A Checklist For Travellers

A Step-by-Step Guide to Complete Before You Jet Off Around the World

Photo Source: Flickr - gregw66

The other day my friend asked me,

“Vicky, how many pairs of shoes shall I take travelling with me?”

She’s just about to take off on her big adventure around the world. First stop is Australia, where she is working for a few months or so, before heading onto South-East Asia. She’s currently in the panic mode, the sort of confused excitement and nerves that you start to feel the week before you jet off.

So, I thought I’d put together a checklist out there for all of you nervous pre-travelling people out there, staring worriedly at your empty backpack perched next to your mountainous pile of clothes. Follow this through and you will be fully prepared for your adventure across the globe. It won’t be the Bible to your travels I’m afraid but it will set you off on a good start.

Quirky Things to do in Amsterdam

For the Hippster within You

Amsterdam, the Sin City of Europe, is a place full of bohemian vibes, coffee-shops and sex. It is hard to avoid the temptation of the Red Light District where women sell themselves to the top buyer (it’s an odd experience that you both want to/yet don’t want to see) or the Sex Museum, all awhile to the faint smell of marijuana rolling gently along the sea breeze, giving a weird tangy smelling backdrop to your visit. The only contrast to these tourist traps of Amsterdam is the magnificent Van Gogh Museum or a look back into history at Anne Frank’s House. However, if you feel like you don’t want to do the ‘typical’ tourist thing (even though I do recommend you try and do at least one or two, it may be filled with tourists but it all contributes to the character of the city) and museums seem too boring/depressing/same-same then this is the guide for you. I will tell you about some of the quirky and bizarre experiences that Amsterdam has to offer in order to make your trip unforgettable. You can then walk the typical tourist path (check our complete guide to Amsterdam here!) whilst making a slight de-tour into the unknown. Read on and be prepared to get inspired!  

Things to do in Amsterdam - the City of Culture and Cafes

      

Visit amsterdaminvasion.com for more information!

 Amsterdam is a city that you will visit and will never forget. It is a place that you will leave and feel like you haven’t quite seen it all. On the plane/ferry/drive back you will already feel inspired to return and visit it all over again. It is virtually impossible to cram it into a whole weekend but I will try here in this post to condense and highlight the must-see things to do throughout your unforgettable stay! 

  

Handy Tips When Planning to Work Abroad!

Working Abroad

There are many ways to work abroad, and you really have to think outside the box to get hold of that dream job. If you know where to look, there are dozens of jobs – retail, customer service, tourist-based, language, teaching, agricultural, cruise, coaching – waiting for you out there in the big old world.

First, however, you’ve got to decide what you want to do and where. I started with season jobs which cover both summer and winter but are usually only five months at a time. Would you like to jet off to some Mediterranean beach for a summer of watersports and sunbathing, or disappear up a mountain for five months of powder?

A FLASHpacking Story Around Ecuador

FLASHPACKING

Sunset over the Amazon, South America

Sitting in a Hostel in Ecuador, some twenty meters from the gaping Laguna Quilotoa, my two travel companions and I met a girl. She was in her thirties, an American, and had been hiking the Quilotoa Loop for the past four days. Jess was her name, and serious backpacking was her game. 

Why YOU should travel THE WORLD!

Why should you take the daring decision and decide to go travelling? Why should you spend your precious savings or hard-earned cash  for University, life, or a house deposit in unknown foreign destinations? Why should you leave the comfort of your parent’s house with free food, hot showers and comfy beds to travel in your gap year? Why take that chance and leave everything behind? The important clichéd question is, why not?