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How Travel Blogging For A Living Changes The Way I Travel

by Anil Polat | Nov 9, 2012 | Money, Tech, Travel Journal | 38

empty country road

As I sit here typing this post after 50 minutes of brainstorming and procrastination in a deceivingly modern cafe in Rishikesh, India, I’m reflecting on how my travels have changed over the past 5 years of travel blogging. This city is one of Hinduism’s holiest places and considered the apex of yoga worldwide. The Ganges River flows less than 2 kilometers behind me and I must neglect it for the day, as I take advantage of electricity and bandwidth to write a post overdue for last Friday.

Later on in the afternoon I’ll be rejoining Wandering Earl and the rest of his Welcome To India Tour, which I’ve been helping out on and enjoying myself. It’s my fourth time in India, second in Rishikesh, yet each travel experience remains unique. Aside from the colorful honks and lethargic cows, refreshingly reminiscent of my previous visits, this time I’ve come to see my reflection from fresh eyes.

Shaken, Not Stirred

I suppose the term ‘balance’ is a bit misleading, as I’ve combined working and traveling into one entity. Rather than the usual dichotomy of vacation and office, I’ve merged two of my healthier addictions so they’re essentially binary forms of the same drug. It is when I’m with other travelers – who are taking time away from a day job – that I begin to realize how my personal pattern of movement differs from theirs. My schedule has to include regular week and months-long stops to account for writing, editing photos, responding to 300+ emails daily, managing finances – in short, running a business whose manager is always on the run.

On my short list of things to plan around is Internet access, which I’m rarely without for more than 24 hours. Every hostel search, airport layover, and mountain trekking adventure has me looking for ways to get online in step one, two, or three, of the planning process. Elaborately preparing in advance if I need to be offline for more than a day or so. Typically my busiest days of the week are Sunday through Thursday (or Wednesday if I’m bizarrely efficient) giving me more digital flexibility on the other days of the week.

Every scene is a photo opportunity that may not come again, so I take as many as possible from angles wide and narrow – of those I take, only 10% will ever make it beyond my recycle bin. A snap or 15 of every dish that sits in front of me is standard before I eat, including a few notes in my iPhone for a restaurant review that will appear on this site eventually. (Though when I’m particularly hungry this happens.) Details fade fast in a memory that’s full of journeys and was never really much good to begin with. Moments that go undocumented can easily be lost to time so I have to take some extra time in each moment to leave a temporal trail for my practically useless hippocampus.

A Complicated Recipe

photos in baku azerbaijan

These gears turn inside of a delicate machine, whose impulsive conductor tweaks on the fly too often by cutting out luxuries he could once take for granted. In a crunch between my personal essentials – sleep, exercise, the occasional shower – messages to family and friends are usually the last to go out. The balance I need to strike isn’t just between work and travel but with life’s many facets as well – where the outcome of the equation has no definite answers.

If I’m going to decline an invitation for a night out in Sarajevo, extra cup of coffee in Quito, or spontaneous trip to Copenhagen, it’s because of a devoted discipline to my digital companion and ultimately all of you reading, who allow me to continue traveling indefinitely. It’s never been a lack of desire, which hasn’t faded at all over the years of this journey.

Eating My Way Through The Foods Of Moldova

by Anil Polat | Nov 8, 2012 | Culture, Food, Money | 21

foods of moldova

The country of Moldova is a strange, yet endearing, country. Something like a crazy uncle who is mildly offensive but strangely wise in between swigs of whiskey. And like that, Moldovan cuisine is curiously deep and varied, an unexpected twist given its hilly, elevated geography. After a few days in Europe’s poorest country you’ll quickly witness that Moldavans drink more alcohol than anyone else on the planet. Despite this liquid indulgence however, they still have plenty of room in their stomachs for their common foods: a Romanian-Germanic mix with an Italian accent, appropriately random, something Moldova does consistently well.

Starting With A Few Sides Of Veggies

The typical organizational structure of a table sitting beneath Moldovan dishes is meat in the center, with a small battalion of vegetable-based sides at the ready. Common in eastern Europe is Moldova’s take on Bulgaria’s shopska salad (or Turkey’s çoban salatası), called ‘kanape’. This Moldovan salad has a base of lettuce with tomatoes, cucumbers, along with sweet yellow peppers, olives, parsly and moist feta cheese.

moldavian salad

There are also other creative variations of this basic salad, mostly at fancier restaurants, which include tuna salad, chicken, mushrooms, peppers, and potatoes. The latter ingredient being one that’s often used as the supporting base of many salads in Moldova.

Rounding Out The Army Of Fiber

In addition to the assortments of salads, you can have eggplant puree (“icre de vinete”), one of my favorite Moldovan dishes. Eaten cold and best spread on bread, it’s got a strong tomato flavor with some garlic and a hint of lemon.

Icre de vinete eggplant puree moldova

The hot salad, “ghiveci”, takes eggplant to the next level in Moldova. Sitting in a sauce of tomatoes, the eggplant, potatoes, green beans, and onions are mixed in with red peppers that give a welcomed spicy flavor; helping to keep your eating at a good pace. (If you eat every meal like a starved wolverine as I do.)

Moving On To Soups

There are a number of soups in Moldova, several of which worked to warm my shivering muscles covered under clothing that would be inadequate for winter in Thailand. The soup shown left, called ‘solianka’, is really a Russian dish that keeps your cozy by providing enough fat for your body to grow an extra layer of blubber or two. (I’d be surprised if there were any less than a stick of butter in each bowl.) There’s also a generous portion of beef swimming in the tomato-based broth.

solianka chicken zeama soup moldova

In the picture above right is a twist on the very typical chicken zeama soup. Noodles and potatoes sit patiently in broth waiting for you to add a large tablespoon of sour cream to mix in. It might be strange for your ears to hear, slightly more so than it was for my eyes to see, but my taste buds had absolutely no objections.

Meet Moldovan Meat

moldova sarma

Let’s start with sarma, cooked cabbage leaves wrapped around minced pork in tomato puree. For added flavor to go with each juicy bite however, make sure you give each sarma a good dip in sour cream, usually served alongside the plate. If you prefer your meat naked, you can try one of the many versions of sausage Moldovan butchers produce from beef, chicken, and pork, like “cîrnăţei”. Mixed meats are the most popular variety with potatoes and onions never too far away.

moldavian sausage

Only The Beginning Of What Goes With Your Wine

Moldovan foods are functionally filling without losing their spicy soul – a condition many northern European countries seems to suffer from. You can settle for broiled chickens with potatoes on the nights you need some caloric comfort or go for Italian fast-food at a place like Pizza Celentano. To get a good palate of what Moldovan cooks have been inventing over the centuries – without spending much money – I’d recommend stopping by one of La Placinte‘s two locations in Chisinau once or thrice as you can see I did. Though obviously it’s not complete in Moldova without some wine or beer, the locals drink 4.67 and 4.57 liters respectively of both annually. Clearly, for the sake of cultural immersion, you may want to join them.

Alone In A Crowd: An American Flag At JFK International Airport In Queens, New York

by Anil Polat | Nov 6, 2012 | Pictures and Video | 0

jfk international airport

Even when you’re rushing through the world’s 16th busiest airport to catch a connecting flight to a destination you can no longer remember, there can be an occasion of desolation to be noticed or not. I almost race-walked past this scene, distracted by my tardiness, plus the intimidating security line downstairs. It was a microcosm of a problem many of us unwittingly fall into when traveling – neglecting to notice the path due to focusing on the destination. The tradeoff though is usually a good one. A few minutes of time for a travel memory isn’t one we end up regretting, despite having to run a bit faster to not miss the next flight.

How Often Should I Upgrade My Travel Gadgets?

by Anil Polat | Nov 2, 2012 | Money, Tech, Travel Unravel | 2

apple macbook pro 15 inch

The rapid advancement of technology has made our computers smaller, tablets faster, and mobile phones more powerful, allowing us to travel, work, and communicate like no other time in history. And no matter what Moore says, it seems like those advancements are happening faster than our wallets (and perceptions) can keep up with. We don’t want to waste our money or carry around obsolete gadgets so many people, frequent travelers or not, often ask the same question. When do you really need to upgrade your travel gadgets?

Depending On Your Devices, It Depends

My general rule and recommendation when purchasing new computer hardware is to buy secondhand, one full model, prior to the latest on sale. This not only helps insulate you from potential hardware bugs that a manufacturer has yet to sort out, but can save you money without compromising computing power. One “model” cycle can mean many things for different devices and companies but it simple terms – it’s when the guts of a device are overhauled and upgraded.

For example, the latest iPad 4 is a tweak upon the iPad 3, with minor changes and an newer computer processor inside. You want to upgrade when you need to, not simply because a new model has been released.

Companies often released tweaks or reuse parts from other members of their product line in order to release updates once or twice a year (i.e. the iPad Mini which is essentially an iPad 2 with a smaller screen). Total overhauls – true upgrades – often roll along once every 18 months or so. A good way to estimate when an upcoming major upgrade will be released is to look at a given manufacturer’s past version cycle. Wiki pages about various hardware (i.e. Windows laptops) will have dates and changes, giving you a good feel about what might be coming up next and when.

Good Things Come In Two

petronas towers

For upgrades, you generally want to think about doing so about 2 complete model cycles behind a new product release. The reason isn’t that the metal in your hand ages or becomes obsolete, but that software advancements (taking advantage of faster processors) begins leaving laptops, mobile phones, and other gadgets in the past. You’ve probably noticed how your devices “slow down” over time. Really, what you are seeing is software that’s meant to run on newer machines struggling to run on the equipment you own.

Also, more complex machines, specifically laptops, can be upgraded gradually – such as installing more memory – extending their lifespan and saving you from having to buy a completely new machine. When feasible, maxing out any (RAM) memory upgrades can add a year or two to the time when you’ll realistically need a new laptop.

Know What You’re Paying For

Don’t forget, while most of us are rooting for faster, sleeker gadgets, manufacturers ofter release new products with slight improvements simply to make more money. Updates that occur quickly one after the other are usually more in the interest of bottom lines rather than breakthroughs in hardware development. Of course you can upgrade as often as you like and your budget will allow, but in the end, the key is knowing the difference between a luxury rather than necessity.

3 Ways Azerbaijan Could (Easily) Encourage Many More Travelers To Visit

by Anil Polat | Nov 1, 2012 | Car, Lodging, Money, Train, Travel | 6

construction man statue

Azerbaijan, and Baku specifically, is an oil wealthy nation whose prosperity is visibly raising steel and concrete to the skies from the ground. By all accounts the Ilham Aliyev-led government is looking to convert petrol into tourism, much like Dubai has successfully done over the last 15 years. Yet, despite all of the infrastructure developed for the shopping-on-steroids approach of travel enticement, Azerbaijan still makes it difficult for most foreigners to visit.

Those obstacles keep Azerbaijan sitting at the #75th position in global tourist arrivals; compared to the United Arab Emirates who’s comfortably at 31st. Ah, but us travelers are usually so easy to get along with, no matter the size of our bank accounts. A few tweaks to the system and Azerbaijan might very well get its Dubai dream.

1. Allow Visa Free For The Countries That Travel Most

Currently, the only countries with relatively large internationally traveling populations with visa-free entry into Azerbaijan are Russia and China. The others primarily consist of Central Asian and former Soviet block countries. Not exactly the ideal pool of visitors to choose from. (How many Moldovans could be planning a trip to Azerbaijan?) Turks like myself can purchase a visa upon arrival and if you’re not savvy to it, get scammed out of [insert arbitrary amount] needed to pay for an ‘entry visa photo’.

As far as the process to getting a visa for most everyone else, that can require 10 business days or more plus involve you purchasing a ‘travel voucher’ from an accredited travel agency in Azerbaijan. On top of that there are forms (who doesn’t enjoy having to fill out three sets of those) along with a roughly $180 (~140 Euro) fee. There is a very strong correlation between GDP and visa restrictions – have a high gross domestic product (Azerbaijan’s has increased 6 times in the last decade) and put many nationalities on visa-free status – and the odds are you’ll have many more tourists visiting.

2. Develop And Encourage A Budget Travel Trail

baku coastline

Many people in sectors of the travel industry often complain that backpackers are practically useless for their overall bottom lines since they “don’t spend.” According to researchers from MIT, people around the world tend to spend the same percentage of their overall time and budget traveling. This “Time Travel Budget” theory holds that generally, the more free time one has (think students on break) the more of that time they’ll spend traveling. (We’re all travel-addicts at heart apparently.) So, backpackers and other budget travels spend less per day but tend to spend longer time in a given destination. There are also more people in the ‘budget travel’ category. Luxury travelers and fancy-pants may jet in for short trips and spend a lot more but in the end, there’s less of a gap in spending between the two types of travelers than assumed.

In Baku, the main port of entry for most travelers, budget accommodations are very difficult to find, with hostels practically non-existent and hotels ranging from $80 on up. Those prices don’t make Baku as enticing as it could be, given the added visas costs and procedures.

3. Develop Basic Mass Transit To Tourist Lands

yanar dag azerbaijan

Hiring a driver and automobile is rarely the cheapest way to get around in most places (unless you’re renting a car in Bahrain). And, many of Baku’s former train and bus options to popular sites like Gobustan’s mud volcanoes no longer exist. In a country where so much of the infrastructure is government-mandated, and few buses and a train or two to the major sites, towns, and areas travelers want to visit would go a long way to getting more people to go to them. I’ve found that people are less concerned about spending money when it saves them time or effort (group hug for all of us lazy folks).

Airport shuttles or direct buses too would certainly help travelers (especially in the higher-budget demographic) as that type of convenience tends to leave with a favorable first and last impression. A good thing if you want repeat business.

Not To Dismiss The Potential

These points aren’t to say that Azerbaijan isn’t worth visiting, just that they’re probably holding back on their travel potential in the Caucuses but raising the barriers on entry. Of course there’s plenty to see in Baku alone in addition to the intangible serendipity in Azerbaijan. As neighboring Georgia sees modest gains in visitors, the addition of Azerbaijan could be the beginning of a budding backpacker train in the Caucuses. The nomads upon which will do more for Azeri tourism, with their word of mouth, than any policy could produce.

About Anil Polat

Hi, I'm Anil. foXnoMad is where I combine travel and tech to help you travel smarter. I'm on a journey to every country in the world and you're invited to join the adventure! Read More