Blog Archives

Why Air Travel Needs To Return To Normal Soon, And Also Why It Shouldn’t.

Posted on April 13, 2020 by Bemused Backpacker — 31 Comments

The Coronavirus pandemic has shut down the world on an unprecedented scale. Never before have so many borders been closed, airlines shut down and people all over the world faced social isolation and quarantine edicts on such a mass scale. But as time goes on it becomes increasingly imperative that airlines need to start flying again and return to normality as soon as possible, and yet at the same time it is clear that they should never be allowed to operate as normal again.

Tagged with: ABTA, airline compensation, airlines, Coronavirus, covid19, flight, flight cancellation compensation, flight delay compensation, travel advisories, travel lockdown, travel shutdown
Posted in Travel Talk

The Final Word On Reclining Airline Seats. It Is Rude And They Should Be Banned.

Posted on February 17, 2020 by Bemused Backpacker — 142 Comments

The controversial debate about reclining seats on airlines has once again reared its head, and after years of debating this issue there finally seems to be a general consensus. It is rude and inconsiderate to recline your seat in modern economy class, recliners are obnoxious and selfish people and reclining seats themselves should just be banned outright.

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Posted in Travel Talk

The Great Himalayan Road Trip.

Posted on December 2, 2019 by Bemused Backpacker — 24 Comments

What started as a simple idea, a road trip through some of the most pristine and undisturbed locations in the Himachal Himalayas, led to an epic adventure that none of us could have prepared for. Heroic landscapes, surprising cultures, laughter,…

Tagged with: Himachal Pradesh, Himalayas, India, road trip, road trip Himalayas, road trip India
Posted in Destinations, Travel Talk

The Sacrifices Of Long Term Travel.

Posted on October 14, 2019 by Bemused Backpacker — 96 Comments

You are so lucky to travel so much. That is perhaps one of the most common things people say to me when they hear about what I do, but it isn’t luck. Travelling the world is a conscious choice that involves a lot of sacrifices of things other people take for granted. If you want to follow your dreams and travel the world as well, especially in the long term, then you will have to make the same sacrifices.

Tagged with: backpacker, backpacking, friendships when travelling, gap year, gap year no friends, long term travel, luck, lucky to travel so much, slow travel, slow travel movement, solo backpacker, solo backpacking, solo travel, solo travel tips, travel slowly, what is slow travel
Posted in Travel Talk

Should Travellers Boycott Controversial Destinations?

Posted on August 19, 2019 by Bemused Backpacker — 55 Comments

There are plenty of destinations around the world that have what some consider controversial political or cultural stances on many issues, from women’s or human rights abuses to LGBTQ issues or the actions of oppressive dictatorships to name but a few, but does that mean travellers should boycott a destination? Should your ethical or moral viewpoint dictate where you travel to? What would you do?

Tagged with: backpacking, boycott destinations, ethical travel, gap year, travel, travel boycott, what is a travel boycott
Posted in Responsible Travel, Travel Talk

Flights To Cairo Suspended Amid ‘Security Concerns’. What Is Happening And What You Need To Know.

Posted on July 21, 2019 by Bemused Backpacker — 28 Comments

British Airways and Lufthansa have cancelled all flights between Heathrow, Frankfurt and Munich and Cairo, citing unspecified ‘security concerns’, but what is actually happening and what are your rights as a passenger if you were due to fly to Cairo?

Tagged with: British Airways, British Airways cancels flights to Cairo, British Airways security alert, Cairo, Cairo security alert, Cairo terrorism, Egypt, Egypt terrorism, Egyptian tourism, is Egypt safe, is Egypt safe to travel to
Posted in Travel Talk

We All Have Bad Days When Travelling. And That’s Okay.

Posted on July 15, 2019 by Bemused Backpacker — 20 Comments

There is a definite perception, probably fuelled by the rose tinted lenses of social media, that when we are travelling everything is perfect, every moment is an Instagram moment and we are all perfectly happy all of the time. Well that isn’t true, life isn’t like that at all, but the important thing to remember is that no one should really expect it to be.

Tagged with: backpacking, bad day when travelling, homesickness, mental health awareness, travel, travel burnout, travel health, travel mental health
Posted in Travel Talk

Confessions Of A Travel Blogger. I Ate Fast Food!

Posted on May 20, 2019 by Bemused Backpacker — 28 Comments

I am a backpacker and proud of it. I have travelled the world for over twenty years, immersed myself in local cultures, travelled slowly and ethically, I am proud of that traveller status, yet on a recent trip I committed…

Tagged with: backpacking, comfort food, comfort food when travelling, food, foodie, gap year, street food, travel
Posted in Travel Talk

The Truth About Airline Compensation Claims.

Posted on May 6, 2019 by Bemused Backpacker — 8 Comments

The rules and laws for claiming compensation from airlines when flights are delayed or cancelled are complicated enough, but the airlines themselves are taking advantage of that situation and refusing to pay out legitimate claims for delayed or cancelled flights. Here is the truth of what airlines are really doing with your claims and why you need to hold them to account.

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Posted in Travel Advice, Travel Talk

How To Make Your Travels Deeper And More Meaningful.

Posted on April 22, 2019 by Bemused Backpacker — 2 Comments

Travel has changed drastically in the last decade, with the rise of social media and Instagram fuelling the shift to a ‘look at me’ and selfie focused way of travelling, as if travel itself is only real if it is…

Tagged with: gap year, how to make your travels meaningful, Instagram, meaningful travel, responsible travel, travel, what is meaningful travel
Posted in Travel Lists, Travel Talk