Now that I have you on the edge of your seat to find out what travel secrets I could possibly divulge, I need to explain the background for this post first.
I was tagged by JoAnna of Kaleidoscopic Wandering in a “best travel secrets” Tripbase Blog Tag started by Katie over at TripBase. That’s it, the whole background. Now the moment you’ve been waiting for…
1. Lub*d – The best hostel in Southeast Asia, if not the world.
Granted I haven’t stayed in any other hostel, Lub*d came highly recommended and there’s even a Matador article about it. When I went, there was a buy 1 night get 1 free offer, so I was able to get a two person room for the cost of one. At the time, I didn’t have my netbook, so the computers in the lobby with free internet came in handy.
2. Order a special meal on international flights.
Vegetarian, kosher, low-calorie, any special meal that strikes your fancy, go for it. Here’s why – you get your meal first. The flight attendants will bring you your special meal and you can practically finish before your neighbor even catches a whiff of his meal.
3. Try not to look like a tourist.
Take a map, but never look at it in public. This will automatically mark you as a tourist, therefore leaving you open to harassment by vendors, drivers, and anyone else.
Don’t EVER wear the typical American tourist outfit – hat, polo shirt (tucked in), khakis/jeans, sneakers, and a fanny pack of some sort. Or any kind of shirt with one of the other places you’ve visited on it, much less the location you are currently visiting. Again, it will automatically mark you as a tourist.
Exhibit A: This tourist thought sunglasses vs. a hat would make him “less American”, but the tucked-in Harley shirt, khakis, and map sticking out of said khakis is a dead give away. Thanks, robby-T.
I now tag 5 other bloggers to share their travel secrets:
9 responses so far ↓
1 Thetravelnerd // Dec 3, 2009 at 1:36 am
The Lubd hostel looks amazing. I will Definitely check that out next year when I’m back in Bangkok hope there is a promo on then too as its a little expensive for a double froom on my tight as budget! Have to think about my travel secrets now!
2 Katie, Tripbase // Dec 3, 2009 at 1:38 am
Great secrets Abbie, thanks for sharing!
Gotta love those I love NY shirts!
3 AdventureRob // Dec 3, 2009 at 6:48 am
I was in Lub’d this year a few times too, it’s nice but guesthouses are cheaper when the offer isn’t on (3rd time I went there they said it wasn’t on, I questioned it and they gave me it).
I do the special meal thing too! I usually find them better too, meat based airline meals are a bit thoughtless and the vegetarian option is usually more appealing
Been caught out on the map thing myself too, luckily looking at a map on a phone doesn’t have the same effect.
4 Candice // Dec 3, 2009 at 8:01 am
Thanks for the tag! I’ll keep that hostel in mind.
5 Abbie Mood // Dec 3, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Lub*d is sweet, but it’s definitely not the cheapest place to stay unless they’re running a deal!
6 Nancy // Dec 6, 2009 at 8:09 am
Great tips. I’ll keep that hostel in mind.
7 tom gates // Dec 24, 2009 at 7:05 am
Glad you liked Lub’d. I wondered if people were going to agree with me after I wrote that piece. Seems to be some uniform love for the joint.
8 Abbie Mood // Dec 24, 2009 at 9:45 am
@tom – I haven’t really heard anything about Lub*d, and your article actually helped my decision
9 Download Free Travel Secrets E-Book to Donate to Charity: Water // May 22, 2010 at 7:07 pm
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