10 Things You'll Probably Only Ever Do as a Backpacker

When you're a backpacker you lead quite the different life as to what you would lead at home. Your money habits change drastically, your hygiene can alter and you day to day routine gets completely thrown out of the window. Some of these changes are good and some are just pretty cray and you're happy to leave them in the middle of the Australian outback.

1. Hitchhike

I would never hitchhike in my home country, the UK. Not because I think the UK is anymore particularly unsafe than the likes of Australia, where I have hitchhiked, but I simple wouldn't even think of hailing down a random car and asking for a ride at home. Maybe its because I have my own car, maybe its because British folk are so awkward at chit chat or maybe I do feel unsafe? But I've hitchhiked a fair few times on my travels, and although as a single blonde backpacker I do feel like I could be an easy target, I'm fairly trustworthy.

7 Tips to Surviving the Buses in South-East Asia

Having travelled through south-east Asia on a number of occasions, I’m well aware of the bus situation and how many issues there can be. Buses are often the easiest and cheapest way to get around the countries in the south-east, so no wonder us backpackers sign on up. However, they haven’t reached the likes of the buses you might expect at home with free Wi-Fi, iPhone chargers and reclining seats, so best to follow a few tips for what south-east Asia has to offer.

1. Don’t work on a tight schedule

The bus arrival and departure times in south-east Asia really are more of an estimate. I’ve found that many buses will provide a pick up time, but then they don’t tend to depart until the bus is full, so you could always be waiting around in the heat, waiting for some other tourists to jump on board. What is even more unpredictable is the duration of the bus journey. My friend and I once took what was supposed to be a 14 hour bus journey in Myanmar, which in the end turned out to be 22 hours. We weren’t sure if we’d missed our stop, took the wrong bus or if the bus had just decided to take the scenic route… but there was no explanation for the extra 8 hours on the bus, and the locals didn’t seem as pissed off as we did by the end. So, never plan a bus if you'rere on a tight schedule, leave plenty of time for flights and prepare for the worse.

South East Asia Part 1

My first trip to Asia involved a three week stint in Hong Kong, Vietnam and Cambodia. Not much time and not much money, but we did it!
When I first thought about this trip my mind conjured up visions of travelling through the rainforest and watching out for bomb remains from the Vietnam War. As you can tell my thoughts about south-east Asia were pretty naive, however as soon as my friend told me to Google Halong Bay my thoughts quickly changed. I didn't really have much involvement on planning the trip; rather I left that to my other friends to decide.

Hong Kong

The trip started in Hong Kong, with a few days to explore the city and see how my friend had been living for the past year. I've got to say I loved Hong Kong; it had the perfect mix of east meets west, and it is a great place to start off as a new backpacker. There was enough of the unknown to get me out of my comfort zone but enough of the ‘holiday’ feel, which made me feel like I was still on vacation. I won’t go into too much detail about Hong Kong as that can be left for a whole post by itself, but basically we stayed in a small hostel in the city and spent our time looking at the main sights of the Victoria Peak, Tsim Sha Tsui East Promenade, the 10,000 Buddha Monastery and a selection of night markets.

5 of My Favourite Travel Foods

Just like any self-confessed fatty I love food. I love to travel and try new foods but as a vegetarian it can be a bit challenging, but I’ve still found several ways to remain far away from my bikini body. So take a look at my favourite foods from around the world, and learn just how to be a greedy bitch in style...

1. Gelato – Venice

I spent a few days in Venice during the summer of 2010 and I can easily say I spent most of time eating gelato. I’m not a massive fan of icecream in general but this pure heavenly dessert was enough to convert me. The gelato in Venice is widely available on little corners, with local venders using the finest ingredients. Try a variety of fruity flavours, chocolate types or my personal favourites of coffee and caramel. It’s the smoothest, creamiest ‘icecream’ you’ll ever try and it’s pretty cheap for this Italian destination.