How to Kill Boredom on Your Travels: Three Mobile Apps to Keep You Entertained
Layovers, coach transfers, night trains and flights. Whenever and wherever you’re going, the act of actually traveling is an integral part of the process and often involves long-hauls aboard various modes of public transport.
Coupled with having to get from one place to another, a certain amount of waiting is inevitable – and inevitably irritating! Even as a seasoned adventurer, time spent traveling and waiting can still become tedious.
Yes, it’s all worth it in the end, but the bit in the middle can often be a chore!
Fortunately, in today’s world, smartphones are a savior. As well as offering way to contact friends, post pictures of your adventure, and catch up on emails on-the-go, mobiles are modern entertainment hubs.
Regardless of your tastes, your device, or your budget, there’s an app out there that’ll keep you entertained. In this guide, we’ve picked out three mobile apps that will help pass the time in between destinations.
read moreThe Best Places in California to Visit with Your Dog
It’s wonderful when you can travel with your dog, without being denied entry in most places. And, if you can’t fathom the thought of a vacation without your best friend, California is an ideal pet-friendly destination.
Many residents of California are already dog lovers themselves, so from hotels that cater to furry guests, to dog friendly beaches, parks, and nature trails, this is the place to be at!
But California is a huge State, so where are the best places to visit with your four legged friend? The following are the most pet friendly places in an already very pet friendly State.
read moreHow to Keep Snakes Away From Your Campsite
For the traveler who spends time in the outdoors, trying to avoid snakes completely is nearly impossible, unless you’re visiting New Zealand, Iceland or Ireland that is – countries which don’t have a single snake!
But if you’re thinking you’ll limit your travel to just those three countries, you’ll end up missing out on some truly remarkable places. Just because snakes are present, doesn’t mean you need to avoid traveling; you just need to take smart precautions.
While bugs and insects do attack unprovoked, the good news is that snakes don’t. Most snakes would rather to slither away than have a confrontation, and don’t aggressively bite things out of malice.
So it’s actually pretty easy to not get bitten!
But, if you’re setting up camp, and don’t even want to see one, you can use the following tips for keeping them away from your campsite.
read more5 Ways to Enjoy a Local Aussie Summer
There’s nothing like an Aussie summer. You might think it’s all about the sun, beaches and beers, however there is much more Australia can offer in the summer months!
Want to join in the fun? The following are 5 ways to feel like a local Aussie this coming summer!
read moreThe Purest Water Sources in the World: Countries with the Cleanest Drinking Water
People often take their drinking water for granted. In most western countries we don’t think twice before grabbing a glass and sticking it underneath a tap. So you’ll probably be surprised to know that 99% of the world’s water sources are unfit for human consumption.
This leaves a paltry 1% of the world’s water to sustain over 7 billion people across the planet. So, that begs the question, where is this clean water?!
The following infographic by Waterlogic (manufacturers of workplace water dispensers), takes a deep dive into the 15 purest water sources left on earth, uncovering everything from the freshwater havens of bracing Alaska through to the natural filtration effects of the gold mines in South Africa.
There are even a couple of surprises: who knew the River Thames is now regarded as the cleanest river in the world to flow through a major city? Read on to see which other waterways make the cut as world’s purest.
read moreHow to Get From Beijing to Shanghai by Train
Traveling on the Beijing to shanghai train is the quickest and most cost-efficient way to get between these two iconic mega-cities. Because China’s high-speed trains operate at a speed of 350 km/hr, you can travel 819 miles within 4.5 hours.
While this is of course longer than the time it takes to fly (2 hours), there are many perks to train travel, including easier security, the convenient location of stations, comfort of travel, and cheaper cost of ticket.
And, when you consider getting to the airport at least an hour before your flight, and the time it takes you to disembark, collect your bags, and then catch a taxi, train travel actually ends up being around the same amount of time.
So, you’ve decided the book the train between Beijing and Shanghai. What else do you need to know?
read moreCheap Ways to Stay in Touch With Home While Traveling
If you’re someone who likes to travel for longer than the average 2 week vacation, there’s no doubt that one of the most challenging things you’ll face is staying in touch with people back home.
The simple fact is, to continually travel the world you sacrifice the majority of your pre existing relationships. Even if you’re close with your family and friends, it’s very easy to lose contact when you’re in completely different locations.
After-all, you’re busy traveling, they’re busy with their stuff, and without even realizing it, you end up missing out on milestones and momentous occasions because you’re on the other side of the world, in a different time zone.
But staying in touch doesn’t have to be expensive, and with tech nowadays it’s actually very easy to keep in contact.
read moreHow To Get More Out Of Netflix When Traveling
Everyone enjoys some Netflix and chill, and there’s nothing like rolling into a hotel, tired after a long journey, and putting on a couple of shows while you get some rest.
Whether you’ve had a lazy day at the beach, or a dream day between waterfalls and temples in Bali, having access to home comforts while traveling is quite the luxury. However, due to the geo-restrictions imposed on Netflix, your viewing experience is going to vary wildly from one country to the next.
In many nations, you could login to find that your favorite shows are just gone. And, if you think finding a movie is hard back home; imagine suddenly having a catalog that is up to 90% smaller. It happens.
Thankfully, there is a solution!
No matter how small the local catalog is, you can “spoof” your location to another country to increase the number of options. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is an online service that permits you to switch your IP address to any country you like.
As soon as you use a VPN to pretend to be in a different country, you can watch the larger Netflix catalog! So, which locations have the smallest catalogs? And where is it a good idea to pretend to be instead?
read morePacking Problems: 4 Useful Tips For Making Everything Fit
Vacation-time is clearly the best time of the year. But there is one constant struggle each traveler has to deal with: what should you bring and what can you leave at home?
Most importantly, does everything you need even fit into your suitcase?!
Regardless of whether you’re trying to cram a few outfits into a small weekender bag, or you’re packing everything + the kitchen sink into your suitcase, the following are 4 useful and creative tricks to making everything fit.
read moreHow to get to Siem Reap (and Angkor Wat)
There’s a certain magic about Siem Reap; as the gateway to Angkor Wat, this small, compact tourist town is where modern and ancient worlds collide.
Cosmopolitan cafes and modern markets form the epicenter of chic Cambodia, though a short tuk-tuk ride and you’ve stepped back in time.
Siem Reap was built around an empire of ancient temples, and from those reclaimed by the roots of enormous banyan trees, to complexes that were once the royal capital city of the Khmer empire, the city of Siem Reap is an incredible base for authentic adventure.
There’s plenty to do in Siem Reap beyond the temples of course; from the Cambodian circus, to Buddhist monasteries, and back country adventures to explore rural villages fringed by endless rice paddies, swaying sugar palms, and water buffaloes.
But before you focus on things to do (and you won’t be short of things to do!), the first thing to figure out is how to get there; by plane, bus, or boat.
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