Hostels can be a great accommodation option while traveling. They are cheap, generally clean and an awesome way to meet new people! Many hostels have common areas which serve as a wonderful place, outside of your hostel room, to hang out with other travelers. We have found websites and apps such as Trip Advisor and Hostelworld to be useful in reviewing…
THAILAND LAOS CAMBODIA In case you can’t tell by our selections below, Khmer food was our least favorite cuisine. We found the food in Cambodia to essentially be subpar Thai food so we tended to explore other cuisines during our time there.
Brian and I were laughing the other day because who names a travel blog “Beaches & Backpacks” and then travels for just shy of two months without setting foot on a single beach. Well, apparently we do! We highly doubt you’ve been holding your breath anxiously anticipating a beach blog post but on the off…
We recently had the pleasure (probably not the right word) of experiencing one of the most notorious border crossings in Southeast Asia, the land crossing from the 4000 islands in southern Laos into Cambodia. Going from one corrupt country to another, more corrupt, country, via a lightly-used crossing point is a recipe for, I don’t…
“This bank charges a transaction fee of $5 for using this ATM. This charge is in addition to any fees that may be assessed by your financial institution. Are you sure you want to continue with the transaction?” Seeing this message 2-3 times a week followed by an obligatory press of the “Yes” button can…
Do you remember the ridiculous quizzes that flooded your favorite magazine as a teenager? Take, Seventeen magazine for instance. “What does your favorite food say about you?” “What type of guy is perfect for your personality?” Do you remember eagerly taking the multiple choice quizzes in hopes of learning some mind-blowing piece of information about…
The next best thing to a river full of native trout is one that runs through a cave. Alison vetoed a 24 hour bus ride from Vientiane to Hanoi (I didn’t put up much of a fight) so our next stop took us to warmer weather in southern Laos, where we’ll eventually keep going south…
One of the primary tourist attractions in southern Laos is Wat Phou, the site of ancient ruins located just outside Champasak in between Pakse and the 4000 islands. The ruins date back to the Khmer empire in the 5th century and the area was named a UNESCO World Heritage site. Sounds awesome, right? So how…
Travel to Northern Laos and travel back in time… Envision yourself living in a country that wasn’t readily accessible by road until almost the 21st century. Imagine living in a hut without running water or electricity. Visualize yourself living off of whatever you can grow in the fields near your hut, or searching the jungle…
Beaches & Backpacks 