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3 Avoidable Mistakes I Made On My RTW Travels

brian — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 07:01:00 +0000

Michael from The Mobile Lawyer nominated me to write about ’3 Avoidable Mistakes I Made’ on my round the world trip and what I learned from them.

What would I change about my round the world trip?

Honestly not much, but I did make a few mistakes that if I had the time machine to go back and fix, I would.

Mind you none of these are deal breakers and would jump on the plane to Hawaii all over again. Would avoiding these things have made my trip a little less stressful and save me some money? Absolutely.

Too many options can be a bad thing
I got used to booking tickets at the last minute in London. It was such a great jumping off point with trains from central London to both Heathrow and Gatwick airports that I reveled in the possibilities. Where should I go today? Athens? Paris? Amsterdam? Istanbul?

The bevy of options meant that I often booked last minute and didn’t always get the best deals. I paid more than I should have for flights. Hostels were inexpensive and abundant already so I never worried about finding a place to put my head at night. Planning that far in advance might have killed the spontaneity of the adventure but my wallet would have had a few more euros in it.

This is not just for planes. Eurostar was running a deal London to Paris for about $60US round trip when the usual price was significantly more than that. But you had to book at least 14 days in advance.

**Lesson 1: Get your tickets as far in advance as you possibly can. Or make a decision as quickly as possible and stick to it. It will work out!**

Thai tuk-tuk drivers and other scammers
There are all kinds of scams and semi-scams. By semi-scams I mean people are not outright robbing you, but they put you in situations where you normally would not spend money.

“I need to get a gas card. I take you to good shop, OK. You need suits?”

“You have girlfriend? Let me take you place with nice pretty stones.”

The Thai tuk-tuk drivers pulled that number so much that I created a video about it.

China has the young women who invite you into art galleries and pressure you into buying paintings or invite you to lunch and then leave you with a huge bill.

In Morocco, someone invited me to have tea…at his friend’s shop…which happened to sell jewelry and other baubles. Hmmmm…what do we think is going to happen here? The hard sell, that’s what.

In Barcelona and Rome, people engage you in conversation, act confused, feign a medical condition or play pretend football (soccer) with you to distract you. Meantime someone else is lifting your wallet or cutting open your pursue.

**Lesson 2: Research scams in the area you’re going to visit. Better yet, start talking to current visitors about what to avoid as soon as you arrive. The locals may not want to tell you, not to be malicious, but feeling it is impolite to talk badly about their countrymen and women.**

One Way Tickets are a No No
Flying from Bangkok to Hong Kong, I changed my scheduled a number of times. Since I didn’t know when I was going to leave Hong Kong, I didn’t bother print out a new itinerary.

When I got to my Thai Air flight check-in at the airport in Bangkok, I got the 4th degree in questioning…

Where are you going?

How long will you be in Hong Kong? – I’m in Bangkok still!

This went on for a good 20 minutes, with me explaining I didn’t have an itinerary and them wanting one showing I was going to leave Thailand at some point.

Then I learned you better have a departure ticket from anywhere you go in the world. I’m sure some countries are more lenient than others but Thai Air was not going to let me get on the flight to Hong Kong.

Illegal immigration is probably the prime reason. Too many people come with a one way ticket, overstay their visa and then they disappear into the populace. Bangkok is the air traffic hub for Southeast Asia, so many countries probably draw their line in the stand there before they land in their countries.

The Thai Air counter employees were extremely polite, but they were not going to let me on the flight. I had to run through the airport, use an expensive Internet cafe and then print the itinerary. Sucks yes, but it had to be done.

**Lesson 3: Have a departure ticket for any place you’re visiting and have the latest itinerary printed before you go to the airport/bus terminal/seaport/border crossing.**

3 Avoidable Mistakes I Made On My RTW Travels is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

Best Travel News and Deals – December 22, 2009 – Saving to Travel, Air Ambulances, Escaping Christmas, Hong Kong, Airport Security Guns Down Laptop

brian — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 07:01:00 +0000

Travel news and deals of interest to YOU from around the Web compiled and edited by NoDebtWorldTravel.com:

If you know any great travel stories or tips we all should read, please send it to me and I will put an acknowledgment of your contribution in the posting.

Best things to do in 2010
From loyal reader Sabrina

If you need ideas on what to and where to go in 2010, here is a fine list from Lonely Planet. You can develop a nice round the world trip just from this list. Any RTW travel can have any theme, or no theme at all. Just get to where you want to be.

How to Get Out When a Snow Storm Strands You
From loyal reader TJ

With the weather getting nasty in the Northeast US of A, you might find yourself stuck at the airport with your flight delayed or cancelled and no solution in sight. What do you do? What DO you do?

Whatever the circumstance, it has to better than being in the plane and on the tarmac, not taking off, with LIMITED food and water, screaming babies and annoyed and frustrated adults.

10 places to escape Christmas

Going with my post from last week, some great places to spend Christmas Day. My Christmas Day last year in Ethiopia was one of the most memorable of my life. Christmas in Egypt must be really fascinating to observe.

I’d prefer to be in the Southern Hemisphere or somewhere near the equator in December. Which means you can hit church, and be down to your skivvies dipping into cool water on a beach in record time.

Australian travellers caught up in medical insurance scams

Travel insurance is so important, so important that people are trying to scam you out of it. When you buy it, please inform family and friends of your plans so they know what to do and who to ask if the worst case scenario happens.

Police shoot U.S. student’s laptop upon entry to Israel

The Israels thought that someone’s story about entering the country and where they had been previously were suspicious. So they took her to separate room, and proceeded to shoot the hell out of her laptop.

I still don’t understand this. If you thought that laptop was an explosive, do you want to shoot it? If you thought it held sensitive material, wouldn’t you want to confiscate it for further investigation?

All I know: The Israelis do not play games!

This Week’s Video: Poppin’ and Lockin’ from Japan
Just cool!

On the ground in Hong Kong

A nice listing of places to go, people to see and things to eat while in Hong Kong. I visited the Great Buddha on Lantau Island and spent much time in the hotspots of Lan Kwai Fong.

Hidden perils of airline code-sharing

Important for round the world travelers and anyone else who flies and switches airlines to get to your final destination, or multiple destinations.

So if you need to get from London to Mumbai, you may take Lufthansa to Istanbul and then switch to Turkish Airlines from Istanbul to Mumbai. You buy one ticket and the alliance does the rest, setting you up on the proper partners within the alliance to get you to your final destination.

This talks about code sharing issues if the seating terminology is not the same on the the partner airlines and you end up in economy class when you should be in first class.

Air ambulances leave some with sky-high bills

You may not have believed me about air ambulance and medevac bills. You’ll see the stories here about bills over $20,000US and families being stuck in debt. Imagine the costs if you’re overseas away from your home country, American or any nationality. Your prices may be double because you have to cross an ocean.

The slow boat to China

Flying, getting patted down, crying babies, bad food, delays. Need more reasons not to fly? There are always alternatives, as this traveler did, taking a ferry boat from Japan to China over two days.

Saving For Travel

Have trouble saving up to hit the road? This site guides you through how much to save by choosing the country and how long you’ll be there. I am not quite sure where they get the costs from, but you can use it as a rough guesstimate.

This is one of those things where you say, “Wish I had thought of that.”

Forms 4 Travel

If you’re traveling with children, this site gives you forms you can use for the kids, including authorization for child travel with an organization, forms and documents for medical professionals, au pairs and babysitters.

Of course laws and regulations differ from country to country, so you should use these as a framework and modify as the locale dictates.

Best Travel News and Deals – December 22, 2009 – Saving to Travel, Air Ambulances, Escaping Christmas, Hong Kong, Airport Security Guns Down Laptop is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

Best Gift You Can Give – Is To Not Be There?!?!

brian — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:01:00 +0000

The last week or so has seen a number of blog posts written about being away from home for the holidays. In fact I recently saw the movie ‘Four Christmases’, about a couple that takes off every year to a new exotic locale for the holidays because they don’t want to be around their dysfunctional relatives.

Do you have relatives that look like this around the holidays? My sympathies…

credits: pagedooley

I take the tack that being away one year or even multiple years is great.

Because you come back and appreciate your family and friends when you get back.

Take me for example. This time last year, I was on the other side of the planet…

Tokyo for Election Night 2008

On a plane to Hong Kong on Thanksgiving

In Macau for my birthday

Ethiopia for Christmas

London for New Year’s and

Paris for the Obama inauguration

Were there times I got lonely on the trip? I can’t say I did. I was too engrossed with the trip and experiencing everything that I didn’t notice that I wasn’t with my relatives. But I still had ways to be connected with others on these special days.

I remember heading to the phone shacks of Addis Ababa to call my parents on Christmas.

I was with my aunt, uncle and cousins in London. In Paris I connected with ex-pats watching the inauguration. Same during Election Night ’08 in Tokyo. Spending huge bucks in Macau was fun when I had cool people to hang out with. So you find a way to enjoy yourself, just like you would/should ANY OTHER DAY when traveling.

Being home this year, I take more joy in being with my family since I wasn’t with them last year. Mom’s sweet potato pie tastes better. Watching football on Thanksgiving – priceless. You remember what you had before and glad to be home to experience it again.

I can still do without the cold though. Ethiopia’s 80F temps on Christmas Day is something I loved.

There are people who are at home with their “loved ones” and can’t stand to be around them. But they do it out of a sense of obligation.

Don’t be there for the obligation. Do it because you want to be there.

And if you don’t want to be there, take off and hit the ski slopes for New Year’s. Go to Vatican City for Christmas. Experience a Thanksgiving in Namibia, or Chile or Korea.

Joining Santa may not be a bad idea

credits: nightthree

The people who loved you before you left will love you when you come home.

And everyone will appreciate each other that much more when you get back together again.

The bigger point may be: Why do you have to wait until the holidays to get together with the ones you most care about? You should not wait for “special” occasions.

Have you been away for the holidays? What did you do to keep the holiday spirit? Did you come home and find yourself enjoying the company of family and friends more? Or less?

Best Gift You Can Give – Is To Not Be There?!?! is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

And Speaking of Ilma….

brian — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 07:48:00 +0000

The original reason I came to Hong Kong….

Ilma and Francois

Ilma and Francois have been great conversation and company. They went out with me on my birthday and have always been quick to try to get together with me. To you both it has been a pleasure. So glad I made the detour to Hong Kong.

Do you know how long I have been in Hong Kong? Time enough for Ilma’s cast to come off.

But leave it to Ilma to exaggerate her injury. She told me she broke her ankle. It was a chipped ankle.

Before
November 28, 2008

After my healing aura arrived in Hong Kong, look what happened!

After

December 13, 2008

I thought you were playing hurt Ilma?! You just had a scratch…walk it off!

And Speaking of Ilma…. is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

Debbie and the Ex-Pats

brian — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 04:30:00 +0000

No, no, not the name of a new band…

While Ilma got me to Hong Kong, it was Debbie and her band of Hong Kong ex-pats who filled in the time with plenty to do.

An expatriate or ex-pat is someone who moves from their home country to another to work or for school. And Hong Kong is full of people from all over the world who have transferred full time, have come for part time work, finishing grad school, etc.

Hong Kong is a very transient city. Many workers come here for a few months or years and then leave. They get their international experience or finished their degree and then make the next move.

Which makes the ex-pats in Hong Kong a wonderful collection of people from all around the world.

To Debbie and the Ex-Pats: I say a BIG thank you for making my Hong Kong experience as memorable as it was. Who would have thought I would be here 2 1/2 weeks. You all are great people BUT I will/must get on that plane Sunday!

Debbie and the Ex-Pats is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

South Africa, Here I Come

brian — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 08:28:00 +0000

By the time you read this I should enroute to Cape Town, South Africa. Asia has been absolutely amazing and I’m glad about everything I did here.

My flight takes off for Bangkok from Hong Kong at about 3PM local (2am ET) Sunday.

Hopefully there won’t be any political coups or revolutions while I’m at Bangkok Airport…

If all goes as planned I have a 7 hour flight to Doha, Qatar on Qatar Air.

Then I have a layover. OUCH! I have no idea what I’m going to do with myself. The plane lands in the middle of the night, so I’m wary of stepping out and not knowing where to go. Plus anything I would have wanted to see will probably be closed.

Then a 12 hour flight from Doha to Cape Town with a stop in Johannesburg. So I’m not exactly sure when my feet will touch the ground, but it will be awhile.

South Africa, Here I Come is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

Postcard Update – Hong Kong

brian — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 06:13:00 +0000

Word on the street is that the Hong Kong postcards are getting delivered.

As I suspected the Cambodia cards are nowhere to be found. C’mon Cambodian postal system, all the reports I’ve heard can’t all be true, can they?

Since I’m going to be here in Hong Kong until Sunday, you can still get a postcard from Hong Kong and all the future stops along the way.

Click the “Get a *REAL* Postcard” link at the top of the blog and I’ll send you one. Really easy.

You don’t know me, you say? Sure you do. You’ve been reading this blog. I’ll send you a postcard.

Postcard Update – Hong Kong is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

Happy Birthday to Me!

brian — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:22:00 +0000

If you had asked me a year ago where I would be on my birthday today, I would hedge and say, “Anywhere but New York.”

But Hong Kong?

Life is strange isn’t it…

Since the king cannot live like a pauper all the time and I’ve been ahead of pace on my budget, I’m going to splurge this weekend and head to Macau and stay at the Venetian. Expensive? Yup. But I’m worth it…

Macau was a former Portuguese colony taken back by the Chinese a few years ago, much like Hong Kong was handed back from the British. The best way to describe it would be to call it a Mini-Me Las Vegas. It does have some cultural attractions, but the main draw for anyone going there are the casinos. They also have Cirque De Soleil and other shows and events. I never saw Cirque De Soleil when I went to Vegas so I definintely want to check it out if I get the chance.

So I take a ferry tomorrow from Hong Kong Harbor for a 45 minute ride. One of Debbie’s friends I met has her birthday tomorrow and she’s making the trip to Macau with a bunch of her friends. So I’ll try to hookup with her group and make it a birthday blast weekend.

As for my next destination, I’m trying to go straight to South Africa from Hong Kong and bypass Bangkok. Bangkok has reopened but they have so many people trying to get out I have to suspect there will be a major backlog.

Happy Birthday to Me! is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

How Park Avenue and Pakistan Got Me To Hong Kong

brian — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:06:00 +0000

Today’s post(s) are brought to you by the Pacific Coffee Company in Hong Kong’s IFC Mall. I bought 24 hours of wireless Internet access for 20HK$ ($2.56US). Sweet deal. I’m sitting on a comfy couch in an air-conditioned mall bringing you the latest, getting my laptop and camera powered up off their electric outlets. I’m already juiced up from a cup of coffee, so let’s begin…

Hong Kong was not on the original agenda for this round the world trip. I had no plans on being here…until about two months ago….

****FLASHBACK*****
Two years ago when I was doing the corporate thing, a new employee, Ilma sat next to me. Our cube divider were not very high, so you could see and hear everything the other person said.

This is how Ilma looks, when she doesn’t have a cell phone pressed firmly against her head…

Ilma and I got to be great friends. She left after less than a year and we lost touch with each other…until this past September.

I found Ilma on LinkedIn (LinkedIn strikes again!) and was excited to tell her about my trip plans. But she had news for me too…

ME: Ilma, great news. I left my job and I’m going to travel around the world!

IL: Brian, great news. I’m getting married and I’m moving to Hong Kong!

ME: What?! I should meet you in Hong Kong.

IL: Let’s do it.

And that’s how I came to be here. I knew I could move the flights on my round the world ticket to give myself a gap to get to Hong Kong. I had to do a little scrambling because of the airport closures in Thailand, but I still made it.

Ilma and her husband Francois have been great to me. Francois is a Canadian but you’d swear he was born and raised in Brooklyn. A really fun guy, a little snarky (a good thing), focused, walks fast and talks fast. You’d think he lived in New York all his life. I like this dude and I approve this marriage!

And Hong Kong has turned out to be great. One thing about a trip like this is that you cannot be too rigid. You have to give yourself a little room to roam and deviate from the path you scheduled. You never know what you might miss.

One thing: Ilma is new here too so we thought we get to pal around. But she broke her ankle 4 days before I got here. Ilma you could not have waited until after I left Hong Kong to break bones?

How Park Avenue and Pakistan Got Me To Hong Kong is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

The Hong Kong Story

brian — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 04:50:00 +0000

Loyal reader Ayana said she thought Hong Kong was “a huge street fair that smells like the harbor with fireworks and really good food.”

No on the harbor smell.

Pretty much right on everything else.

Hong Kong is one big ginormous shopping mecca. Huge malls everywhere.

Beyond the shopping the lights make Times Square look like a town with no electricity. You’ll strain your neck looking up all the time.

The Tsim Sha Tsui area on Kowloon at night

The skyscrapers along the Hong Kong waterfront are all brilliantly lit and have light patterns built in their facades. Every night at 8PM, there is a light show choreographed with all the buildings on the waterfront.

A ferry coming into dock on Hong Kong Harbor

Kowloon during the day. New Yorkers does this remind you of anything? I feel right at home.

The view of Kowloon across Hong Kong Harbor from Hong Kong Island

I sent out a message on LinkedIn to the groups I’m affiilated with to see who was in Hong Kong. Debbie, a fellow Cornell grad responded and I hooked up with her and her friends to go hiking in the hills above Hong Kong.

Taking a break from the trek

The Big Red represents everywhere! Thanks Debbie!

Sunset from the hills of Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Story is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel