My next trip!
So I spent way too much time working on my travel plans for this July. I looked and looked and searched and searched on the internet and got so stressed out, I’m so glad I finally decided on something – though there is still much to plan.
I wanted to do some eco-volunteering. I was inspired by this website http://www.ecovolunteer.org/ to make my travels into more purposeful traveling – o sea traveling with a purpose. I want to save the Eurasian griffon vultures this summer on the island of Cres, Croatia. However, after I applied I didn’t hear back from them, NOT ONE WORD! So basically they lost a potential volunteer.
Then I started looking for the next step down from volunteering to more “responsible traveling” – mainly getting inspired by these websites http://www.responsibletravel.com/ and http://www.intrepidtravel.com/
I really want to make going to Africa a reality, but to be honest it is still not very cheap to get to mid to southern Africa. I would be lucky to get a flight for 800 euros roundtrip to Kenya. Plus once I had decided on a possible trip to Africa I realized that basically the whole continent is at risk for contracting Malaria. Now it would be very simple to just take the anti-malarial tablets, but if you are reading this you probably know already that the side effects to those tablets can be horrible (especially someone with IBS). So this time in my life, I’m choosing not to go to a country that has that risk because I’m not willing to take that risk. I found out later, as I bombarded all my friends about their experience traveling to countries with the risk of getting malaria, that my coworker Meaghan actually got malaria one time during her visit to Cameroon – just horrible stories.
Here is a map with which areas of the world are at risk. Isn’t this just astounding?
Luckily after I made my 2nd goal to travel to Thailand, I finally found a tour that doesn’t go through areas that are known to be at risk for Malaria. The tour is here – http://www.intrepidtravel.com/trips/MRS
Here is a map of the tour –
I’m so very excited because I really want to experience what it is like to be in a real tropical jungle. I’m not expecting to see a leopard or what not, but I’m sure that I will be able to see some cool birds and insects I hope.
The trip in general will be a challenge, so I’m a bit nervous. We will not be staying In 4 star hotels at all, and we will be traveling mostly all on public transportation I think. However, the trip has got some good feedback so far.
We also spend a couple of days just relaxing on the nice beaches of Krabi, so I’m very excited to see some tropical blue ocean water again. I first saw that kind of water in Cartagena, so beautiful!
Then we leave Thailand, which is the first country we go to, and we head into the penisular part of Malaysia. The other part of Malaysia is totally at risk for contracting malaria, but the peninsular part isn’t so much – just in one national park there. I really wanted to go on a tour that involved going to that park, but I didn’t want to risk the malaria issue.
The last place we go to will be Singapore, which I guess is basically a very industrialized nation. They have a really cool zoo though, so I’ll be sure to go to that.
Hopefully, I will get a good group of people to travel with. I think the maximum group size is 16 people, safety in numbers I guess. I gather that most of the time you can do what you want when the group gets to the destination, but it will also be nice to have the option to go somewhere or do something with someone else in my group.
Flying from Barcelona to southeast Asia is not the cheap at all really. I decided that I would take a short trip to London and fly from there. Luckily, when I go to London it will be during Wimbledon. So hoping it doesn’t rain, my one-day chance to go to see some matches at Wimbledon just may come true.
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