Eurotrip? Fuggedaboutit.
Ahhh Europe…the land of churches, crazy nights and virgin backpacking experiences. It’s the quintessential study abroad/post-college summer romp; a whirlwind tour resulting in countless “When I was in Europe…” stories and fond, but sometimes hazy, memories. Seeing the coliseum in Rome, partying till the break of dawn in Barcelona, standing in awe of the Swiss Alps: I’m not going to lie, it was all pretty freaking awesome.
There is no doubt that Europe is an amazing continent. But sometimes people get lost in the allure of Europe and forget that the world is a big place with a lot of other amazing countries. In our 20′s, we’ll get several periods of transition, whether it be finishing school or starting a new job. Those opportunities come few and far between in our lifetimes. A lot of people use that time to backpack around Europe.
I say don’t do it. Use that time and go somewhere else. Here are five reasons why:
You’re walking down the street and you see a man sitting on the ground. He’s holding a sign with a cup out front. A moment of panic hits you. Do you walk past him or stop? Make eye contact or not? Say something or nothing?
Everyone has run into these situations while at home and backpacking (especially in third world places like Southeast Asia and South America). It always makes us slightly uncomfortable as we try to figure out what exactly to do. Often, the judgement call is tough to make. Seeing someone in that state can depress the hell out of you and we’ve all seen Slumdog Millionaire (if you haven’t, go see it) and witnessed what they do with the beggar kids. But on the other hand, you never know what that money is going to be used for or even who it’s ultimately going to. read more…
They say Vietnam is one of those countries where you either love it or hate it. By the end of my two-week stay, I was definitely leaning towards the latter.
Vietnam was right in the middle of my Southeast Asia trip. I arrived in Chau Doc via boat from Phnom Penh and in a spur-of-the-moment decision, decided to head to Phu Quoc island. From there, I would make my way north, stopping in Saigon, Nha Trang, Hoi An and finally Hanoi. Although I have a lot of fond memories, the overriding theme of Vietnam was one of growing frustration.
A carefree moment in Nha Trang, Vietnam.
For those of you heading off for your backpacking adventures this summer, I want you to listen to this song:
Slow ride, take it easy. Slow ride, take it easy.
Hear that? Take it eaaaaaaasyyyyyyy.
Our everyday lives are hectic and fast-paced. Much too often, people think this is the way to go backpacking. A perfect example is the classic post-college Europe trip: an ambitious plan that attempts to cover 10 countries in 2 weeks while seeing every single church, castle and museum along the way. These are the type of trips where people spend more time on a bus than on their feet while the countries, cities and sights in front of them end up becoming a blurred mess.
Knowing how to haggle when backpacking abroad is a very important skill to have. Unfortunately, living in America has left us ill prepared. I’m willing to bet that the majority of people living in the US don’t know to haggle. It’s no fault of our own because we live in a society where the prices are always set. Think about it, you don’t go into Starbucks and ask the cashier for a discount on your coffee, nor do you go to Safeway and haggle down the price of lettuce.
About the only times that haggling does occur in the States are when we buy big-ticket items (cars, houses, TVs, mattresses, jewelry, etc.) or when we deal with second-hand sales. But even then people might be hesitant or shy about it just because we never do it/don’t know how.
But if you’re thinking of backpacking, you need to learn the art of haggling. Places like Southeast Asia, South America, China, India (or really any place outside of the States and Western Europe) often view us as walking ATMs. It’s unfortunate but it’s something we have to deal with. As such, backpackers are often subjected to ridiculously over-inflated prices and let’s face it, no one likes getting ripped off. It sucks, it bruises your ego and you feel like an idiot when you realize how much you overpaid.
Several hundred miles to the east of Bangkok lies the city of Phnom Penh. It is a bustling urban sprawl of 2 million people and serves as the capital of Cambodia. Signs of economic prosperity can be seen in the nightclubs, where the nouveau riche preside with bodyguards in tow, and in the city’s streets, where ever increasing numbers of new imported cars appear. Yet Phnom Penh, like the rest of Cambodia, still carries the deep scars from the atrocities inflicted upon the country more than 30 years ago.
On the road to Siem Reap.
From 1975 to 1979, Pol Pot, leader of the Khmer Rouge, would carry out an episode of genocide that would set Cambodia back by decades and forever change its place in history.
