Paris Around

Posts Tagged ‘Backpacking’

Located in California, Los Angeles – affectionately referred to as the City of Angels – is the second largest city in the United States. One of the most happening cities on the planet, this is a place that has an immense amount to offer to the backpacker who arrives here for a holiday.

Hostels

There are a host of things to see and do in Los Angeles – once a backpacker sets foot in Los Angeles, there promises to be no dull moment. However, before embarking upon the exploration of these sights and wonders of Los Angeles, the budget traveler needs to find a good place to stay; exploring a city without a place to rest your head is too much even for the hardiest of backpackers.

Situated in Windward Avenue is the Venice Beach Cotel – a great Los Angeles Hostel for the backpacker and the budget traveler. From great facilities and services to a picturesque view of the surrounding beach, this hostel has it all.

As the coinage ‘Cotel’ suggests, they strive to make a blend between the luxuries of a hotel with the cost effectiveness of a hostel.

Out of the many Los Angeles Hostels, another one that looks good and offers great services is the Duo Hostel. This one makes for an ideal stay for students, as it offers dormitories available at cheap rates. The location of this hostel is also quite good, with many supermarkets and coffee shops at a stones throw away.

Once you are settled in a cozy hostel, you can start checking out the city for real. Given below are some of the attractions that are one must not miss during backpacking in Los Angeles.

Things to do in LA

Undoubtedly one of the biggest attractions in LA is Hollywood Boulevard, with people from all over the world flocking here to look at the home of cinema.

The Hollywood Boulevard houses the Walk of Fame, which is iconic as it is enjoyable to visit. One should also not miss the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, which is widely considered the birthplace of American cinema.

Another great thing to do in Los Angeles is to take the Downtown Art Walk, which is a free tour around the art galleries that dot downtown Los Angeles. The Museum for Contemporary Art is one of the major galleries that you can see while taking this tour. It’s famous for housing many masterpieces of impressionist painting.  Read more...

One of the most difficult questions to answer when planning a backpacking trip is what food do I take backpacking? Space is a real issue, so here are some pointers to help you when buying the right food for backpacking.

If you are lightweight backpacking then you will need to make sure that everything is carefully weighed so as to come in line with your pack weight, and that includes your food. This needs to be nutritious and easy to prepare. So what are some good foods to take backpacking that would fit this criteria? The best foods for the job are dehydrated or freeze dried meals. These are meals that are not only calorie counted to provide you with energy, but are also filling so you wont go hungry. Just reconstitute with boiling water and Hey Presto!! Instant food. There are companies out there that specialize in this type of food and offer a varied selection of meals.

However they don´t come cheap!

Another alternative to buying freeze dried meals is to make your own. You can purchase food dehydrators from leading retailers for around -0 (depending on what you want) that will do the job very well. Once you have bought the equipment, it will pay for itself in the long run. these are excellent for making your own beef jerky, or drying fruit or veggies for your backpacking trip. The down side is that they take quite a while to make the food, and you will have to plan and prepare your meals before you go.

I’ve been on some pretty wild hiking trips. They’ve included not just the hiking part, over 10 miles of it, add some snow, rain, lightening and even a few rockslides thrown in there for some extra adventure! No doubt about it, trips out in the wilderness can be dangerous, even if you are prepared. But these tips will help you make it home with some great memories.

1. Know what you’re doing. If you just take along your compass but have no idea on how to even use it…what good is it…? Have any idea what to do if you see a bear or mountain lion..? Get some actual experience with your equipment and read a lot about other people’s experiences on the trail so you’re not clueless about what to do when things come up.

2. Compass and map.Yes you need to have both along.

3. A couple of lighters and some matches.Better have a few different ways to get a fire going, and keep them in different places so that if you lose one you’ll still have something to keep you warm and boil water or cook.It’s a lot safer to have more than one way to get a good fire going.

4.

A good first aid kit.Make your own as you gain more experience with hiking and camping or buy one but make sure it has good quality products and that your stuff is well made.Make double sure that you have some pain killers, meds for any conditions you or your friends might have like diabetes, some disinfectant, bandages, band aids, notes on how to treat injuries etc.

5. Foot care items.Remember the moleskin, maybe even some duct tape if your shoes rub and a pin to treat those blisters that come up.You have to really take care of your feet when you’re miles away from civilization.

6.

Water purification tabs or filter.A water filter works alright, but they can clog and break so often that you really should have a small bottle of iodine tablets or other water purification as a back up. You’ll be glad you did one day.

7. Rain Gear.One of the biggest killers of people in the woods is hypothermia, and it often starts when you get wet and can’t get dry or warm.You need to stay dry.  Read more...

Are you planning on backpacking Southeast Asia and have a limited budget. Below are a few ways to get the most out of every dollar and still provide you with a great experience.

Discount Airliners: One of the most unknown things in Southeast Asia is how cheap air travel can be. Sometimes, it is marginally more than the cost of taking a bus. Both Air Asia and Bangkok Airways offer cheap airfare around most of South East Asia. Fares are regularly USD or lower. If you have limited travel time, it is highly recommended that you investigating flying between destinations.
 
Don’t pay in US currency: One of the biggest mistakes that travelers often do is try to pay in US currency. Pretty much everywhere in Southeast Asia accepts US Dollars, but the conversion rate offered by merchants is terrible. A lot of times, you can end up paying 30% more than you would have if you used the local currency. For the best rates, try to exchange some money before you leave. You can also exchange money at most major banks in South East Asia.

 
Watch Out for Scams: If it sounds too good to be true, you are probably being scammed. There are all sorts of scams in Southeast Asia that are aimed at taking you money, and returning an inferior product to what you should be getting. This can come in the form of lower quality tours, transportation that doesn’t take you where you want to go, or paying significantly more for a product than you should be charged. To avoid the scams, talk to travelers at your hostel to see what they did. When booking tours or transportation, try to book only from reputable companies, so you get the trip you are actually paying for. If you are taking a Taxi in some countries, request that they run the meter. Most drivers negotiate fares, and in most cases are way greater than if the meter is used. Some drivers will refuse to take you, but eventually you will find one that will use his meter. This can save you a lot of money. 

The Middle East is a region is full of places to see and experience. Obtaining a visa is generally an easy process for those coming from most Western nations, but there are exceptions. Turkey is on one end of the Middle East, and a country that welcomes tourists with open arms.

Istanbul has extensive public transportation and taxi services, and there are plenty of opportunities to shop around the city and in the Grand Bazaar alone. It is the oldest covered market in the world, and even with several trips to the bazaar, it may be impossible to discover every street of vendors and cafes. There are also several beautiful and historic mosques in the city, and the Hagia Sofia Mosque is a must see. A church during Byzantine rule, Hagia Sofia (Ayasofya in Turkish), was later converted into a mosque under Ottoman rule.

A few hours southeast of Istanbul, Cappadocia is a historic town and a popular tourist destination.  It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because the site consists of natural rock formations and underground villages dating back centuries.

Visitors can seek accommodation in one of the several hotels that are located in the rock dwellings , and you can avoid high prices during off peak months.

Compared to Turkey, obtaining a visa to travel to Iran or Yemen proves to be more difficult. In order to begin the process of obtaining a visa to Iran, US citizens should contact the Iranian Interests Section of the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington. Keep in mind that those with a stamp from Israel in your passport, or if you are applying with an Israeli passport, you will be denied a visa to Iran. The United States government does not have diplomatic relations with the Iranian government, so there is no American embassy in Tehran.

The Swiss embassy can help American citizens through Switzerland’s agreement with the US, so be sure to inform them of your travel plans to Iran, just in case.

Tabriz is one of the largest cities in Iran, located in its northwest Azeri province. Kandovan is a famous site in Tabriz. It is made up of homes carved into rock formations, similar to those of Cappadocia in Turkey, that have been inhabited for up to 700 years.
Yemen can also prove to be difficult to travel to, and it seems that security there is more of an issue than in Iran. Obtaining a visa is not easy, but can be done, and Yemen is one of the least traveled-to countries in the world.  Read more...