Indie Travel Podcast

We're just days away from launching our new ebook, The Art of Solo Travel: A Girls' Guide by Stephanie Lee. Today we wanted to introduce Stephanie and her take on travel. For more, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/girlsguide or http://indietravelpodcast.com/podcast/153-interview-art-solo-travel-author-stephanie-lee

A visit to the Iguaçu Falls is a must on many travellers' itinerary of South America. And for good reason - they are incredible. You can view the falls from both Brazil and Argentina, and each side provides quite a different experience. We were staying in Puerto Iguazu, which is in Argentina, and we visited both sides from this point. It's equally easy to base yourself in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, which is a much bigger city. Brazil: getting there The border crossing between Argentina and Brazil was very straightforward. We decided to use the hostel-organised transfer instead of going independently, which would have meant three buses and a lot of time-wasting. So we crossed by car and didn't even have to get out - we passed our passports to our driver Susanna, who gave them to the border guards. They were stamped and we were in - possibly the easiest border crossing ever, although the Brazilian stamps are incredibly boring. Brazil: Pros and cons When we arrived, we realised that we didn't have any real, and apparently none of our credit cards were suitable for use. We withdrew cash at the ATM with no problems though. It cost R$37, which seemed a fair price to us. For more information visit:

Tim Ackroyd spent six weeks touring Victoria, one of our favourite Australian states, as part of the WorldNomads Vantastic Adventure. We caught up with Tim to talk about his experiences and help you plan your own Australian road trip. Tim says... I have been making the video podcast 'Snowfix' for the last 5 years. It basically came about when a friend and I did our first ski season, we decided we wanted to keep skiing but didn't want to do the horrible resort jobs, so we started making videos. Within one year we had created the world's most popular skiing/snowboarding podcast and also turned it into a TV show on the Extreme Sports Channel on sky all across Europe. When I am not making the show, in the summer I move back to London and due to the short amount of time I am around for, generally live with Aussies that are over here travelling. Subsequently I have been saying for years that I was going to do a big trip and visit all those guys I lived with, and the Vantastic tour seems the perfect chance. This is going to be a total whirlwind 2 months for me because running up to the trip I am working presenting the London Freeze, the uk's biggest skiing/snowboard event (www.londonfreeze.com). The next day I fly to Oz for the trip and as soon as I return I travel back out to France to start this season of Snowfix. Expect strangers, sillyness, singing and special FX! For more, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/podcast/151-vantastic-road-trip-victoria-australia

We've spent the last ten days in Bolivia, which isn't really enough to do it justice. But we've had a great time and have learned a lot about travel in this beautiful South American country. Border crossing The border between Peru and Bolivia is easy to cross. We went by bus, and the bus stopped outside the police station to allow us to hand in our tourist cards - it's really important that you don't lose this little piece of paper! You'll get it when you enter Peru. After the police station, we went to immigration for our exit stamp, then walked about 200m up the road to the Bolivian offices, where we filled in forms and got our entry stamps. Despite the fact that as Kiwis we can stay for up to 90 days, they only gave us 30-day visas ... apparently we can extend them in La Paz, but we didn't get the full quota automatically. And the border crossing wasn't easy for all of us. Ange's passport had been stolen in Cusco, and though she'd got a replacement travel document and had a full police report of what had happened, apparently this wasn't good enough for the Peruvian border guards. She needed an entry stamp, which she apparently had to get back in Cusco, but of course her travel document was only valid for that one day. Luckily a one-off fee solved the problem, and we were allowed to leave the country. Copacabana and the Isla del Sol Copacabana is a tiny little tourist town perched on the edge of Lake Titicaca. Its lack of ATMs made it difficult to get cash - always make sure you have a stash of emergency money for this kind of situation. US dollars are definitely the currency of choice to carry around in South America, and we found the exchange rates at the border and in Copacabana to be very reasonable. Copacabana is a good jumping-off point for tours to the Isla del Sol. You can camp or stay in a hostal on the island, but we chose to do a one-day trip. It was very well-priced: it would have cost us about the same to do the same thing independently. We were dropped off at one end of the island, and the boat met us on the other side. We've noticed that the Bolivians are much more concerned about time than the Peruvians - both boat trips left very nearly on time, and anyone who wasn't there to get on the boat was left behind. Bus journeys Bus travel in Bolivia has been an experience. It's a step down from Peru, which in turn was a step down from the excellent service in Chile. The trip from Copacabana to La Paz included a surprise boat trip, which we hadn't been told about and had to pay for. We had planned to get more cash from an ATM in La Paz and so didn't have much money, but luckily we'd changed a little more just before we left. We went across on a motorboat while the bus crossed by a wooden barge. It was interesting, to say the least! The bus from La Paz to Uyuni had a different seat configuration from the one we'd been shown when we booked our tickets, so we weren't in the seats we wanted, and our group wasn't sitting together. There also seemed to be a lot of extra stops along the way, despite the fact that we'd been told that it was a direct service. La Paz La Paz is a sprawling city with a lot of markets and hills. It's the highest city in the world, so altitude might be a problem for some - luckily coca tea is easy to come by, which should help you out. There's also a lot of excellent street food to try, like papa rellena (deep-fried stuffed mashed potatoes), freshly-squeezed juices, doughnuts and other gems. There are a lot of taxis to choose from in La Paz, but use ones with a radio for security. They should call their base to let the base know where they're headed and with how many people. As always in South America, agree on a fare before you get into the car, and if you don't feel safe, choose another taxi. For more visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/podcast/travel-bolivia-safety/

We've spent the last three weeks in Cusco, studying Spanish, enjoying the history, and being frustrated with problems here on the site. we haven't done all the touristy things, but we've been enjoying relaxing and soaking up the atmosphere. Cusco Cusco is incredible. It's supposed to be laid out like a puma, but we haven't really seen it. It's in a valley, with the centre of action as the Plaza de Armas. Up one side of the valley is the hippy district of San Blas, with the head of the puma at the top. That's where the iconic White Christ is situated, with the Sacsaywaman fortress nearby. Food One thing that we love about travel is the food. And Cusco has a lot of it. We enjoyed juice and beer milkshake in the market, lots and lots of menus del dia, and the street food was varied and interesting. It was just sad that we only found that empanada vendor near our school in our last week. Things to do There's heaps to do around Cusco. It's the jumping-off point for Machu Picchu, and if you don't want to pay through the nose, there are lots of other ruins nearby too. We loved Tipon and our visit to the Sacred Valley with our friend Renzo. ATMs We've done a bit of experimenting here in Peru to find the best ATMs. Globalnet is really prevalent, and is often found in shops and hotels, but they have a limit of 400 soles and they charge you on this end to withdraw cash. We like BCP, which has a 700 sol limit and there's one in the Plaza de Armas and one around the corner on Avenida del Sol. School We've been studying at Wiracocha Spanish Language school on Cuesta San Blas, which is situated in the hilly hippie district of San Blas. There's a lot of nice places to stay around here, though the backpacker district is on the other side of the Plaza de Armas. We really enjoyed Cusco, and it's definitely worth a visit. Make sure you see what it has to offer, don't just get caught up in the tourist trail.

I find it strange that concerns about safety are some of the main reasons people don't like to travel. Demolishing those fears is one of the things we like to do around here. Today we speak with travel security expert Craig Bidois, who covers travel safety strategies before leaving home, during transit times and while you are in foreign lands. For more, see http://indietravelpodcast.com

South America us huge, and full of interesting places to explore. Distances between destinations aren't short, there are no trains to speak of, and flights aren't exactly budget, so you'll probably spend a fair bit of time on buses. We've travelled a fair bit by bus in Chle and Peru, and we've picked up a few ideas that could help to smooth your journey. For journeys of less than six hours, your best bet is to travel by day and enjoy the scenery (at least in the south of Chile, in the north it's quite repetitive). But for longer journeys, save your days for sight-seeing and travel by night. The buses are generally safe and comfortable, and you can increase your comfort by paying more for a better seat. The names vary from company to company, but generally there are four classes of seats on night buses. For more visit: http://indietravelpodcast.com

Getting robbed is never fun, but I feel particularly stupid that my iPod was stolen from my bag yesterday. I wasn't following any of the security measures that I know I should have been paying attention to ... and it's all basic stuff. However, it does give us a very relevant topic for today's podcast. We've talked about security and your Personal Area Network before but I think security is something that can't be talked about enough. 1. In your main bag Wherever you're staying, it's a good idea to keep as much of your stuff in your bag at all times. If you're staying with people, this keeps things nice and tidy, and if you're in a hostel you can lock up your bag. Try to put things in the same place each time so you know where to find it and so that you're instantly aware if something goes missing. 2. Hostel safe If you're staying with relatives or couchsurfers, your stuff should be relatively secure, just don't leave valuables in plain sight. In a hostel or hotel though, your best bet is to make use of the safe. Store your electronics and extra cash there, and your passport if you're in a country where you don't need it with you all the time. 3. Hidden I used a stomach pouch for many years, and liked the feeling of security it gave me. I kept my passport, credit card and spare cash in it. These pouches are really useful but it's important to keep it totally hidden - don't keep going into and out of it. Have a coin purse in your pocket with your daily cash in it, and go to the toilet or into a bank if you need to access more. We've found neck pouches quite uncomfortable and the strap is a lot more visible. You can also get belts with a hidden pocket for extra cash, and it's always a good idea to have a secret stash somewhere. 4. Your day bag If you can't be bothered with a money pouch, your day bag is a good alternative - just watch it very carefully. Put valuables right down the bottom, keep it locked if possible, and never put anything of value in the front pocket (this was my mistake). If it's a backpack, keep the zips zipped right to the side, not to the top. You're usually okay to wear it on your back, but flip it to the front when you're in dangerous areas. The same goes for shoulder bags - wear them at the front.

Following up on our close call with the Chile earthquake, we talk through our response to a natural disaster and offer some tips and advice along with our story. Craig Bidois from fearfree.co.nz emailed in some more tips, so our personal experience is supplemented by a professional approach to risk management and planning following an earthquake. If you can, please make a donation to the Chile earthquake relief fund -- your help is needed here: http://indietravelpodcast.com/article/teremoto-del-chile-chilean-earthquake-relief/

For the last week we have been travelling through Chile with our friends Janine and Moroni. These are our first thoughts on arriving in Santiago and travel in Chile. Arrival We arrived in Santiago from Auckland, with Janine, after an eleven-and-a-half hour flight on the longest Wednesday in the world. There were some customs declarations to fill out, which was heavy on biosecurity -- which means it was illegal to bring in a lot of natural products such as honey, seeds and meat. This was patrolled by dogs and scanners -- similar to entering New Zealand. From the airport you can catch a TurBus or CentroPuerto bus into the centre of Santiago for around 1,700 Chilean pesos; buy your tickets onboard. Santiago For transport within Santiago, you can buy single-use tickets for the metro (subway) but there's no cash payment options for buses in the city. You need to buy a tarjeta BIP, which is a smart card you prepay. Journeys made within two hours count as one 400 peso credit. We recommend you load around 6,000 pesos on the card for a 4-5 day stay, around three credits per day. Despite guidebooks giving Santiago a "two-day" recommendation, we enjoyed our time there and would happily stay for a few weeks while travelling ... or six months if Linda has her way! There was plenty to do and there's plenty more we want to try in our next two-day stop when we return in a few days. Intercity buses Intercity buses, which we've used to travel from Santiago to Chiloe (where we're recording), are clean, safe and comfortable. There is a little food available for the longest journeys and a few people come onboard to sell snacks and, only once, coffee. Take your own snacks and drinks. The normal seats recline quite far, but the "full cama" option is a lie-flat seat, which is much more expensive. It's been highly recommended but so far we haven't been able to justify the price. Food and drinks We've been making use of the menu del dia to have a big lunch for 2,500 - 4,000 pesos, then eating fresh bread with avocado and pebre -- a mix of tomato, onion, coriander and chili pepper -- for most of our breakfasts and late evening meals. Street food mainly revolves around snacks like popcorn and nuts, rather than buying meals like kebabs or hotdogs. One thing to look out for is mote con huesillos, which is a local meal in a glass: half a cup of wheat, a dried peach and topped up with peach juice. Bar drink prices are similar to in New Zealand -- around 3,900 pesos for a couple of beers on "happy hour". During happy hour (which often lasts all day) you get two drinks for a reduced price, but they bring them out one by one, so you can't save money by sharing drinks. Kunstmann is the best beer we've found so far (and had a great few hours in their brewery near Valdivia), while the pisco sours (and mango sours) are delicious and really live up to their reputation. ...For more visit http://indietravelpodcast.com

For show notes and links to everything we mentioned, please visit http://www.indietravelpodcast.com. Feel free to leave comments there or email mail@indietravelpodcast.com - We'd love to hear from you!

Catherine and Dara talk about their Tasmania, Australia road trip with WorldNomad's Vantastic tour. For more details see http://indietravelpodcast.com/podcast/australia-road-trip-vantastic-tasmania

It's the start of our next epic journey - we've left our home city of Auckland and are spending a few days in the South Island of New Zealand before heading to South America. We're a little rusty on the travel front, and have already managed to make a rather spectacular mistake. When we booked our tickets to South America, Europe, and Asia we booked and paid for one check-in bag between us, more than enough for the stuff we're carrying. However, at around the same time we booked tickets to Christchurch for a week, and the baggage fee was so high we decided we didn't want to pay it and would make do with carry-on luggage. Well, I imagine you can guess what our rookie mistake was. We showed up at the airport with a bag to check in. We still could have taken it with us - if we wanted to pay $80 each way. That's about two-thirds of the total cost of the tickets! We managed to repack the essentials into carry-on bags and my mum picked up the other one - thanks Mum! So the tip for today is - check your tickets before you head to the airport. Check the date, the time, and what luggage you can take. It's also a good idea to double-check details like which terminal you're flying from, what you can put in your carry-on bag, and when you need to check in. Don't make the same mistakes we made, and you'll have a great trip.

If you're travelling for any length of time, chances are you'll catch a plane at some point during your trip. There are a lot of ways to make a plane trip more enjoyable (especially if it is a long one) and one of these ways is to pack your carry-on bag carefully. The airlines will tell you what NOT to take (scissors, flammables ... the list keeps getting longer, actually) but we'd like to help you think about what you should put in that bag. For the packing list, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/podcast/carry-on-luggage-packing-list

With the 2010 Winter Olympics creeping up fast, Vancouver is coming under the spotlight as a winter vacation destination: especially for the powderheads looking to ski and snowboard. We know you're out there! This week we interview world Ski Cross champion Ashleigh McIvor about the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, independent travel in BC, and her local's advice for the ski resorts and restaurants. The 2010 Games seem a perfect time to visit Vancouver, so Ashleigh also talks about how you can win exclusive access to one of thirteen of British Columbia's ski resorts for you and nineteen friends. That's five days of luxury living and lift access after the Vancouver Olympic Games end. For more visit: http://indietravelpodcast.com/podcast/139-vancouver-skiing-vacation-winter-olympics