Blake

A year on the road meant spending a lot of time in bunk beds, hotels, and even a few couches. Let’s take a look at some of the challenges and highlights of living out of a suitcase for a year.

Preface

Here is a breakdown of accommodations types and costs after being on the road for a full year. Some things to keep in mind:

Accommodation that was included as part of a tour package (such as my time in North Korea), is considered to be “free” (a cost of $0.00). This is also the case where I stayed at a friends house or had a hookup at a hotel or hostel. 

All prices are in Canadian dollars and include nights where I might have paid for accommodation, but didn’t actually stay there. 

When staying in hostels, my preference was always the smallest dorm room (usually 4 beds), which is also the most expensive dorm option.

About three nights were spent on overnight travel (bus, ferry, red-eye flights) and are not included in the data here.

Costs

All in I spent $18,295.06 to keep a roof over my head for 355 nights, which works out to an average of $60.02/night.

Accommodation Type	Number Of Nights	Avg. Cost Per Night
AirBnB	63	$78.95
All-Inclusive Tour	42	$0.00
Apartment	50	$61.28
Couchsurfing	8	$0.00
Friends	9	$0.00
Guest House	2	$67.79
Hostel	114	$32.88
Hotel	67	$107.03

The most expensive hotel I stayed at was a last-minute trip to St. Petersburg, Russia. A three night stay at the Petro Palace Hotel set me back $779.97.

The cheapest per night rate (at at $13.07/night) was in Marrakesh, Morocco at the Dream Kasbah Hostel.

Continent	Number of Nights	Avg. Cost Per Night
Africa	5	$53.85
Asia	42	$52.62
Europe	121	$60.87
North America	122	$67.33
South America	65	$53.64

Booking Strategies

In the majority of cases, I booked accommodation within a few days of when I needed it. In every cases, I would always have a place to stay on the first night after arriving in a new country.

First, I would check the availability of hostels. Using Hostel World to try to find a place to stay for 1-3 nights. If I wanted to stay longer, I can always extend my stay the day before check-out with the reception desk.

Experience showed me that sometimes you can get a better rateextending your stay this way, rather than rebooking through a website. 

If there were no 4 bed dorm rooms available, then I would move on to AirBnB, then finally Hotels.

In some countries, the price difference between a private room in a hotel and a bed in a dorm was negligible. In this case, the Hotel would win.

For booking hotels, I used Expedia or Booking.com. Usually there was no price difference between the two sites. However, the inventory and selection of hotels differed between the two.

I have never booked accommodation the “night of”. There is no benefit to waiting last minute. Prices wont be any cheaper, and you aren’t guaranteed to have a room available.

Getting Free Stays

There are some people who travel solely using couch surfing and staying with friends. This is a great way to save a lot of money at the expense of privacy. I only did this twice, once in Bogotá, Columbia and Dublin, Ireland. There are some inherent risks staying in a strangers home, even as a male. I learned this first hand with my couch surfing host in Dublin. 

I was able to have few nights for free in Hong Kong thanks to a hookup through Bumble. Yup! A date went so well, that she offered to let me stay with her for the rest of my trip in Hong Kong!

Two nights in Vienna were thanks to someone I met in Colombia 6 months earlier. It pays to keep in touch with people you meet while on the road. 

The Best Hostel Stay

Of all the hostels I’ve stayed at, El Pit in Bogotá was hands down my favourite. The owners are a bunch of professional chefs who have a passion for tourism. The food is amazing and the beds are comfortable. 

 

Saying goodbye to our temporary home at El Pit Hostel (@elpithostel). Great beds, great food, and great company. This is THE place to stay in Bogotá. Muchas gracias y ciao @whereislydia_ y @hej.di! ❤️✈️ #hostel #bogota #placestostay #food #elpit #backpacking #travel

A post shared by Drunk With Jetlag✈️ (@drunkwithjetlag) on Feb 7, 2017 at 6:39pm PST

Check-In

Not having to store my luggage or lug it around town, I tried my best to have my flights arrive within 1-2 hours of when I can check-in to my accommodation. Red-eye flights or overnight trains were the worst for this. You would arrive to your destination at 6:00 or 7:00 in the morning and wont be able to take a shower or change your clothes until early afternoon, after checking-in.

In my experience, it never hurts to ask if you can check-in as soon as you arrive at the hotel. Even if the check-in time is (for example) 4pm, your room might be ready earlier!

Organizing a time to meet your AirBnB host for check-in can be a huge pain, especially if you don’t have a place to store your luggage before the meet up time. Try to book an AirBnB with a self check-in option.

Check-Out

Check-out time is usually 11am or 12pm. So be sure to book your flights home around that time! That way, you are not “killing time” between check-out and when you need to head to the airport.

Late check-out can be handy, but it comes at a cost at most places for only a few extra hours.

The Most Luxurious Stay

The most swanky hotel also happened to be free! I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to spend a few nights in the Four Season Resort and Residences in Anguilla. A really good friend of mine invited me to stay with her while she was temporarily assigned at the hotel. An advantage to keeping a flexible itinerary is to be able to take advantage of last minute opportunities such as this one. 

The unit was a three bedroom apartment with a full kitchen, patio, and plunge pool. Overlooking a pool and with an ocean view, it was a great way to relax and unwind during my travels. There is no way I could have afforded this place on my own, so I am forever in debt to my friend. 

Conclusion & Raw Data

There is no better feeling than to be able to plop down into a clean bed after a long day of hauling your luggage around. I’ve never had issues with bedbugs, dirty AirBnBs, or other issues with my temporary home. Read reviews and don’t book the cheapest option. You do get what you pay for!

If you’re interested in taking a look at the raw data, here’s the google doc spreadsheet.

A year on the road meant a lot of airports and a lot of flights. Let’s take a look at some of the challenges and some of the highlights of zig-zagging around this amazing planet.

Preface

I wanted the most flexibility when it came to getting around. This precluded pre-purchasing a package such as a round-the-world ticket. These tickets have many restrictions such as: travelling only in the same direction or having a limited number of stops in each zone or continent. Depending on which options you choose, they can cost around $8,000-$12,000.

Last minute travel was necessary, meaning that I might not have got the cheapest fare possible.

I had a checked bag, so that may have added additional cost. All prices are quoted in Canadian dollars. 

Costs

Total cost of all flights came to: $15,769.48, this included 70 flights on 35 different airlines.

• Cheapest ticket was: $42.27, on Viva Colombia between Bogota and Medellin. 
• Most expensive ticket was (not first class): $1,825.79 on Air Canada between Buenos Aires, Argentina and Hong Kong (stopover in Toronto). Subsequently, the first class upgrade from the Toronto to Hong Kong leg cost me an additional $1,534.00.
• Average ticket price was $303.26

 

Routing

In most cases the cheapest flight was also the most direct, including stopovers. However, in some cases, the routing was pretty terrible. The worst offender was when I was trying to get from Sint Maarten to Cancun, Mexico. A direct flight (2500km) would have been less than 3 hours by air (red route below). However, I ended up taking a flight that connected through New York, USA. Adding an additional 13 hours of travel time. Cost was $405.82, not including the hotel I got near the airport.

All in all I travelled 118,442Km, or almost three times around the planet!

Getting In (and Out) Of North Korea

Booking my travel to North Korea from Beijing, China offered me two options:

1. Take a 12 hour overnight train from Beijing, China to Dandong, China then transferring to a North Korean train that would take you down to Pyongyang.
2. Fly with Air Koryo direct from Beijing, China to Pyongyang, North Korea. 

Excited at the possibility of flying on the worlds only one star airline, I choose option two (red route below). 

A few weeks before my planned trip, the assassination of Kim Jong-nam in Singapore resulted in all flights to/from China and North Korea being suspended. The tour company had to figure out an alternative plan to get my ass to the DPRK. The new plan would be a combination of the two options above.

We would take the overnight train to Dandong, China then hop on a bus to cross the border, clear immigration and customs, then take an internal flight from a military base in Sinuiju, North Korea to Pyongyang (white route, below). 

I was still able to experience an international flight on Air Koryo though. When it was time to leave the DPRK, our flight back into China was from Pyongyang, North Korea to Shenyang, China. Our departure date (April 15th) also coincided with a missile test, effectively closing off all the airspace above DPRK. The official reason our flight was delayed eight hours was due to “inclement weather” at our destination. This delay caused a cascade effect of unfortunate events…

Missing my connecting flight from Shenyang, China to Seoul, South Korea meant that I had to rebook for the following day and grab a hotel in town. In my haste the next day to head to the airport, I left my passport in my hotel room! First (and only time) during my trip this happened. Thankfully, I was able to return to the hotel and to the airport again without missing my flight. 

Low Cost Airlines

Having a flexible schedule both in time and destinations was a huge challenge. There are no flight search engines out there that allow you to search for flights using low cost airlines. Most of the time, you can only search for flight availability on the airline website itself. When you can depart from any city to any city at any time, you have too many options to choose from!

I ended up using this wikipedia page to find out which low cost airline operated in a specific country, then used their site to book flights directly. This is how I was able to get a round trip ticket from Bogota to Medellin, Colombia for under $85 on Viva Colombia.

Flying low cost, especially internationally, does have its draw backs though. My introduction to Europe was with a flight from Las Vegas, USA to Berlin, Germany. The almost 12 hour flight on Eurowings included no free food or drinks. Yes, this included water! I had to purchase bottles of water (at 3EUR each) to stay hydrated. No to mention my bag was delayed for 3 days due to a tight connection in Düsseldorf, Germany. But it was the cheapest flight from Las Vegas to any city in Europe at $382.94!

Airline Points

Only 30% of my flights were elegible for earning (aeroplan) points on Star Alliance airlines. Since my primary driver was cost and schedule, and not earning points, I had no qualms about not pulling out my points card.

That said, I did end up spending points for one flight. From Guatemala City, Guatemala to Bogota, Colombia on Avianca. 

Polar Routes

One flight in particular to be super stoked about, was my Toronto, Canada to Hong Kong leg. It would take me over northern Canada, Siberia, Russia, then down through Mongolia, and China. Polar routes are interesting in that airlines can only fly them when the sun’s solar flare activities are below a certain threshold. 

Due to the higher level of radiation at the poles, crew and passengers can be subjected to levels that are above legal limits during unfavourable space weather conditions. Thankfully, I didn’t have that problem and my Air Canada flight went (in red, above) took the quickest route to Asia.

Conclusion & Raw Data

The lure and awe of flying was lost on me by the third month. Every airline has the same operating procedures, so other than uniforms, language, and food, there was nothing really different from one airline to the next. Some highlights:

• In Brazil I mainly flew Azul. A great low cost airline. I ended up flying it so much, that a flight attendant actually recognized me and hooked me up with a better seat on my last flight.
• Checking a bag really does cost you both time and money. Thankfully my bag only got lost/delayed twice on 70 flights. Both due to tight connections. If you know you’re going to be connecting flights with less than two hours to spare, ask the gate agent if she can put a “priority” tag on your bag.
• Since I didn’t care about overhead space, I would always be the last person on the plane. There is no use in lining up, only to wait another 20 min in a stuffy airplane. You have time for that last pint at the airport bar, trust me.
• Best airport in the world? Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS). I could live there. 
• Worst airport in the world? Berlin Tegel (TXL). Half the airport is underground (or it feels that way) with the most confusing wayfinding ever. 
• One flight resulted in a go-around. We landed again the on the second try.
• One flight had a flight attendant ask over the PA if a doctor was available to assist in an emergency. 

If you’re interested in taking a look at the raw data, here’s the google doc spreadsheet.

Travelling means something different to everyone. Those of you who like to stay in hostels do so for many reasons: saving money, meeting new people, a prime location downtown or in the hills, free tours, free breakfast, etc…

Whether this is your first time staying in a hostel or are a seasoned hostel goer, here are some tips to make your stay more enjoyable.

Rooms & Sleeping Arrangements

Hostel accommodation usually comes in two styles. Shared rooms where you sleep in bunk beds with others or private rooms where you sleep alone. 

Private rooms have the benefit of complete privacy, with all the social benefits of staying in a hostel. They can be cost effective if you are splitting the room with someone else. 

Personally, I like to stick to dorm rooms with the least number of people. This means staying in a 4 person dorm versus a six or eight person dorm. Yes, they are more expensive, but less people means less opportunities to be disturbed.

Top bunk or bottom bunk? It really depends on your preference. Some travellers feel like they have more privacy on the top bunk, while others don’t want to have to deal with climbing a ladder to get to bed in the middle of the night. In most cases you wont have a choice, but it never hurts to ask when you make your reservation.

Booking Your Bed

The de facto standard for booking a hostel is to use Hostelworld. The website allows you to see all the available properties on a map and all the available amenities (wifi, parking, breakfast, etc..). Additionally, their review system is handy if you want to read about experiences from other people staying at the property. 

I usually use Hostelworld to find my top pick, then go to the hostel’s own website to book. You may get a better rate if you cut out the middleman (Hostelworld) and book with the hostel directly. 

Watch out for taxes! Some hostels include taxes in their prices and some do not. If they are not included, then you will be required to pay them when you check in. 

Some other items you might have to pay for include: Towels, key deposit, security deposit. Make sure you have some cash in the local currency handy when you check in. Most of the time you will get the money back when you check-out.

The Social Life

When it comes to socializing at a hostel, there are usually two types of properties.

The party hostel is exactly what the name implies. They usually have a bar on site with drinking games and a happy hour. Popular with the younger crowd, it’s handy for finding cheap drinks and a good time. They tend to be louder and more up beat than the non-party type.

I love going to party hostels to socialize only. Most of them allow people from off the street to hang out in their common areas and drink their booze. If I’m staying at an AirBnB or Hotel and feeling lonely, I’ll find the closest party hostel and hang out.

The other type of hostel is a little more relaxed. The common areas are smaller and don’t usually include a bar or restaurant. Great for a quieter and more “adult” like experience. Perfect for having those deep and meaningful conversations over some great local beer or wine. No dance music and drunken twenty-somethings to distract you from great conversation.

Getting To And From

You will be surprised at how many Hostels offer free (or cheap) transfers to and from the airport. Try to take advantage of them, especially if you are arriving or departing really late at night.

In some cases the hostel might even have discount bus or train tickets. Don’t be afraid to ask at reception if they are able to hook you up with a cheaper rate.

Some Essentials

Bring along ear plugs to drown out any noise. Personally I don’t use a blindfold/sleeping mask, but if you need it to be pitch black to sleep, one will help. Bring a lock, so that you can take advantage of lockers to secure your valuables. 

Flip Flops are essential! Super handy for taking showers and walking around the common areas. Please wear them and don’t walk around bare foot!

A flashlight comes in handy when you want to find your way around a dark room. Common etiquette dictates that you DO NOT turn on the room light at 4am while you try to find your phone charger. It can also come in handy when you want to read a book late at night.

Further Reading

Sophie over at Travelettes has put together 20 tips for surviving hostel life that you should check out!

Flying today has lost a lot of the perks of the “good ole days”. Meals, free checked-in luggage, and even being able to select a “window or aisle” seat when asked by the agent are of days past.

After spending a year of flying and taking over 60 flights, I’ve figured out a way whereby you are almost guaranteed to be able to get an exit row seat. This technique has worked about 75% of the time I’ve gone flying. Of course, your mileage may vary. 

Booking Your Ticket

Book your ticket like you normally would. If you are able to assign a seat without having to pay for it, do so. Reserve your ideal seat if you were not able to get an exit row, just in case.

If I’m not able to pre-select a seat because of a fee, then I just allow the system to randomly assign me one.

Checking-In

Check-in online as soon as possible. This will be your first opportunity to snag that coveted exit row seat. Some airlines allow you to select a seat for free during the check-in process. This may include exit row seats too. So go ahead and claim that seat.

If you’re not able to select a new seat, or you still have to pay, you will have another opportunity when you’re at the airport. 

At The Airport

Bee line it to a self-service kiosk and check-in again (even if you did so online the day before). You most likely have your preferred seat already reserved, but go ahead and press that “select seat” button and see if the exit row is available.

In the video below you can see that I had seat 31D reserved, but I was able to select an empty exit row seat instead! I made the change, printed out my new boarding pass and I was set.

If you are unable to do this at a self check-in kiosk you might be able to do so by talking to a customer support agent in person.

Further Reading

Others have different strategies that may work for you. Check out this post from Air Travel Genius.

When I say “Carnival“, most people think “Oh! That’s the huge party in Rio de Janeiro”. True, Rio does have one of the largest Carnivals in the world. However, during this time of year, parties are happening all over the place. 

During the Carnival celebrations, each Brazilian region has their own flavour and style of festivities. Most notably is the different style of music played during competitions and blocos (street parties).

My travels took me to Recife in Pernambuco, which hosts the largest carnival parade in the world with over 2 million participants. The parade is called Galo da Madrugada due to the large rooster that they haul around town early in the morning. 

That first night in Recife I decided to head out and see what all this carnival hub-bub was about. It did not disappoint. Getting swept up in throngs of people while a brass band plays all the local favourites was something I hadn’t really experienced before. You are essentially apart of a parade that just moves around town, drinking, dancing, and having a great time. 

As fun as this was by myself, I really wanted to party it up with someone else. The next morning I fire up Tinder and match with someone who is staying in Olinda, the sister town of Recife. After the prerequisite “we’re both not crazy” chat. She invites me to hang out with her and her friends for the day, with one caveat:

“I’m dressing up, and so are you!” 

“No problem!” I reply. 

Digging through my bag I remember the crazy unicorn tank top and pants that I wore for Dreamstate. Guess this will have to do!

After taking three times as long to get to her place due to throngs of people and a typical Brazilian thunderstorm, I am greeted by her, her two friends, and two empty bottles of wine on the table.

We get to know each other as we pre-drink before heading out to the party happening below. By this point I can tell already that we’re going to have an amazing time. 

With the sun still shining (read: we’re in the process of going too hard too soon) we hit the street to dance and drink up a storm. We surf the waves of people through Olinda, beers in hand, only to stop and high-five anyone we see in amazing costumes.

Side Note: One great thing about my outfit? No pockets for people to pick-pocket! Downside? I had to shove all of my Reals in my underwear. Let’s just say all the dancing didn’t bode well for any vendor I’d hand my soggy notes to. 

We continue to drink, dance, and make out in the middle of the street. Things are hazy by this point, but I do remember someone tossing water (I hope it wasn’t beer) out of a second story window to “cool off” one of our make-out sessions.

It’s at this point we figure we might as well head back home and finish what we started.

The next morning she let me know that she wont be staying the weekend in Olinda as she needs to head back to Brasilia, the country’s capital. She invited me to come for a visit. At this moment I had to pause and think for a moment:

1. Brasilia is a city out of the way for me, being in the interior of the country. No tourist goes there as it’s a planned capital similar to Canberra in Australia. Mainly boring government buildings and institutions. 
2. Wait. What kind of job does she have if she lives and works in Brasilia?

I thought for a moment and was noncommittal in my answer:

“If I can find a cheap flight out there… I’ll let you know! By the way, what do you do for work?”

She replied: “Oh, Uhmm. I work for an embassy, I’m a diplomat!”.

Being able to party it up in Brasilia diplomatic style certainly sweetened her offer. Maybe I will swing by on my way south…

When my friend Kate told me her and her husband Greg were going to be in Greece this summer, I jumped at the opportunity to hang out with them. I used to work with Kate and the last time I saw them was over a year ago at their wedding.

I met up with the two, after checking into my hostel, for some drinks and much needed catching up. It was already late considering our 5:30am wake-up the next day. However, we just couldn’t help our selves as the three of us chatted away while imbibing in the cheap drinks. 

The next morning our bus picked us up for the 90 minute drive to do an epic 6 hour (16km) hike through the Samariá Gorge. The road was filled with hairpin turns and switchbacks as we headed up the Lefka Ori mountain range. I was planning on getting some shut-eye on the bus ride, but was rudely awoken by someone near me throwing up in a bag. She was not having a good start to this hike.

We arrive around 8am with strict instructions from our guide on what time we needed to be at each checkpoint along the route. The three of us are experienced hikers and are more physically fit than the rest of the group on the bus. The deadlines seemed reasonable and I figured they were padded to encourage the slower people in the group to haul ass. 

We start the hike at our normal pace making our way downhill on uneven ground. People are flying by, passing us on either side of the single track trail. 

“I feel like we’re going pretty fast. We can’t be slower than these guys?” Kate chuckled. 

“Uhh.. Yeah, I have no idea what’s going on. I’m sure we will be fine. Lets keep going.” I reply.

The hike so far has been amazing. The level of difficulty isn’t that bad, it’s just the uneven rocky terrain that is the challenge. By the midway point my calves and ankles were starting to feel the strain. 

We get to our lunch stop and the place is pretty busy. “These people can’t all be from our group” I thought to my self. Slowly but surely people from our group are showing up as we’re finishing lunch. Phew! We’re not the last in the pack. Our pace is fine.

We continue the hike, and by now the sun is directly above us and it’s starting to get warmer. The trail is heating up too, as we’re encountering people coming from the opposite direction. Seriously annoying on this single track trail. 

When we finally make it to the end of the hike, we’re greeted with about an hour and a half before our ferry back to the pick up point. We take this opportunity to go for a swim to cool off, and grab some food and beers to reward ourselves. 

The next day I woke up and hobbled out of bed. My legs were pretty sore from the hike. No problem though! Today was a beach day. 

Crete is pretty famous for it’s beaches, so it would be a shame to not enjoy some sand and sun.

The three of us grabbed a set of chairs and umbrellas and plopped ourselves down. The original plan was to spend the morning at the beach, then head out and do some shopping or something else later on in the day.

The cycle of drinking, cooling off in the ocean, and drinking again continued all throughout the day. We were having so much fun at the beach it wasn’t until our server said she was leaving for the day did we realize how late it was. 

I really missed hanging out with these two. Our time in Greece was too short, but we were still able to get in lots of laughs. 

That night the laughs continued over dinner with two other people I had met in the hostel. The five of us filled our bellies with amazing greek food and wine. By this point my level of intoxication was extremely high. After drinking at the beach all day, the sun, and drinking some more at dinner, I decided to ask Kate for a cigarette (yeah, I don’t smoke).

I pop the butt into my mouth, then turn to the table behind us, who were speaking in French. 

Without knowing the proper word for “lighter” in French, I ask them:

“Excusez-moi. Avez-vous le feu?”. 

The woman chuckles and hands me a lighter to light my cigarette. Smoke burning my eyes, I chat it up with them for a few minutes in French. 

Kate ushers me outside to finish up smoking, the laughs continue, and so does the intoxication. The remainder of the evening is a blur…

The group was making its way to Romania from Chișinău, Moldova via overnight train. We’ve been sweating in 38ºC heat with no air conditioning in our hotels and busses.

I was hoping to feel the sweet kiss of conditioned air for the first time in a week on this ride. Boy was I wrong.

We step on the train and are immediately disappointed at the lack of both light and cool air. I make my way to the sleepers and toss my bags down on the floor under the bed. Fuck! It’s only been thirty seconds and I’m already sweating buckets.

Surely it will cool down once the train starts moving?

Everyone is in a mad haste to open all the windows. The look on our faces is one of pure defeat as only every other window is openable. 

The 592km ride will take us approx. 14 hours and includes a two hour stop over at the Moldova/Romania border.

As the train rolls off the platform the conductor takes our tickets and sets up his office for the long journey westbound. He immediately strips off his uniform and gets changed into flip flops and a bright orange bathing suit. I couldn’t help but start laughing. 

There has to be a way to stay cool on this train!

The window opposite the conductors room was fully open, giving me an idea. The lack of airflow into the train was the biggest problem, so I held out the curtain with my arm to scoop the outside air into the carriage. 

The blast of hot, moist outside air hit my face. It was cooler than the inside of the train. This will work. 

I planted my self in this spot for almost two hours and slowly the gang would come by, one-by-one, to enjoy the breeze. Mark, a fellow Canadian, decided to improve on my design by making the contraption hands free. 

Every now and then I would catch the conductor enjoying the breeze. It’s for this reason why I think he didn’t shut this whole sketchy operation down. 

Hours passed and tension on the train was rising.

“Hey Dennis! Is there a German word for this heat?” I asked the only German guy in the tour group.

“Yeah. Scheisse!” quipped Mark. 

The carriage erupted in laughter. The heat was getting to us.

After the first stop, a few locals got off the train and we had the entire carriage to ourselves. I ended up moving my stuff to an empty room.. I’m sleeping on the bottom bunk tonight! Finally some good news.

I notice the conductor is now back in his uniform, while everyone else was either topless or wearing their bathing suits. Hmm.. we must be close to the border now. 

As we slow, so does the airflow and the passage of time. We all head to our cabins for the immigration officers to collect our passports.

I look out the window and notice a lot of train wheels and bogies. Hmm. Is the track gauge in Romania different than that of Moldova? Yes. Yes it is.

Slowly the train rises using four screw jacks per carriage. When the car is high enough the old bogies are replaced with new ones, then the car lowered again.

For fucks sake! Can’t we just get going again? The heat (and now smell) is getting to us.

We get our passports back and the train starts moving again. Awesome! But we’ve only completed half the battle. With Moldovan immigration out of the way we now need to tackle the Romanian entry.

The train slows again and we do the same “get in your cabins” song and dance as the immigration officers check our passports.

Michelle hands her passport to the officer and he proceeds to flip through the pages when a €5 euro note falls out. The officer quickly picks it up and hands it back to Michelle. The rest of us look at each other in disbelief. 

“Michelle, did you have a five euro note in your passport AND you handed it to an immigration officer?” I asked.

“Yeah, don’t ever, ever do that!”. Said Andy.

I notice the look of shock on Frida’s face.

“Why not?” Michelle asked innocently.

“Because they might think you are trying to bribe them?!” We all answered in unison. 

“You could get thrown in jail for that”, one of us said.

At least she learned this lesson the easy way!

We get our passports back and the train starts moving again. The air is much cooler now that night has fallen. By this time it’s about 10pm and most of us have decided to retire for the evening. 

Eight hours later I get awoken by someone shouting “Bucharest! Bucharest!”. I peek out of my sleeper to see the train conductor frantically waking us up.

We’ve pulled into the station and are late to disembark. I guess the conductor forgot to set his alarm and didn’t wake up in time to wake up our carriage. 

I jam all my stuff into my bag, get dressed and jump off the train. It’s just after 6am and already the temperature is in the high 20s. Damn this heat wave!

 

Visiting a country is like being a guest in someones home. You have to be respectful to your host and the home that they live in. 

So why is it that people act differently when they are in a foreign country? Is it because they are amongst strangers? Nobody around to judge their behaviour? If you’re only here for a few weeks, then who cares if you act like an idiot?

I walked into a restaurant to grab a burger for lunch and came across a group of people acting loud and obnoxious. This got me thinking… who is the worst tourist? 

 

Most websites are quick to blame whole nationalities. I’m even guilty of that, catching my self saying “fucking Aussies” all the time. There must be some truth to this though, take a look at this list I compiled from some quick research.  

1	2	3	4	5	Year	Source
Chinese	British	Germans	Americans	Israelis	2017	Post Magazine
Russians	Chinese	Germans	British	Saudis	2014	Yahoo
Americans	British	Russians	Chinese	Australian	2013	Business Insider
French	Russian	British	German	Chinese	2012	Forbes
Chinese	Indian	French	Russian	Mexican	2009	Perpetual Traveller Overseas

The Chinese made all 5 lists, with the British right behind with 4 mentions. So does this mean that these two groups are universally terrible when it comes to exploring the world?

I’ve also come across regional biases as well. For example, most people in South America consider Israelis to be the worst tourist. Contrast that to Europeans, who would blame the British or Americans. 

Looking for a more unbiased answer, I ran into two KLM flight attendants while on a bike tour in Mexico City.

I asked them a simple question: “Who are the most difficult passengers to deal with?”.

Without skipping a beat, one of them said, : “Russians and Greek Orthodox Jews”. The other quickly agreed.

This was a reasonable answer given they had over 35 years of combined experience as flight attendants. When I asked why, it boiled down to two things: respect and politeness. 

Nationalities aside, here is what I think makes you the worlds worst tourist:

Proper Attire

Each country has their own limit when it comes to how appropriate certain styles of clothing are. Are you showing too much skin? Are you supposed to be wearing a head covering before entering a church? Just because you can strut around in a tank top at home doesn’t mean you can do the same in another country.

Vandalism

Scratching “I was here 2017” into a monument is never cool. If you feel like you need to leave your mark on the world then check into Facebook or Foursquare instead.

Herd Effect

Being with a group of friends usually amplifies the worst behaviour. Be aware that you’re not the only ones in the restaurant or airplane.

Hygiene

Traveling is hard work. Taking that 16 hour overnight bus to save a few dollars or sitting on a 18 hour flight puts a cramp on your showering schedule. Travelling out of a suitcase also means that you might not have the cleanest of clothes. Being on the road doesn’t give you an excuse to be lazy and not use soap and water.

Being Polite

Learning a few words (like please, thank you, hello, goodbye) in the local language goes a long way. Back home, would you bark out “water!” to your server at a restaurant? Of course not. That’s essentially what you’re doing when you say, in Spanish: “agua!” without the “por favor” (please) at the end. 

Being Difficult

Trying to order a pizza in a restaurant and explaining to the server that you only want olives on half of the pizza is going to frustrate both parties. What isn’t acceptable for you, might be acceptable for them. Take a concession and just deal with what you get. Be flexible. You travelled to see how others live in this world.

Just because you’re not at home, doesn’t mean you need to treat the rest of the world as a toilet. Be self aware, you are your country’s representative.

After spending four months in South America, spring had finally arrived in the northern hemisphere. So it was time to continue my endless summer and head north to my first ever destination in Asia: Hong Kong.

I fell in love with this city immediately. It was clean, modern, and was a great way to ease into Chinese culture.

The first night had me stumbling around the streets at 2am in a jet lag induced haze. This was the first time I had experienced jet lag in the past five months. One of the advantages of my continuous travel south from North America. 

I felt like I was walking through the streets of some futuristic movie (think: Fifth Element or Total Recall). Bright neon signs in Chinese and English glared through the falling rain. Pedestrians speaking all different languages while shop keepers are trying to pull you into their stores to sell you their wares.

I found my way to Lan Kwai Fong, and area packed with bars and restaurants. It’s such a densely packed neighbourhood that in 1993 twenty-one people were killed by a human stampede as 15,000 partiers crammed into this area. 

I plopped my self down at a restaurant with a view of the street and fired up Bumble while munching on some food. 

Bumble and Tinder are a great way to meet locals, something that would pose a problem here in Hong Kong. With over 200,000 expatriates in the city, you’re bound to match with someone that is either a teacher or a banker originally from the west. 

The next day and with my jet lag cured, I decided to try some of the famous street food. Heading to the Fa Yuen Street Market I sampled as much as I could stomach. 

I wasn’t sure what I was ordering, but that’s half the fun right? Most items were $10HKD to $15HKD ($2-3CAD) and were served on a stick for easy eating. 

Feeling full after 5 or 6 skewers of mystery meat, it was time to wash it down with some beer. I was walking to a bar when I felt my phone vibrate.

You have a new Bumble match!

Awesome! It looks like I matched with an American named Becky. We chatted for a bit and set up a time and place to meet up tonight. Perfect! Not a local, but someone who lives and works in Hong Kong is good enough for me.

Later that night I walk up to the bar where we are supposed to meet and see her sipping wine on the street with her friend Jun. I introduce my self and we immediately hit it off. Turns out Becky is in between jobs and has some time to hang with me and her friends! Awesome!

The next morning we stumble across the road to a breakfast place, where Becky is a regular. I immediately order some OJ, an espresso, and poached eggs on avocado toast to quench my hang over. 

We end up spending the next two days together when she suggests that I just check out of my hostel (since it was in Kowloon, about 30-40 min away) and stay with her for the rest of my trip. Plus, it will make things easier for the beach BBQ we’re going to hit up. I get to live like a local for a bit! Yippee!

Shek O is located on the south east part of Hong Kong Island. It has some amazing views and a great sandy beach to get some sun. We arrive and our BBQ and picnic benches are waiting for us. It was a pot luck, so all of Becky’s friends and ex-coworkers brought food to share with everyone. 

We had an amazing time, drinking, eating, and chilling on the beach before having to head home. 

My time in HK was winding down and I was getting sad. Becky really made me feel at home and It would be bitter sweet to leave her behind. 

But alas, this is the life of a traveller. She made my time in HK so much fun and had injected that level socializing that I needed after being on the road solo.

 

Yacht Week is a hugely popular event in Croatia. Contrary to the name, it’s not a single week during the year, but any week during the sailing season (May to September). To confuse things further, one of the sailing companies is called “The Yacht Week”.

I decided on sailing with Sail Week Croatia, one of the newer companies to offer sailing trips on the Adriatic Sea. They have three different options to choose from: Party Sail, Adventure Sail, and Ultra Sail.

Not wanting to be on a booze cruise for seven days straight, I opted for the Adventure Week sail. The main difference being that you do more on shore activities. As opposed to getting wasted every night on the boat or at clubs. Plus, I figured it would have a little bit of an older crowd than the party boats. 

Arriving at the marina to check in, I was anxious to see who I’d be sailing with. Is it going to be a boat full of other solo travellers? I knew that the composition of the crew was going to either make-it or break-it when it comes to having a good time. 

I hopped on to our boat, the Split Kiss, and was surprised by who greeted me. Five women from Australia and two guys from The UK. The skipper, Andrew, was the only other Canadian on the boat. 

Orianna immediately offered me a sip of her drink: Jägermeister and Coke. It was at this moment that all fears of having a dud crew melted away. This is going to be a great week. 

The next seven days will take us south, departing from Split and arriving at Dubrovnik. All the while stopping off at the many islands off the coast of Croatia. 

The first night we stayed in Split and with the help of some alcohol, got to know the rest of the crew and skipper a little better. We had a great mix of people. Mark was a pig farmer from the UK, while Orianna was a Veterinarian. 

Early the next day we left the marina for the open water. With full sails out we headed southbound in moderately rough seas. Ori was getting sea-sick, so we put her at the helm to keep her mind occupied and to help out with her stomach. This would be the worst day on the water for the entire trip. 

Our first stop was Hvar, one of the largest cities on the Croatian islands. The crew got all done-up for a night on the town where we hit up a beach club called Hula Hula, then moving on to the tiny Kiva Bar for more dancing. By the time I got back to the boat, it was well past midnight and I was exhausted. 

I was sharing a tiny bunk bed with Dani and the nights were hot and stuffy. So I decided to sleep out on the deck to keep cool. Plus, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to sleep under the stars on a sailboat. Our skipper was kind enough to bring along his hammock, which I took full advantage of almost every night. I felt like a baby being rocked to sleep.

The crew continued to bond as we made our way further south, stopping along the way to do some swimming or make lunch. There is something to be said about being able to just stop the boat, jump into the salty ocean to cool off, then hop back on and continue on your way. 

At one point we decided to do a little “water skiing”. Andrew rigged up some rope and threw our stand up paddle board into the water and asked: “Who’s first?!”.

I jumped in and went for a ride.

We were doing the perfect mix of partying and excursions. I was also taking this opportunity to learn a little more about sailing. Andrew was happy to oblige and teach me a few things about skippering a boat. It’s a lot like flying, but much, much slower. I jumped at the opportunity to help out when needed.

The days were quickly winding down, the entire crew was having a great time and we were keeping busy with so many activities. 

At one stop, we all decided to take a dune buggy tour of Korčula. Being able to view this ancient island at dusk was amazing. 

Spending seven days on a boat with complete strangers isn’t as bad as it sounds. All throughout the week you had the opportunity to meet other people when we were anchored in a bay or docked in a marina.

The next week Split hosted a large electronic music festival called Ultra Europe. This would be the busiest week for Sail Week Croatia and they needed extra crew to help them out. I jumped at the opportunity lend an extra hand. This would be a great way for me to see what it’s like “on the other side” to work as crew.

Once we all said our goodbyes, I headed to the airport with my intention of buying a cheap ticket westward. I still hadn’t heard back from the company if I was working for them or not. 

At the last minute, I get the email I was waiting for! I needed to get my ass back up to Split in about three hours to help out with check-in. 

I head to the car rental desk, grab a car and hit the road northboud. I was excited and confident that I would do an amazing job of whatever they asked of me. What I wasn’t prepared for, was the level of insanity that the Ultra Sail week would bring…