Technology will change campervanning forever

If you are interested in doing some touring I forecast that there will be a substantial change in the way we travel. The reason will be two-fold:
1. Low cost vehicles: The trend set by Indian car makers towards lower-cost, more economical vehicles. The focus has been on economy, but I expect future models to offer more in the way of 'lifestyle features'. For instance it would not surprise me to see a vehicle which allows you to increase the storage space, or even to create a sleeping area by taking our the passenger seat, or reconfiguring the driver seat. The trick is to come up with a seat that does it comfortably.
2. Lifestyle appliances: I believe we are going to see changes in the components that make up a car. By this I mean changes in the engine design, the cooling system, the appliances. Certainly a LCD makes sense to play movies if you have kids, but that is a family car. In a lifestyle car, you want a refrigerator, heating, battery support for a day, and the capacity to recharge the battery. Am I dreaming? I don't believe so. The current vehicles are only able to get 25% thermal efficiency. Most of the current fuel economy gains are coming from aerodynamic design, not from a more efficient engine. Wait and see! There is greater pressure to lift fuel efficiency than ever. The Stirling engine is not a substitute for the internal combustion engine. It will take a new design based on the internal combustion engine.
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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Looking for a cheap holiday

There are fewer cheaper places to holiday than Asia, but consider campervanning in Australia, or some variation of this combination of these travel opportunities.

NZ is an expensive country to fly from/to, so it might make more sense to fly get a cheap ticket to Sydney or Brisbane with Virgin Blue, then transfer to another airline, preferably another discount airline. Baggage limits can be an issue. Developing countries tend to be cheaper. I would recommend the Vietnam for Asia, fly-drive in Australia, see http://campa-living.blogspot.com. For instance I returned from the Philippines with discount airline Tiger Airways, via Singapore to Darwin (or Perth), then I got a campervan across Australia to Sydney for just $5/day, with a fuel allowance. Discount airlines are flexible enough to allow you to do that. Being able to live out of a campervan meant I could easily stop wherever I wanted, eat healthy out of Woolworths and Coles stores, internet from libraries, showers at public swimming pools, public toilets in public reserves and hotels, even coffee shops. Makes a nice way to travel.
The Philippines is another cheap country to travel through as transport standards are good, its cheap and English speaking, and you can also travel overland through back-country. My next overland trip will be Manila to Davao, fly or boat to Manado, overland through Sulawesi to Makassar, ferry to (via Sarabaya) Denpaser to Bali, or flight to Australia, for the overland campervan trip. You might even be able to swing a camper back if you can triangulate your destinations.
The attraction of the Philippines is that until recently it has not really had a tourist identity; and for good reason, it never had an organised travel program. Recently increased expenditure on road upgrades, discount airlines has resulted in more Filipinos travelling and holidaying at home, and this has prompted a lot of governors to improve their facilities, whether hotels, restaurants, and events. Its early days but I note that viewing decks are being constructed along highways; hotels are being constructed, pathways are being built along rivers or to scenic locations like waterfalls. Tourist values will I believe result in people developing more pride in their community. You can expect more defensiveness as well. For instance the tourist hub of Sagada has a resolution to stop outsiders buying property there. It is still a big premature to travel to the Philippines...give it another 5-10 years. In the interim I recommend Vietnam.

The point of this article is to develop a long term travel strategy, schedule for a combination of travel values, avoid those standardised international hotels that really offer no unique travel experience. Travel is as much a learning experience as a restive escape. Make your holiday as full of activities and reflective opportunities as you can. I value the opportunity to hang out with expats in bars because they are well-travelled people living interesting lives.
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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com