Todd's Globetrooper News Feed

Nate Thats exactly what I would like to do... just go with it. I'm flying out of Seattle on May 15th.

Todd Hope to bump into you guys too. We're currently in Berlin, heading back home for a wedding, but plan to be back in this neck of the woods come 2012. Berlin is gorgeous and super cheap.

katieusa Hey guys, problem is I'm a teacher and cant leave until June 10th which sucks. Add me on facebook if you want to chat more about the trip. How long were you guys planning on going? I wanted to spend at least a good 6 weeks over there

Nate katieusa send me your facebook profile in a private message and we can chat some

Meghan Verhaag I will be doing the same thing it sounds like! just headed over and I will figure it out from there, though I need to be to Greece by the 16th of June so I will only have 2 weeks to explore some of europe. Any suggestions?

Todd We met a couple of guys in Bolivia who did the same. They said it took them 8 months. Of course, depends on how fast you travel. But I think it's a pretty serious journey. Would be quite amazing though.

John Thanks for your interest.I am busy setting up a hostel so this is currently on hold.

AlysiaPatrice I'm just noticing that this thread goes back a few months. Let me know what plans you have already come up with and if you're up for another female traveler. If so, I can post my email/facebook so we can plan & chat!

Todd Hi Alysia, we've just added a round-the-world (RTW) tab at the top of the website so you can easily find the latest round-the-world backpacking trips. We're currently in Berlin, which we love. Just came from Asia which was also a blast. Hope you find a trip to join or at least other people to catch up with.

AllisonG Alysia! I'm from Maryland as well! Just became a member of this site! A friend and I (both 23 year old females) are trying to get a group together! We want to go atleast 6 weeks beginning in june. We kinda already have places we want to hit mapped out but we would be up for suggestions! Just really want travelling buddies!

Myrtie Rena Williams hi there, so I just posted a comment above but I was just saying that a friend and I too are looking for traveling/ back packing buddies :) let me know what you think.

katieusa Hey guys! I'm new to the site but was trying to find people to backpack with in Europe. None of my friends would really be up for it, and I"m afraid even if they say yes they'll bail at the last minute so I really want to plan ahead to at least have people to meet up with over there. Im free from the first week of June until the third week in August so I'm super flexible with dates. I'm leaving out of Las Vegas, and I'm 22 years old. I'm a pretty chill person, I just think it'd be more fun to share this adventure with people rather than have to worry about finding people when I get over there

Lisa510 Hey guys, sorry I'm just responding to all of you right now but I haven't been on here in awhile so I just saw this message. But anyways, as of right now I don't know what I'm doing next summer as far as traveling goes because I might have a new job, in which case I probably wouldn't be able to get time off. I should hopefully know by Christmas time what's going on, and I will defintely keep in touch now that alot of people have let messages on this site. Everything sounds great though!

Lillygutierrez Are you still going? Is it too late to join?

Todd Hi Rajeev, does that train to Pakistan go through Jammu? We were there a couple of months ago. We attended the border ceremony and couldn't help but want to go across to Lahore to see what is was like. What do you think it's like there for indians/foreigners at the moment? We were there before/after the Osama thing; security was tight even in India airports. In Bangalore you couldn't even enter the airport unless you had a flight leaving in the next few hours. I had to stand outside the doors from 9pm until 6am. Loved the border ceremony.

Rajeev Hi Todd, No that doesn't go via Jammu, it goes via a place called Atari(Indo-Pak border). Security is very tight in India and people don't oppose as it good for us. However some time I come across article in news paper that some group of people are travelling across sub-continent. I believe they must have strong relationship with both the government. So where are you now a days? Any plan for India..recently I have shifted to Calcutta from Bangalore. If you ever think of coming to this part of world , do knok me once :)

Dapinder Zaildar Yaa The train passes via attari border and there is a border ceremony everyday and is a great place to visit..and its very difficult now to have visa to pakistan....//u can plan a visit to himalayas n himachal from there..

phillipmaxtanner@gmail.com hey, i'm not actually going up any mountains per se. the apex of the trip is the annapurna base camp. if you're still interested let me know and i'll send u the itinerary.

Alice please do:)

Todd Hi Alice, a few people are talking about doing Aconcagua on this trip page: http://globetrooper.com/let-s-plan-to-climb-mt-everest-anyone-2013. Aconcagua tends to be the next stop for people after Kili, although it is 1km taller and is substantially more challenging.

Alice I want to do Everest base camp. anyone planning trek in 2012?

Todd We got "stuck" in India for 5 months straight :) So yeah, lots of countries. But I'm sure it would be a blast too. Highly recommend India, Egypt and Peru from that list. Australia is pretty expensive, but a good wind-down from the culture shock of Asia and elsewhere.

Damian Yea, I know I won't make it to all those countries in one year. That's my dream list. I don't want to rush, so even if I get to half the list I'll be happy. Todd, when you say 'stuck,' do you mean not by choice? Ouch. I'd like to hear that story.
Lauren, I want to do a little bit of everything. My plan is to stay in some nice hotels in key destination. Backpack, coach surf and hosteling for legs of the trip, get a car and road trip for other parts of the trip. I don't have anything planned yet, but I don't want to have a set itinerary. I'll figure it out as I go. Not sure yet if I want to start in South America or Australia. I want to leave Europe for last.

Todd Hey Damian, no, I meant stuck as in we loved it so much that we didn't leave until our visas expired. There was adventure around every corner, as long as you keep away from the tourist hotspots. It's very easy to get off the tourist path in India. We only ran into too many tourists once we hit Goa.

Damian Ok, that sounds much better now. Yea, I want to do a little of both. Some key tourist traps, but mostly out and about mingling with the locals and being exposed to the culture. I just started planning and have a million questions. Maybe I can run some by you and Lauren once I can get them all compiled. You guys seem to have a lot of experience in this.

Lauren Give us a call whenever you like, my skype name is globetrooperlauren. My first piece of advice if you don't already have it, is get skype :) And be careful of Australia. It's big and expensive = budget blown for a lot of ppl.

frayknott hi all...damian i wish i could leave everything and just go away for a year exploring the world myself!! i initialy thought about taking a month off work and seeing a couple of places but the more i think about it the more i want to leave it all behind and going for an amazing adventure around the world. add me on skype ana4blandiana. would love to keep in touch and if i cant do th whole year maybe i could meet you on some of the journey.

Matthew Hunt in your trip don't forget the treasurers close to home. have you ever been to my home state Kentucky? we have the mammoth cave, land between the lakes, swamps, mountains, and one of the deepest rivers in the world.

Damian Matthew, you are absolutely right. My idea is to do the US later on in life. On a bike or RV. I know, complete opposites. I think it will depend on my age, haha.

Matthew Hunt very cool dude but if you will when all this is over. tell us about your trip on "Sun, Cload, & Halo." on Facebook... its this little page i made so that peaple can share trip info and stories on facebook. im not selling any thing there its just for fun. good luck bro.

Damian I could find that group on FB. Can you send me a link? I plan on blogging about it too. I will give the address once it's all set up.

Damian Matt, I meant I could not find it.

Todd Consider white water rafting in India; especially up around Rishikesh. There's also rafting Thailand, plus it's a great place to hire a motorcycle to tour the country.

asegall Egypt has been at the top of my "must see" list since I was a child. Can't wait!

Julie Finally! Another continent and a new adventure! yay!

Todd Hi asegall & Julie, we travelled to Egypt a few years ago and absolutely loved it. Still today we recount stories about the culture and history. The bazaars are just crazy and the food is delicious too. We even raced donkeys over 9km between two villages. Pure, unadulterated fun. Hope you guys like it.

Julie Fun!! I would lOVE that and I'm very excited. :)

Sheila I got the course on Ancient Egypt from these guys. thegreatcourses.com Maybe too late to get it now but holy crap it's sooo good. 48 lectures by world renowned Egyptologist Robert Brier. I'm on #37 & hope to be able to review all 48 before I leave. Google him-you can find some lectures on-line including how to make your own mummy using ancient techniques - he actually did it! Question to those who have been. How much access will we have to getting cash once en route? i.e. ATMs or banks/exchanges. I need to know how much cash to bring. Is US cash ok or do we need Egyptian? rsvp!

asegall todd – that sounds amazing! EXACTLY the kind of adventures i enjoy when traveling. sheila – that course sounds really interesting. might have to check it out post trip.

asegall just in case you haven't booked your flights yet – i found a pretty nice deal on Turkish Airlines out of JFK. they have a "comfort economy" cabin with many of the features of business class (wider seats, more leg room, USB plug-ins, etc.) for not much more than an economy ticket.

Todd Hi Sheila, plenty of access to ATMs. Never had a problem with ATMs anywhere in the world, except maybe rural India or Bolivia. As for US cash, I suspect you're better off with local money. I've never tried to use US (or Australian) dollars in another country. But I'm sure you'd lose on conversion.

Sheila thanks Todd. Is this based on experience in Egypt?

Todd Hi Sheila. Yes, I've spent a few weeks. Absolutely loved it. We travelled from Cairo all the way to Abu Simbel on the Sudanese border.

Money was never a problem and everything is cheap. A falafel sandwich with salad was about 50 cents. Taxis are cheap too. A hot air ballon above the Valley of the Kings was about $75. Probably a bit more now, but cheap nonetheless.

Only real advice I have is to try to be tolerant in the bazaars. At first it will seem like people are being aggressive and your natural instinct may be to snap or avoid them. Our guide told us to just take a breath and go with the flow. Best advice ever. Don't feel pressured and try not to be defensive. Just have fun bargaining and chatting.

Hope you have a blast :)

asegall just curious what camera gear everyone is planning on bringing and if there will be any lens-swapping opportunities. i will have a canon 5D, 24-70mm, 100-400mm and possibly a 70-300mm. anyone bringing a canon 16-35mm or similar wide-angle?

Steve I have a Nikon D80 with 70-300 and 18-55 so no swapping with you unfortunately Aaron.

David G What is the hotel we are meeting at upon arrival in Cairo? How do we get in touch we each other in case for whatever reason we don't find guy with sign at airport?

Steve Hey David, I will be sending out all the hotel names and contact info on Friday. You can e-mail me but I will not have a cell phone. I’ve been doing this for 4 years and never had a problem. My operator has your flight information so if you get delayed they will know and be able to track when you arrive. I arrive after you (7:00 PM) so you will be at the hotel before me anyway. I will also provide the operator’s contact info on Friday in case you did need to contact them upon arrival. Again this is all very doubtful as I have yet to have a problem over the years.

Charlene Hey, Yes I am, although I haven't booked anything yet. When are you going? I'd love to go to the Galapagos Islands, but it's so expensive. Who are you going there with? Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia were my priorities. The rest will depend on my funds

Noreen I'm looking to head out on 30th Dec and return Eastertime. I know the GI are expensive, but think while I'm there ... Looking to travel most of it on my own - hoping friends will come out and visit while at GI and Brazil but will see! My main priorities are GI, Peru and Aregentina. For Peru - will be looking at doing Inca trail, Nazca and lake titicaca. And will probably start looking into booking the inca trail trek in the next month or so

Charlene Just before New Years? I was probably going to leave in January some time. What tour company will yo do the islands and inca trail with? I want to do the inca trail definitely. Why do you want to do it alone? The reason I signed up on here was to find someone to travel with. Where will you go first?

Noreen Well dates arent really decided upon so will see (depends if friends are up for going out to GI with me re NYE) Don't know what tour company will go with yet, still looking into them really - have you seen any good ones? No, I didn't mean it like that - I don't want to do it on my own, its more about meeting up with others along the way than anything :) I'm going to look to fly to GI first and then head down to Peru.

Charlene Quite an expensive trip for your mates to pay out for. Wish my mates wanted to travel. I haven't looked into it properly but all the ones I have seen are pretty expensive. Will you not bother seeing any of Ecuador then? Let me know if you find a cheap way of going to the islands. You do know that the Inca Trail is closed in February right?

Todd Hey there, just a quick tip about the Inca Trail, it's important to book many months in advance. We had to do an alternative route because we didn't have advance notice. It was still nice and very challenging, but not the classic Inca.

Charlene yes I know this Todd. A bit of a pain isn't it. Thanks

Charlene hey Noreen, Alison says you're doing the inca trail the last week of Jan. Which tour company and what date are you going?

Charlene are are you still heading to the GI on Dec 30th?

Noreen Hey Charlene - Yes Im doing the trail on the 20th Jan with Peru Treks, not going till 6th Jan to the GI's now, managed to get an 8 day cruise :) Hows your plans coming along?

Charlene oh cool. that's the company i told you about isn't it? which company r u going to the GI with? will the inca trail b the first thing u do then and what u doing after the islands? so many questions! i've still got nothing definite because i'm waiting for some news here first. will know in 2 weeks

Noreen I'm going to do the GI first and then head down to Peru after that to do the Inca trail. Booked GI through Happy Gringo

Charlene yep sorry. How much did you pay for the GI tour? was that company recommended to you?

Noreen i ended up paying $1800 USD which while still expensive is a lot less than some agents were charging me. Guess it would always be cheaper to book a tour while in Quito ... I the company was recommended on travbuddy website, seems a lot of people rated it. You need to contact them to see what boats are available.

Charlene ok thanks for letting me know. I still don't know what I'm going to do yet but will hopefully be able to make a decision next week. I might wait until I arrive there and then book i if I do go

Lauren Hi Ludmila, I love your EFOH spirit! Haha. I've been travelling for 18+ months now after escaping. Not sure where I'll be when you start but I'll keep you posted. It would be great to meet up. Have fun planning! Let me know if you need any help.

Ludmila Hi Lauren, thanks for commenting. Indeed EFOH is a truly relevant thing for me now especially if you choose between rat racing and travelling the world. I will actually appreciate if you give me hints on interesting non tourist spots in Asia and Latin America especially on those where I can do some adventurous stuff. Would really love to get to know your travel stories, recommendations on budget hotels and other info that might be useful. I actually enjoy planning, it s almost like travelling:) I would love to stay in touch and meet up somewhere. Have fun travelling, I m really jealous about your 18 months escape

Todd Hi Ludmilla, in Asia, India was my favourite. Such a diverse country (beaches, desert, mountains, etc, plus the culture) and train travel is such a blast. Very cheap of course and so many famous places to explore. Thailand is good if you need a rest. It's relatively developed, has fast internet in the big cities, the people are friendly, and it's very cheap. In South America, we loved Bolivia and Peru. Peru is an easy place with lots of history and nice people, while Bolivia has lots of adventure and our favourite, the San Pedro Prison. If you want a real adventure, give this a go > http://globetrooper.com/notes/how-to-get-into-san-pedro-prison-bolivia. Would love to hear about Russia too.

Ludmila Hi Todd, thanks for the info. I do plan to stay for a while in India and explore not only tourist spots but also some hidden non tourist places. If u know those that might be of interest and give me the list I ll be very thankful. I do plan to have some rest in Thailand indeed so probably will spend there a month too. I was in Peru 2 years ago and covered pretty much of the country but defo plan Bolivia. Not very aware about the country yet. I actually wanted to write some articles on Russia and also if you need I can correct the info you have in the Region guides - not sure how quick though..P.S. Liked ur profile pic - we have climbed Kilimanjaro this year too and I just loved it so def plan some treks during my trip as well

Todd Wow, sounds like you've really been places :) We wrote this post on our favourite places in India: http://globetrooper.com/notes/best-places-to-go-india There's an expedition coming up that involves riding Russian sidecars through Siberia. check it out here: http://www.theadventurists.com/the-adventures/ice-run

Ludmila Been some indeed;) still a beginner though. Thanks for a link to a great India article. Read about the Siberia expedition, these guys are strong. Wow! Should seem exotic for a non Russian;)