life & style // no. 12 theotherpress.ca

In hindsight...

» Better safe and broke than sorry but ballin’?

Morgan Hannah
Life & Style Editor

 

efore even setting foot in the

Vancouver Airport to take off on my
first adventure outside of North America,
Iran into two pricey problems—shots
and cold hard cash.

I'm not talking alcoholic shots but
rather vaccinations. Some places in the
world require you to have certain shots
to gain entry, some places you just feel
better having immunizations against
threats like unclean water or airborne
diseases. Indonesia was a pretty easy-
going first pick for my travels but that
didn’t take away from the fact that I had
to get a vaccination for the first time. Up
until I sat in that leather clinic chair with
a cold needle in my arm I had lived a
vaccination-free life. What’s more, the
health clinic and my dad must have been
in cahoots—they both wanted me to grab
every vaccine under the sun! I tried my
best, I really did—who am I to argue with
the experiences of my seasoned traveller
of a father and the health clinic? Yet, when
those shots end up costing more than the
trip itself, one really must draw the line
right? Well, I didn’t. Vaccinations are just
another service and they’re all gung-ho

to rack up a bigger bill out of you, their
customer.

While the Canadian Dollar is strong
in Indonesia (One Canadian dollar is
equal to approximately 10,000 Indonesian
Rupiah), it is still useless as no-one, but
the exchange booths will take it. When
preparing for my trip, I left currency
exchanging until too late and thought
my best move would be to convert and
withdraw some American money (seeing
as how the USD is accepted in a lot of
places). What I didn’t expect is that
currency exchange booths are growing
out of every corner of every island. These
people really want your money, they'll
make it easy for you.

That’s not to say that every place in
the world you visit will be like Indonesia;
it’s better to be safe than sorry, but if you
happen to be like me and leave something
as important as money to the last minute,
you don’t need to make a mad dash to the
bank before they close to pull out those
American dollars, your Canada bucks
will serve you just as well. You'll also
save yourself some exchange fees by only
converting to one foreign currency rather
than two or more!

In hindsight Indonesia, specifically
the heart of Bali and the Gili Islands,

Free & Easy Review

» Party hard or no party at all

Morgan Hannah
Life & Style Editor

 

here are a host of travel booking

options for the inexperienced
backpacker, which is what I'd like to
claim I am. Contiki, G Adventures,
and Free & Easy are three examples
of companies that act as your travel
agent: They'll take care of booking your
transportation to, around, and from your
destination, as well as booking your
accommodations for the duration of your
trip. What separates these businesses
from regular travel agencies, however, is
the fact that they plan activities and some
meals for you, send one or two of their
own group leaders with you, and ensure
you're ina group of at least 16 other
people aged 19 to 35.

My advocacy for such companies
stems from good friends passing
information along like they would pass
along a note in class. But something
important you should know about my
friends: They love to drink. They’re the
type of people who pack beers in their
hiking gear, then set up camp relaxing
with ‘em. They’re the type of people who
drink bottled coolers for breakfast while
on a bus in Asia. They’re the type who
goes around collecting any unopened
bottles of table wine after a wedding
ceremony because it’s free. I should’ve
known that when my friends offered me
their insights on travelling, their favourite
activity, drinking, would be a guarantee.

Thanks to my personal experience
from 10 days in Indonesia—which I
extended by a couple of extra days—I can

now confidently say these organizations
(or at least the one I used, Free & Easy)
are akin to a travelling house party. As
much as you want taken care of, will be.
I experienced a handful of multi-day

 

COR e Omer i

were so Americanized and prepared for
tourists that the thousands of dollars

in injectable precautions and the less
inflated but still unnecessary banking fees
I endured seemed just that—unnecessary.
Especially when my travel companions
got the acclaimed “Bali Belly” (also
known as traveller’s diarrhea) and
reported it wasn’t that bad.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it
wasn’t a good idea to grab all those shots,
especially since Twinrix, Polio, and Rabies
are lifelong investments—once you are

stops throughout Bali, including the use
of a speed boat to get between the Gili
Islands. This allowed me to see more of
the islands and helped give me a nudge
towards what I liked and wanted more

Image via TourRadar.com

 

Troeed

 

inoculated, you are practically immortal.
What I am saying is that I may not have
needed them all at the same time. I
should’ve thought for myself, done more
research, and only bought what I needed
for my particular trip.

Everyone always says hindsight
is 20/20, and boy are they right. In
hindsight, I’d have liked to change a
couple of things that happened over the
course of my first trip outside North
America, but I wouldn’t change the trip
itself.

of: culture, art, food, and traditional
shopping.

Of course, this meant that I ended up
spending a lot of my time separate from
the group, but also displays the flexibility
of such services should you decide to split
off.

Accommodations are often a gamble
when you’re backpacking; you never
really know what you're going to get until
you get there and it’s best just to plan for
that unpredictability in advance. With a
travel company though, you can expect
a certain standard everywhere you're
booked to stay. At least, you should be
able to. With Free & Easy, I stayed in three
different places—the first of which was
easily the worst accommodations I’ve
ever had. But aside from rat droppings on
the curtains, stained bedsheets, and staff-
acclaimed unsafe streets at one bungalow,
the other two places I stayed at were
marvelous—big beautiful beds, patios,
swim-up bars, and large clean showers all
the way!

These agencies are affordable
adventure building travel services that
save you from planning out the logistics
of your trip while allowing you to have
a great time and maybe even make some
friends too! Whether it’s for the first time
or the 10th time, these companies create
some good memories. If you're not big
into partying or drinking and instead
are looking for a wellness retreat or
something more health and spiritually
oriented, there are alternatives such as
Isa Dinerman, Breathe In Life, Health and
Fitness Travel, and Healing Holidays.