Boozing for Cheap: What To Drink Where

by Martha Edwards on

The average backpacker is typically always looking for ways to entertain themselves inexpensively. And whether we agree with it or not, the fact is that most of the time, drinking=fun. But also, drinking=expensive, in many cases. Unless, of course, you know what to get. Based on my experiences, here are the cheapest things you can get wasted on, depending on where you are:

  • When in Australia, drink the boxed wine. A box of wine will run you about $10 AUD for 4L. And 4L is alot when you’re talking wine. That’s enough for you and you close travel buddies to have a few really good nights on, not to mention a few really bad of days battling hangovers. Not that I have any … um … experience with that or anything …
  • When in Thailand, drink Thai Whiskey. Sure, Chang Beer is a favourite among many travellers and locals alike, and it’s fairly cheap, but if you’re going for the best value, Thai whiskey is where it’s at. Especially if it’s of the home-brewed variety and you pick it up from some random dude in a remote village. But … um … be careful ….
  • When in Greece, drink Ouzo. A couple of my travel buddies bought a 4L bottle of Ouzo for about 3 €. It wasn’t the best Ouzo I ever had, but it wasn’t bad when mixed with something, and it did the trick. We travelled together for a month and it seemed like every night was an ouzo night. Still, I don’t think we finished it …
  • When in Mexico, drink the tequila — from Wal-Mart!: I felt a wave of shame when I entered the Wal-Mart in Puerto Vallarta, but that passed when I got to the alcohol section. There was at least half a dozen aisles of just tequila, and it was so, sooooooo cheap. Did I mention so cheap? Now, if I could only stomach the stuff ….
  • When in Canada, drink … water? Seriously, I love my country, but based on my travels, I think we must have to most expensive alcohol in the world. It’s always a shock coming back from a trip and realizing that 4L of anything will cost me 10 times as much as that Ouzo … unless it’s homemade moonshine. What do you think — is Canada an expensive place to drink, or is it just in my head?

The Worst Places to be Hungover When Traveling

by Martha Edwards on

Most of us have gone a bit overboard on the local beer or spirits when in another country. My worst experience was in Sydney, where my two friends and I found ourselves with a 4L box of wine that we bought for $10 and refused to haul any further on our way up the coast. We had one night to drink it, and it just happened to be Mardi Gras.We finished it all right. But most of my share ended up coming up the way it went in, if you get my drift. Running through the halls of the hostel, trying desperately to get my key card to open the door to the communal bathrooms before spewing up last night’s ill-advised double serving of fries rates up there as one of the worst days of my life. Make that two days.

Here’s what I consider to be the worst places to be hungover. Feel free to add your own in the comments:

  • On a boat off the coast of … well … anywhere: After one tequila-fueled night in Puerto Vallarta, my friends and I had to take a booze cruise or forfeit our deposit. So we went and oh my goodness, I’ve never been so seasick in my life. Actually, I’ve never been seasick period, besides that day. The Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Cairns is also notoriously choppy — one girl on a boat trip I went on had to be air-lifted back to shore!
  • In a Tuk Tuk: Bangkok is beautiful but it’s also hot and polluted and I can see why people splurge on cabs — breathing in the exhaust is enough to make anyone hurl, whether they’re already feeling a bit queasy or not.
  • In transit: Not only will exhaustion make you prone to missing your bus/flight/train/ferry but the motion/turbulence/rocking is bound to make you feel a bit ill. Plus, those miniature bathrooms leave something to be desired when you’re feeling nauseous.
  • Locked out of your hostel: Many hostels have lock-out rules during the day so while you want nothing more than to sleep it off, you’ll have to do it elsewhere. I recommend a nearby park if it’s nice out. If it’s not, you might be outta luck.
  • Outside when it’s hot: Laying on the beach with a bunch of bottled water is an okay way to recover, but there’s a fine line between being tolerably hot and being unbearably hot. Insane heat is uncomfortable when you’re feeling your best, so it’s really, really brutal when you’re feeling your worst.

So while we don’t ever really plan to be hungover, next time you’re tempted to say ‘cheers’ a few too many times, look at your surroundings. Must-haves for the hangover are air-conditioning, a decent bed that you can crash in for as long as you want, a supply of water and aspirin, and good friends who will bring you greasy food when you’re too sick to move.