Tips for Travel

Preface The importance of language Choose your travel destination Preparation of the trip

Buy the ticket Tactic to make the backpack Photocopies Money Before you leave home

The flight The arrival Orientation Where to stay If you do not find an accommodation for sleeping

Hiding money Where to eat Moving Border crossing by land

Deal on the price of the craft items Piranha & company Behaviors Robbery

Loss or theft of traveler's checks Loss or theft of the ticket Drug Prostitution

Upon returning from the trip

The advice that you will read are addressed especially to people who are organized traveling with the "do it yourself" backpackers on a tight budget and, if you have money problems or if you go in holiday parks probably most of the advice will make you a little laugh .... But you never know that by reading them, some advice can be helpful too.
The countries in the world may be very different, my advice refer in particular to the countries I visited, these are belonging to the American continents (Latin America), and Asia, with regard to Europe I think that they can not serve as the countries for better or worse are similar to ours.
Only traveling you realize how important communication, able to understand and speak the language of country you visit greatly simplifies the journey, you can not have a close contact with the locals and consequently with the habits and customs of the country.
English is the language used to be understood by people of different countries anywhere in the world, in Europe and in Asia there are many people who speak it, in Latin America at least in the tourist areas speak it, so I think it is essential to know a traveler, I do not say that you have to know well ... but at least the sentences They are more important while traveling.
Strive a little bit and be able to say a few words of the local language that is not English is one thing much appreciated by the locals, it makes you make fun, and sometimes you can solve problems.
There are places, for example in rural areas that can be a problem because there is no one who speaks English, request information even the most 'simple like "Excuse where is' the station" can become really difficult, in this case I think it's very helpful to have the tour guides where there are written phrases most 'important for the trip and show the other party, sometimes for example in Asia where the writing is different from ours is essential that words are written in the language otherwise they do not understand.
If you do not have provisions to the words in their language, you have to get by with drawings or with signs made with mani..questi past but do not always work because the signs made with the hands or the face is not a universal language, in fact, my experience leads me to confirm that the meanings are very different.
Choose Location & egrave; What the pi & ugrave; simple c '& egrave; ... just follow these simple Directions:
Bring map, hold the base with his left hand, while with his right hand to be a big hit rotating clockwise, close occhi..puntare the forefinger of his right hand on the globe up to He stops ... open your eyes e..il game & egrave; fact, the tip of the index will indicate & agrave; clearly your next destination! Hi..hi..hi ..
Seriously ....
Choose the destination & egrave; easy, beautiful places in the world are really many, for I & ograve; there are some important things to keep in mind:
  • The budget that you have available, and the days available.
    To be able to save it would be better to choose from in times where you can find cheap flights price, try to avoid the periods of August and the Christmas/New Year's better to start in July and early days of December, even better would be starting at other times.
  • Another important thing & egrave; to inquire if the country that we are going to visit is not to risk in the period that we want to go to monsoon or hurricane, that there are no epidemics in progress, or that do not is at risk of terrorism or war, there are sites updated to read the latest news about it.
  • I organize in this way, choose a couple of destinations and then I go to the library and borrow the guides for a quick puff, also informed me through the internet, reading comes enlightenment and I choose the destination, typically I choose a destination where there are cultural things, beautiful nature and by the end of the trip I try to let a p & ograve; of days at sea before returning to reality & agrave; of life everyday.
After choosing their destination moves to the second phase, which is the choice of the travel, I I have always given to the Loney Planet, I think it is an excellent guide, the most important things it will find here kind of guidance are certainly the detailed maps with places to stay and the explanation of how to get around in the chosen country, they are usually very precise, if the guide had a few years you just have to do the proportion as they increased the prices and you're done.
The route choice is personal, depends on the interests of the person, and in any case the route is always maximum because once arrived in the country there is always the possibility of change.
The reasons that force to change the itinerary may be:
  • The lack of time in the sense that you have to skip a few places that were budgeted to visit because transport not grind km as thought, I'll explain ... sometimes in certain places do shifts a hundred Km can mean spending hours and hours in a bus due to the roads not in good condition or not paved ... but this when planning the route with the map you may not know.
  • An unexpected (and 'forced to stop for health conditions, or for being robbed), being forced to stand still they will have to skip a few places that were in our itinerary.
  • Or because you stopped more time in a place that we especially liked the beautiful trips "do it yourself" it is precisely this, the possibility to be free to stop and start when you want, in this case you can not talk about constrizione but of choice.
  • Or it may happen to find that there are places that are worth to visit that were not taken into consideration, also in this case is a choice.
About the danger of wanting to see many places in a short time I think that this is something strictly personal, I am a person who prefers to see many places and live intensely the whole trip, in my opinion ... who thinks he can "live" and "enjoy" the environment of a city and stops in place my 3/5 days a week or two ... I think it's just an illusion, it would take in order to succeed many weeks or months, and in certain places, for example the India..ci would take years.
A great help to choose the route nowadays there definitely from the Internet, you may have a lot of information, read diaries of other humans who visited the same country, ask if you have doubts in the Forum of travelers or in the portals of that country (the forum is like a bulletin board, in which can write a question, who can answer you surely will), you can even ask the information online to people living in the place through chats.
It happened to me more than once to know locals once arrived in the country, people who had requested information through the internet, I was invited or taken around the city, a beautiful experience ... who better than the people who live can make you visit their city? Who better than them They can tell you about their culture and their customs and traditions?
The airfare is spending more onerous when visiting countries outside the EU, to find a cheap ticket price is already quite a savings, as I said before to save you può..partendo in periods that are not considered high season, I still commend the agencies and for that I never did good business but for the Right now I feel safer, surfing the Internet you can find great prices online by paying a day .... I guess I'll try.
One very important thing .... if you can is to try to get in the airport of arrival at a time decent, trying to avoid arriving after dark.
I talk about backpack and because 'the only one that can be used for travel, I could not imagine to travel with suitcases with trolley or worse, I usually leave with a backpack large and small, in the first insert all clothing, in the latter, the port in the plane as hand luggage and I put the most important things.
Always start with little weight is critical, things strictly necessary clothing, remember that You can buy on site and also affordable.
After the experiences that we often forgot always something of which I think is the right tactic to write down the days prior to departure, all the things you need, then the last night before (I can not sleep) I put everything on the bed and eventually start to put them in your backpack depennandole from the sheet, the insertion must be done intelligently, so to leave at the beginning of backpack clothes exchange that will serve once you arrive, so that we should not take them out to undo all backpack.
During the journey and it will unravel the backpack so many times that it will become an automatic thing, remember Always leave at the beginning the things that you will need during the trip so will be immediately available.
One important thing to remember before leaving is to make more copies of:
  • Flight ticket
  • Passport
  • Receipt of Travel Checks (if you have purchased).
Obviously the originals and photocopies have to take them with you in two separate places.
For added security you can scan all documents and save them in an e-mail, in case of loss / robbery of the original and copies can always print copies saved in files in your e-mail.
As for the money, so far in my travels I have brought some money in cash and Travel Checks, the cash hidden in his belt that I bought at the Fiera di Senigallia in Milan, convenient ..this may shirk Euro 1000 in denominations of 50 Euro and can not be seen when you are wearing.
For Travel Checks it is critical to keep them separate from the receipt of the purchase which is released along with Travel.
This year for the first time will bring the traveling paper PostPay Italian Post, it appears to be very useful and convenient, I will confirm or smentirò the return of my trip.
The day of departure are three things necessary that can not be forgotten:
  • Flight ticket
  • Passport
  • Money
Check carefully before you leave the house the day of departure if you have them with you.
The flight is certainly the least pleasant part of the trip is tiring.
A tip is to get up often and do a walk through the halls, when you sit loosing shoes or take them off, these precautions will make the journey less tiring. Apart from the hours that do not seem to go, the flight I think is important because you can meet people the country you visit, the latter can give us great advice on how to go to town the airport using public transport, or you can agree to split the price of the taxi, or better yet ... who knows that the person who did know his relatives waiting at the airport and kindness can give us a ride into town for free, this would be the best ... very lucky, I happened not only that I have accompanied in the city but they have insisted that I stop a night guest in their home.
In the case around us there were people there, the flight can serve us to read the guide and have good think of where we should go once you get to your destination.
The arrival at the airport is always a thrill, we arrived at our destination.
The excitement alternates between the happiness of having arrived and concern for things unknown to us that we They await.
And 'certainly the most delicate phase of the journey, because being "new" country we are vulnerable is easy be prey to profiteers waiting for tourists at the airport ... I call them the "piranha" (this term I use it for all the people who somehow want to take advantage of tourists, more 'forward I have devoted a paragafro on this issue).
Piranhas are well aware that we having just arrived, being tired from the flight and also with all the pennies available we overpay just to find a place to sleep and take a shower as soon as possible, moreover, we are having just arrived no one knows the value of the local currency.
My advice is different depending on the time of arrival:
  • If you arrive at night when it's getting dark it is better to stop for the night at the airport, relax, read, be ready early in the morning to go to town safely.
    I remember that in many countries it happens that just the taxi driver agrees with the criminals, took the streets where They are located accomplices and rob the victim, or it can happen that the taxi driver can find an excuse by saying that the hotel where we go is closed in restructuring or anything ... therefore you bring in hotels where take a nice comission, obviously these hotels are very expensive.
  • If you arrive during the day ... do not hurry, it will approach a lot of piranha ready to take you into town, I use the tactic of pretending to wait for someone, piranhas more sgam manage to cheat tourists have more quickly ... in the meantime I'm going for a drink at the bar and take the opportunity to ask questions to the bartenders, esempio..avere for confirmation on what public transport to go to the city, though there are difficulties and dangers, in short, the bartenders of the airport are my favorite directors;-)
For those who have money problems, the advice is to take the taxi sure, in every airport there are, tickets generally are made in special taxi offices in the airport, do not recommend taking a taxi out airport abusive.
Knowing how to find their way quickly reading the maps of the city is an important thing for people He wants to save money while traveling.
Those traveling alone or with a tight budget, the taxi has to be the ultimate means of transport to take, only in case of need.
Using the means of the locals can be uncomfortable but also an excellent way to have a contact with the latter.
The orientation through maps of the city is something that will improve only with the experience of travel.
To avoid getting lost and having orientation facilitated advice is to find accommodations for sleep close to landmarks that the locals use for orientation, these points can be: main squares, bus or train stations, supermarkets or parks, following this little tip in any part of the city you are any person can give you the straight right to return to the Hotel.
I try to go to sleep in cheap hotels or Guest House, it takes adaptability, keep realize that when traveling alone almost always make you pay for the room or almost equal to the price as if It was two people, sometimes the prices can be even higher, so you have to balance off a little categories, then it all depends also from the countries you visit.
Besides, even if you sleep in expensive hotels do not ever sleep comfortable at home, the goal of the trip not 'to sleep comfortable, I prefer to sleep with less comfort and maybe spend some money to visit or some museum or some archaeological site, then when you return from the trip we have all year for comfortable sleeping. That said ... there are some things you should check that work well before sitting down in a sleeping arrangements and are:
  • It's pretty clean room
  • Which features light
  • That the shower works well
  • That the flush works well
  • That the door and windows chiudino well, you better also see that the window is not easy accessibility 'outside, in this case, always close the window before you go out
If you are passing through, in the sense that you have to stop for a short time, or if you have to leave at night, it is preferable settle close to bus or train.
If you were to find accommodation to sleep, there's only one thing to do, or spend the night at the station train or bus station, there is always a lot of people waiting, there is the police, the maximum you can in inbattervi some drunk, but you will not be vulerabili like you're on the dark road.
As I said before, until now in my travels I have always carried with me a 60% cash in US dollars (after entry Euro Euro they also are fine) and a 40% of Travel Checks.
The Travel Checks let them in the Hotel or Guest House without problems, perhaps hidden among the sheets of notes traveling, taking care to keep in widely separated the Travel Cheque and receipt they give you in the bank, this is very important otherwise you reimburse them, while the cash I have always ambush.
The second thing when I enter a hotel or Guest House (the first is to check if everything is ok) is to see if the room there is a "magic" to hide the money cash, favorite places are the ones that can be dismantled a screwdriver, type fans or air conditioners, generally Stash them when I have to go to the beach, otherwise there I always carry in your belt.
Another important thing is to leave $ 20 / EUR, almost in sight, so if someone came in with the intention of stealing could settle and take, rather than losing time to search the room, remember that 20 dollar / euro in some countries have value.
The most important rule to follow when traveling to countries outside the EU is to avoid in any way, to drink water from taps or bottles that the closure is not sealed.
In the first trips to America or Asia ... even if you follow all the attention with regard to drink or eat ... cagotto will be inevitable, then your body will be made antibodies and will not have bigger problems, if you happen to have cagotto not be alarmed too much and 'a normal thing, remember to drink lots of water and get some medicines all it will pass.
My advice is to try the typical dishes of the countries you visit, I like very much to discover new tastes and feel new smells of food.
The rule is very simple, more 'food is selling like hotcakes and more food will be' fresh and healthy, so if you see a restaurant which is very popular with the locals assured that food is very good and most of the time you eat too great prices, unlike the restaurants where the tourists go that are not very popular because they are dangerous in the other countries do not throw anything away and so is more likely to eat things that are cool and above all that it is safe He will spend much more than they should.
I eat also stalls selling snacks on the street, but it 's only for curiosità..ma I would not recommend it.
The movements of long-distance in Latin America are carried out mainly by bus, while in Asia there is the bus that the train, in both transport must be very careful with their luggage, as I wrote earlier I I harbor a great backpack where I put the stuff to dress and the small one where we are the important things and not separate myself even a second on the way, it happens when you travel by bus you put large backpack or on the bus or in luggage, nothing is che..l'importante have what small things necessary with itself.
A tip for long-distance buses is to come up with long pants and a sweater, in many countries where it is warm buses are air conditioned to throttle and there's no way to turn it off, it happened to climb with shorts and T-shirt and I assure you that was my worst travel all the time to massage legs and arms to warm, plus the cold does not make you sleep.
Another tip for the routes of long-distance (as well as short) is to not accept drinks or food from unknown, it could be dangerous, as an excuse you find that when you travel you can not eat or drink it.
The movements in the cities instead are varied, there is no public transportation (buses, subways), private collective transport (Taxis or buses that are predetermined paths), but most private vehicles, the latter the most diverse, rickshaw, bicirisciò, motorisciò, tuk-tuk, for private vehicles is a must negotiate the price, because surely only for the fact that you stranger will ask you twice or three times of the locals.
My advice is to ask a person on the street what is the cost of the route you have to do, then you can ask the owner of the vehicle and so you get a feeling for what is honest and what can be lowered, remember that sometimes the costs are insignificant and therefore if you can lower to the price and pay a little more for what they pay the local people have to feel satisfied.
The important thing is not to go for dumb tourists, otherwise (as is already widespread) is that you will take advantage of tourists, it happened to me to denounce someone who wanted to take advantage and reward honest people ... do you also.
Another important thing when you take public transportation is to ask the information to make the right and the bus' hard to find maps that explain the routes, so we just have to ask the locals, but 'not ... than ask just one person, it's best to avoid mistakes is to ask at least three distinct persons, if all three will say the same thing then it is safe, but if you meet different things it is better to ask again and then take the bus confirmed by the majority.
A problem that often occurs when you are traveling alone and you are with all the backpacks, sounds stupid but is to go to the bathroom, it's best to go for a drink in a bar and ask if they can take a look large backpack while you're in the bathroom, or ask someone who has a few shops, obviously let him large backpack of clothes, what little portatevelo behind forever.
When you move from one country to another by land, in most cases both in Asia and in Latin America, the transition border is a bit special, in the sense that there is a means of transport that takes you across the border, to Maximum are transportation that take you to the border output, check out and then or on foot or by other means you get to check-in input of the other country, after carrying out the entrance to the bureaucracy country there will be a means that will lead to the nearest town or to the nearest bus stop, every country has a His way of crossing.
In these places you can find piranha who want to take advantage of your inexperience, to avoid these people and to be more confident, my advice is to place alongside the locals and cross the border with them, ask them how to pass, in some places you have to take taxis for short trips, as' doing you can divide the price of the taxi, if you ask the person you're side by side will make him the right price and dividing it with him you savings further.
The key thing is to cross the border by day, better to pass it in the morning to have time to get in the city of the new country of days and have time to find an accommodation for sleeping, rather it is better sleep at night in the most 'nearby town before the border and then leave early the next day to the border.
We are not accustomed to deal on price, where we live we buy when we pay the price without blinking we see written, in contrast to many countries "deal on the price" is a normal thing, it is considered part integral of sales or purchases, an art in some cases, and is done for all the things that are in sale also for the food, but I mean I crafts course.
For souvenirs must absolutely deal on price because those exposed are well above the real value the product sold in that place, even though we may seem a good price that exposed must treat because if we do not, the price will rise and we will be considered "dumb", or people who do not give the right valoreai money.
When you buy I think the most important thing to keep in mind is to be clear about the cost of the life of the country we are visiting, overpay an object in my view there is nothing to encourage vendors that the "world is the mess."
That said, I think the best thing you do when both the buyer and seller have reached an agreement that makes them both happy.
The tactic for good business is to not be in a hurry, it is the main enemy to take the bins .. .in fact is fundamental to browse among the stalls otherwise if you stop at the first it might happen to be able to negotiate the price, buy the item and then find out ... around the corner there is the same item sold at half price (Without treatment), then browse through the stalls, ask prices and "test" the availability and friendliness of the vendors, after which choose the store and try to buy the same shop souvenirs, certainly the sympathy of both and the number of souvenir you bought you will get a great discount, and close the deal by both sides.
Council not to buy souvenirs of coral, a turtle or anything like that because I think it is right to respect nature, not buying these items you avoid inducing local people to ruin the coral reefs.
In many countries where there is much tourism and well-being is not within the reach of all, keep in mind that tourists are seen as "plucking chickens," the report "tourist / a lot of money" is inevitable, and in many cases it is normal to be so 'seen that there are many who spend and shed, no objection to the latter since they are free to do so, But now because of this fact it is widely thought that the tourist is full of money.
From my experience as a traveler I tend not to trust people who approach you on a trip, this is not mean you have to ignore priori..si can hear what they offer (I'm referring to accommodation or excursions) and if you can acettare affect what you can, at times, and as for souvenirs, you can find some great bargains on both sides.
The 80% of people who have approached me during my travels have done so for personal gain, the more you traveling in a tourist town and the most amount of people who want to somehow have a profit increase, this is a fact ... that is why we must be very careful in the very touristic countries.
Piranhas are worse:
  • In the airport
  • In certain routes where there are modes of transportation
  • Organizing excursions
As for the airport I already explained how.
As for some routes where there are only private means of transport, they are usually small sections, the right tactics is the same that is used to cross borders by land, or ... follow the locals and pay when they pay them, ask the price in front of the people, by which they will face when they respond you can tell if you have cheated, if you have doubts ask the locals what they paid, if you have fregato..prendete in denunciateli and license plate number to the police.
As for excursions, here take place more disappointments, the worst enemy is the hurry, the best thing It is to make it look like the piranha who is giving us the tour of not having neither haste nor a big concern excursion, get well explain in detail what provides the hike, make a note of everything and then go ask in other tour operators as they want for the same trip, the only way 'you can realize the right price excursion, obviously for trips that last more than a few days at the price you have to also take into account the quality of the excursion giving you.
A key thing during the whole trip, and especially when it has to do with the piranha & company is to show up sure of themselves, even if you feel lost or in trouble you should always look very sure of yourself, if someone wants to help you and you feel that there convince..in a polite but firm say you want to be alone, with tranquility go to a bar for a drink and ask your questions to the bartender.
If some piranha asks if this is the first time you visit the country, of course we must say that it is not, you He visited the country several times, the same way if it asks you if you are alone, you have to say you're waiting for your friends.
The last tip is to how we can get rid of the people that you are coming and why you cling They want to sell some souvenirs, to tell the truth sometimes enjoy ... exchange small talk, sometimes also pleased to buy something from them, it's good and at the same time you do a good deed because with those money many families are able to "pull" forward, but ... there is a but ... sometimes can become very heavy, or there are so 'many that just unable to get one, it comes just another, never lose patience or respond so rude, most people with a smile and saying "no thanks" if they leave, if they do not, invented something, it has an excellent success the ball that you are not tourists but it is working for them, of course, the job is a writer of travel guides.
The behaviors that we must have in countries with a culture different from ours are very simple, enough to have respect for their customs and traditions, this thing is easy to update if before we left we documents, the failure of many people is to find out about everything to do with the journey less of this aspect that is fundamental for me.
  • Dressed in a sober and clean, avoid skirts axillary.
  • If you enter the temple, you have to know how to behave out of respect for the faithful, for example in temples Buddhists and mosques need to take off your shoes, you can not point your feet towards the Buddha, you have to sit with legs pointing backwards as a "sirennetta", avoid taking pictures where there is a ban.
  • As for the photos, you have to respect people who do not want to be photographed, always ask before pointing the camera at someone, and if they say "no", do not insist.
    Avoid photographing people who claim the money to be photographed, do not get used to this for the people of place of becoming "phenomena from booths" in India in Varanasi was a Guru who had long hair 6 meters hidden in a wool hat, obviously he had nothing to do with the real Guru was there ... 'with a lot of book of his photos just for the fact of being photographed by tourists in exchange for money ... how sad!
  • Do not have the attitude "of the powerful" just because you have the money, I mean the possibility of avoiding the file in exchange for money.
  • Do not raise your voice or get angry if captain of mistakes, you do not get anything, in fact you get the opposite effect.
  • Must be avoided is to give money to people who ask for them, and especially to children, I think it's the biggest mistake that tourists can do.
    Say no to a person and especially a child approaches you, even in sloppy conditions or with some physical problem is really very difficult, but remember that the damage they do by giving the money will be even greater especially if the recipient is a child.
    In places where there is much tourism and where the income is very low, there are fathers who no longer send their children to school but they force to beg, in a couple of days as alms earn a salary of the father, and the latter obviously no longer even to work.
    There is also evidence of gangs that force children to beg to tourists, this is a further reason do not give money to children.
    So what to do if they approach you and ask for money?
    The answer must be one, offer him something to eat or drink, but if it were to insist on wanting the money, do not give them the money they give him to eat because they are people who take advantage of tourists.
    Conversely, if you see someone in the street difficoltà..soprattutto the elderly, it is good to give him something, They can also leave clothes.
  • In Cuba, many people use to leave clothes, shampoo and the like to the owners of "Particular Case", I remember that the latter in Cuba are previligiati because they have a higher income and also a lot of Cubans who work.
This unfortunate incident can happen in all parts of the world, there are simple measures that followed will help to decrease the percentage that can happen:
  • Leave home objects of gold or precious things.
  • At the time of any payment, both indoors but also in open ones, do not pull out of your pocket wads of money in cash.
In case of robbery, it is important to have a twenty Euro / Dollars in pocket at hand, with the hope that content themselves.
This entry I wrote it because I happened to lose the ticket and flight with the company Alitalia, I thought to redo the trip enough to go to any agency Alitalia instead I had to go to headquarters and was not quite at hand, in addition to time lost was a real effort.
The advice I can give is to ask the travel agency or airline, the practice that you have to followed in case of loss of the ticket.
If you want to smoke, blowjob or whatever, my advice is to leave it alone.
Many tourists underestimate the danger and think they can do what they want just because you're on holiday, the laws in many countries are far more 'severe than in Italy, remember that the embassy can help with anything less with contingencies of this kind.
That said, the cases of people who sell drugs and at the same time agree with police many, most of it is just a way to rip you money with the strong fines, but I think it's better not to risk in a country that is thousands of kilometers away from yours.
Even at this point, I recommend against it.
Aside from the moral issue that is subjective to each of us, I would just like to warn you about any dangers.
  • AIDS, many girls for various reasons have unprotected sex.
  • Theft, there are many cases where tourists are robbed after falling asleep, or is the same as prostitute put some substance to fall asleep, then he makes raid of all things of value that are found.
The only advice when the journey ends and we return home is to think about the next trip already !!!