May mischief find you and misfortune avoid. May you sink into unkempt and vivacious foreign fascinations and emerge with stories varied, wild, and timeless. – Jonathan Roseland
Tuesday, October 22, 2013 (DAYS 595 - 598)
Being a frugal or budget traveler can be a tedious job at times, and anyone that has done extended travel in this way, can tell you that dedicating entire days or more can be the difference in saving hundreds if not even thousands of dollars by being both patient and utilitizing one of your most precious assets–your time. For example, when I was ready to take the leap from Central America to Southeast Asia I checked a variety of websites (Skyscanner, Spirit, Travelocity, Kayak, etc) for flights and realized that flying direct would be a difference of over $1,000. But, by purchasing separate flights, one-way from Costa Rica to Los Angeles ($236) and then from LAX to Thailand ($577) also one-way, this was the best overall pricing system to utilize than using my currently relative point of origin or region to my final destination with one specific airline or website. Believe me, I looked at every airport in all of Central America and this was still the cheapest option by far. My first flight was Spirit Airlines, which has some bad reviews for a reason, but when you’re down to save money and time is on your side a nine-hour layover in Fort Lauderdale is nothing when you’ve experienced 19-hours on a bus in Peru. Prior to booking these tickets I also took the time to check multiple websites on different days as airline prices change almost daily and realized that the cheapest time to fly from the United States to Thailand was the end of August, which at the time of purchase was between the suggested 11 to 12 weeks in advance range. I know that many consumers now understand the benefit of taking their time when searching for airfare deals so I will just leave you with two other links regarding this topic, one from the Wall Street Journal and the second from the Chicago Tribune.
Good online ratings have become a huge plus over the years and significantly have changed the decision-making process for many when selecting a place to stay, but still within the backpacking community, we listen to one another. For example, I had just got off a bus in Boquete, Panama with another backpacker I had just met on the bus ride and because we had read about a Hostal Nomba that advertised dorms for $7 a night, as we were walking away from the bus stop, which is located next to the central plaza Domingo Medica, two other backpackers asked us where we were headed and as soon as we mentioned the price, without hestiation the French girl, Amandine, ditched the other backpacker and their original plan to stay at another hostel that was $3 more per night because of this new piece of information, and before we knew it all three of us that had just met were headed to check out the cheapest hostel as the sun was setting over the mountains.
Being a frugal or budget traveler can be a tedious job at times, and anyone that has done extended travel in this way, can tell you that dedicating entire days or more can be the difference in saving hundreds if not even thousands of dollars by being both patient and utilitizing one of your most precious assets–your time. For example, when I was ready to take the leap from Central America to Southeast Asia I checked a variety of websites (Skyscanner, Spirit, Travelocity, Kayak, etc) for flights and realized that flying direct would be a difference of over $1,000. But, by purchasing separate flights, one-way from Costa Rica to Los Angeles ($236) and then from LAX to Thailand ($577) also one-way, this was the best overall pricing system to utilize than using my currently relative point of origin or region to my final destination with one specific airline or website. Believe me, I looked at every airport in all of Central America and this was still the cheapest option by far. My first flight was Spirit Airlines, which has some bad reviews for a reason, but when you’re down to save money and time is on your side a nine-hour layover in Fort Lauderdale is nothing when you’ve experienced 19-hours on a bus in Peru. Prior to booking these tickets I also took the time to check multiple websites on different days as airline prices change almost daily and realized that the cheapest time to fly from the United States to Thailand was the end of August, which at the time of purchase was between the suggested 11 to 12 weeks in advance range. I know that many consumers now understand the benefit of taking their time when searching for airfare deals so I will just leave you with two other links regarding this topic, one from the Wall Street Journal and the second from the Chicago Tribune.
Good online ratings have become a huge plus over the years and significantly have changed the decision-making process for many when selecting a place to stay, but still within the backpacking community, we listen to one another. For example, I had just got off a bus in Boquete, Panama with another backpacker I had just met on the bus ride and because we had read about a Hostal Nomba that advertised dorms for $7 a night, as we were walking away from the bus stop, which is located next to the central plaza Domingo Medica, two other backpackers asked us where we were headed and as soon as we mentioned the price, without hestiation the French girl, Amandine, ditched the other backpacker and their original plan to stay at another hostel that was $3 more per night because of this new piece of information, and before we knew it all three of us that had just met were headed to check out the cheapest hostel as the sun was setting over the mountains.
While I still love embracing the backpacking mindset of living daily without an itinerary of who I might meet or where I might end up–even by that afternoon–when you finally are ready to make a decision and act upon it, I say this because, one of the biggest lies of backpacking is: I’m leaving tomorrow, there are a few things to consider whether that be an overland border crossings, visa application, even organizing transportion, etc your absolute best resource is going to be: TALKING TO OTHER BACKPACKERS. This is the number one rule of thumb, because you will receive the most accurate information and pricing than anything that is online since these strangers that you are speaking with and getting information from have just experienced what you’re about to and the sharing of insights with each other is a large part of why this community is so unique as it looks after it’s own while accepting everyone at the same time. This also goes for; places to stay, attractions to visit, what you should be paying, as well as the negatives of when and where you will get ripped off, the attractions that are overrated (whether that may be a matter of cost or distance–sometimes both), and one that I have found hard to realize is places to avoid from staying. I cannot tell you how many hostel owners and even managers do not realize just how much backpackers talk to one another–on buses, at train stations, walking down the street, in restaurants, at the beach, etc. I have suggested some of the dingiest dirtiest hostels because the atmosphere of the place outweighed the amenities. I know that for many people back home they would never consider this a positive, but hostels live and die based upon the recommendation of other CURRENT backpackers. If our experience is great then we will rave to everyone to stay at your place, but if you try and cheat us out of money, give bad advice, or are unfriendly and rude, well guess what? Every backpacker we come in to contact with guaranteed, will hear about it. And now that the world is connected via Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Viber, Kakao, etc the extended or veteran backpackers not only have an array–no practically an army–of fellow backpackers that will listen to them based upon their recommendations, but again it’s because of that personal connection–bond, we as backpackers–have made with these others through traveling.
Quickly, here are some of the other times to dedicate to research days are:
1. REVISING BUDGETS: based on new regions. For example, because I knew that South Korea was going to be double or triple my normal daily budget of $10-$20, I took hours emailing people on CouchSurfing and trolling the cheapest hostels in the area.
2. GREAT RESOURCES FOR CHEAP, FREE, & PAID TRAVEL: When in dire need of saving cash, making some, or just wanting to do some volunteering, again take the time to commit to spending a day with your computer and research organizations (again I try and keep a relatively up-to-date links page with organizations I’ve volunteered with or have been told of that are legit, so feel free to check it out). This is also another very useful blog I found with a variety of links, titled The Best 23 Resources for Cheap, Free, or Paid Travel.
3. LEARNING OR REFINING A SKILL: Whether this be a new language, learning a new software program, or taking the time to virtually assault someone because they have created a new plantation on Farmville that you receive daily invites from to help water or whatever and then cry when I set it ablaze and burn it to the ground, because guess what? It’s not real and for those of us backpacking we don’t have time for nonsense things, because surprise, we’re living.
Forgive me, I’m a bit tired and these are the things I could think of currently that could be devoted to so-called research days that will again save you money or help you make some along the way and keep the dream alive of what most travelers aspire to do, which is; stay on the road as long as possible.
1. REVISING BUDGETS: based on new regions. For example, because I knew that South Korea was going to be double or triple my normal daily budget of $10-$20, I took hours emailing people on CouchSurfing and trolling the cheapest hostels in the area.
2. GREAT RESOURCES FOR CHEAP, FREE, & PAID TRAVEL: When in dire need of saving cash, making some, or just wanting to do some volunteering, again take the time to commit to spending a day with your computer and research organizations (again I try and keep a relatively up-to-date links page with organizations I’ve volunteered with or have been told of that are legit, so feel free to check it out). This is also another very useful blog I found with a variety of links, titled The Best 23 Resources for Cheap, Free, or Paid Travel.
3. LEARNING OR REFINING A SKILL: Whether this be a new language, learning a new software program, or taking the time to virtually assault someone because they have created a new plantation on Farmville that you receive daily invites from to help water or whatever and then cry when I set it ablaze and burn it to the ground, because guess what? It’s not real and for those of us backpacking we don’t have time for nonsense things, because surprise, we’re living.
Forgive me, I’m a bit tired and these are the things I could think of currently that could be devoted to so-called research days that will again save you money or help you make some along the way and keep the dream alive of what most travelers aspire to do, which is; stay on the road as long as possible.
MY RTW PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:
So, the reason I decided to begin my new restructured blogging with the topic of dedicating research days when traveling is because if I keep my return flight to Thailand, which is scheduled for November 14th, my plan is to take an overnight local bus directly from Bangkok to Chang Mai in order to be there for the Latern Festival which is occurs on Nov 17th where I’m planning to meet up with a group of friends that I met in Thailand only a few weeks ago. And, in order to accomplish this feat, there is some relatively serious planning to occur, not only in securing accomodation, but also to do this in the most cost effective manner I can. Even though I am already preparing for the exhausting overnight bus ride that can take up to 13-hours after a 10-plus hour travel day flying from Seoul to Bangkok with a transfer in Shanghai the same day, once again this is both the bad and ugly side that I often talk about with traveling, thankfully I have some great friends that I’ve met already where Ashley and Asia have agreed to help secure me a place to crash, even if it’s on the floor in their room, since I will be arriving just a few days before and they will already be there. Yi Peng – Thailnd’s Festival of Lights, is held on the full moon of the 2nd month the Lanna calendar, where the night sky is filled with a multitude of intricately shaped paper laterns (photo credit link here).
Also with the research and planning aspect I’ve got to think that high season has already begun for Southeast Asia and organizing accommodations for Christmas and New Years can be an excellent time or an absolute nightmare if you aren’t prepared. Last year, I was fortunate enough to spend this time at the hostel I was co-managing in San Juan del Sur, but even then due to an error with Hostelbookers not updating and blocking out beds when people were making online reservations, we ended up turning away over 100 people in a 48-hour period that actually had reservations. Also, at the decision of our hostel owner, during the two-week holiday period our prices tripled! Dorm beds went from being $7 a night to a whopping $21 a night! While some guests questioned why the dramatic price difference for places that are supposed to cater to budget travelers, I told them that not only is it capitalism, but that even the other business in this small community, most had to do this in order to survive as a business year-round because during the low season in SJDS (mid-July thru early to mid-November) hostels were lucky if they had more than double digit guests staying there and the place felt like a ghost town. In a completely separate part of the world, when I was backpacking in Europe and on a whim arrived in Venice, Italy on a weekend, I had no idea that if you didn’t have a reservation you were most likely sleeping at the train station because every place was full, especially during the Summer months. So, the overall point is research days, especially when taking in to account holidays–whether very common, such as Christmas or New Years, or specific holidays to that community or country, as well as the general location of your destination and time can be the difference in finding accommodation or putting you way outside of your budget.
So, the reason I decided to begin my new restructured blogging with the topic of dedicating research days when traveling is because if I keep my return flight to Thailand, which is scheduled for November 14th, my plan is to take an overnight local bus directly from Bangkok to Chang Mai in order to be there for the Latern Festival which is occurs on Nov 17th where I’m planning to meet up with a group of friends that I met in Thailand only a few weeks ago. And, in order to accomplish this feat, there is some relatively serious planning to occur, not only in securing accomodation, but also to do this in the most cost effective manner I can. Even though I am already preparing for the exhausting overnight bus ride that can take up to 13-hours after a 10-plus hour travel day flying from Seoul to Bangkok with a transfer in Shanghai the same day, once again this is both the bad and ugly side that I often talk about with traveling, thankfully I have some great friends that I’ve met already where Ashley and Asia have agreed to help secure me a place to crash, even if it’s on the floor in their room, since I will be arriving just a few days before and they will already be there. Yi Peng – Thailnd’s Festival of Lights, is held on the full moon of the 2nd month the Lanna calendar, where the night sky is filled with a multitude of intricately shaped paper laterns (photo credit link here).
Also with the research and planning aspect I’ve got to think that high season has already begun for Southeast Asia and organizing accommodations for Christmas and New Years can be an excellent time or an absolute nightmare if you aren’t prepared. Last year, I was fortunate enough to spend this time at the hostel I was co-managing in San Juan del Sur, but even then due to an error with Hostelbookers not updating and blocking out beds when people were making online reservations, we ended up turning away over 100 people in a 48-hour period that actually had reservations. Also, at the decision of our hostel owner, during the two-week holiday period our prices tripled! Dorm beds went from being $7 a night to a whopping $21 a night! While some guests questioned why the dramatic price difference for places that are supposed to cater to budget travelers, I told them that not only is it capitalism, but that even the other business in this small community, most had to do this in order to survive as a business year-round because during the low season in SJDS (mid-July thru early to mid-November) hostels were lucky if they had more than double digit guests staying there and the place felt like a ghost town. In a completely separate part of the world, when I was backpacking in Europe and on a whim arrived in Venice, Italy on a weekend, I had no idea that if you didn’t have a reservation you were most likely sleeping at the train station because every place was full, especially during the Summer months. So, the overall point is research days, especially when taking in to account holidays–whether very common, such as Christmas or New Years, or specific holidays to that community or country, as well as the general location of your destination and time can be the difference in finding accommodation or putting you way outside of your budget.
Over the past several days I have been trying to get as emotionally prepared as I can for the reunion next week. It has been a busy week as well since I’ve been utilizing and finding such great hosts on CouchSurfing, however, this takes a bit of time and patience, not to mention the exhaustion of packing up and moving every few days to different areas of the city. Currently I am staying with my third host, Ray, an American from Florida living in Seoul teahing English at a public Middle School and thankfully was only one subway station down from my previous hosts’ Austin and Scott. To give you a glimpse of how hectic things have been since I arrived in Seoul; not only am I constantly trying to contact and schedule when and where I was moving to next with my gracious hosts, I’m also trying organize with Jan when and where and what is happening for next week, as well as the usual technicalities of a new country by adjusting to a new currency, learning to navigate and explore a new city, adapt to the cultural and language barriers, physically adjusting to a new climate, the failed attempt of organizing to meet up with friends (Calvin and Bryan) from Colorado during their brief layover here, getting sick and recovering, trying to take time to write these blogs, as well as try and stay in touch with family and friends back home with the enormous time difference. Whew, yes that’s been my time here thus far. I’m actually looking forward to moving to Mugunghwa House, the adoptee guesthouse that is reserved for those of us in the Home to Home Program, on Monday, where I will have my first chance of staying in one location for seven-days in a row. (Photo credit is: Alicia Marie McNally)
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