In honour of my friend Paula being back in Europe, on a flying visit from New Zealand her adopted home, we decided to do a one week road trip around Jordan. Here’s the highlights! Hiring a car in Jordan Hiring a car in Jordan is definitely the way to travel the country and even if…… Continue reading One week in Jordan – driving from Madaba to the Red Sea via Petra
Category: Backpacking
Fort Portal and the Crater Lakes – independent Uganda travel
The journey to Fort Portal, located in Uganda’s western region and formerly the capital of the Toro Kingdom , was my first experience of “big bus” travel in Uganda. So far on my three week Uganda itinerary, I’d stuck mainly to matatus, the primary form of transport here. These are 16 seater minibuses, although usually…… Continue reading Fort Portal and the Crater Lakes – independent Uganda travel
Farm to Cup Coffee Tour and Hiking in Sipi Falls and Kapchorwa, Uganda
A must-do on the independent backpacker route in Uganda is Sipi Falls on the northern slopes of Mount Elgon. Well worth the 8 hour trip to get here and easily broken up with a stopover in Jinja to see the source of the Nile. Read my blog post here for how to travel by public…… Continue reading Farm to Cup Coffee Tour and Hiking in Sipi Falls and Kapchorwa, Uganda
First time backpacker? Here’s a few of my top travel tips for new (or old) backpackers
So you’ve decided to become a backpacker? That’s excellent news! The Tor Goes Travelling Again mantra is to Make Travel a Habit. I believe anyone can become a backpacker no matter what your age. I recently dragged my 75 year old mother across Russia and Mongolia, giving her an insight into how I travel. That’s…… Continue reading First time backpacker? Here’s a few of my top travel tips for new (or old) backpackers
Exploring at home – learn new skills and meet new people by travelling and volunteering
What will travel look like after Covid 19? Well it definitely looks like travel might be very much changed for the next year or so. One recent travel article I read even suggested that countries might not reopen their borders to travellers until vaccines are available for all and a Covid 19 travel vaccination might…… Continue reading Exploring at home – learn new skills and meet new people by travelling and volunteering
From backpacking the Maldives to hiking in Mongolia – a quick tour of the eighty one countries I’ve visited
A brief history of some of the countries I’ve visited during my nearly twenty years of backpacking Is country counting acceptable in the world of backpacking? There’s a lot of negativity around ‘country counting’ in the travel community, with some travellers being very disdainful of those who count. It’s not about the quantity, it’s the…… Continue reading From backpacking the Maldives to hiking in Mongolia – a quick tour of the eighty one countries I’ve visited
Make travel a habit – how to be a budget backpacker
You don’t have to save for years to have just one backpacking trip. Travel every year with these budget backpacking tips I travel every year for a few months and have been doing so for nearly twenty years. I’m not rich, I’m not a paid travel blogger nor do I have a particularly well paid…… Continue reading Make travel a habit – how to be a budget backpacker
Exploring colourful Buddhist temples and finding a giant Lenin Head in Ulan Ude – sixth stop on the Trans Mongolia trains through Russia
The Buryat region is predominantly Buddhist and Ivolginsky is the largest datsun or temple complex in Russia A half-day trip from Ulan Ude to spin the prayer wheels, attend a hural or prayer ceremony and receive a blessing from a Buddhist monk at Ivolginsky temple Ulan Ude is 5,600km from Moscow and it’s taken us…… Continue reading Exploring colourful Buddhist temples and finding a giant Lenin Head in Ulan Ude – sixth stop on the Trans Mongolia trains through Russia
Travel tips for backpacking Russia – when you don’t speak a word of Russian
First-time in Russia? Travel survival tips for backpackers and travellers in Russia I have to admit to being a little apprehensive about travelling in Russia, despite having been to over seventy countries now. I did a lot more research than I would normally do, although admittedly most of that was about the weather and exactly…… Continue reading Travel tips for backpacking Russia – when you don’t speak a word of Russian
Tasting traditional Tartar snacks and admiring a beautiful blue and white Kremlin in Kazan – stop three on the Trans-Mongolia train
The hardest thing about travelling across Russia on the Trans-Mongolia train is deciding where to break the journey Top sights in Kazan, Russia I’ve always wanted to take the train across Russia to Mongolia. In fact the guidebook I’m using on this trip is from 2007 when I first started thinking about this epic journey.…… Continue reading Tasting traditional Tartar snacks and admiring a beautiful blue and white Kremlin in Kazan – stop three on the Trans-Mongolia train
TOR GOES TRAVELLING AGAIN 