Bren on The Road

Blog

Ten Important Things You Will Probably Forget To Pack On Your Next Trip
Ever get overwhelmed by packing?

I’ll be honest – I’ve witnessed some absolute packing meltdowns. People literally crying while trying to rush for a plane. I can’t say that’s ever happened to me, but I’m far from perfect myself. Even though I pack lighter than most and have a very short packing list, there are still things I always seem to forget.

Below is a list of things I’ve forgotten at least once on my trips, and usually that’s gotten me into trouble somewhere along the way. If you’re putting together a packing list for an upcoming trip, make sure you add the following items to it – it’s pretty simple stuff, but for some reason it’s always the simple things we don’t remember!
Read more:
1. Passport Copy

Thankfully I have never lost my passport on the road, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. I’ve found most passports are “lost” because bags/purses are stolen or lost, rather than the passport itself. It does happen often, and it is probably one of the worst possible things you can lose while travelling.

To minimise the chances of this happening and to make life easier if it does happen, make sure you do the following before you leave home:
- Take multiple photocopies of your passport, and make sure you have one copy in each item of luggage and one on your person (in your wallet/purse).
- Take a colour scan of your passport photo page (and visa if you got one) and save it in your email so you can access it anywhere.
- Try not to carry your passport with you on the street every day. Instead, carry one of your photocopies. In the years I’ve been travelling I have not once been asked to produce my passport randomly on the street. I generally wouldn’t carry it around unless you’ve expressly been told to.
2. Passport Photos

Make sure you’re always carrying at least a handful of passport photos of yourself. You might think one or two is fine, but I’ve applied for visas (such as the volunteer visa in Tanzania) which required four passport photos for four different forms. If you’re travelling around the world you can never have too many of these.

Also note the different sizes available. In New Zealand a passport photo must be exactly 3.5cm x 4.5cm, however in Vietnam a visa photo must be 4cm x 6cm. I usually carry around 10 different photos of different sizes. I also get them taken professionally at a photo shop, as many countries are extremely strict about what they will accept and what they won’t. A stack of ten shouldn’t cost you more than a few dollars.

3. Pen

Probably the thing I forget most often, which annoys me a lot once I get to the airport and need to fill out those stupid forms. Even more annoying is when the airport doesn’t provide pens. Take a pen! It will make life so much easier.

4. Gifts

You are going to meet a lot of people on the road, and you are going to say goodbye to a lot of people as well. Very often I wish I had something from home to give, like some chocolates or some souvenir, especially to people who have shown me great hospitality, but of course I don’t have room to travel with stuff like that. Instead, what I do is carry a bag of New Zealand one dollar coins, and give these to the good friends/students/hosts I meet around the world. It’s sort of like a souvenir, and also an invitation to come visit me one day so they can spend it. I’ve seen other people carry things like bag patches or bracelets, but it doesn’t really matter what you choose – just make sure you have something.

5. Vaccination Passport

It can be hard to keep track of all the needles you’ve had jabbed in you, especially if you’ve been through Africa or South America. In my travel wallet I keep a “vaccination passport” from the travel health centre which details the shots I’ve had, when I had them, and how long they’re good for. I’ve never had to present it, but if anything ever happens to me and the doc needs to know what cocktail of vaccinations is inside me all I need to do is hand him my little booklet (which is great, because at this stage I have no idea what I do and don’t have).

6. Lock

I’d be willing to bet every backpacker has left home without a lock or found themselves without a lock at least once. It just happens. Plus, it’s only once you’re on the road that you realise how handy they are (hostel lockers, gym lockers, check-in baggage etc).

I’d recommend taking a few locks actually (two or three), because:
- They get lost easily.
- You often need to lock more than one thing (especially if hostel lockers are small and you can’t fit everything in).
Use a code lock rather than a key lock, because having a key just gives you one more thing you could lose. It’s also a good idea these days to use TSA approved locks like this one or the one in my photo above. You can click here to check out some good, affordable locks on Amazon.

7. A second bank card

Bank cards get lost easily on the road – wallets are common targets for pickpockets, ATM machines sometimes swallow them, and they’re small and fall out of bags and pockets pretty easily.

I carry around three bank cards, and I also have my money spread over 3 different bank accounts. That means if one card gets lost, or my bank decides to shut off my access due to “suspicious activity”, I’m not left broke and starving in the middle of the jungle somewhere.

Looking for the best bank in the world for travellers? Click here.

Another good tricks, if you have multiple cards, is to leave one of these cards at home. Save the credit card number in your cellphone or in your email. That way, even if you lose all your cards, you still have an active card at home that you can use to book flights and hotels online with.

Obviously, be discrete here. Don’t save it in your phone as “Credit card number”. Otherwise you might as well save it as “PLEASE STEAL MY PHONE AND USE THIS NUMBER TO BUY A CAR”. Just save it as Sally or John or something.

Check out my guide to the best credit cards for New Zealanders here.

8. Universal Adapter

I always used to head to the local markets or some cheap hole in the wall electronic store to buy an adapter when I landed in a country. It’s only recently that I discovered the joy of owning a universal adapter, which allows you to charge your stuff in any country in the world (these days they have USB slots as well, which is extra handy).

The adapter I am currently using is this GearIt model which has been awesome – super lightweight and you can charge three things at once on it (this usually just means all my dorm mates start charging their crap on it too). You can check it out here on Amazon.

9. VPN

I’ve written about the woes of public wifi security before, but I will mention it here again. If you’re sending/accessing sensitive information online while travelling, especially things like Paypal/Credit Cards/Bank Accounts, make sure your connection is secure. Using a VPN will ensure your connections are encrypted and mitigate the risk of your bank accounts/cards getting skimmed or locked. The VPN I use is Private Internet Access, which is awesome value for money and has always worked well for me.

If you are travelling and plan on using free wifi in hostels and cafes, I highly recommend travelling with one. The VPN I use is only around $3 per month and is worth every penny. You can check out the plans for Private Internet Access by clicking here.

10. New US Dollars

Cash is king. Always make sure you have at least a couple of hundred USD on you, which will come in very handy for visa payments at the airport or staying alive in a town where there are no working ATMs. I usually carry around $200-$300, which should be enough to get you out of trouble if you’re ever in a fix. Also, try to carry newer USD (at least Series 2009 and up). Some countries will not accept your notes if they’re too old – I’ve had 2004 notes rejected once before in Africa.
Travelling soon?
- For affordable accommodation, I highly recommend using Airbnb. In many cities you will be able to find high quality apartments and guest rooms at much cheaper rates than hotels. You can get $25 of Airbnb credit, absolutely free, using this link.
- I highly recommend travelling with travel insurance. Many things can go wrong when you travel, and it’s important to get covered so you’re protected and reimbursed for any missed flights, hospital bills, lost baggage and so on. For a beginner’s guide to travel insurance, why you need it and where to buy it, check out my post Travel Insurance 101: Everything You Need To Know.
- Looking for more packing tips? You can check out some of the things I carry on my trips by checking out my post, What’s In My Backpack. Safe travels!
February 23, 2015
Solo Female Travel: Living La Pura Vida with Camille Willemain

Yes, we are back!

This series was a huge success last year and so I’m excited to let you know I’ll be running it one more time. Seven more female nomads, seven more interviews. I’ve got some amazing interviewees lined up for you this time and I’m sure you guys are going to love it (missed last year’s series? Check it out here).

Today’s interviewee was one of my favourites to date. I admire her for her advocacy for pure and simple living, and the idea of living out your life without listening to all the outside noise and judgement. As many of you know, that’s a lesson I’ve tried to emphasise here in the past as well.

After 3 years out on the road she also has a few lessons in travel to share, but, I’ll let you read those and the rest of what she has to say for yourselves.

Say hi to Camille from This American Girl!

A photo posted by This American Girl (@thisamericangirl) on Nov 6, 2013 at 8:20am PST

Introduce yourself! Who are you?

Ha, “who am I”, I ask myself that question every day. The answer is ever evolving. The easy answer is, my name is Camille, I’ve been living nomadically traveling the world for 3 years, I’m a full time travel blogger at This American Girl, a certified yoga teacher, a reiki practitioner, a beach bum, and apparently these days I’m also a snow bunny.

Tell us a bit about how you started a life of travel. What was your inspiration, how did you make it happen, and what were the hard things you had to leave behind?

I was kinda thrown into the world of travel. I didn’t exactly plan it, but I believe the best things happen that way. I was laid off from two different jobs back to back (I worked as a project manager in Internet Marketing), and kept going in and out of a relationship that had long met its expiration date. Getting laid off showed me that something clearly was not working and I needed a new direction. I decided to pursue my passion at the time, Interior Design, so my plan was to go back to school and get my Master’s. My friend, blogger from canyoustayfordinner.com, had just gotten a book deal with Random house to write her memoir, and told me she was going to Costa Rica to write the book for a few months. We ended up going together, and the rest is history. I got a taste of the travel life, and despite my mental struggle the first year, I knew there was no going back for me. At this point, my lifestyle isn’t even a choice. It’s a calling.

What’s the response been like to you going nomadic and breaking the ‘traditional’ mold of job, marriage and kids?

I’ve been called anything from ballsy, badass, and inspirational to selfish, spoiled, and entitled. I practice detaching myself from external judgement, be it negative or positive. It’s not easy, but if you put yourself in the spotlight, it’s essential. I feel strongly that this is the right path for me at this point in my life, and that keeps me going. My family is super supportive and proud, which makes life so much easier. When people tell me that I’ve inspired them to follow their dreams, it’s a really thick icing on the cake.

One of the biggest concerns about solo female travel is safety. What’s your experience with this, and what advice can you share for staying safe on the road as a female?

I think the most dangerous place in the world is the USA, haha. But seriously, everywhere has a potential for “danger” and it all depends on where you go and the energy you put out there. Most of the time I feel safe. I have lots of safety tips for women in this post.

Share one of your life philosophies. When, how, and why did you come to believe in it?

The difference between happiness and unhappiness is simple: gratitude. See how wonderful everything you DO have is, and you’ll be instantly happy. So often we fixate on what we wish we had, how things could be better, what’s wrong with our situation. That causes us suffering. A simple change in perspective allows us to be instantly happy. Seeing happy, generous, loving people living in poverty in Cambodia, Laos, and Nicaragua, and witnessing the effects of gratitude in my own life has instilled this belief in me.

Bren: 100% truth right there!

Bathing in the holy water at #tirtaempul #bali #indonesia #nomadlife #travel #wanderlust A photo posted by This American Girl (@thisamericangirl) on Feb 10, 2014 at 6:24am PST

Tell me the one book you’ve read that has inspired you and/or your travels more than any other.

Honestly my fave travel book has got to be The Beach, I love the writing style and he so perfectly depicts the Southeast Asia backpacking culture. However, I wouldn’t say it’s inspired my travels. The book that has inspired me most in life is Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. A disillusioned intellectual meets a gorilla in a warehouse who teaches him about the story (and destructive myth) of human culture through mental telepathy. Sounds out there, but it’s the realest thing I’ve ever read. It proposes a brilliant solution for healing the destruction we’ve caused ourselves and the earth: live and let live. It’s basically my bible and I recommend it to everyone I meet.

How do you address your fears about certain locations or countries? Do you avoid certain places based on being a woman and how do you deal with blatant sexism on the road?

I’ve never avoided anywhere as a woman, but cat calling and sexism is a real problem especially in Latin America. I’ve tried ignoring, responding with anger, responding with sass, responding with sarcasm, and honestly none of it seems to stop them. So, my advice is to hold your head up high, not feel any shame for someone elses’ behavior, and respond in whatever way makes you feel most empowered.

People always think travel is glamorous and full of smiles all the time, but that is far from the truth. Tell me the one (or two or three) things you hate most about the traveller’s life (or miss about a traditional life).

Haha, ok, honestly I love it all in its own way. You’ve GOT to have a sense of humor or you’ll go crazy that’s for sure. The worst by far is food poisoning. It depletes my energy, breaks my spirit, and leaves me crying for my mom. This is why I travel with my own water kefir, and I never get food poisoning anymore. More about that here!

Crazy #saigon at night #vietnam #adventure #travel #nomadlife #backpacking #southeastasia

A photo posted by This American Girl (@thisamericangirl) on Jun 14, 2014 at 9:13am PDT

We always say that travel changes people. Looking back now, what is the one thing you don’t like about your old self that you managed to change through travel?

For a long time I rejected who I was before travel. I saw myself as an improved version of my former self. Though my yoga practice is all about accepting the interconnectedness of everything, and embracing myself at every stage of life. I’ve grown tremendously through travel, and I suppose the thing I’m most proud of is the way that I’ve learned to take responsibility for my own happiness. I, and only I, decide that. It doesn’t depend on how nice my boyfriend is, or how available my friends are, or how good my job is. It’s my own choice. A very empowering discovery indeed! 🙂

You seem to have a love affair going on with Costa Rica, and recently wrote a book about the country! Tell us a bit about that and what it is about the country you love so much.

Costa Rica is the best place in the world to simply be. It has such unbelievable nature, a really easy lifestyle, and it’s so active and healthy. You’ll have to read my book, which has an entire chapter entitled “What Makes Costa Rica So Special” to find out more 😉 You can read more about my book here.

Ooommmmmm #pavonesyogacenter #meditation #yoga #yogateachertraining #pavones #costarica A photo posted by This American Girl (@thisamericangirl) on Jul 15, 2014 at 9:24am PDT

Ok, some fun questions. Who’s your celebrity crush?

I’m sooooo out of the loop with who celebrities even are these days that it’s tough to answer that. Do bloggers count? hahaha

And which country, in your opinion, has the most handsome men?

Portugal. Easy.

If you could choose one musician to serenade you for an hour, who would it be?

Matt Corby. Ok, maybe he’s my crush.

Imagine a Hollywood studio wants to make a movie of your life. Who plays you and why?

I play myself, because I’m an original 😉 And I’m actually a trained theater actress since age 5. True story.

When’s the last time you cried?

The other day on the bus. The moment I put my headphones in and look out the window, the waterworks come, haha. I love it. It feels really good. They’re usually tears of gratitude and happiness for my life.

You’re allowed to ask the universe one question and it will be answered 100% honestly. What would it be? (Bren: I’d ask who killed 2pac).

I ask the universe questions all of the time, and when I turn off my mind for long enough, sometimes I even get the answers 🙂
But I still don’t know who killed Tupac… assuming he’s actually dead….

Complete this sentence: If I was granted three wishes today, I would have lunch with ________, I would spend the day in ___________, and I would go to bed at night with ____________ (just to cuddle, of course).

I would have lunch with my best friend from college who I last saw a year ago in Bali, I would spend the day in the El Nido Palawan, and the last one I’m keeping as my secret 🙂

Ok, let’s get serious again. Are you a nomad for life? Why? Why not?

I never say never, so who knows, maybe one day I’ll settle down. But I do know that I’m a lifelong explorer. Travel has been my outlet for discovering myself, and I don’t see that ever changing. At this point I envision myself having a home in Costa Rica that I can always come back to, leading travel/yoga retreats all over the world, and continuing to travel to and blog about my adventures all over the world.

And lastly, for those still on the fence about their first solo trip, what advice can you give them?

Ask yourself this question: What would you do if fear did not exist? What would you do if you could not fail? What would you do if you knew that the universe was always there to support you?

Then go and do that. Whenever you get scared, ask yourself those questions again, and remember that when you trust, you have nothing to fear.

I’m going to miss this place #anbang #hoian #vietnam #beachlife #beachbum #nomadlife #wanderlust

A photo posted by This American Girl (@thisamericangirl) on Oct 29, 2013 at 8:06am PDT

Want to read more about Camille’s story? Be sure to head over to her blog at This American Girl and connect with her through her social media channels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Also, if you have any more questions for her, leave them in the comments section below!

Enjoyed this interview? Check out the previous interviews in the series here.

February 12, 2015
Better Luck Next Time, Sydney Airport

The plane hits the pavement. I look at the clock.

10:51.

Check-in for my next flight closes at 11:45.

I do the math slowly in my head. 54 minutes to get through customs, collect my bags, and make it upstairs to check-in.

Easy peasy.

Well, it should be easy peasy, except for one problem – this is Sydney Airport. Things don’t move so quickly in Sydney Airport.

Ten minutes pass and we’re all still sitting on the plane. I peek over the heads in front of me, trying to see what’s going on, but all I see is a long queue of vegetating passengers.

I have a bad feeling about today. I have a feeling that, I dunno, maybe Sydney Airport is out to get me.

Finally we start moving. I don’t have a watch, or a phone, but I glance at the time on the girl’s phone beside me.

10:59. 46 minutes.

I should make it.

As I get off the plane, I walk briskly down to arrivals, ready to head straight through as I’ve filled out all my forms on the plane. Or so I thought.

“Ebola form, everybody needs to fill out an Ebola form,” I hear a lady saying. I head over and take one, and start trying to fill it out while walking through the crowd. “Why the f**k didn’t they give me this on the plane,” I curse under my breath.

I’m starting to think I was right. Sydney Airport is out to get me.

As I get to customs I head straight to the Smart Gate machine, which should help me avoid the massive queue of Chinese passengers that have arrived on my flight. I flip open my passport and slide it in, waiting patiently for the machine to do its thing. The loading circles spin and spin for what seems like forever, and then an error screen pops up.

“We cannot process you today. Please head to the Assistance Desk.”

FUCK. I knew it.

Sydney Airport is out to get me.

I line up for the assistance desk, which luckily moves quite fast. I get to the front within a few minutes and hand my passport to the lady.

“Are you just in transit?” she asks, glancing over my form.

“Yes.”

“When’s your next flight?”

“12:45.”

“12:45?? Are you going to get through in time?”

“Well, I’m trying,” I smile. “What’s the time now?”

“11:12.”

She hands back my passport and waves me through.

I quickly do the math again in my head. 33 minutes before check-in closes. Phew, I think to myself, relaxing a little. As long as they don’t take forever with my bag, I should get through with plenty of time to spare.

But soon I realise that’s a little naïve. Of all the airports I’ve been through Sydney has always been one of the slower ones, and of course on this day, they decide to take forever with my bag.

A guy stands beside me tinkering on an iPad. I glance at the time. 11:20. No bag.

11:25. No bag.

11:30. No bag.

This can’t be happening.

Sydney Airport is out to get me.

By now I’m endlessly muttering the most horrible of words under my breath while simultaneously praying to all the Gods I can think of. F***, s*** you m***** f****** Aussies can you please f****** bring out my m***** f****** bag already.

At that moment, after almost twenty minutes, my bag magically pops out onto the belt. I roll my eyes, grab it, and rush over to the quarantine line. Ten minutes ago it was completely empty, but as luck would have it, there’s about 15 people in front of me now.

An officer walks past and I stop him.

“Excuse me sir, check-in for my flight closes in 15 minutes, I know it’s a long shot but is there any way at all you can get me through this line a little faster?”

“If it’s in 15 minutes you’ve already missed it mate, ‘cause ya gotta get over to the domestic terminal first.”

“No, it’s an international flight, it’s just upstairs.”

“Well mate, if it’s an international flight and it leaves in 15 minutes you’ve missed it as well,” he laughs.

I’m not sure if he’s an idiot or just being stupid on purpose.

“No, it’s an international flight and the check-in closes in 15 minutes, I can make it if I can just get through here a little faster.”

He looks at me with a confused look, and walks away.

“Thank you,” I shout as I watch him walk off, quietly muttering a few F words in his direction.

Ok, Sydney Airport. I get it. You’re out to get me.

As I stand in the quarantine line, I decide the battle is over. I don’t have a watch and my phone is dead, but I’m guessing I have about 10 minutes to make the flight, and there’s no way I’m getting through this line in 10 minutes, let alone upstairs and to my check-in counter. I grit my teeth with frustration, and my mind starts cycling through the five stages of grief.

First comes anger. F*** this shitty airport and their half-arse processing.

Next, bartering. Maybe, if I bribe one of these officers to let me through first I could still make it?

Then, denial. No way. I don’t miss flights. I’ve never missed a flight in my life. These clocks are all wrong and I’m still gonna make it.

Then, in the midst of my denial I find myself at the front of the line.

The officer glances at my form and sends me over to an inspection desk.

“Station number two,” he points, waving me through.

I rush over to the table and lift my bag up. Just as I do so, the lady pulls off her gloves and starts walking off somewhere.

“Just give me two seconds darling, I’ll be right back.”

I smile and nod, and then visualise myself punching her in the nose with brass knuckles on.

Sydney Airport is still out to get me.

I turn and watch her chat to some lady for thirty seconds, probably about the latest issue of House and Garden. I grit my teeth, quickly losing my patience. How much time do I have? I have no idea.

Finally I open my mouth to say something but just before the words come out she turns back and returns to the table.

She picks up my card and looks it over slowly.

“Do you have any nuts, seeds, plants, fruits….”

I watch her lips move in slow motion, slowly shaking my head without really hearing what she’s saying.

“Ok, you can go.”

Almost in shock that she didn’t want to check my socks for caterpillar eggs, I decide I might have about 90 seconds to get upstairs before check-in closes. I question for a second whether I should even bother trying, but then I slap some sense into myself. I’m a traveller. This is what we do. NBA players sink three-pointers over a double team in Game 7 with three seconds to go. Lawyers give impassioned closing arguments to swing the jury and win impossible cases. And travellers, we catch flights. This is what we do.

I grab my backpack, throw my jacket under my arm, and I run. I sprint. Flurrying out of the arrivals gate, I draw the attention of almost everyone in the building. Some look at me with amusement, like I’m a Chinese madman overexcited to see his long lost family. Some look at me with terror, as if I’ve just planted a bomb and perhaps they should be running too. But I don’t care.

All those hours in the gym, this is what they were for. I run and run and run, weaving through the crowd, sprinting for my life, gasping for oxygen while dragging 16kg behind me with one arm and holding my backpack under the other. I get to the escalator and haul my luggage up, my arm slowly turning to jelly. Others sense my urgency and move to the side, looking at me with confusion.

As I finally get to the departures floor, I take two seconds to catch my breath while looking at the check-in screen.

Fiji Airways….Fiji Airways……..where the f*ck is Fiji Airways…….

C1!!

I look up at the signs of the counters in front of me.

H, I, J, K.

You’re fucking kidding me. As luck would have it, I’m probably as far away from my counter as I could possibly be.

I guess Sydney Airport really, really wants to get me.

In the back of my head I’m almost certain the check-in closed a long time ago, but as the greats say, better to try and fail, than to not try at all.

I squint and look across to the far end of the airport, seeing counter C way in the distance. Almost instantly, I break into a full sprint once again. I’ve got hardly anything left in the tank, but this is the home straight now. All or nothing.

The counters go past in one big blur; H….G….F…..

My legs are barely holding up, but they manage to keep moving.

E….D……..

As I approach counter C, I see the Fiji Airways sign and stumble over to the desks.

“Excuse me…..

Excuse me..…sir,” I gasp, sweat dripping down my face, half collapsed on the counter.

“Check in……..for Nadi………”

His eyes jump.

“Nadi! Shit mate you better hurry up, it’s about to close in a few seconds!”

He jumps up out of his chair runs over to one of the computers, tapping away furiously.

“Hand me your passport mate. You’re checking in a bag? How much does it weigh?”

“About 15…” I say, still gasping for breath.

Without even putting it on the scale he jams it all into the computer, while I pull my passport from my back pocket and hand it over to him.

I watch his eyes running furiously across the screen, at the same time shouting out orders to the ladies around him. Obviously this guy didn’t get the memo about the airport being out to get me.

Almost like robots, the staff tag my bag, chuck it onto the belt, and process my ticket at light speed. I’m still in a daze as I watch them move around me in a blur. As I stand there, leaned over the counter, I notice the small puddle that’s collected from the beads of sweat dripping off the tip of my nose. I look at it and smile. Have I really made it?

And then, I finally hear it – the beautiful sound of my boarding pass coming out of the printer.

The guy at the desk slots it into my passport, breaths a sigh of relief, and looks up at me with a nervous smile.

“Far out, mate, literally, you just made it. I have never, ever seen anyone make it by that close. I printed your boarding pass and the check-in closed literally a split second later,” he laughs.

“Thank you man, I really, really, really appreciate it,” I say, still barely able to breathe.

“No worries mate, have a good flight, head straight to the gate please,” he smiles, handing over my passport and boarding pass.

I nod, collect my things, and head straight to the gate.

I quietly wonder to myself whether Sydney Airport will fight to the end, but they don’t. I head through customs and security without issue, leisurely stroll to the gate, and step onto the plane.

In the end, a valiant effort, but it just wasn’t quite enough.

Sorry, Sydney Airport.

You can’t get me.

Photo credit: onefound @ Flickr

Shout-out to Fiji Airways for their awesome staff who managed to check-me in at light speed and also to Sydney Airport for keeping life interesting. Until next time.

February 9, 2015
Tell Me Your Secrets, Okinawa

I’m not sure what brought me to Okinawa.

I’d heard it was kind of cheap, sunny, laid back, and just a little bit different to the rest of Japan. But we hadn’t really planned things. We just kind of ended up there.

Of course, I’d done a bit of pre-arrival research, and in doing so learned Okinawa was famous for quite a few things. One, it was the home of karate. If you’re from my generation, you undoubtedly remember the original Karate Kid movies, and the famous “wax on wax off” Mr Miyagi who calls Okinawa home.

Okinawa is also littered with US army bases – a not-so-subtle reminder of the bloody Battle of Okinawa in WW2, and America’s later use of the islands during the Vietnam War.

But what interested me most was the lifestyle. Supposedly through diet and a better way of living, the people of Okinawa live longer than anyone else in the world.

But how? And why?

Hopefully five days on the islands would be long enough to find out.

After touching down on the islands, you could tell just from the airport Okinawa was a no frills kind of place. No baggage belt – just suitcases dumped out into a collection area. No big arrivals hall – just a big room with a token cafe in the corner. In it’s simplicity, I already liked it. It was different from the rest of Japan.

We’d arranged an Airbnb apartment beforehand, and caught the public bus out to our new home. Safe to say, during the bus ride I quickly concluded Okinawa was very, very different to how I’d imagined it in my head. I’d pictured more of a beachy, classic, traditional type vibe, but it was actually a lot closer to a typical mid-sized Japanese city. However, the vast contrast with Tokyo’s hectic pace of life was immediately palpable – and that I liked a lot.

Our apartment turned out to be a full on Japanese house; 3 bedrooms, lounge, TV room, decked out with tatami mats, a bum washing toilet, fancy gadget style Japanese kitchen, laundry, enormous shower room, fast wifi, dining room table, and even a little porch for us to sit and enjoy the sun. There was only 5 of us, but we could’ve easily slept 8 or 9 in there. Best part was, at $30/night per person it was actually cheaper than our shoebox Tokyo apartment, where we’d squashed into a tiny studio with a modest microwave kitchen and an airplane sized toilet.

Getting some work done in our Okinawa home

As I’ve always said before – spend your time in the smaller cities. Your value for money multiplies, you live in greater comfort, and you’re able to stay on the road a lot longer.

We stayed in an Airbnb in Okinawa. There’s quite a few Airbnb options and most of them look great. We were really happy with ours! You can get $25 off your first Airbnb stay using this link.

We spent the first full day out on Okinawa’s International Street. It took us a whole day to wander from top to bottom, and while a lot of shops tend to lean towards the souvenir/tourist market, there’s some interesting stuff there.

International Street – Naha, Okinawa

By day’s end, we decided to settle down for dinner at a traditional Okinawan kitchen, which was perfect. As you know, one of my favourite things to do in a new place is eat, but in Okinawa this was especially so. Food and health go hand-in-hand, and in a place that claims the highest life expectancy in the world, surely exploring their favourite eats would uncover some of the secrets.

Dinner – Traditional Okinawan food with traditional Okinawan music

First was the awamori tofu. Awamori is a strong, traditional Okinawan rice liquor which is around 40%-60% alcohol, and as well as drinking it Okinawans like to cook their tofu in it. A strange combination for sure, and while I didn’t love it, it wasn’t bad. It’s actually quite nice at the start, but it has a very strong vodka aftertaste. If drinking games were on the agenda, this thing could surely make the night a lot of fun. Apologies for the shitty photo – it’s on the right.

Next were the sea grapes, or umi-budō. I guess it’s, or at least it looks like, some kind of seaweed, and is supposedly one of the Okinawan secrets to a long and healthy life. I was expecting a strong, fishy, sea salty taste, but it actually just tastes like……nothing. Didn’t get me excited at all, but if it’ll add another 10 years to my life, I’ll gladly eat a handful each day.

One dish I’d especially been looking forward to was rafute, a stewed Okinawan pork belly, which is supposed to be a flagship dish on the islands. I had high expectations for this but I’ll be honest – it was very average. A little tough, not so tasty, definitely not the melt-in-your-mouth I’d expected. Nonetheless, eating pig is supposed to be another long-life secret in Okinawa, and this dish is one of the local favourites.

As I mentioned, there’s historically been a strong American presence here, and this is telling in the food as well. One such dish is taco rice, basically a taco without a taco, served over rice instead. It seems strange, but it’s pretty good.

And then of course we have the goya, or bitter melon. I’m familiar with bitter melon as the Chinese also associate it with long life, but the incredibly bitter taste has never appealed to me. The Okinawans, on the other hand, seem to love this vegetable with a passion.

The goya can be cooked in a variety of ways, but goya chanpuru, or bitter melon stir fry, is the most popular and might be Okinawa’s most famous dish. Is this the vegetable that helps them live so long? I’m sure it doesn’t hurt.

Goya chanpuru – the secret to a long life?

The following days were easily the laziest days I had in Japan. In a way, it was recovery time from the preceding week, where we’d all fallen victim to Tokyo’s unkind winter. We did however, while trying to kick our lingering flus and colds, manage to do a fair amount of lazy exploration.

We visited Fruit Land, some sort of fruit museum, which honestly was so bad it was actually funny. I won’t even add a photo of it. Please don’t go there.

We tried sata andagi, Okinawa’s famous donuts.

We checked out the whale sharks at the Churaumi Aquarium.

We spent a lot of time waiting at bus stops.

We sat out in the sun on our porch and talked about bullshit.

We walked through the Shuri castle, the Ryukyu palace destroyed during WW2.

And then, one day while wandering around International Street, I finally think I discovered Okinawa’s secret. While drifting through some market, we caught sight of a small crowd of people, tucked away down some little alley.

“What’s down there?” I asked my friend.

“Don’t know, let’s go see.”

So off we went. Luckily my friend, who is Japanese, was able to read the signs.

“Oh, this is a shop for Okinawan soba,” he told us.

As we stood around, wondering whether we should go in and try it, an American guy behind us obviously overheard and decided to say something.

“You guys should definitely try it. It’s really, really good man.”

We all looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders, and went inside.

Now, you can ask my Mum, I am a noodle freak. Ever since I could eat, I was a noodle man. An enthusiast, if you like. I eat noodles anytime, anywhere, and have tried many, many bowls of noodles in many holes in the wall around the world. And whenever I walk into a noodle shop, I can usually make a good guess in the first few moments of whether it’s going to be good or not.

In this particular shop, I noticed a few things off the bat. It was a one-woman operation – a lone, maybe 80+ year old lady who ran the whole show. As soon as we walked in and I saw her, I had a good feeling. Noodle soup is a dish where simplicity rules – it does not mix well with flash. There are no fancy tools or ingredients you need. There is only one way to make a good noodle soup, and it has nothing to do with the recipe or the ingredients; all it needs is to be cooked with lots and lots of love, and when it comes to cooking with love, grandma always know best.

As I sat in the corner of the restaurant, I watched her doing her thing, walking calmly up and down her small kitchen, not rushing at all, a kind smile on her face. Her restaurant had no menu, because she only cooked one thing, in one size, at one price: 390 yen for a bowl of grandma’s noodle soup.

It was definitely going to be good. I already knew.

When the bowls arrived, I’m sure we all thought the same thing. It looked freakin’ delicious. There was nothing fancy. Just a bunch of noodles, a few fatty slabs of pork, a clear broth and a sprinkle of fresh spring onions. But that’s all it needed, because from the first look we could all immediately tell – it was cooked with love.

We all dug in, and from the first bite, we all lost control. The noodles were firm and chewy, cooked to perfection, and the soup just flavourful enough that every mouthful had you begging for more. The meat, tender and fatty, tempered the dish perfectly. All I added was a sprinkle of chili flakes and that was more than enough. We slurped and groaned and let out uncontrollable “OH MY GODS”, stuffing our mouths with love-filled Okinawan soba.

And in the corner, I just knew, grandma was listening with a knowing smile on her face. She’s been doing this for years, and she already knew. She knew these moans of delight would be coming from the from the moment we stepped in the door.

It didn’t take us long to finish. We all sat there, stupid smiles on our face, hands on our stomachs, day dreaming about what we’d just eaten. It wasn’t a big bowl, and I could’ve easily eaten another, but something stopped me. I had a suspicion that I might ruin it all if I forced down another serve, and something tells me that’s not an accident. Grandma knew exactly how much to serve. And so I sat there, smiling and satisfied. One bowl was all we needed.

Where do you get it?

Ok, I’m going to apologise in advance here, I must be the worst blogger ever, because I actually don’t know the name or the address of this place. Instead, I will give you as many details as possible, and you’ll need to go on a little scavenger hunt to find it (or hopefully someone will read this and can post the name/address in the comments).

On International Street in Naha, Okinawa, you want to find the Starbucks, which is on a corner. Diagonally across the road is an alley/indoor market. It’s inside there somewhere, about halfway down. Show these photos to one of the store owners around there, and I’m sure they can point you to it:

Besides, this is most definitely a bowl of noodles worth hunting for, so if you’re not willing to do a little searching, you probably don’t deserve to try it anyway!

My final night in Okinawa was as relaxing as all the others. After a day of wandering I sat in a small burger bar and indulged in a burger and beer. My weapons of choice were the supposedly “world famous” Okinawa bitter melon burger and the local favourite Nihede beer. Despite my dislike for goya, I enjoyed the burger a lot, and the beer was crisp and mild, just the way I like it.

Following that, we decided to cap the night off with another local treat – Okinawan snake wine. This is an awamori based liquor, produced with a (usually live) snake inside the bottle. I have no idea why they do it – but apparently it’s great for male sexual health. All I know for sure is it tastes like petrol. Another secret to a long life? Maybe.

After a relaxing five days it was finally time to leave. My friends all flew out a little earlier than I did, and that left me with a little bit of time at the airport to sit alone and ponder things. Looking back, Okinawa hadn’t been all that eventful, and we hadn’t really done anything remarkable during our five days there; just a bit of lazy wandering, sitting around the house chatting, eating good food and enjoying the slower pace of life that it had to offer.

And then it occurred to me, maybe that is the secret. Maybe it’s not the food or the weather that gives them longevity, but just the fact that they know how to relax, slow down, not take themselves too seriously, and enjoy the simple things life has to offer. Okinawa is often the butt of the jokes in Japan – a bunch of islands with dumb, lazy people who never achieve anything. But, judging by the years in their lives, it seems the real joke is on everyone else. While the Tokyo salarymen hustle through subways, shivering in the cold working miserable 14-hour days, the Okinawans walk slowly, taking in the sunshine, working less and living more. Life may not be glamorous in Okinawa, but it is long and happy, and in the end, what else can you really ask for?

Despite not spending a lot of time there, I grew to really like the place. There’s definitely a few more stories to hear, more bowls of noodles to eat, and a lot more islands to explore, but five days there showed me more than enough to bring me back. When? I’m not sure. But I know there are more secrets here to be found, and I’ll definitely be back to find them.

I’m not done with you yet, Okinawa.

Have you been to Okinawa? What did you think? What secrets did you find? Let me know in the comments below!

February 2, 2015
Dinner At A Maid Cafe In Tokyo, Japan
As we walked around Tokyo’s Akihabara district, wandering through video arcades, toy stores, and a rather popular six-storey sex shop, my friend turns and says to me, “Oh, and we should definitely have dinner at a maid cafe!”

A maid cafe?

Sure, whatever that is.

What followed was undoubtedly the most bizarre dining experience I think I’ll ever have in my life.

What is a maid cafe, you ask?

Maid cafes are apparently quite popular in Japan, and some might even consider them part of the country’s culture.

These are restaurants where you go to have a meal and the staff are all dressed up in over-the-top French maid outfits. They treat you as “the master” and they are “the mistress”, and, I guess, it is supposed to satisfy a fantasy of some sort (if any of you are thinking X-rated thoughts, sorry to disappoint but it’s nothing like that).

A comparison that comes to mind is Hooters – except the waitresses are, you know, Japanese maids, rather than Hooter’s girls.

As we stood out in the streets of Akihabara, I did a little “market research” and Googled the Top 10 maid cafes in Tokyo.

Scrolling through the lists, I was getting more weirded out by the minute.

“At this maid cafe, they have special theme days such as swimsuit day and schoolgirl day.”

Is this a cafe or a Las Vegas strip club?

“At this maid cafe, the maids will spoon feed you your meal for an extra 1,000 yen.”

Do I wear a diaper too?

“At this maid cafe, you have to play a funny game with the maid and if you lose, you get a slap across the face.”

Am I allowed to file assault charges afterwards?

“At this maid cafe, they can be kind and sweet or rude and bossy, or both – an icy-hot routine called “tsundere.” Sometimes they bully you for an hour and then cry when you leave.”

Sounds exhilirating!

“At this maid cafe, they offer miniature food for men dining with dolls and pray for the souls of all their guests.”

Can we just go to KFC?

Basically, whatever kinky maid cafe experience you’re looking for, it probably exists in Tokyo.

In the end, we decided on a kind of semi-normal looking place called maidreamin.

After heading upstairs, we were greeted by a girl who looked a little something like this:

Photo: maidreamin.com

(sorry, I don’t have actual photos for you guys, no cameras were allowed!)

She informed us that there was an entrance fee of 1,000 yen as there was going to be a show later (I’ll get to that soon), and once we agreed she picked up some plastic light/candle Japanese toy thing and said..

“OK, time for opening ceremony!”

She sang a little song (or said a prayer, or recited a poem, still not sure) tossed the candle toy around in her hands a bit and then smiled at us. We all looked at each other a little befuddled, laughed, and then got shown to our table.

What’s on the menu at a maid cafe?

The menu at maidreamin is a pre-set menu – first you choose either an omelette or a hamburger steak, then you choose a drink, and then you choose either a keyring or a box of maid sweets as a souvenir.

There were four of us, so my friend and I opted for omelette rice and the other two got the steak.

As we waited for our meals, we all just kind of sat there observing. There were around 6 or 7 maids, not dressed in anything too outrageous, and not acting too weird either, just walking around serving food as a normal waitress would.

“Nothing too crazy about this place,” I thought to myself.

A moment later, our drinks arrived, served by a tiny (5’2 at the most) ghost-white Tokyo maid who was extremely soft spoken. She actually seemed pretty zoned out, and you could be forgiven for maybe suspecting she had pumped some serious “relaxants” into her arm before her shift.

Once our drinks were on the table, she sang a little song, and then started giving us some instructions. First, she told us, she was going to sing something and do a dance for a few seconds, and then afterwards we would all together need to say “moe moe kyun!” while bouncing our hands like rabbits over our drinks. Then we needed to clap and squeal like excited schoolgirls afterwards (I’ve since learned this is some kind of chant which is supposed to make your food taste better).

And so off she went, reciting her little poem, and then all together we said “moe moe kyun!“, did the rabbit thing, and clapped and cheered.

Now things were getting weird.

About 15 minutes later the food arrived. The maid brought our omelettes over, then knelt down beside us and asked what picture we would like her to draw for us. I asked for a pretty girl, and my friend asked for a dog.

With nothing but smiles, she then picked up a ketchup bottle and actually drew two pretty damn good pictures, without even hesitating. It was as if she’d gone to school for it or something.

What’s an omelette without a dog drawn in ketchup?

And then of course, we had to do the “moe moe kyun!” rabbit dance again, to help make the meal as delicious as possible.

Now that the food was served, I thought this might be as far as the weirdness went, but it turned out they were just getting started.

In fact, it wasn’t so much the maids that had me bewildered, but the customers themselves.

What happens after dinner at a maid cafe…

Beside us was a young couple, maybe 25 years old, and the guy’s smile simply did not leave his face the entire night. We soon found out it was his birthday. I couldn’t help but suspect he had been begging his girlfriend to let him come eat here for, I dunno, half a decade, and she’d finally granted him his wish on this special day. We’ll come back to this guy later, it gets better.

Then there was the couple of solo diners sitting around the cafe, who, judging by the quality of the food, didn’t come for the fine cuisine. I suppose there are worse ways to spend the evening than sitting around watching girls serve food in maid outfits.

And then, there was one group that had me laughing and terrified at the same time – a table of five fully grown men in business suits who took the moe moe kyun dance to a whole new level.

When their drinks arrived, they were all given bunny ears (like Playboy bunny style ears) and they looked happier than kids on Christmas. Then, instead of the little 3 second moe moe kyun dance that we did, they got the extended 45 second version, complete with dance moves and chants that they all did in unison. If I didn’t know better, I would think they’d all done a dress rehearsal the day before.

Of course, no one else blinked an eye. In Tokyo, five men wearing bunny ears doing a rabbit dance at dinner is seemingly quite normal.

And then “the show” started.

The lights went out and then the same maid that did our “opening ceremony” jumped up on a small stage in the middle of the room. She started shouting things out in Japanese getting the crowd riled up, and everyone seemed to be eating it up. Of course, I just sat the smiling nervously, for all I know she could’ve been saying “Look at these foreigners sitting down here, let’s get them on stage for some belly dancing.”

Once the crowd was all buttered up she broke out into a little song and dance, complete with mini laser light show and everything.

And then, she turned to the table next to us, pointed to the birthday boy, and ushered him on-stage.

“Oh shit..” I laughed to myself, and watched him relucantly get out of his seat with a painfully nervous smile plastered across his face.

I watched him walk over to the stage, wondering what they were going to make him do. Probably some super remix of the moe moe kyun, I guessed. We were all waiting for maximum cringe.

But, it seemed his nervous smile was just a disguise. He wasn’t nervous, he’d been waiting for this moment all night.

“Ichi, Ni, San!” the maid shouted, and then, right before our eyes, the two of them broke out into a fully choreographed maid dance, the guy busting out moves with a huge smile on his face.

I looked at my friends, laughed, and then turned back to him, watching him and the maid waving their arms around in perfect unison, both having the time of their lives.

I didn’t get it. How did he know the dance? Was it something famous, like the macarena? Is it something you see on TV? Or did he just really like maid cafes?

Judging by the look on his face, it looked as if this was his moment of glory, as if he’d been training and practicing and preparing for this moment for years, and now he was finally getting his time in the spotlight.

The dance went on for about 5 minutes, and, like a pro, he didn’t miss a single step.

Finally it ended, the room clapped, and he promptly returned to his table and ate his birthday cake, as if it was a completely normal evening.

At this point, I’d had about all the maid cafe I could handle, so we downed our drinks, paid our bill, and high tailed it out of there.

And, despite a no photo policy, we were actually allowed one photo with a maid of our choice before we left:

How much is a Maid Cafe in Tokyo?

They seem to be scattered around Tokyo, but are mostly centered in the Akihabara area. We paid around $40 a head for a meal with a drink, a souvenir, and of course, the show. This is a pretty standard price for a maid cafe in Akihabara, Tokyo.

Is it worth it?

I don’t think I’ll ever go again, but it definitely seems like one of those things you might want to do at least once in your life. Maybe I’m just ignorant, but I can’t say I really “get it” yet, however, I will admit that I did find the evening quite entertaining, and that’s all that matters, right?

If you’re ever in Tokyo, pop in to a maid cafe for dinner. It’ll definitely make for an interesting night!

Heading to Tokyo? A few tips:
- For affordable accommodation, I highly recommend using Airbnb. There are many nice apartments available and they will be much cheaper than hotels. I found very nice places in both Tokyo and Okinawa during my stay. You can get $25 of free Airbnb credit using this link.
- Try and learn a little Japanese before you go! You will probably be asking for directions a lot and English is not widely spoken. Even just “Excuse me” and “Thank you” will go a long way. Check out my guide to learning a new language in just 7 days.
- I highly recommend purchasing travel insurance for Japan. Travel in Japan is not dangerous but it is a very expensive country and in the event of an accident you do not want to be left with the bill. For a beginner’s guide to travel insurance, why you need it and where to buy it, check out my post Travel Insurance 101: Everything You Need To Know.
January 26, 2015
Tokyo: Just A Little Bit Overrated
About 15 years ago, I visited Tokyo with my mother for a two week trip. At the time I was about 12 or 13 years old, and the first thing I noticed were the lights; big colourful lights towering over me, as if I was walking through some kind of human pinball machine.

Next was the people; crowds and crowds of people, packed like sheep, all weaving through each other and talking on fancy mobile phones, moving with a lot more urgency than my fellow Kiwis back home.
Read more:
And then, there was the technology. Back then, Japan was a superpower. Everyone in the world drove Japanese cars and played Japanese video games, and kids like me were forced to learn Japanese at school, just in case we found ourselves one day doing business with the world’s second largest economy.

And so it was no surprise when I visited Tokyo back then, it felt like one giant space station, full of all the latest whizzes and gadgets, from the vending machines that sold hot meals, to the outrageously fast Shinkansen bullet train, to the toilet seat that sprayed water up your bum after you took a crap.

That was the Tokyo I remembered. A futuristic city, on top of the world.

A few weeks ago, some fifteen years later, I finally visited Tokyo for a second time. Some friends and I rented a couple of Airbnb apartments in Tokyo’s Shinjuku area, and we headed to Japan’s capital to call in the New Year.

I wondered, what’s Tokyo going to have for me this time? A bullet train that goes so fast it’s practically flying? Vending machines that serve 3-course meals? A toilet that sprays and wipes your bum at the same time?

Surely the city of breakthrough technology would have some special to show me, right?

But sadly, there was none of that. In fact, Tokyo seems to have changed very little from the last time I was there.

The vending machines were exactly the same, save for a few new drinks or ice cream flavours. The toilets looked a little trendier, but seemed to do all the same stuff. And as for the trains, they seem to be, shock horror, much the same as most other trains around Asia.

In the few days I spent there, Tokyo actually felt a little run down. A city, once on top of the world, seems to have faded a little from its time in the spotlight. The malls, probably once the best in the world, now lack the glitz and modernity of those in Shanghai and Bangkok. The subway, probably once a world benchmark, now feels disjointed and confusing, as if new lines have just been mindlessly tacked on over the years. And the bright lights? I’d say the rest of Asia’s lights are shining just as bright these days.

Rather than surging ahead, it feels like the rest of the world has actually caught up. Few would disagree that the public transport and subway in places like Hong Kong or Shanghai are far superior to what Tokyo has to offer today. The same would go for airports, restaurants and accommodations. And with much of Asia growing in bounds with every blink of an eye, I imagine the gap is only going to keep on closing.

Of course, I did visit Tokyo at undoubtedly the worst possible time of year – smack bang in the middle of a freezing winter (and flu season), and over the New Year where a lot of things were busy and a lot of things were closed. Perhaps, a visit in the middle of spring would’ve painted my experience a little differently.

But despite all that, the city I visited was still Tokyo, all the same.

Of course, this doesn’t mean I dislike Tokyo. I love Tokyo. They still have the best vending machines and convenience stores I’ve ever seen, meaning if you’re after a hot corn soup or steaming hot chocolate, it’s never more than a few steps away. The culture demands almost absurd levels of respect and politeness, and it is undoubtedly the cleanest capital city I’ve ever been to. The food is sublime and the city will ensure your stomach is never empty for more than a couple of hours. On top of all this, there’s also Japan’s notorious splashes of weird and crazy, leaving you with one of the most unique cities in the world.

My advice would be to simply weather your expectations before you go. Tokyo is no longer the tech-crazy city of the future that it used to be. That title probably belongs somewhere in China now, and Tokyo feels a little more like a grown-up Bangkok – busy, modern, with a whole bunch of quirkiness thrown in.

So, what did I do there anyway?

Even though I found it a little underwhelming, I still had a lot of fun in Tokyo. As a noodle lover, I found myself in one of the best cities ever to indulge. In Shimokitazawa, I had the biggest bowl of ramen I’ve ever seen in my life (and I think for the first time ever I couldn’t finish it).

I spent at least $100 in vending machines, putting down hot corn soup, hot milk tea, hot chocolate and hot green tea around three or four times a day.

Tokyo Vending Machines – The Best In The World

I visited Ramen Street – a little alley where eight of Tokyo’s most famous ramen restaurants are clustered together, all with their own specialty dishes:

Ramen Street’s 8 Flagship Dishes

I went there with the mission of trying all eight, but only managed three before I had to go walk it off and try not to vomit. Nonetheless, the ramen was fantastic.

Cheese ramen from Ikaruga

Char Siu Pork Bone Ramen from Oreshiki (my favourite)

Beef Tongue Ramen from Kizo

I tried to figure out how to play Pachinko (and failed).

Pachinko – Kind of like an arcade game, slot machine and pinball all wrapped into one.

I went to Disney SEA, which is beautiful, but unfortunately it was so busy with the holiday crowd that every ride had wait times of over 3 hours. I’m definitely not that patient, so for the first time in my life I left a theme park without going on a single ride.

The crowds @ Disney SEA

I visited Piss Alley, a famous local street food place filled with tiny little restaurants that serve some of Tokyo’s favourite yakitori and beer. Unfortunately it was the holidays so 90% of the places were closed, but luckily a couple were still open and had seats.

Typical Yakitori Dish @ Piss Alley

I cooked my first okonomiyaki, a Japanese style savoury pancake.

Vegetable Okonomiyaki

I called in the New Year at Ageha, definitely the biggest and most overcrowded nightclub I’ve ever been to. An eventful night, to say the least.

Main stage @ Ageha Nightclub

But most importantly, I spent a week in Tokyo with my closest friends who I don’t get to see that often. This trip wasn’t so much about “travel”, but more about chilling out and having a good time with some important people in my life. On that front, the trip was a raging success.

Planning a trip to Tokyo?

If you’re heading to Tokyo, I’d recommend you give yourself at least a couple of weeks. Unlike some of the second tier cities in Japan, Tokyo is a large city, littered with tourist zones and split up into many little unique neighbourhoods and communities that I just didn’t have time to explore. It feels a bit like New York in that sense – a city suited more to expats rather than travellers, requiring months rather than weeks to truly unravel and appreciate.

I would definitely avoid going over the winter months (December, January), as the cold in Tokyo is quite sharp and unforgiving, and I’ve no doubt you’d have a more pleasant experience in the spring/summer. I’ve always said that the “best version” of a city is seen in the summer – people are happier, more relaxed and easy-going, coughs and colds are out of season, and the city is more likely to be out having fun rather than sitting at home by the fire. You’d probably agree the same is true for your home city, and Tokyo is no different.

Another reason is over the Christmas period much of Tokyo is either overly busy or closed down. For example, I wasn’t able to see the world-famous Tsujiki tuna auctions, as they’re closed to tourists from December 1 to January 17 due to overcrowding. The minimum wait times at Disney SEA’s main attractions were over 3 hours. My visit to the iconic Shimokitazawa neighbourhood was a huge let down, because 80% of the shops were closed for the holidays. Peak season is a notoriously bad time to travel, and this felt especially true in Tokyo.

In the end, I left with the impression that Tokyo is just a little bit overrated. There are a good number of cities in Asia I would choose as home before Tokyo, but it wouldn’t be my last choice either. I do think a few local friends and a longer stay in the summer might change my mind, but we’ll never know. And of course, you shouldn’t let my opinion stop you from going. It might end up being your favourite city in the world, and the only way you’ll know is if you go there yourself!

Heading To Tokyo And…

Looking for tours and activities at an affordable price? I use GetYourGuide! Always great deals and local perks.
For travel insurance, I always use World Nomads – get protected for just a few dollars a day!
Somewhere to stay? Booking.com gives you the biggest selection and the best rates.
January 19, 2015
The One Simple Lifestyle Change That Will Transform Your Life

Everybody wants more. Everybody wants to have the bigger house, the faster car, the nicer suit. When the new phone comes out, we want it. We need it. When we get to six figures, we want seven, and if we’re lucky enough to get to seven, we want eight. Everybody always wants more.

But what would happen if everybody wanted less? What if you offered somebody a mansion and they simply said, “No thanks, my studio apartment is just fine.” What if you offered someone an Armani suit and they said, “That’s alright, I’ve already got all the clothes I need.” Because interestingly, that seems to bring people a lot closer to happiness than you’d think.

When I was a kid, I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up. My friends wanted to be firemen, or soldiers or race car drivers. But not me. None of that stuff really jumped out at me. The only thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to be rich.

This dream carried through my teenage years and into adulthood. When I started work as an accountant, I would fawn over my clients’ bank statements, mad with envy.

“Bro, come look at this one!” I’d say to my colleague, and we’d huddle around it, staring at the endless zeroes, in awe of these guys who were ordering European cars like Domino’s and living in million dollar houses. I would run through their entire statement, looking at the $2,000 dinners they would buy and the weekend shopping splurges they’d have on clothes and holidays.

“That’ll be me one day,” I would smile to myself.

I was going to upgrade from this shitty job, work at some big bank in London, get a gig on Wall Street. I was going to be that guy who drove around the corner in the $400,000 car and everyone would stop to watch me drive past. I’d be the guy that finally bought that $3,000 bottle of wine on the menu. I had a nice life, but I wanted more. I always wanted more.

My first trip to Africa started to change that. I worked with many vulnerable children and families during my time there, and interestingly, began to admire them a lot more than I’d admired those millionaires in my client folder. It forced me to question the value of my dream and where it was taking me, and I began to wonder why I had been chasing a life of excess when in reality, I already had everything I could possibly need.

I spent the next 3 years travelling the world, and with these thoughts in the back of my mind I started to embrace the simple life. I stopped buying new things, simply because I didn’t have any room to carry them. And as I stopped buying new things, I stopped wanting new things. And as I stopped wanting new things, I noticed that new things didn’t have any effect on my happiness at all.

With only five t-shirts, my body felt the same as when I had twenty t-shirts.

With one pair of shoes, my feet felt the same as when I had five pairs.

Somehow, my shoulders didn’t seem to complain that I wore the same jacket each day.

Instead of wanting more, I wanted less. And slowly, I realised I’d been chasing the wrong things all along. All those years I’d been working 40 hour weeks to buy more and have more, and now suddenly, there was nothing I wanted to buy. So what good was a job after that? What was I supposed to be working for?

Nothing.

I didn’t need to work for anything. I was free.

And just like that my dream had come true. I was rich.

Over the past year, I can count on one hand the physical things I’ve bought that cost more than $100.

Two.

A cellphone, and a juicer.

I’ve largely managed to remove “stuff” from my life. And despite not earning a lot of money and not buying a lot of things, the year gone by has been one of the richest years of my life. Without the burden of a job, mortgage, car and house full of stuff, I’ve managed to spend my entire days on more fulfilling activities such as writing, reading, learning, meditating, exploring, exercising, cooking, relaxing, and interestingly, almost all of these things are free. Some would say I’m living like a retired millionaire, and maybe I am, but I don’t have much money at all.

I’ve learned that when you stop buying things, you stop needing a lot of money, and when you stop needing money, you no longer need a regular job, and when you no longer have a regular job, you have time, and when you have time, you can literally do whatever you want. And isn’t that the meaning of happiness? To do whatever you want?

In the west especially, we place a lot of value on material things. We often define people by what they have, rather than who they are. Just the other day I remember asking my friend about someone in her family.

“What’s he like?” I asked, to which she responded, “He has a helicopter”. It puzzled me. A helicopter? Is that who he is? I guess a few years back, that would’ve impressed me, but the reality is things are just things. And they have nothing to do with who you are.

Ask yourself, who are you as a person? Who do you want to be? What do you want to learn, to be good at, to experience, to see?

Because what makes you rich and unique is not what you have, but how you have lived. It’s in the stories you’ve collected, the lives you have touched. It’s in the memories you have to take with you.

Since I’ve been travelling, I’ve had a lot of plane rides and bus trips to sit and reflect, and the one thing I always tend to think about is happiness.

What does it mean? And where does it come from?

Many of you, like I did, might consider that getting your dream apartment, a European car, a walk in wardrobe with all your favourite clothes, and a million dollar lottery win will probably get you there. But imagine you had all that tomorrow. Picture yourself with all of that. What would you do next? I’d assume you would say you’re going to spend the rest of your life doing things you love, like travelling, or relaxing on the beach and surfing, or writing music, or spending time with your kids. But if you think about it, you can already do all these things. You do not need the house, or the car, or the million dollars for that fulfillment. And that should tell you that in reality, your happiness has nothing to do with those material things at all.

If you find yourself unhappy, not having the time or money to live the life you desire, start asking yourself, why? What are you missing in your life? Chances are you’re spending too much time working, and not enough time on the things you love. But what are you working so hard for? What do you need to buy that you don’t already have?

There is a Swedish proverb that goes something like, “He who buys what he does not need, steals from himself.” Take a moment to think about how much you’ve stolen from yourself. What did you spend your paychecks on last year? Were they essential to your survival? Will you remember those things ten years from now?

You can buy a car for $10,000, or you can travel the world for a year. You can buy a $1,000 iPad, or you can buy 10 flights around Asia. You can buy an $800,000 penthouse apartment, or you can spend the rest of your life relaxing in beachfront huts for $20 a day.

Think about the stuff you’re buying. Is it bringing your dream closer? Or pushing it further away?

In The 4 Hour Work Week, the author talks a lot about lifestyle costing and design. The basic premise is, what is your ideal lifestyle, and how much does it cost to live it? I love Asia, so for me, I’d probably live there, at least for now. A decent bed is $12 a night, great food is $5 a day, a massage is $5 and other miscellaneous costs might run me $5 more. That works out to $27 a day to live a comfortable life at the beach (or in the city). So ideally, that is what I’d aim to earn, and the rest of my time would be spent living, i.e. doing what I love.

What about you? How much money do you really need?

The beauty of this equation is that it highlights the value of minimalism and living a simple life with less. If your lifestyle is too expensive, want less. Make do with less. Everyone has a choice between living with more and working more, or living with less and working less.

Which will you choose?

People often ask me, what’s my secret? How do I do it? How do you spend the entire year travelling the world?

I suppose there is a secret, and to live this lifestyle it’s mostly been about one thing – spending less money.

Everything of importance to me I can fit into my 70 litre backpack. There’s a couple of pairs of shoes in there, my laptop, my camera, some clothes, some toiletries, and that’s it. I live with the contents of this bag year round, and need nothing more and nothing less. It almost feels like I own nothing. But I have more than I could possibly need.

My life squashed into one bag

I can’t remember the last time I went “shopping”. I don’t remember the last time I bought a new shirt. I do not spend my day dreaming of things to buy, but rather reading about things I want to learn, writing about things that are on my mind, and seeing places that I’ve always wanted. I take photos, I sleep in, I walk, I exercise, I read and write, I explore and I relax. That is my day.

In this age of hyper-consumerism and extravagant spending, I’ve been liberated by simply living a life of minimalism. I am no longer enticed by shiny things. I no longer believe in the lie that success consists of earning more and buying more. I buy only what I need, and I simply live.

In the movie Fight Club, Tyler Durden famously said, “The things you own, end up owning you.” You buy a house, and it owns you. You cannot stop working because of it. You cannot travel because of it. You cannot spend more time with your family because of it. You cannot quit your job because of it. Your entire day, your entire life, becomes about earning more money to pay for your house.

Ask yourself; do you own the house, or does the house own you?

When you buy a car, you need to finance it. You need to service and clean it. You need to pay for petrol, insurance, warrants, parking. You worry about where to leave it, whether someone will dent it, whether it will be stolen, whether it’s been registered. The car you wanted so badly is now always on your mind, sucking in all your time, money and energy.

Ask yourself, do you own the car, or does the car own you?

When the weekend finally comes you have two precious days free, but you need to spend it cleaning the house, the car, the boat, the second house, the clothes, the garage, the garden.

Let me ask you, what if you had nothing? How much simpler would life be? Instead of 5 rooms to clean, what if you only had three? Two? One?! How much more time would you have to read, surf, run, play the piano, go out for dinner, travel, stargaze, dance?

Instead of wanting more, maybe it’s time we started thinking about less. Instead of filling up your shelves, empty them. Instead of buying something every weekend, sell something. Instead of wanting everything, want nothing at all.

You might just find your dreams are a lot easier to get to, when there’s less stuff in the way.

January 5, 2015
2014 In Review: Goals, Achievements And Looking Forward To Next Year

It’s been an amazing year. I’ve made so many new friends, caught up with some old ones, seen a few new countries and have learned so, so much.

Now’s the time to reflect and put it all together.

Let me first say that this is more of a personal post; a way for me to collect all my thoughts on this past year and give me something to refer back to down the line. I’ve spent a long time thinking about direction in my life, and I know in future I’m going to want to look back and see where I’ve come from. But I also thought it might be a good idea to make it public, and perhaps one or two of you might find value or learn something from it as well.

Below I’ve written personal reflections on various areas of my life this year, breaking it down into the things that are most important to me right now – blogging, finances, health, friends and family, travel, and future goals. As an exercise in clarity it’s actually been very helpful, and I’d encourage all of you to do the same.

Blogging

Wow – it’s been an amazing ride. I sent this blog live on January 23 this year, and am still so blown away by how much it has grown. When I first started out I had goals of 1,000 Facebook likes in my first year, didn’t even know what an email list was, and hoped to one day beat the 800 page views I got when I first shared the blog with my friends on Facebook.

Today, after being live for just over 11 months, I have around 5,700 followers on Facebook, just under 1,000 email subscribers and have almost hit one million page views in the first year. Compared to many blogs those stats are mere child’s play, but they have completely blown my expectations out of the water and I still find it hard to believe anyone but my mother is actually following my blog and my story.

More importantly, the blog has allowed me to meet and connect with so many amazing people, and become a part of a community that loves and understands nomadic life as much as I do. In a world where I once felt like the odd one out, I’ve now discovered a community of people who also see and embrace travel as a way of life. As a result, my travel dreams have grown even bigger than before.

For those out there who are looking for an outlet, I’d highly recommend starting a blog. It acts as your window to the world, giving people a look into your world and the chance to share their story with you as well (if you need help setting it up, just ask). Even if you don’t grow a large readership, the process of putting your thoughts into words can be extremely liberating. Overall I’m extremely happy with where the blog has gone this year, and will definitely be continuing to write and grow in 2015.

Finances

I didn’t make as much money this year as I probably should have, and that’s because I didn’t really spend much time “working”. I turned down most freelance writing projects I was offered, including a large one that would’ve netted anywhere between $5,000-$10,000, in favour of working on the blog and getting it to a level I was proud of. In the small amount of freelance writing I did do, I tried to move out of the finance niche and try and find something related to travel. Not much came my way, but I did do some writing for G Adventures’ Looptail Blog, which has been a lot of fun. I am not sure if freelance writing is something I’ll pursue aggressively in 2015, but we’ll see.

Want to get started in freelance writing? Check out my guide.

The other reason my earnings were down is because I rejected 99% of the blog-related income opportunities that were sent my way. During the year you may have noticed a few ads on this site as I did some Adsense experiments, and those did net a few hundred dollars, but for now I’ve canned them in favour of having a cleaner blog. I’ve also been offered countless paid posts and advertisements, a couple of press trips and a few partnerships as well, all adding up to several thousands in potential income, but none of the opportunities really felt right to me so I politely turned them down. In truth, this blog has never been about money. It’s been about sharing stories, advice, and a wider message of venturing out and chasing your dreams. When I’m more comfortable with my identity as a blogger I may be more open to opportunities like this, but for now I’m happy to let them slide.

One thing I did do was accept a few freebies from some NGOs who had a greater message to share (I’ll cover these below in the travel section), and despite not earning me any income it was fun to connect and put together some content for them.

New projects

In terms of money going forward, I have so many projects and ideas on the go that I simply don’t have enough time in the day to work on everything. I have a few experiments I’ve been running with affiliate marketing, niche websites, e-commerce and with this blog as well, and hopefully when I get a grasp on things I will share the details of these with you. Whether I do that on a new blog or on this site is still a question mark, but I know people are very curious about how to earn location independent incomes and I’m excited to one day be able to teach people to do this. The first guide I put out on freelancing has been quite popular, and I’m looking forward to put out more posts like this when the time is right. All in all these are still just side projects though, and my focus remains on my writing.

As for my old career, I can now say with 150% certainty that I will never work as an accountant ever again. I know people always say you should never say never, but in this case I’m saying never. Simply by starting this blog, I have been introduced to so many opportunities that the only difficulty has been deciding which one I want to pursue. Ever since I quit my job I’ve always had in the back of my head that I might one day need to return to my old career, but now those reservations have well and truly gone. From here on, it’s full steam ahead.

Concerning this blog in particular, I’m currently working on a blog re-design and two new books, and I’ll keep you updated on these things during the new year.

Education

In terms of personal development it’s been an incredible year. As you know, a priority of mine has always been to incorporate learning into my travels as much as possible, whether it’s language, martial arts, dancing, teaching – wherever I go I always find it important to leave with skills or knowledge that I didn’t have when I arrived. This year I was lucky enough to spend 3 months in South America tuning up my Spanish and completing a salsa course, which was incredibly rewarding. Following on from my Spanish classes in 2010 and 2011, I can now converse very comfortably in Spanish and my dancing isn’t too bad either!

And then of course is my new career on the internet. Nowadays I spend at least 4-5 hours a day listening to podcasts, reading books and guides, reading blogs and running experiments, and the amount of information and opportunity out there is astonishing. I went from not knowing a single thing about building a website to generating several (but small) streams of income online, and I’m excited to learn more and grow these streams in the coming year(s). The balance between work-related learning and hobby-related learning can be hard to find sometimes, but I’m happy with how I managed to make it work for this year.

Friends & Family

One of the hard things about travelling is keeping a balance between spending time on the road and spending time with your family and friends. I was lucky this year to spend the first 5 months at home in Auckland with my parents after spending basically all of 2012 in China and all of 2013 on the road. I also joined my parents in September for a few tours through Ecuador, and then managed to make it home for Christmas. I feel like this year has been good in that regard and I’ll be planning to spend several months at home in 2015 as well.

Health

As I get older, I always start to take my health more and more seriously. This year I started introducing juice to my diet, which has been really beneficial and a lot of fun. I have also been introduced to MobilityWOD – a body maintenance program that has made a huge difference to some “permanent” injuries I’d been starting to give up on (thanks Spartan Traveler). After working through some rehab, I was finally able to get back in the gym in the later half of the year and start some light lifting, and I’ve also learned to start focusing on my endurance and flexibility as well. Although not 100%, the body has been feeling a lot better than it did last year, and I’m hoping to continue to improve my durability in 2015.

One of the silver linings of not being able to max it in the gym like I used is I’ve needed to eat healthier. I sometimes frustrate friends with how clean my eating is sometimes, but it’s definitely helped me stay in decent shape and has been really positive for my productivity as well. Of course I have lapses from time to time, but discipline with eating hasn’t really been a problem this year, so hopefully it stays that way.

Travel

I continue to fall in love with the world. Although I only visited two new countries this year (Cambodia and Ecuador), I did spend a lot of time on the road and made some really amazing new friendships.

The year began in New Zealand, where I stayed home and worked full time on the blog from January to May. This brought many headaches and sleepless nights, sometimes working 16-18 hour days, and when winter came around I knew I had to get back on the road to regain my sanity.

First I headed back to Bangkok, a city I am now completely in love with, and I know the food especially will continue to bring me back. I also got to meet fellow blogger James from Nomadic Notes, which was really cool.

After that I crossed the border and visited Cambodia for 3 weeks. My first stop was Siem Reap to visit the famous Angkor Wat, but the true highlight ended up being my time at Phare; an NGO who is doing amazing things. After that I spent a few days in Battambang and then boarded the bus to Phnom Penh where I stayed for a good 2 weeks. I left with nothing but good memories of Cambodia – it was a country that both inspired me and broke my heart at the same time, and I cannot recommend it enough.

Before leaving Asia I spent another month in my favourite country ever: The Philippines. I’d received an invitation from Smokey Tours; an NGO who wanted me to help spread the word about the work they were doing in Manila’s slums, and decided I’d go check it out since I was only a short plane ride away. Like Phare in Cambodia, this organisation was doing amazing things and I was happy to share their message. I also met up with Anton from Our Awesome Planet and Yoshke from The Poor Traveler; two incredibly successful bloggers who were awesome to meet and showed me some classic Filipino hospitality.

After that I spent a week in transit in New York – a city I’ve always wanted to visit. I faced some old demons of mine on Wall Street, visited some old friends I’ve met on the road, did the typical tourist circuit and then headed to Ecuador to join my parents on their Amazon and Galapagos tours. The Amazon was a lot less scary and Galapagos a lot more touristy than I’d expected, but both were great experiences. After that I had planned to backpack Central America for the first time, but I suppose my travel fatigue kicked in (I’m getting old!). Instead, I ended up living in Quito for 3 months, which definitely ended up being one of the year’s highlights. I spent my time completing a salsa course, tuning up my Spanish and working on some of my projects, but the incredible people I met during my stay was what made it all something to remember. A city that has never been on my wishlist, Quito now feels like a second home.

Goals and plans for 2015

Africa! As some of you know, I’m connected with a teaching and sponsorship project in Tanzania and I try to visit on a regular basis. 2014 was the first time in 3 years that I didn’t make it over there, so I will definitely be going in 2015, which is going to influence my travel plans a lot. I will probably spend the first few months of the year in New Zealand working, and if funds allow I will add a few Europe stops onto my trip as well – we shall see, but as of now East Africa will be the central focus of my travel plans.

As I’ve always done in previous years, I’ll be aiming to learn something new next year as well. Right now I’m thinking it will be a new language, and a French course has been on my agenda for a while (I’d had it planned for 2014, but plans changed). If funds and time allow it, I’ll look to do a 4-6 week intensive somewhere in the world. My Spanish teachers tell me I should pick it up rather quickly as the mechanics of the languages are very similar, so that’s encouraging.

I’ll also be taking this blog to the next level, with some great new ideas in the pipeline. I’ve always written this blog with the intention that it should be able to help someone, whether it’s tips on how to save money on your travels or sharing a lesson I’ve learned through some story or situation. If you ever feel the blog has shifted from that, please let me know! The blog definitely sucks up more time than anything else, but as long as I’ve got at least one person reading I will continue to write.

As for my other side projects, they will remain exactly that – side projects. Travelling, writing and my desire to learn is still where I will be giving most of my time. I will definitely still be working hard on these other muses though, so it’s looking like a busy year ahead.

A big, big thank you

Lastly, I need to take this chance to thank all of you for an amazing year. By far the best part of publishing my writing on this site has been getting to know all of you, and every time you leave a comment or send me an email I’m reminded of why I started this blog in the first place. There have been times this year where I’ve been so frustrated and tired with the workload this site brings that I considered throwing it all in, but receiving emails and comments like this always inspired me to keep on writing, so thank you.

One of my favourite things to write is my monthly newsletter, which always seems to start email conversations where I get to know more about you and who is reading my site. I know many people come here for life and travel inspiration, but you should also know that hearing your stories and thoughts and ideas always inspires me as well. It’s been amazing connecting with you all, and I hope to get to know even more of you in the coming year.

(If you’d like to subscribe, you can do so here).

Final words

Overall the year has definitely been one of discovery and new direction. I’m proud of the growth I’ve had as a writer, a traveller and an entrepreneur, and am really excited for the challenges and opportunities to grow even further in 2015. The year has also brought many incredible people into my life who I’m so grateful to have met, and I feel truly blessed for all the friends my travels have connected me with. While life on the road has brought its share of self doubt and loneliness, I know that the good has far outweighed the bad, and I continue to fall in love with travel and this lifestyle more and more.

As for now, it’s time to enjoy a few days of rest, and then I’ll be knuckling down to kick 2015 off with a bang.

Thanks so much for following along, and see you all in the New Year!

-Bren

December 31, 2014
Blogs I Was Reading In 2014

As the end of 2014 approaches, I thought it would be nice to share with you the blogs that I’ve been reading this year. As many of you know, 2014 was the first year of blogging for me, and there were many blogs I looked to for inspiration as I waywardly tried to find my way in the blogging world. I follow the blogs listed below mainly because they make for great reading, but I also wanted to mention them here as a way of showing my appreciation to the writers behind them. If any of you are reading this, thank you! I learned from all of you.

If you’re looking to pack out your blog reading list for next year, look no further…

Spartan Traveler

“We have access to more information on our iPhones than any other humans have had in history, and that rate of information-sharing synthesis is only accelerating, in every field. Let me underscore this point: the same amount of information is available to everyone. It’s all out there in a how-to blog post or book somewhere. All you have to do is dedicate the time and energy to find and learn it.”

-Clayton Cornell in 22 Things I Learned As A Digital Nomad

Who is he?

Clayton from Spartan Traveler is a new-ish digital nomad who always writes extremely practical, informative posts about online business, travel, health, and life in general (around the world in $220, anyone?). His travels have taken him from Asia to Latin America to Europe and beyond, all while building internet businesses from his laptop. I instantly related to a lot of his writing, probably because him and I tend to have similar outlooks on life, are a similar age, and both share a love for travel.

My favourite post:

How I Broke My Body And Then Fixed It

For almost all of 2013 and 2014, I dealt with a shoulder injury that prevented me from exercising. Then I came across this post, which ended up being the single most thorough and helpful piece of information I ever consumed on dealing with long-term injury – and that includes consults with several doctors, physios and specialists in a number of different countries. I also emailed him for some advice, and he turned me on to a couple of books and, most importantly, body maintenance videos from Mobility WOD. The post is extremely thorough and thanks to his advice, my shoulder has improved tremendously and is well on the way to recovery. I seriously would’ve paid Clayton for this post – it’s literally changed my life.

Find him at:

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Mark Manson

“If I ask you, “What do you want out of life?” and you say something like, “I want to be happy and have a great family and a job I like,” it’s so ubiquitous that it doesn’t even mean anything.

A more interesting question, a question that perhaps you’ve never considered before, is what pain do you want in your life? What are you willing to struggle for? Because that seems to be a greater determinant of how our lives turn out.”

-Mark Manson in The Most Important Question Of Your Life

Who is he?

Mark Manson is a modern thinker who writes such succinct and insightful articles that I often find myself reading them 4 or 5 times in a row, or simply just sitting there afterwards in silence thinking about my life. I don’t agree with everything he writes, but I can always tell that his messages come from a place of honesty and clear thinking, which is the most important thing. He’s also one of the few prominent bloggers that writes about men’s issues today, which are often swept under the rug, ridiculed or ignored. I’ve found that the wisdom he shares in his writing could only come from someone who has travelled extensively outside his borders, has experienced high levels of both success and failure, and has willingness to accept both the good and bad in the world. More than anything, his writing inspires reflection and thought, which is what everyone needs from time to time.

My favourite post:

The Most Important Question Of Your Life

This is quite simply the best post I’ve ever read on finding one’s way in the world. We all have those moments where we sit in self-doubt, wondering what on earth we want to do with our lives, and despite (or maybe because of) the abundance of possibility in the world, our generation seems to be the most troubled in history. Eventually, we all need to choose a path, and if you’re still not sure which one you’re going to take this post might be what you need to help guide you there.

Find him at:

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

The Fat Kid Inside

“I gained weight because of a sedentary lifestyle and overly indulging in foods I knew were bad for me, eating out too often, taking the easy route (microwavable dishes) and not caring what went in my body, before I knew it reached 240 lbs. I lost weight through pure dedication, tireless hours of hard work and yes, food. I cooked my way to fitness, making sure to only feed myself tasty well prepared dishes with all the right stuff, the perfect fuel. Of course I indulge from time to time, as the fat kid still lurks inside of me.”

– Erwan Heussaff from TFKI

Who is he?

Erwan Heussaff is a chef, restaurant owner and food blogger I became aware of while living in The Philippines. He is wildly popular there, and it’s no surprise why – he has a great story (a former ‘fat kid’ who’s now a triathlete, celebrity blogger and dating a famous actress) and, unlike a lot of food bloggers out there, doesn’t come across as try-hard or know-it-allish. His blog is filled with great healthy eating advice and easy-to-follow recipes, a few of which have become personal favourites of mine. I usually hit up Curtis Stone when I’m out to try a new recipe, but Fat Kid Inside is quickly becoming my go-to guy.

My favourite post:

I’m normally a sirloin guy, but after watching this video I was cooking rib eyes every second day. Since then I’ve tried a good dozen of his recipes, and they all come out great, especially his healthy carbonara. I like simple, classic food, and am a big fan of his unpretentious cooking style.

Find him at:

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Youtube

Boost Blog Traffic

“It’s not about how smart you are. It’s not about the professionalism of your blog design. It’s not even about giving readers tips they can go out and apply immediately. It’s about the way you make those readers feel. You want them to cry. You want them to laugh out loud. You want them to shake with anger. But the most important part? You want them to feel alive.

You’ve felt it with other art forms, right? You go to a great concert or act or movie, and when it finishes, you feel a little bit different? A little bit more awake? Well, great writing does that too, and the beautiful part is it can affect people on a mass scale. You can write a great post once, and thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people will be affected by it. Do you realize how incredibly precious that is?

It means you’re not just here to inform. It means you’re not just here to entertain. It means you’re not just here to persuade. Those little pixels on the computer screen can change somebody’s life.”

– Jon Morrow in How To Be Unforgettable.

Who is he?

Jon Morrow is a blogger who’s worked with some big names in the industry, and more than a few times one of his posts have given me the motivation kick I’ve needed to sit down and start writing. I generally don’t read blogs about blogging (I’m not a huge fan of the whole “blog about how to write a blog” thing), but Jon’s is one that I did feel compelled to subscribe to and his posts rarely disappoint. He also has quite a fascinating personal story, one that often forces me to shut up and put away my excuses very quickly indeed.

My favourite post:

On Gluttony, Selfishness and Unleashing The Power Within

If you’re not a blogger you may not relate to this post entirely, but it totally changed the way I thought about this site and what my goals for this blog would be. Starting a blog was a very new and challenging experience for me, like nothing I’ve ever done before. It started with just a simple message that I wanted to share, but over time that started to fade into the background and I start thinking too much about traffic, shares and money. This is why I love Boost Blog Traffic. Jon really understands what it’s like to be a blogger, the thoughts and conflicts that go through your mind, and then writes a post that really resonates and helps you get back on track. If you’re a blogger, I highly recommend you check in here from time to time. Many posts here will do wonders in helping you remember why you started your blog in the first place.

Find him at:

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Wandering Earl

“In order to gain the most from our travels, we should be completely open to changing the way we view the world. We should accept and welcome the fact that what we think and believe now, is not the only way to think and believe. By trying to hold on tightly to one set of views and ideas instead, what can we truly gain from our travel experiences?”

-Earl Baron

Who is he?

Earl has been travelling full time for over 10 years, and now writes one of the most popular travel blogs on the web. I don’t really read many travel blogs, simply because I find most of them quite boring. I’m not sure if it’s because I write a lot about travel myself or just because there aren’t many good travel blogs out there, but I just never feel compelled to follow too many of them. However, this is one of the few I do follow. Why? Well, Earl’s blog is a bit different. Despite how big it’s grown, it still genuinely feels like a simple, personal blog where he shares helpful stories and messages about life on the road. He also has quite a unique writing style, and often just goes off on tangents and writes about the most random things sometimes. It’s a little odd, but definitely a lot more interesting than the typical “10 things to do in Prague” style posts which are quickly getting old. I’ve also interacted with him quite a bit on email and he’s been unbelievably helpful with some of my newbie questions – the sign of a true blogger is one who takes the time to respond to his readers!

My favourite post:

Thank You To The Militant Who Stole My Car!

This post is just one of those crazy stupid travel stories that everyone should read – and there’s a nice little moral at the end too.

Find him at:

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Migrationology

“We moved to Democratic Republic of Congo, back then it was known as Zaire. We lived there for 3 and half years or so, and I was home-schooled, but it was in Congo that I did a lot of awesome things like run around in the jungle with no shirt on, and eat all kinds of jungle creatures – I used to go with a slingshot and shoot little birds and eat them, and I’d also eat all sorts of other jungle creatures like flying termites, grubs, delicious things like that.”

-Mark Wiens from Migrationology

Who is he?

As you can see from the extract of his personal story above, Mark from Migrationology is both a true traveller and foodie. I find it’s very easy to see who’s truly passionate about what they do and who’s a fake, and Mark is definitely a food FREAK. I think I’ve watched every one of his Youtube videos, and while in Bangkok I went and tried a few of his recommendations which all turned out to be amazing – somehow this guy manages to find the most insane eats in the most obscure parts of the city. You can tell he pours his heart into his blog, from the writing, to the photography, to the vids on his Youtube channel. I can’t even imagine how much work all of that is (I struggle to write one blog post a week), but he obviously loves what he does and makes it happen. If you’re a food traveller, this blog needs to be top of your subscription list.

My favourite post:

After watching this video, I knew I had to try this place on my next trip to Thailand. It was a bit of a mission to find the place, but it was totally worth it. I ordered exactly what he had in the video and it was insane. Might be the best food I’ve had in Bangkok, and I’ve had some pretty epic feasts in Bangkok.

Find him at:

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Youtube

Legal Nomads

“Like an everyday commute in New York, you don’t need the social clout of stepping outside the quotidien to have memorable experiences. You only need to look at the people around you – truly look, communicate, smile. The rest falls into place.”

-Jodi Ettenberg in What Does Off The Beaten Path Really Mean?

Who is she?

Jodi is a former lawyer who hails from Canada and has been on the road since 2008. Now based in Vietnam it seems, she’s done her fair share of globetrotting, and now is part of the who’s who in the travel blogging world. If there’s one blog that’s inspired me more than any other, it’s this one.

Why?

I don’t know. Partly because I relate to a lot of her stories and perspectives, seeing as we’re both corporate runaways. Partly also because I love to eat, Asian food in particular, and she seems to be an even bigger enthusiast in that department than I am. But I think mostly, it’s because of her writing. She’s one of the few (if not the only) travel blogger out there right now who I think is a really good writer. She brings such simple, everyday travel stories to life and I’m always left wondering, “How does she do that?” I don’t know where she got her vocabulary from, but I want it. And it’s writing like this that always inspires me to build a better blog and be a better writer.

My favourite post:

On Homesickness and Long Term Travel

If you haven’t spent much of your life travelling this post may not hit the same buttons with you, but this particular article brought back so many memories and feelings, both good and bad, and really highlighted both the bright and dark side of being a nomad. Travel has so many potent lessons to offer, but also carries a heavy emotional burden that can get overwhelming sometimes. You’re everywhere, and you’re nowhere, and the relationships and friendships you leave behind eventually take their toll. I love Jodi’s blog because rather than writing about the places she goes, she writes about the lessons she learns, and this post was a wonderful collection of reflective thoughts and memories. And really, that is what travel is all about.

“On my end, I certainly do think we leave a part of us in each of the places we visit. There are repercussions to doing this with frequency, too – if you keep leaving parts of yourself around the world, what’s left to leave? And is there a way to go back eventually and collect all the pieces?”

Find her at:

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

So, to everyone on this list, thank you! My first year of blogging has been extremely rewarding but the truth is, I learned from all of you. I truly hope you all keep doing what you do, and inspiring others to do the same. And you’ll always have a devoted reader in me.

Want to start your own blog? Check out my guide on building a profitable blog here.

December 25, 2014
Is It Worth Visiting The Galapagos Islands?
Before my salsa stint in Quito, I was lucky enough to join my family on a seven day cruise of Ecuador’s famous Galapagos Islands. I’d heard countless tales of this place, especially back in 2011 during my first trip to South America, and was eager to see if they lived up to the hype.

A Galapagos Islands itinerary is pretty straightforward.

You fly to Quito (or Guayaquil), jump on a plane to the islands, and then head out to the ship and island hop for a few days.

Every day you wake up early, eat breakfast, and spend most of the day exploring one of the islands. After that it’s back to the boat and to bed for another early wake-up the following day.
Read more:
As for the islands themselves, they’re definitely special (a well known UNESCO heritage site), but it’s hard not to notice they’ve been tainted slightly by the immense growth in tourism over the years.

Today, as soon as you touch down at the airport you get slapped with a $100 “tourist tax” before you can even exit the building. Merited or not, it smells of opportunism (at 150,000 visitors per year, that’s some nice pocket change).

The larger islands have been heavily “touristified”, lined with internet cafes, tourism offices and cheeseburger restaurants. Ships are limited to 100 passengers each, but you still may find that among the amazing wildlife, you’ll need to try hard to frame your photos so they aren’t full of shorts and sandals.

Of course, this is all to be expected, and I understand every popular tourist destination will eventually end up this way. But that doesn’t change the fact that your journey through these “pure and untouched islands” probably won’t be as pure and untouched as you had hoped.

But that’s enough of the downer stuff. Galapagos still remains one-of-a-kind, a place unlike any other on earth. It is one of the most protected places in existence, and you will see things here that you cannot see anywhere else in the world. If you’re a wildlife lover, you’ll need to come here at least once, and of course, it’s only going to become more and more commercialised (and expensive) as the years go on. If you’re thinking of going, now would be the time.

So, what can kind of animals can you expect to see during your Galapagos trip? Let’s take a look.

Galapagos Penguin

This guy is a little hard to find, and you probably won’t see him all that often. If you do catch him standing around on a rock, snap a photo asap! It took me a good few minutes out in rocky water to try and get the one above, but it was worth it.

Marine Iguana

You’ll see this guy a lot. They’re on almost every island and like to hang around on the rocks (and in the water). Can get quite big too.

Galapagos Sea Lion

These guys are very easy to find and quite playful. The only problem is they smell like shit and will also bite if you get too close. You’ll find them everywhere, and not just out in the wilderness – they sit around on the docks, on empty boats, and just in random spots around town. If you’ve been on safari, they’re kind of like the equivalent of a zebra – everywhere.

Galapagos Fur Seal

One of the few mammals endemic to the islands. They are harder to find than the sea lions, as they tend to take shade in the rockier pools and out of the tourist eye. I still find it hard to tell the difference between the two.

Galapagos Hawk

The Galapagos Hawk is quite rare and we were lucky to see it and get some good photo opportunities with it. Or guide mentioned it’s not uncommon to go entire weeks without seeing them, especially while we were there (September). Apparently it was common for them to attack livestock which led to them being hunted relentlessly by farmers in the past, and they’re now heavily endangered.

Blue Footed Booby

The booby is a funny, goofy looking bird that tends to make a lot of noise. It’s easily recognisable by its bright blue feet, which it uses to tap-dance in slow motion in order to attract a mate. You will probably catch at least a few of them on most islands, and see the little mating ritual too if you’re lucky. There’s also a red-footed one, but i didn’t manage to get a decent photo of it.

Magnificent Frigatebird

One of the more impressive birds you’ll see around here, the frigatebird is huge and the male has quite a neat party trick. Just like the booby does the moonwalk with his bright blue feet to attract a mate, the frigatebird does the same with his bright red neck. When the pretty girl frigatebird is in sight, he puffs it up, inflating it to a ridiculous size. What do you ladies think? Team Frigatebird or Team Booby?

Galapagos Mockingbird

A tiny little bird endemic to the islands, you’ll probably see it quite often jumping around on the beach or in the trees. Moves quick so can be hard to snap photos of.

Giant Tortoise

Probably the most famous thing on the islands, which might explain why the islands are named what they are (galapago means tortoise in Spanish). About the size of an 8 year old child, these guys can live over 150 years, and are one of the most impressive things you’re going to see while you’re out here. As they are slow and meaty, they were almost hunted to extinction by humans, and are now very heavily protected in breeding grounds and conservatories. And just so you know, don’t show up like I did expecting to see Lonesome George. He died in 2012.

Greater Flamingo

Flamingos can be found in various countries, but the Greater Flamingo is resident to Galapagos. Easily distinguished by its bright pink feathers and stick figure legs, you’ll find these mulling around and feeding in shallow pools on several of the islands.

Waved Albatross

This is the largest of the Galapagos birds (the one in the photo is a baby). It is a unique species of albatross, and breeds exclusively in the Galapagos. You’ll find them on several of the islands.

Land Iguana

I guess you can think of them as the estranged cousins of the marine iguanas. They’re a different colour, bigger, and prefer to live in a drier habitat, but they seem to be built the same and as far as wildlife watching goes, they pretty much do exactly the same thing – sit there motionless and stare at you.

Some other really cool things we saw were schools of dolphins (I’m talking like 30 or 40 at least) swimming behind the cruise ship doing flips and dives, an enormous sea turtle about an arm’s length from my face while snorkelling, and a whale which we chased for about a half hour but didn’t get all that close to. All in all, there was a lot of cool stuff to see.

So, what’s the verdict?

As a budget traveller, my thoughts on Galapagos are mixed. I feel like it’s probably one of those places you need to go at least once, but there are also so many other amazing places on the continent that are better value for money.

Of course Galapagos has its share of great, unique wildlife, but in all honesty, unless you’re an avid wildlife or photography enthusiast I’m not sure it’s the best place to spend your cash.

I was on a package holiday with my family, and the cruise I was on runs around $4,000 for 7 nights. It was a nice big ship (100 passengers), the rooms were nice and the food was great (buffet breakfast and lunch, 3 course dinner) so if you have that kind of cash to burn, go for it.

However, from a value for money perspective I would 100% not recommend it. In South America, that amount of money will easily last you 3 to 4 months elsewhere, at least.

So how do I visit Galapagos on the cheap?

Out of curiosity, I quizzed many people on their Galapagos tours during the odd month i spent in my hostel in Quito. I met many people there who had taken advantage of last minute cruise prices on smaller ships. Most managed to do a 7 day cruise for around $1,000-$1,500 a person, and you can book these from Quito. These were either single specials, or 2-for-1 specials which many travelling couples took advantage of. Cruises leave every day, and many have vacant rooms, so if you simply ask at the right time and have some negotiating skills you should be able to land a nice deal. Here’s a few pointers:
- There are many companies, and by far the best way to choose one is from word of mouth recommendations. Ask other travellers who they went with, what they paid, and what it was like. This’ll give you an idea, as well as some ballpark figures to negotiate with. Your hostel is also a good source of information for this.
- Try booking direct with the boats rather than through tour agencies. It’ll be cheaper.
- If you don’t mind paying a little extra, you can use one of the international tour companies. It will be more expensive, but will require far less legwork. A good option would be something like G Adventures.
- One group of travellers I met spent 3 days on the island of Santa Cruz and simply did day tours each day. Apparently, this is popular. From what I remember they cost anywhere between $80-$150 per person, including lunch and a guide. This option is great because it’s extremely cheap, and you only see the islands you want to see.
And lastly, know that you do not need to see every island. Some are more interesting than others, and some don’t have much to offer at all. The ones that stood out for me were:

Santa Cruz

The tortoise centres are here, so it’s one you can’t miss. It’s also the main inhabited island, so it’s nice to see how people here live.

Espanola Island

Is a little out of the way, but is a great place to see the albatrosses and easily has the most stunning white sand beach of the lot (my photo above doesn’t do it justice at all).

Santiago Island

The island has some beautiful lagoons, bright blue water, and is also a good place to spot fur seals and the Galapagos Penguin.

For something more comprehensive, Globotreks has a great guide about visiting the Galapagos on the cheap.

Final thoughts

I’m definitely glad I visited, but there are many, many places around the world I would visit a second time, and Galapagos isn’t one of them. It’s just too remote, touristy, and expensive, and in my opinion it’s just not on the same level as something like The Gorilla Trek, which I would do again in a heartbeat.

Now knowing what I know, I think I would’ve been completely satisfied if I’d just visited the tortoise reserve on Santa Cruz, plus maybe one day trip out to an island and nothing more (which wouldn’t cost much at all).

If you’re a wildlife enthusiast then that’s a different story, but if you’re simply doing it to tick it off the list, your money might be better spent elsewhere. In the end, the only way to find out is to go and see it for yourself.

Safe travels!

If you’re heading to Galapagos and…

Looking for tours and activities at an affordable price? I use GetYourGuide! Always great deals and local perks.
For travel insurance, I always use World Nomads – get protected for just a few dollars a day!
Somewhere to stay? Booking.com gives you the biggest selection and the best rates.

World Nomads provides travel insurance for travelers in over 100 countries. As an affiliate, we receive a fee when you get a quote from World Nomads using this link. We do not represent World Nomads. This is information only and not a recommendation to buy travel insurance.
December 22, 2014