Author: No Road Back

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Peru bus travel: companies compared

Whether you want to go from Lima to Cusco, from Arequipa to Huacachina or from Paracas all the way up to Huaraz, travelling in Peru means travelling by bus. Peru bus travel is so popular because the distances to cover are huge, there are no train-tracks and bus tickets in Peru are dirt cheap. Taking a bus in Peru can mean settling in for up to twenty hours at a piece. Before you start to despair, these long haul rides are probably way more comfortable than you are now thinking. Imagine seats that fully decline. And I mean the full first-class 180 degrees decline with a foot-rest to form a proper bed.  Personal LCD screens showing you a wide range of movies. Hot meals and drinks being served and onboard Wi-Fi the whole way. Peru bus travel can also mean bumping around with your knees pressed against your chin. Children sleeping in the pathways or continuously begging for money without any sight of their parents. Having two chickens on your lap of which you have no idea who the owner is.. Let’s do a comparison of the Peru bus companies to help you make the right choices. 

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Mountain biking in Scotland: doing the West Highland Way by mountain bike

One of the best ways to explore the outdoors in a high-paced adrenaline-fueled way is by going mountain biking. Europe’s got many great mountain bike tracks that allow you to cover more miles than hiking in the same amount of time. As mountain biking is gaining in popularity many new single tracks are being explored that were previously only accessible to hikers. The same is happening to mountain biking in Scotland. In the last decade, people started experimenting with mountain biking on the West Highland Way. Most people that attempt it are very experienced bikers. I am not, but attempted it anyway. Admittedly, it is tough but if I knew upfront what I know now I could have made it a lot easier and a lot more enjoyable. So if the West Highland Way is on your list and the idea of doing it in only 4 days while crossing up and down the paths sound appealing, read on. This guide will explain exactly how to go at it. Which route to take, where to stop, sleep and eat and what to take on your mountain biking adventure in Scotland. Continue reading “Mountain biking in Scotland: doing the West Highland Way by mountain bike”

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Things to do in Amsterdam on your first visit

Who doesn’t love Amsterdam? A grid of pretty canals lined with old 17th-century merchant houses lay the grid of the bustling Dutch capital. Pretty tall blond people cycle around everywhere and everybody addresses you in an astonishing accent-free English. Amsterdam is sophisticated and wild at the same time. Classy and dirty. You got some of the best museums but also some of the best clubs in the world. You find family-run antique boutiques right next to hip eateries and cafes. With so many things to do in Amsterdam, you’re simply spoilt for choice. And we’re not even talking about the coffee-shops or the red light district yet.. As I live in Amsterdam I am probably majorly biased. The advantage, I know the city in and out. So if you are planning to visit Amsterdam or even thinking about it.. read on. Because these are the things to do in Amsterdam on your first visit.

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The 5 most overrated products for backpacking

backpacks in pickup truck

Let me tell you what not to pack when going on a backpacking trip. Packing your backpack for a trip is different for everybody. Some take weeks to plan and use lists to make sure they don’t forget anything. Others, like me, start the evening before. We all have one thing in common though: we over pack. Heavily too. To make matters worse, there are some travel items that everybody seems to be recommending while they are really not that great. Or even useful. You pack them, drag them around your whole trip and unpack them back home. Never really used them at all. So in a probably futile attempt to rid the world of these overrated and useless travel products, and to give myself a nice opportunity for a rant, here are the 5 most overrated travel items for backpacking.

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Vienna city trip: what to do on a weekend away

Schonbrunn

Vienna, the capital of Austria, will probably come to mind as a beautiful old city full of historical baroque buildings, but otherwise an utterly boring place. This is where you go when your retired and have committed yourself to solely travel by organized bus tours. Vienna is like Prague but then without the huge cheap beers and without the underground bar scene. Right? Well, not quite. While Vienna’s got all the beautiful historic baroque buildings dating back to the 17th and 18th century it also got a hip coffeehouse scene and some excellent trendy restaurants and bars to have a bite or a few drinks. It is a way less boring place then I thought it would be, so if you are planning a city-trip to Vienna and want to see both faces of the city, you have clicked on the right article.

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How we survived the West Highland Way on a mountain bike

Trekking the West Highland Way has been on my to-do list for the last couple of years. It is one of the most beautiful and epic treks in Europe (if not the world!) and considering Scotland is only an hour by aeroplane from Amsterdam (my hometown) I really had no excuse. The problem was always that as a hike, it is quite long. People take out 6 – 10 days to complete the full 165 kilometres and while I like a good trek or hike, I usually get bored after about 5 days, regardless of the beautiful scenery. So when I read an article by Derek Shanks on doing it by mountain bike in 3 days, I was hooked. This was going to be epic. Looking back at it, with the bruises on my legs barely faded, it absolutely was. But it was also rough, tough, sweaty and terrible at times. So without any sugar-coating, here are the accounts of my trip through the Scottish Highlands. 

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how to avoid altitude sickness (in the Andes)

You have undoubtedly heard stories from people getting altitude sickness when trekking in the Andes, or the Himalayas for that matter. They tell you about their mild headache or stomach cramps and inform you they got lucky because altitude sickness can actually be lethal. There are many stories and theories about altitude sickness and how to avoid it. Some true, some fairytales. I thought it would be good to explain altitude sickness in laymen terms to make sure you can go out into the mountains safely, without having to worry about stomach cramps. Or dying for that matter.

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2 weeks in Thailand: a highlights itinerary

The first country that often comes to mind when people contemplate travelling to South-East Asia is Thailand. The country is cheap, the food is tasty and the people are friendly. The country is developed enough to have plenty of pretty hotels, good healthcare and good infrastructure but there are still plenty of places to truly go off the beaten path. It is no wonder that people fall in love with the ‘land of the smiles’ and keep on returning. I visited five times and still love it. Travelling to Thailand for the first time and looking for a guide? Look no further, you clicked on the right article. In this 2 week itinerary, I’ll explain all about where to go, what to eat and where to stay!

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backpack, duffelbag or suitcase, which carry-on luggage to choose?

Whenever I go on a city trip that involves a flight I commit myself to only take hand-luggage. It saves time at the airport, fees on your flight and as an added bonus it is just easier to get around. It also just feels damn good to be able to get off your flight, walk past the luggage belts and sarcastically smile at the passengers waiting for their overloaded trunks to arrive, while you head straight onto the airport transit.

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Laos in 1 week: the perfect itinerary

Laos in one week? Is that even possible? Well no, not really. I know, great way to start an article about seeing Laos in one week. The truth is that Laos is a rough and underdeveloped country which means low pace travel is ideal. But if you don’t have the time, because you are combing this trip with a visit to Thailand or Vietnam, this itinerary is perfect to see all the highlights of this often overlooked Southeast Asian country. ‘A glimpse of Laos’ or ‘Highlights of Laos’ might have been a more suiting title. Ah well, let’s just get on with it. 

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