https://bkpk.me Piggy-back ride with A&Z Sun, 26 Jun 2022 18:39:07 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 https://bkpk.me/7-years-of-backpack-me/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=7-years-of-backpack-me https://bkpk.me/7-years-of-backpack-me/#comments Tue, 18 Sep 2018 23:49:26 +0000 Ashray https://bkpk.me/?p=21816
Our blog turns seven today. When Zara and I started this site, we never imagined that we would make it to seven years. Our plan was to travel for up to one year and write about our adventures during that year. This was the dumb post that started it all. ... more »]]> https://bkpk.me/7-years-of-backpack-me/feed/ 14 https://bkpk.me/so-where-are-you-really-from/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=so-where-are-you-really-from https://bkpk.me/so-where-are-you-really-from/#comments Tue, 07 Aug 2018 19:22:04 +0000 Ashray https://bkpk.me/?p=21786
Identity is an abstract idea that people use to categorize each other. We look at a face and immediately a thousand neurons fire to tell us more about this person based on our preconceived ideas. Being open minded is about identifying these preconceived notions and challenging them with our rational ... more »]]> https://bkpk.me/so-where-are-you-really-from/feed/ 10 https://bkpk.me/penang-multicultural-food/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=penang-multicultural-food https://bkpk.me/penang-multicultural-food/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2018 18:01:58 +0000 Zara https://bkpk.me/?p=21431
Penang is the most food-obsessed place we have ever been to! Folks eat out all the time. Food is ubiquitous, quick, convenient and affordable. Most of the meals served around Penang are prepared by street vendors in so-called “hawker stalls”. Like Ashray would say comparing street food with graffiti “these ... more »]]> https://bkpk.me/penang-multicultural-food/feed/ 7 https://bkpk.me/fun-facts-and-observations-about-iceland/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fun-facts-and-observations-about-iceland https://bkpk.me/fun-facts-and-observations-about-iceland/#comments Sun, 15 Apr 2018 08:50:52 +0000 Zara https://bkpk.me/?p=21310
We traveled to Iceland during winter, and we didn’t get to go all over the island. As I know even people from tiny countries (I’m from Portugal!) get pretty specific about the things that apply to one region but may not apply to another, allow me to clarify that the ... more »]]> https://bkpk.me/fun-facts-and-observations-about-iceland/feed/ 4 https://bkpk.me/why-you-need-to-explore-the-center-of-portugal/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=why-you-need-to-explore-the-center-of-portugal https://bkpk.me/why-you-need-to-explore-the-center-of-portugal/#comments Sun, 08 Apr 2018 13:10:16 +0000 Zara https://bkpk.me/?p=21092
I was recently talking with a foreign friend here in Portugal and she mentioned something that I had never actually thought about. In Portugal, people tend to be proud of their job. It doesn’t really matter what they do for a living, folks tend to do it with dignity and ... more »]]> https://bkpk.me/why-you-need-to-explore-the-center-of-portugal/feed/ 23 https://bkpk.me/the-age-of-industrial-tourism-in-s-joao-da-madeira-portugal/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-age-of-industrial-tourism-in-s-joao-da-madeira-portugal https://bkpk.me/the-age-of-industrial-tourism-in-s-joao-da-madeira-portugal/#comments Tue, 27 Feb 2018 17:24:39 +0000 Zara https://bkpk.me/?p=21060
Nowadays, almost anything can be turned into a touristic experience. Traveling around the world, I’ve come across some pretty silly examples of this. Folks from rich countries paying to ride a bullock cart in the Cambodian countryside comes to mind, for example. But on the other end of the spectrum, ... more »]]> https://bkpk.me/the-age-of-industrial-tourism-in-s-joao-da-madeira-portugal/feed/ 6 https://bkpk.me/winter-on-the-silk-road/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=winter-on-the-silk-road https://bkpk.me/winter-on-the-silk-road/#comments Tue, 13 Feb 2018 18:26:26 +0000 Anita Faria https://bkpk.me/?p=21013
When I was in China working as an English teacher, I decided to cycle around Iran. I finished my contract at the end of November, so I thought I might as well travel to Iran by land. The problem was, I’d be traveling in winter. I’m Portuguese so I knew ... more »]]> https://bkpk.me/winter-on-the-silk-road/feed/ 6 https://bkpk.me/tour-dmz-korean-demilitarized-zone/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tour-dmz-korean-demilitarized-zone https://bkpk.me/tour-dmz-korean-demilitarized-zone/#comments Fri, 05 Jan 2018 11:58:09 +0000 Zara https://bkpk.me/?p=20700
Visiting the Demilitarized Zone (aka DMZ) between North and South Korea was quite a bizarre experience. Yet it was one of those bizarre experiences that I would certainly recommend to anyone traveling to Seoul and at all interested in local affairs. The so-called demilitarized zone happens to have more than ... more »]]> https://bkpk.me/tour-dmz-korean-demilitarized-zone/feed/ 6 https://bkpk.me/most-read-travel-articles-of-2017/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=most-read-travel-articles-of-2017 https://bkpk.me/most-read-travel-articles-of-2017/#comments Fri, 15 Dec 2017 15:30:25 +0000 Zara https://bkpk.me/?p=20780
As the year draws to an end, we like looking back at what were the articles that you found more inspiring and useful here on Backpack ME. We did the same last year, back in 2015 or even before that. This is a nice little way of also reliving travel ... more »]]> https://bkpk.me/most-read-travel-articles-of-2017/feed/ 5 https://bkpk.me/17-most-popular-travel-instagrams-of-2017/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=17-most-popular-travel-instagrams-of-2017 https://bkpk.me/17-most-popular-travel-instagrams-of-2017/#comments Wed, 13 Dec 2017 15:52:45 +0000 Zara https://bkpk.me/?p=20748
We like using Instagram to share snippets from our travels as they happen. This year, we’ve embraced the platform even further and started sharing Insta Stories. If you’re not following Backpack ME on Instagram yet, please come join us and we’ll make sure to keep feeding your wanderlust! On our ... more »]]> https://bkpk.me/17-most-popular-travel-instagrams-of-2017/feed/ 5 https://bkpk.me/backpackme-mega-xmas-giveaway/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=backpackme-mega-xmas-giveaway https://bkpk.me/backpackme-mega-xmas-giveaway/#comments Sat, 09 Dec 2017 23:51:05 +0000 Zara https://bkpk.me/?p=20795
Last year, we started the tradition of doing a Christmas giveaway here on Backpack ME. It was a fairly simple affair and our reader Mara, from Texas, took home some cool gifts. This year, we thought that if we’re again going to spread some travel love in the shape of ... more »]]> https://bkpk.me/backpackme-mega-xmas-giveaway/feed/ 148 https://bkpk.me/south-korea-visa-for-indians/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=south-korea-visa-for-indians https://bkpk.me/south-korea-visa-for-indians/#comments Sun, 22 Oct 2017 10:26:57 +0000 Ashray https://bkpk.me/?p=20584
Indian passport holders ordinarily need a visa to visit South Korea (except Jeju island). You can apply for a visa at the nearest South Korean consulate and receive a 90 day visa fairly quickly. Most nationalities, even those that need a visa to visit South Korea, do not need one ... more »]]> https://bkpk.me/south-korea-visa-for-indians/feed/ 117 https://bkpk.me/easy-return-tickets-for-international-travelers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=easy-return-tickets-for-international-travelers https://bkpk.me/easy-return-tickets-for-international-travelers/#comments Sat, 14 Oct 2017 06:58:19 +0000 Ashray https://bkpk.me/?p=20525
For Indians, the most painful part of international travel is usually the dreaded visa. If you haven’t yet applied for a visa and need to show a tentative itinerary, we have an article on how to book refundable tickets to obtain visas. However, once we’ve sorted out all our papers, ... more »]]> https://bkpk.me/easy-return-tickets-for-international-travelers/feed/ 8 https://bkpk.me/things-in-common-india-mexico/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=things-in-common-india-mexico https://bkpk.me/things-in-common-india-mexico/#comments Wed, 09 Aug 2017 23:11:36 +0000 Zara https://bkpk.me/?p=20305
If India and Mexico made love, they could give birth to something beautiful! No doubt the newborn would dress colorfully and adorn its everyday things with vibrant tones. It would be saucy, spicy and topped with heaps of cilantro. Chances are it would also care a great deal about religion. ... more »]]> https://bkpk.me/things-in-common-india-mexico/feed/ 17 https://bkpk.me/what-it-feels-like-to-live-in-one-place-after-traveling-the-world-for-5-years/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=what-it-feels-like-to-live-in-one-place-after-traveling-the-world-for-5-years https://bkpk.me/what-it-feels-like-to-live-in-one-place-after-traveling-the-world-for-5-years/#comments Sun, 14 May 2017 19:05:27 +0000 Zara https://bkpk.me/?p=20108
On a random late winter day, we were strolling around in Lisbon. We were walking down one of those typical cobblestone stairways when Ashray pointed out to me “watch out!”, giving me a heads-up that would prevent me from stepping into a pile of poo. “Dude, that’s quite a big ... more »]]> https://bkpk.me/what-it-feels-like-to-live-in-one-place-after-traveling-the-world-for-5-years/feed/ 11