Category Pages For: LIVING Ideas

Special events and fun things to do

2025 Liveaboard Collage
NOVEMBER 2025 OVERVIEW We have completed our rainy season ‘optimal loop’ through S E Asia from August through November. We were in: Bali, Indonesia from the middle of August to the middle of September; Northern Laos from the middle of September to the middle of October; Southern Phuket, Thailand from the middle of October to the middle of November. To cut a long story short, if you don’t want lots of rain, your only choice is Indonesia at this time of year. Anyway, it is time to go over-budget. <<< We now go on a 5 night SCUBA Liveaboard in […]

Thailand – Andaman Sea – SCUBA Liveaboard ...

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2025 OVERVIEW We are continuing our ‘optimal loop’ through S E Asia. Mid August through to the end of October is a difficult time for sun lovers to travel through S E Asia … it is Rainy Season almost everywhere. We have just spent 3 weeks touring Northern Laos (Luang Prabang to Vientiane) … it rained (on average) about 1 day in 3 … for several hours on those ‘rainy days’ … sometimes all day. We now head for Phuket, Thailand. The Rainy Season in Phuket starts to clear from mid October. We land in Phuket in […]

Southern Phuket Scooter Tour – November Rain ...

NOVEMBER 2024 OVERVIEW Rajasthan (the ‘Land of Kings’) is a state in north-western India. It is the largest Indian state by area and it comprises most of the inhospitable Thar Desert. If you haven’t done so already, I suggest that you read my India Tips, Tricks, and Traps post first. This will help explain much of what you are going to read now. In this post, I document a 1 month train tour of Rajasthan. I start in New Delhi and stop off in each of the, following, towns before leaving Rajasthan and heading for Ahmedabad (the capital of Gujarat): […]

Rajasthan – India – A One Month ...

MARCH 2023 - MAY 2023 OVERVIEW In my previous post, I provided General Information about Cenang Beach including: Exchange Rates; Money / Banks / ATMs; Getting There; When to Go; Transport; Where to Stay; Accommodation Options; Internet / WiFi; Your GRANDPAcking Costs. … now, let’s look at what it is like to LIVE here on a GRANDPAcking Budget … BEACHES CENANG BEACH / PANTAI CENANG Cenang Beach is the most popular beach in Langkawi. This sandy beach is lined with many hotels, restaurants, and bars. It is 2 km long. This is also the busiest beach on the island with […]

Cenang Beach – Langkawi – Malaysia – ...

FEBRUARY 2023 OVERVIEW Thailand, currently offers most major country passport holders a 45 day Tourist Visa On Arrival (VOA). At the time of writing, Thailand had no COVID-19, Travel Insurance, nor Exit Ticket requirements. Thailand was open to both vaccinated and unvaccinated tourists. So, what can you do with those 45 days? … In this blog, I summarise a SCUBA Dive Liveaboard with some island hopping down to Langkawi, Malaysia … then, I suggest a 30 day Island Hopping itinerary … EXCHANGE RATE The currency in Thailand is the Baht (or the ‘THB’). At the time of writing, the exchange […]

Andaman Sea – Thailand – Living Ideas

FEBRUARY 2023 OVERVIEW Back in 2015, I did exactly the same SCUBA Liveaboard trip on the Manta Queen 7 (MQ7). You can read about it in my previous posts Andaman Sea – Thailand – SCUBA Dive Liveaboard. Andaman Sea – Thailand – SCUBA Dive Gallery: Andaman Coast – Thailand – GRANDPAcking Costs: Now, let’s look at how much things have changed … EXCHANGE RATE The currency in Thailand is the Baht (or the ‘THB’). I will refer to them as THBs. At the time of writing, the exchange rates for the major currencies were: US$1 EU€1 GB£1 Published Wholesale Rate […]

Andaman Sea – Thailand – SCUBA Liveaboard ...

OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2022: OVERVIEW: In my post (Gili Trawangan – Indonesia – Getting There), I talked about how to get to and find accommodation in Gili Trawangan (GiliT). I my previous post, I provided some General Information about GiliT. … now let’s talk about what it is like to ‘live’ here … PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Indonesia is the Indonesian Rupiah (or the ‘IDR’). I will refer to them as IDRs. At the time of writing, the exchange rates were: US$1 EU€1 GB£1 Published Wholesale Rate 15,319 15,063 17,204 Effective (Actual) Exchange Rate 15,037 14,786 16,888 You will […]

Gili Trawangan – Indonesia – Living on ...

MARCH 2020: OVERVIEW: My 2 daughters and I flew from Siem Reap, Cambodia to Chiang Mai, Thailand on AirAsia. … this is our Chiang Mai story … PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Thailand is the Thai Baht (or the ‘THB’). I will refer to them as T$s. At the time of writing, the exchange rates were: US$1 EU€1 GB£1 Published Wholesale Rate T$31.47 T$35.73 T$40.73 Effective Exchange Rate T$30.21 T$34.30 T$39.10 You will not get these wholesale rates; expect to lose a minimum of 4% … and as much as 6% (see, below). Over time, these exchange rates will change. […]

Chiang Mai – Thailand – CAT Motors ...

FEBRUARY 2020: OVERVIEW: I flew my 2 daughters out from New Zealand to join me in Saigon / Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Our plan was to tour the Mekong Delta before making our way up through Cambodia to Siem Reap (picking up the best highlights along the way). This is our route: … this is our story … PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Vietnam is the Vietnamese Dong (or the ‘VND’). I will refer to them as V$s. At the time of writing, the exchange rates were: US$1 EU€1 GB£1 Published Wholesale Rate V$23,215 V$25,775 V$30,156 Effective Exchange Rate V$22,538 […]

Mekong Delta (Vietnam) to Siem Reap (Cambodia) ...

2019: Click here to read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: This video shows you what 2 GRANDPAckers can do in 1 year on (an average of) less than US$55 / EU€50 / GB£43 per day. So, when are you going to start?! … TTFN

GRANDPAcking 2019

2018: Click here to read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: This video shows you what 2 GRANDPAckers can do in 1 year on (an average of) less than US$55 / EU€50 / GB£43 per day. This is, probably, my favourite year … Latin America including the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador), the Salt Flats (Bolivia), Lake Titicaca (Bolivia / Peru), Machu Picchu (Peru), and Nazca (Peru): So, when are you going to start?! … TTFN

GRANDPAcking 2018

2017: Click here to read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: This video shows you what 2 GRANDPAckers can do in 1 year on (an average of) less than US$55 / EU€50 / GB£43 per day. Central America: So, when are you going to start?! … TTFN

GRANDPAcking 2017