Indie Travel Podcast

This week we delve into one of the great travel cultural divides; adult gap years/career breaks/sabbaticals and how they differ between Americans and the rest of the world. The founders of Briefcase to Backpack, Sherry Ott and Michaela Potter, talk about the traveling career break. They interview Barbara Weibel of Hole in The Donut, an American who took a six-month career break and traveled the world. She provides some travel tips and inspiration for those considering taking a traveling career break. Traveling culture Why is there such a large cultural divide between how Americans, Brits, Canadians, and Australians look at travel? Americans think travel is a two-week vacation, as that’s all their time allows away from their jobs; they don’t feel like they can leave their careers behind for any longer, or it may be detrimental to their future. However, other cultures tend to consider long-term travel a ‘rite of passage’. For the few of us (Americans) who are out there doing long-term travel, it’s rewarding and can be life-changing. It’s Michaela and Sherry’s goal to inspire others that a career break isn’t a career-defeating prospect. The social hurdlesIf you do consider taking a traveling career break, then you must be prepared to face a number of social hurdles. These can include family concerns, financial concerns, feeling like your career is at risk -- which all leads to an uncertain future. Michaela and Sherry share the reactions they faced from family and friends when they decided to take a traveling career break. Inspiring other Americans to travel Michaela and Sherry created based on their own career-break experiences. They share their personal experiences and the experiences of others in order to help other adults take the career break leap. The site covers the different stages involved in taking a career break as an adult; including contemplating a career break, preparing for long-term travel, dealing with life on the road and re-entering into the job market again. The site provides stories from a host of other Americans who have successfully taken a break from their jobs and traveled long term. Interview with Barbara Weibel Barbara is an American adult career-breaker who is featured on the site. Barbara’s career break came after a lifetime of working in jobs that didn’t satisfy her. As she describes it, she felt like the proverbial “hole in the donut” – solid on the outside, but empty on the inside. She shares the circumstances that led to her career break, how she decided where to go, and how she handled adapting to life away from the office and out on the road. Share your career break story If you have taken a career break and are interested in inspiring others to do the same then consider providing a ‘testimonial’ to Briefcase to Backpack. It’s a great way to relive your experience and help Americans add ‘career break’ to their vocabulary. Or, if you are one of those many people that are thinking about it, but can’t seem to pull the trigger, then visit Briefcase to Backpack and meet others who will convince you that it will be a rewarding, resume-building experience!

Deciding to travel is easy. Actually working out the practicalities of getting around is a little less easy. One thing to think about when planning for travel is how you're going to get around. Not around your destination (a combination of walking, taxis and public transport will usually sort you out there), but how to get from city to city or country to country. There are a surprisingly large number of options. Walk Bike Motorbike Car Hitch Campervan Boat: ferry, cruise, yacht, canal boat .. Public bus or coach Tour bus Train Plane Other For more visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/podcast/109-transport-travellers/

We launch season two of the Indie Travel Podcast video show - Travel Talks.

Paris is one of the most well-known cities in the world. It's the city of love, the city of lights, the city of the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Revolution - it's one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, one of the most advertised cities, and sadly (according to Tripadvisor users) the most overrated city in Europe - perhaps because of all the press it gets. There's definitely a lot to see and do, and it isn't just those images you've seen a million times. Sure, visit the Eiffel Tower and the Arc du Triomphe, but then dive into the suburbs, get lost and discover what else Paris has to offer.

WorldNomads is looking for seven teams of Van-Tastic Adventurers to travel across Australia on a 6 week road trip of a lifetime. They'll blog, share photos and create audio and video shows that will be showcased around the world ... including right here on the Indie Travel Podcast. Today, we're speaking with Amanda Byrne from WorldNomads, Peter Burke from Travellers Auto Barn and Amanda Pressner of the Lost Girls about her travels in Australia in the WorldNomads van. The skinny... You'll be flown to Australia to explore your favourite piece of the country in a fully loaded camper van, with fuel money, an action packed itinerary and all the gear you’ll need to share your adventure through videos, stories and photos. You can choose where you want to go, what you want to do and, with heaps of adventurous activities thrown in for free, you’ll have lots of stories to make a mini video documentary of your adventure. The team with the most popular video will win $10,000 cash and flights from Virgin Blue. There's heaps of laughs and lots of practical information for people planning an Aussie adventure or, more specifically, wanting some inside knowledge on their Vantastic Application.

Gary Arndt runs one of the most popular travelogue-style blogs in the world. He's one of Twitter's top 50 people and generally pretty well known around most of the internet's coolest social networks. This week we talk to him about something more important than geekery: he's on the last leg of a mammoth two year round the world trip. During this interview we discuss his travels in the Pacific, Australasia, Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. Oh, and his home country -- the United States. He talks about diving with jellyfish in Palau and visiting war zones in Cambodia; how to find accommodation and travel successfully without a guidebook. Gary supplies the monthly travel wallpaper, weekly photos and has also shared the best places to dive in the Pacific. Visit his site, Everything Everywhere and learn how to travel around the world. And now for something completely different... Honor Dargan, who we told us about travel in Tokyo, Japan, is a regular guest on the Japan Podshow (iTunes) which is a fun show about travel and expat life in Japan. She's also starting a live twitter chat along with Shane Sakata. They will be available to answer all your Japan questions at Japan Discovered. Hostelbookers are celebrating their fifth birthday with five cent hostel beds and a great giveaway. WorldNomads is launching a massive Australia-wide "vantastic" road trip which we'll be talking about next week.

Auckland, known as the "City of Sails" is New Zealand's largest city. It's surrounded by sea and is studded with volcanic mountains, and is a very pleasant place to live or visit - it ranked fourth equal in the 2009 Worldwide Quality of Living Survey. Auckland is a very spread-out city, with a land area almost equalling that of Los Angeles. It's divided into four main regions, which are autonomous cities: Auckland City, North Shore City (to the north), Waitakere City (to the west), and Manukau City (to the south). The central business district is centred around Queen Street, which runs from the harbour south (up) to Karangahape ("K") Road. Quay Street runs along the waterfront, with Viaduct Harbour at its western end and Britomart Transport Centre a little to the east of Queen Street. At the top of Queen Street, following K Road to the east will take you to to the Auckland Domain, and westwards is trendy Ponsonby. Auckland has the full range of places to stay. High-end options include the Hilton, the Stamford Plaza, and the Skycity Grand Hotel at the base of the Sky Tower. For budget hotels, try Hotel Formule 1, or see what wotif.com has to offer. There are a wide range of hostels to choose from, most of which have both dorm beds and private rooms available. Be aware that you might be charged extra for linen, as many hostels expect you to bring your own sleeping bag. As a vibrant multi-cultural city, Auckland has quality food on offer from all over the world. Takeaway options include sushi, kebabs, pizza, Chinese, Korean and a whole lot more. Make sure you drop into a dairy (convenience store) or bakery and try a hot meat pie - it's traditional. Another great cheap eat is fish and chips - you'll find a fish and chip shop in every suburb, and a feast on the beach is a great way to start the weekend. The meat in New Zealand is second-to-none, so make sure you have a juicy steak or dig into some lamb shanks if you're so inclined - animals in New Zealand have a good life before they hit your plate, so there's no guilt required. Sadly, Auckland's public transport isn't the most comprehensive, since the population density is so low. You'll be fine walking around the city, but if you want to venture further afield you're better off hiring a car. Taxis are generally safe and well-priced, though it's usually easier to call ahead for one than trying to hail one on the street. When you arrive, you'll likely arrive at the Auckland International Airport. Getting away from there is an expensive enterprise unless you get someone to pick you up. The Airbus is probably your best bet - to the city it's $15 one-way, $22 return. If you decide to brave the public transport, you'll probably be catching the bus. The train network has improved recently, but doesn't cover very much of the city. Buy your ticket for the bus from the driver - just state your destination and the driver will tell you the price. If you'll be travelling a bit, a day pass will probably save you some cash. Auckland's a city where a wander around will be rewarded. Explore posh Ponsonby, edgy Kingsland and the always-busy Viaduct, then head further afield to a suburb of your choice. Mission Bay is worth a visit, for a swim in summer or a coffee any time. There are a lot of parks to explore and relax in, or choose a beach you like the look of - Piha being the best-known surf beach. ...for more visit http://indietravelpodcast.com

When heading out on the road, you might be overwhelmed by suggestions of where to go and where to stay. I'm sure you'll have some idea of your dream destination – but once you get there, where do you sleep? There are a multitude of options, and your choice will be influenced by both your budget and your inclination. From super-budget to high-end, let's look at some of the accommodation possibilities. Roughing it As a guest Couchsurfing Take your home with you Hostel – dorm Hostel – private room Budget hotel Motel Guesthouse/pension/bed and breakfast Vacation rental House swap Hotel Wherever you choose to sleep, make sure you take advantage of what your accommodation has to offer – have a spa bath if you've got one in your hotel room, hang out in the hostel lounge or swim in the holiday park's pool. But above all, enjoy yourself!

The Amateur Traveler, Chris Christensen, usually interviews people for his podcast, but the tables have turned. In this interview, Chris tells us about his travels in Oaxaca, Mexico. Sights to see Oaxaca is a family-friendly city, so you'll have a good time just walking around and exploring the centre of town. The zocolo (central square) is the place to be in the evening - just show up and see what's happening. It's also a good place to have a coffee, a beer or a meal, and you might be able to find a local tour guide there, as Chris did. Two churches worth visiting are the cathedral and the Convento de Santo Domingo, and you'll find a good museum nearby as well. The Zapotec ruins just out of town are tourist drawcards, and for good reason. Chris recommends Monte Alban over Mitla, which isn't in as good condition. A good tour guide is worth the investment for the trip to Monte Alban, so that you can learn a bit of history about the Zapotec people. There are some good craft shops in the area as well, so get your guide to take you out and do your souvenir shopping there. Food In addition to the traditional Mexican fare of burritos, soft tacos and tamales, you should definitely try mole (mo-lay), a spicy sauce. Oaxaca is known as the "land of the seven moles", and the most popular one is a combination of chocolate and chillies, used over chicken and rice and with other savoury dishes. Moles tend to be named after colours - Rojo and Negro (red and black) both contain chocolate, but there's also Amarillo (yellow) and Verde (green). Make sure you have a cervesa (beer) or two, and try mezcal - an alcoholic drink that's similar to tequila. Coffee in Oaxaca is often drunk spiked with chillies, as is the excellent hot chocolate. Stay Chris recommends Hostel dal Mercado and Casa de Don Pablo Hostel, which both provide good accommodation for about US$12 per night, and are centrally located. There's a kitchen and a common room, and linen and towels are provided. Safety Although the swine flu is affecting tourism to Mexico at the moment, Chris doesn't advise against travel to Oaxaco. It's an affordable and interesting destination, and with fewer people travelling there, you'll be able to get some good bargains. He doesn't recommend travelling through the towns on the border of the US and Mexico at present, due to higher crime rates. You should be fine in Oaxaca, but if you're travelling through Mexico City, never hail a cab. Either get your hostel to phone for one for you, or take the subway which is cheap and efficient. Getting there International flights generally fly into Mexico City, which is worth exploring for a few days. From there, you can fly to Oaxaca, or catch a bus for the budget option. It'll take you about six hours, and you can choose between the plush first-class bus, or the cheaper second-class. All photos on this show are copyright Chris Christensen, used with permission.

So, you're heading off around the world. You've got everything you need - tickets, passport, your parents' approval ... Maybe. But do you have the gear to make your trip as enjoyable as possible? Run an eye down this list and make sure you're sorted. 1. A good backpack. 2. Good shoes. 3. A sleeping bag. 4. A rain jacket. 5. Thermal underwear. 6. A money belt. 7. A camera. 8. Travel adapter. 9. A padlock. 10. Ear plugs. 11. A travel towel. 12. A travel clothes line. 13. A good personalised first-aid kit. 14. A journal. 15. A pack of cards. Check http://indietravelpodcast.com/packing for more travel and long-term packing advice.

This screencast walks you through the easy steps to subscribe to a podcast in iTunes. The example site is the Lonely Planet award-winning Indie Travel Podcast - http://indietravelpodcast.com

The final sixteen candidates for the best job in the world - a six month stint in the Great Barrier Reef - are about to fly to Hamilton Island for their final interviews. We caught up with Juweon Kim from South Korea, Magali Heuberger from the Netherlands and Clarke Gayford from New Zealand to talk to them about the position and their chances of becoming the island caretaker. In January, Tourism Queensland announced this position: living on Hamilton Island, flying and boating around the Great Barrier Reef, feeding the fish while diving ... all for a cool AUD$150,000 -- around US$100,000. Over 34,000 applicants tried their hand and over the last few months this number was whittled down to 50 then 16. Juweon Kim is one of the short-listed applicants. Born in South Korea, he grew up in the States and currently works as a radio journalist. An avid golfer, he's keen to hit the links as soon as he arrives. Magali Heuberger has travelled through Europe as well as Turkey and Cuba. She's a photographer from the Netherlands that has also worked in PR and Communications. We talk with Magali about the dive stunt she pulled: her first SCUBA dive in the middle of a busy Amsterdam square. Clarke Gayford is a radio and TV presenter from New Zealand. As part of his application he went swimming with sharks ... not a bad effort either! He's been able to fund his travels through his TV work and is looking forward to showcasing the Great Barrier Reef. His girlfriend, Hollie, makes a mean carrot cake too. This episode is sponsored by: BootsnAll.com

Today, the Indie Travel Podcast celebrates its 100th episode, and Craig and Linda celebrate their homecoming after three years of full-time travel. We decided to mark the occasion with a recap of our travels, and the life so far of ITP. So where have we been in these three and a bit years? 2006 February: South Island road trip (New Zealand) March: Hong Kong, Macau, and England March-August: Malta, and a holiday in Corfu (Greece) August-September: Sicily, Rome and North Italy September: Crazy Eurail trip through Switzerland, Austria, Germany and the Netherlands October-December: St Albans (England) December: Prague (Czech Republic) 2007 January: Scotland with family, Canterbury (England) and Paris (France) February: Italy, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia March: Austria April: Wales, England, Ireland and Austria May: Czesky Krumlov (Czech Republic), Austria, England and Scotland June: Belgium, Italy and Austria July: Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland August: Bursa and Istanbul (Turkey), England, West Highland Way (Scotland) September: Italy and Austria October: Austria, Romania and Serbia November: Croatia, Austria and England December: Malta and Germany 2008-2009 January: Seven countries in seven days – but mostly Germany, Austria and England February: Turkey, England and Austria March: Camino de Santiago (Spain) April: Spain, Portugal, England, Bulgaria, Turkey, Switzerland, Germany May: France and England June: Isle of Wight (England) and Spain July-August: Hastings (England) September: Scotland, England, Malaysia and Australia September 2008-March 2009: Perth (Australia) March-April 2009: Aussie trip, home to Auckland (New Zealand) The birth of a podcast During our travels, we realised that we'd learned a fair bit about how to travel well, and decided to share our new knowledge with the world. We started the podcast during our time in St Albans, and introduced articles, videos and the enhanced version during our time on the Isle of Wight. It's grown pretty steadily since then, and last month won the Best Travel Podcast category of the Lonely Planet Travel Blog Awards. We're planning to continue travelling, and of course to continue with the podcast. We hope you'll join us for the rest of the journey!

Tokyo, Japan is a city of teeming millions, high speed rail and higher speed internet access. Years of history and modern development make Tokyo an exciting destination and, dreaming of going ourselves, we wanted to talk with someone who knew it well. This week we talk with Honor Dargan of Tokyotopia.com. Honor is a British ex-pat who has lived in Tokyo since 2001 and has written her own online city guide: Tokyo made simple. Tokyotopia is currently running a Tokyo video competition to which we're contributing a prize pack. We talk about: * Life as an expat * The visa application process for long-term travel * Arriving in Tokyo and getting from airport to city * The mythical communication problem faced by English speakers * Exploring historic and side-street Tokyo * Climbing Mt Fuji * Day trips from Tokyo If exploring Asia is your idea of a good time, check out the Mekong River semester program offered by Where There Be Dragons. SPONSOR: WorldNomads.com

In our recent road-trip episode, we mostly talked about planning for car journeys. Since then, we've headed out on the road ourselves (though certainly not for the first time) and have learnt a bit more. Last time, we discussed planning your trip, stocking up on food and drink, and considering on-road factors such as your daily itinerary and who you're travelling with. In this episode we take our recent road-trip as a case study and examine what worked and what could have been better. Our trip Having decided six months was enough time to spend in any city, we headed out of Perth on a Friday afternoon with Craig's dad and stepmother. Packing up a house and leaving on a road trip straight from your last day at work does tend to add a little stress to the equation, but the first destination, Margaret River, was enough of an incentive to make up for it. Our plan was to spend three nights in Margaret River, exploring the region before heading 400km east to Albany on the fourth day. Then we'd have two nights in Albany and drive north again to Perth, perhaps spending a night somewhere along the way. And then we'd be dropped at the airport and Craig's parents could spend a bit more time in Perth while we headed to Adelaide. What went well Quite a lot went well, actually. The pre-trip planning focussed on accommodation and planning a route, but we left the actual daily activities out of the equation altogether. There were four of us on the trip, perhaps the perfect number for a road trip, and the car was a good size - comfortable for the people in the back and with plenty of room in the boot for our bags. We pre-booked most of our accommodation, which meant we knew where we were sleeping and how much we were paying for it - accommodation costs can throw out any budget! Plus since we'd visited the websites of the places we were staying, and had discussed the choices between all travellers before booking, we all had a good idea what to expect. Each morning we discussed what we wanted to do and planned a rough itinerary, with plenty of flexibility for spontaneous stops. We shared the driving pretty evenly among the three drivers, and stopped whenever someone expressed an interest in stopping. Plus we prepared CDs to listen to with a variety of music on them, which eliminated the problem of listening to static while trying to find a local radio station. What could have been better Our sat nav left a lot to be desired in almost all features of its design, and we hadn't provided ourselves with the most useful of maps. Or perhaps the navigators just needed a little more training. Whatever the reason, we got a little lost a couple of times, but it didn't bother us too much. However, not knowing the opening times of local attractions did cause a little hassle - we turned up at one winery well before opening time, and arrived at Jewel Cave 45 minutes before the next tour. And there wasn't a lot to do there to fill time. We also missed out on a couple of things because we were running out of time, but I think that's going to happen on any trip. On the whole, it was a successful trip, made successful by planning routes and accommodation in advance, but not overplanning things to do along the way. Since it was a short trip, this technique worked well, but planning so rigidly might ruin a longer trip.