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Travel Interview: Backpacks & Bunk Beds

The following is an excerpt from an interview with travel blogger Neil, from Backpacks and Bunk Beds.

Hi, I’m Neil, 27 and from London. I like cheese, cider, football, ice cream and sunshine.  I dislike onions, pigeons, queue jumpers and kids who sit at the bus rapping (badly) so that everyone can hear them. I’m the creator and editor of www.backpacksandbunkbeds.co.uk.

Like most people I probably started my blog as a way of communicating with friends and family whilst I was away travelling exotic lands. When I got back from my RTW trip in 2007 I took a few classes in web design, from there  it just snowballed really.  A love of travel + a love of web design, what other outcomes could there be?

My site generally chats about where I’ve been, what I recommend and what I plan next.  I sometimes let my emotions get to me and write about things that distinctly p*ss me off, but I’m only human.  Most of the time I try to keep the site pretty chilled and chatty. I have a few running themes such as ‘What to do in London’ and ‘Hostel life’,  I’m also quite partial to including an image or two in my posts, I find them most helpful and aesthetically pleasing.

When and where was your last trip?

I’ve just got back from a weekend in Ireland with my girlfriend. She’s half Irish and lived out near Limerick for close to 5 years. We went to one of her friends 30^th birthday parties before ending up in a random country pub until 4am drinking Irish cider and listen to traditional Irish music. I was a little sore the next morning, but managed to make it out of bed to watch the Gaelic football final between Dublin and Kerry. A very interesting sport and a great final to watch, Dublin won it at the death, just 2 seconds were left on the clock.

You've volunteered in South Africa to teach sports and also in Sri Lanka & India. What are the benefits for participating in volunteer programs while travelling?

The benefits are both long and short term. Short term you get an amazing opportunity to see a country up close. You’ll interact and work alongside locals, you’ll travel and eat as they do, and generally get an insight into their lives, all whilst located at a central base. This takes away the worry of wondering where you’ll be sleeping each night, and gives you somewhere to call home for a month or two. Having somewhere to call home will quickly help you establish routines, and this in turn will help you get over any homesickness you may be feeling.

The long term benefits of volunteering are mainly based around your employment value, the skills you have learnt etc.  Volunteer placements will give you access to new contacts, languages, ‘insider’ knowledge etc, all of which is highly desirable within the travel industry. Some volunteer companies only employee people who have themselves volunteered.  If you’re looking to get into the travel industry, it’s a great thing to have on your CV.

Sri Lanka obviously left a big impression on you. What made it so special and why is it worth visiting?

My volunteer placement was fantastic in Sri Lanka. Everything from our housing, fellow volunteers and the kids I was teaching. The sun was always shining, and everyone I met had a smile on their face. I couldn’t fault it. When I wasn’t teaching I was travelling the country and it was all within such easy reach.  The transport may have been a little chaotic at times, but it was well organized and allowed me to see so many great things. I’m quite tall, so being camped on a bus for 24hrs isn’t my favorite thing, Sri Lanka never put me through that. From the city to the beach was 3hrs by Train which ran right along the beach. Sure beats the London Underground.

You currently live in London, and like most Londoners, you dislike pigeons. What's the deal with that?

What’s the point of them?  They’re pretty ugly, leave loads of mess and 99% of the time they aim for my head when flying.  I swear they’re amassing an army! … but to what purpose?  What do they actually do?

If English winters are "grey and wet" like you describe them, where's your ideal winter travel location?

I’d love to visit Canada so that I can pretend I’m good at snowboarding. I’d also love to visit Iceland so that I can see the northern lights. Anywhere white and cold is ok by me, white is picturesque. Its grey, rainy and cold that suck as a combination.

On your 12-month trip through Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, what were some of your highlights?

Australia was all about the lifestyle, it was so easy going and there was always a party. NYE in Sydney harbor was pretty special, diving on the Great Barrier Reef was also an item ticked off the bucket list. Simply amazing!

New Zealand on the other hand was less about the partying and more about getting out and seeing the beauty of the country. Although probably one of the hardest things I’ve done, hiking the Tongariro Crossing was outstanding.

Fiji was an interesting one. I got to see it from 2 sides and I know which I prefer.  My girlfriend at the time and I hit a few of the major islands and were left wanting. There was nothing authentic about them.  We were simply encouraged to drink and spend money. There was no getting to know Fiji, sadly for us, just food poisoning. Then I alone travelled to a small island way in the north of Fiji to take part in an Eco project called Tribewanted. The project was all about building a sustainable village on the tiny island of Vorovoro. This experience got me much closer to Fiji and the Fijians way of life.  We worked side by side constructing spice gardens, compost toilets, tree houses etc. When the work was done for the day we’d then play rugby together, eat together and drink Kava together. I’m not here to sell Tribewanted, but I would recommend it!

Follow Neil on his continuing travels:

http://twitter.com/packsandbunks

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