not so much.
Regardless, hearing this phrase post your travels will always remind you of your times spent in SE Asia and will most likely bring a smile to your face.

Hoi An

My favourite place in all of Vietnam! Beach. Culture. Shopping. Food. You name it, this place has it! Ride a bicycle to the beach to watch the sunrise, get tailor-made clothing, see the beautiful lanterns at dark, join a cooking class and party the night away.

The Food

Some people take photos of the scenery. Others take photos of people or their adventures. My best friend/ co-traveller takes photos of me eating… So the secret is out, I like to eat. In fact “like” is a large understatement. If you’re a foodie like me, you will love Vietnam! A must-eat, the BBQ in Hanoi – we ate here not once, not twice but three times in one day. Also on the list: pho (noodle soup), banh mi (baguette) and fresh spring rolls!

Ride Like A Local

As the highest motorbike per capita country in the world, what better way to explore a new city than on your own set of wheels? But fair warning: if you’re brave enough to get on the back of a motorbike, let alone drive one yourself – I suggest you invest in some good travellers insurance. Nothing’s worse than letting a small accident spoil your trip. So if you have the guts, hop on board. Otherwise, master the art of crossing street traffic, a challenge in itself!

Cheap Beer

A true necessity when travelling. Everyone enjoys a good party, but often the cost of drinking can add up. But when a large beer only costs you 50 cents, the round’s on me! Saigon, Tiger, 333 – all common labels. Try them each and see what tickles your fancy. Personal tip: Pull up a baby stool outside a restaurant, purchase a beverage, pair with sunflower seeds and mingle with new friends.

Never a Dull Moment

Just an average Wednesday morning. Meet Susie – my new best friend. Deathly afraid of snakes, this is not my ideal moment, but travelling pushes you to step outside your comfort zone. Hold a python, eat a scorpion, feed a crazy monkey – all part of the Southeast Asia fun!

Beach Bum in Nha Trang

Want to enjoy the sun and get your tan on? Visit the seaside town of Nha Trang. Known for its blue waters and Russian influence – this town has everything to offer. Partake in one of its numerous water sports such as kite surfing or snorkelling followed by a wild night out on the town. Personal recommendation: Why Not Bar, because why not?!

History

You can’t travel to Vietnam and not learn about the country’s history – it’s inevitable. But that’s what travelling is all about, learning about other cultures and what has happened in the past to shape a country. Travel to Ho Chi Minh and visit the Cu Chi tunnels to learn more about the war. I promise you’ll learn more here than you ever did from a textbook!

Travel the Long Way

Travelling onward? How about to Laos or Cambodia? Don’t take the boring route! We did a 3 day journey from Ho Chi Minh to Cambodia via the Mekong Delta and it couldn’t have been better. Explore the canals, shop the floating markets and see more of Southeast Asia along the way.

Planning a trip to Vietnam? Check out our 13 day Ultimate Vietnam tour and get in touch for info and advice!

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19/08/2015/0 Comments/by Becca Spence

Featured, Travel Tips!, Working Holiday Aus

7 Ways to make the most of your Gap Year

If you’re planning a Gap Year chances are you’ve put a lot of thought into where you’d like to travel and what you’d like to experience. Here are a few pointers to think about before you start your trip to ensure you make the most of your time away!

Why are you travelling?

Think about your reasons for travelling and what you’d like to get out of your year abroad before you start your trip. Are you travelling to experience living in a foreign country? Do you want to learn a language? Have you got a bucket list of countries you’d like to tick off the list? You never know what will happen along the way, your reasons for travelling in the first place might even change, but if your travel has a purpose and you have a goal in mind before you leave home, you’re much more likely to make the most of your time away.

Get sociable

This might seem like a no brainer.. You want to travel to see the world, experience new things and meet people right?! Sometimes making friends when you’re travelling takes a little effort, especially if you’re bit shy and wouldn’t normally start chatting to strangers. It might be easier to sit by yourself listening to music but you could be missing out on great friendships, funny travel stories and other travellers advice! Spark up a conversation with a fellow backpacker: you never know where it will take you! Remember, if you’re already travelling with someone, don’t let them become your safety net. Keep making new friends – the more the merrier! 🙂

Be free

If you’re travelling with someone/a group of people don’t feel like you have to stick with them for the entire time. You might want different things out of your travel experience and have different ideas of what’s fun, exciting and what will make your trip memorable. Embrace travelling solo and go your separate ways for a while. Parting ways doesn’t have to the end of the friendship- you could always meet up later on or visit each other in your home countries. Being free to travel where you want to is so important. Be a little bit selfish and do what you want to do – it’s your Gap year and probably one of the only opportunities you’ll get in life to do EXACTLY as you want to and not have to take what others want to do into account.

Try not to miss home too much

As a big family person I know it’s easier said than done, but spending lots of your valuable travel time thinking about home is a waste. If you’re travelling for a year, thats a long time to be away from family and friends so of course you’ll miss them but just try not to let it get in the way of all the fun you could be having! More often than not, when we return home everything is exactly as it was when we left. Your good friends and family will be waiting for you when you get home so don’t miss out on making the most of your travel experiences because you miss them. When you’ve returned home and the dust has settled you’ll be itching to hop on the next plane abroad again so just make the most of it.

Be Spontaneous

Travelling is one of the only times in your life you’ll be able to be truly spontaneous. You’ve left your responsibilities at home and now you’re free to go wherever you want, whenever you want! When you’re travelling plans can change as quickly as they were made so when new friends ask you to join them on a road trip but you’ve already got plans.. change them. It’s your travel experience so do what makes you happy!

Plan & be prepared

As fun as it is to go with the flow and not worry about the ‘real’ world for a while, planning a little in advance can save you money, keep you safe and help you make the most of your travels. Try to get the balance right between planning and going with the flow. A good balance when booking travel is to leave your travel tickets open dated so you can save money booking your travel in a package but you don’t have to decide straight away when you’d like to do the trip. If you’re travelling in Australia and want to do your 2nd year visa it’s best to get in there early on to avoid not having enough time to complete your regional work later in the year! Prepare for bumps in the road with hidden cash or a credit card for emergencies and having credit on your phone at all times. You’ll feel better knowing you can look after yourself if needed so you can fully relax and enjoy the experience of travelling! Need help with planning travel or regional work? Get in touch for help.

Make the most of every minute

It’s cliche but it’s true. Your Gap year will undoubtably be one of the best times of your life and it will fly by! Make the most of each and every moment and experience because if you’re anything like us, when it’s over you’ll be wanting to do it all over again!

Travelling right now and got some advice of your own? We’d love to hear it! Comment below to share your experiences with us!

06/05/2015/0 Comments/by Bernie Augstein

Australia, Featured

Local’s Guide to Exploring Sydney

Exploring Sydney

While you’re exploring Sydney, the guidebook will give you a great map and show you the way to the icons of the city but it will not share the secrets. For that, you need to get a local to whisper in your ear. We know, we know, easier said than done. How do you know you’re asking the right local? How do you know what you need to know? What are even the right questions? It’s a crisis. Well, it was a crisis until we swooped in and saved the day. We got together with some of our favourite Sydney peeps and got them to share their secrets with us. Here they are: Transport

Get the TripView app for your smartphone. Has all train, bus and ferry timetables on it. Brilliant!
Travel passes are the way to go if you are using public transport. You can get weekly passes to cover bus, train and ferry and if will be moving around a lot.
If there are more than 2 of you travelling from the airport to hotel then it is probably cheaper to get a taxi. The train leg from airport to the city is privatised so really expensive.

Food and Coffee

Best coffee – We’ve tried to give you one per main region:
- Balmain – Delmain Providore
- Bondi – Chapter One
- Cronulla – Grind
- Darlinghurst – Detour Espresso Bar
- Glebe – The Wedge Espresso
- Manly – Barefoot Coffee Traders
- Mona Vale – Coffee Brothers
- Sydney CBD – Joe Black X
- Surry Hills – Single Origin Roasters

Did we miss an area near you? Check out Beanhunter for current reviews by the locals for the locals.

Hit Doyle’s at Watson’s Bay for Fish and Chips.
Grab the best croissant you will ever eat outside of France from Victoire bakery in Rozelle.
Local Surry Hills folk all go to the Bourke Street Bakery for coffee and pastries on the weekend.
Pizza from Cipro Pizza Al Taglio in Alexandria is a must.
Fatima’s on Cleveland Street, Surry Hills does THE most amazing Lebanese. Get one of everything.

Urbanspoon is a great online resource for eating out. Nightlife, Pubs and Entertainment

See a band at the Metro or Enmore Theatre
Head to one of the smaller theatres like the Belvoir in Surry Hills or the Darlinghurst Theatre Company in Darlinghurst (just near the Cross). Many of these smaller places will have cheap ticket nights or cheap seats to early openings or last shows. Hunt around online for details.
The Annandale Hotel is one of the few pubs to still put on local bands playing original work. Pub has that old grungy vibe going on. It’s awesome and there is an Asian themed restaurant attached if you’d like a bite to eat.
Our favourite pubs in no particular order are Darlo Bar, Darlinghurst; Shakespeare Hotel, Surry Hills; Old Fitzroy Hotel and East Sydney Hotel, Woolloomooloo; and the Lord Dudley, Woollahra. Except for Darlo Bar these are all old school pub style which is our favourite. If you are looking for a different style of pub or one in a different area than Time Out has it all.

Sightseeing

See Sydney by a series of Coastal Walks – it is the best way to capture the view.
Make the effort to head down south to the Royal National Park. You can do a coastal walk or a bike ride or swim at the beach or…you get the picture.
Choose Neilson Park, Vaucluse for a day at a Harbour Beach. There is grass and sand and an onsite cafe (with beers!).
Don’t miss the zoo. Even locals go there.
Once you’ve seen the main attractions, get out of the city. Things will be cheaper and more fun.
The Alternative scene is in Newtown, the hipsters are in Balmain and Surry Hills, the beach dudes and babes are in Bondi OR Manly (depends on your style of babe).
If Indie is your thing then make sure you check out the Inner West. GREAT markets, pubs and cafes pretty much across the board.

12/05/2014/0 Comments/by Bernie Augstein

Featured, Southeast Asia

Ultimate Thailand Checklist

So you’ve booked your Ultimate Thailand trip and are now eagerly awaiting your arrival! It can be daunting travelling to a new place, especially if you’re going alone, and it’s sometimes impossible to decide what essentials to pack. I’ve put together an Ultimate Thailand checklist of top priorities:

Ensure your passport has 6 months validity from date of travel: You won’t be able to travel if your passport is due to expire within 6 months. Check whether you are eligible for a free visa on arrival, read more information here.

Travel Insurance: No matter how prepared you are, things can always go wrong. Travel insurance is essential for our tour. Check these guys out for quotes.

Take two photocopies of your passport/ticket/insurance details and other important documents, leave one set with someone at home and take a copy with you.

Insect Repellent/medicines: We don’t travel to any areas of a high risk of Malaria with Ultimate Thailand, but as with most hot climates there can be lots of pesky mosquitoes to contend with. Pack a high strength mosquito repellent to keep them at bay. The most common illnesses backpackers face when travelling to South East Asia are those from contaminated food and water. Be smart with what you are eating and drinking, and pack some medicine just in case.

Unlocked mobile phone & charger: Thai sim cards are available all over Thailand, and they are super cheap. If you are staying for a little while I’d suggest getting a sim card, they have a great data allowance so you can chat to your friends back home and avoid those huge data roaming charges.

Essential clothes/toiletries: Pack lightly, Thailand is hot and it’s easier to get around with a small backpack. Take lightweight t-shirts, shorts & swimsuits. Ladies, if you are planning to visit the temples in Bangkok you will need to cover your shoulders and knees. Anything you will need is easy to buy and super cheap in the markets in Bangkok. There are also laundry facilities pretty much everywhere and like all things in Thailand, it’s cheap!

A smile: After all Thailand is the land of smiles with friendly and helpful locals.

If you have any questions, please get in contact. But in the meantime, put your feet up and dream of beach parties and paradise on the trip of a lifetime!

13/03/2014/0 Comments/by Bernie Augstein