I’m already nearly 6 months on the road – yeah, it’s crazy how the time flies. A lot of things changed, my plans changed at least 50 times, my destinations changed, and I changed myself a lot. What actually didn’t change much is my packing list. There are only a few minimal changes, and they have different reasons. In here you can find my original blog entry.
We all know that Australia is one of the most developed countries in the world and one thing they are even ahead of 99 % of European countries are public services. Public toilets, public showers, and drinking water all for free. I’m so surprised what some small things have for an effect and what you can find here everywhere. As a result, I feel even safer, and as a Backpacker, it helps a lot. In some cases, it protects the environment, and in other instances, it protects your health, and it helps to save some money.
The Great Ocean Road is a 300 km long road mostly on the edge of the ocean. The views are stunning, the beaches are beautiful, and nature is great. My brother visited me, and we did the great ocean road starting from Melbourne and stopped the third evening in Portland. Here is what you can expect from this road and what you should consider before you leave.
When you are traveling in Australia the cheapest and most flexible way is to buy a cheap car and resell it again at the end. If everything goes well you can resell it for the same price you bought it, you can sleep at free camping sites, and you can leave, stop and drive wherever you like, and nobody is stopping you.
Nusa Penida is the Island just next to Bali – it is there where all these fantastic photos get shot and where you can find one amazing beach next to the other. If you are in Bali, don’t have that much time and still want to get a taste of that Island – you should do it with a tour. The other possibility would be to visit the island in two days and sleep on the Island. However, one day was enough, and I would do it always again.
To be honest, when I planned on going to Bali I thought that it was one Island and there was just one place where all the tourist would stay. While I wanted to book my first Hostel, I realized that I was wrong. Bali is huge – like everything in Indonesia – and there are several beautiful areas where you can stay. Each of them has its characteristics, and you have different activities you can do in the different parts. I have been in the three main sections and this blog entry I’ll compare them, so you can decide upfront what is the best part to visit. Keep in mind that Bali is huge, and traffic can be horrible, so from Kuta to Ubud, you’ll need over one hour by motorbike and even longer with the car. It’s not a good Idea to stay in Kuta when you only do activities in Ubud.
For me, there is no doubt that Kuta in Lombok will get the new Bali. If you look at Lombok now, that’s probably how Bali looked 20 years ago, before all the masses of tourists came and transformed the island entirely. No doubt, Bali is still charming and amazing to visit, but Lombok has the same, just without the millions of tourists.
There is no doubt – it’s with the motorbike. In the last six days, I was exploring the Island of Lombok (The Island next to Bali) and the Gili Islands. And all of that I did with a motorbike. It was not only the cheapest option but definitely also the most flexible option. The negative side is that it is slow, especially to travel from Bali to the Gilis and back takes a lot more time on this way. Therefore it’s also just a fraction of the cost.
I don’t understand the reason behind it, but in Indonesia, it is forbidden for Grab and Go-jek drivers to pick up people from train stations, bus stations, and other touristic hotspots. But there is a simple way to avoid to get ripped off and here’s what you can do about it
While traveling the accommodation in which you stay might be one of the most important things. It can change your travel experience from the best to the worse ever. Especially as a solo traveler Hostels will be a big part of your travel experience and it will change a lot. This is the reason why you should think twice before booking hostels and pay attention what you are booking. While I could write a whole book about the booking of hostels and which things you have to consider I found out one thing that might not be that obvious to everybody. And that’s what I wanted to write about here to inform you about that and make you think twice.
