December 31, 2010
Hello!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
What are your travel resolutions for 2011?
2011 is going to be a great year for Backpacking Tips Asia.com. I will tell you more about it later in this newsletter ;-) Right now it's just one more month before I leave for India. I'm so excited. And can't wait to tell you about the new adventures when I return home in March 2011.
Stay tuned! :-)
Amanda
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Issue # 11 -- Dec 31, 2010
Contents:1) New Year Resolutions of Backpacking Tips Asia
2) Special Report: Volunteering in Malaysia
(All links below open in a new window)
1) New Year Resolutions of Backpacking Tips Asia
So what's the resolutions of Backpacking Tips Asia for 2011, and more importantly: What's in it for you?I've been scratching my head for a while now and thought about new features the website should have for the upcoming year. I have some ideas though, and I want to share it with you:
- India
As I mentioned, I'm leaving for India soon.
New destinations will be added to the site during 2011:
-- Kerala (Trivandrum, Varkala, Allepey and Kochin)
-- Tamil Nadu (Kanya Kumari)
-- Varanasi (Ghats, Sarnath, reviews of accommodation and restaurants)
-- Bikaner (Camel Breeding Farm, Rat Temple)
-- New Delhi (reviews of accommodation, attractions and restaurants)
-- Jaipur updates
-- Elephant Festival and Holi festival
-- Practical train information (how to book tickets online and offline, how to choose berths and other useful tips)
-- Responsible Travel
Before I leave in February, I'll post an article about booking tickets through Cleartrip, since IRCTC is a mess -- I fought with IRCTC for two days!
- China and Hong Kong
China and Hong Kong will be added as new countries to the site
As I'm expanding the site continously, I will add these countries to introduce you to travel inspiration in the far East.
My sister visited Shanghai and will be telling you about her experiences with this megacity. Me and my family visited Hong Kong in 2008/2009, and I'll be sharing our opinions and must-sees for travelers.
- New version of the backpacking forum
The travel forum has been snowballing since it started 6 months ago :-)
I want to expand it by dividing the forum into sections. Questions about itineraries and budget are the most frequent ones, and these will fall into two separate categories.
Check out the backpacking forum
- Get involved
In 2011, I'll be working on giving you an opportunity to comment each article on my site. I've been lousy in this area, and only added comment boxes to certain pages. This way, you can share your real tips and advice with fellow travelers.
- Advertising
Since I've been receiving a lot of inquiries about advertising on my site, I thought about giving the advertisers an opportunity to do exactly that.
What are your ideas for Backpacking Tips Asia? How can it become even better and more useful to you? Please leave a message, and contact me. I'll greet any good idea with open arms :-)
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Free e-book
Just a reminder. I told you about this in the last newsletter. In case you missed it the free e-book has been updated. Start Your Footprints
I've added more information on how to determine your itineraries, suggestions of travel destinations and more examples of itineraries. In addition to this the price lists have been updated.
Survey
Speaking of e-books: In between my school syllabus and article writing, I'm researching for a new e-book. I want this e-book to be as good as possible, to fulfill your needs as a traveler!
Please take a couple of minutes to answer 10 questions regarding your major concerns when planning a backpacking trip and general questions about customer behavior.
I would really appreciate it! :-)
Click here to take survey
2) Special Report: Volunteering in Malaysia
Daniel from Ecoteer contacted me a while ago, and introduced me to their volunteering projects in Asia, especially Malaysia.I've been reading up on their projects, what they have to offer and what sets them apart from thousands of other volunteering organizations.
Their programs are compatible with backpackers' needs because:
- Volunteering doesn't need to be expensive. Ecoteer provides volunteering for cheap money.
Price per week: from £ 20
- Global projects
Daniel and his team provide a database for travelers to connect directly with grass root projects around the world. They have over 200 placements with over 80 of them costing less than £ 50 per week due to elimination of the middle man agencies.
Volunteering in Malaysia through Ecoteer -- what is it about:
Daniel co-founded Help Our Penyu in 2009 with his friend and Malaysian turtle conservationist Azimi.
HOPE is a registered Malaysian society with the sole aim of doubling the sea turtle nesting numbers in Terengganu by 2060.
They have two main volunteer projects; one on the Perhentians working with the local community and the educating the tourists. The other project is based on the mainland and is collecting turtle track data from all beaches on the mainland of Terengganu.
Borneo Child Aid Society (BCAS)
BCAS is providing free schooling to over 10,000 children living in Sabah who are not eligable for state funded schooling.
There are approximately 50,000 children in Sabah who do not receive any schooling. The volunteer project is helping to improve the English teaching standards for the children and provide the children with afternoon activities including a weekly environmental club.
It this sounds interesting and want to know more, visit their sites:
Ecoteer
Help Our Penyu
Borneo Child Aid
Hope you enjoyed this newsletter! See you in January!
Amanda