Now that's solo. Taking a picture of yourself.

Trying to get time and money to set off on an adventure for a few months to a year is a fair amount of work and commitment. Timing is also important. Do you want to go in peak season and pay peak prices? Do you want to avoid a rainy season or a blazing hot summer season? Are you going on a round the world tour with many of these factors and more? Where do you want to go and what do you want to see?

Now add a friend or two into the mix. They have to get time and money together. They want to see things and go to places on their bucket list. They might be shoppers. They might be partiers. They might prefer the beach over historic sights. They might have less time. They might have more money. They also might (my personal hair puller) be very slow to get ready and you will find that half your trip is waiting for them.

Enter the idea to set off solo. Sure it can be a scary thought but if you want to get out there and see the world at your pace then I would urge you to just do it. Your time, your intinerary, your budget, your magical mystery tour.

You will not be alone unless you want it that way. Hostels are a great way to meet fellow travelers from around the world. Even if they are a step down from your budget I still urge you to give them a try. Many hostels are now catering to wealthier travelers and offer very nice private rooms along side their bunks. Alternatively, many hotels are offering bunks and opening up comunal common areas to cash in on the fast growing backpacker market.

These types of accomodation always provide fantastic value and a very social vibe. In many cases they offer the best value on tours, rentals, meals and drinks. It would surely be impossible to not hook up with some new travel mates that share a language and next destination.  You will be learning about their culture while sharing all the new experiences of your current destination.

It always amazes me how a few days on the road with new travel mates can feel like you have known each other for a month. I find it just as rewarding sharing a monumental site, new city or fantastic natural wonder with a new friend as much as an old friend from back home.

I also enjoy being able to wake up, have my coffee and set off when I want, how I want and where I want. No strings, just take it as it comes. I can usually get a good seat on a bus. I can score a cherry spot on the deck of a boat. I can grab something to eat and just go. I can see something I want to do, and do it, right now with no drama or discussion. If you travel solo you will also meet many more locals. You are much more approachable and usually open to dialogue as a one man band.

Flying solo will force you out of your shell. You will be challenged and it will be rewarding. I have seen many groups of travelers that pretty much socialize amongst them selves. These travel posses miss out on meeting many locals and fellow travelers from different countries. You can usually count on bickering and frustration as a group after being on the road for a while.

It is a big decision to head off alone but the rewards are plenty. You will make new friends, go your separate ways, meet more new friends and most likely run into your old friends. You will share photo’s and keep in touch on Facebook. You will make plans to meet up again either in another country or later on in each others country. Some times this happens but most of the time the relationship fades away as you jump back into your life and career back home. That’s ok. That is what travel is all about. You will always have those memories and nobody can take them away from you.

There you go, no more excusses. Buy that plane ticket today!

CODi Tri-Pack Backpack
Review July 15, 2010

Manufacturers Specs:

Size: 12.5 inches wide x 15.7 inches high x 7 inches deep
Weight: 2.6 pounds
Online Price: $110 US

Limited Lifetime Warranty

I have always loved the Chrome bags. I guess I was a sucker for that cool little seat belt buckle closure on the strap. But I heard some good stuff about the CODi Tri-Pak so I got one in and put it through its paces for about a month. The article that follows is the result of this real world testing.

The Tri-Pak is a backpack style laptop bag with plenty of compartments. Even if you are not carrying a laptop, this bag makes a pretty darn good little day pack.

The CODi Tri-Pack has plenty of pockets for all the common business travel gear. Padded laptop pocket holds a small to medium size laptop reasonably well.  My ancient Acer Ferarri Laptop is a little on the big side for this pack ad as you can see from the photos – this leaves the corners of the laptop a little vulnerable. The pack would be more suitable to most of the MacBooks or Netbook computers. The laptop pouch seems to have ample padding.  Another small gripe is that there is no pouch on the strap to hold a cell phone but there is a pretty good little pouch on the outside of the pack.  This pouch was a little too small to hold my Blackberry World Phone but will hold most smaller cell phones. It would also be a simple matter to get an accessory cell phone holder to attach to the front strap if that was a big deal to you.  We like the little mesh pouch on the side that accommodated a water bottle very well.

The shoulder straps are comfortable and there is a narrow strap across the chest which will keep the pack more stable. Fully loaded, we found the pack very comfortable to carry for long periods, The padded mesh back panel also helped to keep you from getting that clammy feeling on your back.

Our review pack was basic black with a discreet logo – not the type of pack that screams “steal me – I have a computer in me”.  The rounded shape of the exterior pockets give the pack a nice look but do waste some space. However, that shape does make the zipper pulls very smooth without having to go around any corners.

The zippers on the main pockets do not go all the way to the bottom. This is both good and bad. The good is that you can pick the pack up with the zippers partially open and not worry about everything dumping out. The bad is that you cannot lay the pack flat and open it wide open.

We did not give the pack a real soaking to see how it fared in the waterproof department. It was very good in a light rain at keeping our gear high and dry. The Chrome bags with their waterproof liner seem like a bit more of a secure solution if you are planning on being out in a downpour.

Overall impression

The Codi Tri-Pak is a very good pack. We liked the ergonomics and found it very comfortable to carry for long periods even when fully loaded. The zippers worked well and the nylon material and strap construction seem to be of high quality.

A few minor gripes with some of the zipper locations and sizing of exterior pockets.  I still think the Chrome bags  have the edge in waterproofing and I like the Chrome strap ergonomics a bit better since it is so easy to take on and off because of the seat buckle closure design (which seemed gimmicky at first.)

I recommend put both the Chrome and CODi  bags on your shopping list and choose the one that fits your stuff and style the best.

I welcome your comments if you have used either the CODi or the Chrome Bags.

Perhaps if you are reading this then you are an avid travel blogger and you’re packing a laptop as a gangster packs heat. For those travelers about to embark on a long  journey to the great unknown, I have to let you know about why you should invest in one of those wee ten inch laptops before you go. I would refrain from something too flashy and cool as an Ipad. Those are just too desirable  for a thief.

If you are planning on purchasing a mp3 player with massive storage, an expensive camera and a flashy hi def video recorder, you should take a deep breath and think about things. You may want to downgrade those three items in favor of adding a mini laptop. You can always exchange tunes to your mp3 player from your new little buddy. You can edit and upload your photo’s and videos from your 10 inches of love as well.

The good times don’t stop there. You will not be the one looking for internet shops and paying for time. You will not be wondering where the @ function is. You will not be staring at a foreign keyboard with half the keys worn out. No, there will not be any evil stink eye going on between you and the other laptop-less fiends waiting to get on the computer at the hostel.

But wait! There’s more. One button and you are making reservations or chatting with friends on Skype. Long bus rides with blaring foreign language movies no more. You have downloaded twenty movies you never had time to see and the latest three Globe Trekker episodes for times like these. Fancy a round of golf or a little Donky Kong? Wooop! There it is.

Why not catch up on emails or a letter to mom? Just save it until you are in wi fi land, which is everywhere now, don’t you know? Edit those photo’s and video’s you have been meaning to sort through but are having too much fun and never get around to. Why not exchange a little music with your new travel companions on this never ending bus ride to paradise? Downloaded the Lonely Planet guide to where ever you are? Read all about it. These are just some of the things you can do when your not in wi/fi land.

I like to save pages sometimes with maps and info for my next destination. You can have ten of these browser windows left open for later viewing. I have found the maps to be very helpful. I just stop, open up my little buddy and click on the saved page. Oh, that’s where it is.

The usefulness goes on and on, however there are some things to consider. I would be looking for a basic model in the $300ish range. $300 for all this? Yup. You might look here.  One feature to look for is wi/fi N.  I was able to get wi/fi from the lower bunk in a hostel with the N and and a friend had to sit in the stairwell with the wireless G. You might want to grab a bunk with an electric outlet by it for all your gadgetry recharging. I always look for these bunks if I have a chance. Throw up a sarong or two and you are gold.

The next thing to look for is battery life. A six cell should get you six or seven hours of geek time. You can bump that up if you are crafty enough to grab a  SSD or solid state hard drive. No moving parts means no fan, means less power consumption. This will add a couple hours to your battery life and about $70 to the bill. Staying in your cabana for the night watching movies while the party rages on because your liver tells you to, will make you happy that you have this option. If the party is a little too close and loud, headphones or this wicked wonder will help.

So. As you can see, you might consider slimming on some of the other flashy gear and grab a little notebook for your travels. Who knows? You might even take up travel blogging and be the next Nomadic Matt.

Safe Travels, Jay

Backpacker Bucks  Save Money/Save Kids

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What is a sacrificial wallet?

• a sacrificial wallet or dummy wallet is a fake wallet that you don’t mind losing to a thief
• it’s not something you carry like a moron to trigger a theft, but it’s your most conspicuous valuable to a thief or pickpocket

What do you carry in a dummy wallet?

• it should be realistic enough to be convincing
• maybe keep 20 bucks in this wallet so you can even use it in local markets or for small purchases – this just adds to the credibility if a thief is watching you
• perhaps pictures of fake pet/girlfriend/relative, expired ID or bank card
• business cards and coupons from local attractions
• useless receipts
• denominations of foreign currency of low value are also good items for the decoy wallet, Turkish lira etc.

What to do if confronted by a mugger?

• if you are the victim of a pickpocket, no big deal – 20 bucks max loss and a bunch of junk with no potential for identity theft. Find another crap wallet and start all over again
• if you are confronted by a thief who wants your wallet – gladly give it to them – maybe ask to keep the picture of mom. Don’t hesitate – don’t think you can overpower the thief – they are often working in teams.
• Give a fake 4 digit PIN if asked – don’t hold out on any request – don’t go with them to a cash machine, tell them your friends are meeting you momentarily
• Never let people know if you are traveling alone

Additional tips

• for all the cards in your “real” wallet, put them on a photocopier and make copies of the front and back – make sure you have the numbers to report lost or stolen cards on that page. Fold that page  and hide it in a Ziploc bag somewhere safe.
• Another good idea is a scan or digital photo of everything and put on a USB stick that you carry in a safe place, like a money belt. Don’ put all that info on your phone or digital camera since that stuff is often the target of thieves. (If you do travel with a PDA/iPhone/Blackberry, make sure you use keyboard lock with a password which renders them useless if stolen)
• If you carry a laptop, carry it inside a piece-of-junk case. Those DELL, Mac Book cases are screaming “come steal me”
• Leave the sacrificial wallet  in a “believably conspicuous” place if you are staying somewhere. A smash & grab robber will usually take this low hanging fruit and be gone.

Some of the top items targeted by thieves/pickpockets/muggers:

• Wallet
• ipod/mp3 player
• cell phones/i Phone/Blackberry
• laptops
• jewelery

Closing comments:

Backpackers want to travel light so anything extra is a pain in the ass. A dummy wallet is a snap to put together, not much extra burden to carry, and useful for carrying small amounts of money for load transactions strongly recommended.

For a great “tongue and cheek” method to deal with muggers

We welcome your suggestions and feedback.

Mexicans working hard to make Oaxaca better.

I have been to Mexico 8 times now. It will always be a special place for me as it was my first real holiday. Every time I leave, I think of when I can return. Most people go for the sun, I go for the daughters. Just kidding. I go for the adventure. Mexico is a huge country with many different landscapes and even after eight times visiting, there is much more to see.

Beyond the magic of Mayan cities, powdery beaches and fascinating colonial towns there are the Mexicans. Oh sure there are bad Mexicans and there are mean Mexicans, but I have yet had the un-pleasure of meeting just one. Get off the beaten track and it gets even better.

There are strong family ties in Mexico. There are also mucho bambino’s running around. Not a care in the world, no parents protecting them from anything and everything like back home. It’s just kids being kids and it is very refreshing. Children a little further north and adult strangers don’t mix. Down in Mexico there seems to be no problems.

One of my highlights on a recent visit happened in the tourist town of Oaxaca. It seemed as though just about every street was being dug up and restored. As I left my hostel a muchacho working on the road asked my hostel mate for a cigarette. He gave him one. The muchacho the shared it with his fellow work mates that have been busting their butts for very long shifts since I arrived. They were amazingly grateful for the two peso smoke and kept looking at us and smiling.

I decided to up the ante. My hostel mate played along. We knew they stopped working  just as it got dark. We timed our walk so as to arrive about 15 minutes before that time and wouldn’t miss them. Sure enough, as we came around the corner with a 12 pack of beer and two packs Marlboro lights, they were there. We pretended to walk by and into the hostel then did a 180 and presented them with the modest gifts. They were truly blown away and thought we were joking. Needless to say we hung out and they took us to their favorite bar for a few more.

I have nothing but great things to say about Mexicans and I now know a few Mexicans that feel the same way about Canadians.