January 2008
8 posts
TV Ones-To-Watch: Monday 28 January 2008 →
You can watch these programmes around the world anytime in the next 7 days on BBC i-player. Panorama Alex James in Colombia 8.30-9.00pm BBC ONE www.bbc.co.uk/panorama Alex James, bassist of hugely successful Britpop band Blur, goes to Colombia to report on the effect the cocaine industry is having on the country that supplies 80 per cent of the world’s cocaine. Paradise or Bust Episode Two...
The Convenience Of USB →
We won’t be travelling with a laptop on our travels so pay-per-use internet will be our connection whilst we’re away. There are steps you can take to minimize the security risk to your personal information. If you have a USB Memory Stick (it doesn’t need to have a huge capacity) plug it into your computer before you go, download the Mozilla Firefox Portable Edition and the free...
Carbon Offsetting →
A growing number of us find it difficult these days not to look at the bigger picture that surrounds our lifestyles, and the internet ensures that there is no excuse for ignorance or ‘gaps’ in our knowledge. Information on anything that interests you is at your finger tips. Environmental issues can be notoriusly difficult to relate to, but in the Cook Islands global warming has hit...
Away From The Humdrum Life →
I’ve read a couple of fantastic articles lately that really inspire feelings of what the personal experience of travel is all about, and just how good a period of wandering is for the soul. The descriptive tag of Spiritual Travel is a fair association but is by no means a reference to hippy, hemp-wearing, flower-waving, soft, fuzzy experiences. It’s about a philosophical approach to...
CREATING A BLOG →
Last week I started to think about how we would document our trip so that friends and family could stay in touch with us and vice-versa. There are countless sites that offer ‘travel journals’ or ‘travel blogs’ online, and upon joining you become a member of their community/archive of travellers and have a very user friendly template to record your trip in. Personally I...
CREATING A BUDGET →
I’ve had the sobering task today of setting out a budget for our trip. I’m using Google Docs to create a spreadsheet that we can check whilst we’re away. I started by noting down all of our known costs so far, flights, transport, hostel reservations and then filled in the blanks with predicted expediture. Adding a daily budget for food and the odd activity/tour is easily...
SPENDING MONEY ABROAD →
These days it is easy to find an ATM in even the most obscure places and to withdraw cash with the same convenience you have at home. Even if there’s no ATM it’s often possible to pay for goods or services with a credit card. It seems having the right plastic cards though is extremely important and is cheaper than any other method of spending whilst you’re away. Debit Cards When...
HOW FAR HAVE WE COME? →
The New Year is a customary time to be retrospective and prospective, even a little bit introspective. A quick glance back over our shoulder and a squint forward to the horizon looks like this for Make Travel Fair. 2007 Achievements - Had our first go at web design and built a site for Make Travel Fair. - Won the Travelmole Web Award for ‘Best Online Education Site’. - Won a place at...