Rucksacktravel.com …backpacking the smart way!

It was time for something different, new and exciting! Before I went on this trip I decided I wanted to go rock climbing and kayaking in the Halong Bay with a company called SloPony, which was also mentioned in the bible of travelers (a.k.a. Lonely Planet). Slo Pony is also the company that first ...

At around 8 a.m. it was time to catch my open tour bus to Cat Ba Island traveling through the Halong Bay. I choose to organize my trip to Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island myself, based on an article I read at Travelfish and decided against those pre-organized 2-3 day cruises on the Halong Bay. If you’re still ...

Somewhat tired and exhausted from the long flight, I finally arrived at the Hanoi airport. The only thing left to do was to get my pre-approved Visa and catch a taxi to my hotel. Because I had no address of the hotel that I picked out on a short notice (at the Incheon airport), I had to improvise and stay at a ...

After landing at the Incheon International Airport for a 7 hour stopover this airport just blew me away and exceeded my expectations, which rarely ever happens! To sum up my initial impressions of the airport: surgically clean, idiot-proof, clear and concise signage that is both easy to read and navigate with a ...

Approximately 6 hours before my plane left I’d had to pack. I know, I was definitely cutting it short this time. And of course it had to rain like crazy on the day of my departure, but who cared, I was leaving Germany – at least for two weeks. During that time Germany could go blow an egg Anyway, ...

Hey, folks! Due to popular demand, find my route for my two-week backpacking tour in Vietnam below. You can click on the grouped balloon icons (2 and 5) to see further stops and details. Be sure to click on the full-screen button below the Terrain button for better viewing. ...

While I was putting together my packing list, I realized that I didn’t have a travel adapter for Vietnam. I needed to buy to buy a good universal travel adapter anyway, so why not use my trip to Vietnam as an excuse. During my research on Amazon and EBay I initially found two reputable travel ...

After checking the health risks that I may encounter in Vietnam, Malaria is one of them, according to the German Department of State (Auswärtiges Amt). By the way, checking for specific risks that you may be exposed to during your travels is something you should always do before you leave home. And do it well in ...

I just booked my flight to Vietnam. Now there’s no going back – let alone a refund. Find my flight itinerary below. In total, a gruesome 24-hour journey from door to door across the half of the globe. This will undoubtedly be the longest flight of my life. I wounder how I’m going to feel after ...

Just a short post to keep you updated on my decision where to spend my 2-week vacation in January. Needless to say, two weeks aren’t a whole lot if you want explore a foreign country, but visiting Asia was a very spontaneous idea, so I can’t really complain. So, these last few weeks I’ve been trying ...