http://www.damoandyuki.com/content Travelling and backpacking on a tight budget Mon, 24 Mar 2008 14:39:09 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Situated over 4500 meters above sea-level on the old Tibetan border in China, Zhongdian is, in every sense of the word, breathtaking. Whilst not particularly hard to reach, Zhongdian has, as of yet, managed to avoid the perils of mass tourism and successfully clung on to its unique old border ... http://www.damoandyuki.com/content/2008/03/11/china-zhongdian/ I have a confession... I, very briefly, worked for a company selling travel insurance. Yes, I am ashamed, but though the memories of the job still grate me, it did give me an insight into a product that many travellers would rather ignore. Though it may be at odds with ... http://www.damoandyuki.com/content/2008/03/08/article-a-guide-to-travel-insurance/ What would you say if I told you that for 15 months we travelled extensively through China and South East Asia and returned home with more money than we started with? Yup, teaching English abroad is becoming a well established way to see the world regardless of whether your bank ... http://www.damoandyuki.com/content/2008/03/03/article-teaching-english-abroad/ Remember, though you may think yourself a modern day Indiana Jones, as far as the locals are concerned, you’re a walking, talking wad of cash and, unfortunately, “meeting the locals” can often mean “getting robbed”. That’s not to say that other countries are packed with thieves and con-artists, it’s just ... http://www.damoandyuki.com/content/2008/03/02/article-how-to-avoid-being-robbed-ripped-off/ Back by popular demand, please welcome the return of “Crazy packaging”, AKA Chinglish! You see, back in the days when we were teaching in China, we used to have a little section dedicated to the bizarre descriptions found on items at our local supermarket. Unfortunately, in a moment of stupidity, ... http://www.damoandyuki.com/content/2008/02/28/general-news-chinglish-examples/ Half the fun of travelling is sampling national delicacies and, whilst food is one area where you can save significant money, it’s important not to let your budget ruin your experience. Certainly, with a bit of thought you can sample those regional dishes without emptying your wallet. Avoid restaurants recommended in ... http://www.damoandyuki.com/content/2008/02/26/budget-travel-eating-cheaply/ Planes are a necessary evil for all budget travellers and, try as you might, you very rarely come across a fare that is, for lack of a better word, fair. There are some exceptions to this rule that we will discuss shortly but, on the whole, buying plane tickets is ... http://www.damoandyuki.com/content/2008/02/25/budget-travel-plane-tickets/ I’d like to say that when I think of Ireland many things come to mind. However, the truth of the matter is that, other than leprechauns, I don’t really know anything about our island dwelling friends. Sure, the political and religious difficulties Ireland has faced throughout history have been slowly ... http://www.damoandyuki.com/content/2008/01/23/ireland-dublin/ Imagine a place where all the laws and taboos that have been ingrained into your mind since adulthood don’t apply. Better yet, imagine this place actually exists and is just short plane journey away. No, I’m not talking about Pinocchio’s Pleasure Island, I’m talking about Amsterdam. To be fair, despite its ... http://www.damoandyuki.com/content/2007/09/10/netherlands-amsterdam/ If you were the Sultan of a tiny country that had, to be honest, nothing going for it, and then, much to your joy, you discovered that you were in fact sitting upon untold amounts of oil, would you: a. Celebrate by building a US$350 million palace? b. Allow your brother to ... http://www.damoandyuki.com/content/2006/12/08/boring-brunei/