Travel Tips

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This articles is designed to keep track of all the little tidbits of advice and lessons learned from the road.  They aren’t necessarily in any order but found them helpful and we hope you do too!

  1. Try to stay in each place at least two nights.  It cuts down on stress, gives you more time to explore, lets you meet more people and just makes everything better.
  2. Learn a little bit of the local language.   A little goes a long way.  All over the world, people seem so happy if you make even the smallest effort.  You can tell a cook that the food was delicious, or just give a friendly greeting and the smiles that you get back are incredible.  In Japan this seems especially true.  Just because I say “Hi how are you”, people assume I am fluent, give hugs and rounds of applause and buy us sake.  It’s amazing.
  3. A big benefit of being in a developed is that you have free and easy access to fresh drinking water.  Take advantage of it.  In the Philippines we were constantly paying for bottled water to drink and even brush our teeth because if we didn’t there is a high possibility of us getting very sick.  In Japan, the tap water is great.  We drink it by the barrel-full, and fill up our bottles to take with us so we can avoid the litter and cost of bottled water.  Which leads to…
  4. Steri-pen.  Buy one.  It’s a pen-sized UV light that is the only way to purify water that kills everything, even viruses that slip through filters.  We could scoop up water out of the gutter and turn it into delicious crystal clear water  [Editor's note:  We didn't actually do this] . The initial cost is bit much (around ~$100) but so worth it.  It basically gives us the advantage of #3 in any country.
  5. Icebreaker.  This New Zealand based company makes a t-shirt that has been called the best in the world by many reviewers.  All of their shirts are made of merino wool which sounds weird but totally works.  I’ve worn the shirts in 120 degree Dubai weather and 40 degree Japan weather and the always seem to feel just right.  They’re also quick dry so I can wash them in a bucket or a hotel sink and know that they will be ready to go in the morning.  They also have some  sort of amazing natutrl no-stink properties.  There is a testimonial on the website of a fisherman wearing one for thirty days without it stinking.  I believe it.   But probably the best part is that unlink most travel clothing companies, they actually make a wide range of styles that actually look nice.  They have plain colored t’s and lots of different patterns and styles.  The only downside is that they are around $60.  I think it’s worth it though when I can get by with only owning three t-shirts for a year.
6 Comments +
  1. Dylan says:

    Hmmm, I wasn’t too fond of the Steripen on my travels. Yes, it will kill everything in the water and make it safe to drink, but the water is still full of dirt and tastes awful unless you filter it. I used it once with tap water in Shanghai, but it still tasted so bad, I just went with bottled water after that. The only time I used it on a regular basis was when I was in the Himalaya and could get some relatively clean mountain water.

    • Adam and Amanda says:

      Yeah, good point Dylan. It doesn’t really do much for the taste, though I still prefer it to the taste that chlorine tablets give. We mostly use it for brushing our teeth and things like that. When we want something tasty we buy a beer or a Pocari Sweat, haha.

  2. Sean says:

    Don’t forget the money belt too for passports and cash. I never travel abroad without one.

  3. LOVE the site! Great travel destinations. We used a lot of long distance transportation (chicken bus, train, boat, etc) and it’s so crucial to choose the correct side of the vehicle based on where the sun will be for most of the ride…otherwise the sun will get ya :) Cheers and safe travels…

  4. Marc says:

    Hey guys!

    It’s your old colleague Marc. I love reading about your travels on your site. I hope to hear about more when you’re back as well (if you come back? :) !

    Question for your travel tips: how did/do you decide on your travel destinationsl and what to do there?

    See you soon!

    Marc

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