8 common air travel snafus (and how to beat them)

YOU FACE A SURPRISE LAYOVER
Airlines can cancel your nonstop flight without much warning and rebook you on a flight with connections.
Why it matters: Nonstop flights usually cost top dollar, but an airline can make such a change without reimbursing you for the premium you paid. That means a financial loss -- not to mention an inconvenience.
How to deal: When you learn about the change (usually via text or e-mail notification from the airline), check online to see if there's another nonstop flight available. If there is, call the airline and politely ask to be put on that flight at no additional cost. If your airline has no nonstop flights (even though it sold you one), ask for a refund.
Major airlines will comply without charging any change fees if you refuse to accept a new, multistop flight that arrives at your destination more than two hours later than originally scheduled, says Brett Snyder, former airline pricing analyst and current aviation blogger at the Cranky Flier.
Budget Travel: Confessions of a cruise ship musician
Trick to avoid the problem: At the end of the month, many cancellations on U.S. carriers may be due to flight crews reaching caps on the number of hours they're allowed to work, or so we've heard anecdotally through airline employees. Logic holds that, by adding a layover to a flight, airlines can swap out a fresh crew to fly the final leg of a journey.
The lesson: When possible, fly early in the month to reduce the chance of a nonstop switcheroo. Insider tip: Sign up to receive text or e-mail notifications about delays and other flight changes when you buy your ticket.
YOU'RE NOT FLYING THE AIRLINE YOU EXPECTED
Two airlines may sell seats on the same flight through a sales strategy called code sharing. This means that you may book your ticket with one airline, but you'll be flying one of its partners.
Why it matters: This sleight of hand can make it confusing to know which airline's customer-service office you should call for help when a problem crops up. For instance, one airline may allow you to check a bag for free, while the other may charge a fee. Whose rules apply on your code-share flight?
How to deal: First, it's important to understand that the flight rules that apply are the ones of the company whose logo is on the plane flying you. But when it comes to re-ticketing, you usually need to talk to the airline that took your money. For instance, if you miss your connecting flight and need to rebook, the gate agent is likely to refer you to the airline you originally bought the ticket from.
Trick to avoid the problem: Keep your eye out for code-share flights so you're prepared. Some travel websites, like Expedia, point out which airline you're truly flying on under the flight details section in their search results. In other cases, you have to call an airline to find out.
Insider tip: If you're in need of help at the airport, ask to be pointed to the customer-service counter for the airline that took your money in the first place. If there isn't such a counter at the terminal, ask to speak on a phone to the "duty airport manager" for the airline that sold you the ticket, says David Rowell, publisher of The Travel Insider. This is the person who manages the day-to-day operations of the airline at that particular airport and who can usually help you resolve your issue.
YOUR FLIGHT GETS CANCELED
Your aircraft has to be taken out of service because it needs maintenance -- or a snowstorm keeps it grounded.
Why it matters: If you need to cancel, an airline will usually allow you to use the value of your "nonrefundable" ticket on another flight within a year (while also charging you a change fee, of course). But when the airline is the one doing the canceling, it will most likely rebook you on a later one, which could leave you stranded at the airport for hours -- or even days.
How to deal: In the U.S., if your flight is canceled for a cause that's within the airline's control, such as a mechanical failure on the aircraft, some airlines will provide modest compensation, like vouchers for meals.
But when it comes to weather cancellation, and you're a coach-class passenger, you're on your own until they can rebook you on the next flight, which means you'll be paying for all of your meals and your hotel room. If you're flying from or within Europe, the airline may owe you compensation for cancellations (ask an agent about EU rule 261).
Trick to avoid the problem: Try to book early morning flights, when there's a full day ahead for airlines to recover from any weather or operational delays. Insider tip: Before you book, check to see a flight's statistical average for cancellations at flightstats.com (listed under the on-time performance rating). Consider that it may be worth peace of mind to book an alternate flight that has a lower historical average of cancellations, even if that option costs a bit more.
Budget Travel: Secret hotels of Paris
YOU'RE BUMPED FROM A FLIGHT
Last year, airlines bumped 681,105 passengers from flights in this country (8.7 percent of these individuals were bumped against their will). Overbooking is to blame.
Why it matters: If you volunteer to give up your seat, you'll be rebooked and usually rewarded with a free flight pass to use at another time. But if you're unlucky enough to be kicked off a domestic flight against your will, you're at the mercy of the airline's schedule. With planes often flying at capacity today, it could be a long while before you reach your destination.
How to deal: If you're bumped involuntarily, know your legal rights: Being placed on another flight within an hour scores you no compensation. Yet when it takes up to two hours on a domestic flight (or four hours for international travel), the airline must pay you double the value of your one-way fare, up to a maximum of $650.
If you're more than two hours delayed, you'll be reimbursed four times the value of your one-way ticket, up to $1,300 max. Flying in Europe? Rules are similar, with possible compensation up to $874.
Trick for avoiding the problem: Check in via the airline's website as soon as you're allowed -- usually 24 hours before departure. Early check-in may boost the chance that you'll make it onto a flight. Insider tip: When it comes to reimbursement, federal law entitles you to cash for being bumped against your will.
The airline may try to give you a voucher for a free future flight instead. Insist on the cash, which is obviously less restrictive than a voucher. But if you're volunteering to give up your seat, don't be pushy about receiving cash. In that case, airlines aren't required to give you anything, so a gracious "thank you" is all that's called for.
YOU MISS YOUR FLIGHT
Sometimes travelers show up too late for their flight because of traffic or other snafus.
Why it matters: Booking a new, eleventh-hour plane ticket can be costly.
How to deal: Whatever the reason, if you miss your flight on a nonrefundable ticket, you can usually pay a change fee -- typically between $150 and $200 on a domestic flight -- and be rebooked on a new one. You generally also have to pay for the difference between your new ticket's price and the original fare. Policies on overseas airlines may vary, but expect to pay in the ballpark of $250.
Trick to avoid the problem: Your mother was right: Showing up early is the smart thing to do. Other tricks can give you an edge when life doesn't cooperate: Don't bring bags to check, so that it'll be much faster for agents to allow you to board -- even if you've missed the check-in cut-off time (see below). Insider tip: Find out in advance the airline's cut-off time for checking in by going to seatguru.com, picking your airline, and clicking on the "Check-in" tab.
For example, Continental's policies at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport require check-in to be completed 45 minutes before departure or else you may be denied boarding. If you're en route to the airport and realize you're going to miss your flight, look up alternative flight times (and seat availability) via an app like TripCase, which is free for devices such as theAndroid, iPhone and BlackBerry.
YOU DON'T FIT IN YOUR SEAT
If you're super tall or extremely overweight, you may not fit in the typical airplane seat.
Why it matters: Consider how flight attendants on a recent Horizon Air flight forced a six-foot-nine-inch-tall passenger to leave a plane because his legs were blocking the aisle. The airline later apologized, saying it should have instead had the flier trade seats with another passenger in the roomier exit row.
Plus-size passengers have also been in the news in recent years: Airlines increasingly insist that passengers who can't fit in a seat with a seatbelt extender buy an additional seat.
How to deal: When you have trouble fitting in your seat, ask a flight attendant if he or she could arrange for a swap between you and another passenger who may have more legroom or free space on either side.
Trick to avoid the problem: Check in online 24 hours prior to departure and select a seat assignment in the roomy exit row. If that's not possible, call the airline, explain your problem, and buy an adjacent seat.
Insider tip: If you do buy a second ticket, ask the gate agent what your airline's policy is on refunding the price of the spare seat if it turns out that you can sit comfortably without it -- some airlines will reimburse the cost if they have made a note ahead of time in the reservations system.
YOUR LUGGAGE, OR SOMETHING INSIDE, IS DAMAGED
Your suitcase isn't insured by the airline for wear and tear. But if something inside your bag is damaged, it may be covered.
Why it matters: On domestic flights, a passenger can recover up to $3,300 for damaged or lost contents of luggage. Liability on most international flights is less, strangely enough, at about $1,500 a passenger.
How to deal: Report a claim within 24 hours, or else you may lose your chance to file for reimbursement. Be prepared to itemize your belongings.
Trick to avoid the problem: Never pack anything fragile or difficult to replace in your checked luggage. For instance, airlines almost never cover jewelry or electronics. Even breakable items such as musical instruments that aren't packed in hard-sided cases are usually not covered by U.S. airlines. Just ask Dave Carroll, the musician who made a famous YouTube video about how his guitar was damaged to the tune of $1,200 by United baggage handlers.
Insider tip: If your bag's contents are critical, ship them by a service such as FedEx or UPS. Because of rising checked-baggage fees, major shipping services are increasingly competitive in their rates. Just be sure to call your hotel first to make sure it will accept your package for delivery without charging a fee.
YOU LOSE YOUR PASSPORT
Perhaps you got pickpocketed or lost your day pack. Either way, your passport has gone the way of your cash and credit cards. Talk about headaches.
Why it matters: Without a U.S. passport, you won't be able to return to the country. (Vacations are nice, but who wants to become an accidental expat?)
How to deal: Passports can often be issued at a U.S. embassy on the same day if you can prove your identity (the U.S. Department of State has a full list of embassies and consulate offices around the world). Of course, it's hard to prove your identity when your wallet -- and everything in it -- is MIA.
The best first step in this situation is to go to a police station to get a statement declaring your situation. Take this statement to the embassy, and they should be able to retrieve your information in their system. You won't be charged any fees for a limited validity passport (the kind you get in an emergency), but you will need to pay the normal fee (around $110) to replace your full validity passport when you get back home.
Trick to avoid the problem: Stash your passport in a hotel safe or stuff it in a security pouch, such as the Rick Steves Silk Money Belt, which you can wear under your clothes (from $10, Amazon). Insider tip: Before you depart, sign up for the U.S. Department of State's free Smart Traveler Enrollment Program. Store your passport number and other details in its online database, making it easy for you to receive emergency assistance from a U.S. embassy or consulate during an emergency.
Alternatively, e-mail a scan of your passport to yourself at a Web-based account, which you can access if you lose your passport and you need to look up its number and issue date to request a new one.

Words Are Like Icebergs

It was getting dark. Paulo had been walking with me for half an hour. He’d invited me to dinner at his house, up near Mount Meru, and now we were going back down the dusty road to my neighborhood in Arusha, Tanzania. I wondered when he would turn around. I kept telling him I knew the way. But he kept walking.
“It’s okay,” he said. “I can escort you.”
The last thing I needed was an escort. I enjoyed walking by myself. But I didn’t realize how much had been lost in translation between Paulo’s chosen English word, “escort,” and the Swahili word for what he meant, kusindikiza.
In my dictionary, kusindikiza signified “to see someone off” or “to accompany someone part of the way home.” I had read these definitions, but I didn’t really understand them. Why would you want to accompany someone part of the way home? That is often the problem with learning new languages: You are taking an idea from one world and transporting it to another. The edges of the word, the shape of the idea, do not fit neatly into a new box.
Delving into a language is always partly about exploring new emotional terrain and figuring out how new notions go with a new set of words. According to linguist Steven Pinker, this is the essence of language: “People do not think in English or Chinese or Apache,” he writes in his book The Language Instinct, “they think in a language of thought.” Pinker says this is sometimes called “mentalese,” and it isn’t the same as what we speak. Instead, we translate our thoughts into words, which is why many foreign words are so hard to translate—you need to understand the ideas behind them.
Words in other languages are like icebergs: The basic meaning is visible above the surface, but we can only guess at the shape of the vast chambers of meaning below. And every language has particularly hard-to-translate terms, such as the Portuguese saudade, meaning “the feeling of missing someone or something that is gone,” or the Japanese ichigo-ichie, meaning “the practice of treasuring each moment and trying to make it perfect.” Linguists refer to the distance between these words and their rough translations as a lacuna, which comes from the Latin word for “pool” or “lake.” There’s a space we need to swim across to reach the other side.
For me, this is one of the great joys of traveling the world and learning different ways of thinking, of feeling, and of being: to land on some new shore of the mind, to look around and admire the view.
Of course, not everyone feels this way. A few years ago, a French businessman and thinker named Jean-Paul Nerriere noticed a trend among non-native English speakers he encountered at meetings: They were using a stripped-down version of the language, and they could communicate more easily with each other than with native English speakers. It was as if they had found a way to drain all the lacunas and meet on a tiny island where only the most utilitarian words would be needed.
Nerriere identified about 1,500 of the most essential English words, dubbed this shorthand Globish, and pronounced it a new global language. Now British journalist Robert McCrum, who has written a book called Globish: How the English Language Became the World’s Language, is claiming that it has passed beyond the sphere of American and British influence and become a “supranational phenomenon.” McCrum asserts that Globish will be “the linguistic phenomenon of the 21st century.”
He is probably right. Globish will be useful in many ways. But its limits will come to light as people become aware of everything that’s not being communicated—that simply cannot be communicated—with a handful of words floating on a vast ocean of feeling. Globish will either grow and morph into something rich and complex, or shrink and die as we realize how many of our thoughts are getting lost in translation, and how many lacunas still separate us.
It takes time and patience to learn the meaning of words in another language. It was only with time that I began to understand the meaning of kusindikiza. I learned it when people stopped to talk with me on the road. I learned it when they invited me to sit with them for tea. I learned it when I translated the Swahili proverb Wageni ni baraka. It means “guests are a blessing,” and I finally understood that people meant it when they said it, and that theirs was a world filled with gestures that showed how they enjoyed your company, how they valued your presence, and how they would walk for miles to show you that your friendship meant something to them.
Those are the feelings that cannot be included in the Swahili-English dictionary and that will baffle Globish speakers, but that are also among the rich rewards waiting on the other side of the lacuna.
Night had fallen on the road from Mount Meru when Paulo finally said goodbye, turned around, and headed back up the hill. I remember feeling bad for making him walk so far. But I also remember feeling strangely good that he had accompanied me all that way. And even now, years later, living in the United States, when I leave a friend’s house and hear the door shut behind me, part of me wishes there were someone to walk me halfway home.
It was getting dark. Paulo had been walking with me for half an hour. He’d invited me to dinner at his house, up near Mount Meru, and now we were going back down the dusty road to my neighborhood in Arusha, Tanzania. I wondered when he would turn around. I kept telling him I knew the way. But he kept walking.
“It’s okay,” he said. “I can escort you.”
The last thing I needed was an escort. I enjoyed walking by myself. But I didn’t realize how much had been lost in translation between Paulo’s chosen English word, “escort,” and the Swahili word for what he meant, kusindikiza.
In my dictionary, kusindikiza signified “to see someone off” or “to accompany someone part of the way home.” I had read these definitions, but I didn’t really understand them. Why would you want to accompany someone part of the way home? That is often the problem with learning new languages: You are taking an idea from one world and transporting it to another. The edges of the word, the shape of the idea, do not fit neatly into a new box.
Delving into a language is always partly about exploring new emotional terrain and figuring out how new notions go with a new set of words. According to linguist Steven Pinker, this is the essence of language: “People do not think in English or Chinese or Apache,” he writes in his book The Language Instinct, “they think in a language of thought.” Pinker says this is sometimes called “mentalese,” and it isn’t the same as what we speak. Instead, we translate our thoughts into words, which is why many foreign words are so hard to translate—you need to understand the ideas behind them.
Words in other languages are like icebergs: The basic meaning is visible above the surface, but we can only guess at the shape of the vast chambers of meaning below. And every language has particularly hard-to-translate terms, such as the Portuguese saudade, meaning “the feeling of missing someone or something that is gone,” or the Japanese ichigo-ichie, meaning “the practice of treasuring each moment and trying to make it perfect.” Linguists refer to the distance between these words and their rough translations as a lacuna, which comes from the Latin word for “pool” or “lake.” There’s a space we need to swim across to reach the other side.
For me, this is one of the great joys of traveling the world and learning different ways of thinking, of feeling, and of being: to land on some new shore of the mind, to look around and admire the view.
Of course, not everyone feels this way. A few years ago, a French businessman and thinker named Jean-Paul Nerriere noticed a trend among non-native English speakers he encountered at meetings: They were using a stripped-down version of the language, and they could communicate more easily with each other than with native English speakers. It was as if they had found a way to drain all the lacunas and meet on a tiny island where only the most utilitarian words would be needed.
Nerriere identified about 1,500 of the most essential English words, dubbed this shorthand Globish, and pronounced it a new global language. Now British journalist Robert McCrum, who has written a book called Globish: How the English Language Became the World’s Language, is claiming that it has passed beyond the sphere of American and British influence and become a “supranational phenomenon.” McCrum asserts that Globish will be “the linguistic phenomenon of the 21st century.”
He is probably right. Globish will be useful in many ways. But its limits will come to light as people become aware of everything that’s not being communicated—that simply cannot be communicated—with a handful of words floating on a vast ocean of feeling. Globish will either grow and morph into something rich and complex, or shrink and die as we realize how many of our thoughts are getting lost in translation, and how many lacunas still separate us.
It takes time and patience to learn the meaning of words in another language. It was only with time that I began to understand the meaning of kusindikiza. I learned it when people stopped to talk with me on the road. I learned it when they invited me to sit with them for tea. I learned it when I translated the Swahili proverb Wageni ni baraka. It means “guests are a blessing,” and I finally understood that people meant it when they said it, and that theirs was a world filled with gestures that showed how they enjoyed your company, how they valued your presence, and how they would walk for miles to show you that your friendship meant something to them.
Those are the feelings that cannot be included in the Swahili-English dictionary and that will baffle Globish speakers, but that are also among the rich rewards waiting on the other side of the lacuna.
Night had fallen on the road from Mount Meru when Paulo finally said goodbye, turned around, and headed back up the hill. I remember feeling bad for making him walk so far. But I also remember feeling strangely good that he had accompanied me all that way. And even now, years later, living in the United States, when I leave a friend’s house and hear the door shut behind me, part of me wishes there were someone to walk me halfway home.

It was getting dark. Paulo had been walking with me for half an hour. He’d invited me to dinner at his house, up near Mount Meru, and now we were going back down the dusty road to my neighborhood in Arusha, Tanzania. I wondered when he would turn around. I kept telling him I knew the way. But he kept walking.
“It’s okay,” he said. “I can escort you.”
The last thing I needed was an escort. I enjoyed walking by myself. But I didn’t realize how much had been lost in translation between Paulo’s chosen English word, “escort,” and the Swahili word for what he meant, kusindikiza.
In my dictionary, kusindikiza signified “to see someone off” or “to accompany someone part of the way home.” I had read these definitions, but I didn’t really understand them. Why would you want to accompany someone part of the way home? That is often the problem with learning new languages: You are taking an idea from one world and transporting it to another. The edges of the word, the shape of the idea, do not fit neatly into a new box.
Delving into a language is always partly about exploring new emotional terrain and figuring out how new notions go with a new set of words. According to linguist Steven Pinker, this is the essence of language: “People do not think in English or Chinese or Apache,” he writes in his book The Language Instinct, “they think in a language of thought.” Pinker says this is sometimes called “mentalese,” and it isn’t the same as what we speak. Instead, we translate our thoughts into words, which is why many foreign words are so hard to translate—you need to understand the ideas behind them.
Words in other languages are like icebergs: The basic meaning is visible above the surface, but we can only guess at the shape of the vast chambers of meaning below. And every language has particularly hard-to-translate terms, such as the Portuguese saudade, meaning “the feeling of missing someone or something that is gone,” or the Japanese ichigo-ichie, meaning “the practice of treasuring each moment and trying to make it perfect.” Linguists refer to the distance between these words and their rough translations as a lacuna, which comes from the Latin word for “pool” or “lake.” There’s a space we need to swim across to reach the other side.
For me, this is one of the great joys of traveling the world and learning different ways of thinking, of feeling, and of being: to land on some new shore of the mind, to look around and admire the view.
Of course, not everyone feels this way. A few years ago, a French businessman and thinker named Jean-Paul Nerriere noticed a trend among non-native English speakers he encountered at meetings: They were using a stripped-down version of the language, and they could communicate more easily with each other than with native English speakers. It was as if they had found a way to drain all the lacunas and meet on a tiny island where only the most utilitarian words would be needed.
Nerriere identified about 1,500 of the most essential English words, dubbed this shorthand Globish, and pronounced it a new global language. Now British journalist Robert McCrum, who has written a book called Globish: How the English Language Became the World’s Language, is claiming that it has passed beyond the sphere of American and British influence and become a “supranational phenomenon.” McCrum asserts that Globish will be “the linguistic phenomenon of the 21st century.”
He is probably right. Globish will be useful in many ways. But its limits will come to light as people become aware of everything that’s not being communicated—that simply cannot be communicated—with a handful of words floating on a vast ocean of feeling. Globish will either grow and morph into something rich and complex, or shrink and die as we realize how many of our thoughts are getting lost in translation, and how many lacunas still separate us.
It takes time and patience to learn the meaning of words in another language. It was only with time that I began to understand the meaning of kusindikiza. I learned it when people stopped to talk with me on the road. I learned it when they invited me to sit with them for tea. I learned it when I translated the Swahili proverb Wageni ni baraka. It means “guests are a blessing,” and I finally understood that people meant it when they said it, and that theirs was a world filled with gestures that showed how they enjoyed your company, how they valued your presence, and how they would walk for miles to show you that your friendship meant something to them.
Those are the feelings that cannot be included in the Swahili-English dictionary and that will baffle Globish speakers, but that are also among the rich rewards waiting on the other side of the lacuna.
Night had fallen on the road from Mount Meru when Paulo finally said goodbye, turned around, and headed back up the hill. I remember feeling bad for making him walk so far. But I also remember feeling strangely good that he had accompanied me all that way. And even now, years later, living in the United States, when I leave a friend’s house and hear the door shut behind me, part of me wishes there were someone to walk me halfway home.

It was getting dark. Paulo had been walking with me for half an hour. He’d invited me to dinner at his house, up near Mount Meru, and now we were going back down the dusty road to my neighborhood in Arusha, Tanzania. I wondered when he would turn around. I kept telling him I knew the way. But he kept walking.
“It’s okay,” he said. “I can escort you.”
The last thing I needed was an escort. I enjoyed walking by myself. But I didn’t realize how much had been lost in translation between Paulo’s chosen English word, “escort,” and the Swahili word for what he meant, kusindikiza.
In my dictionary, kusindikiza signified “to see someone off” or “to accompany someone part of the way home.” I had read these definitions, but I didn’t really understand them. Why would you want to accompany someone part of the way home? That is often the problem with learning new languages: You are taking an idea from one world and transporting it to another. The edges of the word, the shape of the idea, do not fit neatly into a new box.
Delving into a language is always partly about exploring new emotional terrain and figuring out how new notions go with a new set of words. According to linguist Steven Pinker, this is the essence of language: “People do not think in English or Chinese or Apache,” he writes in his book The Language Instinct, “they think in a language of thought.” Pinker says this is sometimes called “mentalese,” and it isn’t the same as what we speak. Instead, we translate our thoughts into words, which is why many foreign words are so hard to translate—you need to understand the ideas behind them.
Words in other languages are like icebergs: The basic meaning is visible above the surface, but we can only guess at the shape of the vast chambers of meaning below. And every language has particularly hard-to-translate terms, such as the Portuguese saudade, meaning “the feeling of missing someone or something that is gone,” or the Japanese ichigo-ichie, meaning “the practice of treasuring each moment and trying to make it perfect.” Linguists refer to the distance between these words and their rough translations as a lacuna, which comes from the Latin word for “pool” or “lake.” There’s a space we need to swim across to reach the other side.
For me, this is one of the great joys of traveling the world and learning different ways of thinking, of feeling, and of being: to land on some new shore of the mind, to look around and admire the view.
Of course, not everyone feels this way. A few years ago, a French businessman and thinker named Jean-Paul Nerriere noticed a trend among non-native English speakers he encountered at meetings: They were using a stripped-down version of the language, and they could communicate more easily with each other than with native English speakers. It was as if they had found a way to drain all the lacunas and meet on a tiny island where only the most utilitarian words would be needed.
Nerriere identified about 1,500 of the most essential English words, dubbed this shorthand Globish, and pronounced it a new global language. Now British journalist Robert McCrum, who has written a book called Globish: How the English Language Became the World’s Language, is claiming that it has passed beyond the sphere of American and British influence and become a “supranational phenomenon.” McCrum asserts that Globish will be “the linguistic phenomenon of the 21st century.”
He is probably right. Globish will be useful in many ways. But its limits will come to light as people become aware of everything that’s not being communicated—that simply cannot be communicated—with a handful of words floating on a vast ocean of feeling. Globish will either grow and morph into something rich and complex, or shrink and die as we realize how many of our thoughts are getting lost in translation, and how many lacunas still separate us.
It takes time and patience to learn the meaning of words in another language. It was only with time that I began to understand the meaning of kusindikiza. I learned it when people stopped to talk with me on the road. I learned it when they invited me to sit with them for tea. I learned it when I translated the Swahili proverb Wageni ni baraka. It means “guests are a blessing,” and I finally understood that people meant it when they said it, and that theirs was a world filled with gestures that showed how they enjoyed your company, how they valued your presence, and how they would walk for miles to show you that your friendship meant something to them.
Those are the feelings that cannot be included in the Swahili-English dictionary and that will baffle Globish speakers, but that are also among the rich rewards waiting on the other side of the lacuna.
Night had fallen on the road from Mount Meru when Paulo finally said goodbye, turned around, and headed back up the hill. I remember feeling bad for making him walk so far. But I also remember feeling strangely good that he had accompanied me all that way. And even now, years later, living in the United States, when I leave a friend’s house and hear the door shut behind me, part of me wishes there were someone to walk me halfway home.

World's Prettiest Places

First off, not every pick on our list is indeed a "place," per se. One is actually a scientific phenomenon, while another is considered a massive living organism home to more than 1,500 fish species and nearly 3,000 individual coral reefs. Several are wide-open spaces, but a few are brick-and- mortar sites built for kings (and in one case, a queen). Three have been included on the listing of the Seven Natural Wonders; three were also selected for the listing of the New 7 Wonders of the World. But no matter how you slice and dice them, all 10 have something important in common: Sometimes, it is all about what pleases the eye. Here's our list of the World's Prettiest Places.

Plitvice Lakes National Park

Croatia

Our next selection is largely unknown to tourists from the United States, and perhaps that makes it even more precious. The limestone caves of the Plitvice Lakes National Park make the water of its 16 lakes and a handful of waterfalls shimmer brilliant shades of turquoise, silver and green. And to get a better view the lakes' beauty, you'll find a web of wooden plank walkways scattered throughout. But note that there is no true best or worst season to stop by this site in central Croatia. Snow and ice transforms the area into a winter wonderland; in summer the surrounding trees further enhance the hues of the lake water. If at all possible, though, avoid the onslaught of local tourists in July and August.

Tah Mahal, India

Photo: kevin.j/Flickr

Taj Mahal

India

Molded out of red sandstone and white marble, and sparkling with the glint of semi-precious stones, this mausoleum of northeastern India needs no justification to appear on our list. Frommer's says, "It's not just the perfect symmetry, the ethereal luminescence, the wonderful proportions, or the sheer scale," that makes us revere the Taj Mahal. It's also "the exquisite detailing covering every inch of marble that justifies it as a wonder of the world." Its amorous background also feeds our admiration: It was commissioned by a 17th century Mughal emperor to honor the memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Consider planning a trip for sometime between October and March to behold Taj's majestic domes, chambers and minarets; that way the weather will be somewhat cooler for walking around. If you have time, stay from the early morning until the late night, as "the radiance of the Taj under the moonlight is beyond any explanation," notes TajMahal.org.uk.

Snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Photo: Courtesy of Tourism Australia

The Great Barrier Reef

Australia

Australia's luscious islands, cays and coral reef system of the Great Barrier Reef are awesome in scope and visuals -- in fact, this reef covers more of the world than any other entry on our list (approximately 135,000 square miles; the only living thing visible from outer space). All who encounter even a small portion of this gorgeous giant are dazzled by its aquamarine waters and honeycomb beaches. Even more beauty awaits you below the water surface: a maze of more than 2,900 spectacular coral reefs and countless marine life. Come to this area just off the coast of Queensland between June and October, so you can avoid the worst of Australia's oppressive heat.

Borobudur in Indonesia

Photo: Thrillseekr/Flickr

Borobudur

Indonesia

The true origins of this impressive Buddhist monument, located in central Java, are somewhat disputed. According to the UNESCO World Heritage website, the Borobudur temple was founded by a Saliendra dynasty king sometime between 750 and 842 A.D. Still, you don't need a definitive history lesson to fully appreciate its grandeur. Just feast your eyes on its intricately sculpted gray-stone relief panels (slats of stone carved with artwork to depict the life of Buddha) and the perfectly symmetrical stupas (mound-shaped structures containing Buddhist relics). They're even more precious due to their resilience: Borobudur is still gorgeous despite nearby bombings and volcanic eruptions. Try to visit in May; that's when the air is supposedly the cleanest in Java. And plan your trek at sunrise or sunset to witness how the light catches the stupas' perforations.

Grand Canyon, United States

Photo: Fundenberg/Flickr

Grand Canyon

USA

We have to root a little for the home team. And here in the United States, the astonishing depths and incredible sunsets of the Grand Canyon make it a shoe-in on this list. Plus you can enjoy the scenery while you work up a sweat, hiking the rigorous Bright Angel Trail or rafting the Colorado River. As President Theodore Roosevelt famously noted, this park is "one of the great sights which every American, if he can travel at all, must see." Many take Teddy up on his word -- so if you want to explore this northern Arizona park, we suggest you avoid the staggering crowds of the summer. Consider visiting between March and May or September and November, when the weather is pleasant and the lodging rates are reasonable.

The Palace of Versailles, France

Photo: jasonb42882/Flickr

The Palace of Versailles

France

The Palace of Versailles might have had humble beginnings, but times have changed. Now, this ain't no simple hunting lodge, but rather an opulent tribute to the former French monarchy. Highlights include the reflective Hall of Mirrors, where world leaders met to sign the 1919 treaty that ended World War I; the manicured French-style gardens, which prominently feature the iconic Bassin d'Apollon (fountain) and the verdant Orangerie garden; and the Petit Trianon, a smaller chateau gifted to the infamous Marie Antoinette by her husband, King Louis XVI. Early summer is idyllic in the Île-de-France region, so plan your sojourn for that season. That's also when you'll find a few music concerts and special events taking place in the Versailles gardens.

Machu Picchu, Peru

Photo: Allard Schmidt/Wikimedia Commons

Machu Picchu

Peru

Machu Picchu's 12 acres of mysterious temples and exquisite terraces are perpetually shrouded in cloud tufts, proving that this ancient site of Peru's Urubamba Valley still lives up to its reputation as the “Lost City of the Incas.” Or at least it seems like it from the pictures. In reality, this ancient city is always overrun with hikers exploring the Inca Trail or catching the view from the Temple of the Sun. So come with plenty of camera film and patience. For fewer crowds -- though not by much -- visit between October and April.

The Great Temple of Ramses II in Egypt

Photo: Mrs Logic/Flickr

The Great Temple of Ramses II

Egypt

During his 67-year reign, Pharaoh Ramses II left many visual reminders of his greatness. Perhaps the best known are the four larger-than-life statues carved into a mountainside of southern Egypt. Many don't realize there's more to this site -- sometimes called Abu Simbel for the town you'll find it in -- than those seated statues seated on the facade. Pass through them and you'll find more detailed statues and intricate hieroglyphs depicting the Egyptian army's victory over ancient Libya, Syria and Nubia. Next door is the smaller Temple of Nefertari, dedicated to the Pharaoh's favorite wife. If you truly want to be wowed, you should swing by Abu Simbel around Feb. 20 or Oct. 20. Twice a year around those days the sun's rays shine directly into the larger temple to illuminate the artwork and statues within.

Great Wall of China

Photo: firepile/Flickr

The Great Wall

China

Fiction: The Great Wall of China can be seen from outer space (with the naked eye). Fact: it is pretty fantastic to view up close and personal. It sweeps through approximately 4,000 miles of northern China, and different sections guarantee different tourist experiences: The jungly sections of Simatai and Jinshanling are good for hiking; the arresting and gorgeous Mutianyu stretch is good for snapping photos; and the crowded Badaling portion is good for convenience (it's only an hour away from exciting Beijing). Plan your trip for anytime (just imagine the contrast of the Great Wall with the white snow of winter, the red leaves of fall and the green grass of spring and summer), but do try to bypass the hordes of tourists that visit on the weekends year-round.

The Northern Lights in the Arctic Circle

Photo: Beverly & Pack/Flickr

The Northern Lights

Arctic Circle

This scientific phenomenon occurs when charged solar particles collide in the earth's geomagnetic field and create a colorful, magnificent glow in the sky's upper atmosphere. According to the Huffington Post, "ideal viewing conditions are crisp, cold, clear and cloudless skies with little light." And though it is possible to see the Northern Lights in other parts of the globe, this phenomenon is most prevalent in the world's polar regions; the name Aurora Borealis refers to the lights as seen from northern latitudes (Aurora Australis is the name for the lesser-known Southern Lights of the South Pole). For the best viewing, Fodor's recommends visiting Anchorage, Alaska or Calgary, Alberta. You can also see the Northern Lights in parts of Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Russia, among other countries.

Best Secret Islands on Earth

 

For white-sand beaches, salty breezes, freshly caught seafood, and no crowds, head to one of the world’s best secret islands.

By T+L Staff

Skopelos, Greece

Photo: Roger Cracknell 01/classic / Alamy

More from Travelandleisure.com

• America's Coolest City Parks
• Best Cities for Pizza

More from Yahoo! Travel

• Find Special Offers & More Savings
• Check flight deals now!
• Tips for Wellness on the Road

Hollywood scouts were on to something when they skipped over Mykonos and chose a secret island in Greece as the location for Mamma Mia. The movie was a $600-million hit, in part because it fueled peoples’ fantasies of escaping to a secluded island (and yes, those catchy ABBA tunes didn’t hurt).

Surprisingly, that picture-perfect movie location, Skopelos, has stayed under the radar. When you hop off the ferry, you’ll be wowed by the view of the shimmering Aegean Sea, the island’s tile-roofed tavernas, and a decided lack of travelers.

World's Best Affordable Beach Hotels

There are still gems like Skopelos hidden all around the globe, if you know where to look. T+L editors have done the hunting for you to uncover secret islands where you can truly unwind.

Greece: Skopelos

A one-hour ferry ride from Skiathos, the island of Skopelos is so picture-perfect (hidden coves; blue-roofed tavernas; hundreds of Byzantine-era churches) that Hollywood chose its Kastani Beach as a set for Mamma Mia. At the just-renovated Adrina Beach Hotel (Panormos; 34-24240/23371; adrina.gr; doubles from $98), the 49 pastel-colored rooms face the pine-tree-studded coastline, strewn with daybeds. Later this year, the same owners will debut the more upscale Adrina Resort & Spa (Panormos; 30-24240/23371; theresort.gr; doubles from $110), with 16 terraced rooms and 22 villas that look out onto the turquoise Aegean.

T+L Tip: After a dinner of grilled lamb at garden-side Perivoli (Skopelos Town; 30-24240/23758; dinner for two $60), walk to open-air Mercurius Bar & Café (Skopelos Town; 30-24240/24593), or the hillside Ouzeri Anatoli (Skopelos Town; 30-24240/22851), for live rebetika music.

Caye Caulker, Belize

Photo: Courtesy of Seaside Cabanas

Belize: Caye Caulker

There’s nary a traffic light on this laid-back island—a five-mile strip of land that’s a 15-minute flight from Belize’s main airport. Head to Shark Ray Alley to snorkel among nurse sharks and stingrays or go scuba diving at the underwater caves of Blue Hole. Aboveground, try the curried lobster at the roadside Jolly Roger’s Grill (Ave. Hicaco; 011-501/664-3382; dinner for two $25). On the eastern side of the Caye, Seaside Cabanas (501/226-0498; seasidecabanas.com; doubles from $105) has 10 rooms and six colorful cabins, each with its own roof terrace for taking in those amazing Caribbean views.

T+L Tip: Visit during the annual Lobster Festival (July 1–3), when the main road turns into a street party.

World's Best Island Hotels

Sampson Cay, Bahamas

Photo: Travis Rowan / Alamy

Bahamas: Sampson Cay and Exuma Cays

Partially protected from commercial activity since 1959, the Exuma Cays are normally the domain of cruisers—and a few privileged landowners such as Johnny Depp. But guests at Sampson Cay have access to the area’s thriving patch reefs and isolated islets. At the Sampson Cay Club (877/633-0305; sampsoncayclub.com; doubles from $275), the five modest villas include wide patios that are perfect for watching the sunset. While the limestone karst terrain may be rugged, every path ends on a stretch of secluded white sand.

T+L Tip: Rent a Boston Whaler from the hotel (from $250 per day) to tour the surrounding islands.

Flatey, Iceland

Photo: Agnar Danielsson

Iceland: Flatey

Don’t expect to see much night sky here: in summer, daylight shines for up to 21 hours on this rocky one-mile hideaway in Breiðafjörður Bay. Lush meadows and multicolored timber houses dot the scenery, and the mainland’s Snæfellsjökull volcano is always within eyeshot. In town, Flatey (354/555-7788; hotelflatey.is; doubles from $180) stays true to simple Scandinavian design (blond-wood furniture; whitewashed walls), and the downstairs restaurant turns into a live-concert venue for local talent at night.

T+L Tip: Swing by Iceland’s oldest (and smallest) library, built in 1864.

Gozo, Malta

Photo: Wayne Hopkins

Malta: Gozo

This tiny Mediterranean island is where Odysseus was “held captive” by Calypso after the Trojan War. Take one look at the landscape, and it’s no wonder he stayed seven years. Rolling hills, crumbling castle walls, and a Bronze Age fortress are some of the most endearing features. Check in to Hotel Ta’ Cenc & Spa (Cenc St., Sanat; 356/2219-1000; tacenchotel.com; doubles from $260), with 85 stone bungalows overlooking the sea. From there, it’s a short drive to Dwejra Bay, where you can take a dip, then munch on pastizzi (ricotta-filled pastries) at Tapie’s Bar (St. Francis Square; lunch for two $20).

T+L Tip: Bring home handblown objéts d’art from Gozo Glass (Ta Dbiegi Crafts Village, Gharb; 356-21/561-974).

World's Best Affordable Beach Resorts

Andaman Islands, India

Photo: LOOK Die Bildagentur der Fotografen GmbH / Alamy

India: Andaman Islands

These 550 atolls in the Bay of Bengal have all the prerequisites for an idyllic getaway—with an added dose of culture. You can still see a few ancient indigenous tribes. The island of Havelock, a two-hour ferry ride from Port Blair, is arguably the most appealing, thanks to its bone-white beaches. Book a sea-facing villa at the new SilverSand Beach Resort (91-3192/282-493; silversandhavelock.com; doubles from $130) and ask the staff to take you on a trek to the Kala Pather forest.

T+L Tip: Get to know the area’s historic villages on an excursion with Island Vinnie’s (islandvinnie.com; tours from $11).

Rodrigues, Mauritius

Photo: Keith Erskine / Alamy

Mauritius: Rodrigues

Locked in a shallow lagoon, this fish-shaped island has served as a paparazzi-free bolt-hole for Prince William in years past. With its verdant valleys and numerous islets, it’s a haven for hikers and kite-surfers, too. Stay at the beachfront Mourouk Ebony Hotel (011-230/832-3351; mouroukebonyhotel.com; doubles from $205), with 34 Creole-style rooms. For freshly caught seafood, don’t miss Coralie la Diffe’rence (Countour Oblasse; 230/832-1071; dinner for two $40).

T+L Tip: Spot giant Aldabra tortoises at the François Leguat Tortoise & Cave Reserve (tortoisecavereserve-rodrigues.com).

Great Barrier Island, New Zealand

Photo: Patrick Reynolds

New Zealand: Great Barrier Island

At 104 square miles, “The Barrier” is the largest island off the Kiwi coast, but it’s also the most untouched. Spend your days hiking through dense kauri woods or exploring jagged inlets. Then refuel over mussel fritters at Tipi & Bobs (38 Puriri Bay Rd., Puriri Bay; 64-9/429-0550; dinner for two $45). The four modern rooms at the glass-walled Oruawharo Beach House (5 Ringwood St., Torbay; 64-9/473-6031; ihu.co.nz; doubles from $450) are designed by New Zealand architecture firm Fearon Hay and have spectacular views of Oruawharo Bay.

T+L Tip: Indulge in a soak at Kaitoke Hot Springs (greatbarrier.aucklandnz.com).

Gili Trawangan, Indonesia

Photo: Courtesy of Hotel Vila Ombak

Indonesia: Gili Trawangan

Searching for the Bali of, say, 1970? Head to Gili Trawangan, a tiny island near Lombok dotted with countless waterside cafés. No motorized traffic is allowed here—the best way to get around is to rent a bicycle or use your own two feet. The daily agenda involves nothing more than fishing, diving, or kicking back with a cold beer at Scallywag (South Beach; 62-370/645-301; lunch for two $30). On the southern coast, Vila Ombak (hotelombak.com; doubles from $150) has 115 airy oceanfront rooms.

T+L Tip: Hop the ferry to Mount Rinjani (lombokmarine.com; tours from $225), an active volcano on Lombok.

Mabul, Malaysia

Photo: Courtesy of Sipadan Water Village Resort

Malaysia: Mabul

Diving enthusiasts flock to Mabul, off the northeastern coast of Malaysia, where the exotic marine life is on a par with the Galápagos—native sea moths, bobtail squids, and the elusive paintpot cuttlefish are just a few of the inhabitants. At Sipadan Water Village Resort (6-089/784-227; swvresort.com; doubles from $365), the 45 stilted bungalows are cooled by constant sea breezes.

T+L Tip: For local souvenirs, head to Tawau village’s Sunday market (6 a.m.–noon), in nearby Saba.

Cecilia's Amazing Travel Tips

1) TO DO BEFORE YOU GO:

* if you can't decide which countries to go to: print off information from LP's Destination pages and base choice on things to see/do, cost, culture, climate etc.
* read books with travel tips (list of issues that need to be addressed before you go)
* read the general chapters (health, insurance, safety, money, etc.) of Lonely Planet and other travel guide(s)
* talk to other (ex) travellers, ask for their stories and tips
* for interactive questions and answers via the web, check out Lonely Planet Thorn Tree (http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/thorn/branches.pl) and Eurotrip discussion boards (for Europe) (http://www.eurotrip.com/cgi-bin/bb/Ultimate.cgi)
* print out the 'Postcards' section from LP website with latest scams, warnings and tips from travellers
* browse travel-related web sites (see list of URL's further down); copy useful information into Word document; print in small font; copy double-sided onto paper
* use travel brochures (from travel agencies) to get an idea what the countries look like (pictures), and of easiest route between interesting sites; useful information is often included (weather, embassies, dangers, etc.)
* NL: read booklet "Wijs op Reis", issued by Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken, available at travel agencies / GWK
* check guidebooks for visa requirements, check this with recent visitors or the foreign embassies or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in your own country
* find out addresses of your county's embassies abroad
* go see your doctor or health institute for advice, anti-malaria pills and yellow fever shots and other shots that you need (long trip: 6 weeks prior to departure, otherwise 3 weeks will do)
* buy TC's and cash foreign currency, check if ATM's and credit cards can be used in the countries you're visiting
* bring the music you don't want to miss on CD's or an MP3 player, especially if it's a long trip; sometimes you can burn copies of CD's or MP3's as a gift to locals in visited country
* make a collection of your most comfortable clothes that can also be worn in layers on top of each other. If necessary, buy new ones at Hennes&Mauritz (also good for daypacks) or adventure stores
* you can decide to buy part of your clothes in visited country, but check whether this is doable and if they will have your size (especially when you're tall)
* if you are afraid your backpack will be slashed open with a razor (kids in some countries tape a razor blade to their fingers to do this), you could line your backpack with chicken fence (or maybe just the bottom); or use Pacsafe wire net, see http://www.pac-safe.com/; disadvantage: may attract more attention; Pacsafe now also makes bags with invisible steel wire lining

* sew secret pockets into the insides of every pair of trousers you're taking, passport size; more comfy than moneybelts
* sew velcro into other pockets so that they're less easy to open and make noise
* make 50% size copies of insurance policies and leave originals at home
* make several copies of passport and visas (if applicable); hide each copy in a different place, give one to travelmate, leave one at home with contact persons
* create yourself a web-based e-mail account, eg. Hotmail (http://www.hotmail.com/) or similar (yahoo, gmail, etc); access from any terminal with Internet in the world, keep in touch with friends & family; learn before you go: how to use nicknames, create folders, reply and forward, send to more than 1 addressee, use Groups, etc.
* put all your important info (reference numbers, phone numbers, addresses of consulates, airline offices etc) onto your web-based e-mail. If you have a scanner you can even put scanned copies of your important documents onto e-mail. (just compose the mail as normal and send it to yourself). If you lose your originals and your copies you can always retrieve them from your e-mail. Or use a page on your homepage that has no link to it for other people (but you just remember the exact web address)
* optionally: prepare a weblog (blog) where you can post your travelogues and photos while you're on the road (for example http://www.web-log.nl/, http://www.blogger.com/)
* break in new shoes (NL: inlopen)
* optionally: take self-defence classes
* for girls: in many countries men will stare at you even more if you show a lot of skin; even with shorts or sleeveless tops. So think ahead and figure out how much whistling/abuse you can take (the local women sometimes see/treat you as whores if you show too much skin). Public transport is the worst place for dressing wrongly. No hiding from the stares!
* optionally: cover brand names of photo camera and other expensive gear with black sticky tape
* make photocopies of city maps from LP guide: easier to take into town than whole book
* receiving paper mail abroad: American Express addresses (AmEx issue a booklet of all the their addresses) are more reliable than regular Poste Restante addresses in developing countries; ask your friends to underline your LAST NAME for clarity and good sorting; and no funny extras (may cause problems with sorting, or name comparison with passport)





2) ITEMS TO TAKE WITH YOU ON YOUR TRIP:

* especially to developing countries: Lonely Planet guidebook or other travel guide(s)
* daypack with lots of compartments, like small rucksack or army bag (for example with one strap), also to be used as hand luggage in planes and other means of transport
* silk sleeping bag liner, use to go inside sleeping bag or unclean beds (silk preferred to cotton: lighter, dries faster, more comfortable in heat)
* optionally: impregnated mosquito net, hook with screw thread to screw into ceiling or wall in case there is nothing to hang the net from
* optionally: lightweight sleeping bag for cold nights
* moneybelt to go underneath clothing (cotton or other fabric), at least one pocket with plastic lining against sweat
* for solo travellers: waterproof moneybelt to go swimming with; no need to leave valuables on beach (NL: Hema)
* your own padlock for the hotel room doors; less easy to pick than old locks the hotels use; even hotel owner does not have spare key
* tiny padlocks to lock the zippers of your backpack
* cord bicycle lock to lock your backpack to bed in hotel, or to rack in train; or use Pacsafe, see http://www.pac-safe.com/
* TC's, and for some countries: also the purchase receipt to prove they are really yours
* cash dollar bills in small denominations to use in case of emergency or in villages where TC's are not accepted; only bring undamaged notes without markings on them
* medical kit (consult LP guide and doctor for contents); keep prescribed drugs in original container with readable labels; get an international declaration for the medication from your doctor or health institute (also for birth control pills)
* (for certain countries:) health certificate stating you've had yellow fever shot
* vitamin pills
* good photo camera without defects
* small tripod for photo camera self timer; available at photo shops; or use a bean bag to steady the camera
* optionally: walkman / discman / MP3 player
* spare batteries for photo camera and other equipment (test before leaving, even newly bought ones are not always full); rechargeable batteries last longer and are more friendly for the environment; you need to bring your charger though
* binoculars
* Swiss Army style pocket knife (file and scissors come in handy); plus a case/little bag for protection against dust; pack in large pack when flying!, keeping it in hand luggage will cause problems at customs (you'll probably have it confiscated)
* little compass (we used it a lot!)
* clothing that can be worn in layers on top of each other so you don't need to bring many items: wear layers if cold, peel off layer by layer when warmer; I really like Icebreaker thermal underwear which doesn't look like underwear but like normal T-shirts, is of Merino wool but doesn't tickle or get clammy; thermal underwear pants come in handy as pajamas or underneath day trousers in cold weather

* fleece jacket
* jacket that resists wind and rain to go on top of fleece jacket when necessary (windbreaker)
* sarong; use as long skirt or short skirt, table cloth, beach towel, curtain, sheet, wrap around souvenirs
* sturdy hiking shoes that are VERY comfortable (do not try to save money on this too much, you'll have to wear them a lot!)
* thongs/sandals (Teva or other) for in dirty showers (think about the tiny animals that can penetrate your foot sole), for rough sea bottoms, and for walking outside in warm countries
* belt for trousers (you will loose weight); best is a belt that looks like a normal one but has zippers on inside to hide bank notes ($) or other paper things (available at market, adventure stores, leather shops, army shops, LL Bean, …)
* trousers that can be turned into shorts by unzipping the legs
* do not take a pair of trousers that is already worn out/has holes in it, frequent use makes it fall apart before trip is over
* for work at restaurants/bars in Australia: black pants (no need for high heels and tights), black shoes (Dr Martens OK), black or white blouse or top (long sleeves)
* baseball cap or foldable cotton cowboy hat (against sun/rain)
* ear plugs for sleeping in noisy areas and on bus/train/plane
* phrase book(s) and/or tiny dictionaries
* small alarm clock, or use cell phone's alarm function (even works when phone is switched off!).
* if sleeping with ear plugs, set alarm to vibration mode and put underneath your pillow. test at home first.
* small flashlight
* credit card size calculator (or use the one in your cell phone)
* Scotch tape
* tiny full year calendar (you lose track of time)
* a few meters/yards of (hemp) rope (line for laundry-drying, many other uses)
* if you can find it, one of those special pegless elastic laundry lines made or two elastic lines intwined around each other, no need for pegs, just slip the clothes between the intwined elastic bands (get the ones with hooks on the end, not suction caps)
* safety pins in different sizes
* sewing kit: needles, thread (wrap different colours around match sticks), piece of cotton fabric, spare buttons
* empty plastic photo-film boxes for cream, sewing kit, herbs, spices, pills, safety pins…
* fluid toothpaste, needs no water (try at home)
* for toothpaste, shampoo etc.: caps/tops that close by twisting/turning are preferred to caps that flip open; less likely that they open by accident in your toilet bag…
* ziplock bags to go around shampoo bottle that tends to leak, passport that needs to stay sweat-free, city map that needs to last
* tiny mirror
* nail brush with two sides: use one for nails, other for laundry
* cutlery (fork, fruit knife, spoon)
* cup (for drinks, yoghurt, sliced fruit…); foldable cups exist

* disinfectant soap (NL: Unicura), one block per 3-4 months
* moisturiser for skin
* good sunscreen and anti-mosquito cream/gel; tampons (only Tampax with insertion capsule available in poorer countries, not OB!), and condoms: all these items are hardly available in poorer countries or very expensive, the quality may be questionable
* separate small bags (polyester, cotton or other) in different sizes for all kind of use: keep underwear and socks together; dirty laundry; day tour, protection for souvenirs…
* cotton handkerchiefs = washable; paper ones run out and are not available everywhere, and/or expensive
* bandana (wrap around neck or head against sun, use as glasses case, tiny towel, bind yourself when injured, smear with Vicks/Vaporub peppermint cream and bind in front of nose when on smelly, dusty bus
* for work in Oz: resume/c.v. (optionally at A5 size)+plastic protection folder
* a 'comfortable' pen, especially if you intend to write long letters and keep a journal of some sort
* friends & family's home addresses and e-mail addresses
* small notebook/cahier for money issues, keeping track of expenditures and travellers cheques, addresses, other notes,…
* optionally a notebook in which nice, special people you meet along the way can write a little piece for you; you could leave open spaces for adding their pictures later
* photographs of family members, always nice to show to people who are interested in your life back home
* playing cards, dice, perhaps Yahtzee notebook
*optionally: if you're going to a country where you will have language difficulties: a booklet called "Point it" as a communication tool: picture book instead of phrasebook
* optionally a DAT-recorder for recording typical local sounds and/or a spoken journal (nowadays various photo cameras can record sounds)
* optionally: hammock
* optionally: small whistle (alarm people when being attacked or other case of emergency)
* things that are available cheaply around the world (so you don't need to bring on the plane): toilet paper, detergent (soap for clothes), soap, school notebooks (good for writing letters), (airmail and other) envelopes, bottles of drinking water, cotton buds/swabs, pens, photo film (mind the overdue date and sun exposure in shop windows! Film is expensive in South America); photocopy shops are found everywhere
* ALSO READ "WHAT TO BRING" IN LONELY PLANET !!



3) DO'S AND DON'TS FOR ON THE ROAD:

3.1) DO'S AND DON'TS - HEALTH

* (in developing countries:) don't drink the tap water, close your mouth in the shower, don't brush your teeth with tap water; be careful about ice cubes in drinks and hand made icecreams
* food in poorer countries: the rule is: 'boil it, cook it, peel it, or forget it!' It should be too hot for immediate consumption, otherwise send it back and have them cook it some more; or you should be able to peel it yourself; with meat be extra careful and make sure it's well-done on the inside; cold salads are a risk, as are ice cubes in soft drinks, and hand made ice creams (if made from tap water)
* don't stroke/caress animals
* keep your fingernails short and clean
* don't pick your teeth with your fingernails (and prevent yourself from doing it unconsciously), but use your Swiss army knife toothpick instead
* try not to put your fingers in your mouth at all, and try to touch food as little as possible with your hands
* in case of diarrhoea: slice an apple into very thin slices (with clean hands and knife!), let slices turn brown, then eat; this should relieve within 12 hours
* only use diarrhoea stoppers like imodium if you really must travel that day. keeping 'the bad stuff' inside is not healthy
* in case of constipation: massage your own belly with your hands and with your muscles (by flattening and bulging your belly) this sort of activates your intestines; also try this: when sitting on the toilet, bend all the way over (forward), then sit up and bend backwards as far as you can, massage your tummy, bend over again, etc. Drinking coffee or (herbal) tea can also help
* in malaria areas: use a an impregnated mosquito net. if you don't have one, try to get a room with large fan (ventilator) on the ceiling, mosquitoes cannot fly as well in the wind it creates
* bacteria can be inside melons, so it's better to avoid melons
* at high altitude (above 2500m/8000ft): be careful with alcohol; its dehydrating effects work much faster at high altitude; instead you should be drinking lots of water and tea (coca tea or other)
* personally I would advise against medication that masks the symptoms of altitude sickness; masking them can be dangerous
* above 3000m/10,000ft water boils at a lower temperature so it takes longer to kill all bacteria
* do not take risks in case you get injured, have a doctor check cuts or scratches for tetanus, if a dog bit you, have it checked for rabies very soon after you got bitten


3.2) DO'S AND DON'TS - SAFETY

* if you feel unsafe in a new country or a new city, first walk around without any valuables until you feel more secure; then start bringing more valuables with you (e.g. photo camera)
* the more expensive hotels usually have an airport pickup service, this may be a good idea if you feel insecure about your first arrival
* try to look like you know where you're going; when you're lost don't check your map in the middle of the street but discreetly inside a shop or something
* be aware of your surroundings and the people around you (or the lack thereof; quiet streets may be dangerous in certain cities); if you feel like someone is following or otherwise targetting you, step into a shop or otherwise try to get rid of them; sometimes even looking directly at them can help, so that they know you're onto them
* when asking for directions in an intimidating area, in my experience it works best to ask the most intimidating / dominant person for help! for example a big guy who's telling a story to his friends. he will often be only too proud to help you and show his friends how well he knows the answer... sometimes even go as far as to escort you :-)
* beware that in many cultures (especially in Asia) it's impolite for people to say 'no' or 'I don't know'. people may even give you all kinds of directions and descriptions, or tell you that 'yes this is the right bus', when in fact they don't know. you will learn to recognize the doubtful answers.
* don't wear ANY jewellery to poorer countries or areas with a high crime rate; even a cheap plastic watch can draw unwanted attention in certain areas
* if you still want to wear a watch, use a cheap one, but better to carry it hidden in bag or pocket; on the other hand in for example Africa it can be a nice trade item for buying souvenirs
* hide valuables in bags while walking outside, don't hang flashy cameras over one shoulder for everyone to see
* don't put a bag on the floor in a bar or at a restaurant, but put a strap around the leg of the chair, and/or keep your foot against it; or place it in your full view on the table
* if you print photos locally: don't send home the negatives in the same bunch, but in a separate mailing for extra safety
* in hotel rooms with windows always check whether the windows are locked securely
* at night, place a piece of furniture or an empty plastic bottle against your door to prevent silent/unnoticed break-in
* the danger everybody has warned you about a million times, but still you almost fall for it sometimes: NEVER ever take a package, jacket, gift or whatever from somebody, and especially never transport other people's belongings for them, even if they are very nice
* stay away from drugs and people who use/sell drugs; before you know it they put it in your bag and you end up in a foreign prison; even if the people are 'so much fun to hang out with' and you 'don't care they're on cocaine, that's their problem'. It could easily become your problem too.
* watch out for fake police officers who want to see your ID; ask for their ID; call another uniformed police officer if you see one; and never give them your real passport but a photocopy; if they still insist, offer to walk with them to the police station, never get into a car!
* pick your own taxi driver instead of going with the first one that offers himself (or tries to take your guidebook from your hands); in lots of countries any fool can put a Taxi sign on his car and 'become' a taxi driver!
* be well informed of how to recognize genuine taxis; if in doubt, phone for one from your hotel
* if something unusual happens, beware that it may be a diversion to trick you, be extra alert and keep an eye and a hand on your valuables
* read up on the local scams (for example fake bus tickets sold in streets), pay attention to warnings from locals about the latest tricks (and take care that the 'helpful local' isn't a disctraction trick himself, always watch your belongings when a stranger approaches you)
* in most African countries it's unsafe to walk the streets without local escort after dark (which can be as early as 6.30 pm). be back at your hotel or use taxis.
* watch out for thieves among other travellers. leave expensive clothing inside your own room to dry, and take extra care when staying in dormitory rooms

* if you haven't lined your backpack with chicken fence and don't have Pacsafe, but are afraid of the razor blade trick: when you stand still in a crowded area for example in front of a red light, move back and forth slightly with your pack, so that nobody can touch it without alarming you; when travelling with somebody else you can try to watch each other's packs
* in poorer countries: buy a large plastic, woven potato bag at a local market and put your backpack in it when travelling by bus or air-plane; good protection from dust, dirt, rain (if your pack goes on top of the bus) and theft (your pack looks like somebody's harvest rather than the interesting belongings of a rich tourist)
* keep some spare cash in your pocket (or rolled into a handkerchief), this is less easy to steal than a wallet
* be careful that you don't loose your guard after a few weeks where it comes to your own safety measures; set strict rules for yourself and always stick to them: always lock your door (even if you're just going for a pee), always wear your moneybelt while travelling long distances, always lock your pack to something on the train, etc; remember that you're not doing it for nothing, who knows how many times it has helped before? It may have kept many thieves away only you'll never know.
* you could wear a small whistle around your neck so that you can alarm others in case you're being attacked and perhaps scare away the attacker
* use your intuition! Follow the messages your 'other' sense gives you. If for some unknown reason a specific area or person gives you the creeps (bad karma/ negative vibes), get away from it/him/her. Use your intuition in a conscious way and also try to develop it, even now at home.
* if you make it a habit to always be careful with your belongings and yourself, especially in crowded areas, there is no reason to be paranoid and you can use all your energy to enjoy the beautiful environment; mind you, even in the most dangerous countries theft is mostly a result of lack of attentiveness rather than violence. Also remember that thieves are like predators when picking their victims: they go for the weakest. So if you make sure your belongings are hardest to get to, you should be fine. There are plenty of naïve tourists that will be the victim, pity for them, good for you.


3.3) DO'S AND DON'TS - OTHER PRACTICAL TIPS FROM GRANNY

* use tea-towel (the one you'd usually dry plates with) for a towel: lighter in weight, smaller to pack, dries quicker, cheap, and works just fine (try at home before leaving)
* if you're leaving one place but there's still laundry out drying somewhere, leave a note on your backpack so you won't forget to bring it! (happened to me a few times…)
* each time you take a shower, wash your slip/underwear, so you don't build up a pile
* in moist (tropical) areas: don't leave your wet laundry out at night: may stay wet too long and start smelling bad
* don't leave dirty underwear lying about, but put in a closed bag (may attract ants otherwise, sorry for corny details)
* bring the following items in your hand luggage on a long plane/bus trip: toothpaste, toothbrush, optionally deodorant, change of underwear and socks, small tea towel or bandana, some toilet paper, soap, Swiss Army knife (latter not allowed in hand luggage on planes), medications you might need within a few days (like birth control pill, spare asthma medication...)
* buy a sarong: to be used as beach towel, curtain, long or short skirt, sheet, table cloth
* if you intend to work in Oz: get a Tax File Number as soon as you get there
* camping out is often cheaper than staying at hotels or hostels (Chile, Europe) (Australia: best with own car or van) (In Indonesia, Bolivia, Peru hardly worth it though, due to cheap hotels)
* the toilets in fancy hotels, museums and McDonald's are often cleaner than at hostels, so you could use those instead
* if you don't remember what day of the week it is, go to a news stand
* if you intend to buy a car in Oz: Holden = Australian made, so parts are widely available, for Ford as well
* optionally take a taxi ride to the highest point of a village and walk back down
* in reasonably safe places, often a good way to meet more people is to ask for directions - a lot of locals will quite happily chat with you if you start the conversation
* some US hostels have combination locks on the front door - some never change the code, some change it daily - make sure you ask!
* for arriving anywhere, always have some local currency in the lowest denomination - bartering for a taxi is difficult if the lowest note you have is 3 months wages to the driver! in South America it can be hard to come by small change, so hoard some coins before you're going to need taxis or other places where you won't be able to pay in big notes; after using an ATM go inside the bank and ask for smaller denominations
* sometimes local kids will ask you for some coins of your own country because they collect them; they are just as happy with stamps that you saved from the paper mail you received
* when in Bolivia, don't miss a copy of the weekly newspaper in English called Bolivia Times, full of beautiful pictures, interesting articles and travel ideas
* on the more luxurious buses the airconditioning can very strong, so bring extra clothes in your hand luggage. (for example all buses in Brazil; 'Cruz del Sur' in Peru; 'Scandinavia' in Eastern Africa). the same goes for many movie theatres worldwide.
* when in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, pick up free copies of "What's up Addis" that lists events, galleries, sports and restaurants, also see http://www.whatsupaddis.com/

* when having trouble getting a room with double bed (either because you're not married or gay): make reservation by telephone
* go to McDonald's to escape from your culture shock
* use a school cahier/notebook for writing letters: cheap, compact, easy to use if you start from the middle
* when buying film for photo camera, mind the overdue date and the exposure to too much sunshine in the shop
* take unfinished meals with you in doggy-bag and hand to beggar in the street (only if he/she holds out hand, otherwise you may offend someone); another option is to invite beggar to your table and have him/her join you for dinner
* in some countries (e.g. Indonesia) it is very cheap to have your laundry done by the hotel personnel, but beware that they will be scrubbing it with rough brushes and drying it in full sunshine, might make clothes lose colour
* in case of doubt whether you should take a picture ('but it looks so touristy to do it'/'I already have so many'), take one anyway! Or you may regret it later; the moment will never come back
* when making a picture of a person, ask their permission first
* if a person gives no permission for a photograph or you don't want them to 'pose', you can use a mean trick: above your camera, look very hard at a building or mountain behind the person in question, and point at it and talk about it to your travelmate, but through the lens look at the person and take the picture. After taking it, again look at the object behind the person and nod in a satisfied way.
* apart from your own wallet (or whatever you use), also use a 'joint' one for you and your travelmate. Use it to pay for hotels, meals, public transport and other things that cost the same, while you use your own for souvenirs etc. Now you don't need to exchange money amongst each other all the time to be 'even'. Just deposit a similar amount into the 'joint' wallet every once in a while.
* in cold areas (below freezing), carry photo gear and batteries close to the body to keep it from malfunctioning due to cold
* photo camera may get condensation when changing abruptly between cold and heat (air-con to outdoors); keeping it in plastic and letting it warm before taking it out will help
* always carry a small box of Vaporub/Vicks cream (peppermint smell) and smear it under your nose in case you get nauseated/sick when on a bus on curvy roads or full of smelly people/animals; the result is even better if you smear it onto a bandana and bind that in front of your nose in cowboy fashion (also good against dust and sand)
* Coca Cola can help against nausea, throat ache, intestinal or stomach problems, sleepiness
* floors in building are numbered in the American way in South America; so what Europeans call ground floor, is called 1o piso; first floor is 2o piso, and so on.
* in South America you are not supposed to throw toilet paper into the toilets. The pipe systems are too narrow and will get clogged up. Throw it into the bin next to the toilet.
* before you take a taxi, ask the steward, bus driver or hotel receptionist for the reasonable rate from A to B, or check LP
* always arrange a price before you get into a taxi
* bring books (novels) written in English, these are easiest to exchange after you've finished reading them
* an overnight bus trip can be more dangerous (theft, raids), but you do save a night of hotel costs and can be practical if you are good at sleeping on buses. Check LP and other travellers' warnings for unsafe routes. Bring enough warm clothing (or sleeping bag) in hand luggage for overnight trips in the Andes or other mountainous areas (cold nights).
* in poorer countries: try to get a ride in the back of a truck one time instead of using public transport; often this is reliable/safe enough, it's cheaper, and more adventurous!
* after a few weeks of travelling, read this list again and see if it makes more sense now


3.4) STORING DIGITAL IMAGES - NEW!

What are the options for storing your digital images if your memory card(s) only last you for about 130 photos but you're going on a long holiday?
1) Burn them onto CD in internet cafes. Bring a few empty CD's for the cafes that don't provide empty ones for you. Always check the CD after burning and before erasing your memory card! You could decide to burn two copies and send one home for extra safety. It can be expensive. (In Tanzania usually around US$5 per CD.) Check whether your camera is automatically detected by most systems (Win2000/XP), or whether you need to install software first. In that case you need to bring the software on CD, and ask the internet cafe owner if you're allowed to install it. Lots of countries have internet cafes with CD burning options, also in countries like Kenya, Tanzania, Peru, Brazil.
2) Bring a portable hard drive / storage device, especially made for memory cards (with slots for the cards), for example by Sitecom or other brands.
3) Bring an MP3 player like iPOD or iAUDIO which doubles as a portable storage device; you can connect it to your camera (data transfer is slower than option 2).
4) Bring a portable CD burner and empty CD's, burn when/where you want to (but bulky: device and CD's). Again, you could decide to burn two copies and send one home for extra safety.
5) Upload to web based storage sites (for example PBase.com, for about US$25 you get a huge amount of space), but uploading can take ages. Uploading to web pages like Spaces (MSN) or Shutterfly will lower the quality and size of your photos but allow the home front to view your images as slideshows.
6) Bring loads of memory cards. Small and light weight, but way more expensive than the other options.
7) Bring a laptop computer and store them on there. If it can burn CD's, you can burn copies and send them home for extra safety. Bulky and heavy, and a target for thieves. Only a reasonable option if you need to computer for other purposes too.

Or a combination of two of these options for EXTRA safety (for example 1 + 3).

As to options 2 and 3:
20 GB is a nice amount of space to have on a storage device, especially if you also want to bring music (option 3). 30GB or 40GB is even better if you're snap-happy or have a camera of 8 megapixel or more.
If you want to check how many pictures that will allow you to store: put the memory card in your camera, set your camera to the quality you'll want to use. See how many pictures that allows you to store on that card. If it's a 1GB card and you have a 20GB storage device, then multiply that number of pictures by 20 and that's the amount of pictures you'll be able to store on the device. If your card is a 512MB one, multiply by 40, and so on. (512MB x 40 = 20GB).

Always test the device at home before you leave.

More details and tips about anything to do with electronics on the road can be found on this amazing website by Adrian Warren. On the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree branch for "Computers, Cameras and Phones" you can post your personal questions and read responses to other people's questions.


4) USEFUL WEB SITES:

· EXAMPLE: INFORMATION ON PERU MAY BE FOUND ON THE WEB SITES MENTIONED UNDER THE HEADINGS 'GENERAL / WORLD-WIDE'; 'LATIN AMERICA'; and 'PERU'.
· AN INDICATION OF THE CONTENTS IS ONLY GIVEN IN CASE THE NAME OF THE WEB SITE ITSELF DOESN'T CLARIFY IT.
· ALSO CHECK OUT THE LINKS THAT THESE WEB SITES CONTAIN.
· THE ONES MARKED WITH A © ARE MY PERSONAL FAVOURITES

This excellent site deserves its own place, so I don't put it under a heading:
© http://www.lonelyplanet.com/ (Thorn Tree for online questions, Subwwway for links, and lots more)
Also very useful if you use the right search terms: http://www.google.com/

4.1) GENERAL / WORLD-WIDE

4.1.1) GENERAL / WORLD-WIDE - HEALTH

Centers for disease control and prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/http://www.travmed.com/
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/travel/vaccines_index.shtml%20
Mosquito nets (in Netherlands): http://www.klamboe.nl/%20

4.1.2) GENERAL / WORLD-WIDE - WORK / STUDY
Volunteering: http://www.workingabroad.com/
http://www.globalvolunteers.org/
Volunteering: http://www.unitedplanet.org/
Volunteering: http://www.i-to-i.com/
Volunteer programmes Asia, Africa, Latin America: http://www.crossculturalsolutions.org/
Volunteering: http://www.siw.nl/
http://www.volunteeringinafrica.org/programs.htm%20
Volunteer opportunities in South America: http://bolt.icestorm.com/lyric/south.html
Volunteer International Workcamps: http://www.vfp.org/
Many links to volunteer web sites: http://www.chimps.nl/
Working and studying abroad: http://www.joho.nl/studyjobs/index.html
Working abroad: http://www.afs.nl/
© Info for first timers or old English teachers: http://perso.orange.fr/jeremytaylor/forteachers.htm
Working in the Netherlands: http://jobs.expatica.com/nl
Working in the Netherlands: www.dutchnews.nl/jobs
Employment network for backpackers and the budget travel industry: http://www.amazonroad.com/
http://www.workonaboat.com/%20
Teaching abroad: www.iss.edu/pages/home.html
Teaching English: vacancies etc: http://www.tefl.com/
Jobs in Africa: www.africaguide.com/work.htm
http://www.studyabroad.com/
Study Spanish on the web: http://www.studyspanish.com/
Free online Spanish course: http://www.parlo.com/
© Learn Spanish guide: online courses, schools in various countries, resources for teachers, etc: http://www.learn-spanish-guide.com/
Languages: http://www.travlang.com/


4.1.3) GENERAL / WORLD-WIDE - PAPERWORK AND MONEY© Visa requirements: www3.travel.com.au/everest/index.cgi?E=bevisreq
Cirrus ATM's worldwide: www.mastercard.com/atm
VISA ATM's worldwide: www.visa.com/pd/atm/main.html
Exchange rates: http://finance.yahoo.com/m3?u%20

4.1.4) GENERAL / WORLD-WIDE - ACCOMMODATION

Hostels world-wide: http://www.hostels.com/
Worldwide hostel reservations + location maps: http://www.medialink.nl/
Hostels USA, Canada: http://www.hostelhandbook.com/
http://www.hostelamericas.com/
Cheap bed&breakfast for (Dutch and foreign) bikers in the Netherlands: http://www.vriendenopdefiets.nl/
Free accommodation: www.autostop.lt/faq/fac.html
Free accommodation: http://hospex.icm.edu.pl%20/
Free accommodation: http://www.servas.org/
Free accommodation: http://www.swapnow.com/
Free accommodation: http://www.stay4free.com/
Free accommodation: http://www.travelhoo.com/
Gay & lesbian accommodation directory: http://www.mongooseontheloose.com/purpleroofs/

4.1.5) GENERAL / WORLD-WIDE - TRAVELOGUES / DIARIES

Collection of travelogues from all over the world: http://www.travel-library.com/
http://cultureconnect.com/
© A woman on 4 year motorcycling trip to all continents, even Antartica: www.wimausa.org/WMA_Benka.html
© By tractor from Netherlands to South Pole to support Warchild: http://www.tractortractor.org/
© Travelogue of couple who hitch-hiked around the world: http://www.geocities.com/kingachopin/
Motorbike trip around world: http://it.ncsa.uiuc.edu/~mag/Thompson/
Through Africa on an old Yamaha: http://www.euronet.nl/users/arold/
South America, South East Asia, Middle East: http://edweb.gsn.org/andy/travels/index.html
Africa, Asia, Australia: www.geocities.com/roamabout
© Funny travelogues of various countries; English teaching experiences: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/jeremytaylor/index.htm
Cycling trip of 28.000 km from North Alaska to South Argentina + many links: http://www.travel.to/the.americas%20
Travelogue of cycling holidays (in Dutch) and many links: http://www.vakanfiets.demon.nl/
Travelogue of cycling holidays (in Dutch) and many links: http://www.home.zonnet.nl/fietsvakantie/
Travelogue of cycling holidays (in Dutch): www.xs4all.nl/~marcz/fietsen.html
Travelogue of cycling trips: http://home.wanadoo.nl/moh
Pole to pole trip for the promotion of environmental awareness: http://www.pole2pole2000.com/
© Europe, Mexico, North & South America, Singapore, etc.: http://www.spudstravels.com/
Europe, Americas, Asia: http://travel.to/weecheng
Travel photos Asia & Morocco: http://www.dom.f2s.com/
Travelogue: http://www.hupje.net/
© http://www.edouard.com/travel/
Travelogue, tips, links: http://www.angelfire.com/on2/anotheradventure/
Africa, Europe, Russia: http://www.stuart150.freeserve.co.uk/hols/
© Travelogue and tips: http://www.whatwesaw.com/
http://www.raingod.com/angus/Gallery/Photos/index.html
Antartica, South America, Asia: http://www.hanshupje.net/
Travelogue and many cycling links: http://www.dewijdewereld.net/ (in Dutch)
Egypt, Peru, Kenya, Tanzania: http://home.wanadoo.nl/kampie (in Dutch)
Africa, Asia, Europe, Americas: http://www.reizigerssite.com/ (English version available)
Photo gallery: http://www.internezzo.com/
Pictures from travellers: http://www.trippics.com/
www.stormloader.com/users/pintodog/travel.htm
www.traveladventures.org/continents/asia
Bolivia: www.trafford.com/robots/03-2287.html
Artist / traveller: http://www.nigelineurope.com/%20
Australia, Thailand: http://www.avontuur.com/
Many travelogues (mainly in Dutch I think): http://reisverslagen.startkabel.nl/
Various countries (in Dutch): http://www.wijreizen.nl/


4.1.6) GENERAL / WORLD-WIDE - PHOTOGRAPHY

www.fodors.com/focus/display.cgi?aid=89
© Free online travel photography course, tips for buying equipment for the first time: http://www.tribalcog.com/
© Unbiased product reviews; tips for buying equipment for the first time: http://www.photozone.de/
Compare digital cameras after specifying your criteria, and read user's comments: www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare.asp
Online course: http://www.webphotoschool.com/bhphotovideo/
Online course: www.agfanet.com/en/cafe/photocourse/cont_index.php3
Online course: kodak.com/US/en/nav/takingPics.shtml
Airport X-rays: http://www.f-stop.org/

4.1.7) GENERAL / WORLD-WIDE - ELECTRONICS

Create your own weblog to share travel stories and photos: http://spaces.msn.com/Create your own weblog to share travel stories and photos, with maps: http://www.travbuddy.com/© Anything to do with electronics on the road (plug types, storing digital images, etc): http://adrianwarren.com/faq/
© World guides for mobile phones, electrics, phones, internet: http://www.kropla.com/
Voltages en plug types worldwide: http://users.pandora.be/worldstandards/electricity.htm#voltage


4.1.8) GENERAL / WORLD-WIDE - SMART TRAVELLING

© http://freespace.virgin.net/gm.smith/travelfaq.htm
Budget travelling off the beaten track: http://pleth.tripod.com/
© Free e-mail, access anywhere in world: http://www.hotmail.com/
Free e-mail, access anywhere in world: http://www.yahoo.com/
Planning checklists etc.: http://www.artoftravel.com/
© Planning checklists etc.: http://freespace.virgin.net/travel.guru
www.rainforest-alliance.org
Ecotravel: http://ujamaatravel.com/
Backpacker's Third World Travellers' Guide and more: http://ease.com/~randyj/travel.htm
Protection wire net to go around pack: http://www.pac-safe.com/
"Point it" communication tool: picture book instead of phrasebook: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/3980313026/202-8813567-7536659
Travel tips: http://bolt.icestorm.com/lyric/tips.html
Backpack sizes and what you can get into them: http://oase.uci.kun.nl/~mwsk49/packs/
http://www.packinglistonline.com/
Packing checklist for different types of holidays, in Dutch: http://www.enikneemmee.nl/home/


4.1.9) GENERAL / WORLD-WIDE - OTHER

© http://www.sleepinginairports.net/
Festivals and celebrations around the globe: http://www.worldeventsguide.com/
http://www.timeout.com/
http://www.joho.nl/travelcenter/index.html
http://www.roughguides.com/
http://www.bootsnall.com/
http://www.packback.com/
http://dmoz.org/Recreation/Travel/Budget_Travel/Backpacking
http://www.travelchannels.com/
General tips for lots of countries: http://www.wereldreis.com/
© General travel planning resources: http://www.roughplanet.com/
Lots of links, tips and stories (in Dutch): http://www.backpacken.com/
General tips and stories on travelling (in Dutch): http://www.wereldreis.net/
Cycling organisations: http://www.rogergravel.com/wsl/
Info for travellers by bike (in Dutch): http://www.wereldfietser.nl/
International people finder & travellers friends reunited: http://www.lostamigos.net/
Find travelmate: http://www.travelmate.com/
Travel helpers: http://www.travellerspoint.com/
World weather info: http://www.worldweather.org/
Maps & guidebooks: http://www.catalyst-maps.co.uk/
Backpacker index (links to travel related sites world-wide): http://www.ozemail.com.au/~backpack/
Subscribe to travel mailing list: www.onelist.com/geninfo/cat24.html
http://www.escapeartist.com/
Airports: http://www.airwise.com/airports/
Clean, free bathrooms around the world: http://www.thebathroomdiaries.com/
Vegetarian world guide: http://www.veg.org/veg/Guide/
Architecture: http://www.greatbuildings.com/
Middle East: http://www.promisedlands.nl/
Buy (travel guide-) books online: http://www.amazon.com/
Gay & lesbian travel world-wide: http://www.viajartravel.com/
Gay & lesbian: www.queercompany.com/holiday/destinations.cgi
http://www.klm.nl/
http://www.airtreks.com/
http://garlic.aitec.edu.au/~bwechner/Documents/Travel/lists.html
Magazine for women travellers: http://www.passionfruit.com/
Online world maps: http://www.tte.ch/World/index.html
Adventure magazine: http://www.outsidemag.com/
http://www.1000traveltips.org/
Unesco world heritage sites: http://whc.unesco.org/
One day smile, good cause: http://www.one-day-smile.com/
Yellow Pages, business directory worldwide: http://www.go4yp.com/
Organised group adventure holidays: http://www.djoserusa.com/


4.2) LATIN AMERICA

South American Explorers Club: http://www.samexplo.org/
All the different airpasses in South America: www.lastfrontiers.com/flights_airpasses.php
Brazilian airpasses: www.globotur.com/airpass.htm
© http://www.cinemascope.com/photos/samerica/
Links for cycling in South America: http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Island/6810/index.html
Colombia country info: http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia
Newspapers: www.latinvestor.com/newsstand/latinews.htm
Learn Spanish in Latin America, free online vocabulary, poems, jokes, proverbs, recipes etc: http://www.aulaworld.org/
Language schools: http://www.amerispan.com/
Language schools Guatemala: www.trafficman.com/xelapages/schools.htm
Language schools Guatemala: www.theantiguajournal.com/sponsors/sponsor_foreword_frames.htm
http://www.volunteerlatinamerica.com/
Free or low cost volunteer work in South America: http://www.volunteersouthamerica.net/
Volunteers Guatemala: http://www.trafficman.com/xelapages/Volt.htm
Volunteers Guatemala: www.guatemalainfo.com/
SA airpasses: www.lastfrontiers.co.uk/airpass.htm
Airline: http://www.avianca.com.co/
Airline: http://www.aviatur.com.co/
Airline: http://www.avensa.com/
International bus S. Am.: http://www.ascinsa.com/ORMENO/index.html
Brazil, carnival, capoeira: www.praticus.com/index-i.htm
Colombia info in English: www.presidencia.gov.co/htm/colomb11.htm
Catagena, Colombia; sailing between Panama and Colombia: www.salelawrence.com/chome.htm
Internet: www.chileaustral.com/cybercafe/sacyber.html
Brazil: www.faunatour.com.br/ingles/ingles.html
Salvador da Bahia, Brazil: http://www.bahia-online.net/
© Travelogue of one of my favourite travel gurus: http://www.goodtimebob.com/
Travelogue Venezuela: http://harryjwagner.tripod.com/
Travelogue: http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/8856/
Travelogue: http://www.itisnet.com/english/e-america/e-samerica-top.htm%20
Travelogue: http://users.pandora.be/peresozo
Travelogue: www.scroll.demon.co.uk/satrip
Travelogue Patagonia: http://weecheng.simplenet.com/latin/French Guyana: http://www.tourisme-guyane.com/fr/%20
French Guyana: www.travel-guide.com/data/guf/guf.asp
French Guyana, big map: www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/americas/french_guiana.gif
San Pedro de Atacama, northern Chile: http://www.sanpedrochile.com/

Also see links for learning Spanish under Work and Study.


4.2.1) PERU

www.sscnet.ucla.edu/ssc/consult/wilkin/peru/peruintro.html
http://perutraveller.cjb.net/
© Magazine in English and Spanish on archeology, ecology, travel in Peru: http://www.rumbosperu.com/
Adventure tours (Inca trail and other hikes): www.rumbosperu.com/travelplanner.htm
Peru photos: http://www.hightek.com/~mdornieden/
www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Resort/1038
© Hotel Niños, Cuzco: http://www.targetfound.nl/ninos
Mountain Biking trips in Peru: http://www.bikeperu.com/
Peru's conservation travel organization: http://inkanatura.com/
http://sipan.perucultural.org.pe/
Juanita, girl found in snow: www.ucsm.edu.pe/~santury/index.htm
Gay Lima (and Cusco): http://lima.queercity.info/
One of many hotels in Cuzco: http://www.orquidea.net/
http://www.raingod.com/angus/Gallery/Photos/SouthAmerica/Peru/index.html
Sacred valley: http://expphoto.com/adventures/pongo98/index.htm
Flight company: http://www.aerocontinente.com.pe/
Jungle lodge and tours in Tambopata reserve: http://www.inotawaexpeditions.com/
English language news about Peru: http://perunews.wordpress.com/
One of many Spanish language schools in Cuzco: www.telser.com.pe/amauta
Another language school in Cuzco: http://orbita.starmedia.com/~incaslanguage/

4.2.2) BOLIVIA

http://travel.to/bolivia
http://www.boliviapage.scz.com/
http://www.cinemascope.com/photos/samerica/bolivia/index.html
http://www.raingod.com/angus/Gallery/Photos/SouthAmerica/Bolivia/index.html
Downhill mountain biking: http://www.gravitybolivia.com/
© The Bolivia Times newspaper in English: http://www.boliviatimes.com/

4.2.3) CHILE

Chile's premier English-language web site: http://www.chip.cl/
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/dominichamilton/chile98.htm
http://www.raingod.com/angus/Gallery/Photos/SouthAmerica/Chile/index.html
Airline: http://www.lanchile.cl/
Language institute: www.polyglot.cl/simple/eng/what.html
Spanish schools: http://www.cib.in.cl/
http://members.tripod.com/~lacasita/chilespanishschool.html
http://www.worldwide.edu/chile/itc/index.html
Send free faxes to Chile: http://www.faxchile.com/

4.2.4) ECUADOR

http://www.ecuadorexplorer.com/
Language school Quito: http://www.centro21.com/
www.labyrinth.com.au/~ssc/ecuador
© Travelogue Ecuador: www.crosswinds.net/~joyner
Otavalo, Ecuador: www.otavalo.com.ec/municipi
Otavalo, Ecuador: http://www.otavalo-web.com/
A hotel in Otovalo: http://www.alishungu.com/
Cottages in Ecuador: http://www.casamojanda.com/
Easter Island: www.netaxs.com/~trance/rapanui.html
Cybercafe Quito: www.altesa.net/monkeyonline

4.3) EUROPE

www.ricksteves.com
© http://www.eurotrip.com/
http://www.backpackeurope.com/
http://www.backpackingeurope.com/
http://www.workandtravel.com/
http://www.hostelseurope.com/
www.ireland.travel.ie/home/index.asp
http://www.visitbritain.com/
http://www.visitsweden.com/
http://www.visitbelgium.com/
Bike route planner for Belgium, including LF routes: http://users.pandora.be/fietscontreien/fietsrouteplanner.htm
http://www.visitireland.com/
http://www.visitaustria.com/
http://www.myswitzerland.com/
http://www.europebyair.com/
http://www.guideforeurope.com/
http://www.oldcontinent.com/
Trains: http://www.raileurope.com/
Trains: http://www.bahn.de/
Trains: http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en?newrequest=yes&protocol=http
http://www.raingod.com/angus/Gallery/Photos/Europe/
Bike rental and tours:
- Amsterdam: http://www.macbike.nl/ / http://www.yellowbike.nl/frameset.php?lang=en / http://www.bikecity.nl/ / most train stations / other addresses
- Berlin: http://www.fattirebiketoursberlin.com/ / http://www.alex-rent-a-bike.de/uk.htm
- Paris: http://www.fattirebiketoursparis.com/
- Barcelona: http://www.fattirebiketoursbarcelona.com/ / http://www.bikerentalbarcelona.com/
Live like a local (i.e. houseboat in Amsterdam, loft in Barcelona): www.like-a-local.com/index.php
My Iceland-specific tips: www.xs4all.nl/~cile/travel/iceland/iceland_info.htm#tips
My Berlin recommendations: www.xs4all.nl/~cile/photos/berlin_bw.htm#rec

Also see links for learning Spanish under Work and Study.


4.3.1) NETHERLANDS

© My personal recommendations for Amsterdam: www.xs4all.nl/~cile/travel/asd.htm
© Comedy show and informative, funny visitors' magazine: www.boomchicago.nl/en/community/real-amsterdam
Amsterdam free printable, detailed map: http://www.amsterdam.info/print/map/
www.cwi.nl/~steven/amsterdam.html
http://www.visitholland.com/
© http://www.timeout.com/amsterdam/
http://www.amsterdamhotspots.nl/
http://www.amsterdamfordummies.nl/
http://www.undutchables.com/
Info on Netherlands: getting around, accommodation, meeting people etc: http://www.insquish.com/
48 hour weekend break holiday guide to Amsterdam: http://www.travelsavvy-amsterdam.com/
Virtual tour through Amsterdam: http://www.channels.nl/
http://www.amsterdam.nl/
Amsterdam, the digital city: http://www.dds.nl/dds/info/english/
www.excite.com/travel/countries/netherlands
© Hotels and hostels per area and per price range: www.medialink.nl/amsterdam/
www.xs4all.nl/~tandis/Pages/suggeste.html
http://www.simplyamsterdam.nl/
Amsterdam airport: http://www.schiphol.nl/
Train schedule: www.ns.nl/reisplan2.asp
Airfares: www.etn.nl/hotfares/holland.htm
http://www.kilroytravels.com/
The Youth Hostel in the Vondelpark, Amsterdam: http://www.njhc.org/vondelpark/
http://www.flyingpig.nl/ (one of many hostels in Amsterdam)
Rotterdam: www.xs4all.nl/~couvreur/rotterdam.htm
http://www.xs4all.nl/~maesbb94/ (one of many B&B's)
http://pages.hotbot.com/travel/netherlands/amsterdam.html
Restaurant guide with visitor's comments: http://www.iens.nl/
Amsterdam red light district: http://www.ignatzmice.com/
Columns and tips on Amsterdam: http://www.amsterdamhasit.com/
Amsterdam little 'city beaches': http://www.amsterdamtourist.nl/nl/home/Amsterdam%2Bstad%2Baan%2Bhet%2Bwater/er%2Bop%2Buit/stranden/default.aspx
Hostel in Amsterdam: http://www.stayokay.com/default.cfm?
Amsterdam guide by a Brit: http://www.underwateramsterdam.com/
Amsterdam calendar: www.flyingpig.nl/agenda/calendar.php
Shopping in Amsterdam (in Dutch): www.amsterdam.nl/vrije_tijd_toerisme/inhoud/winkelen_in
For people who want to come and live in the Netherlands: www.expatica.com/source/site_content_subchannel.asp?subchannel_id=1
Info for visitors to the Netherlands: http://www.movetonetherlands.com/index.html

(Also see links under Europe)


4.4) AFRICA

© www.africaguide.com
http://www.africaonline.com/
http://www.afrikalinks.nl/
© Cultural Tourism in Tanzania, a very good tourguide and cook called Moshi Changai: http://www.tanzaniaculturaltours.com/
Animated GIF of the migration in Masai Mara / Serengeti: http://www.hillmanwonders.com/safari/
http://www.africaindex.africainfo.no/pages/Country_pages/
www.africa-insites.com/zambia/travel/Default.htm
http://www.newafrica.com/travel/
http://wildnetafrica.co.za/
http://www.zanzibar.net/
www.geocities.com/aladdin_page/Egypt_travel_info.htm
www.g-vis,co.uk/WildlifeAdventures
http://www.lifeinafrica.com/
http://www.abisa.co.za/
http://travel.state.gov/kenya.html
South Africa national parks: http://www.sanparks.org/tourism/map/Malaria risks: http://www.sanparks.org/tourism/malaria/
Africa: http://www.bookorbuy.com/
Kenya: http://www.savannen.com/
South Africa: http://africa.cis.co.za/home/default.asp
Safaris East Africa: http://www.gametrackers.com%20/
Swaziland: http://www.biggame.co.sz/
http://www.travelinafrica.co.za/
http://www.flyafrica.com/
www.angelfire.com/hi/FlyAfrica
www.safarisouth.co.za/main.htm
http://tanzaniatouristboard.com/
Reviews of Tanzania safaris and companies used: www.african-safari-journals.com/tanzania-holidays.html
Tanzania safari operators: http://tanzaniatouristboard.com/directory/tour_operators
Tanzania off the beaten path, cultural tourism, Bukoba & Lake Victoria: http://www.kiroyeratours.com/
Tanzania, Ukerewe & Lake Victoria: http://www.gallu.net/
Tanzania, Kenya: http://users.50megs.com/nature/
Kenya, Tanzania: http://www.saferidesafaris.com/
Tanzania, Mwanza: http://www.mwanza-guide.com/
www.kenyaguide.net
www.cix.co.uk/~safari/malawi.htm
http://www.malawiholiday.com/
http://members.tripod.com/~malawi/
Cultural village Malawi, near entrance to Liwonde park: http://www.njobvuvillage.org/
Ethiopia: http://www.whatsupaddis.com/
4WD & camper-home hire Southern Africa: http://users.iafrica.com/l/le/leislink/
http://www.tanzania.com/
Southern Africa: http://people.freenet.de/reisensa/
Botswana travel, safari, culture tips: http://www.safaris-in-botswana.com/
Travelogue of a volunteer in Cameroon: www.geocities.com/mirjaminkameroen
Travelogue landrover expedition from northern to southern Africa: http://www.geocities.com/derick_lean/
Tanzania and Malawi travelogue; useful links: www.geocities.com/mimi_samuel
Travelogue of 50 year old couple on cheap bikes through Senegal and the Gambia (in Dutch): http://www.nikhef.nl/~a17/prive/Fietstocht_Senegal_Gambia.html
Travelogue: http://www.outtoafrica.nl/
Travelogue: www.jetcity.com/~suebee
Travelogue: http://www.africa-overland.co.uk/
Travelogue Kenya: http://travel.to/udsen
www.angelfire.com/ab/overlander
Senegal: http://www.odunbeyeland.com/en/

4.5) AUSTRALIA

http://www.backpackeressentials.com.au/
http://www.immi.gov.au/
Rent camper vans in Oz: http://www.camperworld.com.au/
Campervan, motorhome, RV and 4WD hire: http://www.autorentals.com.au/
Western Oz: www.backpackingaround.com/index.htm
www.bekpek.nl/
Gay scene Cairns: www.gaycairns.com/newindex.html



5) FOR PEOPLE IN THE NETHERLANDS / BELGIUM ONLY

De HEMA is perfect voor het vinden van al je toiletartikelen (bv. toilettas, nagelborstel, spiegeltjes, kleine shampooflesjes met draaidop) en andere handige spullen zoals theedoeken, miniatuur spelletjes, kokertjes en opbergdoosjes, waterdichte moneybelt, klein verpakbare regenponcho, etc.
Bij Xenos hebben ze perfecte reishanddoekjes voor 3 euro! Ook hebben ze daar lichtgewicht regenkleding en andere handige reis- en kampeerspullen voor een goede prijs.
Bever Zwerfsport bijvoorbeeld heeft ook al die handige spullen maar is veel duurder.
Perry Sport is handig voor tassen, kleding, slaapzakken, tenten, schoenen, etc. Hennes& Mauritz heeft ook veel tassen en katoenen kleding met handige zijvakken.
Campingsport De Wit in Schijndel, Brabant schijnt ook goed te zijn voor kampeerspullen.