Climate Change and Travel – Anonymous Pilot Speaks Out
Can we justify travel in a world that’s facing a climate crisis? Does carbon offsetting actually work? Airline pilot and Extinction Rebellion climate activist speaks out!
Interviews
Nomadic Matt | On Having COVID-19 & The Future Of Travel
Travel expert Nomadic Matt talks to the Southeast Asia Backpacker team about having coronavirus, the future of backpacking and his favourite places in Southeast Asia!
Koh Samui Muay Thai – An Insider Look at Punch It Gym Training Camp
Interested in training Muay Thai in Koh Samui? We chat with the owner of Punch It Gym to discover everything you need to know before booking that flight!
Ganja and “S.H.I.T.” (Suspected Hippie In Transit): Backpacking Southeast Asia in The 70s
Following on from our popular article about London lad Barrie Scott, we brought on the fearless Aussie, Ian H to tell us how it was in the late ’70s. The outback might have prepared him for the snakes hiding in his room, but the shit label is another story altogether.
What is Permaculture? Interview with Rico Zook, Permaculture Designer & Teacher
Last month, we took a Permaculture Design Course (PDC) in Arambol, Goa, India with well-known Permaculture designer and teacher, Rico Zook, of Itinerant Permaculture. During the course we learnt many things, one of them, something that you think we should have known before taking the course in the first place – what permaculture actually is.
Jobs Abroad: My Life as a Yoga Teacher in Goa, India
24-year-old Martha from Limerick in Ireland, has been making a living abroad since she was 20. She’s worked as a massage therapist on cruise ships that sailed all around Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, has backpacked in Thailand and India, and is currently working as a yoga teacher in Agonda, South Goa. After attending her morning ‘wake up’ classes on the beach, I decided to interview Martha on how she ended up in this beautiful part of the world…
An Insider Expat’s View on Koh Phangan, The Full Moon Party Island
Is it still worth visiting Koh Phangan if you’re not interested in the Full Moon Party? We caught up with Israeli expat, Sharon, who runs the popular website, phanganist.com, to find out more about what the island has to offer, from yoga to Muay Thai, and learn about how the reputation of Koh Phangan has changed in recent years…
Two Sisters Start Café to Help Students in Siem Reap, Cambodia: Meet Sisters Srey!
Originally from Australia, the sister-duo (aged 25 and 22), opened their fabulously popular Sister Srey Café on the riverside, near the Old Market of Siem Reap, Cambodia, in 2012. The cosy two-floor venue quickly turned into one of the most popular hang-outs in town. Best of all, though is the vision that sparked off their savvy venture – to support young Cambodian students. Is it possible to eat for a better cause? We were lucky enough to catch up with Lauren, who willingly spilled the beans (pun intended!) on how it began…
What was it like to Backpack Southeast Asia 50 years ago?
In an era when love and peace perfumed the air and travellers hopped on hippie buses taking them from Europe overland to Asia, Londoner, Barrie Scott embarked upon what turned into a four year epic adventure (1967-71)! Hitch-hiking, busking, sleeping in a Thai temple with monks, building a boat with some travel buddies and sailing to islands that hadn’t seen foreigners since colonial times, his story sheds light on how the concept of backpacking has changed over the past 50 years. For the better? We ask Barrie what he thinks…
Interview with Free and Easy Trip Leader & Life-long Nomad, Jeff Emmett…
Jeff, originally from Canada, has been a group leader with Free & Easy Traveler for 5 years. He runs trips all over the world and has helped to give thousands of travelers the experience of a lifetime! We decided to quiz him with 10 questions on why Free & Easy Traveler is so different from your average group tour, what he loves and hates about his job and why he’d never switch roles with a Silicon Valley millionaire…
The Truth about Life as a Travel Photographer: Interview with Flash Parker
It’s THE dream job right? Traveling from continent to continent with your camera capturing the beauty of our incredible planet as a travel photographer. But what is it really like? What are some tips for getting started in the industry and what are the perks!? Following the success of our Photography Tour in Chiang Mai at the end of last year, we interviewed Flash Parker, professional photo-journalist and all round nice guy to find out the secrets of life as a travel photographer…
SE Asia Faces & Places: Interview with an Ayurvedic Practitioner
As conversations between backpackers begin to include Ayurvedic buzzwords such as “dosha”, “five elements” and – heaven forbid – “fasting”, we catch up with an Ayurvedic practitioner, to unscramble the mystery of this ancient Eastern tradition of medicine…
Interview with Vang Vieng Entrepreneurs, Greg & Owen
Undoubtedly the star attraction of Vang Vieng, a town on highway 13 between Vientiane and Luang Prabang in Laos, is the Nam Song River lined with rope swings, zip wires and a multitude of cool bars – a veritable playground for backpackers! Karen Farini catches up with Greg and Owen, 27 year old UK twins, who own the coolest and quirkiest entertainment space in town to get the low down on running a business on a river bank prone to annual flooding, the locals’ view of the abrupt change in culture and of course the crazy and controversial phenomenon known as tubing…
The Truth About Life as a Travel Writer: Interview with Lonely Planet Writer & Travel Guru, Joe Cummings
30 years ago, there was no guidebook to Thailand in print. Teaming up with Lonely Planet founders, Tony and Maureen Wheeler, Joe Cummings wrote the first travel guide to Thailand since 1928, ‘Thailand: A Travel Survival Kit’ in 1981. He continued to work for Lonely Planet for the next 25 years. To date, he has written over 40 guidebooks and books about Asian culture and now works as Deputy Editor of the Bangkok Post’s TheMagazine. We met up with Joe in Bangkok at a swanky ‘flashpacker’ hotel to find out more about life as an iconic travel writer…