This page is intended to serve as a place where Nicola and Rachel can pass on any information they have found useful, and that may be a help to others.
There will initially be little structure here - they can sort it out into a more rational resource when they get back.
At $10-$15 a real bargain travelling between New York and Boston.
Research visa requirements carefully before you set off. Carry lots of passport photos with you. With the Vietnam 30 day visa, it is actually valid for a 3 month period. It is only valid for 30 days once you enter the country but you can be very approximate about your dates when you apply for the visa because as long as you enter and leave within the 3 month period requested then you are fine. Good to know this as the Embassies don’t like to tell you this because they would rather you forked out more money for the 3 month visa to buy you this flexibility. Unless you are planning to stay more than 30 days, don’t pay for the 3 month visa as the 30 day one has the same time span. Backpackers rarely know exactly when they will be coming or going.
If using public transport regularly in a city then make your first stop the travel information desk to determine the cheapest ticket for you to travel on. In Australia for example you can buy tickets with 10 rides on (saves a lot of money). Find the best ticket for you straight away or you’ll kick yourself later when you see how much money you wasted.
If travelling to the islands in Fiji it is best to book directly with the Resorts rather than go through a tourist agent. The agents do make things very convenient for you and cost no less/extra money. However they take up to 30% of what you pay, sometimes leaving a pittance for the Resort workers who actually have all the expenses and effort. I wish I had known about this before so I could have made an informed decision as I felt terrible discovering how little of my money had gone to the Resort staff who looked after me so well. If I had booked directly they would have done much better.
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Beware of Tuk Tuk drivers taking you to places that you don't want to go. Often you will agree a destination and land up at a clothes store for tailor-made goods or at a jewellery store. The drivers take you here because they get free petrol from the shops for every customer that they bring in. We did this a couple of times to get the driver his free petrol as a favour, but soon got tired of it. It just hinders you when you are trying to see lots of sights in a short space of time. If you are aware that they do this then negotiate a price and your destination, with no diversions, before you get in the Tuk Tuk.
Don't listen to people on the street who tell you that places are closed. It is sad not to trust local knowledge but you must be cynical. By all means ask advice from local thai people, but beware those that step out of their way to advise you unprompted. If you are not sure if a wat or museum or attraction is open then find out from your guesthouse, from a T.A.T approved office or from the destination directly. We have been told many times by seemingly ordinary local Thais that various Wats are closed and later discovered this to be false. Apparently these people work on commission and are keen to get you to go elsewhere where they can collect money for helping sell you the idea. I trusted them at first because I could see no motive for them to lie for me. Then I learned that they work on commission. This messed up our day sight seeing as we were told that the grand palace was closed and opened late afternoon. We went there at 4pm and had to rush around it in half an hour before it closed for the day. This was very frustrating.