How would your travel plans change if you won the lottery?

by Abha Malpani on

An Aussie backpacker won US$830,000 in a lottery after he impulsively decided to buy a ticket when he arrived to New Zealand. Before becoming a millionaire in Kiwi-land, the plan was to travel around the country for a few months, fruit picking on the way. “However, we will now be able to travel in a bit more style,” he says.

This story made me wonder: if I won the lottery, how would that change my plans?

Honestly, I’d still backpack. I repel 5-star hotels. Other than a luxurious bath, they really have nothing to offer and they make me feel like I am living in a posh, protected bubble that hides everything real the place I’m visiting has to offer. Paying a fortune for a clean bed makes no sense to me and often makes me feel sick.

This feeling was reemphasized lately when I went to Barcelona for work and I was put up in the Arts Hotel — the most expensive hotel in the city. Everyone spoke English, I was surrounded by every nationality except Spaniards, a measly and tasteless coffee cost me €5(!!), and there was no place in my vicinity (other than a grubby Chinese restaurant) where I could eat for less than €20. I would much rather have stayed in a cheap little hostel in the city center where I would meet cool people (who don’t have a pole up their backside or a $ sign on their forehead) and have access to cheap local food and bars where the Catalans hang.

So if I won the jackpot, I would invest some of the money in assets that would generate consistent revenue so I could spend more time more often on the road; the rest I would give to some cause. What would you do?

Backpacker Podcasts

by Erik Olsen on

For those who like their podcasts raw, but directly from the source, Backpacker Magazine is now offering a series of podcasts wherein the magazine’s Rocky Mountain editor Steve Howe blabs about his experiences hiking the Sierra High Route in California. Or at least, that’ s what the first page of podcasts embedded into the page here, are about. I listened to several of them and thought they could use a little production work .The audio is poor quality and tinny, but Howe takes them seriously, offering useful, sometimes philosophical, information about hiking. One feature I like a lot is the “track Steve’s Progress” feature on Google earth. A nice touch.

Although they are a little boring at times, hard-core hikers will probably find them interesting for some of the technical info Howe discusses. The first file on the page has Howe pleasantly surprised that a hike he took brought him near a place called Frozen Lake Pass that he’d never seen before. Another has him giving tips on how to properly haul your way up a wall of scree. If I were Backpacker, I’d make sure these got into itunes so that people can subscribe…something they may have done, but that they do not advertise well enough on the site. Also, most people will probably want to listen on their ipods or MP3 players, so you probably want to use the feed if you’re to keep up on this podcast.