Photo from Flickr by Sun International South Africa

Spring break, reading week, study holiday… whatever it’s called, it’s the same the world over. The month of March is a time when school’s out and students make the choice between either working hard at studying or working on their tan.

Students in the USA seem to go for the second option. Typically, 100,000 undergraduates take the opportunity to go on cheap holidays to Cancun and party hard in the blazing heat on some of Mexico’s finest beaches. This is all in front of MTV cameras, of course. With the lower drinking age of 18 and the availability of drugs, it’s not hard to see why so many thousands of students go here to let loose.

It’s perhaps no surprise that March sees the highest rate of crime in the Mexican resort. Give thousands of young people the opportunity to test their limits for drink and drugs in an environment away from home and the potential for opportunist crime will rise. What may be surprising is that the rate of crime is actually increasing year upon year, partly due to Cancun’s growing population.

Statistics show that in recent years crime levels have been steadily increasing in spring break hotspots not only in Mexico but across the US.

This year in Miami, the first two weeks of March saw the police making 71 arrests and searching 1,630 people, which they can only do with probable cause or with permission. Last year, Daytona – also in Florida – saw six rape cases being reported in six days. A total of 41 cases were reported over the spring break period.

The stats raise an important point about personal safety when away from home. As a backpacker, it seems like no big deal to be offered a lift, to stay in a stranger’s home or to share a room with a total stranger. When you’re away from home your trust instinct switches track slightly. Throw in the 24-hour party scene and the danger is doubled.

Much like the full moon parties in Thailand, spring break is a tradition that’s unlikely to fade. Sometimes, though, it’s important to remember that escaping reality for a while doesn’t mean escaping the realities of crime and personal safety. In hotspots such as Jamaica and Mexico the consequences of misjudging a situation are potentially much worse. So party hard, and party safely. It’s definitely possible to do both.

Spring Break: A Good Tradition Turned Bad? was originally published by HappytimeBlog - Backpacking around the world - Backpacking travel blog

Photo from Flickr by Bloo Toon

I imagine that being a dog in a city is probably a bit naff. You spend half your life on a lead, everything smells funny, your food is barely even qualifies for the word and giant metal boxes periodically threaten to fly out of nowhere and squish you to a pulp. And, you don’t even get to scare the bejeezus out of a sheep. Rubbish.

Give your dog – and yourself –  a much-needed break now and then on pet friendly cottage holidays and check out our guide to the top 5 dog walks in the UK.

Manningtree to Dedham, Essex

Not the hardest of walks, this easy stroll through the relatively flat lands of the east of England relies on atmosphere and culture history. Starting at Manningtree railway station, working past Cattaway Marshes to Dedham, this walk inspired the great landscape artist John Constable.

Mousehole to Lamorna, Cornwall

Starting at one of the most beautiful harbour towns in the UK, this walk takes you along some of the most beautiful parts of the south-west coast. It ends at Lamorna, which has a cove, a cafe and sweet sweet silence.

Sandwick to Hallin Fell, Lake District

The Lake District area is pretty spectacular wherever you go, but this moderate walk will give you and your pet some spectacular views and plenty of  time to explore.

The North-West of the New Forest, Hampshire

One for nature lovers, this trek through the heathland in the north of the New Forest takes you through the sound of birdsong as the New Forest ponies gallop past. There are plenty of rustic pubs hidden here and there throughout the New Forest – perfect for hunting down on a Sunday for a roast dinner before heading back to your holiday cottage.

Conistone Pie to Copplestone Gate, Yorkshire

A walk across God’s country, exploring the high ground to the east of Warfedale in the Yorkshire Dales. Highlights include a limestone gorge and the Conistone Pie.

Top 5 Dog Walks in the UK was originally published by HappytimeBlog - Backpacking around the world - Backpacking travel blog

Photo from Flickr: Loren Javier

When you’re a kid, you always dream of exciting, fun and adventurous places to visit. One of these places is the breathtaking Disneyland Paris.

Disneyland Paris is based in the eastern suburbs of Paris, around 20 miles away from the city centre.

The holiday resort attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, all coming from various countries. A vast majority of these visitors from the UK come on package holidays, like the ones provided by coach company National Holidays.

Things To Do At Disneyland Paris

When you get to Disneyland Paris, there is so much to do – there’s the rides, the cinemas, live shows, parades… that’s without mentioning the food and drink.

One attraction that is highly recommended is Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. The show makes the audience relive the old west. Shown twice a day, it is well worth watching, especially for the feeling of engagement between the entertainers and the crowd.

Another entertaining activity is the sea life aquarium. The sea life aquarium has over 50 separate tanks, with more than 300 fascinating creatures and an incredible 360-degree underwater tunnel. The tunnel is a magnificent sight, allowing you to see many different types of animals in a small space.

Testimonials

“All I can say is as soon as I entered the park I just wanted to skip everywhere, I felt like a small child again, it made me very emotional to be able to take my 5- and 19-year-old children there”

“I love it, I could go a few times a year. My family likes it too but once every 2 years, you feel like a kid again when you go!!!”

“Smiles on children’s faces bring smiles to parents’ faces – it’s simple, they have fun, we have fun – this place is great!”

“Just returned from another fantastic trip to Disneyland Paris! As always, the staff can’t do enough for you and are always happy and smiling. I plan to visit again soon, it gets better every time!”

“Wonderful…had a really fun time….it was like we were children again….”

Disneyland Paris – A Dream Come True for the Children was originally published by HappytimeBlog - Backpacking around the world - Backpacking travel blog

Photo from Flickr by JoeKingston

There is no nation on earth more truly grateful for sunshine than the Brits. The clothes come off, the cider is chilled and everyone has a jolly nice time. This is what makes British music festivals so brilliant. Anyone taking holidays in UK in summertime is in for a treat, providing they know what’s on and when.

As tickets for the very big festivals recede (ahem, Glastonbury), the once boutique events are growing in popularity as people start looking for something a bit different.

Secret Garden Party (July) leads the way of the mini festivals. Held in the grounds of a Georgian farmhouse in Cambridgeshire, organisers pride themselves on creating a twinkly, fairy-lit atmosphere for their 3000-strong crowd. There are a few big name acts but this a festival all about the vibe.

At half the size of Secret Garden, Winterwell (June) feels more like an overrun fancy dress party than a festival. Set in the beautiful Gloucestershire countryside, the exact venue isn’t disclosed to anyone but ticket-holders, and only then once the tickets are received in the post. This is shh-don’t-tell party planning at its very best.

Danceheads and ravers should head nowhere but Global Gathering (July) in Stratford-Upon-Avon, which sees the best in DJ talent from around the world converging for a deep down and dirty weekend. Repetitive beats and bottled water fans — this is for you.

One of the most exciting festivals to emerge in recent years is Rockness (June), which takes place in the historic Scottish highlands of Loch Ness. Don’t be fooled by the name — while this is primarily an alternative/indie music event, there are some world-class DJs too. Imagine Glastonbury but without the hour’s hour walk from your tent to the main stage.

If you’re keen for the big festival experience, then make it Bestival (September). Headed up by Radio 1 DJ Rob da Bank, this award-winning, three-day event is growing in status and popularity and is second to none in terms of big name acts. You name it, they’re playing here. The Isle of Wight is a beautiful destination for any visitor to the UK, so this festival really does have it all.

As well as checking review hotels in London before you leave home, get online and buy festival tickets to sample British culture at best.

UK music festivals: a brief visitor’s guide was originally published by HappytimeBlog - Backpacking around the world - Backpacking travel blog

Here for your enjoyment is our article “The Long Way Laos” in full, as featured in the online travel magazine HipCompass Escapes. It’s about our 550km motorcycle trip from Vang Vieng through one of the most stunning countries I’ve ever seen, to Luang Probang and back again…

Adventure travel has always been one of those things that seems to be on my list of things I said I’d do tomorrow, its not for lack of trying but more a lack of having the balls to ignore the negative practicalities and get on with it, but that’s exactly the attitude you need for it… Less thinking and more doing!

A few months ago while travelling through Laos that was exactly what I did, we were staying in the small and stunning town of Vang Vieng, over shadowed by the towering limestone peaks and blinded by the natural beauty around every corner something in me burst to the surface. Every traveler’s done it – during a long but air-conditioned bus ride to some picture postcard beach, pulled out their adventure travel book from their bag for a spot of inspiration on an otherwise uninspiring journey… Been duly inspired but never taken it further. But this time I was determined to do it, my inspiration came in the form of two monstrous looking dirt bikes, the mental image of the bikes sat inside my head rattling around for a few days as I got down to some serious tubing (if you’ve ever been to Vang Vieng you will know exactly what I mean by that and if not… Go see!) Then out of the blue during a rare moment of sobriety the idea, the adventure was born…
To my left the dirt bikes… To my right cloud-topped limestone peaks leading off northwards over mountains and hills and on to Luang Probang.

A day’s planning had informed me we would be looking at 135 km each way and we had a time frame of two days in which to do it…
Our party consisted of three – myself, my fiancee Georgie and our good friend Toby. Toby owned his own dirt bike back in the UK and was no stranger to off-road biking,  Georgie was a very eager passenger which just left me – with limited motor-biking experience, but what’s an adventure without a challenge? The sun was blazing down on the sleepy streets of Vang Vieng and it seemed to be roasting us alive so we bought a map, saddled up and set off with a roar.

We passed through rice fields and small villages, along winding roads and alongside rivers – all idyllic and stunningly beautiful. We made our way over the hills that surround Vang Vieng and back down the other side, the road was smooth enough and any serious pot holes were scoffed up by our trusty steeds with ease. We found a small cafe down by the river as it meandered between the last of the hills and pulled over for coffee and a refreshing dip – it was stunning! The limestone peaks stretched high into the sky and scratched the bellies of the low lying clouds, completely rural and silent at that moment I realised that was what I left home for. Mixed with the excitement of the journey ahead a sense of sadness washed over me, a sense that all my travels before that had been done the wrong way – if I were on a bus I would’ve breezed past and the river and its beautiful setting would’ve  been nothing more that a fleeting glimpse, all the places I may have missed started racing through my head and all I could do was hope that this time I would make up for it.

The journey wound up mountains and back down again, we stayed a night in a tiny town called Phou Khoun far away from anywhere. We woke at 5 am and drove through clouds and we stopped at countless villages along the way. I could write about the hard bits, about the miles, the hills and sore bums but it doesn’t really seem fair. Not when we passed so many warm and friendly people who desperately wanted to go out of their way to make us feel welcome, who call that terrain home and who’s everyday lives make our adventure seem like a walk in the park. The hardships that made it an “adventure” were also the things that pushed us on when we were exhausted. The funny thing is Vang Vieng to Luang Probang is a road well travelled, except mostly on a bus behind glass, reading books as they go – but we really “traveled” it, we felt every mile and every bump and the people we met and the places we stopped at would’ve been missed if we’d taken the bus. A motorbike has the power to connect you to your environment and you have to work with the road not in spite of it… Laos is the most charming country we’ve ever been to, the people and landscape are truly beautiful and those few days were some of the most interesting, fun, hard and rewarding of our whole travels. What it taught me was – the only thing that ever stands between a person and an adventure is the person themselves.

Below is a full length video of the trip so you can pretend you were right there with us, Mucho Mucho Love… Come Join In.

Watch more of our Travel Videos.

“The Long Way Laos” – Motorcycle Adventure Travel in Laos was originally published by HappytimeBlog - Backpacking around the world - Backpacking travel blog

Back in August 2008 my fiance and I (Georgina) were traveling through northern Vietnam and stopped in the beautiful mountain town of Sapa. Our $7 room had the feel of an old alpine cottage and unparalleled views of the infinite mountain scenery. We knew instantly we had stumbled over something special, surely one of the most romantic places we’d been on our travels to date.

Whilst drinking in morning coffees and that million dollar view (or seven as the case may be) the chat turned to how we should fill our time in such a beautiful place, that’s when the cracks started to show.

Georgina wanted to make a brutal seven hour bus trip to a remote and rural weekend market in a town called Bac Ha, filled with visions of Flower H’mong hill-tribe people selling everything from dried shrimps to dogs – the “real” Vietnam maybe, she was keen as mustard. I however was not.

Having been dragged around every market we’d passed since we left home, all I could focus on were the practicalities of getting there, the poor roads and sweaty buses for seven long hours.

Things between us came to a head and at that point, in our idyllic mountain cabin, we realised the underlying issue had nothing to do with the market, in fact it was a problem which had been simmering beneath the surface for weeks or maybe even months. Somehow we had managed to grow apart as lovers, regularly finding ourselves in intense situations and constantly being around each other, we had become better friends than we could have ever hoped but with all the highs and lows that come with traveling foreign, unfamiliar countries we had forgotten to set aside time for just us.

It’s not as if we forgot or were too busy to love each other, rather that we didn’t adapt our relationship the same way we had to adapt every other aspect of our lives. Strolling hand in hand down perfect beaches with breathtaking sunsets as a backdrop, going out for candle lit dinners and lazy Sunday’s (well everyday) soon became the norm. More than that, they became part of our daily routine. I suppose it was naive to think a whole new way of life wasn’t going to change our relationship, that everything would take care of itself while we took care of having the time of our lives.

The problem we found with traveling as a couple is that there are three agendas, not two. Mine, Georgina’s and our relationship’s. The solution: We needed to treat it like a third person that has a third set of needs, not get an extra bed put in the room or carry a third backpack but actually make time for it during the day. The very environment conspires to come between any relationship while traveling – grubby rooms, diarrhea, tropical heat, single beds, intense situations, cultural taboos and the often unavailability of personal hygiene all redefine a relationship but it’s ignorance to all this which causes friction.

All was not lost though, once emotions had settled and feelings were out in the open we swiftly realised that it wasn’t a problem we had intentionally created, neither of us had meant any harm or lost any love, it was just something we simply hadn’t prepared for that got carried away. We’d managed to fit everything we might need for our trip into our backpacks and assumed our relationship would slot neatly in there too.

For the record I gave in, we went to Bac Ha market and I loved it. That’s how we do things now, if one of us wants to go somewhere or do something then we do it, no questions, no compromises, no moaning we just get on with it. Everyone needs a little push to do something they wouldn’t normally do sometimes, after all aren’t new places, new people and new experiences what traveling is all about.

We have been traveling southeast Asia for over a year now, we’ve seen things that neither of us will ever forget and done things that would make people back home green with envy. We have lived our dream! It’s been a constant learning curve but traveling as a couple has only enriched both our experiences. It means we don’t just have pictures of beaches and temples, but of each other – in these amazing places, we have the luxury of being able to talk our way to a solution rather than worry about a problem and look after each other if one of us gets sick. We’ve seen each others true colours shine through the amplified situations and shared everything… Nothing gives meaning to a moment or a place like being able to share it with someone you love.

“It Takes Two” our article as featured in HipCompass Escapes was originally published by HappytimeBlog - Backpacking around the world - Backpacking travel blog