FIRST EDITION 2015 A
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RwAMER WHO HAVE E L P O E P M MONTH FRO Y R E V E S IE ! TOR - NEW S OSE VAGABOND SHOES TH SPIRE YOU WALKED IN IN L IL W THAT IC BLOGS T S A T N . A F RAZILY YOUR EARS F O T U O - SOME C ING S ARE COM A E ID IL T THAT YOU N U S A E ID T A E E GR E HAS SOM G A P Y U B OD- OUR GO BACKPACK R U O Y IN CAN THROW THE TRAIN.. N O M O D E R URE BO BE STAYED E V A - AVOID P H T S JU TELS THAT S O H E U IQ AND UN - Crazy IN.
I N T N O I T H FIRST EDI ISS IS UE ONE ERE D
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YOUR BACKPACK, YOUR THINGS. BUT JUST TO GIVE A HELPING HAND, WE’VE PUT TOGETHER A PAGE OF FUNKY STUFF THAT YOU MIGHT FIND WILL COME IN HANDY WHEN YOU’RE ON THE ROAD... OR ON A TRAIN... OR IN A TENT... YOU GET THE JIST.
HELLO. HOLA. BONJOUR. GUTEN TAG.
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KNOWING ACOUPLE OF SENTENCES IN A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE CAN HELP YOU WHEN YOU’RE LOST OR NEED SOMETHING WHEN YOURE IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY.
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GOOD-BUY
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f Our first “Roamer” is a sociolinguistic student from Lancaster University. Gina Waygood is 22 years old, and has a helluva lot of travelling under her belt, ranging from volunteering in a school in Malawi to train hopping in Italy. Have a gander ...
Wish you
were here xxx
I FIRST GOT THE TRAVELLING BUG IN 2011 WHEN I VOUNTEERED IN MALAWI FOR A YEAR. ON THE WEEKENDS WE WOULD TRAVEL AROUND THE COUNTRY SEEING ALL THE BEAUTIFUL LAKES AND MOUNTAINS AND DURING THE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS WE VISITED MOZAMBIQUE, ZAMBIA, BOTSWANA, TANZANIA AND ZANZIBAR. IT’S REALLY CHEAP TO TRAVEL AROUND AFRICA -AS LONG AS YOU DON’T MIND GETTING THE BUS. I’D 100 PERCENT RECOMMEND VOLUNTEERING IN ANOTHER COUNTRY. IF IT’S YOUR FIRST TIME, LIKE IT WAS FOR ME WHEN I WAS 18, I’D SUGGEST VOLUNTEERING THROUGH A COMPANY THAT CAN GUIDE YOU THROUGH EVERYTHING, AS WELL AS HELPING YOU PLAN YOUR TRIP. THEY WILL BE THERE FOR YOU IF ANYTHING GOES WRONG. IF YOU INTEND ON VOLUNTEERING AS A TEACHER OR SOCIAL WORKER IT IS BETTER TO DO LONG STINTS AS OPPOSED TO JUST GOING FOR A MONTH; SOME OF THE CHILDREN IN THE SOCIAL CARE PROGRAMME HAVE BEEN ABANDONED AND ALTHOUGH IT’S VERY REWARDING FOR THE VOLUNTEER, IT CAN SOMETIMES DO MORE BAD THAN GOOD BY ALLOWING THE CHILDREN TO GET ATTACHED TO YOU FOR THE MONTH AND THEN LEAVING. VOLUNTEERING IS SUCH A REWARDING EXPERIENCE AND WILL HAVE A MASSIVE IMPACT ON THE LIVES OF THOSE YOU HELP.
I HAVE TWO FAVOURITE PLACES, BOTH FOR DIFFERENT REASONS. ZANZIBAR HAS THE MOST STUNNING BEACHES, WITH WHITE SAND AND CRYSTAL CLEAR SEA. YOU CAN EAT FRESH SEAFOOD UNTIL IT’S COMING OUT OF YOUR EARS OR JUMP ON A BUS TO STONE TOWN WHERE YOU CAN WANDER AROUND THE COBBLED STREET WITH THEIR FAMOUS OLD FASHIONED DOORS. THE OTHER IS ZAMBIA, THERE’S SO MUCH TO DO. LIVINGSTONE BY VICTORIA FALLS IS THE PERFECT PLACE FOR ADRENALINE JUNKIES. WHILE I WAS THERE, I FLEW OVER THE FALLS IN A MICRO LIGHT, WENT ON AN ELEPHANT BACK SAFARI, WHITE WATER RAFTING DOWN THE ZAMBEZI, TOOK SOME LIONS AND CHEETAHS FOR A WALK IN THE BUSH AND DID A BUNGEE JUMP INTO THE GUAGE. IT WAS BY FAR THE BEST MONTH I’VE EVER EXPERIENCED.
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THE BEST EXPERIENCE I’VE HAD SOUNDS LIKE THE SIMPLEST THING, IT WAS LOOKING UP AT THE STARS FROM CAPE MACLEAR, WHICH IS A LAKESIDE DESTINATION IN MALAWI, WHEN MY MUM CAME TO VISIT. THEY CALL LAKE MALAWI THE ‘LAKE OF STARS’ AND THERE ARE TWO REASONS WHY. ONE, BECAUSE DURING THE DAY WHEN THE SUN HITS THE WATER, IT GLISTENS, AND ON A NIGHT WHEN THE STARS ARE OUT, THE SEA LOOKS LIKE IT’S FULL OF STARS AGAIN. THE FIRST TIME I SAW IT SPARKLING, I GOT STUPIDLY EXCITED BECAUSE I REALISED IT WAS FILLED WITH FIREFLIES. AMAZING. I GET VERY NERVOUS WITH THE ACTUAL TRAVELLING PART OF IT, I THINK THAT STEMS FROM TRAVELLING IN AFRICA WHERE THERE ISNT A SET TIME SCHEDULE FOR TRANSPORT, YOU COULD ARRIVE SOMEWHERE AFTER DARK IN UNFAMILIAR PLACES AND COULD ULTIMATELY END UP IN SOME SCARY SITUATIONS. WHEN IM TRAVELLING I ALWAYS TRY TO LEAVE FOR THE NEXT PLACE AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE TO AVOID ARRIVING AFTER DARK. THE BEST PARTS OF TRAVELLING ARE TAKING OFF YOUR BACKPACK AFTER A LONG DAY, THE PEOPLE YOU MEET, THE THINGS YOU SEE AND THE MEMORIES YOU MAKE. SOMETIMES I THINK THAT I’VE BEEN TO A LOT OF PLACES BUT WHEN SPEAKING TO PEOPLE ABOUT TRAVELLING AND I HEAR ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES IN SOUTH AMERICA, AUSTRALIA AND ASIA, IM REMINDED THAT THERE IS SO MUCH LEFT TO SEE. MORE OFTEN THAT NOT I’M PLANNING MY NEXT TRIP BEFORE THE ONE I’M ON HAS FINISHED!
“I’VE GOT A SCRATCH MAP THAT YOU SCRATCH OFF THE PLACES YOU’VE BEEN TO, I WON’T STOP TRAVELLING UNTIL THERE IS NOTHING LEFT TO BE SCRATCHED OFF.”
Our second ‘Roamer’ is 20 year old Jonathan Walton, a Law student at Huddersfield University. Having recently returned home after an eventful month interrailing through Europe, he tells the tale of a “ ”
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GOING TRAVELLING GAVE ME AN EXPERIENCE IM NOT LIKELY TO FORGET. THE SHEER FREEDOM I WAS PRESENTED WITH WAS OVERWHELMING, SO MUCH MORE THAN GOING TO UNIVERSITY. HERE I WAS, A STANDARD YORKSHIREMAN TRAVELLING EUROPE ON A WHIM, GALLIVANTING ACROSS THE CONTINENT WHEN AND WHERE I WANTED. I HAD MY PASSPORT AND ENOUGH MONEY STASHED AWAY TO LAST A MONTH, THE POSSIBILITIES WERE ENDLESS. THE ONLY DOWNSIDE TO OUR TRIP WAS WHEN WE WERE IN ROME, TRYING TO FIND A WAY OUT OF THE CITY TO MEET NEW FRIENDS IN AMSTERDAM BEFORE FLYING HOME. THERE WERE LOADS OF TRAINS HEADING NORTH SO WE DIDN’T BOTHER RESERVING SEATS FOR A PARTICULAR TRAIN, THAT BACKFIRED, BECAUSE WE WERE INFORMED THAT ALL OF THE TRAINS WERE FULLY BOOKED FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS AND WE DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO FLY HOME FROM ITALY. WE ENDED UP CHECKING BACK INTO TO OUR HOSTEL (TWICE) AND FINALLY DECIDED TO GO TO ‘NICE’ FOR A CHILL ON THE BEACH BEFORE HEADING HOME. THIS WAS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WE HAD THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE AMAZING MONTH AWAY, AND IT HASN’T PUT US OFF BECAUSE BOTH OF US ARE LOOKING FORWARDS TO OUR NEXT ADVENTURE!
Our la st ‘Ro amer’ issue for th is Haz i el Sm her va ith, sh s gabon e had d shoe three years s on f or a recen tly re nd has onl y tu an ex citing rned home explo a ration fter .
“I have recently returned from 3 years travelling and working through Thailand, Laos, New Zealand and Australia. These are all amazing countries that I would definitely recommend visiting. My personal favourite was New Zealand, specifically Queenstown. It is the most amazing place and well worth a visit, many travellers stay here longer than planned due to the party lifestyle and endless choice of adventure sports available at your fingertips. I love Thailand too, ‘the land of smiles’, my best advice there would be; don’t plan ahead too much as you meet people long the way who you might decide to tag along with, or who tell you about something you haven’t heard about before BUT, know a bit about where you are arriving to as it can be overwhelming with all the tuk-tuk drivers trying to get business... take a breath and step outside the bus station, the local transport is normally a lot cheaper here! Oh, and the Grand Palace in Bangkok is ALWAYS open to tourists! Ignore the scam artists who tell you it’s not.”
THpSE 1. EAT THE FOOD! YOU MIGHT NEVER GET A CHANCE TO TRY FOOD LIKE THAT AGAIN, TRY A CROCODILE KEBAB IN KENYA, SAMPLE THE BURNT SEA SLUG IN VIETNAM, AND WHAT ABOUT WICHITY GRUB SOUP IN AUSTRALIA? YOU NEVER KNOW. . . it might be right up your street. 3. TAKE A BIG-ASS SCARF. USE IT AS A PILLOW, AS A BLANKET, TO HIDE YOUR FACE IN THE SUN,TO DRY OFF WHEN YOU DONT HAVE A TOWEL. . . THE SCARF IS A FANTASTIC INVENTION, INCREDIBLY VERSATILE AND A TRAVELLERS BEST MATE. 5. BUY A POCKET FOLDER FOR ALL YOUR IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS. KEEP YOUR PASSPORT, SOME MONEY, TRAIN/ PLANE/COACH TICKETS IN HERE TO AVOID LOSING THEM AND ALSO, TO KEEP ‘EM DRY.
TIPS 2. SAY YES! TRAVELLING ENABLES FREEDOM, A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES ARISE AND THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR ADVENTURE EVERYWHERE. TRY TO SAY YES TO AS MANY THINGS AS YOU CAN, CONQUER YOUR FEARS, LIVE WAY OUTSIDE THAT BOX. 4. DON’T WEAR A BUM-BAG. “FANNY-PACKS” MAKE IT OBVIOUS THAT YOU’RE A TRAVELLER AND ALTHOUGH MOST OF THE WORLD IS SAFE. . . THERE ARE PICK-POCKETS IN MOST COUNTRIES SO DON’T MAKE YOURSELF AN EASY TARGET. CONSIDER INVESTING IN A MONEY BAG THAT YOU PUT ON UNDERNEATH YOUR CLOTHES AND STRAP ACROSS YOUR CHEST. 6. TAKE EXTRA CHARGERS. YOU’LL LEAVE THEM IN HOSTELS OR SOMEBODY WILL TWOK IT. IF YOU TAKE ELECTRONIC DEVICES, LIKE PHONES AND LAPTOPS, TAKING AN EXTRA CHARGER WILL KEEP YOU IN CONNECTION WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD.
7. GET LOST. THE FEELING OF BEING LOST CAN BE SCARY, BUT FORGET ABOUT BEING SCARED. CHANCES ARE, YOU’LL FIND STUFF THAT’LL TURN OUT TO BE THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR TRIP. KEEP YOUR WITS ABOUT YOU, BUT DON’T BE CONTROLLED BY FEAR.
CANT BEAT A GOOD BLyG
Johnny Vagabond. Around the world. low and slow.
AND . COM
johnny has created a virtual tour of his endless travels; writing stories about elephants being a part of the 5pm rushour in thailand, his attempts to stop child trafficking in guatamala and he wears nailpolish on his toes as a ‘jerk filter. . .’
AN AWARD WINNING TRAVEL BLOG SET UP BY TWO FANTASTIC PHOTOGRAPHERS - BETH AND RANDY. THESE TWO CREATE SOME INCREDIBLE IMAGES TAKEN FROM AROUND THE WORLD AND WRITE BLOG POSTS THAT WILL INEVITABLY MAKE YOU WANT TO GO WHERE THEY HAVE BEEN.
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If unusual travel stories are your thing, this blog is definitely worth reading
where is
jenny?
AWARD WINNING SAYS IT ALL
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a journal containing the thoughts and travels of ‘a graphic designer, photographer. writer and world traveler’ this blog contains tips on how to travel light, or on a budget, or without planning it. it also delves into the experiences of the author, with recommendations and suggestions for things to do, eat and visit in different countries.
-GREAT TIPS-GREAT STORIES-GREAT PICTURESWHAT MORE DO YOU NEED?
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A GIRL AND HER THUMB AN ‘ALTERNATIVE’ TRAVELLING BLOG IN WHICH ‘JO’ WRITES ABOUT WHAT SHE HAS EXPERIENCED IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS, HAVING COVERED 11 PERCENT OF THE GLOBE ALREADY. SHE TALKS ABOUT THINGS LIKE HITCH-HIKING, COUCH-SURFING AND PERSISTENT CHILD BEGGARS IN TURKEY.
AN EYE-OPENER TO CONTROVERSIAL TRAVELLING. A FANTASTIC READ
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F O R Y O U
Freedom 60 2 +20LVango Travel Backpack - £69.99 Strong, comfortable and resistant material. ‘Zip off’ 20 litre day backpack. Can wear the 20L bag on your front to take the edge off your back.. Can fit everything you need into it. Side pockets. Shoulder strap. Adjustable straps. Lockable zips AVAILABLE FROM GAPYEARTRAVELSTORE. COM
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INTERNAL SECURITY POCKET. PERFECT FOR WARM CLIMATES, JUST ADD A LINER TO USE SOMEWHERE COLD. FLEECE LINED SACK THAT CAN BE USED AS A PILLOW. BUILT IN MOSQUITO NET. PACKS UP TO THE WIDTH OF TWO PASSPORTS. LIGHTWEIGHT.
AVAILABLE FROM GAPYEARTRAVELSTORE.COM
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