Going Back to School! :-D

Hey!

Hehehe I just got accepted to "Høgskolen i Oslo" and for the next year, I'm going to read about development studies. It's about the north/south relationship and some of the hot themes is how we can help poor countries to exploit their natural resources. I'm an environmental gal, so hopefully I will learn more about the global environmental issues! :-D Looking forward to it!

But this means that I won't be able to write that many articles for Backpacking Tips Asia.com in the future! I have to at least pass the exams you know :P

My main focus is to keep writing on my e-book. Yes, you heard me a very detailed e-book about how to plan a backpacking trip. Hopefully it will contain 200 pages and I will sell it to an affordable and reasonable price! :-)

Amanda

Editor of Backpacking Tips Asia.com going on a long vacation!

Hey hey,

tomorrow I will be sitting on a plane on my way to Bangkok! :)

We (me and bf) will be traveling in Thailand and Cambodia until May 6!

So no new articles during this period...!

I cant wait to share my adventures with you when I come back... hihihi

Bye!

Amanda

Researching for new articles....

Hey, hey!

I'm finally using my knowledge for something good. These days I've been working on articles about travel safety, crime and terrorism.

It's a HUGE project, and it's going to take some time -- but it will be good! :-)

Every traveler has their worries, whether if the travel destination is safe or if they will have enough money for the trip.

Now, SAFETY is of course a large issue when traveling, and I get regular e-mails about "How safe is it there?" "My mom is worried since I'm traveling to Asia, what should I say to her?" and etc etc.

To ease the pain for YOU, as my reader, and your family (who probably won't stop worrying even if they're going to read the articles, but at least you will get the hard facts about reality), I'm doing the dirty work for you ;-)

The themes of the articles will be anything from petty crime (theft, robbery) to larger issues like terrorism, trafficking, local conflicts etc.

The question is: "Should you really worry?"

And most importantly, how can you try to avoid it?

I'm going to try my best to introduce you the common potential dangers in Asia. To fully understand them, you need to know why they happen.

For example: I'm going to tell you about the conflict in Kashmir (Northern India), why there is a conflict and how travelers to this region can be affected/or not affected.

I appreciate your patience! :)

Amanda

Busy Bee...

Hey guys,

this month has been crazy for me. I have to move out again. So I've been damn busy with apartment-looking. I'm picky, and it's expensive to rent a room/apartment in Oslo, so this will take some time.

The last article I wrote was on Jan 4. I will try to write an article this weekend, but I can't promise anything. And my mom turns 50 on Sunday :-P

Please be patient! Remember that I'm human too ;-)

Amanda

Christmas is on...

Hey guys,

Merry Christmas!!! :D Hope you've eaten well :P

It's Christmas, and I've been a bit lazy these days. To be honest, I really enjoy doing nothing during the holidays... Haha. So new articles will come after New Year's :D

It's kind odd that I'm celebrating Christmas in Norway again -- I haven't done so the last two years. Christmas 2007, I was in Koh Pha Ngan (Thailand). Christmas 2008, I was in Pampanga in the Philippines. It feels strange to celebrate it at home again, but in a good way! ;)

Enjoy your steaks, Singhas or whatever! :D

Have a Happy New Year as well!

Amanda

Flu Attack

I've just recovered from a flu attack which lasted a whole damn week. So I haven't been able to write articles and update the blog (and no, it's not the swine flu... ;)

Right now the newsletter and the e-book are the most important things to be done, so I'm busy with this. So you won't be getting new "ordinary" articles before November 20.

But I can give you sneak peak on future articles! YEAH!

-- Review of Mount Pinatubo, Philippines

-- Reviews of places visited on Bohol Island in the Philippines

-- Laos Culture

-- Sipadan Scuba Diving

Please be patient...

Amanda

Adding Philippines & Hong Kong to Backpacking-Tips-Asia.com!

My plan before 2010 comes into force, is to start releasing articles on the Philippines and Hong Kong.

BUT...

I didn't go backpacking here!!! (it was a family trip in Dec/Jan 2009) But I feel like I still caught a lot of good things that should be useful to you as a backpacker!

An example is the Mount Pinatubo Tour which I think is cool activity to do in the Philippines.

Many travelers coming to Philippines go straight to the beaches in south, but they somehow forget or don't want to visit the beauty of the north! My parents are from the province of Pampanga (in the north) and it's just beautiful up there!

My boyfriend walked all the way to Mt Pinatubo, and he's going to help me write this article! ;-) I caught fever during this trip, so I couldn't enjoy it myself.

Other things I will be writing about are:
-- Reviews of the attractions we visited on Bohol Island
-- Review of Alona Kew Beach (Bohol)
-- Shopping in the Philippines
-- Lantau Island of Hong Kong

And since I'm technically a Filipina, I will write about the exciting (but sometimes strict) culture of the Philippines!

I've started writing these articles, but the newsletter (which will be released on Nov 20) is priority nr. 1!!!

So after this, I will hopefully be serving you fun reviews of Philippines and Hong Kong! ;-)

Amanda