How, you ask? Well, some of the top reasons to get involved with this kind of work abroad are as follows:

Make a tangible difference

Perhaps the most obvious reason to travel overseas and do some community volunteer work is that it gives you the unique chance to make a tangible difference to local people. You’ll be able to see the effects of your work unfolding right before your eyes – and being able to watch how your actions improve the lives of people in need is massively rewarding.

Visit exciting places

Community volunteer work doesn’t only give you the chance to give something back to the places you visit, it also lets you explore some of the most exciting, colourful countries in the world. Among the destinations you can head to are South Africa and India – and who hasn’t dreamed about exploring at least one of these?

As well as spending time working on your chosen project, you’ll have weekends (or other free time) to head out and explore. For example, if you decide to help out children in need in Jaipur, you’ll be able to check out the top attractions of one of India’s most famous cities!

Get under the skin of the destinations you travel to

Aside from how intensely rewarding they are, community projects are great for travellers for another reason: the chance to get a more realistic picture of their chosen destination. With the best will in the world, you often just won’t get to understand a country or city when you’re simply passing through. By working in the midst of local people for several weeks, you’ll be able to see the place as it really is, and get to know the people who live there – something you’ll never forget.

Get great work experience

Of course, a lot of us decide to travel partly because we want some kind of work experience – whether this is intended to help with uni applications or in getting a job upon returning home. Community volunteer projects look fantastic on CVs, even if the tasks you perform are not directly relevant to whatever qualification or position you’re going for.

That said, a lot of projects offer the chance to do things like work with children, which could be absolutely perfect if you’re hoping to pursue a career in education. Others give you an opportunity to work on theatre projects, which might give you the edge over other applicants if you’re fighting for a position in drama school.

Make friends!

Last, but certainly not least, community volunteer projects can be a great way of making friends. If you’re planning on incorporating a stint volunteering as part of wider travel plans – a gap year, for example – it’s likely you’ll be keen to strike up new friendships as you travel. By getting involved with a close-knit project, you can meet likeminded people and fellow travellers, as well as getting to know the people who actually live in your chosen destination. The friends you make in situations like this could easily become lifelong mates – and you might even decide to travel together in the future.

The airport is magnificent, monumental and a real achievement. And the subway is a major accomplishment for a mega metropolis like Delhi to implement. The coverage of its lines is so extensive that one can now reach just about anywhere in Delhi metro within an hour. Even though it is certainly overcrowded all day, it is so namely for the men, as the women have their own designated carriages which are usually half-empty and almost always there is a seat available. The men, on the other hand, travel literally like sardines and with envy eye the roomy subway cars for women.

But so be it, the metro is certainly fast and convenient and beats the outdated bus system. On the other hand, given the significant increase in a number of private passenger cars the Delhi roads are now very congested and traffic is a continuous s traffic jam. And with the proportionately increasing car pollution bicycle rickshaws may just be allowed back to certain parts of inner cities to limit air and noise pollution. But finding the ideal solution is not easy and will take time in India.

In any case, bottom line is India has made phenomenal advances in the infrastructure development and individuals such as Kamal Nath Politician, one of the strongest proponents of this trend, get the credit for the endeavors.

When I look back at my initial experience of India some 41 years ago I can’t ever forget the first time I witnessed seeing the mob of people riding regularly atop roofs of trains. I recall when there was still a 3rd class on passenger trains, which was dreadful to travel on especially when there were still no bars on the windows. It got a little better when the iron bars were added later, but it was not until the 3rd class was abolished altogether that the quality of train travel started to gradually improve. Of course, news of atrocious accidents, such as passengers riding on rooftop being decapitated as trains entered a tunnel and similar horror stories continued pouring in for many years.

In the countryside today local passengers still ride on roofs of local buses. Despite the dangers it is a question to travel or be left behind, and local police certainly tolerate the practice. Although local buses move at snail’s pace, there is profusion of fast and air-conditioned transportation available just about anywhere in India today.

In recent years India completed number of four-lane national highways and many state highways have been widened and repaved, although traveling across India one is always under the impression that everywhere there is a perpetual construction going on. Most state and district roads are still atrocious and while there may be a semblance of improvements under way, the pace of change is often hardly noticeable as construction moves at slow speeds. Using gangs of female labor carrying baskets with dirt and employing huge numbers of the marginalized lowest casts pounding rocks with hammers making gravel is still a commonplace. While these primitive techniques may seem laughable, they provide employment and income for those who otherwise would go hungry. India is full of dilemmas, as always. After all there is no other place like it on earth.

As they say, Only in India!

By early 70s Costa Brava and much of the coastal resorts of Valencia and Granada saw great influx of vacationers. More resorts sprung out along the long coast. With the opening of the Alicante airport took off development of Benidorm resort town and taking benidorm holidays has become most thought after beach vacation for millions of Europeans.

All was well and Spain continued to boom though it was still retaining the laid back flavor of Mediterranean Europe. And it was that way right up to the time Spain joined European Union in 1986.

I visited again in the 90s and things were clearly on the move. Many retired Americans enjoyed affordable rental spending mild winters in Spain. It seemed unlikely Spain would become another Germany any time soon, preferring to maintain the siesta and late nigh dinners pace.

In 2002 I traveled to San Sebastian and got a taste of Spain in the 21st century Europe. The people seemed arrogant and unfriendly, and would not give you the time of the day especially if they sensed an American, much like French in the 70s, though they seemed to have overcome that characterization since.

Bullet trains, subways, fast pace of contemporary Europe was noticeably the mainstay of Spain. I visited Barcelona, Madrid and Seville. Spain was booming. Open door policy brought scores of Eastern Europeans and North Africans in search of blue color jobs. Real estate prices soared year after year.

Then in 2007 the real estate bubble started to burst, much like it happened in the United States. By now real estate prices in Spain have plummeted as much as 30% from their peak in 2007. If Greece seemed to personify the worst of EU nations’ problems, the Spanish one is a lot worse. Being the fifth largest economy in Europe Spain’s financial collapse will have an impact with a global reach.

In the US we are face unemployment of 8.1% that seems to have halted, and we feel things continue to improve at snail’s pace. Young Americans face run away university education costs and nil prospects of finding a job after graduation; if they are lucky they may find one only at Mc Donald’s.

In Spain the unemployment rate for young people under 25 is now above 50%. By comparison our youth unemployment rate of approximately 18% seems trivial.

Spain’s banking system is essentially insolvent, inundated with bad loans. The economy is not just stagnant, it has contracted, the annualized economic growth running in the red almost 2%. The overall, total unemployment is nearing 25%. Spain’s stock equity index is down over 20% since the beginning of the year, and nearly 60% since the economic meltdown started four years ago. Spain will require a bailout much the same as Greece and the European Central Bank will have to print much more Euros than up to now in order to assist.

Or should Spain leave the EU, give up on the Euro and return to peseta in order to save its economy? What is going to be the outcome of Spain’s dilemma?

Most Americans don’t want to speculate about Spain’s problems as we are yet to climb out of our own hole and see a little light at the end of the tunnel. But for those with deep-rooted feel of affection for Spain, this may be the time to keep an eye on those villas on its coast. While the rich and well off likely own their real estate free and clear, as life becomes harder and harder for those, as here in the US, who bought when the prices were still going up, and now are being swept by the housing market crash, they may soon find themselves facing foreclosures.

The tide of foreclosures in Spain is now in its fourth year and it will only continue. The housing market collapse is in a full swing and the home prices are expected to drop possibly as much as 50%. In 2011 foreclosures increased by whopping 11% and with rising unemployment and as Spain is drifting into depression, the worst is likely yet to come.

If Spain has ranked high on your list of countries in which to retire, buy a vacation home or simply a country in which to invest, and much of your portfolio is currently held in cash, this may be the time to take a trip to Spain and start looking for your dream Spanish villa, a house or an apartment. Just as many wealthy Europeans, Arabs and other foreigners took advantage of the depressed American property market in Florida and bought foreclosed properties, they are likely to take a closer look at the depressed housing market in Spain next.

This type of break is an agreement between you and your employer that you can take a period longer than your usual annual leave allowance off work – typically around 12 months – with the guarantee that your job will be waiting for you when you return.

Some employers even offer paid career breaks, although this typically means you will have to spend some of your time off gaining qualifications or work experience. In my opinion, this is no bad thing as having a year away from the office means you have plenty of time to dedicate to bettering yourself.

Learn a language

Getting to grips with a new language is an extremely worthwhile thing to do with your time off work. Communication technology ranging from videoconferencing to Facebook has meant the world has got a lot smaller.

As a result, for a business to truly perform in the international marketplace, it is vital employees are able to communicate with potential clients and customers overseas. By learning a new language, you could really set yourself apart from your colleagues by providing your employer with a useful skills set.

If your company has dealings with North and South America, it is well worth being able to speak Spanish. Even in the US, many people are able to speak this language, as it is the national dialect of nearby countries like Costa Rica and Ecuador.

You could spend some of your break learning Spanish and arrive back at the office with a new and valuable talent that your employer will be able to take advantage of. It may also prove useful if you are considering spreading your wings and taking the next step on your career ladder, as it will mark you out from other candidates.

Of course, you’ll also be able to speak Spanish when you’re in Spain, which will make it easier for you to conduct business there – and communicate with the locals even when you’re on tenerife holiday!

Take language lessons abroad

There is no better way to learn a language than to take classes in the country it is spoken natively. By doing this, you have ample opportunity to put your skills to the test even when you’re not in the classroom, such as by visiting a local market or a restaurant.

Take Spanish classes in Ecuador and when you’re not in a lesson you’ll be able to explore the country’s bustling capital city Quito. You could also spend a few weeks on the Galapagos Islands, where Charles Darwin famously conducted research on the unique animals that live there while he was establishing his evolutionary theories.

Guatemala is another great place to learn Spanish. You’ll be situated in the heart of Antigua, a world heritage site and firm favourite with travellers visiting Central America. Exploring further afield will also allow you to visit Mayan ruins like El Mirador and Tikal.

Alternatively, consider Costa Rica as the base for your learning. The rich biodiversity of this beautiful country means you’re certain to want to schedule in a few weeks to explore the natural environment. Even wandering through the rainforest, you’ll probably have plenty of opportunities to test out your new Spanish skills.

Your dreams of travelling around the world might involve months spent on the open road, seeing some of the world’s most beautiful sights without any worries to think about. Well, we all wish things could be that easy, but, to spend a long time hopping from place to place, you will need to earn enough money to fund your trip. One of the easiest ways to do this is to work abroad.

Canada is an ideal location to arrange paid work in, which could be perfect if you had planned to stop at the North American nation on your adventure.

However, if you don’t know where to begin finding out about how you can work in a foreign country, we’ve put together some tips to help and make your travel plans that bit easier:

Working holiday visa

The first thing you need to do (before getting overly excited and thinking about what clothes to pack) is look up how to apply for a working holiday visa, which is now known as the International Experience Canada (IEC) initiative.

If you are granted a visa, you will be able to work and travel in Canada for up to 12 months – which gives you plenty of time to earn some money and see all the sights!

What do you need to know about the IEC?

Holidaymakers aged between 18 and 35 who are from a particular set of countries are eligible for IEC work permits, so you should check whether your nation is on this list first.

If you are from the UK, for instance, you will be allowed to apply for the visa, but the number of applicants that are accepted is restricted, so make sure you get your form in as soon as possible once you have decided to spend the next few months living in Canada. In 2012, for example, there are only 5,350 places available for UK applicants, so make sure your application is glowing so you can take one of these positions. Application process aside be ware that coming to or leaving from Canada on usa flights security is tight so be prepared as to what is you can and can’t bring on board.
The submission will be judged on how you fulfil the eligibility criteria, which includes police certification, proof of funds, medical examinations and what your job intentions are. Don’t panic if you think you need to have led a squeaky clean life in order to be accepted, but I’d definitely recommend spending time researching your position thoroughly before submitting your application.

Getting accepted – the next steps

Hopefully, you shouldn’t have any problems in being accepted for a working visa and you will soon receive a Letter of Introduction, which you can swap for a permit when you arrive in the country. Once you have been given the Letter of Introduction, you can book your flights and start thinking about where you would like to live and work.

Your work permit will last for 12 months from the date you arrive in Canada, and during this time you have total flexibility over where you stay and what employer you choose to work with. You don’t need to worry about any restrictions on how many hours you put in, which means you can work really hard and save a lot of money over a short period of time – and spend the rest of your break on the road.

Get a job

The next step is easy; after choosing whereabouts in Canada you want to base yourself, you should think about securing yourself a job. This will help you get the most out of your experience, and enable you to start earning money as soon as your plane lands.

So, all you have to decide is whether you want to work the ski season, become a barista, do administrative work, clock up the hours behind the bar, help out in schools… The choice is yours!

Want to know what exactly makes the city so special? Read on to find out more!

Piazza del Duomo

There is no shortage of fantastic architecture and landmarks to be found in Pisa, but without a doubt the most famous ones are located at Piazza del Duomo.

As duomo is the Italian for cathedral, it really should be of little surprise that it is in this public square you will find the amazing Pisa Cathedral. Next to it is the iconic Leaning Tower of Pisa, with many people who see it taking a photo where it looks as if they’re holding it up – joining them in this makes for a classic souvenir. Climb to the top of the building to take in wonderful views of the rest of the city, as well as Piazza del Duomo’s other landmarks.

These include the 12th-century cemetery Camposanto Monumentale and the Baptistry of St John, two beautiful structures that have contributed to the square being nicknamed Piazza dei Miracoli, or the Square of Miracles.

Knights Square

Pisa’s Knights Square is another must-see while in the city. The former headquarters of the Order of the Knights of St Stephen, here you’ll discover the historic Church of Saint Rocco, which was built in 1575, and a statue of Cosimo I de’Medici, the first grand duke of Tuscany.

Museums and festivals

Of course, it’s not just Pisa’s astounding public spaces that make it a great place to visit on a Tuscany tour, it is also rich in culture and home to a wealth of amazing galleries and museums.

Situated on the banks of the River Arno is the wonderful Museo Nazionale di San Matteo (or National Museum of St Matthew), which contains numerous sculptures and paintings that date back as far as the 12th-century. The Lungarno Simonelli Museum, meanwhile, houses excavated Roman boats and other artefacts from this era.

If you time your trip to Tuscany right, you could arrive when one of Pisa’s vibrant festivals is taking place.

Each June 16th witnesses the Festa di San Ranieri, where the locals honour the city’s patron saint by lining the banks of the Arno with torches, while the Pisa Cathedral becomes the location of the International Festival of Holy Music every September with choirs from across the country performing.

Food

Tuscany is a region famous for its high-quality cuisine and Pisa’s no exception. Make sure you sample the best of what the area has to offer by trying local specialities like ciechi alla Pisani (baby eels in garlic and tomatoes). If you want a slice of pizza – you are in Italy after all – visit Il Montino and have the cecina, which includes chickpeas as a topping.

Exploring the rest of Tuscany

By booking car hire from Pisa Airport, you’ll be well-placed to see the rest of Tuscany – whether you choose to visit other bustling cities like Florence or wish to explore smaller towns like Cecina and Empoli.

Whether you’re planning to make Pisa the mainstay of your time in Italy or you’re keen to see lots of other places too, leave a comment and let us know!

For the party and hedonistic scene, Ko Pha Ngan and its full moon party or Ko Samui will be pushing for your money, with Chiang Mai or Ayuthaya being contenders to satisfy your desire for experiencing a bit of culture. But if you really want to tap into the laid back, beach living lifestyle whilst still being spoilt for choice for beach front restaurants cafes and bars, Ko Tao is a fantastic option. The island manages to strike a happy medium between keeping you entertained at night without preventing you from getting a good night’s sleep, whilst also creating a relaxing and picturesque scene during the day.

A lot of this is due to Ko Tao managing to maintain a low profile in terms of development. You won’t find the travelling grumblers moaning about it being ruined in the same ilk that other locations such as Phuket in Thailand have been. This is partly thanks to its small size, you can pretty much see the entire Island’s profile in the ferry approach, and there aren’t that many roads on the island. The infrastructure is all pretty basic, and the best way to get around is often strolling along the beach front at Sairee or hiring a mountain bike.

Location
Ko Tao is in the Gulf of Thailand and is well connected to the ferry routes servicing Ko Samui and Ko Pha Ngan, two islands that feature in many travellers Thailand holidays. You can get here easily by bus, plane and train from Bangkok, and its proximity to the other two islands makes it incredibly easy to factor it into your trip.

Sitting in the shadows of Ko Pha Ngan and Ko Samui has actually worked wonders for Ko Tao, as these two islands more than satisfy the local need to party loud and late. Ko Tao therefore has resisted the urge to become just another party destination in Thailand, so if you’re looking to avoid this or nurse your resulting hangover, it’s a great place to head over to.

Claim to fame
The small island first became known as a mecca for diving enthusiasts and beginners with its shallow shores and nearby reefs. Learning to scuba dive may be out of many backpackers’ budgets, but it is worthwhile bearing in mind that this is one of the cheapest locations in the world to get your diving certificate. Because it started as a diving location, it isn’t awash with cheap food stalls or provisions for budget backpackers, but as it is now a popular location for this type of traveller you can easily find a cheap drink and place to stay.

Food and Nightlife
The lack of the nearby hustle and bustle on other islands has allowed a laid back beach front scene to develop. You will not be pushed to find a place on a sun warmed bit of decking where you can order typical delicious Thai food whilst gazing out to sea with the odd long boat spluttering about. This means that you never feel rushed in the restaurants by a demand for places, thus creating the perfect opportunity to order a long drink and chat or wile away the day and late afternoon. It’s also a great location for the sea foodie, as obviously being an island this is a particular specialty here.

As the day gives way to the night scene, there’s no apparent change in set up along the beaches apart from the appearance of fire dancers and extra cushions outside the bars on the beaches. This gives a slower more relaxed feel to the night, as it isn’t overrun by crushed buckets and swathes of dancing revellers. This does not make it entirely quiet though, the fire dancers create the excitement and there are still a few larger bars along Sairee and Mai Haad beaches offering the usual dance steps, beach area and late night tunes.

Beaches
Being so small Ko Tao keeps it simple when it comes to beaches. This size makes it perfect for hiring a long boat if you’re looking to pick out the smaller and more isolated bays which are mainly along the East coast. The West Coast is dominated by Sairee beach, which runs the majority of the length of the island. It is a beautiful crescent shape, offering views at both ends of headland jutting out. It’s also where you’ll find the majority of the islands restaurants and nightlife, as well as accommodation and dive schools. You can check out this all out in the view offered by the approaching ferry and jetty you offload onto.

The island of Ko Nang Yuan is very close to the shore and creates an interesting focal point on Ko Tao. It is a snorkelling and diving hotspot, as well as a unique beach location that can only be accessed by boat taxi from Ko Tao. If you’re looking for truly impressive photos, then this is the spot to head to!

Author Bio – Matthew has been travel blogging since the end of a RTW trip in 2011. Thailand was one of his favourites, and he has now booked his Flights to Australia to continue his travelling later this year.

The fact that none of them are particularly suited to a farther-ranging tour is also a factor, though that is a debatable point now, what with multiple budget airlines in the Philippines. The original idea was to stop over on the way to Bangkok, but that’s about $1500 round-trip from LA on Philippines Air. Manila itself is only $800, Bangkok maybe $1000, IF YOU’RE LUCKY. A budget RT MAN-BKK for $300-400 changes the equation entirely. But that’s next time. This time Manila was my ultimate destination, with stops in Guam; Pohnpei, FSM; and Majuro M.I. on the way back, for around $1800 from LA, and I worked hard for that price. I probably could have stopped in Hawaii, too. A simple RT from Guam to Majuro and Pohnpei costs almost the same. Do the math.

The Philippines was something of a revelation, a return to a previous era when travel was just fun in the sun, winging it, show up and hop on the bus, no reservations and few plans. You’ll come out ahead that way there. This is the way I first started traveling, before all the hostels, before the Internet, before all the guide books even, fer Chrissakes! Hotels are plentiful and cheap and easy to find. Walk-in rates are generally better than reserved ones. This way you get to check the room first, too. Make sure there’s a window if you’re claustrophobic like me. Buses not only don’t book online, they don’t even book in advance, none of them (or hardly any, anyway)! Just show up. Good luck finding the station(s) in Manila. I hate to say it, but … ssshhh…ask a cabbie.

Manila sucks pretty badly, but the rest of northern Luzon makes up for it. Don’t let the street urchins in Manila get too close to your pockets. Other than that, I don’t think crime’s too bad unless you’re too stupid or too careless or too horny. The area around Malate and Ermita is just too congested—as is the entire country—so it’s easy to get into a foul mood, and from there things can degenerate rapidly. Use Manila as a hub for other destinations and that’ll probably be enough time on the layovers. Many budget airlines won’t connect directly to far-flung destinations, so use the big city for those overnighters. Don’t forget to wear protection. Intramuros is nice for a day trip, and Chinatown is not bad, but other than that there’s not much of interest. The slick new city of Makati I haven’t been to yet. The LRT is cramped beyond belief; avoid rush hours.

I used Baguio as a hub for the north of Luzon, and from there went first to Vigan, a UNESCO world heritage site for its Spanish colonial architecture and culture. It’s pretty nice and small, with access to the coast not far away. That’s coast, not beach. They even have some vestiges of the old Spanish cuisine, with their own style of empanadas and a hybrid Spanish/Asian rice soup called arrozcaldo, which is everywhere to be found in the Micronesian region now. About this time I had my second revelation: I’m the only tourist here, or almost anyway, same in Baguio. I imagine the beaches are different, but that’s not my obvious orientation. Luzon has some hill country second to none.

Baguio is the gateway to the hill country, itself almost a mile up, and a fairly large city. We Americans built that as a hill station escape from the sweltering tropical heat. There’s some entertainment, too, more like guys with guitars than girly bars, so good clean fun. It gets a bad rap from some travelers—I’m not sure why—but I like it okay. As a matter of fact on first arrival and transport to my upscale hotel—the only one I could book in advance—It clearly resembled the rarefied atmosphere of a mountain town. It was only later that I realized there was a nittier grittier “real town” on the down side. The market is huge and ample, with lots of crafts. After a couple days there before and after Vigan, I took the locals’ bus up to Sagada on the infamous Halsema Highway. It’s not as dangerous as it’s hyped up to be, though you might avoid a heavy meal right before the trip.

Sagada is backpacker country, custom-made for it in fact, complete with yogurt parlors and views from the terrace. The big attraction there are the caves, but you’ll need a guide for that. Other than that it’s just a hippie hangout in the classic style, banana pancakes and rumors of the kind stuff floating through the grapevine if not the air itself. There’s plenty of accommodation for the winter—a bit chilly, mind you—but it might fill up in high season. None of these places are bookable online to my knowledge, either in real time or back-and-forth e-mails, old-fashioned I’m tellin’ ya’.

If you get stuck with no luck, go down to Bontoc and reconsider your options, or continue on to Banaue, which is the best reason to be in the area anyway. I personally like it there better than Sagada, but I’m not trying to get blissfully stoned. Hotels in both places talk about a 9 p.m. curfew, but I’d be curious to know what transpires if you bully yourself past that deadline, with the requisite nod-nod-wink-winks. The Jamaican joints at Sagada might really rock. The jeepney from Bontoc to Banaue is a little hairy and scary on the brain cells. Be prepared.

Banaue may not be the only place in Luzon with beautifully terraced rice fields, but it may be the only one with a real town plopped down in the center of it. Others occur along the way with no fanfare, and Batad is the nearby option for those who want to hang in the area a while, and have had enough of Sagada and Banaue already. Access must be arranged—and hiked—but it’s supposed to be really nice. But my time was running short, so I headed on back to Manila, staying in a little bit different part of the Ermita-Malate area. That whole area seems to change from street to street, some places very upscale, others down at the heels. Local food seems to be more the ladle-over as opposed to stir-fry-it-up style, so maybe questionable by the end of the day. I ate late at 7-11 more than once, nuke some adobo or curry right up and eat. God help you if you’re vegetarian. These are Christians. There is no tradition of vegetarianism.

After the Philippines I went to Guam, a necessary connection point for the Micronesian milk-run, aka UA/CO flight #172 to Honolulu with stops in Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae, FSM; then there are stops in Kwajalein and Majuro in the Marshall Islands. So what takes six or seven hours direct stretch to twice that with stops, but like I said: at this price, the stops are free. UA is making a killing off this route, high prices and full seats. So I decide to take a layover in Guam for a couple nights, rather than take a red-eye and then connect straight out. Fortunately it’s not expensive, though it tries really hard to be, what with its hyper-malls full of Versace, Armani, Prada, and all that means so much to brand-conscious Asians.

You could be forgiven for thinking that Guam is a Japanese colony. What with tourists and residents factored in together, they just might predominate. The mixed-Micronesian “Chamorros” are the true locals, though, and as part of the Marianas Islands have a long history part Micronesian, part Spanish, part Asian, and now American, so something like Samoa of the North Pacific. Guam is not really in the South Pacific, you know, lying at roughly the same latitude as Bangkok or Manila, so north of the Polynesian heartland.

Except for a couple of Polynesian atolls, presumably settled last, and a couple of others of uncertain provenance, much of Micronesia seems to have linguistic affinities with Melanesia, so must have been explored at that early phase, before the major Polynesian migrations, possibly even before Melanesia become “mela,” that is dark-skinned, possibly by mixing with an earlier Papuan populace I reckon. Anthropologists don’t talk abut these things, nor apologists either, but that doesn’t mean I can’t. I’d bet you even odds they left the mainland to escape the southward Han Chinese expansion.

Next stop was Pohnpei, more or less the capital of the Federated States of Micronesia, which fuses together the four distinct island cultures of Yap, Chuuk (Truk), Pohnpei, and Kosrae. Flight 172 doesn’t go to Yap, so that wasn’t really an option. Chuuk seems to have an attitude problem—specifically to foreigners/divers—so I decided on Pohnpei. I’m not sure if I was aware that Kosrae was on the flight route, or I might have considered it further, especially since it has oceanic ruins that rival those at Nan Madol on Pohnpei. As it was I allocated four days to make sure and get to those ruins, which was at least a day too long, especially since the power was off almost half the time. Other than that the town was nice enough, small town thrills, drinking sakau and chewing betel nut.

Majuro in the Marshall Islands is something completely different. Those are true coral atolls, not fertile volcanic islands, and the climate is accordingly breezier. Even though it rains frequently, it will usually clear right up just as fast and dry out quickly, which is good since there’s nowhere for the water to drain down to, the entire atoll being only a few feet above sea level. This is similar to another—but opposite—extreme climatic situation in Tierra del Fuego, where the winds blow so hard that you can have several changes of weather each day. And in the vast insular Pacific those breezes can be surprisingly cool at night. As usual you really need a boat to get to the prime diving or even snorkeling sites, but roaming around town is not bad. The atoll is more or less settled all along “long island,” and heavily commercialized by immigrant Chinese entrepreneurs. Still local village life endures and the natives are friendly.

Throughout the trip and presumably the region, there are problems with travel. Aside from the Philippines and Guam, the hard part is just getting there. United Airlines pretty much holds the monopoly on air travel they inherited from Continental, and they don’t intend to show any mercy, unless the frequent references to “pass travelers” means that locals maybe get a break. If so, that’s fine, but doesn’t do much for tourism. The airports don’t seem to have much activity otherwise, though they’re certainly capable of it. I wonder if Continental built them. Stranger things happen.

In the Philippines the transportation problem is the plethora of bus stations around greater Manila, which seem to show no pattern of consistency or logic. If you’re a local, then sure, you “get it,” but once again, that doesn’t help tourism much. What does help are the emergence of multiple budget airlines, which, given the population explosion and ensuing congestion there, is maybe just as well. So that’s good news for the outer islands, but less so for northern Luzon, which is truly worth seeing. Hotels in the Philippines are pot luck. Many of the nicer ones don’t have windows—AARRGGHH!—and many of the cheap ones don’t have electric sockets. Arrive early, no res, see the room first, carry a light bulb-to-plug adaptor.

Micronesia has different problems. FSM has no power. RMI has no water. I was able to borrow an Internet signal in Pohnpei, so lucked out, but in Majuro the price of a Wi-fi card was so high that I simply did without. The groceries in both countries are pretty bad and the restaurants not much better—they use the same produce—and pricey to boot. FSM has more fresh fish and vegetables; RMI has more fresh Chinese people. Take your pick. Guam is the great exception of course, retrofitted by Japanese tourism and American imperialism as a somewhat generic Asian-American-Micronesian mélange-a-trois. I guess traditional culture there has suffered, but it’s difficult to quantify without public transportation to the south of the island where it’s said to still exist. Rental cars should be an exotic option, not the norm. In Majuro, everybody takes taxis…everywhere.

Still the positives outweigh the negatives by far, and the region as a whole lures a jaded traveler like a siren in the night… in the water. I for one would be curious to see what the other non-Guam Mariana Islands are like. Maybe that’ll be next trip, or next year, or the next life. Whenever, next time I resolve to actually get into the water. I’ve already got a mask and snorkel. C U then.

Check out Hardie’s blog and book at Amazon

Thus from this humble beginning, Karges’s desire to visit every country in the world, does this book derive, growing and expanding and taking on its full meaning only after most of the real work, the travel and simultaneous writing, had already been done. That’s when he realized that the entirety of all these episodes seemed greater than the mere sum of the individual parts. As a writer who decided only late in life to “get serious about writing,” it comes as something of a revelation that maybe his best effort so far came about only when he was doing something he loves, traveling, so that in effect two major facets of his life are coming together as one.

These are the tales of Karges’s travels in that intense period of “hyper-travel,” a combination guide and narrative, with only one qualification—he doesn’t tell how to do it. That’s your job. He tells how it’s done, by someone who’s done it for most of his life. This is a guide for people who hate travel guides. This is the one-stop guide that will give you both glimpse and insight into half the world’s countries, all recently visited, all applied to the same criteria of critique. This is the guide that tells you the cultural, geopolitical and historical context of a country, not where to eat or where to stay. This is the guide that tells you which countries just plain suck. The happy ending is right around the next corner.

Veteran blogger and traveler Hardie Karges made his first trip out of his home country USA at the age of twenty-one, a trip to the neighboring country of Mexico in the winter of 1975-1976. The next year he went to Central America and stayed almost three months, the following year South America for almost four. He was hooked. Thus began a career in the import and export of folk art and handicrafts from around the world. He has now been to some one hundred forty countries, has published poetry, made videos, and writes blogs on travel and world music, in addition to his personal blog.

Hypertravel: 100 Countries in 2 Years is his first full-length book.