Travel - Voyage Information & Useful Links |
This page contains some travel information and links to websites which we found useful for planning our trip. If you find any errorrrs, typos or have suggestions for improving this page, send us an email. We hope that you find it useful.
One of your best sources for travel information is a guide book. We used Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, Let's Go, Fodor's and Dorling Kindersley guide books on our travels. However, we found Lonely Planet and Rough Guides to be the best all round.
En français Le Guide du Routard est le meilleur 
Here is a list of websites and other travel related books that we found provided some useful
help and information:
The following websites can offer good deals on flights and accomodation.
Here are some accomodation specific websites. Your guide book can often have better hotel/hostel recommendations - and better prices.
Travelling to different countries around the world means you can't be everywhere at the ideal time. You could arrive at your destination in the middle of an intense heatwave or arrive in the depths of winter. Therefore, what's important is not the ideal time to visit a location but rather what times of the year are best avoided.
It is worth remembering that the seasons in the Southern Hemisphere (E.g. Australia) are the opposite of those in the Northern Hemisphere (E.g. Europe). Another point to note is that once you're inside the tropics the only thing that really changes is whether it's the rainy reason(monsoon) or not.
If you're going to fly off to an exotic destination it is essential to check what vaccinations you may require or find out what things you should be aware of (For example, not drinking the local tap water)
You also need to think about the medicines (tables, creams, etc.) that you might need
to bring. The link below contains the list of medicines, their uses and the
recommended quantity, which we took with us on our trip.
Insurance is essential for travelling to far-off and exotic places. It can be expensive but it is madness not to have it. However, you need to make sure the policy your choose covers you for all things you may end up doing.
For a backpack it is best to start with a 50-60 litre capacity. Internal frame models with adjustable back systems from major brands (E.g. Lowe Alpine, etc) are good because they mould to your shape and provide stability by keeping the weight close to your spine. Suitcase style zip around opening backpacks are more practical for everyday use. Make sure you try it out with a heavy load before buying and don't believe everything the sales guy in the shop tells you. You don't need the latest most expensive backpack with all the extra attachments.
The old saying that you should travel as light as possible holds true. Here's a few other gems of wisdom you might find useful.
- You will fill your bag no matter how empty it is at the start of your trip
- Your bag may eventually rip, break or tear no matter how strong the
manufacturer claims it to be
- The more stuff you have the greater target you are for thieves
- The bigger and heavier your bag the harder it is to run for a bus, train, etc.
This page was last updated January 30, 2006.
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