Our latest STA Explorer Stu Owens - aka The Tai Pan - is seriously looking forward to his trip to Indonesia. Having travelled all over south east Asia for the past seven years (meaning that he got to know the inside of his local STA Travel branch in Nottingham pretty damn well) and even lived and worked in Thailand and Taiwan for two years, Stu is going to be a godsend to any other STA travellers needing advice and insights into the Indonesian experience.

He’s blogging here and microblogging here but you’ll also want to keep an eye on his Flickr account as Stu is an avid photographer, planning on capturing the people and landscapes of the region like never before.

With a week or so before he sets off, Stu has already been blogging about vaccinations, reminding Asian adventurers how important they are and recommending a good website for research into which jabs do the job.

I’ve never been to one of STA’s series of travel talks, so I didn’t have much idea what to expect from last night’s Latin America themed session in their London Victoria branch. I certainly didn’t expect free beer and tortilla chips, a capoeira demonstration, a crazy STA lass wearing a sombrero and a fake tash, and a chat-up-line-heavy Spanish lesson. Which is what we got. And more.

It was good to hear a bunch of well-informed and passionate folk give practical advice, but just as good to get a sense of each person’s genuine love for Latin America, through their own personal stories of exploring the region and its people. Presenters from Prom Peru, i-to-i meaningful adventure tours, GAP Adventures, and of course STA staff themselves discussed must-see sights, community projects, language, food and health advice with a 40-strong gang of prospective adventurers who really got into the spirit of things. Personally, I am now particularly determined to visit Peru, which has 3,000 festivals each year, and Buenos Aires, which many of the presenters chose as one of their favourite cities in the world.

The exclusive money off deals and the goody bags were great, but to be honest the nicest thing was the enthusiasm and openness of it all, and the chance to chat and ask questions in an informal atmosphere. I even managed to jump up, plug STA travelbuzz, and invite anyone who had been inspired to travel with STA to become one of our STA Explorers.

The next talks are on round the world travel, in Kingston on 24th June and Glasgow 8th July - you can read more and book here. I won’t be able to make them, but let me know if you can so I can link to any photos or reviews. It’s definitely worth it. Did I mention the free beer?

The most exciting, spontaneous trips are actually the ones that demand the best preparation. Slinging a bag on your back and disappearing into the sunset is an exhilerating idea - but if you haven’t found out about the local customs, likely problems, and available resources and opportunities, you’re in danger of not making the best of both the bad and good experiences thrown your way.

The latest posts on the Brazil Travel Blog, a site written by Tony Galvez to help you make the most of this beautiful, bustling and sometimes bewildering country, are a case in point. For a taste of the good times, today’s review of the bar do Arante in Florianopolis gives details and photos of the bar’s history, location, ambience, signiature dishes (the oysters en gratin look pretty damn good) and even the owner Arante. However, on a more serious note Tony’s also posted an update on the risks of Dengue fever in Natal, where the government have declared a state of emergency, along with 10 facts about dengue fever in Brazil to help you make informed decisions about travel preparations and precautions.

The site’s updated daily, and has an associated Flickr page with lots of photos, so if Brazil tickles your fancy, put yourself in Tony’s safe - and adventurous - hands.