Why Travel Boycotts are a Waste of Time

Recently, Mississippi and North Carolina both passed anti-LGBT laws, and many tourists, bloggers, and celebrities promptly said, “Well, as a sign of protest, I won’t go there because I don’t want to support a state whose laws I disagree with!” This reminded me of when people refused to go to Burma because of the junta, declined to visit the United States when George Bush was president, or refused to visit to Cuba because of Fidel Castro. (There are really dozens of examples that could be listed.)

While people have the right to do whatever they want and if you want to take a personal stance, do so but I think tourism-based economic protests are a mistake because they hit the wrong target; they aren’t effective; and, travel and human interaction brings about more change than a reflective boycott. Moreover, governments can and do change: laws are passed and repealed, voters eject politicians and vote in new ones, and revolutions and sanctions topple dictators.

Point #1: Boycotts hit the wrong people.
We might not agree with certain laws or a current government, but if traveling abroad and defending the United States during the Bush years has taught me anything, it is that people are not always their governments, lumping everyone together is misguided, and you end up hurting the people who you agree with.

Like, for example, one of the bookstores I spoke at during my book tour!

This North Carolina store is suffering because authors are canceling the events this place needs to survive. Small independent bookstores are already suffering, and this is just another nail in the coffin. They are collateral damage to a law they do not agree with.

Governments don’t always reflect the will of all their people (or even a majority). Behind boycotts are real people and businesses who suffer. People struggling to put food on the table and meet payroll. They might not support their government or certain controversial laws, yet we lump them all together and these people become the collateral damage of our economic boycotts. We create pain for the people at the bottom – those with the most to lose and usually the least say in things.

And, though the shouts of travel boycotters sometimes add to the pressure on elected officials, I’ve yet to see one country or state reverse course simply because of this reason no matter how strong the plea. (In fact, the governor of Mississippi has come out saying growth is up and everything is fine!)

I used to say, “I’m never going to Burma because I hate the government” and because I wanted to take a stand. But I also found it silly that people said, “I don’t like Bush, so I refuse to go to the United States,” as if this was enough to pressure Bush to change or as if we were all die-hard Bushites. In the end, this made me realize that most citizens of Burma didn’t choose to live under a military dictatorship any more than I chose Bush as president.

And all my protest was doing was denying people the money they needed to survive and the global perspective that could have added fuel to their desire for change.

Point #2: They are not enough.
What caused Burma to change, Iran to open up, or South Africa to end apartheid? It wasn’t a drop in tourist numbers. It was governmental, domestic, and corporate sanctions.

Indiana softened its anti-LGBT law when corporations and conferences pulled out en masse. South Africa’s apartheid government collapsed when governments and major banks and other corporations stopped doing business with it and lending it money. Iran finally yielded under the weight of sanctions that drove it toward bankruptcy.

Those changes were a combination of domestic activism and international pressure not tourist boycotts.

I think it’s foolish to think that somewhere there’s a government official watching reports of tourist boycotts and declaring, “Tourist numbers are down 10%! We must change!” If they cared about that, they would have done something different in the first place.

Governments care about big business, tax revenue and those at the top? When you cause pain there, you cause change.

Point #3: Travel brings change
If you really want to do good, you can’t shut off people from the world — you must embrace them and show them a better way. The way we effect change is by traveling and educating people about the wider world to change their mind.

Staying home isn’t going to effect change. It simply hurts those who might not have control over their government. Travel opens people to new ideas, cultures, and ways of thinking. If you really want to bring about change, go there and kill them with kindness.

I mean, don’t we travel to see the world, learn, and help foster cultural understanding? You can’t do that by staying home. You can only do that by going to the destination.

****

I don’t support the laws passed by these two states. I don’t support the Castro regime. I certainly didn’t support Bush. Nor do I support the current governments in Thailand or Egypt or censorship laws in China.

Do I agree with the treatment of women in many Arab countries, or Japan’s policy of “forgetting” its genocide in China during WWII? No, of course not!

But I believe boycotting travel to countries because of one law or its current choice of leader is misguided. If we were to compile a list of places with one policy or leader that we don’t agree with, we would never go anywhere. There would always be a red line keeping us home. If you feel the need to “take a stand”, do so but remember people are not always their current government’s policy. I think it’s much better to engage people on the ground, change opinions, and pressure your own government or companies to take action.

We’ll greater change than if we just sit at home.

The post Why Travel Boycotts are a Waste of Time appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

April 28, 2016 at 04:14PM

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How Jim Didn’t Let a New Disability Change His Travels

Last year, I interviewed Cory Lee, a wheelchair bound traveler, about his experience seeing the world. I’m a firm believer that travel is possible for people from all walks of life so when I stumbled across Cory’s website, I knew I wanted to share his inspirational story. You don’t meet a lot of disabled travelers on the road.

A few months ago, I was contacted by a 64 year old wheelchair bound reader named Jim. Inspired by Cory, he wanted to know if I wanted his perspective too. He became wheelchair bound later in life due to health issues. Often times those with disabilities lack the knowledge and support they need to travel. There’s not a lot of information in the morning. I know this because people email on the subject. “Matt, I’m a senior who can’t walk well” or “I’m blind” or “I’m in a wheelchair” and they wonder how they can travel too so stories of people like Jim are important for me to share. In this interview, Jim talks about how he ended up wheelchair bound, how he travels, and his advice for others:

Matt: Tell everyone about yourself.
Jim: I am a fifth-generation Florida native, dating back to 1828, when Florida was a territory. I grew up in West Palm Beach, leaving at age 19 to join the military. I served as a soldier in the US Army for slightly over 30 years of active duty service. I consider my time in the military as one of the best things that ever happened in my life because of the experience, training, opportunities, and development I got. I retired from active duty in 2002 and immediately after, I secured employment as a civilian with the US Army Training and Doctrine Command at beautiful Fort Monroe, Virginia. I recently turned 64 and plan to work in my current position until age 66.

You’ve been in a wheelchair for a year. What happened?
I have been in a wheelchair since December 2014. I have an unusual autoimmune disease called inclusion body myositis (IBM); it’s the result of an overactive immune system, where white cells attack good cells, inflaming and gradually destroying muscle tissue, resulting in loss of muscle mass and severe weakness. I have always been very active and had anticipated I would remain physically active in my old age. But now I can do very little for myself, although I certainly do what I am capable of. I cannot dress myself, put on my socks or pants, or button my shirts. I can rise to my feet under certain conditions, meaning from a certain height using a motorized office chair or lift recliner. I am very unstable when standing but can use a walker on smooth, flat surfaces indoors. But I have gotten to the point that this is not safe or even possible outdoors.

Were you a big traveler before you started using a wheelchair?
I have always enjoyed traveling and was provided many opportunities to travel as I relocated to new duty stations. For example, in 1985 I was stationed at Fort McClellan, Alabama, and relocated to Fort Greely, Alaska; we chose to drive from Alabama to Alaska. It was very interesting to drive across the country, through Canada, the Yukon Territory, and the Northwest Territory and back into the USA. Two years later we made the drive back to Fort Pickett, Virginia. A few years later we drove from Virginia to another assignment at Fort Bliss, Texas, and then back to Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

In my current job I traveled about one week each month using air and ground travel. Many times I was working, but I also tried to make every business trip a fun trip by planning ahead and researching opportunities I could take full advantage of. One of my favorite locations for such required travel is San Antonio: I know when I go there I’ll go to the Riverwalk and the Alamo and enjoy authentic Mexican food, the best Texas barbecue, and steaks. These are simple things, but ones I truly appreciate and enjoy.

When you ended up in a wheelchair, what did you think travel would be like now? Did you think it would be possible?
My move into a wheelchair has been a gradual process that allowed time to think ahead, research, and plan how to overcome new obstacles. I know that travel will continue to be difficult and challenging. I also know that planning well in advance will allow me to resolve problems and better enjoy my travel.

I feel that I have a choice to travel or not travel. But not to travel implies defeat, and that’s not a good choice for any of us. The time may come that travel is no longer possible, but I do not plan to rush into defeat. This will be a time of resolve and determination to make the best of the life given to me.

How did you overcome any obstacles?
My most recent travel objective was to drive the entire length of the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is 469 miles from Rockfish Gap, Virginia, to Cherokee, North Carolina. Preparation for the trip included a detailed written plan depicting each day’s starting point, destination, projected travel miles, dining suggestions, and lodging location (it is imperative that I find handicapped-accessible lodging that includes a roll-in shower, as I am unable to step over a bathtub). A packing list has been a practice of mine for many years, and that makes packing and planning easier. Some of the unique items I pack are a hat with a mounted flashlight, a night-light for hotels, portable suction grab bars, a lift belt, a urine bottle, non-slip pads, a bath mat, wet wipes, a grab stick, and a raised toilet chair. Keeping these lists and adding to them from lessons learned during and after the trip is very helpful.

What is the hardest part about traveling in a wheelchair?
I’d say the hardest part of travel that I experience is all the unknowns. For example, arriving at a lodging location with a reservation for a handicapped-accessible room with a roll-in shower and then finding that it has a tub. I learned it is best to make a reservation for a roll-in, call and speak directly with the hotel manager, and then call again the day before arrival. That’s a lot of calls, but this is important to me.

I prefer the Hampton Inn Honors program, which clearly describes their rooms and accessibility. I am also a Marriott member, but their online site has not been very user-friendly locating handicapped-accessible rooms.

What are some good resources people in wheelchairs can use to travel? I suspect many just think they can’t do it! 
I am still learning about resources for travel, but I have found it is good to ask others specific questions about their travel experiences. The Internet is an excellent source of information; you can ask most any question, and someone will point you in the right direction.

For example, I really had no idea there was a wheelchair capable of rising straight up, which is what I needed. The VA (Veterans Administration) representative immediately recognized my needs and provided the perfect chair for me, for which I am very grateful.

Don’t give up, be determined, research, and ask others for advice and suggestions.

What’s the greatest lesson you’ve learned from this? 
I don’t have life as tough as many others. When I start to feel bad, angry, or frustrated for what I am going through, I snap out of it immediately, realizing there are so many others that experience much worse circumstances and difficulties.

There are techniques, equipment, and sources of information readily available that allow those of us with disabilities to continue to enjoy many pleasures of life.

How we conduct ourselves routinely affects others. We may not realize how others observe from a distance those of us with disabilities and how we continue with our daily activities. Many have told me that they have watched me several times and how I conducted myself. Unknown to me, my actions and kindness motivated them to have a more productive and pleasurable day. It’s important to remain positive and display an enthusiastic attitude of friendliness and happiness. Be friendly, stay positive, and find joy and contentment in your circumstances.

My wife is my best friend that I can depend on forever. Cindy and I have been married for 34 years, and our goals have always been to outserve each other without keeping score. Having a loving and caring companion is an important and necessary part of my life. God designed us for companionship to serve one another and to share life’s experiences, particularly in health and sickness and for better or worse, as we said in our commitment of marriage.

I have a job, friends, medical care, and more, but sadly, some do not have anyone. I am truly blessed and take none of this for granted. God has provided much more than I deserve. I pray that others will be able say to the same.

My purpose in sharing my experience as a man with disabilities and using a wheelchair is to encourage others, to find contentment in my circumstances, and to remain grateful every day. Those of us with disabilities have many challenges and difficulties ahead. I am a man of faith, and I give God all the glory as he created each one of us perfect. If you are reading this, I want you to be encouraged and to be encouraging.

Do you plan to travel internationally, or is that a little too much right now? If so, how are you planning that?
I do not plan to travel out of the country; I simply do not have that desire. I am confident that air travel is possible but would require considerable assistance. I often wonder how guys like Texas governor Abbott and Charles Krauthammer maintain their pace and travel. I believe if they can do it then so can I. We have to believe in ourselves and give it a sincere and wholehearted try.

When you are traveling, how do you figure out what activities you can and can’t do? Do you use any special organizations?
Part of my process for choosing a destination is to check out its website and verify with a phone call. Many websites specifically address accessibility. Not long ago I took my wife for dinner at the Williamsburg Lodge to celebrate our 34th anniversary. When I arrived I was surprised to see three steps going down into the dining room and the nearby elevator inoperable. No problem, though, as I had the pleasure of an escorted tour through the kitchen and down a ramp into the dining area.

I like to use Armed Forces Vacation Club to receive discounted resort lodging, sometimes as low as $299 for seven days. Their options usually address accessibility but aren’t very clear on specifics, such as roll-in showers, but a phone call to the resort will answer most questions.

I also use Vacation Rental by Owner. These accommodations are usually very specific and provide photos and have a search filter for wheelchair accessibility.

If you could offer someone in a wheelchair or with another mobility disability three specific tips for travel, what would they be? 
1. Veterans should check out the Veterans Affairs website to determine their benefits. If you are a veteran and need a wheelchair or modifications to a home or vehicle, the VA will assist. If your disability is service connected, then additional and increased benefits may be available. Make sure you contact a local Veterans Service Organization for their expert advice.

2. Plan thoroughly and well in advance to obtain and confirm lodging, accessibility, and available equipment. For example, while I was still on my feet and using a walker for short distances, I visited the Baseball Hall of Fame and Niagara Falls. Both facilities offered the use of a wheelchair. Keep your plan handy so that you can edit and improve it for your next trip.

3. Make a bucket list. Let planning and doing these things be a new hobby for you. If necessary, start small: go to the movies, go to the beach, attend church, work as long as you can and as long as you want. You will develop confidence in your abilities to travel, and then your bucket list can really grow.

What trips do you have planned in the future?
I have several trips planned for this year. They are all by ground transportation in our modified and accessible van.

We also plan to drive old historic Highway 17 from Virginia to Florida and participate in the Azalea Festival in Wilmington, North Carolina. Driving Highway 17 is like taking a trip back in time, as many of the sites have not drastically changed. There are great places to eat at, locations that are a combination of restaurants and gas stations serving fried pork chops, collard greens, black-eyed peas, cornbread, and sweet tea.

In the fall we will travel the Skyline Drive, which begins where the Blue Ridge Parkway ends in Rockfish Gap, Virginia; it’s fairly short drive north of about 109 miles of beautiful and scenic views. The goal will be to never drive on the interstate and remain on roads less traveled.

*****
People like Jim are an inspiration. They don’t let adversity get in their way. Like the saying goes, where there is a will, there is a way. Jim uses careful plan, support groups, and the power of the Internet to let him fulfill his wanderlust.

Become the Next Success Story

One of my favorite parts about this job is hearing people’s travel stories. They inspire me, but more importantly, they also inspire you. I travel a certain way but there are many ways to fund your trips and travel the world, and I hope these stories show you that there is more than one way to travel and that it’s within your grasp to reach your travel goals. You can send me an email at matt@nomadicmatt.com if you want to share your story!

P.S. – Last week, we launched our travel writing and photography courses. If you’re looking to improve your writing or travel photography with detailed instruction from world class teachers, these two new affordable classes will help!

The post How Jim Didn’t Let a New Disability Change His Travels appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

April 25, 2016 at 04:00PM

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How to be a Master Writer (and Photographer)

As many of you know, I’ve been building a travel media school called Superstar Blogging over the past few months. The purpose of this school is to create a place where those that want to break into various aspects of the travel industry can get practical, in-depth step-by-step advice from the industry’s leading experts.

Today, I have two announcements: our photography course is available again (see the second half of this post) and we’re releasing our third course — on travel writing! (The last course, on producing travel videos, will be out next month.)

How to Become a Travel Writer

I’ve partnered with award-winning travel writer David Farley, author of An Irreverent Curiosity and a professor of travel writing at Columbia and New York University, to teach a course on the nuts and bolts of travel writing. From crafting a story to becoming a better writer, self-editing, and making a career as a travel writer, our course covers it all.

David is considered one of the top travel writers in the country. He’s hosted a National Geographic Channel show, and his work has appeared in the New York Times, National Geographic Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, AFAR, and countless other publications. He’s one of the people I go to for writing help, advice, and edits, and I’m super excited that he is teaching this course. There couldn’t be a better writing expert to impart wisdom!

In his own words, he’s part of this course because he “made a lot of errors along the way, fumbling in the dark and there were only a couple of ‘how to become a travel writer’–type of books back then and they didn’t seem very good. There were no classes — online or live — where a travel writer could lay out for you just how one successfully travels down this path, which is where this class comes in.”

With nothing else like it out there, we created this course as a beacon to guide writers down the road to being a successful writer.

Through video lectures, interviews with successful travel writers and editors, detailed examples of edited stories, and writing assignments, you’ll not only learn the nuts and bolts of travel writing and its industry but you’ll be clued into every aspect of the travel writer’s life — from how to find a good story to pre-trip research to writing up a pitch for a story — all of the things David (and I) learned the hard way through trial and error.

There is no class out there that utilizes this level of resources or as many experts in one place to lift the veil on travel writing.

You’ll learn how to write stories that editors want to publish. You’ll learn to improve your writing and get people saying, “I can’t get enough! You’re an awesome writer.”

We’ve taken David’s college-level course and made it available to everyone — without the college-level price!

Over nine units, this course will cover the spectrum of travel writing. It will teach you how to be a better travel writer — from crafting the perfect story to improving your research and writing to self-editing — as well as instruct you in the business side of writing — how to get an agent and book deal, how to pitch editors, and what mistakes to avoid.

What will this course teach you?

• A breakdown of the various forms of writing you can focus on, including the types of travel writing found in commercial writing (i.e. magazines and newspapers)
• The important rules of travel writing you need to know as you start your journey
• How to create a story — through examples of good and bad story titles, angles, pegs — and how to structure your story
• Strategies to always create the perfect narrative flow
• Grammar do’s and don’ts so you don’t make the mistakes that make editors and blog readers cringe and not come back
• The anatomy of story, including examples with each element of the story highlighted
• Expert tips on how be descriptive in your writing and what travel clichés to avoid (because the best stories make destinations come alive by placing the reader in your story – and you’ll learn how to do that and captivate your reader!)
• The two most common ways to self-edit your work and the important mistakes to look for
• Examples of stories before and after editing
• How to master the long-form story, create a narrative arc, keep the reader interested, and use anecdotes of significance
• How to research any destination
• Real-life examples of book proposals
• Real-life examples of good and bad pitches, as well as a template — you’ll learn how to submit article ideas that editors will actually read
• Where to find literary agents and how to price your work

Plus, you’ll get the following:

• A private Facebook group where you can share your work, get advice, and solicit feedback from us!
• Homework assignments where you can get notes and feedback on your writing
• Interviews with nine award-winning writers and editors who share their travel writing tips, failures, and successes: Don George (author of Lonely Planet’s Guide to Travel Writing, Nathan Thornbough (creator of Roads and Kingdoms), Matt Gross (former NYT’s writer and editor of Bon Appetit), Derk Richardson (editor at AFAR), Jessica Colley (freelance writer), Stephanie Elizondo Griest (award winning author and writing professor at UNC), and Thomas Swick (editor).

This course comes with lifetime access and updates. Once you’re in, you’re in for life! Any interview, webinar, or new content that gets added is automatically yours.

If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to be a travel writer — or just a better writer — this course is for you. If you’ve ever wanted access to the best writers out there and their expert insider knowledge and advice about storytelling and how the business works, this course is for you.

Travel is a competitive field, but good writing is always in demand — and it always will be. If you want to stand out online and get a leg up as a freelancer, being able to write well is essential. It doesn’t matter the field — the top people in any field are good writers. So many bloggers write so poorly that with just a few tips on how to choose, craft, and polish a story, you can leap past them in quality, attract new readers to your website, stand out from your competition, and get editors to return your calls.

If you wanted the benefits and details of a college writing course — without the college-level price — THIS COURSE IS IT!

The course is $349 USD and you can get instant access to the course by signing-up here!

(Want to pay in installments? No problem! You can pay $120 per month for 3 months instead of one lump payment! Click here for that payment option.)

How to Become a Travel Photographer

Finally, our photography course — taught by acclaimed travel photographer Laurence Norah — is out of beta. We spent the last seven weeks testing it, and now it’s ready for permanent viewing!

Broken into 11 units comprising 33 lessons — all laid out with examples, images, and walk-throughs to make it really easy to grasp — the course starts off by getting you entirely comfortable with your camera. You’ll learn how to be its master, with a detailed understanding of how it works and how it to get the perfectly exposed shot every time.

It then teaches more advanced topics, such as how to shoot the night sky, what HDR is, mobile (smartphone) photography, and long-exposure photography.

Then the course tackles the post-processing side of photography — what happens after you’ve taken your photo. You’re going to learn everything from how to set up an efficient workflow to editing and backing up your photos. And from how much to charge to getting yourself found, we also go through in detail all you need to know to start making an income from your newfound skills.

Additionally, Laurence will personally look at and give feedback on your submitted pictures! And, every quarter, he’ll host a free webinar (that will be recorded) where he’ll answer questions, give advice, and build on the course’s information.

In addition to all that awesome content, we added a giant glossary of terms, unit summaries, and some advanced editing content, as well as a field guide that lets you take the best of the course with you on the road. It’s a downloadable, 47-page PDF filled with screenshots and tutorials to help you get the perfect picture when you’re away from the computer!

The course costs $199 USD (or three payments of $75) and you’ll get instant and lifetime access as well as lifetime updates! When you’re in, you’re in for life!

You can purchase this amazing class via this link (or learn more about the course here.)

 

REFUND POLICY:
We’re fully committed to helping you become a success. You can test drive either course for two weeks, read the material, and listen to the webinars and interviews. If you do the work and don’t feel the course is for you, I’ll happily refund 100% of your money.

Important: To be eligible for a refund, you must complete all homework from all available units. If you do the work and don’t get value, I don’t deserve your money. However, you have to do the work to get the refund, as I want to maintain a very high standard of positivity, encouragement, and action-oriented learning. If you read the material, do the work, and realize this isn’t what you want, you’ll get a refund right away!

The post How to be a Master Writer (and Photographer) appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

April 21, 2016 at 04:42PM

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by IHholiday Travel trip

My 15 Favorite Things to Do in Sydney

The first time I was in Sydney (all the way back in 2007), I spent most of my days sitting in the botanical gardens reading a book and looking at the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. For so long I had heard about how wonderful and beautiful Sydney was, and there I was experiencing it! Over the years, I’ve been to the city a handful of times, exploring it more and more and getting a local taste through all my wonderful friends there.

After spending two weeks there last month, I wanted to share my favorite things to do and see in this laid-back, warm, sunny, and gregarious city:

Explore The Rocks – The Rocks is the oldest part of Sydney. With it narrow lanes, fine colonial buildings, sandstone churches, and Australia’s oldest pubs, this neighborhood is where Sydney started when the British first landed. It was almost torn down in the 1970s for modern high rises, but, luckily, citizen action got it preserved instead. The Rocks’ weekend markets, art museums, street entertainment, delicious (and sometimes overpriced) restaurants, and beautiful views of the harbor, Opera House, and bridge make this is one of the coolest areas of the city. I love heading up to the Sydney observatory park for a good view of the city, wandering the harbor promenade, and hitting the bars at night.

Hang out at the beach – Sydney is synonymous with its beaches, and the area is also especially famous for having world-class surfing. Since it’s warm and sunny most of the year, the city has a strong beach culture, and on the weekends (and many weekdays for that matter), locals flock to the seashore. From Palm Beach and Manly in the north to the famous Bondi and Coogee in the south, Sydney has a beach for everyone. All the beaches are easy to get to via public transportation or car and there are tons of restaurants and surf shops around, too! My favorite beaches are Manly (wide and beautiful) and Bronte (small and quiet)

Visit the Royal Botanic Gardens and Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair – You’ll find Australia’s first vegetable garden and a treasure trove of trees, ferns, flowers, and gardens at the Royal Botanic Gardens. On a sunny day, you’ll find locals sprawled out all over the lawns soaking up the sun. You can also see Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair, a seat carved into a stone cliff, where you can sit and gaze out at the harbor. There are also free one-hour volunteer-guided tours of the garden, too!

Take the ferry to Manly Beach – The ferry ride to Manly ($12.40 AUD round-trip, $2.50 AUD on Sundays) offers sweeping views of the harbor, Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the world-famous Opera House. It’s a picturesque 30-minute ride each way that puts you in one of the coolest parts of the north end of the city. Manly is famous for its wide beach, giant waves, surfing, and kick-ass nightlife.

Walk the Sydney Harbour Bridge – The bridge was built in 1932 as a government employment project during the Great Depression. Its steel frame has become an iconic symbol of the city. While tours that climb the bridge are expensive ($158 AUD), it is free to walk or bike across it for panoramic views of the harbor and Opera House.

Marvel at the Sydney Opera House – Just as iconic as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Opera House is famous for its white-shelled roof. As an architectural delight and feat of engineering (getting the roof to stay up took the creation of a complex support system), guided tours ($37 AUD) give you a whole new appreciation for just how challenging the building was to design and erect. Tickets for a show in the Opera House are surprisingly affordable ($43 AUD), so try to take one in if you can.

Visit the The Blue Mountains – Over the millennia, the ancient sandstone of this national park has been weathered into gorges lined by steep cliffs and separated by narrow ridges. Some activities in Blue Mountains National Park include seeing the magnificent rock formation of the Three Sisters (particularly stunning at sunset and under evening floodlights) or hiking along the paths that offer excellent views of the valley, sheer rock walls, tumbling waterfalls, and magnificent forests. The park is free to visit and you can get there by train from Sydney, which takes 90 minutes. If you want to hike further afield, it’s best to stay overnight!

See all the museums – Like most cities, Sydney has a wide variety of museums. There’s free entry to the Art Gallery of New South Wales (modern art), the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia at The Rocks, the Nicholson Museum (antiquities), and the Australian National Maritime Museum at Darling Harbor. I also suggest visiting the White Rabbit Gallery (contemporary Chinese art; it also has a teahouse) and The Rocks Discovery Museum (local history); both are also free. However, my favorite museum of all is the Hyde Park Barracks. Set in the old convict barracks, it does an amazing and detailed job of chronicling colonial life in the city, with lots of stories of the early settlers, and it’s well worth the $10 AUD entrance fee. If you only pay for one museum, make it this one!

Learn to surf – Sydney is often the place travelers bite the bullet and learn the art of Australia’s famous national pastime. There are many companies here that offer lessons. While Bondi is the most popular beach, Manly on the north shore of Sydney has better waves (though you can find good waves up and down the coast!).

Wine Tasting in the Hunter Valley – North of town is one of Australia’s premier wine regions. The Hunter Valley is home to amazing wineries that produce luscious reds. While it’s not as easy on the budget, it is an excuse to get out of the city and see the countryside. Day tours are offered from Sydney, but they are expensive ($150-200 AUD) and you spend a lot of time in the bus. Want even more fun? Try a bike tour. Grapemobile and Hunter Valley Cycling offer one-day bicycle rentals starting at $35 AUD. It’s best to stay for at least a night to get the full experience.

Take the Sydney Tower Skywalk – As tall as the Eiffel Tower and twice as high as the Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Tower offers amazing panoramic views of the city from its Skywalk at the top. At $50 AUD, it’s cheaper and easier than climbing the bridge itself, and the views are actually far better. Also included with your purchase of a Skywalk ticket is access to the “4-D” cinema experience, which includes in-theatre effects like wind and fire.

Walk one of the coastal walks – There are a number of stunning coastal walks that allow you to take in the breathtaking natural beauty of Sydney Harbor. While tons of people follow the two-hour Coogee-to-Bondi walk (skip the weekends when it’s overly crowded), I found both the shorter walk in Watson’s Bay and the Split-to-Manly walk quieter and more breathtaking.

Explore the markets – Sydney has many amazing markets to walk through. At Paddington Markets (Oxford Street; open Saturdays after 10am), the fish market (Bank Street and Pyrmont Bridge Road), Bondi Farmers Market (Campbell Parade on Bondi Beach), the flower market (Parramatta Road), and a whole lot more seasonal markets, it’s really easy to spend a lot of time wandering and shopping. I love Paddington Markets and the farmers market the best — they draw an eclectic crowd, and the farmers market makes me want to cook nonstop.

Attend a cultural event – Since Sydney has a complex about Melbourne being called the culture capital of Australia, it tries to outdo its rival by hosting over 30 official festivals and events each year. It has art gallery nights, concerts, festivals, and much more. Most of them are free and can be found on the Sydney tourism website.

Party in King’s Cross – If you’re looking to go out and get wild on the cheap, then go to King’s Cross. This is where the beer is inexpensive and the backpackers (and locals) party late. The famous World Bar is where most of the action happens (cheap drinks and a large dance floor). For a less traveler-centric time, head to Manly, The Rocks, or the CBD (central business district) where there are more locals and less travelers (but more expensive cocktails and beers).

Sydney is a remarkable city. While some cities scream “run around and see stuff” (cough, NYC, cough), Sydney’s message to visitors is always “relax, go outside, and enjoy the beautiful weather.” Sure, there’s plenty to do, but I find the best way to enjoy city is to take it slow, see a few attractions, and mostly lay outside on the beach or in a park….or relax at a nice happy hour at a bar overlooking the harbor!

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April 18, 2016 at 02:54PM

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Patagonia: Thoughts on Getting Offline and Trying to Camp

I came to Patagonia to tune out, clear my mind, hike, and learn to camp. I hate camping, though, and can count on one hand the number of nights I’ve spent in a tent. As an insomniac, I much prefer beds, hot water, and flush toilets. Even as a kid, when my friends and I went camping, I never enjoyed the experience — I only went to be with my friends. But I signed up for the Intrepid Patagonia tour (with fellow blogger Hey Nadine, no less!) as a way to ease myself into the experience again.

After a night in Santiago, my tour group flew down to Patagonia, where we geared up for the famous “W Trek” in Torres del Paine National Park. The park, founded in 1959, is home to tons of glaciers, glacial lakes, deep valleys, famous granite mountains, and beautiful pine forests. More than 100,000 people visit each year, making it one of the top destinations in South America. The W Trek is so named because it follows the natural formations of three valleys, thereby forming a W shape. It’s the most popular circuit in the park, as it hits all the major sights: Glacier Grey, the French Valley, and the picture-perfect Torres Towers.

As we approached the park on the first day, giant gray mountains rose high above us and a cloudless blue sky stretched to infinity. Everyone on the bus gave a collective gasp. While our guides stopped to get our camping and hiking permits, we piled out for photographs. The crisp air, grass waving in the wind, and sheer mountainsides made me excited to get connected to nature again.

The paved road then became dirt, and the bus — lacking any shocks — jostled us like a carnival ride. After a choppy ferry ride, we arrived at Paine Grande camp, our home for the first two nights of four days of hiking. Instead of doing the W in a continuous line, we would hike two portions from this camp, doubling back each night to rest our bones.

We dropped our bags and set off on the first trek, to Glaciar Grey, so named for its gray hue produced from light being reflected by the soil and the dirt it smashes and carries as it proceeds down the mountains and into the lakes. Behind us was Lake Pehoe with its deep, crystal blue water. The wind picked up and we came to a lookout point high above Lago Grey. Battling gusts that kept pushing us off balance, we took photos of the glacier before scrambling down from the lookout. After a quick snack among the rocks, we stepped back on the path, and the wind died down as we descended into the pine forest.

My last experience setting up a tent, on a trip to Africa, didn’t go well: I couldn’t get my tent poles to arch and often seemed to have one left over. Now, I was hoping for some practice when we got back to camp, so I could reduce my tent-pitching time from 30 confused minutes to something more reasonable. Alas, it was not to be. When we returned to Paine Grande hours later, it turned out the camp handlers had set up the tents for us!

After dinner, we retired. I can see why our ancestors of yore were the “early to bed, early to rise” types: when there’s no power or light, there’s not much to do. But as an insomniac, it’s hard for me to sleep in a normal bed, let alone a tent. With the temperature dropping, the wind whipping, and only a thin mattress pad underneath me, it took me hours to fall asleep. When my eyes finally closed, I wondered if I would ever have it in me to fall in love with camping.

The next morning, we woke to a warm and clear day. On our 22 km hike through the French Valley, we ascended through burned forest, across rivers, and along a valley before arriving at Glaciar Francés. There, melting ice came crashing off cliffs like intense thunder. We stood in the glacier’s shadow, eating lunch and waiting to spy the cracking ice.

We would hear the boom and hope to quickly spot the ice and snow cascading down the mountain. We stayed an hour before descending but looked back at the sound of each new crash, hoping to catch just one more glimpse of the glacier’s ice falling.

Back at camp that night, the temperature was colder, the rain came pouring down, and the wind whipped so hard it blew part of our tent down, causing Nadine to scramble out and pound the poles back in with the her hiking shoes. I wondered how people got used to this. There would be no sleep for me for a second night in a row.

The next day, the rain continued as we made our way to the ferry taking us to our final camp, Refugio Las Torres. There wasn’t much hiking that day, and as the wind blew and rain came at us sideways, I was glad I had called ahead and booked a dorm bed in the campground’s hostel.

After two nights in a cold, wet tent, I needed a change. Patagonia was beautiful and the relaxing break I needed, but I also needed sleep — and I wasn’t getting any. But in bed that night, it was as if I was sleeping on a cloud. I was warm and comfy, and even the loudest snorer in the world in the next room didn’t ruin my sleep. I realized then that I am a camping wimp and that staying in a tent is not for me. Maybe I should try glamping. As much as I love the outdoors, I also love beds and hot showers!

On the last day, we set out to tackle the park’s most famous hike: the 22km round-trip to the Torres Towers, one of the most difficult I’ve done since the 20km Tongariro Crossing in New Zealand. But these three towers set on a glacial lake are picture perfect, with their granite, ice-covered spires set above an aquamarine lake. I could swear it was a photo used as computer wallpaper.

After my group ascended to the top of the lookout, ate lunch, and started the descent, I opted to stay longer. I wasn’t ready to leave. Two hours later, as the clouds rolled in and the wind picked up, I finally began my descent back to camp, the last to leave the viewpoint. The time I spent there allowed me to clear my head, still my mind for a moment, and enjoy the present — something I hadn’t done in a long time.

As we headed out of the park the following day, I was thankful for the trip. Being offline and in nature was a much-needed mental break, and Patagonia was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to. It’s one of those locations on earth that makes you realize how small you are and just how grand and significant nature is. Camping may not have won me over, but nature always warms my heart and brings me perspective.

Logistics
To get to Torres del Paine, you can take a tour or head down on your own by going from Puerto Natales, Chile, where buses leave regularly and drop you off at the ferry to Paine Grande camp or the camp gate itself.

If you’re visiting solo, check out this blog by Breakaway Backpacker, who did the trek solo last year. He has a lot of information on prices, booking, and what gear you’ll need. (Since I was on a tour, that was provided for me.)

The park is easy to explore, but as someone with little camping experience, I was glad to have a guide who knew the trails, gave us a history of the park, and added information and facts about the flora and fauna. You don’t get that when you’re alone! If you’re like me and not big in to camping, I suggest a tour!

Note: I went on this trip in Chile as part of my ongoing partnership with Intrepid Travel. They covered the cost of this tour and any additional costs during the course of the trip. I received no money for going on this trip.

P.S. — On April 20th, I’ll be hosting a meet-up in NYC! If you’re in the city, come down to Solas for my last meet-up before I move full-time to Austin! You can RSVP by clicking here.

P.P.S. — A couple weeks ago, I updated my travel hacking and teaching English overseas guides. If you’re looking on the latest and greatest ways to get free flights and hotels as well as work overseas, check out the latest updates!

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April 14, 2016 at 03:04PM

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How Will travels the world on $20 or less per day!

Each month, we featured a reader on our community forum as a way to inspire others and remind potential travelers that people from all walks of life go out and explore there world! Today, I want to share the story of Will, a.k.a The Broke Backpacker, who like Tomislov, is traveling the world on an extreme budget of $20 a day. After ten years of travel, I like a little more comfort because of my insomnia but I love these reading stories like Will’s because it is always a good reminder that when you’re creative, you can save money without sacrificing adventure and fun on the road.

Nomadic Matt: Tell us about you.  Where are you from, how did you get into travel, age, place of birth, etc!
Will: I’m Will, a 26-year-old amateur adventurer and freelance journalist. I like to get muddy, naked and painted. I first started backpacking when I was eighteen and was instantly hooked by all the inspiring people I met whilst hitching, camping and Couchsurfing around Europe.

Since then, I have lived in India for a year, worked in bars in Vietnam, herded goats in the Holy Land and conquered the highest navigable pass in the world armed with a poorly drawn map and a packet of Ritz crackers. I have survived knife-point robberies in Nepal, guerrilla encounters in Myanmar, motorbike crashes in Vietnam and numerous other mis-adventures. Recently, I started my most ambitious adventure to date; a two-year journey from the U.K. to Papua New Guinea, without the use of any flights.

I was born in Brighton, near London, and although I do love England, it is no longer where my heart is. I’m too restless to be in one place for too long. Right now, I’m on a recruitment mission – I’m heading across the world with the aim to find cool people to help me open my chain of hostels and then, eventually, the commune – yep, my life aims are not especially conventional, but heck, even us crazy traveler folks have gotta have a plan!

You call yourself an extreme budget traveler. What exactly is an extreme budget?
I try really hard not to spend more than $20 USD a day, the ultimate aim being to spend under $100 USD a week. In the past, I picked up bar-work, hostel-work and farm-work whilst on the road. These days, I support my travels through my travel blog, The Broke Backpacker. To help stay on budget I hitchhike, sleep rough when necessary, Couchsurf and liberate bread rolls whenever possible! In the past, I have travelled on less than this. I spent just $3,000 USD on a 14-month adventure around India and Nepal.

Do you think what you do is something most travelers want to do?
Anybody can do what I do, but to be honest most people simply don’t want to try it. A lot of people have a knee-jerk reaction when I tell them that I hitch and Couchsurf; many folks seem to think this is just insanely dangerous which is simply not the case. When it comes to sleeping rough or wild-camping, yeah, it helps if you don’t mind being a bit uncomfortable. As far as I am concerned, I would rather be uncomfortable and traveling than comfortable and chained to a desk – a sedentary lifestyle just isn’t for me. Most people want to travel, even if they don’t realize it. Everybody should travel, even if they have very little money – it is totally achievable.

How do you stay on such a tight budget in expensive countries say Japan or New Zealand?
Staying on budget in more expensive countries is, obviously, a bit harder but the rules stay the same – hitch, Couchsurf and buy dirt-cheap food. In Japan, I pretty much survived off 7-Eleven stores… cheap pizza and rice-balls for the win! In countries like Japan, I have to plan a bit further in advance as, if I can’t find a Couchsurfing host, I end up sleeping rough the whole time and that gets pretty knackering. In some expensive countries, if you have plenty of time on your hands, it’s a good idea to pick up some paid work as you can earn a fair whack in a short period of time and then head off to cheaper destinations…I never got around to picking grapes in Oz with fellow drunken-Englishmen but it’s on my radar!

Give us your most unique money-saving tip.
Always bring things back home from your travels to sell – I’ve bought back shirts, scarves, leather satchels, all sorts of odds and ends – you can make a fortune selling them at festivals.

Also, once I rocked up into Jordan after getting extremely lost whilst hitching from Israel, I eventually made it to Petra where I met up with a Rastafarian Bedouin, Ghassab, who was the proud owner of a bright pink Landrover, four goats and a rock-cut cave house. I spent two weeks living with him in the cave, collecting firewood and soaking in some truly stunning sunsets.

What’s the craziest thing’s you’ve done whilst traveling?
One of my craziest stories involves canyoning in Nepal. I hiked with a guide and three other backpackers for nearly two hours until we reached some nearby waterfalls. At this point, the guide realized he had forgotten one helmet so I ended up being the sucker who had to start off with a huge leap of faith, a 6-meter jump, into nothingness with no protection.

Later, whilst abseiling down a waterfall, the rope sliding through my fingers felt kind of strange, I looked down and saw it was held together with gaffa tape, which was coming apart. I panicked somewhat, slipped and then made the brilliant decision to unclip myself before the rope actually broke – which it probably wasn’t going to do in all honesty. I fell backwards and luckily ended in a deep pool of water, having fallen perhaps 4-meters (nowhere near as far as I thought it would be). I emerged shaken, but laughing uncontrollably.

What are some of your biggest travel tips?
Go out into the world with an open mind, smile at everyone, and never say “no” to a new experience… this is the best advice I can give to folks looking to ditch their desks and hit the road for the first time.

Travel is like anything, if you put it off it may never happen – accept that you could die tomorrow; do you really want your last memory to be working a job you dislike to pay for shit you don’t need? Whilst it does make sense to prepare before you embark on your first big adventure, I recommend not planning too much – go with the flow and accept that some things might go wrong. When you travel, you have two choices – to be stressed or to be chilled, the latter is definitely the way to go.

Ooooh, and when you do, take a head-torch – it’ll be handy for exploring!

If you could tell your younger self four things, what would they be? 

1. Start a travel blog earlier! – Seriously, I wish I had known it was possible to forge a career for oneself on the Internet without having any major tech skills.
2. Long-distance relationships, especially whilst traveling, are doomed to failure.
3. Stuff is going to go wrong, so chill out and roll with it.
4. It’s good to be scared, it means you are learning.

What’s your least favorite part about traveling on such a tight budget?
Long-term budget travel does get tiring. I miss steak, and wine. Currently I am in Europe, working my way East to Iran and Pakistan. Europe is seriously expensive so I find myself counting my Euros if I want to party in the evening, which isn’t ideal. Luckily, you can buy cheap beer in the supermarkets so it is still possible to get the most out of the Euro-backpacking experience!

When I am really broke and can’t find a Couchsurfing host, that sucks as I am forced to sleep rough or wild-camp. I don’t mind doing either but when you suddenly have to do it, out of the blue, the chances of finding a good spot are not great.

Do you ever splurge? If it gets tiring, why not treat yourself? I love traveling on a budget but sometimes you just need to splurge and get that bottle of wine in Argentina.
Sure, sometimes these days I can afford to splurge if I want to. When I first went traveling, it wasn’t an option but every now and again some kindly Couchsurfing host would treat me to a decent meal and a few drinks; the irregularity made it all the more special. These days, now that my blog is making money, I can splurge if I want to. I tend to stick to my tight budget as I feel it’s the best way to get into real adventures and meet cool people, in Berlin for example, rather than paying to get into museums or any of that jazz, I happily spent a week breaking into old abandoned buildings – check out “urban exploring” to get an idea of what I am talking about – it was free, and it was awesome.

Some quick questions:

• Favorite country? Nepal for the scenery. Myanmar for the people. Philippines for the adventures. Venezuela for the trekking.
• Least favorite country? France.
• One item you can’t travel without? A headtorch.
• If you could have a superpower, what would it be? If I had one superpower it would be teleportation; I would save a fortune on flights. I would probably become obese though as I would definitely teleport from the sofa to the fridge.

*****

Will is currently hitchhiking from England to Papau New Guinea, a journey which will take over 2 years. Will blogs over at The Broke Backpacker about his adventures in some of the world’s least visited countries, you can follow him on Facebook and on Twitter.

P.S. — On April 20th, I’ll be hosting a meet-up in NYC! If you’re in the city, come down to Solas for my last meet-up before I move full-time to Austin! You can RSVP by clicking here.

P.P.S. — We’ve raised over $4,000 to send our next FLYTE group to Cuba!!!! Every semester, we send one underprivileged and underfunded high school class on an educational trip! Your contribution helps give these kids a chance to experience the wonder of travel we take for granted. Give back, help this class from inner-city D.C. get to Cuba, and get lots of amazing travel gear in the process!

The post How Will travels the world on $20 or less per day! appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

April 11, 2016 at 03:16PM

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