Ottsworld Travel Experiences » Q&A

Q&A – Travel with a Laptop

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 14:43:58 +0000

Travel Questions? Ask Them!

I get many emails from travelers all over the world asking me questions about my travels. Here are some of the recent ones that are great to share with everyone! If you have a question, don’t hesitate to ask!

Q: From Anna in New York city – I’m planning a trip to start in December ’10 and have questions…
Did you travel with a laptop? Was that a good idea or bad?

A: Yes, I travel with a laptop, however I use it to write and blog while I’m in the road. So I’m probably not the average traveler when it comes to carrying a laptop. First I would recommend really considering what you want to use a laptop for while traveling. Once you can answer that, then you can start to figure out what type of equipment is right for you. For me, a long term traveler, it is really nice to have your own laptop to use for skype, travel research on your next destination, upload photos as a backup, and to simply stay in touch without having to use an internet cafe. However if you’re not a travel blogger, then I would recommend getting a cheap travel netbook (mini laptop) to simply have some internet access, and upload/backup photos. If it’s cheap, then you won’t feel as bad if it’s lost or stolen. You can now get little travel laptops for about $500 and they are really just used for internet and some storage space. That way it won’t take up much room, if it gets lost or stolen you haven’t invested a ton, but easier to use than an iphone or droid as you’ll have a full keyboard. Here’s a recent review from PC World about The Best Laptops, Netbooks, and Smartphones for Travel.

Here’s another good post about 7 tips for taking a laptop traveling, the author lists some good things to consider if you considering taking hardware with you!

If you decide to take it with you – then here’s a must read from my friend Anil at Foxnomad (he’s a security guru!) – The Traveler’s Guide to Locking Down Your Laptop

Blogging in Action at an airport in Vietnam

Q: How did you get internet access?

A: Depending on where you are going wireless internet may be free, or you may have to pay for it. I can safely say that all thru SEAsia(and most of Asia) – you can find it for free. Also – unlike America, most coffee shops, hotels, and airports also have internet and it’s normally free if you are a ‘guest’ there. Sometimes in Europe you’ll have to pay. If you know where you’ll be staying – you can contact them and find out if they offer internet. When I stay in hostels or choose hotels, I only choose places that offer wireless internet – else I won’t stay there. That way after touring around all day I can sit in my room and write or catch up on emails.

A decent source to find public access Wifi spots is Wifinder – just put in your location and see what’s around you. It’s not completely up to date, but it will give you a good start if you are researching a travel location.

Finally, I would also highly recommend bringing an ethernet cable with you as you never know when you’ll have trouble connecting wirelessly on old routers, etc. By bringing an ethernet cable – you may just be able to directly ‘plug into’ the internet and skip the wireless hassles.

Q: Did you really write and upload photos in the internet cafes?

A: When I first started traveling, yes, that’s how I did it. – I had a little card reader and would plug in via USB port at internet cafes and slowly try to upload my photos. It was painstaking. Once I started taking my laptop with me, I could at least get the photos on my laptop, even if the internet connection was too slow to upload them to the photo site I keep at Smugmug. So at least I had a backup – which was important to me. Yes, I also did the writing in internet cafes. Which the amount I write now, I don’t think that would ever work for me again. I find it so much easier to have my own laptop to travel with. However it is extra weight and security concerns. That’s why I suggest getting a cheap one for travel.

Q: What blogging software do you use for Ottsworld?

A: I use Wordpress. We also use it on Briefcase to Backpack, Meet Plan Go, and Auraliya (my many sites!). It’s a great free software that is constantly updated and provides a lot of flexibility – and most importantly you don’t have to be a tech genius! You can have a free acount on Wordpress - or simply choose your own host and download Wordpress for free and then customize it.

Keep the questions coming! Or if you have experience traveling with a laptop and want to provide Anna with more info – please leave a comment below!

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Q&A – Cell Phones and ESL

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 06:30:59 +0000

Q: from Dave – Brooklyn

I came across your blog and was very impressed by your decision to leave your corporate life and travel. My wife and I are planning a similar trip next year and would like to spend some time in SE Asia. I have a question regarding how you managed your cash while in Vietnam. Did you use ATMs primarily or is there some other method. I bank with HSBC which is pretty global but I would like to avoid ATM fees. Also, did you use a special kind of mobile phone. I’m wondering if I should get an AT&T travel plan and then use my phone abroad.

You ask a great question – and I have some good news – there are HSBC ATMS’s all over Saigon (and Hanoi). I ALWAYS manage my cash via ATM when traveling – it really is the easiest way and you get the best conversion rate – plus you don’t have to carry so much cash with you at once. Nearly everywhere I’ve went in the world I’ve been able to find ATMS that work (Peru and parts of S. America and Africa were a bit difficult to find an ATM that took Mastercard backed debit cards). ATMS’s in other countries rarely charge transaction fees – or you can talk to your bank and see if they can waive it somehow while you are international. Don’t use Travelers checks – they are certainly a thing of the past. I normally simply travel with ATM card and carry a bit of emergency US dollars (in new bills as some countries won’t accept old bills) just in case I can’t find another alternative.

Regarding your question about cell phone – my best advice is to use your existing phone – but unlock it from your US carrier so that you can add other SIM cards. When I arrive in a country – I just buy a SIM card from that country (if I plan to be there for a while) and use that – it’s so much cheaper. The US carriers will still charge you way too much; even on their ‘international plans’. I can’t stress enought the benefit of an unlocked phone. The US is the only place in the world that locks their phone to specific carriers and it’s really frustrating. If you need to unlock your phone – just do some searches on craigs list and you’ll find people that will do it. I went to China Town in NYC and had mine unlocked – there’s a hacker somewhere who will do it! Or just buy a cheap simple phone in a different country and use that as your ‘travel phone’. If it’s cheap enough…no one will want to steal it!

Q: from Susan – Ireland

Wondered if you can recommend specific TEFL programmes? I have a ton of work experience, including teaching and training, as well as a good educational background, but I assume for most positions now days, you must be TEFL certified? and i hear that CELTA is the best?

I can’t say that I’m any expert on ESL certification. I can only tell you that I did some research and decided to get my CELTA certification as I had also heard it was the best. Yet in retrospect – I don’t think it CELTA vs. TEFL matters at all – especially with your other credentials. I took my certification while in NYC – but it’s much more expensive to do in the US. The school where I taught in Vietnam actually offered CELTA certification there for half the price and then you could apply for jobs with them. So – it’s good to potentially research potential certification options (TEFL or CELTA) in the city where you want to travel to. Also with credentials like yours – you may not need any further certification - you may be able to apply for university ESL jobs in various cities…which would pay better! CELTA certification doesn’t teach you anything about grammar…it teaches you how to teach and manage a classroom – these are skill you likely already have! A good place to look for what jobs are out there and what the requirements are is TEFL.com – I get their daily newsletter about openings around the world.

Q&A – Blogging and Cooking School

admin — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:20:51 +0000

Ottworld Q&A is Back!

Real questions from you…the lovely people who actually read this blog (thank you, thank you!!) These people contacted me through email and I’ve received permission to reprint their questions and my answers on my site so that everyone can benefit (even you shy people that are too scared to comment or send me an email!) If you have questions for me about travel, Vietnam, Asia, expat living, solo travel, career breaks, photography, flashpacking, female travel, thirtysomething trials & tribulations, ESL, how to eat noodles with chopsticks, or how to remove leaches – please leave a comment and I’ll add your question to my next segment of Q&A!

Blogging

Q: Did you have the foresight to create your website as it is today when you started traveling?

A: I definitely didn’t have any foresight when I started my blog 3 years ago! I simply started it as a way to let my family and friends know I was ok AND as a way to share my photography. It was started on a free blog on Bootsnall and that’s where I kept it for the 14 months I was traveling. I noticed that I seemed to have a lot of people reading my stories and I started to try to organize the stories better, make them more readable, and offer information I thought people would want to know. The whole thing completely evolved as I traveled. If you look back at the first posts - they were quite different!

Q: If you did start out small, how and when did you decide to transition to the more professional format you have now?

A: started to get a bit frustrated that I couldn’t do as much with the blog as I wanted to (adding features and functions – I needed more flexibility). I wanted to break out of the template that Bootsnall provided and do my own thing (yet I really didn’t have any technical ability!) In addition, I was tired of Bootsnall making money from the ads that they placed along the sidebar of my site. I wanted more control – so I decided to educate myself on how to go about all of this myself. I bought a book “Wordpress for Dummies” and used that to choose a host, chose a theme, and then I actually hired Nomadic Matt to help me move my old blog to my new one and redesign it a bit. I had met him via my blog and we had exchanged some emails. This was when Nomadic Matt was just starting out, so it was fun to work together and assist each other.

Q: When were you able to start writing for other publications – and how were you able to bridge to that work?

A: I actually started writing for other travel websites about 3 months after I started traveling. I first submitted some articles to Bootsnall since I was familiar with them. Then I found another new website (at the time) InTravel – and started submitting things to them. I would mainly take things I had already written and reformulate them a bit. Granted – all of this writing was for no money; just the joy of having my work and stories read by a bigger audience. Once again, at the time I had no big blogging or writing expectations. I also started submitting photo essays to Pology – one of my favorite online travelizines. I kept getting rejected – but I kept trying. After about a year they finally accepted my photography of Laos! At that time I also sent emails to some of my favorite podcast hosts to simply let them know how much I loved their shows and how they were an essential tool for my travels around the world. They wrote me back and asked me to be on their shows…which also helped get my stories out there to a new audience. This all came from a simple kind hearted gesture – no grand plan.

A few questions about the language and cooking school I attended in Italy.

Q: I’ve been reading your site for a while and I was reading your latest post and wondering if you could let me know the name of the Italian school you went to for language & cooking. I have a few weeks coming up with nothing to do and would love to do something like that!

A: The Italian school I attended in Sorrento was called Sorrento Lingue – here’s the link – http://www.sorrentolingue.com/ They organized the cooking class with the language class – but you could do both separately if you want. You can also stay at the cooking class place as it’s a little guest house too and they are so nice – it’s a short bike ride to the school each morning. The cooking school is called Mami Camilla’s - http://www.mamicamilla.com/

Q: I somehow stumbled upon your story about your time spent at Mami Camilla. I am thinking about taking the pizza classes that they offer. Can you add a little more insight about the place……also where did you stay for the month that you were there?…Is staying in a room at Mami Camilla an option?

A: Mami Camilla’s is superb! I really felt like I was part of their family for a month. I was there 2 years ago – but at that time, yes you could stay in a room in their guesthouse/dorm if you are looking for a budget place. I think they also have other rooms too. I actually highly recommend staying there – it’s nice as you meet so many other travelers, you have an instant Italian family, and you can eat there at night for a great bargain and the food is amazing! Best deal in/near Sorrento. You are about 5 km from Sorrento – but they have bikes there you can rent/borrow and you can easily get into the beach/town, etc. I rented a bike from them for a month and that’s how I got around everywhere. The classes were really fun and laid back for the amateur cook definitely.

Travel Q&A with Ottsworld

admin — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:15:28 +0000

I’ve been blogging now for close to 3 years and I get questions from strangers weekly. The questions range from

“Are you rich?”
“How can I do what you are doing”
“How did you come up with the name for your cat?”
“What did you pack?”
“At what point did you know you were going to take a career break?”
“Where should I go in SE Asia?”
“How do I become certified to teach abroad?”

…the list can go on.

I always take the time to answer these questions to the people individually, however I realized that there’s a lot of good information in those answers that other people might want to know. So I decided to post some of the recent questions that I’ve had as a little Q&A section.

If you have questions for me – please don’t hesitate to send them to me via comments on this post, or just send me an email!

1. Would you write an article on the safety as a women solo traveler- are there any precautions you had to take, or did you feel safe everywhere? If not, can you give me some pointers? I have been traveling solo in Europe (Paris, Prague, Ireland, and Poland; living in London as an American to be able to afford my travels) but want to go to South America, Asia and Africa in the next few years. Should I take any precautions? Thanks!

I can consider trying to do an article specifically on safety – I’ll put it on my list of future posts. You are the first reader to ever made a recommendation…I love it! A quick answer though…I felt pretty safe everywhere. Eygpt and Morroco were probably the hardest for me. It’s just a different culture when it comes to women in public, and they have some pretty screwed up notions about western women in general. As for Asia – it’s actually very, very safe. Sure, there’s petty theft , but nothing major at all. You just need to be smart and a bit ‘cold’ sometimes. I actually took a lot of boxing before I left on my trip…not for the trip, but because I loved it, but it did make me walk with more confidence for sure. My one piece of advice is to leave your hostel/hotel with only minimal things…not too much cash, not too many electronics, etc. I always walked outside and thought to myself, if all of this gets stolen, will I be crushed…if so, then I went back inside and downsized and then came back out!

2. How did you learn photography? Its amazing.

I took a couple of great photography classes the year before I left on my trip at PhotoManhattan. The teacher was great and it was certainly a class about photography, and not just how to use your camera or how to take vacation snapshots. It was really thorough. I practiced a ton before I left doing little exhibitions for the school, and then when I started traveling I was taking hundreds of pictures a day. You are bound to improve when you do that! If you look at my first pictures of Africa and my last ones of Laos - they improved immensly! In addition, while traveling I did hire a professional photo journalist in Thailand to travel with me and help me improve my skills – he did a great job!

3. Any tips or ideas for income for us non-writers, non computer wizards? I would like to learn a new skill to take with me on the road, so if you have any tips let me know.

First of all, I would like to stop and consider the fact that you think I’m a ‘computer wizard’….wait a minute while I stop laughing. I’m sure all of my past colleagues are also laughing…really, you can stop now, it’s not funny any longer.

I’m actually far from being a ‘computer wizard’, but thanks for thinking that I am!

This was a great article about how to travel and work abroad…I loved it – so check it out, it will give you many ideas! It’s from the Professional Hobo, Nora Dunn, a good writer that’s on the road now living what she preaches about!

Ottsworld Travel Experiences » Q&A

Q&A – Travel with a Laptop

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Q&A – Cell Phones and ESL

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Q&A – Blogging and Cooking School

Blogging

A few questions about the language and cooking school I attended in Italy.

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