| GENERAL
TIPS - New tips added regularly in red |
| *Around-the-World-Tickets:
These tickets are amazing value whether you want to travel for a short
time or up to a year. Contact a travel agent that specializes in around-the-world
tickets to discuss the different options and prices. Don't forget
to sign up for frequent flyer miles! www.oneworld.com |
| *ATM/VISA
Cards: Don't forget to attach a PIN number to your ATM/VISA
card to attain money. |
| *Bargaining:
Brush up on your haggling skills, especially when going to developing
countries. Read Brad's bargaining
tips/dealing with touts. |
| *Beds:
Bring a sheet,sarong or silk sleep sack with you to use when the hotel
sheets are unclean. |
| *Before
you go extras you might need: Travel Insurance, Int. phone
card, International Drivers License, bag locks and cables, a calculator
(calculators can be rigged), flashlight, sunscreen, swiss army knife,
needle and thread, plastic or zip-lock bags, first aid kit. |
| *Clothes:
Backpacking for a long while? Take old clothes. You'll be less worried
if you're if the clothes in your bag get stolen, damaged and when
you get sick of them, they are great gifts to give to the poor. |
| *Crossing
Borders: Sometimes countries will charge you for entering
their country. Make sure you have some of the new currency with you,
US dollars or failing each of those, make sure you know the current
exchange rate so you don't get ripped off by money changers. |
| *Electronics:
Buy a small kit with multi-adapter plugs for each continent. Check
to make sure that your electric goods you are bringing with you are
multi-voltage. 110-240V. Very important! |
| *High
altitude: Don't overexert yourself. Walk slow, take breaks.
Drink Mate de Coca (herbal tea made from coca leaves). Take ibuprofen
for high altitude headaches. The headache is caused by brain swelling,
and ibuprofen will reduce the swell and pain. Drink lots of water! |
| *Jellyfish:
Vinegar or urine will deneutralize jellyfish stings. |
| *Leeches:
If a leech attaches to your skin, don't pull it off. Instead, use
a lighter flame or salt to get it off. Rub soap on your skin before
going into leech infected areas can also prevent them from attaching
to you. |
| *Medicine:
You don't need a doctor's prescription to buy a lot of medication
in 3rd world countries. If you have a minor illness, such as long-term
diarrhea (giardia), look up your symptoms in your Rough Guide's health
section or talk to the pharmacist for recommendations of proper drugs. |
| *Mobile
Phone with multiple features: Even if not used as a phone,
it can be used as a calculator, camera and video for convenience at
parties, and an alarm clock for those early morning get-ups. |
| *Mosquitoes:
Bring long sleeves and pants and bug repellent to mosquito infested
areas. Also consider bringing a small roll of tape to cover holes
in mosquito nets. |
| *Poste
Restante: If you need to receive mail or a package while
traveling, have it sent POSTE RESTANTE to the central post office
in a major city that you'll be traveling through. The post office
will hold it for you until you arrive with your passport to collect
the mail free of charge. |
| *Public
Transport Timetables: Check the departure times for your
next destination, when you actually arrive at a bus station, eliminating
the stress of knowing if a local has given you a wrong time or if
that 5am bus is actual 7:30am! |
| *Reefs:
Watch out for sea urchins! Wear thongs, sandals, or watersocks when
swimming in or walking across reef areas. |
| *Sleep:
Ear plugs, eye masks and inflatable neck pillows are fantastic for
helping you sleep. Ear plugs are great in noisy cities, long bus rides
and when you've got noisy air conditioners. |
| *Taxis:
In third world countries, always ask if a taxi has a working meter
before you bargain for a price. Meters are usually cheaper than prepaid
from our experience. |
| *Theft
Prevention: When walking around town or the beach, using
a plastic bag as an alternative to a purse, backpack or camera bag
is a good deterrent against pickpockets and petty theft. |
| *Tipping:
Tipping is rarely mandatory around the world. North America and Philippines
are exceptions that we have found so far because usually workers are
paid measly wages and live off their tips. Some countries will just
add an automatic 10% to your bill. Check this before you are compelled
to add an extra tip. In some countries, you can tip if you are happy
with the service but it is not usually required. Ask a local. |
| *Water:
If you're unsure about the water, make sure vegetables are washed
with bottled water. Make sure all foods are thoroughly cooked. Don't
forget to avoid ice, as well! |
| *Visas
/ Photos: If you are traveling for an extended period through
several countries, take a few passport size photos of yourself to
make getting entry visas hassle free. |
| WORLD
SURFING TIPS |
Click
on SEARCH at the bottom of each page and type in 'surf' to find
all pages on the site that have surf information. For surf reports,
and more specific information about each country try these sites
below.
All the world: Wannasurf.com
Great site for finding out about surf spots the world over.
All the world: Wetsand.com
Shows current weather and swell patterns worldwide
Brazil: ClickSurf.com
(in Portuguese: Use the page translation site found above)
Japan: Surf
Japan English website. Plenty of info about most of the country. |
| AFRICA
TIPS (North Africa / Middle East) |
*Baksheesh:
or tipping, is a often a big part of the culture. Always keep lots
of small notes handy for tipping and find out what the local tipping
customs are. |
| *Dress:
Consider dressing modestly, covering the shoulders and legs (unless
at a beach town) as this shows respect for conservative Muslim cultures. |
| *Language:
If traveling independently on public transportation, it will help
to learn arabic numbers 1-10. |
| *Toilets:
Throughout most of Egypt, sewage systems are a bit old and
not up to Western standards, so used toilet paper needs to be placed
in the waste basket provided. Sometimes there are signs, but often
not, so take care not to clog the pipes. |
| ASIA
TIPS |
| *Motorbikes:
Always get on and off a motorbike on the left side. Burnt legs from
the exhaust pipe on the right side is a common sight in Southeast
Asia. |
| *Opening
Hours: Always check opening
hours before visiting tourist sites or government offices (eg: embassies)
as a lot of places in Southeast Asia close between 11pm and 2pm. |
| *Singapore:
Save all your receipts in Singapore! You can get the 5% GST
back at the airport when you leave. |
| EUROPE
TIPS |
| *Shower
and tap handles:
In Spain, C is NOT cold, it's caliente, which means hot.
F is for frio, or cold. |
| NORTH
AMERICA TIPS |
| *Alcohol
laws: Open-Container law-You may not freely walk the streets
drinking alcohol or even be a car passenger with an drink in hand.
Applies to most states we know of in the USA, except Nevada. |
| *Directions:
In the majority of the USA you will need a car for
transportation. Mapquest (link above) is a great way of finding directions
between destinations. Print out your results and go. |
| *Driving
Laws: In the USA every state has different laws
regarding seat belts, speed limits, motorcycle helmets and laws such
as double demerits and hefty fines for driving fast near construction
sites. Ask a local or contact the state government to check rules
before you do extensive driving. |
| *Identification:
In the USA, carry ID with you at all times to buy alcohol
in bars or in the supermarket. The legal drinking age is 21, and anyone
looking under 30 will be carded. Passport preferable. |
| *Internet:
In the USA and Canada if you want to connect to the internet
with your laptop and wish to send emails via Outlook Express or similar
mail program, you will usually need to find out the most popular ISP's
for the area and go to their website to retrieve a SMTP address which
you must change in your email 'account' settings. |
| *Measurements:
The USA uses miles and imperial measurements. Canada
is a mixture of kilometres, metric and certain imperial measurements.
Visit the link at the top of the page for conversions. 1km=1.6m |
| *Tax:
Prices of consumer goods in the USA and Canada
are usually quoted before tax (GST or VAT). Every state and province
have different tax levels as well. Therefore, when purchasing big
products, remember to ask the cost with tax included. |
| *Transportation:
Greyhound Bus is a cheap and comfortable way to get around the USA.
Thousands of routes are available to all corners of the country and
tickets purchased in advance online or at the depot are heavily discounted.
See greyhound.com. |
| *Visa
Extension: You cannot extend your visa another 3 months automatically
when crossing the Canadian or Mexican border from
the USA. Visit this webpage
for more information. |
| CENTRAL
AMERICA TIPS |
| *Toilets:
Throughout most of Central America, sewage systems are a bit old and
not up to Western standards so used toilet paper needs to be placed
in the waste basket provided. Sometimes there are signs, but often
not, so take care not to clog the pipes. |
| *Language:
Do I have to speak Spanish? It certainly helps in most Central American
countries, especially for independent travel. Though in Panama, Costa
Rica and Belize, English is widely spoken. |
| *Shared
Transport: When traveling between cities, taxi rides often
don't cost too much more than the local bus and are much faster. On
well-traveled routes, colectivo, or share taxis charge a minimal cost
per person. There are also micro-buses which are sometimes more comfortable
and faster than regular buses, but often wait until every seat is
filled before leaving. |
| SOUTH
AMERICA SPECIFIC TIPS |
| *Portuguese
pronunciation is very different than Spanish, so although you may
be able to get by with some Spanish language in Brazil, you'll need
to pick up some Portuguese if you're going to spend more time here.
English is not widely spoken on the street and it pays to learn common
foods and phrases in Portuguese. |
| *Shower
and tap handles: C is NOT cold, it's caliente, which means
hot. F is for frio, or cold. Hot water for showers is provided by
a gas contraption called a calefon which often needs to be lit before
you have a shower, though some are automatic in nicer hotels. Ask
at your hotel/hostel. For showers with only one tap and a large spout
overhead, the water will be heated as it goes through the showerhead,
so the less pressure you use, the hotter the water will get. |
| *Spanish:
Make an effort to learn some Spanish. The majority of tourists around
are European and can speak some Spanish so the level of English in
a lot of areas is quite poor. Even in Brazil, where they speak Portuguese,
most people will understand your Spanish. |
| *Toilets:
Throughout most of South America, sewage systems are a bit old and
not up to Western standards, so used toilet paper needs to be placed
in the waste basket provided. Sometimes there are signs, but often
not, so take care not to clog the pipes. |
| *Tourist
Menu: Always ask to see the 'tourist menu' in restaurants
around Peru. For less than the price of one dish, you'll have your
choice of appetizer and main course, plus dessert and drink. |
