Virtual Backpacking Destination----LONDON!!

First stop, London!!

The flight would be from Singapore Changi Airport to London Heathrow Airport

Date: 6/12/08 Time :23.35
Arrive : 7/12/08 Time :5.25
On Qantas Airways
zuji.com.sg -->London Top Flights Deals



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Choice of Hostel is
Queen Victoria Hostel
118 Wellington Street, London, SE18 6XY, England
Located only 20 minutes from the world's most famous and historical bridge. LONDON BRIDGE.
Why there? Because they can store my backpack for me if I arrive before the check-in time at 12pm ( and base on the flight details.. I would really be early)
Book Queen Victoria Hostel, London, England with Hostelbookers

Directions to get from Heathrow to Queen Victoria hotel

Catch the Piccadilly Line and change at Kings Cross, from here catch the Northern Line to LONDON BRIDGE. take a train to Woolwich Arsenal. We are only a 5 minute walk.

Virtual Backpacking

Although the economic slowdown is the best period to go backpacking but I have obligations that is stopping me from hopping onto the next flight and just go and walk around the world.

I came up with the idea of Virtual Backpacking using this blog.

I would use Google Map to draw out my Virtual Backpacking route.
Virtually stay at a certain hostel or couchsurf or sometimes in 5 start to relax..
Then virtually visit the area...
Constrain of time would still impact to my virtual route,that means I won't be going to the Louvre and be at Shang Hai the same day.

Now to decide where my first destination would be.....

Backpacker's accommodation --Local Lodging

Backpackers tries very hard to save money during their travel.

A very effective way is, AVOID HOTELS!!

Hostels is a cheap alternative to hotels.
you can book a Hostel anywhere in the world with the widget on the left sidebar of this blog.

There's another way to save money and ALSO.. get up close and personal with people living in that particular place.

Local Lodging -->that's the key.

When you local lodge. you are actually living in the same house as your leaser.

How does this actually happen?
Well, people with spare rooms but do not want a permanent leaser would put their rooms up for rent for a few days.
We (backpackers) would just book the room online or offline and stay for our traveling period. Some rooms come along with meals, some owners just invite you to meal even if it's not included. So be friendly , then you save both on accommodation and meals...

This is more popular in the Asia region especially in Japan and Taiwan where they name it 民宿 （min su).. means local's accommodation.

What to expect?

Don't expect 5 star service or 5 star food...or 5 star rooms...
The quality actually varies, some would have 6 star service and room but some would be more like hostels.
So make sure you only book those with popular ratings..but they do cost more..
If you can withstand anything and any enviroment then, just go ahead and book the cheapest one available.

Have fun lodging with the locals and get near to them.

Here's a few local lodging website:

For USA local lodging --> Roomorama
For UK local lodging -->SpareRoom
For Worldwide --> Vacation Renatals by Owners

A place to show people your route, GOOGLE MAP

Google Map is a new thing to me (that's outdated right?)

This program from Google enables travelers, backpackers alike to view satellite pictures, maps and terrain of their destination.

The program can even help you find directions to go to a place on the map.
You could even, gain access to maps with pictures and route all by fellow backpackers and travelers. This would help a lot in planning one's traveling route.

There are even more features like
1) pictures of the places of interest
2) short film of happenings at the place.

Put it this way,
You just got your personal Atlas to draw and play around with...
and you could also peep into people's Atlas..

That's FUN!!!