Interviewed By Life After Cubes And More eBook Reviews
I was recently interviewed by Jason Demant about earning a living through blogging and maintaining a hectic schedule along with 4 blogs. It was my first audio interview and was a fun experience despite being a bit shy which you can probably hear in my voice! Jason writes the Life After Cubes blog and it was my pleasure talking to him. You can read or listen to the interview about my transition from professional hacker to location independent blogger.
Overcoming The 7 Major Obstacles To Traveling The World eBook Reviews
Over the last few weeks there have been some reviews about my latest eBook. If you haven’t read it yet and are curious to hear what others have said, check out these recent reviews.
- Overcoming The 7 Obstacles To Traveling The World eBook review by Briefcase To Backpack
- Overcoming The 7 Obstacles To Traveling The World, a review by Live Collar Free
I was also interviewed by Glamour Magazine’s Italian version but unfortunately it isn’t online but I’ll see if I can track a copy from the article to post here soon. Finally, I wanted to direct you to As We Travel who’ve recently selected my post on travel security as one of their best of the week. Speaking of my 4 blogs, over at the Tech Guide For Travel this past week I wrote about 8 ways to extend your laptop battery on each charge (good for long plane rides), on How To Travel With Pets a guide to bringing your pets to the US on your next trip, and 13 recommended WordPress plugins for travel bloggers on Travel Blog Advice.
[photo by: Seven Morris]
How To Create Your Own Personal Travel Security Plan
When traveling you are susceptible to theft but you can mitigate many of the risks by implementing a personal travel security strategy. Security isn’t about preventing every possible risk, but rather, reducing the impact of any single incident. You can insulate your money, information, and person by diversifying and thinking more like a robber and less like a victim.
Protect Your Money With Dirty Socks
Never keep all of your money in a single place. Spreading out your money in various places isn’t difficult, even if you travel with alone or stick with a single carry on. Split up your money as best you can in routine places wallets and your backpack, but also smellier places that aren’t so inviting or typically associated with money.
- On Your Person - Spread out cash over yourself in places like deep within your socks, on the side of your underwear, or a bit in your bra.
- Dirty Socks - Your stinky hiking socks aren’t likely to be touched, even if you leave the socks under your hostel bed (and separate from your backpack). The same goes for your underwear – if it’s gross for you it will be for most crooks too and not many people would expect to find money there.
- Toys - Those of you traveling with pets or kids can use their toys as hiding spots for additional cash.
- Wallet - Have some cash in your wallet and don’t keep your important IDs or credit cards in it. Your wallet is the primary target pickpockets are after so make it a satisfying decoy by carrying unactivated credit cards along with a photo ID with no personal information on it (e.g. old student ID).
Another way you can be shadier than a thief is to leave just one credit card or free checking account card in your decoy wallet. If it is stolen, report the card as such immediately. Most companies keep close tabs on when and where stolen cards are used and you might get lucky if the thief happens to try and withdraw money under the watchful eye of store security cameras. Just make sure to find a bank that won’t charge time-based fees, here’s how to choose the right bank before going overseas.
Keep Your Gadgets, Laptop, and Data Safe
Next to money, your portable electronic devices are most attractive to thieves. Protect them physically and digitally by encrypting your data and having good backups just in case.
- Lock Down Your Laptop - Follow A Traveler’s Guide To Locking Down Your Laptop Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
- Make Your Stuff Ugly – You can find out how to uglify your digital camera and use the same premise for your other gadgets. Stickers, duct tape, and tacky carrying bags can make electronics less attractive to potential crooks than if they’re strutting around in their shiny best.
- Security At Internet Cafes – Keep your online accounts safe at Internet cafes by loading up a USB drive with these 12 applications or installing portable Linux. Also, don’t use Internet kiosks at airports.
- Zippers Down When Sleeping In Airports – Tie your bags together with a simple laptop lock and have your bags facing zipper down to make it slightly harder for someone to take advantage while you’re dozing.
- Carry Padlocks – Most hostels offer lockers but charge for locks so bring 2 of your own to save the money and get the security.
- Leave The iPhone Behind – There are some advantages to traveling without an iPhone but if you bring one be aware the encryption on the device is useless against even amateur hackers. Don’t leave credit card numbers or other sensitive data there.
- Backup Your Laptop, Backup Your Laptop, Backup Your Laptop – There are 2 good free online solutions which will help you recover from a stolen or dead hard drive quickly.
Perhaps the most important rule to keeping your tech gadgets safe on the road is not flashing them when you don’t have to. Be aware of your surroundings and read up on the common crimes or ask the hostel or hotel clerk what’s risky and not. Don’t assume a busy or touristic area is a safe place; take Drifting Focus’s word for it and follow her advice.
Think Chameleon To Blend In
Tourists are easy targets because they can be easily distinguished from locals and most travelers are carrying money and electronics. Begin your security strategy by blending in (here’s how Americans can blend in abroad).
- Ditch The Jeans - In most places around the world, blue jeans aren’t the default pants worn.
- Know The Faux Pas – Here’s a complete list of international faux pas.
- Look Confident, Even If You’re Not – Pretend you are acting in a movie, who’s the most confident character you know? Channel them to give the impression of confidence and don’t be afraid to be firm when needed.
- Watch The Pace – Look around you and see how people move when you arrive to a new destination. What is the local pace, are you running around while the locals are one step behind?
- Move With A Purpose – It’s not always easy (especially in the first few days) but even when you are wandering, don’t make it seem so.
- Bargain Like A Pro – Or better yet, bargain like a Ferengi, even when you don’t know the local language.
Don’t be under the impression that, despite your best efforts, the locals won’t be able to pick you out. You’ll just be a less likely target for pickpockets and scam artists since they tend to go for what they consider the easiest prey. A confident traveler who knows the local culture isn’t a good choice for most crooks.
Prepare Early, Prevent What You Can, And Be Ready For What You Can’t
As I mentioned earlier, you can’t keep all of your money safe all of the time, blend in everywhere as best you’d like, or ever be completely safe online. The point is that you don’t have to. Simply reduce the impact of any one potential security breach like a stolen wallet so you can move on from it without completely derailing your travels or sanity. Get creative and put yourself in the shoes of a pickpocket or hostel opportunist – figure out what they’d do and be ready with surprises.
[photos by: Hollywood Poodle (security dog), Roo Reynolds (stickers on laptop), ucumari (chameleon)]
A Local’s Guide To 2 Days In Kyoto, Japan
May 5, 2010 by Anil P.
Filed under Guest Post
This is a guest post by Todd. A writer, blogger, and conflict resolution specialist; he blogs about his travels and adventures at Todd’s Wanderings. He currently lives in Kosovo, and lived in Japan near Kyoto for over five years. He’s working on his first book about walking the 900 mile Japanese Shikoku Pilgrimage, twice.
2 Days in Kyoto- Navigate the City Like a Local
Kyoto is one of those magical cities that every person should visit. However, like all proper Japanese maidens its secrets take a long time to discover. Its beauty lies in the glimpse of a geisha as she flirts around a corner, the hidden alleyway sheltering a 400 year old noodle house, or the tiny garden hidden from view but tended to as honestly as a member of the family. All of this is hidden amongst the disaster of post WWII urban planning and the waves of ugly concrete and electrical lines that spread out from city’s center.
It takes commitment to experience the elegant Kyoto, time the typical visitor doesn’t have. For those looking for rare glimpses that have delighted travelers for centuries here is list of my favorite places that can be experienced in any two day trip.
Walk Through Higashiyama – (Takes a full day so start early!)
The bastion of cultural protection, Higashiyama (literally “Eastern Mountains”) has maintained the feeling of old Kyoto with its massive temples, narrow alleyways, quite gardens and tiled wooden houses. Start your walk towards the Buddhist temple Kyomizu-dera, where you’ll find spectacular views of Kyoto from the main veranda supported by hundreds of pillars. DON’T approach the temple from the main road, instead find the small road just south and follow it through the ancient hillside cemetery, perhaps the most scenic and ignored area of Kyoto!
Continue your walk north and take a tea break in the traditionally restored neighborhood of Sannen-Zaka. Move on hitting any shrine or temple you see (there are tons) and you’ll end up in Gion, the famous entertainment and geisha district. Remember this area as you’ll want to come back in the early evening for your best chance of catching a glimpse of a geisha or maiko (apprentice geisha). Stay for dinner and drinks on Pontocho-dori, a small road where hundreds of little restaurants compete for your taste buds.
The northern section of Higashiyama starts from Kaege Station on Tozai subway line. Hit the massive, ancient and delightful Nanzen-ji. Don’t forget to explore all of the sub-temples. Continue north and find your own favorites, with 2,000 temples and shrines in Kyoto I’m sure you will find something. Pass through the Tetsugaku-no-michi (path of philosophy), a pedestrian path along a canal lined with cherry blossom trees. Complete your walk at Ginkaku-ji, temple of the silver pavilion. There is no silver pavilion but it boast one the most impressive tea gardens in all of Kyoto and is often overlooked by most visitors.
Kinkaku-ji and Ryoan-ji Temples
Located near each other in Northwest Kyoto these two temples can easily be combined in a morning session, which is probably better as they can become packed with visitors quickly. Kinkaku-ji with its famed “Golden Pavilion” is an impressive ostentatious temple originally built as the retirement villa of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. The Zen temple Ryoan-ji with its austere rock garden stands in stark contrast to affluence in the neighborhood. Arrive early before the crowds and the annoying loudspeaker.
Arashiyama
Located in the western mountains of Kyoto this is a busy tourist town, but the delight is in the temples and quite areas up the hill. Experience shojin-ryori, the vegetarian cuisine developed by Zen monks, at Tenryu-ji. Explore the temple before exiting by the north gate to wander through the amazingly green bamboo forest. This is the most beautiful part of the area so walk slowly and enjoy it.
Fushimi Inari Taisha
One of the most mystical places in Kyoto, this Shinto shrine is dedicated to the god for rice and business, Inari. Located on a hillside, over 10,000 red tori gates line the paths transporting any visitor into another world. Come during the early evening just before sunset for a heightened sense of the other side as you get lost within the winding paths and statues of sly foxes, Inari’s messengers. The shrine is just a 5 minute train ride from Kyoto station on the JR Nara line.
Drinks
What guide would be complete without advice on drinking and eating with the locals? There is not a huge club scene in Kyoto (head to Osaka instead) but small bars are everywhere. Visit Kiyamachi between Nijo and Sanjo for an area teeming with small bars and restaurants. No suggestions here other than find a random place and enjoy. Oh, and good luck finding your way out of the side streets afterward! If you want to drink with the younger crowd, buy yourself an oversized beer (or three) at a convenience store and head to the Sanjo bridge nearby and grab a seat on the banks of the Kamogawa river. There is sure to be some group jamming to an acoustic guitar.
Many thanks to Todd for this insightful post about Kyoto, Japan. You can read more from Todd on his blog, Todd’s Wanderings and follow him on Twitter (@toddwassel).
[photos by: rawheadrex (Kyoyo market), Jaime Perez (Kyomizu-dera), syvwich (Kinkaku-ji), eyspahn (shojin-ryori), Paco Alcantara (crimson paths)]
The Best Comments Of The Month: April 2010
I hope you’ve all been paying attention to the comments (and hopefully leaving some of your own!) There is a lot of good information below each article in the comments section submitted by readers like you. I appreciate all of you who’ve left a comment over the past month, here are some of the best from April.
- Some information changes suddenly and some so gradually over time we don’t take notice. It can be hard to keep up, especially when you plan well in advance as Nico mentions.
- Bobbi Lee got a free copy of The Underground Guide To International Volunteering for being the first person to comment on my review about the eBook.
- If you’re using a Mac, Trisha Miller has a nice little shortcut to activate a password-protected screensaver and Richard recommends creating a guest account if you like to share your laptop at hostels and other places.
- Sadly, Donna Hull also missed Essaouira’s goats in trees.
- Joel has a lot of good information on bank and credit card accounts that don’t charge many of the fees travelers come across.
- Volcanic ash isn’t all bad, it seems that airfare to Iceland has dropped recently according to Katie Hammel. Besides that, Hjortur Smarason reminds us that watching live volcanoes is another good reason to visit the Iceland.
- Earl tells us a little bit about his experience at the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in India.
- There are many good free online sources to learn new languages and Carrie adds some advice on using a computer to help learn that next language.
- Kim puts airline prices in perspective but for Emily and most of you, paying to pee crosses the line.
Thanks to all of you who left a comment this month – I’ve got some prizes and few little treats for commenters coming up in the next few weeks. I’ll announce them in a post soon so if you haven’t before, practice here with your first comment!
[photo by: fofurasfelinas]
