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While traveling through Indonesia, I travelled with a fellow from Norway. In Norway he worked with the Norwegian Power Corporation. He took a 6 week vacation every week and went somewhere off the beaten track. He travelled like a real backpacker. Nice guy. I met him in a Jakarta hostel and we travelled to Bali together with my friends John and Gary.

While in Jakarta he took a bus to a downtown museum. Nothing strange here except every guide book including Lonely Planet and the Southeast Asia handbook all stated DO NOT TAKE THIS BUS OR YOU WILL BE ROBBED. He took that bus, and he took it at rush hour. All seemed fine, until he got to the museum. When he went to pay he noticed his cash was gone. All his cash had been robbed without him noticing. He wore a button down shirt and a money pouch around his neck. They sliced between the buttons and extracted every bill without him noticing. They would have got his passport and cards too but they didn’t fit between the buttons.

He told me after. “You know Jeff, I have been very lucky, in 17 years of traveling, I have only been robbed 13 times”. I will never forget this.

Bintam Island
Indonesia

I remember one time leaving a ferry in Batam Island in Indonesian and I could see hundreds of men staring at me, eyes darting about looking to see where I kept my money. You have to be on guard at all times. The moment someone bumps into you, you may be in trouble.

Honorable mention: An American in South East Asia told me that he had travelled throughout Thailand for the last month. He had figured that he must look identical to another traveller called “Jim Stone” from Burma as everyone was calling him that. It was only after a month of this he realized that they were actually only trying to sell him gem stones from Burma!

Everyone has their travel coincidence stories. It was quite common to meet someone on one side of a continent and then not knowing anything about their trip plans meet them by accident in a cafe 4000 km and 3 months later. However this can be explained by math. Even when my good friend Dave Strobl who had lunch with someone in India, parts way, and then meets the same traveller in a Mexican canteen 7 years later. Impressive but still borderline math dealing with people, habits, culture, guide books, etc.

Airlie beach

Snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef

One coincidence, pushing the math, happened on my first trip to Australia. Getting off the midnight bus, Airlie beach was full, only a few hawkers were around, one from a cheap motel far outside the “beach” area, doubling as a hostel, so I went there. The next day I was talking to the group of guys at the next table (this hostel/motel was only 25% full). I asked him where he was from. He said I wouldn’t know it, as he thought I was from the UK. I told him to try me. He said Canada, I said that I know it well. He said Ottawa, Yea know it. He said a small village outside Ottawa called Navan. Yes know it - What street? Yes it was my street. Where on the street? Where else but next door! He was the son of my next door neighbour. I didn’t know him, as he moved from his mom’s house to his fathers while I was living in the UK. He said “oh you’re that guy who travels”. Freaked me out a bit.

Another strange one was when I was camping on the lawn of a boat club in Kariba, Zimbabwe. At the bar, that night, there was only one guy other than my group. He was Canadian, it was the first Canadian I talked to in a couple of months. He was from New Brunswick. It was his first trip abroad. He wasn’t a regular traveler, he fact he rarely left New Brunswick, he was visiting relatives. He didn’t know anyone in Ottawa. He knew only ONE guy in Montreal though. Yes I knew the guy too! Then when we talked briefly about the guy, he promptly told me a story about another guy who worked with this Montrealer previously. Yes, it was a story about me.

Not sure where to classify this one. Generally I am not paranoid about my gear and pack. but I lock and zip it wherever possible. I always try to watch my pack go on and come off. I always carried my valuables on me, just took basic care of my pack and I was never robbed in hostels/rooms or on the road.

On the route from Rio Gallegos to Ushuia,

you need to enter and exit Chile.

This is the first entry point.

I’ll preface this story by saying that I would strongly recommend the Patagonia area for ease of traveling, safety and some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. One day I took a bus in Patagonia from Punta Arenas, Chile to Ushuaia, Argentina. The bus carried about 30 backpackers. Half way, just before we got to the border with Argentina, we stopped at a small station with a small cafe in the middle of a large plain surrounded by nothing but Patagonia Llamas. For some reason they change buses here. This was probably due to the upcoming border. I didn’t eat anything so I just loitered around. From afar I watched the llamas and then bus workers throw all the bags from one bus to the hold of the other and leave. No possible scam here I thought, just a slow, beautiful day. After a while, I am not sure what got into me, but I decided to look in my old bus. Maybe I was bored, maybe something else. Sure enough it was empty except for some tools and a tarp in the back. Then something came over me, I did something I would normally never do, I partially crawled into the hold and looked under the tarp. I was really shocked to find one bag... my backpack! I swore, picked up my bag and moved it to the hold of the second bus. No one saw me do this and I really didn’t have anyone to complain to. I actually was a bit stunned. I then watched the bus until we left.

Once again my “spidey sense” seemed to have saved me. I really don’t think it was an accident. I believe the bus crews do this to one random bag every trip, to see what goodies they can get and share.

These obscure borders would lend themselves to instant, creative border entry and exit “taxes”. This typically happened in almost every country in Central America and some in Africa. In Central American it wasn’t too much, typically $10 US.

The most expensive bribe was upon entry to Indonesia one time. My traveling companion from the UK, neglected to get a new passport, and only had two months on her passport (I should have checked this for her). Although we were only there for a week, you need 3 months on your passport for most third world countries. At immigration, she checked in before me. The officer said “Probleme”, held it up and I instantly realized what was up and what would happen. We were hauled into a private room, and threatened with instant expulsion and all kinds of things which highlighted “the serious consequences” of this infraction. My companion cried and cried. They left the room after a while and I told her to stop crying, as all they wanted, was a bribe. She momentarily stopped crying, thought about what I said, and then started crying again - now about the bribe to be, I guess. When they came back, I asked if there was a “fine” for this sort of thing. After some negotiations that seem to start and end at $100 US cash, I offered them 60 UK pounds. Accepted ... and 30 minutes later we were in the country.

Sign in Lesotho

Another funny one was entering Lesotho via car. They had a large hand written chart on the wall with all countries and corresponding visa charges. Poor Tuire, they didn’t have Finland on the wall. The immigration officer said it was not allowed if it wasn't on the wall. I could see every other European country I could think up on the wall, except Finland. They just forgot to write it on the wall. When asked, they didn’t seem to have a written list anywhere. They obviously do not get too many Finnish travellers. She was refused admission. I asked to talk to the officer in private. The “fine” this time was $20. Tuire was pretty pissed about this corruption, being Finnish. Finland, beyond being probably the safest placein the world, is also the least corrupt. Generally that rule of thumb of safety/corruption applies throughout the world.

The first time I saw this trick was in Syria. When you enter the country, there are small signs posted (so they say) and small print on the visa form (never saw it), stating all foreign currency must be declared. The first I heard of this was in a discussion over tea with some locals in Syria. I was a little taken aback. I had a lot of Turkish and US cash as I had driven a car to the Syrian border and bused into Syria. I had a lot more cash than I normally would. According to the Syrians, any currency not declared would be seized. Great. Before I left, I hid my currency in various nooks and crannies all over my backpack. My pack had some great hiding spots and someone unfamiliar with backpacks might not figure it out, so I was hopeful.

Hammadiyya
The famous souk in Damascus

At departure, there are huge signs everywhere, stated all undeclared currency will be seized! When they found out I didn’t declare any currency, they gleefully began the search. They managed to go through all the standard pockets, stopping to play with my swiss army knife and some of my other gear, having a good laugh in anticipation of some riches. Then a stroke of luck occurred! An American appeared next to me, was also being searched and they found his money almost instantly. A large commotion ensued, as the American guy (rightfully) was incensed. As I had a bit of Turkish and Arabic knowledge, and my pack seemed small and complicated, they gave up on me, concentrated on the American, and asked me to “translate”. Not much I could do, in the end, we left together, me with all my hidden cash, the poor U.S. guy with nothing.

I also experienced a similar spin on this in Russia. What they seem to do, is at random, not hand out the currency declaration form to people, on entry. I figure about 1 in 5, or more. If you don’t get one or ask for one, tough luck. I was traveling the Trans-Siberia with Greg Gerard. Before leaving Russia we realized the scam as Greg had a declaration form and I didn’t. Luckily we together had spent half our monies, so I “gave” all my monies to Greg, Thus on paper he was OK, officially having as much as he declared on entry, no more. I had none, as much my non-declaration. It didn’t phase them at all at exit, as there are plenty more tourists coming. I am sure this is done country wide, so all customs people can share equally. Just one big currency non-declaration co-op. Easier money than wheat farming I guess.

Years ago, I stumbled into a outdoor gear store in Ottawa (Fresh Air Experience - I think) looking for a pack. I really didn’t know what to get, but wanted a durable, flexible pack. I had been looking for a while. I ended up buying two packs on special, same series, one 70 liters, the other 45 liters. They were convertibles with internal frames, brand name was Camp Trails. I knew I would travel a lot to places where backpackers were not welcome (the middle east) and I also needed something for tough canoe trips. I didn’t even know at the time that I would do many long world trips. Turned into one of my best purchases ever. I used both packs over and over. I learned how to pack lighter and lighter, and travel lighter and lighter. It got to the point I rarely used my large bag (unless car camping, or traveling in a pair). I would easily be able to go months with all my gear (including tent and sleeping bag) in the 45 liter bag.

Canoe camping in Algonquin Park.

My large pack against the tree

My favorite tent and some camping gear is also visible.

It was a great bag, you could blend into the scenery very well. Sometimes when it was safe to be a backpacker, it was a backpack. Sometimes it pretended to be a daypack so I could get on that airplane without checking in my luggage. It could also pretend to be a (heavy) shoulder bag when you needed to confuse the locals as to who you were.

I remember getting off a local bus in Southern Morocco and meeting a guy looking for backpackers to share gas costs on a trip through the Sahara in his Land Rover. He told me after that he almost didn’t ask me as he thought I was working locally. Glad he did, as it was a memorable trip. He was shocked every time I pulled something else (ie. tent ) out of my “shoulder bag” .

Another time I did a trip from Panama City to Mexico City with my small pack. In Honduras we purchased machetes like the locals have. We travelled north and strapped them to the outside of our backpacks, much like the locals. Confused the hell out of everyone - they would ask us if we were Mexicans (me and two Norwegians??).

When leaving Mexico for the UK via Texas, I wrapped the machete and inserted it in the pack in the convertible side, such that it stuck out 5 inches - not much else I could do. Well when, I got to London, my bag didn’t. When it did, the straps, some zippers, pockets were torn or broken, the bag totally wrapped in plastic and tape. Everything was there but it was obvious (to me) what had happened. The machete end had caught something, perhaps jamming on one of the conveyor belts somewhere. I knew it was my fault. For fun, I complained to Continental. After one of my better letters, they actually reimbursed me 60 quid ($150 can). I then went to MEC, bought $10 of parts and my mother, seamstress extraordinaire, fixed it as good as new!

On my last big trip to Asia, somewhere in the middle of China (Chengdu or Kumming, I think), my large pack finally tore open. I cried on the inside. Looking through the local markets all the backpacks available were cheap chinese rip-offs, gaudy looking packs. I had to get one to finish the trip. I remember cutting out and saving all the valuable bits before throwing out the carcass of my old bag and sadly putting my gear in the new cheap bright orange pack. Aggghhh. It was embarrassing.

Well it’s time to get a new pack. So here are my top bits of advice for a world travel pack. Be aware every one is different, but if you want to quietly slip in and out of countries everywhere, my suggestions are:

1. Buy a pack smaller than you want. It forces you to pack better and take less. How much clothes do you really want - not much I hope. I would recommend something between 40-60 liters depending on the outside dimensions.
   

2. BSZ YKK. Big Strong Zippers. They get used a lot and will break eventually. My best daypack (from MEC) was eventually done in that way. Interestingly it broke in the country it was made (Vietnam) and I couldn’t get a local good enough to fix it or find a nearly as good replacement. They obviously don’t have the clone factories, or goods “falling” off the trucks, like they do in China.
   

3. Zippers that can be locked by a mini padlock or mini combination lock. Really I know that a good swiss army knife can cut into a pack easily and bolt cutters can snap a lock in a second, but the whole trick is simple deterrence. In a room or compartment, if it is zipped up and locked, staff/crooks won’t take that extra step and break it. They will snatch something from your neighbours open bag. They won’t lose their job for slicing open something, but a quick rifling of your undamaged pack is hard to prove. Same on buses, planes and trains. Oh yea, use small locks, not an expensive chain wrapped thing with a large padlock. Then they think you have something very expensive inside and you never know what they may try.
   

4. Thick material, the thicker the better, obviously.
   

5. No large exposed pockets on the back, if you have to have a pocket on the back, don’t keep valuables in it and lock it with a mini-padlock. Don’t make it a tempting target. This is especially true for daypacks - keep any daypack in front on your chest.
   

6. Light. Keep it light as possible, so start with a light pack. Too many times I hiked over 15 km with a full pack in 30+ degrees heat. Light is good.
   

7. A dull dark color. Black, dark blue or even better dark grey. Don’t let your pack stand out. Don’t you know, foreigners with lots of money have large, bright complicated packs.
   

8. Lots of small hidden pockets, nooks and crannies. This could be useful (as in this story).
   

9. It is best to have one large area deep in the pack, hopefully full length of the pack. Some packs have zippered or velcro sections that can be removed. You never know when you need space for a large item (ie. your tent poles, malawi chair or a machete!).
   

10. Some people believe in lots of compartments. I don’t. I like one large compartment, and a few smaller ones and lots of small hidden bits. One large compartment makes it easy to see all your gear, see that it is all there, quickly. You can always pack your stuff in different stuff sacs if you want more organization within that large section. I usually kept thing I could lose, socks, laundry, underwear in my outer pockets.
    

11. For world travel, if possible don’t carry anything on the outside except if you have to or it is the end of the trip. For canoeing or hiking in the west, go ahead use those outside straps!
    

12. Dimensions. My small pack (45 liter) fit perfectly into overhead airplane compartments. Even on dodgy central america buses, me with a 6 ft frame and my small pack sort of squeezed into the seats, or sat on my lap. It was better this way. Rather be squeezed in and not lose my pack. It could ruin a trip.
    

13. It needs to have adjustable front straps and an adjustment on the internal frame so that the weight doesn’t hang too low on your back, usual stuff. I’ll leave those details with the salesperson.
    

14. Although my packs were comfortable enough, there were many much more comfortable packs around. However these packs were probably perfect for hiking the Swiss Alps, not for traveling on a local bus in Mozambique. In my view packs were mainly for carrying my gear short distances to and from bus stations (typically less than 5 km) and discretely being thrown around dirty, dusty buses. It only needs to be comfortable enough for the odd long walk, once or twice a country.
    

15. I often kept my valuables/day gear (camera, electronics) in a daypack which I ensured would fit inside my main compartment on travel days. Some packs have a selling feature of a zipable day pack on the outside of the pack. This would be good except it makes your pack an exceedingly good theft target when you are traveling with both on your back. Don’t fall for this feature unless the daypack is secure and hidden somehow, or if you are only going to Scandinavia. On travel days just keep your pack on your back and a daypack with valuables out front, on your chest.

The best bus trip was a bus from Iguazu Falls to Curitiba, Brazil. We decided to try a local deluxe bus. To our surprise, it had sleeper seats larger than first class on a plane. Hostesses served us meals and drinks. At one point the bus stopped at a McDonalds and we were served Happy Meals!! We had a good laugh. Oh yea, great seats, service and food, but still all the standard bus movies. Third world bus trips always involved any movie with Jackie Chan and a Hollywood basic - typically the Fugitive, which I must have seen 14 times on various buses in South America and Asia.

Me at Iguazu Fall

Why is it, they don’t show movies on planes that have a plane crash scene, but they show the Fugitive over and over on buses (remember it opens with a very good bus crash scene)?

I have taken many scary bus rides. Most of these trips were on local chicken buses. Scares included the incredible dangerous drivers of South East Asia who regularly play chicken and force other drivers off the roads. However the worst ones were usually routes with high cliff drops such as Morocco & Bolivia. A couple of roads in the Morocco, in the Atlas mountains, although the buses were good and drivers were cautious, were very intimidating when they cross along ridges with sheer drops on both sides!

A view of Banos Ecuador from adjacent mountain top.

This involved a harrowing horse ride down the mountain

My worst one combined the perfect road storm - a narrow 2 way traffic on 1.5 lanes, long bits of washed out road, high speed, lots of switchbacks, and your standard high Andes cliff edge. It was a winding road from Banos, then Puyo, to a Amazon settlement called Tena. It was quite an experience. White knuckle. Worst this came a day after a horse back ride down a narrow mountain trail overlooking Banos where my skinny horse struggled with every step.

Four of us were traveling across Java together. Three Canadians and a guy from the Norwegian Power Company (see most naive experienced traveller). We stumbled into a very very full Kuta Beach Bali late at night and could only find a room with 3 beds for 4 nights. We took it. I took the first shift on the floor. Come the fourth night, it was Gary’s turn. he refused. We had just travelled with each other for 2 weeks, I wasted an extra 3 days in Jakarta, waiting for him and his visa. and he pulls this. I did a second night on the floor.

The back of my head,
the guy in yellow is Gary.

Hey Gary you owe John and I a heartfelt apology

GARY DUGUAY. Yes you gary, who are still not forgiven. Maybe you will stumble upon this through a google search of your name someday, but you owe John Lum-Wah and myself an apology!

Make no mistake about it, their are some dangerous places out there. It is exacerbated by poverty,corruption and tourists (even backpackers) strolling around town with a ton of travel money in a pouch around their neck. Crime can happen in the safest places (Scandinavia), however there are places where even the seasoned traveller should not dare leave the hotel/hostel at night. In general most of Africa is safer than it’s reputation, while parts of Central America get my nod as most dangerous in the world. Otherwise you have your collection of failed states (Somalia) and religious extremism (most countries that end in stan) to avoid.

Buses at a bus station in El Savador

In Central America, there are plenty of contenders: Colon Panama, Tegucigalpa Honduras, Belize City Belize, however the winner is San Salvador, El Salvador. Our hostel had the most barb wire and caged steel I had ever seen. We were repeatedly warned not to leave at night. Through the double alarm steel doors and barb wire surrounding the hostel, we were offered an armed escort of a local, who was previously convicted of murder in California, so we could go to the entertainment district at night.

I am sure it must be better now? I hope so.