While we wouldn’t normally think to use a search engine to find accommodations, WOTIF asked us to review their site which functions in a familiar manner but is unique in the way that it specializes in finding hotels and guesthouses.

A search engine focused solely on finding a place to stay could definitely come in handy that is certain. Now we had to see how well the service worked, for us specifically.

For us, we focus on hostels and guesthouses, along with 1 and 2 star hotels, which was no problem for us to select due to the easy to use options menu. Once you type in your search criteria, the available accommodation for your destination is displayed nicely in a format which allows you to access information on which rooms are free and how much they cost. Once you select a suitable room, the proceedings are as with many search engine sites.

WOTIF is promoting their India hotels and for such a challenging and sometimes difficult country to backpack WOTIF could certainly make things easier for those looking to prebook or are nervous about finding accommodation on foot.
Of course, some remote areas may require doing research of your own, and reserving on your own at the time of arrival. However, arriving in a large city may be overwhelming and intimidating to a first time visitor. Cities such as Rome, New York, Paris, Manila, or you are searching for Delhi hotels or Mumbai hotels, WOTIF may be just what your looking for.

*This post is supported by Wotif.com

1) Travel Agent

These days it is all too easy to log on and book a flight. With a few clicks of a mouse and a credit card one can be half way around the world almost instantaneously. While booking online is a great convenience, sometimes it really doesn’t hurt to consult a travel agent for they can sometimes offer deals and sales that one would never find online. Of course they work on commission but as Lianna will tell you, this is sometimes already factored into the cost of the sale. Also, different travel agencies have different contracts with airlines, which can be beneficial to your wallet.

2) Booking Direct with the Airline

This one requires a little more legwork on your part but sometimes the rewards are worth it. Of course some knowledge of which airlines travel which routes can be very time saving. We have normally started out with this tactic so as to get a base price for a flight before checking anywhere else. Sometimes we have come away with a very good deal we were not able to match any where else.

3) Third Party Websites

Websites like Kayak, Expedia, and a new site called Travel Grove (reviewed below) are the ultimate in time savers for they will search multiple air lines in a few moments vs hours spent of your own time researching. In my experience the commission is minimal and this is probably the most convenient and reliable method of finding fair price flights.

Of course the further from the time of departure you book, the better price you will get and this may be the most important tip when booking cheap flights. Nothing will save money like a little bit of research and leg work.

Review of Travel Grove

Having long used Third Party websites to book flights, I was excited when Travel Grove asked if we could publish a review of their new site.

Travel Grove feels strangely familiar and is very user friendly for anyone used to navigating airline/travel websites. For those of us on a budget, Travel Grove seems to understand that we are not interested in high fares and prides itself on finding the cheapest flights on popular routes, and lists available flights from lowest to highest, a nice little time saver.

Aside from just flights, Travel Grove sets itself apart from some of the others by not only offering car rental and hotel bookings but bookings for cruises and full vacation packages. While this has never been Around the World on a Toilet’s style of travel, I believe this may be useful for those looking for these types of holidays.

Our only problem with this engine is like its competitors, some of our favorite budget airlines such as Air Asia and Jetstar are not listed when flights are searched and can sometimes offer rock bottom flights. It begs to ask the question when will one of these sites start listing charter and budget airlines?

One of our favorite features is the travel guide section which has a London Travel Guide and just about every other country. Some quite obscure, such as Syria and Papua New Guinea with an added bonus of safety concerns and sights of interest.

In the end with cheap flights to Manilla to Toronto and everything in between, Travel Grove seems to be able to hold its own among the top Flight search engines and I am looking forward to using it more in the future.

The sheer remoteness of the Himalaya’s have certainly been the focus of plenty of mythical tales such as yeti’s, snow lions, and tantric buddhist masters who have the ability to fly but one thing that surely does exist in these mountains are some of the most unique and beautiful cultures which exist on the planet. Many westerner’s fantasize about one day visiting such distant places such as Tibet, Nepal or Bhutan but with each one having its own flavour and attractions it can be hard to decide which one is right for you. I certainly struggled with this and instead visited all three.

TIBET

Ever since I watched Brad Pitt befriend the young Dalai Lama, I had long been fascinated by Tibet and it’s unique culture and have found in conversation with many westerners that a trip to Tibet ranks high on people’s bucket list. When we began seriously researching for a trip to the Himalaya’s, we began reading about Tibet but were put off by many accusations that “Tibetan culture is ruined” or that “Tibet is now just another part of China”. Luckily, we didn’t listen and last year had the opportunity to visit.

While its true, Tibet has certainly changed since the Chinese invaded, sending the Dalai Lama into exile in the 1950′s, those who believe Tibet no longer has any cultural interest clearly have not set foot in this amazing land. For those interested in the most important sites in Tibetan Buddhism a trip to Lhasa is a must. Imagine walking amongst a sea of pilgrims coming as far away as the Eastern Tibet, who circumnavigate the sacred site from sun up to sun down all the while chanting mantra’s and spinning prayer wheels. While the Han Chinese have their section of this sacred city and the Chinese military have a shockingly strong presence, the old Tibetan quarter remains a fascinating place to wander around or perhaps stop in and light some incense at one of the many monasteries.

Then there’s the landscape. Tibet sits high atop the highest plateau in the world in which locals herd their yaks across a high altitude desert surrounded by snow capped peaks. High altitude lakes shimmer bright blue in the powerful sunlight as you look around this great wilderness.

Tibet remains closed to independent travelers and the only way around this is to book a tour with a travel agency which is commonly run by a Chinese outfit and may be quite expensive. Tours can include only a single individual or as many as 4-5 persons (more is uncomfortable in a land cruiser) but includes a guide and driver. Companies such as Tibetan Connections will cater more to backpackers allowing them to choose their accommodation and food so as to cut costs and not be limited to tourist oriented services. Travel agencies can organize permits and train tickets into Tibet, but a Chinese visa will be needed to first enter the country.  Due to the strict regulations tourists outside of the major sites such as Lhasa and Yam drok lake are a rarity.

NEPAL

More of a backpacker and trekker utopia than a buddhist shangri la, Nepal offers almost an limitless opportunity to get up close and personal with the big mountains of the world while trekking day to day with pizza for dinner. In fact, while the scenery from Tibet is completely alien and moon-like, when it comes to admiring the sheer size of the majestic Himalaya, Nepal gets my vote. The reason being that while on the Nepali side you are staring up at the Tibetan Plateau rather than being already at 5000 meters plus looking straight at the great peaks.

While Nepal may be an overwhelming 85% Hindu, the areas bordering Tibet and specific areas of Kathmandu and Pokhara which harbor thousands of refugees offer glimpses into the amazing Tibetan buddhist culture described in “Lost Horizon”.

Nepal offers a kaleidoscope of activities from trekking mountain trails, Paragliding alongside the peaks, rafting down raging rivers, or chasing rhinos on the back of an elephant.  For someone looking for a lot of adventure, Nepal has it. Nepal has a massive backpacker lure and in the peak season Oct-Nov the trails can be busy and Kathmandu and Pokhara can feel a little invaded by the hordes here for months of trekking.

A big positive for Nepal is its ease of independent travel as there are virtually no restrictions on traveling independently as well as Nepal being very friendly on the wallet. A budget of 25 USD a day provide a comfortable lifestyle for most backpacker needs. Visa’s are available for most nationalities at the Kathmandu airport or border crossings.

BHUTAN

Bhutan is best described in one word…unique. Even attempting to visit such an intriguing country requires a completely different approach than any where else in the world. To even enter the country one must pay a visa fee of 200 USD per day…yes…per day.

While this is far out of the reach of anyone even considering themselves a backpacker, the 200 dollars a day fee not only buys you a visa but a driver, guide, vehicle, food, accommodation and really just about any costs you may come across on your trip. While its a shame this country can’t be explored independently, this is exactly part of the reason why Bhutan is so special – It’s almost void of tourists. Every experience is authentic and free of all those negative effects mass tourism can have on a fragile culture. I had the amazing opportunity to visit and while staying in tourist oriented accommodation and eating tourist oriented food was never my style, what I came away with from that trip was of the ultimate goal of the traveler, to experience something completely unlike anything else.

For those with even a little sense of adventure, a home stay in Bhutan can offer a glimpse into daily life and opportunity for cultural exchange. I stayed with 3 families while in Bhutan but it was the family below which was the highlight of my trip as they had only ever had a single western guest many years earlier.   As we sat around their yak dung stove drinking rice wine and talking of my life back home before they allowed me to sleep in their alter room surrounded by butter lamps with images of buddha sending me to sleep.

While the price tag keeping most tourists out, Bhutan has a list of attractions not the least of which is its intact Buddhist culture uninfluenced by a foreign government such as Tibet or parts of India. Imposing Dzongs or Fortresses are still houses of government, not a single building is built in a non traditional manner, a son entering monk hood is still a blessing to a family, and due to strict environmental policies the forests and landscape remain evermore pristine than its neighbors.

Bhutan may be labeled as “the Last Shangri-La” or “What Nepal was 30 years ago” these labels simply fall short in describing this amazing country. Bhutan has recently just become a new democracy but with its charismatic policy still in force of “Gross National Happiness over Gross National Product”, Bhutan is entering the future in its own unique way.

While not a destination for the long term traveler, for those interested in intact buddhist culture and one of the most unique countries in the world, Bhutan may just be for you.

* Not listed here are the Indian areas of Ladakh and Sikkim which are also sometimes lumped into the great Himalayan Kingdoms. We haven’t got there just yet…

The sheer amount of temples, mosques,pagoda’s and shrines throughout the continent is mind blowing but this post highlights the top 10 that we wont soon forget.

10) The Enigmatic Bayon Temple of Cambodia

9) The Rat Temple of Bikaner

8) Big Dagobas in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

7) Jokhang Temple Lhasa

6) The All Mighty Angkor

5) The Dalai Lama's Previous Residence

4) The Holiest of Holy Rivers - The Ganges

3) Qomolangma or Mother Saint to the Tibetans, Mount Everest to you and me.

2)Beautiful Shwedagon Pagoda of Myanmar

1) Sikhism's Masterpiece, The Golden Temple

I am brave enough to generalize and say the majority of Canadian tourists fall into two categories; the Western Europe traveler and the all inclusive beach destination traveler.While I may be slightly prejudiced towards the all inclusive experience I understand that it may be just what some people are looking for. On the other hand I have met many people who seem to envy the freedom an independent trip can offer and for those people I have written my recommendations based on ease of travel and the rewards which come with venturing away from the typical all inclusive resort.

3. East Coast, Australia

Difficulty – Extremely Easy

While the flight may be a deterrent for many of my country men, what awaits on the far side of the pacific is a friendly nation with some of the cleanest and pristine beaches on the planet. For those who fear living without their creature comforts of home, East Coast Australia is a great destination as everything from restaurants to hotels are exactly what one would expect in a developed nation and for those who speak fluent English communicating with locals is not an issue. Australia is surprisingly easy to travel with efficient public transport options or even better, amazing roads which make a self drive the optimal choice for beach hopping. There are next to no cultural obstacles to overcome with Aussies being extremely hospitable although for those looking for a budget trip, Australia is just about on par with Canada in terms of costs. Our recommendations include Byron Bay and Fraser Island although depending on the season can be overcrowded with Australian domestic tourists seeking a little sand and sun of their own.

2. Boracay, Philippines

Difficulty – Easy

Ever close your eyes and imagine sand so white it looks like its been bleached, surrounded by the calmest, warmest, turquoise water imaginable? If that sounds too good to be true its not. Boracay is like something out of a dream and is certainly a place both Lianna and I still continually fantasize about on a cold day. Sure its getting a little over developed but for someone used to an all inclusive resort the ridiculous selection of international food will certainly keep them in their comfort zone.

With shockingly friendly locals and a host of activities from SCUBA diving, sailing, kite surfing or just kicking back on the beach no one could ever describe the place as boring.

The beach itself is MASSIVE and accommodation choices range from top end to bungalows set back a bit from the beach for less than 15USD a night. A short flight from Manilla and a quick ferry make getting to the island not as simple as an airport pickup from an all inclusive but still very hassel free if a little time consuming.

1. Corn Islands – Nicaragua

Difficulty – Moderate ( need a little sense of adventure)

For anyone who may have wondered what the Caribean might have looked like had the massive resort companies like Sandals and Club Mead had just stayed away. Big Corn and Little Corn lie just off the coast of Nicaragua and may require just a little effort to reach but the rewards are so breath taking it may just be the most inspiring place you ever reach in your life. Big Corn has more development but still retains that laid back island vibe but the jewel is really Little Corn. A small village of tin houses is located in one corner of the island while a handful of cheap accommodation options and restaurants serving up plates of rice,beans, plantations and fresh lobster are located near the jetty.

The rest of the the island is a tangled network of foot trails leading to a few truly isolated beach side bungalows inlcuding Derek’s Place, a seriously chilled out place with family style meals and bungalows made of coconut palms. The island feels completely untouched and the days or even weeks can pass with wandering to a new beach each day or undertaking something a little more active such as inshore fishing and some really great SCUBA diving.

Of course if gorging yourself on cheap lobster, fresh fish, cheap rum or spending your days self driving from breath taking beach to breakt taking beach doesn’t sound like that something that may interest you, by all means book that resort and head off on another all inclusive holiday but for those looking for something with a little more independence, try it, I’m sure you won’t regret it.