Bungy Jumping the Nevis

New Zealand is known for its adventure activities. People come from around the world to white water raft, hike, glacier trek, sky dive, and bungy jump. And one of the best places to do a bungy is in Queenstown, New Zealand. Queenstown is home to a lot of bungy operators, the most famous of which is AJ Hackett Bungy. AJ Hackett is the creator of bungy jumping and his company runs the biggest bungy in the region- the 134 meter high Nevis Bungy Jump. Take a look:

If you aren’t looking to jump, you can go as an observer for $50 NZD. If $250 NZD is too expensive for you or the Nevis is too high for you, there are 2 smaller bungy jumps available. One of which also dunks you into a river.

(Disclaimer: Dan from Travel Generation got the $50 observer fee waived for me. )

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How to Pick a Good Hostel

good hostel tipsGood hostels are always hard to come by. Places can be very hit or miss and usually, the reason a hostel is good has more to do with the people staying there than the physical place. I’ve stayed in dumps where I had fun in because of the people there. Hosteling is, after all, about the people you meet. However, staying in a place that is clean is always good because it adds to the experience. When trying to pick a good hostel, here is my advice on what to consider:

Cheaper is Not Better – Budget travelers have a natural inclination to go with the cheapest thing around. However, don’t try to save a buck just to save a buck. Many cheap hostels are unclean, the beds are uncomfortable, the showers dirty, and the pillows thinner than a supermodel. Pay an extra dollar or two for nicer and clearer digs. Your body will thank you.

What is Breakfast? – One thing I hate about hosteling in Europe is that breakfast is toast and coffee. And it begins at 7 in the morning. I’m not sure what travelers they know but I’ve never known any to wake up that early, even for a good breakfast. Look for a place with a decent breakfast (i.e. more than toast) or at least one that begins and ends when people are actually awake (breakfasts that start around 8:30 usually go late).

Check Out Time – Never stay at a hostel with a check out time before 10 A.M. The best hostels have 11 A.M. check out times and the really good ones let you checkout at noon. Sleep is valuable on the road because you’ll rarely get enough of it. Hostels with late check out times understand this.

Showers- Just say no to push button showers. They are annoying and have no water pressure. You don’t want the water to turn off mid-soaping. My rule of thumb is that if it has a push button shower, I don’t stay there.
good hostel tips
Lockers- It’s surprising but I’ve actually been in hostels that don’t have lockers or charge you for them. In this day in age, lockers should be standard. You should never pay for security. This is a deal breaker for me.

Internet- While the internet isn’t a must for all travelers, a hostel with free WI-FI and computer terminals makes your life a lot easier. You don’t have to search for internet cafes and the internet at hostels is usually cheaper (and in many parts of Europe, free!).

A Bar – Bars are not a deal breaker and there are a lot of hostels without them but they make for a great place to socialize with other hostel guests. Usually if a hostel has a bar, they put on a strong emphasis on making sure the people staying there are having fun, interacting, and being festive.

Common Area – If the hostel doesn’t have a bar, it should have a big common area. The best hostels are the ones that give travelers a place to hang out and socialize with each other. For me, a hostel without a common room is a deal breaker. Common areas facilitate interaction and helps solo travelers have an easier time meeting people. The best hostels I’ve ever stayed at always had an amazing common area.
good hostel tips
When I travel, these are the points I look for in a good hostel. A hostel doesn’t need to have every one of these things but they should have the majority. A hostel without the majority of these things is a bad hostel that doesn’t understand who their guests really are. What makes hostels great are the people and even the worst hostels will be great if you meet a good group of people. But staying at a hostel that knows what you need will make your travel experience infinitely better.

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The Weekly Photo: Beachcomber Island

Beachcomber Island, Fiji
Beachcomber Island, Fiji

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Are We All Flashpackers Now?

are we flashpackersFlashpacking is a term used to describe backpackers who upscale their travels. They travel with a backpack but they stay in nicer digs, carry fancy electronics, tend to be a bit older, have a bit more money to spend, and don’t cook in hostels every day. They are backpackers with means. This distinction has been around for a few years and, as I’ve traveled around this past year, I think is totally meaningless. In fact, I believe we have all morphed into a “flashpacker.” The old way of travel- a backpack, a few bucks, a worn guidebook is well behind us.

When I first started traveling in 2006, I hardly ever saw someone with a cell phone and barely a few people with a SLR camera and never with a laptop. Hostels had computers but hardly any had wi-fi. Eighteen months later when I traveled Australia after living in Thailand, I noticed a lot of travelers had phones, some hostels had wi-fi but few had computers.

Now everywhere I go, I see mobile phones, wi-fi available, netbooks, and SLR cameras. And I see expensive phones too. I’m amazed at the number of people with smart phones, iPhones, and Blackberries. Moreover, there are a lot of people carrying MacBooks and expensive PCs- it is not just netbooks travelers have. In short, backpackers today are much more wired today than they used to be.

The nature of backpacking has totally changed and it’s not going back. This isn’t a good or bad thing but just a reflection of our connected and different times. Walk into an internet café or a hostel and take a look at the computers. Everyone is on Facebook. Facebook is as ubiquitous on the road as it is back home. Additionally, I’m usually not the only laboring over my laptop in the hostel common room.

are we flashpackersBack in the “real world,” people are used to being digitally connected. We’re used to having our cameras and our phones taking pictures. What used to be expensive and inconvenient on the road and, thus only available to “flashpackers”, is now cheap and easy for all.

As I sit and write this post, I am in my hostels common area. It’s dinner time and the place is full. Next door, on the leather couches in the common room are five backpackers on computers. In the kitchen and around me are backpackers not in the cheapest clothes available but wearing name brands like Diesel and Armani. A girl just walked through carrying a hairdryer on the way to her room. This is not your parent’s backpacker crowd.

Hostels have upscaled in response to this and as this has become widespread, we expect it to be standard. But while that is a change, the biggest thing I have noticed is not about style but about behavior. I’ve noticed a dramatically changed notion of security. Back when I started traveling, people had PacSafes and took great pains to keep their stuff locked up. Now, I see people leaving phones on their beds, iPods plugged in while they are out, and bags unlocked. When I first started traveling with a laptop, I brought it out in secret. I was always afraid someone would take it. Now, I sit in my bed typing away. People just don’t seem as worried as they used to be.

Moreover, now that backpackers seem to have some extra money, there is a whole network of backpacker services looking to help them spend it. Travelers seem to be taking more tours, more hop on/hop off buses, and staying at nicer and more expensive accommodation. They are looking for the backpacking experience with all the ease of a prepaid holiday. In New Zealand, I’d say about 75% of travelers use one of the backpacker buses. In Europe, I’ve noticed more and more travelers flying between destinations. In Asia, more tours are springing up for young travelers.

I don’t see this freight train stopping anytime soon. I suspect as common as iPods are today, computers will be tomorrow. But the rising affluence of most travelers means that even those who are “broke” will still carry their toys and comforts on the road with them. For me, that’s OK so long as once in awhile they unplug, take out the iPod, and interact with the destination they spent so long saving to interact with.

Posted in Random Musings | Tagged , , , , | 38 Comments

Hostel Etiquette

hostel dorm roomLately, I’ve encountered a number of backpackers who believe that a ten bed dorm means they’re the only one sleeping there. Or that their mom will clean up their mess in the hostel’s kitchen. Sometimes I think that before everyone goes away, there should be class on how to properly behave in a hostel. That way you are remembered for being the totally awesome person you are instead of the jerk that woke everybody up at 3am. So before you go hosteling around the world, here are some good hostel etiquette tips to inspire love not hatred from your fellow travelers:

Be Quiet – No one expects you to tip toe around the room during the day, even if someone is taking a nap. There’s an unwritten understanding that during the day, the dorm room is fair game. However, after about 10 or 11pm, keep the noise down. People are trying to sleep. In a large dorm, it’s hard to have perfect silence. People get that. That’s why we all carry ear plugs. If you are in a smaller dorm, your noise is going to be heard much easier and ear plugs don’t always work. It’s not cool being woken up at 2am by drunks or chatty people. If you are going to talk, do it outside. Don’t make us remember you as that jerk who kept us up.

Keep the Lights Off – Expanding on this theme, if it’s past 11 or before sunrise, keep the lights off. No one wants to be woken up the light. Use a flashlight or the glow from your iPod. There are people in the room who might not be able to sleep with the lights on. Please don’t disturb.

Don’t Be Dirty! – Your mother is not here and no one wants some crazy food born illness. I bet you don’t either. Wash your dishes when you are done with them and, by wash, I mean with soap not just running your dishes under mildly warm water. And remember, if there is a still a film on the pan when you are done, it’s not clean.

hostel dorm room messPack Up Early – It’s hard to sleep late in hostels. Everyone is packing up and moving out. New people are coming in. The guy above you is snoring like a freight train. Anything that can help us sleep later is always appreciated. So we love it when people pack their bags the night before as to minimize noise in the morning. Bags rustling and zipping can get annoying. I know you can’t fully get rid of it but doing something to trying to keep it down is goodwill that is greatly appreciated by others.

Avoid plastic – Even worse than listening to people pack their bag is listening to people rustle with the plastic bags they carry around. They make a lot of noise. Simply put- just like packing your bag, pack your plastic bags the night before. Because there’s simply no way to muffle that sound.

Keep it private – Don’t have sex in the dorms rooms. I mean seriously. No one wants to hear you faking it. There’s a right way to having sex in a hostel and a wrong way. In the dorm room is the wrong way.

Turn Off the Dance Party – As awesome as rocking out to Lady Gaga’s Poker Face is, some people can’t fall asleep to music. While it is great that you can and it certainly helps block out other noises, keeping it too loud disturbs others. I don’t want to fall asleep to the soundtrack to your life. Plus, why work on going deaf while you sleep? That’s more of a daytime activity. Keep the iPod in but turn the volume down just a bit.

None of this is difficult. You don’t have to stop being you but remember what your kindergarten teacher said- play nice with others. However, it’s amazing how many people forget that rule. Remember you aren’t the only one in the hostel. You are surrounded by people who have different needs. Be conscious of that. All I remember about the people who woke me up was that they were rude. Don’t be that guy (or girl). Let people walk away with good memories of you.

Posted in Travel Tips | Tagged , , , , , , | 46 Comments

More Great Travel Movies

Way back in 2008, I created a list of ten of the best travel movies even created for film. It’s a great list. Check it out. However, since then, there have been a lot of great travel movies made and, even on the first list, I neglected some others that inspired us to get out on the road or gave us film we could relate too. Therefore, in a long overdue update to my original list, here are nine more of some of the best travel movies to inspire you to get off the couch, pack your bag, and head to unknown lands:


Lost in Translation- Besides being a great movie in general, this movie takes you into the heart of chaotic Tokyo. Bill Murray and Scarlet Johansson play two characters adrift in their hotel…at least, until they cut loose and explore Tokyo. These characters are suffering from a self imposed confinement and that bonds them together. Together, they escape into Tokyo, with its non-stop energy. The sights, the sounds, and energy overwhelms you and will have you booking a flight to Japan.


Whale Rider – I remember seeing this movie when it came out. It blew me away. The story follows a little girl in a Maori village and her struggle to get her grandfathers acceptance. But the real star here is Maori culture. The modern world of a Maori is spotlighted in an accurate portrayal the invokes wonder and sympathy. I met a member of the featured tribe while in New Zealand who said the film did a lot of good for his people. This movie sparked a fascination with Maori culture that is part of the reason why I came to New Zealand.


Lord of the Rings- Another New Zealand based movie, Peter’s Jackson award winning epic will leave you stunned with the diverse and beautiful landscape of New Zealand. From glaciers, to rivers, to mountains and forest, New Zealand’s beauty was the star of this movie. It launched the country modern tourist industry and made it one of hte premier destinations to travel too for adventure seekers. Die hard fans can do Lord of the Rings tours.


Into the Wild- Based on a true story, this movie follows Christopher McCandless as he tries to shed his material life and get in touch with life and nature. After graduating from college, Christopher sets out on a road trip through the country before ending up in Alaska. Much of the story is based on second hand accounts, yet the movie is poignant reminder that we all could simplify our lives a little bit and just enjoy living. It reminds us that travel is not about what we carry with us but about what we carry inside.


In Bruges – Colin Farrell may have thought a life in Bruges was hell but the city provides a great back drop for this comedy. And I have to admit, until I saw this movie, I really didn’t know much about Bruges. Sure, I knew where it was and that it was famous but I’d never given much though to it. After this movie, I wanted to go to Bruges. It looked beautiful. (And, upon visiting there, I can confirm it is.) Bruges is a great destination for travelers who want to step back in time. This movie will have you including it in your next European adventure.


Under the Tuscan Sun- I don’t like Diane Lane chick flick movies and this movie is totally one of them. Girl feels lost in life, starts fresh, meets guy, everything works out. The only good chick flick is Love actually. But I digress. This movie could start any actress because the real movie star here is Tuscany. Tuscany provides the stunning backdrop for this otherwise mediocre movie. This places lives up to all the hype that surrounds it and will make you want to leave and buy a vineyard in some small Italian village.


Nowhere in Africa- A German movie that follows the true life story of a Jewish family who escapes the Nazis to run a farm in Kenya. The movie deals with how they adjust to their new life, cope with the life they left behind. Anyone who has ever lived and adapted to a new culture will be able to relate. It’s not always easy and as this movie shows, it’s possible once you open yourself up.


Crocodile Dundee- Not only did these movies launch the short career of Paul Hogan but they made everyone want to be an Aussie. Dundee was the MacGavyer of the outback. While the movies gave a generation of people cliched notions of Australia, they also gave Americans a connection to the country. Like us, Aussies were free spirited pioneers with a love for the wilderness. While its clique and overexaggerated, Australians do share a love for nature and movie only inspired people to head off to the land down under to find their own croc hunter!


Up in the Air- I live in airport world. Maybe not as much as Ryan Bingham, George Clooney’s character but when I went to see this movie, I found myself relating too much to Ryan’s character. Though in some ways it has a happy ending, I found the movie to be a downer. I was depressed for hours afterwards. Because I see myself in Ryan’s lifestyle. He’s a man who feels at home in airports and planes and is constantly on the move. As he says, moving is living. The movie is a much watch for long term traveler as it brings up the sometimes mixed emotion we have about living in constant movement.

Posted in Travel Lists | Tagged , , , , , , | 28 Comments

The Weekly Photo: Japan’s Imperial Palace

Japan's imperial Palace
The Imperial Palace, Tokyo, Japan

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How to Backpack the Yasawa Islands

Backpacking the Yasawa Islands in Fiji is a unique experience. It’s not like any backpacking I’ve ever done. I’m not even sure backpacking, with its notions of independent, find your own way travel, is even the right word. Yasawa Island travel is more like an inexpensive organized hop on, hop off tour. Everything is taken care of for you – all you need to do is pick the island you want to visit.

There is only one boat through the islands. The company, Awesome Adventures, offers island packages as well as a hop on and hop off pass boat pass. The resorts are all inclusive and they all offer night time fire and dancing shows, snorkeling, sea kayaking, local food, and island tours. Only a few of the islands have scuba diving though, so be sure to check while on the boat. Here’s a short video on how to travel the Yasawa Islands:

Yasawa Islands Travel Tips

  • You can buy a boat pass when you get to the pier. You don’t need to book it before you arrive in Fiji.
  • A free shuttle is provided to and from the airport as well as your hotel or hostel. Don’t pay for a cab.
  • Get a Bula Boat Pass! Even if you won’t use all your days (you only plan to stay for 5 days though the smallest pass offered is 7), it still works out cheaper. Paying as you go can cost around $100 Fiji dollars each trip. If you plan to to multiple islands, you’ll spend more money.
  • Conversely, if you are only going to one or two islands, it is cheaper to simply buy a return ticket.
  • Buy water and alcohol before you get to the islands as they cost about 40% less on the mainland.
  • Beachcomer, the famous party island, is a waste of time. Everything costs double there. You can have an equally good time on South Sea or Bounty Island. They both look the same as Beachcomer and aren’t as expensive.
  • If you are traveling with friends, it’s cheaper to rent a double than it is for each of you to buy a dorm bed. (Dorm beds are $65 while a double can cost as little as $100, though they are around $130 on average).

(As always comments on my video skills is always welcome!)

Posted in Travel Videos | Tagged , , , , , | 16 Comments

Traveling to Hell with Chuck Thompson

In 2008, I had the privilege of interviewing Chuck Thompson. Chuck is a very well known travel writer and one of the first interviews I ever did. I had just finished his book, “Smile When You’re Lying, and sent an off chance interview request to him. Surprisingly”, he agreed. Smile When You’re lying is a look at his adventures through the travel industry and its white washed picture perfect world. It’s a funny, witty, cynical book that is an amazing piece of writing. I laughed, I cried, I wished I could be a third of the writer he was.

Over the holidays, he sent me his new book, “To Hellholes and Back”. The book is about the four places he has always been too afraid to visit (Congo, India, Mexico City, and Disney World) and how he overcomes his fears by visiting them. Here’s what Chuck said about the book:

Nomadic Matt: What made you decide to write this book?
Chuck: Aside from money, which is always the most honest answer to this question, it occurred to me that in all my years of writing and reading about travel, I’d never seen a thoughtful treatment of the role fear and paranoia plays in travel. In significant ways, these things factor into all of our decisions about where or where not to book a trip.

Then there was the issue of reputations. How do some places get bad ones? Are they merited? If not, why do they have such a hard time shaking them? Is it all “the media’s” fault or are there other factors at play?

I’m also deeply annoyed by those fear-mongering State Department travel warnings about every third foreign country. Anytime I’ve ever gone to a place that I’ve been told was going to be dangerous or horrible, it’s turned out to be mostly great.

Is this book really just about you overcoming your travel fears?
Only partly. I mean, I really always have been intimidated by India and wary of doing heavy time in Africa. This was never a problem until after the success of “Smile,” when I began being introduced at events and in interviews as a “travel expert” or “travel guru.” What the hell kind of travel expert has never set foot in Africa or India? Or can’t face up to the largest city in North America (Mexico City)? These seemed like big holes in the resume.

However, and it’s a big however, I never thought a book that focused solely on me overcoming my fears was going to keep readers engaged for very long. So, I used that simply as the starting point and as a bit of subtext to get to the funnier stuff and a few larger themes that I found more interesting.

What’s the one takeaway you took from your “hellhole tour”?
That Mexico City is one of the coolest cities in the world and to bring your own toilet paper to Africa. That’s two takeaways. Always give ’em more than they asked for, that’s a good rule.

How did you pick these destinations? Was it simply because you hadn’t been there before? I assume you could have gone to other places that are equally as dangerous.
In the beginning I made a long list of presumed hellholes, places I had no interest in going or was even afraid of. Since I couldn’t get to them all, I whittled the list to a core group that represent a near-complete spread of traveler anxieties: the Congo, India, Mexico City, Disney World.

That fearsome foursome covers everything from honest to God danger and violence in the Congo to food poisoning and slumdog scams in India to pollution and kidnapping in Mexico City to baking in the Florida sun next to little Madisons and Coopers waiting to enter the Toontown Hall of Fame Tent. And, by the way, you want scary travel? Check out the shrieking and crying six-year-olds streaming out of that alleged attraction. I haven’t seen so much abject terror since the first twenty minutes of Saving Private Ryan.

What advice do you have for other travelers regarding traveling to “dangerous” places or places they are simply afraid of?
No place is ever as bad as they tell you it’s going to be. You’d be surprised even in war zones how much normalcy there is. I’m not being cavalier here and I do recognize authentic exceptions. As I say in the book, I’m no war correspondent.

But wherever you have large populations, people go about their lives pretty much the way everyone else in the world does. They eat breakfast and go to work. They get their kids off to school. They go to the market. They go to church. They have dinner with their families. And, almost always, they love showing visitors the best parts of their countries, not the worst parts.

There’s an enormous pressure on travel writers and travelers in general to return from trips abroad with nothing but touchy feely accounts of beautiful and eye-opening foreign cultures from which we have so much to learn and this hands-across-the-sea twaddle about global brotherhood and amity.

Obviously, I don’t want to feel confined by that. I’m happy to call a spade a spade and if things suck, I don’t mind saying so. But, for the most part, it’s true that getting over your travel anxieties almost always pays off with extremely positive experiences and that cultural and personal enlightenment is a big reward to be found within all the hassles of travel.

And what do I say about the book? I liked hellholes. It’s written in Chuck’s style- funny, witty, cynical, off color, and charismatic. (I mean just look at his interview answers? Now imagine that as a whole book! Brilliant!) I was laughing all the way through. Unlike Chuck’s first book, this book felt like one of those travel books that tries to convey deep meaning about something. Usually, that’s boring but luckily Chuck’s writing style saves the book (and us) from boredom. He gives us the roughness that makes travel so challenging and amazing at the same time.

While I liked the book, I thought Smile When You’re lying was better. “Smile” was more a journey through the travel writing industry, with all its highs and lows and inside information. Maybe it was because I was just getting into travel writing that I found that book so interesting. Maybe it is because I read so many travel blogs, the impact of another travel story (“To Hellholes and Back”) wasn’t as exciting as it would be for the average person. Who knows! I still loved the book. Chuck Thompson is one of my all time favorite travel writers because, unlike so many out there, he doesn’t sugar coat travel or turn it into some esoteric path to enlightenment. He gives you the good and the bad and avoids cliches like “picture perfect” and “breathtaking.”

I recommend buying this book and his other book if you want some gritty, candid writing. But, as great as “To Hellholes and Back” is, Chuck’s first book was better. Then again, it could be because it’s more of my interest. “To Hellholes and Back” could be more your interest. Either way. Read them both. Thank me in the morning.

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , , , , , | 19 Comments

Ask Anthony Bourdain a Question!

Anthony Bourdain is the host of the TV show, No Reservations. He’s loud, he’s opinionated, he’s crass, he’s funny, he’s witty- he’s just plain awesome. Anthony travels around the world trying the some of the most unique and interesting food the world has to offer. His show on the Travel Channel is one of its most popular.

So I was thrilled when the Travel Channel told me Tony had agreed to do an interview for this website. That is just going to be plain awesome. He’ll be answering questions on food, travel, culture, and why he kicks so much ass.

Most importantly, he’ll be answering a question from you. In my questions to Tony, I’m going to include questions from readers. All you need to do is leave your question in the comment section and I am going to pick the best for my interview with him next week.

So if you have a burning question for Anthony Bourdain, now is the time to ask! (You’ll get credit for the question too!)

Have a good weekend!

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , , , | 35 Comments
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