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Articles About Travel and the World

Travel isn’t escape – it’s experiencing new and exciting things.

These informative and funny travel articles cover years of eventful experiences I’ve had.

I live and have been traveling around Asia for many years. I’ve also lived in Europe and have backpacked through South America. These are some of the humorous stories I have to tell, plus some informative articles about the cultures, food, people, and more.

A Rant About Vietnam: Saving Face

Vietnam has taken me on a roller-coaster ride since I’ve been here. There’s the ups and the downs, but the ups usually take longer — you know, like how a roller-coaster slowly ascends. click. click. click. And then, when it gets to the top and goes over that hump, it’s a quick exhilarating drop that only lasts a second. Well, Vietnam is like that. The ‘ups’ are longer, and the ‘downs’ only last a little while. But I guess the whole exhilaration thing kind of screws up my metaphor. Vietnam is like a box of chocolates… No. What I’m trying to say is, don’t think that I hate living in Vietnam just because I rant about it. I love it here, but I have to get my frustrations out somehow, and if you ask anyone living here if they have frustrations they will tell you, “Yes, yes I freakin do”.
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The Vietnamese Have Been Eating Hipster Since Before Hipster was Hip

Southeast Asian hipster
Southeast Asian Hipster
I’m not a hipsterologist or anything — in fact, I once thought being hipster, scenester, and emo were all the same thing (an hour long rant set me straight). However, I did live in Toronto, Canada for about 8 years, and… Well, if you live at the zoo, you’re going to learn about animal behavior. Most of my hipster behavioral studies courses have taken place at cafes or restaurants, so I think I’ve got a pretty good sense of their eating habits. Since moving to Vietnam and having the chance to study an entirely new race of people, I have found some interesting similarities to the hipster race. I’ve decided to break it all down and see who eats more hipster – the Vietnamese or the hipsters. Lace up your Cons, this shit’s on.
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A Rant About Vietnam: Everything is so Cheap…ly Made.

Vietnam is great. If you get the chance to come here, do it. The people are friendly. The food is amazing. It’s exciting and challenging and rewarding. Sometimes it makes me want to put on a hockey skate and stomp a puppy. To stop myself from doing that, I must vent. That’s why this article exists. Consider one week’s worth of puppies saved (at least from me — I can’t save the ones that will end up on a Vietnamese dinner plate).

Made in Vietnam Clothing Store
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A Rant About Living in Vietnam: The Driving

Of course, I have to preface this article by saying that I love Vietnam. I am enjoying living here and I am excited about what’s to come. Everyday I see something new, and everyday I feel a stronger connection to the country. That being said, it’s sometimes an extremely frustrating place to live. It’s difficult to stay positive when something goes wrong. In Vietnam, when it rains it pours — both literally and metaphorically. So here goes a bit of a rant. Let this be a warning to someone who is considering a move to Vietnam, but mostly let this be a therapeutic exercise for me — cause there’s a history of people losing their shit in ‘nam.

Motorcycles driving in Vietnam
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Finding a House to Rent in Vietnam

How to find a house for rent in Vietnam and not get ripped off in the process

On our first trip to Vietnam, Sara and I loved it so much that we decided to move there. It’s been 3 weeks and we have finally found a place to live. We move into our first Vietnamese home tomorrow. Finding a house for rent in Vietnam was a difficult task, but we did it. Here’s how.

If you are in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City there are a few services for expats that will help you find a place to live. They’re usually nice houses or apartments that are furnished and have western amenities. However, if you know where to look it’s possible to find a rental for much cheaper, and the adventure in finding it will make it that much more special.
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Do you Need to Pack Medicine? Health Concerns While Traveling

I’m not a medical professional. I’m just a person who’s travelled a lot. Don’t blame me if my advice leads to you getting sick or crapping yourself.

pharmacyPacking light is an art form that’s been studied by many a travel-guru. Even though it has the potential for amazing sounds, you probably don’t want raging diarrhea to ruin your trip. At the same time, loading up your bathroom travel kit with everything behind the mirror seems a little much. Instead, while you’re abroad you could head to a local pharmacy to get what you need, and a little adventure while you’re there.
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GeniusFlight tells you where you can afford to fly

The most expensive part of traveling is often the flight. You can save money on accommodations by sleeping in a hostel. Food is made cheaper by subsisting on bread and squeeze cheese for a few days (trust me). Expensive tourist attractions can often be avoided and traded in for a much cheaper beer-and-people-watching session, but unfortunately there is no way around the cost of a flight. Sure you can fly with a budget airline, but you are still paying a pretty penny and finding deals isn’t an easy task. Until now! Da da dunnnn. GeniusFlight allows you to put in your starting airport, your budget, and your travel dates and they will tell you where you can afford to fly. Of course, living in Canada means my options are limited, but for someone in London, England this is laughing manically and rubbing your hands together worthy.
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Books and Movies to get you Pumped for your Trip to Vietnam

There’s a ton of entertaining books and movies about Vietnam. Before you pack your bags, why not watch a few films and read a few books. You’ll not only learn something about the country, but you’ll also get yourself psyched for your travel adventures. Here’s some recommendations from me. Full disclosure: the links will take you to Amazon where you can buy the product. If you do happen to buy it through our link, we make a little bit of money at no cost to you.

Vietnam: The 10,000 Day WarVietnam: The Ten Thousand Day War
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Where to go in Slovakia: A Visitor’s Guide by Someone Who Lived There

If you are planning a trip through central Europe, you might be tempted to put a quick stopover in Bratislava, Slovakia’s capital. This seems like the logical place to visit, since there isn’t much information out there about the hidden gems that the country has to offer. We lived in Slovakia for a year, so we’ve explored the country in depth, and we’ve discovered a lot of great places. Here are some of Itchy Feet’s suggestions for where to go in Slovakia.
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More than an Eye Sore: The Darker Side of Travel

Laos coffee PakseSara and I sat down on the patio of a fairly nice café and ordered two Laos coffees. Something in me sparked at the thought of the black liquid. Probably an addiction. I resisted the urge to scratch at my eye, which was swollen practically shut from a mosquito bite received a few days earlier. Over Sara’s shoulder a young busboy piled up some plates. Before taking them inside, he walked over to a planter that held some beautiful orange flowers. Pulling the front of his pants down, he plopped his dick out and squirted six seconds worth of piss into the planter, then flipped his dick back into his pants and took the plates inside. Where’s that waitress with my coffee?
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Bangkok: A tribute to Hunter S. Thompson the drug addict, alcoholic, adulterer who shot himself in the head.

Bangkok, Thailand backpacker ghetto
Khao San Road, the backpacker ghetto
Like batter poured into a pan, Bangkok sprawls outward, expanding and cooking at the same time. Although only a capital city for two hundred and thirty years, it’s history is everywhere: In its Chinatown market that is as old as the city itself, in its giant lavish temples that are surrounded by beggared, street sleeping locals and advantageous tuk-tuk drivers, in its decrepitness.
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Shaved Across Southeast Asia

I wait, slightly nervous, as a boy slowly has his hair cut. The barber runs the comb through the hair and snips at it with the scissors. The end result is a hairdo that I refer to as “the Asian”. I’m definitely not here for one of those. Two weeks of traveling has left me with a patchy fuzz across my face. It’s time we parted ways. I get into the chair and am reclined to 180 degrees.

Puerto Princesa philippines barbershop
Barber shop in Puerto Princesa, Philippines

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