I am a Flashpacker. Why? I mostly travel with a rucksack; I rather stay in hostels, eat in local restaurants & usually travel by public transport; I mostly choose less conventional destinations, far from the mainstream tourism destinations. But I think that Flashpacking is above all a way of experiencing different cultures and interacting with the country. It is also about respect, allowing me to dive into new, unknown experiences. Continue Reading →
Archive | FAQ
Why The Focus On Africa, South America & Parts Of Asia?
I sometimes use roads well traveled to visit world famous sights, but most of the time I try to stay Off The Beaten Track. I enjoy to explore areas on our planet that are still off the radar of mainstream tourism and even unknown to most travelers, places that offer genuine travel experiences. Those areas we mainly found in Africa, South America & parts of Asia. Continue Reading →
Why This Website(s)?
I started a website at the beginning of my first Round The World Trip in 2007 – 2008. It was meant to be a Travel Dairy, so I would remember all the places I was and all the things I witnessed and experienced. So in the beginning, I was the first target group of our website. Writing every evening and going through the photos made me realize that without that process of reflection, my memories would not have been able to store all these intensive impressions. When I noticed that lots of people were reading my website, I started thinking…. Continue Reading →
How Is This Website Programed?
This website is a customized version of WordPress. Actually, if you have technical questions, ask my Webmaster, I am no specialists of Bits & Bites! And do not intend to turn into this…
Are Those Websites A Source Of Income?
So far, my website(s) are no source of revenue, on the contrary: programming them and maintaining them costs us actually (quite a bit of) money. Continue Reading →
Why Add TravelAficionados.com To OneYearOff.net?
I created OneYearOff.net before I set off on our Round The World Trip in 2007-2008. Thus the name “One Year Off”. Back then the name sounded cool and best described my intention. Continue Reading →
Why Do You Write In English?
Heidi is Austrian. Gilles is French. Using either one of these two languages, German and French, we would only be able reach a limited number of our (potential) audience. English being the Lingua Franca of international travelers, the decision which language seemed quite easy. Continue Reading →
Follow Your Dreams? What Do You Mean?
Let me maybe start with two highly inspiring quotes, which I try to live up to as much as I can:
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” (Mark Twain).
“One day you will wake up and there won’t be any more time to do the things you’ve always wanted. Do it now.” (Paulo Coelho) Continue Reading →
Isn’t It Risky… Or Even Dangerous?
The killer question… NO! Traveling is not dangerous!!!
How many people get injured or killed in car accidents? How many people get badly hurt or killed skiing every year? If you act responsibly, travelling is less risky than driving a car. Continue Reading →
How Much Does This Costs?
Calculating the costs so far in advance is a quite challenging undertaking: so much can change within the next three years. Moreover, traveling with a 76+ year old, there is no way to “rough it” as we sometimes do, when necessary, for a short period – Not that we like it a lot… Continue Reading →