Guides & Resources

Everything You Need to Know About That Can of Beer You’re Holding

beer

Whether it’s your drink of choice every night out or you find the taste too strong for your preference, no one can deny how beer is a staple in every bar, club, or restaurant almost anywhere in the world. Unlike other alcoholic drinks, beer dates to ancient civilizations, possibly as early as 10,000 BC. Today, it’s still one of the top choices of millions of adults and is currently the third most popular drink, after water and tea. When you’re cracking open a cold one, have you ever stopped to consider what it took to get a truckload of wheat …

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Hiking the Ngong Ping 360 Rescue Trail

ngong-ping-trail

While it should be one of the most popular hiking trails in Hong Kong, very few people seem to know about the Ngong Ping 360 Rescue Trail – a 6-kilometer trail (but feels like 8 kilometers) running directly under the cable cars in Lantau Island Hong Kong leading to the Big Buddha.  The trail is called that because the commercial park you travel to before getting to the monastery and the Big Buddha is called Ngong Ping 360, and the trail was originally built to service the cable cars throughout the whole trail, breaking from the trail for only less …

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Japan on a Shoestring: Budget Tips

japan at night

It’s no secret to the backpacking community that Japan is an expensive destination. The purist budget traveler in me would stay away from it, but it’s hard to ignore the country’s rich culture, enigmatic cityscapes, and natural wonder. Despite its ridiculously high cost of living, I am still drawn and deeply attached to this country, which is why I keep coming back to it despite my lifestyle and limited resources. The main advantage to being a shoestring traveler for many years is that stretching a budget and getting more for less would require minimum effort. Japan is no exception to …

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Eco-touring West Malaysia: 5 Forest Reserves to Visit

Penang National Park

The vast majority of West Malaysia is a tranquil tropical rainforest, far removed from the frenzy and anxieties that beset city life. Picture a cozy cabin suspended by wooden stilts, intertwined into an understory of saplings, palms, and mangrove. Native groundcovers fringe the damp trail, inching to reclaim lost ground. A hanging bridge weaves through brackish water and a canopy of hardwood. Birdsong, the dawn chorus of siamangs (giant gibbons), an invisible waterfall nearby, inviting you to a dreamlike state of sensory bliss. This is Peninsular Malaysia – home to the Rafflesia, ancient kempas hardwood, and the elusive Malayan tiger. …

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Ultralight Packing Tips: Living On the Road with Less

travel-packing

If you’ve seen the movie “Wild” (starring Reese Witherspoon), you’d remember the breathtaking scenes and whirlwind of emotions that led to the satisfying end. But you’ll also recall the absurdity of the main character’s backpack. It’s enormous for her size. And it is packed with so many unnecessary items which made her Appalachian thru-hike nearly impossible to endure. While she did manage to make it to the end of the trail, her packing mistake isn’t worth repeating. Treading the world lightly is a way of life here at My Travel Backpack. And what better way to leave a minimal environmental …

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