Location Guides
Click on a flag to see my travel guide on the respective country or region. More coming soon.
About Me
My name is Brennan Wilkes, I've been backpacking to twenty different countries, spanning South America, Europe, South East Asia, and most interestingly the South Pacific. My backpacking budgets have always steered me towards hostels, cheap airbnbs, and home-stays, but not camping. I mostly have gotten around by air, but have also taken my fair share of sleeper buses, commuter trains, and leaky boats.
Preamble
In these entries, my goal isn't to convince you to go anywhere, (that's your job) but to give you the practical and logistical advice that was extremely helpful during my travels, or that I wished I had before I arrived. I'm hoping to provide some insight into the slightly more obscure places I've been, that have less useful information available. There are more blogs about South East Asia than I can possibly read, so I won't add to that endless rabbit hole.
My Gear
Every backpacker is different and has different preferences when it comes to equipment. These items are what I used on my adventures, and while I definitely recommend them, I don't have any relationship with any of the sellers.
Useful Tools and References
These are some incredibly useful tools and references (books, websites, blogs), which I've either used during the planning of my trip, or have used since, in post-researching places I've been, or am hoping to go to. As with the gear section, I fully endorse these references, but have no relationships with the authors or sellers.
Polynesia and Melanesia
- wittli.de — Travel Reports from Around the World
- xdaysiny.com — How to Island Hop in the South Pacific Islands
- transitionsabroad.com — Take Cargo Ships to Remote Pacific Islands
- gobackpacking.com — Island Hop South Pacific Budget
- neverendingfootsteps.com — Plan Budget Trip South Pacific
- billtrips.com — Island Hopping in Pacific
Micronesia
- billtrips.com — Island Hopping in Micronesia
- travelsvenue.com — Oceania Travel How-to
- dontstopliving.net — My Next Adventure to 7 New Countries
- www.visit-micronesia.fm
Forum Threads / Personal Accounts
- Palau trip report from Johannes - 2020 - coming soon
- lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/visiting-nauru-2019
- lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/micronesia/detailed-trip-report-chuuk-2018
- lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/micronesia/detailed-trip-report-pohnpei-2018
- lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/majuro-trip-report-2017
- lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/yap-visit-2012
- lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/kiribati-a-few-updates-2011
- lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/a-few-notes-on-tuvalu-2011
- lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/yap-trip-2010
- lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/palau-trip-2010