Travelingbug.org

Where to Stay?

Hostels

There are so many options of where you can stay while traveling.  The most popular option for backpackers is to stay in budget hostels.  They are generally more affordable then hotels!  Depending on what continent you are traveling through they can range from $1- $35 US Dollars per night.  You can look up availability on hostels in every city around the world on-line through popular websites like Hostel World or Hostel Bookers.  These sites are really good for giving you information on where they are located, availability for a week at a time, price, and the ranking of the hostels compared to others in the area.

During peak travel periods (usually summertime) it is smart to book the hostels in advance instead of showing up at the hostel when you arrive in a city.  Also, a lot of hostels fill up during weekends and there ends up being no room for you in a lot of the better hostels.  I know that traveling through southern Spain in the summer gets to be very crowded.  In June, I was traveling through Spain and I did not book a hostel before I left Madrid going to Granada.  When I showed up to Granada there was no room in any hostel.  Instead of paying 13 Euros the first night I had to get a hotel room for 40 Euros.  You just need to be smart and know where you are traveling too instead of wasting money like I did.

Couch surfing

Another option that is very new. and that a lot of budget travelers are starting to use is called couch surfing.  There is a new website that allows you to see where there are couch's available: couch surfing.  You actually stay for free on other people’s couches in their homes/apartments.  People open up there houses for you to use.  They are usually good people, and were possibly travelers at one point in time in their lives.  They are usually good people, because if something goes wrong then the travelers who have had a problem contact the website, and then the web site will take that person off the site.   

Airports

If you have an early flight during the morning, and you don’t want to pay for a night in a hostel or hotel you can just go to the airport and sleep.  There are plenty of people that bring their bags to the airport and sleep on the ground or in the chairs.  This option is safe, because there are security guards walking around making sure that there are no problems.  If you decide to do this option, you can check out of your hostel during the morning, and then store your bag in the hostel's storage room for the rest of the day.  When you are done doing what you do you can come back to pick it up at night.  Most hotels have a spot to store bags during the day for free. So by sleeping in the airport you can save one nights stay!  (you need to always think on how to save money and extend your trip!)

Hotel 

The most expensive option is a hotel.  Sometimes you can get lucky on a travel website like cheap hotels, and book a hotel at a discounted rate.  If you are trying to travel cheaply then this is not the way you want to go.  If you do need one day back in “normal” life that a hotel is not a bad option.  Since they will provide your own shower, air conditioning, and television!

Home stays

If you are interested in studying a foreign language throughout your trip then a home stay is a great option.  Almost all language schools offer a home stay.  I would highly suggest this option, because you will be able to practice what you have learned throughout the day with local a speaker.  The more you talk and listen to a language the faster you will learn.  You actually are able to stay in a family's apartment or home during this stay.  They allow you to use everything in the house as if it were you own. 

Solo Vs. Group trip

Once you have decided to travel for an extended period of time you need to make a very big decision.  This decision will impact your whole trip.  Are you going to travel with a friend(s) or are you going to travel the world by yourself?   

For some travelers the only way to travel the world is by traveling by themself.  Traveling by yourself allows you to experience so many more things compared to traveling with a friend back home.  The best part and also the hardest part of traveling by yourself is stepping out of your comfort zone!  You will have to introduce yourself to strangers, eat by yourself, and feel out of place a lot of the time.  But on the other hand you will meet new people introducing yourself to complete strangers or asking them if you can sit down at their table.  These other "strangers" could possible be people who you will travel for days or possibly weeks. That is the best part about this adventure you are about to set out on is not know what is going to happen next.  There are a lot of travelers who are traveling by themselves right now.  These travelers are looking to team up with other travelers.  If you talk to most travelers after their trip they will tell you that meeting new people was the best part about the trip.

In reality, when you start traveling, you are never really by yourself.  Once you check into a hostel there are always people hanging out.  Or if you join a group tour, you are then traveling with atleaset 5-10 other people who are instantly your new friends!  So do not be afraid that you will be alone the whole trip if you go by yourself.

If you are only traveling for only a couple of weeks, then I would suggest that you travel with a friend or two.  If you are traveling for more then 2 months, then I would suggest for you to try traveling by yourself.      

Communicating during your trip

Cell phone

Before leaving on your trip you need to find a cell phone that uses a sim card.  This can be a problem with some American cell phone companies, and I know in America that Verizon does not offer a phone with a sim card.  The best service to have if traveling the world as an American is to have ATT, Cingular, or T-Mobile.

The next step is to make sure that your phone is “unlocked.”  You might have to ask your service provider to “unlock” your phone.  Most companies want you to have been with them for at least 90 days in order to do this.  When your phone is “unlocked” your phone is able to pick up other companies coverage.  When you purchase a phone it is "locked" so that it only picks up the signal of that particular company.  When traveling the world with your phone unlocked you will be able to pick up service in almost every country around the world.

If you are able to get an “unlocked” phone you can buy a sim card in each country you visit.  You can go to any mobile phone company and buy a pre-paid sim card.  The company will give you a local number for that particular country, and you just have to pay for how much you use until you leave that country.  Text messaging is the cheapest way to communicate with prepaid cards.  When you have a local number you can receive calls free from anywhere in the world, but you have to pay for your outbound calls.  So your family and friends can call you in that country for free.

Skype

All over the world there are places to connect to the internet.  Most travelers us places called internet cafes.  They are very accessible and very inexpensive.  On most computers they will have uploaded the computer program called Skype.  You will need to set up an account with Skype in order to use the program.  They require that you put $10 US Dollars on an account to be a user.  After you sign up you can make phone calls through the internet.  Skype offers free international calls!  For a free call you need to make sure the other person receiving the call is using their computer, and has signed up for Skype.  If you call through Skype to another Skype user it is free no matter where in the world!  If you are calling from Skype to either a house phone or a cell phone then you will be charged for that call depending on what country you are calling.  Skype also allows you to use cameras during your conversations.  This makes it a great communicating device when you are traveling over seas.  It makes it feel that your family or friends are in the next room!  I would suggest for you to buy a cheap headset for your trip.  Sometimes the internet cafes’s headphones don’t work, and it is better to have your own to make sure you can hear and speak with headphones that work properly.

Calling Cards

Calling cards are the easiest way to make international calls.  You can buy a phone card in almost any convenience store in any city around the world.  The calling cards are specific on what countries they will call to.  So if you are looking to call back to the States, all you will need to do is find a calling card that allows calls to North America. Usually for $5 US Dollars you can buy a hundred or more minutes of international call time.  You will probably have to put money in the pay phone first, and then you will be able to enter in the phone card number allowing you to call international.

Blogs

A blog is a very popular way to give your friends and family a taste of what you are experiencing during this life changing trip.  You will first need to locate a blog that you are able to access at anytime.  Then you will need to create a user name and password in order to sign up for a blog website.  Once you have done this you can enter in all the email addresses of your friends and family.  When you create a new entry they will be notified through email that you have written a new blog.  The better blogs web sites will allow you to write a blog and post pictures along with your story.  A great site website for travelers to compare stories is TravelBlog.  It gives you a lot of great options for blogging that some other blogs do not offer.  Blogs can also act as a journal for you to in order for you to remember stories or events that happened on your trip that you might forget when you return!

Internet cafes

At almost every internet cafe around the world they have booths where you can make international phone calls.  You will be charged various rates depending on the owner of the internet cafe.  These phone booths are very easy to use.  All you have to do is sit down on the phone and dial the number you want.  This saves you the trouble of having to log into a web site or dealing with a calling card.

World Ticket

A round the world ticket is the best option to travel the world!  It is the most economical and above all is the most flexible option of traveling.  This ticket allows you to have a one year travel time with you starting and ending in the same city.  The best advantage of this ticket is it allows you to change the dates on your tickets for free.  So if you like a certain city better then you expected then you can change your ticket and stay longer.  Or if you dislike a certain city you can change your ticket very easy to leave to the next destination. All you have to make sure of is that there is a seat available on the next flight out of that city.  If you decide to change a city on your trip then that will cost you a fee anywhere from $85 to $150 US Dollars. 

The RTW also takes care of the requirements of certain countries that want to see proof when you go through customs showing that you actually have a flight exiting the country in a specified amount of time.  Sometimes without this proof some countries will not allow you to go through customs.

The world ticket actually lets you plan your trip according to what you would like to see around the world.  There are three main companies that have a world ticket.  There is One World, Sky Team, and Star Alliance.  All three of these companies use about 7 or 8 different airlines that function under one company to help you travel around the world.  You can book the trip through these companies or through a travel agency.

In order to purchase the RTW you need to do your research before you book the ticket.  You need to plan the cities you would like to see, and also have dates ready to give either a travel agent or the participating companies.  When planning your trip you need to realize that you can fly into a city and then travel through a country or continent by taking buses, renting cars, or trains.  So allow yourself time to see some other parts of the country and then fly out of  the city you flew into or choose another city within that continent.

The price of the ticket depends on how many miles you choose to travel during your world trip.  You can get the prices by checking with any of the companies that I mentioned above.  Make sure that you get your paper tickets before you leave on your trip.  These tickets are not booked through e-tickets.  It is very important that you keep these tickets and do not lose them.  They will charge you an additional fee to re-issue them. 

Once you have decided on your itinerary, make sure that you make a copy of that and a copy of your passport.  I would then give those to a family member or friend to keep during your trip.  If you are ever "lost" or lose your passport then they will be able to help you out!