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Favela- Rio De Janeiro

When visiting Rio de Janeiro there are plenty of tourist activities to do throughout the city.  One activity that is not listed in the guide books as an option is a tour of a Favela!  A favela is Brazil's version of the United States slums.  If you have ever seen the movie, "City of Gods," then you know what I am talking about when I mention the word favela.  Favelas are built upon the hills of Rio De Janeiro, and are home to some of the poorer people in Brazil.  Favelas are notorious for being ran by drug lords, and having huge gang wars break out between rival gangs over territory and drug trade.  Most of the time the police have a hard time controlling what goes on inside a favela. 

Mar Del Plata

Argentina has a lot of things to offer travelers!  If you looking for a place to hang out at the beach all day and then go out and night then there is no better place than Mar Del Plata.  Mar Del Plata has 2 main beaches that are both worth checking out.  They are called La Playa Grande and La Playa Popular.  If you decide these beaches are too crowded you can head either north or south to smaller beaches that offer the same beautiful beaches with less people!  Miramar to the south and PinaMar to the north are two other popular beach towns that are accessible by bus leaving from Mar Del Plata.   Almost everybody in Argentina takes a 2 week vacation in January or February.  Mar Del Plata becomes a very popular destination.  You will want to book a hostel before you go in order to make sure that you have a place to stay.  Some hostels want you to book a room for a 7 day minimum during these summer months.

In Mar Del Plata there are plenty of hostels to stay in.  I stayed in a hostel called Hostel Playa Grande.  It was one of the best places that I stayed during my world trip!  It has such a laid back environment, because it is a huge house with cool workers.  It also is half a block to Calle Alem and 2 blocks to La Playa Grande.  You can't beat the location.  This place also allows you to use their surf boards for free!  No matter where you stay in Mar Del Plata I am sure that you are going to have a good time!  For places to stay you can look at Hostel World.

Mitad Del Mundo - Middle of the world (Equator)

Outside of Quito, Ecuador there is a monument that has been dedicated to the fact that Ecuador is located in the middle of the earth.  This huge shine is at 0 longitude and latitude.  This monument is accessible everday of the week, but Sundays is definitely the best day to go.  On Sunday afternoons there are 2 or 3 shows where local people are hired to do cultural dances to typcial Ecuadorian music.  There are a lot of tourist shops and restaurants surrounding the monument in  a plaza that is there for tourists.  It is a very cool place and worth checking out. 

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu has been nominated as one of the new 7 Wonders of the World.  It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  This old Inca Civilzation is located in the Andes Mountains about 2,400 meters above sea level ouside of Cuzco, Peru.  Machu Picchu is one of the best sites to visit around the world, and is the main tourist attraction in Peru!  It was personally my favorite tourist site around the world!

Machu Picchu was constructed around 1450 when the Inca Empire was dominating the region.  About 100 years later, around the time of the Spanish Conquiestidors, it was mysteriously abandoned by the Incas.  It ws rediscovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham.  Since then, thousands of people have had the chance to see this great wonder of the world.

Working during your trip

If you realized that you cannot travel your entire trip without working then there are a couple of different options that you might want to look into.  Finding work during your trip is easier than it seems.  Here are some options that you might consider that don't require a visa:

1. Teach English.  English is the international language of business and of travelers.  Almost every big city in the world will have schools that teach English to locals or to other travelers.  You do not have to be a professional teacher to teach English.  You only have to be a native English speaker.  Most language schools require that you have a Tefla certificate.  Once you are Tefla certified then you will be able to teach English anywhere around the world.  Some language schools that teach other languages then English still employ travelers to do office work.  I would suggest stopping by any language school to see if they have work available.
2. Hostels.  Most hostels around the world employ travelers.  You will notice this as soon as you check in at the front desk.  You might not earn cash working in a hostel, but most of the time the owner of the hostel will give you a free place to stay and a meals for free.  Work might consist of helping check in guests, changing bed sheets, or cleaning. 
3. Bar.  There will always be a need for bar tenders or waiting staff in every city around the world.  There are a lot of bars in popular tourist spots that have been opened by older travelers that never wanted to leave.  Most bar owners will allow travelers to work in these bars for weeks at a time.  Don't expect to earn tips like in the States, because tipping is not the same outside of the States.  You will be paid an hourly income.  This is a great way to meet people!
4. Seasonal work.  In Barcelona, Spain you can pass out fliers during the day and night for bars that are located on Las Ramblas.  Most of these fliers promote a pub crawl or give out free drinks.  I have met travelers that have made $900-1100 Euros each month during the summer by doing this 4 to 5 days a week.  This is enough to pay for rent, food, and save money to go and travel.  This job is only available during the summer though, because of how busy the city is from the tourist season.  There are probably other jobs around the world like these depending on the season and the city.
5. Sell things.  Some travelers pay for their trip by making bracelets, earrings, or things along this line that they sell in markets, in the streets, or to other travelers.  I have seen string bracelets made and sold in Buenos Aires, Argentina for 10 pesos.  I have seen the same bracelets sold in Europe for 10 Euros.  If you can sell your things in Australia or Europe you can make some pretty good money.

How to budget for your trip

It is hard to know exactly how much you are going to need on your trip around the world.  It would be ideal for every traveler to not have to work during their trip, but sometimes this is not reality.  The best way to do the budge is to over estimate.  Some countries or continents are cheaper to travel through than others, but in the end the cost of cheap or expensive countries will even out.  I based my travels in US Dollars, and it was pretty accurate for traveling around the world for 11 months.  Here is an example of how you might budget your trip for 1 day.  Then depending on how long you are going to travel you will multiply this number times the amount of days you travel:

1. Food: Breakfast ($5), Lunch ($7), Dinner ($10), for a total of $22 for one day
2. Housing: $25
3. Tourist event: $10
4. Other (misc.): $10

This totals $67 US Dollars per day of your travel.  So if you are going to be traveling for 2 months and plan on not working during your trip you will need around $4,020 excluding your plane flight there and back.  Again, if you are traveling through South America or Asia it is going to be a lot less expensive, but this is a good indicator of how to budget your trip.

It is always good to know what the conversion rate from the US Dollar is compared to the currency of the country you are going to visit.  Usually when you land in an airport you will be able to exchange money.  Or else there are places in major cities where you can change convert your money  like in banks or exchange shops, but most of the time you will get ripped off if you are a traveler.  XE Is a great site to stay up to date on what the dollar is worth in every country!  I have experienced the best exchange rate from just going to an ATM and taking money out there.  That way you know you are getting a good rate, and don't have to lose money by the "commissions" that most shops charge

The Temples of Angkor (Angkor Wat)

The Temples of Angkor have become a major tourist attraction in SE Asia.  They are apart of the UNESCO World Heritage sites, and have also been in movies with the most recent movie being Tomb Raider with Angelina Jolie.  The Temples of Angkor are the most impressive collections of temples around the world!  The extreme detail and enormous size of the temples will keep you amazed the entire time you travel through them.  They were built in the early 12th centurty for King Suryavarman II as his sstate temple and capital city.  Then in the 14th or 15th century the temple was converted to Theravada Bddhist use, which is still the case today.  Angkor Wat, which is the main feature of The Temples of Angkor, has become the national symbol for Cambodia that is recognized around the world.

There are two popular ways to travel around the Temples of Angkor.  The first way is to rent a tuk tuk driver for the entire day which is around $12-15 US Dollars depending on how much bargaining you have done.  The driver, who is basically your guide for the day, drives you from downtown Siem Reap to all of the different temples.  The best part of the day is at sunrise and sunset!

The Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most spectacular places in the world to go snorkeling or scuba diving!  In 1981, it was selected to be apart of the UNESCO World Heritage sites.  This is a must see spot on your trip around the world!  The water is very warm and clear almost year round.  It is the world's largest coral reef system, and can be seen from outer space!  The amount of sea life that can be seen during a one day period is unbelievable!  You will be able to swim with sharks, turtles, clown fish (little nemo), see colorfuly coral and much more!

You are able to access the Reef throughout the Queensland coast.  There are various companies that operate tours from certain points along the coast.  The two best points to leave for the Reef are Cairns and Port Douglas.  Cairns offers a lot of daily packages to tourist.  It has a major airport that has various flights coming in daily.  The tours leaving from Cairns are very crowded because of how easy it is to access the Reef from there.  With a lot of people on the tour it makes it hard to swim by yourself and enjoy the Reef.

The Whitsundays

The Whitsundays are a group of 74 islands that only include 8 inhabited islands.  These islands are only accessible by leaving Airlie Beach in the Queensland Territory.  This town offers hostels, restaurants, and bars for backpackers.  This is a very popular desintation for backpackers traveling the east coast of Australia.  Airlie Beach has tourist offices that offer 2, 3, and 4 day/night boat trips.  The boats usually hold about 10-15 people so if you are traveling by yourself it is a great way to meet new people!

The Whitsundays features one of the top 10 beaches around the world.  The beach is called Whitehaven Beach and it is unbelievable.  The beach is made of silica sand and is so soft and white.  All the water surrounding this beach is crystal clear!  This beach is kind of hard to get to.  You have to drop anchor on your boat , and then take a row boat to shore.  There is a great look out place on the island.  Once a shore, you have to trek about 10 minutes on a path that over looks everything.  After the lookout point, you trek about another 5 minutes to get to famous beach!

During the day on the boat trips you will stop at 2 or 3 different sites to go snorkeling or scuba diving.  A lot of people will go on this trip to get their qualification for scuba diving.  Som boats offer night dives with flashlights.  It is supposed to be amazing.

All the food is taken care of by the hired crew who will prepare 3 meals a day for you while you are aboard.  During the down time on the boat you can just hang out and dring "goons" with your new mates. 

For more information on the Whitsundays you can look through this site Whitsundays, but I would suggest not booking anything until you get to Australia.  Onc you get into Cairns or Sydney you can go to a tourist agency to book a tour for you before you get to Airlie Beach!

Twelve Apostles/Great Ocean Road

The Twelve Apostles are located in southern Australia along the Great Ocean Road.  These spectacular rock formations, which are made out of limestone, were formed due to the constant erosion from the crashing waves of the sea.  There are now less than twelve rock formations remaining due to some of them falling apart, but the ten or so that are remaining are spectacular.  The best time to see the Twelve Apostles is at sunset when the sun "turns" the rocks a lot of different shades of red!  The Great Ocean Road is a road that runs along the southern coast of Australia.  It also features the famous Bells Beach (surfing tournaments), and a lot of different wildlife that includes Kangaroos and Koalas!

You can get to the Twelve Apostles by leaving Melbourne on the Great Ocean Road, if you are coming south from Alice Springs, or coming east from Perth.  I know that leaving from Melbourne there are a lot of group tours that leave from hostels.  All you need to do to join up with a group tour is talk to your hostel (in downtown Melbourne or in St. Kilda) and pay them the required money and that will register you for the tour.  These group tours are generally 2-3 days, and are a great way to meet other travelers if you are traveling by yourself. 

The other option is to rent a car, and travel the Great Ocean Road by yourself!  This is probably the best idea, because you get to do the trip on your own pace.  There are a lot of little beach towns that you can stop at for the day or stop to eat something along the way.  When you are on the group tour you are not able to do this since you are on the tour guides schedule!  If you are traveling by yourself there is still a possibility that you can rent a car with other travelers.  You need to post a sign at the hostel that you are looking to meet up with somebody that is traveling the Great Ocean Road.  You just will have to be patient until somebody contacts you or until you meet somebody.

Once you arrive at the entrance of the Twelve Apostles you are able to walk around different paths.  There is also a helicopter tour that costs about $90 US Dollars.  This tour gives you a once in a life time view of the Twelve Apostles.  If you decide to skip the helicopter tour you can still see great views.  There is a path that allows you to walk up and down the coast to see different views of the rock formations! 

A little bit further down the road there is another rock formation that is not apart of the Twelve Apostles, but it is just as famous.  The formation is called London Bridge.  This rock formation actually looks like a bridge that is standing in the water!  There are bits and pieces of this formation that are starting to fall down!