I recently paid a visit to The Old Bridge House Hotel in Looe down in Cornwall – yes believe it or not the UK is part of Europe, despite what sceptics would have us believe. For a budget conscious traveller like myself I’m always on the lookout for good hostel and hotel reviews and a quick search on the net revealed a wonderfully personal review from a couple who stayed at The Old Bridge House whilst they were touring Cornwall and Devon on their bikes and looking for hotels in Looe.
The fact that I have been roaming around Europe for quite some time has suddenly made me a sort of an expert on Europe amongst my friends. More than one friend of mine has contacted me asking me about how the recession is affecting the Euro. I have even been asked to state my opinion about whether Euro will survive the recession and continue to be used as the common currency for the European Union.
Everywhere I’ve been in Europe this year the people have been a worried lot. In Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Greece I’ve seen worry and concern on virtually everyone’s face. The growing financial crisis and the debt worries have scared everyone. However the most interesting conversation I had in recent months happened in a bar I was in when passing through Rome. I was with some friends I’d met up with who live in Rome and we all got talking about the health care systems across the continent. Despite its faults, my friends and many more people have nothing but admiration and envy for the NHS.
Rome is one of the world’s most impressive metropolises, offering an extraordinary display of Roman architecture and culture. From the magnificent sight of the Coliseum to the flawless paintings inside the Sistine Chapel, Rome is an outstanding place to explore the history of modern civilisation. The good news is that tourists needn’t spend large sums of money on a trip to the city. Since there are thousands of students that flock to Rome for gap years and educational trips, the city also caters to travellers on a low budget.
People on a strict budget should consider a trip to the Tratorria district of the city, which hosts a large number of cheap restaurants that still provide top quality Italian cuisine. Unlike the tourist traps near the Coliseum and the Vatican, this area is largely visited by Italians and offers a more authentic experience than other places in Rome. In terms of accommodation, the area near Termini (the largest train station) has a high number of budget hotels. However, this area is also noted for its high crime rate, which many tourists may find discomforting. Some people may prefer to stay in a convent, which will provide a clean room with good service at incredibly low prices. The only problem with sleeping in a convent is that people will need to wake up early to respect the strict schedules that are in place in Roman convents. They are also unlikely to offer any free Internet access of time tracking software, like alarm clocks.
Unlike larger cities like London, Paris or Madrid, it is possible to walk to most of Rome’s sights by foot. The underground systems allows passengers to travel to and from the Termini but is smaller than the underground systems of many other capital cities. This is another way in which tourists can save money on transport costs. Many air carriers also offer budget return flights to the city’s international airport, which is within easy reach of the centre.
What does it take to make a good Canada vacation? Normally, I’m a budget traveler. But when it comes to Quebec, specifically Montreal, my normal strategies didn’t pay off.
I’ve just arrived for my first day here, and I can already tell you the wrong way to do it. Don’t come to Montreal on a budget. Borrow money, build up credit debt, whatever it takes, but don’t count your dollars if you come to this wonderful place.
You’re excited. Really excited. So exciting you’ve forgotten what a dollar looks like and all you can see is EUROS…woo! You’re also, and this is best of all, about to get away from that girl at your work who is always saying “ this hr software rocks ” and head off on your own to Europe, backpacking!In other words, things really couldn’t be going any better. They are, amazing…and just as you intended them to be. It’s all working out!
The flight is perfect; you get some time on your own to ponder your thoughts. Then you arrive in Paris, Germany, France.
But within 3 hours you are sitting in a Police station crying your eyes out. Yes, it’s happened, that dreadful of travellers nightmares: your money has been stolen!
You may laugh but trust me, this is nothing to get humorous about. I know someone who lost all their money – every cent of it – in a day.
To avoid this, try and do the following:
1) Don’t carry 100% cash. Take a pre-loaded card with you and keep your money on it. Much safer option.
2) Don’t keep all your money in the same place. Spread it around a bit so that if one rucksack gets nicked, you still have some money on your person.
Never give your money to a fellow traveller; it’s not so much a matter of trust as just being sensible
3) Similar to the above: if you are putting your main rucksack on a plane as luggage, take the money out before you do so! Failing to do so could result in your money ending up in another country…which will not be much fun, I assure you of that.
4) Take some false money with you and keep that in your wallet: this is a wise idea because if you should get mugged, you’ll be able to give them that. Chances are they won’t notice, which means you will have actually won!
5) Another security issue: if you’re sleeping in a hostel – and for many that is a given – keep your money under your pillow at all times. This makes total sense and is something which we all learn about the hard way!
6) Never give your money to a fellow traveller; it’s not so much a matter of trust as just being sensible. Give it to someone else and you’re handing them all the responsibility. And one final note…
7) Travellers cheques are a really good idea. For obvious reason you don’t need me to tell you, surely…
have often been the bane of my existence as I trudge around the world. I’m always trying to budget for the next month in advance and I’ve always underestimated just how much I end up spending on top up fees for my phone. Fortunately I found a great deal online whilst I was in India recently.
Mumbai is something extraordinary. The rapid rise of industrial growth is staggering to witness and even when I was there, many More
Each one of us desires to go for a holiday far away from our day to day scheduled and busy life and the nitty gritty involved with office politics or the rising prices of red diesel Swansea. Budget holiday packages are the ideal way to satisfy your thirst to travel without straining your pocket. And more often, they turn out as excellent deals.
Budget holiday packages prove to be an ultimate way of planning out a smooth tour, especially More
All around the globe travelers are enjoying the beauty and wonder of creation by visiting different places around the world. The only thing that these travelers are equipped with is a backpack, which contains all the essential things that they need. All that they need to carry with them is just one backpack and the possibilities of their traveling are endless.
This check list will help you backpack better:
1. Backpack: First you need an appropriate type of backpack. Choose More
Given the times of gloom and doom (economically) that we are living in, with stock market soothsayers predicting a double dip recession in 2011 or 2012, it is quite natural if you want to watch your spending so that you have plenty of money laid by for a rainy day. But just because you are trying to cut down on what economists call discretionary spending does not mean that you have to stop having fun.
