Skip the line at the Coliseum

Planning to visit the Coliseum? Awesome! The lines? Not cool. The lines at the Coliseum are really long, like Disneyland long if not longer. I would suggest you get there as early as you can. However there is a trick to skip the line. Right across from the Coliseum is the Palatino where you can buy a combination ticket for both the Palatino AND the Coliseum. The lines here are pretty much nonexistent. I believe you can just take the ticket and go back to the Coliseum, but I went ahead and visited the Paltino since I was there.

When you're ready head over to the Coliseum and follow the signs for people that already have tickets. You'll bypass the huge line of people trying to buy their tickets and walk right in. As I breezed past all those people I couldn't help but feel smug and think "suckers!!!!"

Bypass the ridiculous lines by getting a combination ticket at the Palatino.

My combination ticket for the Palatino and Coliseum.

Haggling while Traveling 101

While I was abroad traveling in Asia I went to many open air markets like the Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok. You're gonna have to do some haggling whether you like it or not, unless you don't mind getting ripped off. Prices are often marked much higher than the merchant is willing to sell it for. Here are some tips I learned. I don't remember where I learned them all from, probably from reading websites, books, talking to other travelers, and just being there to experience it all myself.

1. Do not haggle on prices for food. This is not acceptable.

2. Put your money in different pockets. Split it up, you'll see why later.

3. Scout the market out. I like to walk around the market first and check out the prices. If there's something I want I try to keep an eye out for it and note the price everywhere I see it. If you need to, find a safe place (nobody looking) and move the amount of money in your pockets so that 1 pocket has the amount you want to pay. Put some more in another pocket just in case.

4. After you have an idea for the price find a merchant you want to buy it from.

5. You don't have to be nice, but that doesn't mean you have to be a jerk. Start low, so if you wish to pay 50% of the listed price start at 25% or 30%.

6. Always smile while negotiating price. You can politely point out things that are wrong with it and say it's not worth that much -- WITH A SMILE. Most of what I've read from hippies say don't do that because the merchant will lose face. I say hogwash, I've never seen one care -- they just want your money and they know they'll never see you again.

7. Invariably you will probably lose this battle of haggling. They do this everyday, and you are used to going to the Mall and just buying at the window price.

8. Ok this is where the real trick starts. Remember the money you put in different pockets? This is where it comes in. If the merchant isn't going for your price put your hand in your pocket and pull out your money. Hold it tight and wave it in front of them and say the amount and "I buy". For example, "30 baht, I buy!". Often seeing the money makes their eyes open wide and they'll go for it. Congrats, you have successfully haggled for something. If they're still not going for it, then you have a stingy merchant or you are just too cheap. Move on to another merchant and try your luck again.

Tips and Tricks: Free E-Books

If you like reading you can get free e-books at Project Gutenberg. These are books with expired copyrights so they are free to download and print. Since their copyright are all expired most of these books are old classics. Having books to read can be a great way to pass the time while traveling between places. Load the e-books in your latop, smartphone, or just print it out and toss it when you're done.

http://www.gutenberg.org/

Just Say No to Jet Skis in Phuket

I mentioned in my last post about renting jet skis in Phuket being a scam. Well, here's a video from someone that learned it the hard way.

For the Traveling Girl on the Go

Ok, I'm not a girl so I'm really not qualified to talk about feminine issues, but I'm going to take a stab at it anyway.

While traveling you'll often find that the restrooms are just as nasty as those gas stations in the middle of no where or worse (yes.... much much worse). For a guy, it's not that big a deal, we can just stand. Girls on the other hand do not have that option. That is until now.

Check out Go Girl. It's a product that allows girls to go standing. Obviously I've never tried it, I don't know anyone that's tried it, but if it works as advertised it would be pretty convenient for female travelers facing a toilet with potentially overflowing sewage.

They say at 4.99 for one or 11.99 for 3 it's cheap enough to be disposable, but since it's made of medical grade silicon it can be cleaned for multiple use. Up to you. It might be worth a look if you're a traveling girl in 3rd world countries.

Car Insurance

Getting ready to go can be a big pain. There's a ton you need to take care of before you go. While web surfing I came across a handy tip for how to deal with your car insurance.

If you ask your car insurance to suspend your policy they will tell you that they cannot do so. You need to cancel your policy, but getting back on is no problem, you'll just pay higher rates. Because of this I paid my car insurance in full and took off. What a waste of money. This is what you should do instead:

"Don't ask to suspend the whole policy, ask them to put your car in a non-drivable classification. This would be the same as what you would do if you were going overseas for several months or if you're car was going to need extensive work and was currently un-drivable. My insurance company has done this for me on several occasions including during a multi-month stint in Europe. They only charge something like $5/month when it's in that 'mode'. That way you're policy is still in effect, but you basically have no cars you are driving on it."
This quote is by UncleOxidant, from this link.

I wish I knew about this before I left.

Wat Tramit, The Gem Scam

A stop by the Golden Buddha is something a tourist in Bangkok should not miss. However, while traveling you need to be aware of ripoff artists. If you're traveling to Bangkok Thailand you should be aware of a common scam. It's called the 'Gem Scam' in the Lonely Planet books.

Tip
Basically this is how the scam works:
You show up at a popular tourist attraction like a temple. Some local approaches you and tells you it's closed (when it's actually open) but he can take you to some place else where you can buy some extremely rare gems. You're then taken on a ride to a place you don't know so you're pretty much at their mercy. And of course the gems are not rare at all.

It doesn't always involve gems but the scam is similar. For example I once hailed a cab in Bangkok and the driver said I'll only charge you 50 Baht when other drivers were trying to get 300 Baht. He was only charging 50 Baht because he wanted to take me to another place where I would have to only window shop for 10 minutes. After that if I didn't want to buy anything he would take me to my destination. But what would happen if I did not want to buy anything? I assume there would have been immense pressure to buy and who knows, maybe I would have been stuck there if I did not purchase anything (probably at ripoff prices). I got out of the cab and got another.


Wat Tramit
Well, when I got to Wat Tramit, known for it's Golden Buddha, I was approached by a local who told me Wat Tramit was closed. I figured it was a scam so I ignored him and charged onwards. Well... it turns out it was indeed closed so I was not able to see the real Golden Buddha. I had to settle for taking pictures of the replica of the Golden Buddha. Hopefully if you're planning a trip it will be open by the time you get there.

The Wat Tramit Temple was built in 1882 and became a royal temple in 1952. The Buddha housed in this temple is named Sukhothai Tramit and is from the Sukhothai Period, presumably the reign of King Ramkhamhaeng The Great (1277-1317). The Golden Buddha is the world's largest solid gold Buddha statue. It is 15 feet tall and 5.5 tons. In the 1955 it was rediscovered. This Buddha had be completely covered in plaster (presumably in the 13th century) to protect it from thieves and this wasn't discovered until it was accidentally dropped, cracking the plaster and reveling the true statue, during a move.

Wat Tramit under construction

A replica of the Golden Buddha.

Ok, so not everyone's a scam artist in Bangkok... but a traveler should still keep their wits about. Remember the cab driver that tried a variation of the gem scam on me.

Tips and Ticks: Currency Converter

While traveling I've had a few companies charge me in a currency other than dollars on my credit card. A few have tried to change the exchange rate in their favor on me (ebookers[dot]com -- don't use them). To fight back you need to get the exchange rate from the day it was charged to your card. To do this go to this website:

http://www.oanda.com/convert/classic?user=americanexpress

Note that you can also get current exchange rate (cannot specify the date) on google by typing something like "1 dollar to euro" in the search box without the qoutes.

Tips and Tricks: Traveling with an iPod

It sucks trying to manage your iPod while traveling if you don't have your own laptop and there's no iTunes on the hostel computer. Grrrrrr!!!!

I have an iPod Nano. I have a love hate relationship with my iPod. I love the small size, I love that it plays my music, but I hate iTunes. Oh man don't get me started on iTunes. I think it's one of the worst software applications I have ever used. Granted I haven't used it since 2004, but if it still tries to take over your computer, steals your focus, and is slow then yes I still think it's crap.

Problem with iTunes while traveling
The problem with iTunes is you have to install this piece of crap on your laptop to manage your iPod while you're traveling, meaning you must have a laptop. If you don't have a laptop you're pretty much out of luck. If the hostel computer or internet cafe won't let you install iTunes you're completely out of luck. Well not anymore.

Solution: Use Floola

Floola (windows version)

I highly recommend using Floola. This is an iTunes alternative that you can actually run from your iPod. That means you can just drag and drop Floola into your iPod as an external HD to install it; then connect the iPod to any computer and run it from your iPod. No installation on the computer required! Floola also runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux (Win98 to Vista, Mac OS X 10.3.9 and newer, and Linux you'll need GTK 2). I keep a copy of every OS version on my iPod so I can just manage it from ANY kinda of computer. Most people will not need the linux version. Get the windows version if you're a mac user just because most computers you'll come across at internet cafes and hostels will be windows.

It's FREE!
There are other reasons to use Floola. It's FREE. Yes, totally 100% free. You can donate to the project if you like, but it's not required.

Copy songs from your iPod
You can also copy songs to the computer you're using. Yep, that's right, copy music from your iPod.

Yes it works with the new sexy iPod Nano 4G.

If Floola didn't exist I probably wouldn't use an iPod, I hate iTunes that much. But even if you like iTunes Floola gives you the flexibility you need to manage your iPod while you're backpacking around the world.

Get Floola!
http://www.floola.com

Tips and Tricks: Getting a seat on the subway

Getting a seat on the subway can be nearly impossible in Asia. The locals are just too quick to snatch them up. Unless you wanna be a jerk and push them out of your way you will likely be standing all the time. This sucks, especially if you have flat feet like me.

Your best chance of snagging a subway seat is to walk all the way to the very first or the very last car. Those cars usually have the least amount of people because people are just too lazy to go that far. I have been able to snag seats in Japan, China, and Singapore by doing this. It doesn't work 100% of the time, but it beats standing 100% of the time.

Tips and Tricks: Watching Sports Anywhere

If you're a big sports fan sometimes traveling abroad can be a problem. For example, right now I'm in Phuket, Thailand and everywhere I go soccer is the only sport on TV. Now, as an American, I obviously am not really into soccer. I want to see the NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB. Well, how on earth am I going to do that? Or let's say you're European and you want to watch the Champions League or Cricket while in America... how are you gonna do that?

Answer? The internet!
Check out this website:
http://www.myp2p.eu/

They broadcast live sports from all over the world. There are instructions there on which programs you'll need to install in order to watch.

I have to admit though, while abroad I pay much less attention to sports than I used to.

Enjoy!

Update: The old link does not work anymore.  Instead use
http://www.vipboxsports.eu
http://www.thefirstrow.eu/
http://atdhe.eu/

Tips and Tricks: Traveling with Money

These are a few tips and tricks on traveling with your money I've picked up from more experienced travelers or discovered myself while traveling.

1. You really do not need to withdrawal all your travel funds or convert them to traveler's checks before you travel. ATMs are everywhere and they give you a better conversion rate than currency exchange centers.

2. I still recommend you carry some emergency cash on you, just not too much.

3. Travelers checks get much better conversion rates than cash.

4. If you carry cash try to get new bills. Some countries will not accept a crumpled up bill.

5. You can split up your bills into different pocket. For example 5s in your left pocket, 20s in your right pocket, 100s in a thigh pocket etc. This is helpful for bargaining too, as you will know exactly which pocket has which bill. Then you can pull out the entire pocket and say you only have this much to buy with.

6. ATMs are also wonderful because you do not have to carry a bunch of cash with you everywhere you go. If you lose your wallet, you won't lose too much.

7. I recommend only carry cash and an ATM card in your wallet. Do not carry your credit card around unless you intend to use it. Keep the credit card stashed away some place safe. In the event your wallet does get stolen the thief will only get a little bit of cash and an ATM card that he/she will not be able to use without your PIN. Obviously cancel your ATM card.

8. Do get a money belt. You can carry your credit cards, large sums of cash, plane/train tickets, your passport etc in here. Obviously try not to access it in public. I recommend the Eagle Creek UnderCoverTM Silk Moneybelt, as it's the one that I use. The silk is nice for hot and humid locations like southeast asia.