• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Before Header

  • About
  • World Map
  • Work With Us
  • Disclosure/Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us

Budget Travel Talk

Road Trips Caravan Camping Australia

  • Home
  • Our Blog
  • Destinations
    • Australia Travel Blog
      • New South Wales
      • Queensland
        • Cairns
        • Sunshine Coast
        • Townsville
      • Tasmania
    • Asia
      • Cambodia
      • Japan
      • Laos
      • Singapore
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Americas
      • Canada
      • U.S.A.
    • Europe
      • Bosnia and Hercegovina
      • Croatia
      • Italy
      • Montenegro
      • Portugal
      • Slovenia
      • Spain
      • Turkey
        • Istanbul
    • Africa
      • Morocco
    • New Zealand / Pacific
  • Journey
    • Road Trips
    • Trains
    • Boat Trips
  • Travel Tips
    • Reviews
    • Destination Guides
    • Itineraries
    • Self Guided Walking Tours
    • Travel Resources
    • Budget Tips
    • Buying Guides
    • Interviews
  • Accommodation
    • Airbnb
    • Caravan Parks
    • Free Camping
    • Hotels
    • Housesitting
  • Experience
    • Food to Love
    • Festivals
    • Markets
    • Palaces and Castles
    • Ruins
    • Short Walks
    • Street Art
    • Bike Rides
  • Search
  • Home
  • Our Blog
  • Destinations
    • Australia Travel Blog
      • New South Wales
      • Queensland
        • Cairns
        • Sunshine Coast
        • Townsville
      • Tasmania
    • Asia
      • Cambodia
      • Japan
      • Laos
      • Singapore
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Americas
      • Canada
      • U.S.A.
    • Europe
      • Bosnia and Hercegovina
      • Croatia
      • Italy
      • Montenegro
      • Portugal
      • Slovenia
      • Spain
      • Turkey
        • Istanbul
    • Africa
      • Morocco
    • New Zealand / Pacific
  • Journey
    • Road Trips
    • Trains
    • Boat Trips
  • Travel Tips
    • Reviews
    • Destination Guides
    • Itineraries
    • Self Guided Walking Tours
    • Travel Resources
    • Budget Tips
    • Buying Guides
    • Interviews
  • Accommodation
    • Airbnb
    • Caravan Parks
    • Free Camping
    • Hotels
    • Housesitting
  • Experience
    • Food to Love
    • Festivals
    • Markets
    • Palaces and Castles
    • Ruins
    • Short Walks
    • Street Art
    • Bike Rides
  • Search

Interview with fellow Aussie Traveller Jake

December 15, 2011 By Jan Robinson 6 Comments

This post may contain compensated links. We may earn a small percentage if you book through a compensated link, but it won’t cost you any more by doing so. You can read our full disclaimer here.


Enjoying Amsterdam’s Street Food

This Travel Interview is a first for Budget Travel Talk.

***DRUM ROLL***

First cab off the Travel Interview rank is our long time friend and occasional co-traveller, Jake Turner,  who thrives on getting to know the local people and food.  He is interested in life stories and I can’t wait to hear what he has to say about his own solo budget travel story.

Jake, You have been on the road for twelve months now in Asia, United Kingdom, Europe, and Morocco –

 

 

 

What did you plan to do when you first left Australia?

For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to teach English in Vietnam.  Beyond that my plans were quite vague.  I had been to Vietnam before, so I knew a little bit about what I was getting myself into.  It is probably easier to tell you the things that I planned NOT to do; drink all my money away, go anywhere near Europe, stagger down village streets at 2 a.m. shouting “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie – Oi, Oi, Oi” – all of which I have now done.

So, how did your plans change?

Vietnam was great, and there were heaps of teaching opportunities, but when I looked at my expat friends, they were all leading lives similar to what I had left behind in Australia: bitching about work, having troubles with friends and lovers, fitting travel into weekends or holidays.  Sure, they were doing it in amazing Vietnam, and it was cheaper, and they could have house cleaners and drink in swanky bars, but it was really just life as usual.  After nearly two months in Saigon, I took off for a short break to clear my mind, and I never went back!  I really just wanted to travel and experience total and utter freedom.

You usually stay in hostels – what is your funniest dorm room story?

I love staying in hostels, it is like being a kid again and having a sleep over, plus from a traveller’s point of view, they are a hot bed of information, travel partners and romances.  The big dorms can be challenging though.  With eight to twelve beds in a room you sometimes wish you could chop off your ears or disappear back into the womb.

My funniest/most horrific night happened in one such dorm in Semporna, Malaysian Borneo.  It was one of the diver initiation nights where the new divemasters have to drink hideous amounts of booze as part of their “snorkel test”.  Two of them were totally tanked and I somehow ended up with the job of taking them  back to the dorm and baby-sitting them.  All night they vomited, fought with each other, and kept trying to escape back to the party.  It was like herding cats.  To make matters worse some of the guys from the party started giving others “tours” of the dorm to see the new divemasters being sick in buckets.

It was an epic night with little sleep, but it was all done in good humour.  That is one of the things I love about hostel living – no matter how mental things get, people always have a laugh and just write it off as another travel experience.

Even budget travellers splurge sometimes.  What have you splurged on and loved?

Every now and again when my sleep deprivation levels have risen too high, I splurge on a private room.  It might be a private room in a hostel, a hotel or a B & B.  I normally buy a heap of food and sit on my bed starkers, eating, watching movies and blasting out music.  It is nice to have some privacy after weeks of being constantly surrounded by others.  In Vietnam I paid as little as 10AUD a night, but in Western European countries it was more like 50AUD minimum.  In morocco I could have a huge chamber in a riad (including food) for about 20AUD.

Where did you find the best street food, and what was your favourite dish?

Until recently I would have said the hawker food markets around Malaysia, but in Morocco I fell in love with the grilled sardines that the men cooked over smoking coals.  About eight huge sardines are served with a simple tomato, onion and pepper salad and fresh round bread.  You pick the meat off the tiny sardine bones with your hands and you end up smelling like a fish shop.  For about 3AUD it is a huge meal and total fishy heaven.

A different fishy heaven, this time in Croatia!

What has life on the road shown you about yourself?

This is a hard one!  I think the biggest thing I have learned is that I can live very simply and still really enjoy myself.  Some of my favourite memories from the year are just about being with lovely people and looking at the stars.

You will be returning to Australia some time in the New Year.  What are you looking forward to the most?

I am really looking forward to seeing family and friends.  I am also pretty excited about finding a new job and seeing what adventures the new year has in store.  Oh, and planning my trip to the Americas. 🙂

Thank you Jake, and see you in the new year!

DID YOU ENJOY MY TRAVEL INTERVIEW WITH JAKE?  LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENT SECTION BELOW. 

See you on the road.  Jan

Note:  Photos are the property of Jake Turner.

More from my site

  • Walk or Ride the Strand Townsville 2021Walk or Ride the Strand Townsville 2021
  • Castle Hill Goat Track Townsville – Cutheringa TrackCastle Hill Goat Track Townsville – Cutheringa Track
  • Two or Three Weeks in Cambodia Itinerary Your ChoiceTwo or Three Weeks in Cambodia Itinerary Your Choice
  • Fantastic Friday Sapa ReflectionsFantastic Friday Sapa Reflections
  • Dog Friendly Cafes Sunshine Coast plus Restaurants and BarsDog Friendly Cafes Sunshine Coast plus Restaurants and Bars
  • Moraine Lake Hike in the Canadian RockiesMoraine Lake Hike in the Canadian Rockies

Filed Under: Interviews

About Jan Robinson

Jan Robinson writes about travel on her Budget Travel Talk blog. A solo traveller in her teens, for the last 40 years Jan has travelled through Australia, Asia, Europe, Turkey and New Zealand with her husband. They specialise in road trips, caravanning and Independent travel without spending a fortune. Her favourite destination is Turkey and she is currently dreaming of Myanmar and Mexico.

Previous Post: « MONTREAL – TORN BETWEEN TWO LOVES
Next Post: TAKE THE CROWN RANGE ROAD »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. john langford

    December 19, 2011 at 4:28 am

    great interview! i met jake at a place where we both stayed in bali. i’m a photographer/writer and like jake have been traveling non-stop for about 16 months now. i’ll keep following your website…great stuff!
    best regards,
    john

    Reply
  2. Jan

    December 19, 2011 at 7:09 am

    I am glad you found and enjoyed the interview with Jake. I have known Jake forever, he is a great guy. Happy travels. Jan

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Take a Walk to Cat Cat Village, Sapa says:
    August 31, 2012 at 9:33 am

    […] Marty and I watched the colourful dance performance, Jake was having lunch outside.   Kebabs, rice cooked in bamboo cylinders, eggs, and sweet potatoes […]

    Reply
  2. Budget Travel Meal Shared says:
    September 10, 2012 at 7:40 pm

    […] in Melbourne a few years ago staying in a shared house with our  friend, and intrepid traveller Jake.  While he was working, we hired a car and visited the Dandenong Mountains, then together we […]

    Reply
  3. 2012 Fun While it Lasted | BUDGET TRAVEL TALK says:
    December 24, 2012 at 8:04 am

    […] and whose Coffee and Laneways tour opened our eyes to the Hidden Secrets of Melbourne.  Our friend Jake accompanied us on the tour and we still have $200 worth of vouchers to spend – I feel a Great […]

    Reply
  4. Townsville Car Show says:
    July 8, 2013 at 12:51 pm

    […] Thursday evening we were joined by Jake on our daily walk along the Strand, only to find Strand Park taken over by a car show.  I had […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Follow Us

Categories

Budget Travel Talk's posts relating to Australia Budget Travel Talk's posts relating to Townsville Budget Travel Talk's posts relating to Bosnia Budget Travel Talk's posts relating to Cambodia Budget Travel Talk's posts relating to Canada Budget Travel Talk's posts relating to Croatia Budget Travel Talk's posts relating to Italy Budget Travel Talk's posts relating to Laos Budget Travel Talk's posts relating to Montenegro Budget Travel Talk's posts relating to Morocco Budget Travel Talk's posts relating to New Zealand Budget Travel Talk's posts relating to Slovenia Budget Travel Talk's posts relating to Spain Budget Travel Talk's posts relating to Turkey Budget Travel Talk's posts relating to the United States of America Budget Travel Talk's posts relating to Vietnam

Pinterest

Visit Budgettraveltalk's profile on Pinterest.

Top Australian and New Zealand Blogger for 2017

Im-a-Top-Australian-and-New-Zealand-Travel-Blogger-for-2017-Medium-Rectangle-300x250px (1)

Mature Bloggers Australia

Mature Bloggers Australia

Footer

Most Popular Posts

Whitsundays on a Budget – How to Get to Whitehaven Beach

Romantic Things for Couples to do in Rome including Valentines Day

Things to Do in Huskisson and Jervis Bay

Hobart to Bruny Island: Tours from Hobart or Self Drive Bruny Island?

Ferry to Eyup Istanbul for Pierre Loti views and Eyup Sultan Istanbul Mosque 2018

About Jan & Marty

We are Jan and Marty and we love travel.

The best thing about being in our 60’s is that our travel budget is flexible, allowing us to enjoy great experiences, good food and fun people. As with most things in life, it’s all about priorities.

Copyright © 2022 Budget Travel Talk - Journey. Destination. Experience.