First of all I would like to cheer you all up with this genuine first impression of my home town Kirkenes. This is an e-mail I received from an Icelandic friend of mine, whom I got to know in Hungary. He is reporting from his first ever visit to Norway, in November 2007, and is quite unaware of my being from Kirkenes:
"Hi Marius, Gummi here from Iceland that got drunk with you in Debrecen once or twice :)
Hows life in sunny Brazil? I just got back from Norway. I am on a factory ship and we were in Russian waters and came to Kirkenes to change crew. The only thing there is russian prostitutes and drunk russian sailors. I was only there for couple of hours so my first impression of Norway is pretty funny.
(...)
Skål,
Gummi"
AN OPINION ON GUIDEBOOKS
Travelling is, as most of you already know, a great passion of mine. When travelling, and indeed when planning a trip, guidebooks are essential. My kind of travel is backpacking, that is independent, low budget, public transport and so on. I mostly sleep in hostels or cheap hotels/inns and I'm more into culture than nature; Give me a city, give me a nightlife! What I first of all need from a guidebook is the practical part -Where to go, when and how, where to stay, where to eat, local transport and so on. Then of course it would help a lot if the author has my taste in sights and events, but that's almost impossible to predict. Many people would claim that the Lonely Planet series is the ultimate travel companion for backpackers. I do agree that LP makes good guidebooks, and they have set many a standard in the field, but my personal favourite has become Rough Guides Anyhow, the best reason for not buying LP is that all the other travellers you meet will have that book, thus it will be readily available at most times. Other decent guides include Footprint, Moon and Let's Go. If you ever go to Brazil, and one of your reasons for going there is the beaches, you should consider buying Guia Quatro Rodas: "Guia das Praias" at almost any newsstand over there. It provides satellite photos of the entire Brazilian coastline, some 8000 km, and a short description of virtually every beach there is. It also lists quite a few places to stay and some restaurants. It's a good buy even if your portuguese is limited. Travelling in a number of European cities got easier as the literally handy in your pocket guides spread across the continent. At 1-2 euros, with 1-10 editions per year per city, it provides steaming fresh information on accomodation, gastronomics and nightlife +++. An excellent companion to your conventional guidebook, and for shorter trips with few stops, it might be the only thing you need. Check it out on the web first, as the full content is provided here. Set to become the best internet resource for travellers ever, in the line of its mother Wikipedia, out now is Wikitravel. I am already in love!!! RECOMMENDED STAYS
(All links to Wikitravel) The criteria for inclusion on the list is that I wouldn't start looking for another place to stay if I came back to the city. Year of my last stay in brackets. I also include some tasty beer brands. GO AHEAD!!!
Feel like travelling the world on your own? It's a big, dangerous and chaotic planet we live on, but it's all the more accessible. You can do it. Here's my recipe: The very first thing you should get is a guidebook. At a price of roughly 25 euros, publishers like LP, Footprint, Rough Guide and Moon (links), provide you with invaluable information for independent travel. Reading at least the introducing chapters about regions, towns and cities before you head out there will help you select a few places you want to visit, as well as give you a basic idea about prices, transportation, climate and so on. Once you're there a good up-to-date guide will save you top-value vacation time by helping you find the right hostel, restaurant, bar, bus and train. In some cases, consider buying more than one book, as guides covering more than a handful of countries tend to have limited coverage on each place. Especially if you're taking, say half a year off, to travel Europe or Latin America it should be obvious that a single book won't contain that much time and space. Apart from the airfare (if the distance requires it) to/from the country/region you're planning to visit, reserve as little as possible in advance. This goes for both transports and accomodation, and will make you totally flexible on staying another night in a place you really came to like, or making a detour to this remote village that you'd never even heard of before you hit the road, but which nevertheless is highly recommended by some fellow travellers you met. Making reservations a day in advance, however, could save you a lot of footwork and time when you arrive in a new city. Even if the receptionist's English-skills are limited, it's amazing how you can manage to place that reservation by phone. Choosing a place to stay is basically a question of time/money ratio. Most people set out on their vacations with a fair idea of the spendings they can allow themselves. So should you. But once there, never forget that every minute you spend trying to cut costs is taken from prime holiday-time. This heavily applies to accomodation. If you arrive at a place that costs 12 a night and looks OK, it'd be a totally waste to hike onwards for 45 minutes in the hope of finding something at 10. Always consider how central the place is. Distances to sights, long distance transportation and nightlife are important. Public transport, its cost, frequency and operating hours as well. Paying slightly more for a nice location could save you lots of hazzles. If you're prepared to suffer to travel cheap, or if some other force is driving you, staying in tents at campsites and catering for yourself allows you to survive on next to nothing almost anywhere in the world. One great disadvantage is that the sites often are found well away from civilization, with few means of public transport. When travelling alone or on a slim budget, youth hostels are often the best option. The price, but mainly the opportunity to meet other travellers, are unbeatable. Be aware though, many of these places could include silly rules as 2200 curfews, daytime lockouts and alcohol bans. The first is most likely; always ask when you call/check in. Many hostels give discounts for HI or ISIC cardholders, but this varies widely from country to country. A common kitchen is mostly available if you want to cut costs by preparing your own food. An alternative to hostels, for the even more adventurous and/or low-budgeted is couchsurfing. Personally I have mostly acted as a host, with nothing but good experiences. All cities offer a range of hotels and pensions, the cheapest often to be found nearby trainstations or major bus terminals. Never take a room before you have had a look at it, and its bathroom!!! To make long distance landtravel less boring, and even save a hotel night, consider night trains/buses for 6 hours upwards trips. If you reach 10 hours or more try your best to do it nighttime. Trains are mostly far more comfortable than buses, and could even offer you a stretch-out for a small extra fee, but they are sometimes a bit slower. If you opt for an interrail- or similar tickets, which nowadays even exist for buses, make a rough calculation on whether it will save you anything at all. Remember that many trains have mandatory reservations which cost a little extra anyway, and any pass like this will reduce your flexibility, as you'll feel pretty much stuck to trains or buses or a specific company. But if you're doing 25 cities in 30 days, -go ahead! Nutrition intake is always exciting abroad. By far the cheapest way to fill up is making your own meals, and in this class white bread, bananas and water is as basic as it gets. It's available for peanuts all over the free-trading world, and asks for nothing when it comes to preparing. If you want something slightly more sophisticated, try bread, ham, cheese and tomato. In the lack of a fridge, change ham for salami, as it survives longer. Cooking calls for pasta. Cheap and uncomplicated. Ordering food at a restaurant can be quite a challenge if you don't understand a single word of neither menu nor waiter. Want a steak? Want it bad? Be creative: Imitate the sound of a cow and make frying pan gestures. It may even work. Tap water is unharmful to drink in just about any country. Unless you're explicitly advised not to, have at least a try. Sometimes it can taste funny, mostly of disinfectants like chlorine, and you might want to buy mineral water in bottles. If you do choose the tap water, notice that the bottle you use could get contaminated. Flush it thoroughly every time you refill it, and make it a habit changing it every week or so. Public transport is vital in any big city. It's important to learn the ticket system before you board your first bus, tram or metro. Many inspectors have foreign tourists as a favorite morning meal. Often you have to buy tickets in kiosks near the stops. There could be a student discount, but make sure your ID is valid. An extra ticket for bulky luggage (that's your backpack all right) is sometimes required. When staying for several days try asking for a week-pass, which often proofs profitable. You're almost on your way already, just need to pack your luggage. Or rather, your pack. Considering a suitcase is completely out of the question if there's even a remote chance you'll be walking some stretches with all your stuff along. Size matters! I have an 85 liter darling, and she can take it all. Carrying some void space won't hurt, and makes the run-for-the-train-in-the-morning-packing all the more easy. And you can even add something to your belongings on your trip. A couple of outside pockets is handy for quick access. Padlocking all zippers will improve your feeling of safety considerably. You should also invest in a smaller backpack, for taking just a few things with you on a day-trip. 20-30 liters does the trick, and it should fit inside the bigger one. Now it's time to fill her up. The content is partly set by the climate. A European summer could be dealt with like this (male advice only): Underwear for a week, a stack of t-shirts, one pair of trousers/jeans, one or two sweaters, a towel, swimming gear, one pair of shoes good for both walking and clubbing (dark colour, no sneakers), a wind and waterproof jacket, sandals with straps. Try to keep your clothes in dark colours, at least avoid white. First of all because they won't look all that dirty, and they're easier to get washed all in one load. Other items in there: Swiss army knife (or a Leatherman), toiletpaper/tissues, small flashlight, toiletry, small binoculars, camera, pen, paper and some reading. Whatever you decide to put in your luggage should be considered by weight/ necessity/ availability criteria. For instance: Don't bring a sledgehammer. It's very heavy, it's not very likely that you'll need it, and if you do, you could probably get it in any hardware store. And don't bring stuff which loss or damage would mean a catastrophe. 500 euros cellphone? Nope! Do buy a waistbelt for passport, big money, and creditcard, and let this always be the last thing you assure yourself that you have before checking out. Most travellers reach the conclusion that the world is inhabited with nice, friendly and helpful people. There are exceptions, of course. Be suspicious if you are approached by very informative people in train or bus stations, when you didn't even ask for help. Cab drivers are among the professionals that will most often try to rip you off. Agree on a price or pay close attention to the meter. Back alleys, deserted streets and bad neighbourhoods are best avoided at night, and some places even at daytime. But even most thieves won't hurt you if they don't have to. Relax and give them your money. Leave your wallet and your watch in the hotel for the night, and you can't lose them. Always carry a photocopy of your passport with you. Another thing to consider already when you plan your voyage, is whether to go by yourself or with one or more other persons. Both ways have their obvious advantages. All by yourself you will be in absolute control of the itenerary. Never any discussions on turning left or right, eating now or later, or spending money on museums or booze. Also, it's often easier to get in touch with other people, simply because you have to get some company. Travelling with someone, you will definitely not feel alone. You will save money on many types of accomodation, and taxis get cheaper. Going out at night or chilling on a beach is also best done as teamwork. And of course, just sharing it all adds something to the afterlife of your holiday. Travelling companions do tend to get fed up with eachother, so for a longer trip you should pick with care. And the more people you are, the more agreed you'd have to be. An always handy internet resource when travelling is currency converters. I use Oanda, but there are loads of others. If you stay abroad for more than half the year, many insurance companies will disqualify you. The funny part is, of course, that they don't really warn you about this -but it says somewhere in the small print. Doesn't matter too much after a petty theft, but consider being run over by a train, followed by a month in hospital and return home under medical supervision. And let's suppose all this happens in, say, US of A. You should have at least a 100.000 euro back up. I am testing out World Nomads at the moment. Very easy to purchase, and they even handled a minor medical claim I had fast and straightforward.