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Looking forward to seeing you there!

Hostel Virgin?

You're a virgin?!  You mean you have never experienced one before?!  A bit scared about it?  Well...let me help you; I've done it loads of times before!  With my advice, I guarantee you will have a pleasurable experience EVERY time!  Is this sexual nirvana, I'm referring to?  Nope...I'm talking about your first stay in a hostel.  These FIVE top tips will help you through your first hostel stay.

For the hostel averse out there, my advice is to give it a try.  As I have said before, hostels are an affordable, good value accommodation option for the budget-savvy traveller.  And for those that do not fancy the sights, sounds and smells of your average dorm room, staying in private rooms in hostels need not feel like you are 'slumming it' and can give you access to a host of activities and services you might miss out on if you were to stay in a hotel.

Par-tay! (source - hostelworld.com)

1. Choose Your Hostel Carefully...
- Selecting the hostel that most suits your personality and travel requirements is key.  Need a riotous party?  Make sure the hostel you choose offers free shots on arrival and bar crawls every night.  Need to chill out after a day's sightseeing?  Opt for the hostel that can hook you up with a local yoga class and 'knits' their own muesli for breakfast.  My main advice here would be to read the reviews on hostel booking websites such as Hostelbookers and Hostelworld; where travellers post frank reviews about their experiences and the quality of the accommodation on offer.

I just need to use my hair straighteners...and charge my iPad...and my camera battery! (source - open.edu)

2. Don't Be The Hostel Oddball...
- You are likely to be sharing a dorm room with several others.  It is therefore, paramount that you do not mark yourself out in a negative way in the microcosm of the hostel environment.  Taking up all the floor space, leaving your underwear strewn across the room or hogging all the plug points for your phone, iPad and hairdryer is not going to win you many fans.  The key to being a good 'roomie'?  Easy!  Treat others as you would expect to be treated.

Greet the travel massive! (source - mastersotu.com)

3. Press The Flesh!...
No, not that way!  Though, that will help you make friends very easily!  Hermits and hostels do not go together very well.  The recluse will find it difficult, in the sociable community you get in most hostels, to be completely alone.  This, for me, is one of the real advantages of a hostel stay.  You get to encounter and share experiences with fellow travellers.  These 'micro United Nations' allow you to meet people from different countries, cultures and socio-economic backgrounds that, ultimately, help you understand yourself, your own country and its unique culture a lot better.

Breaking bread at the Lisbon Lounge Hostel (source - MikeW)

4. Get Active!...
Linked into the previous tip about the social nature of backpacker accommodation; hostels will often offer a range of formal and informal activities I would heartily encourage you to get involved in.  For example, the fantastic Budapest Bubble hostel runs an informal nightly bar crawl which allows even the most hardened wallflower the chance to join a group of like-minded travellers for a drink or two without the pressure to finish the night at 5am, staring up from Hungary's finest gutters and covered in vomit.  However, that option is there...if you want it!  The brilliant Lisbon Lounge Hostel is one of many excellent, top quality boutique backpacker pads in the Portuguese capital that offers a number of free and reasonably priced activities for their guests from free tours of the city (something I highly recommend in any city you visit - see 'The Glorious Free Tour') to tours of the Fado scene as well as fabulous in house dinners, cooked by Pedro the chef, for a reasonable price that would shame many of Lisbon's well-established and costlier eateries.  Remember...a good hostel and its staff will want to show off their city and country at its best and ensure you have a great time.  At the very least, make it a priority, once you have dropped your backpack, to ask a member of the hostel staff to sit down with you and map out the best places to visit, eat and drink.  This quick orientation can be a good way to get to know your hosts and offers an invaluable local insight into your destination.

Lock it up! (source - onestop-padlocks.co.uk)

5. Stay Safe!...
I am the first to admit, I am anally retentive when it comes to my safety and well being when I travel.  In addition to this, I am keen to ensure my belongings remain safe and secure.  When I stay in hostels I always take a good quality medium sized padlock with me to lock your backpack or to allow you to lock it or any belongings in the lockers many hostels provide in the rooms.  And, if there is a safe in the hostel...use it for your passport, at the very least.  I have stayed in hostels where people have left valuable electronic items within easy reach and in once case an iPad on their bed while completely unattended in a busy room of 9 other strangers, while the woman went for a shower.  This was despite having a locker in which she could have easily stored the tablet safely and securely.  It made no sense to me.  I do not mean to worry you and you should not be consumed by fear about hostel security as most hostels are filled with friendly like-minded folk who probably will have absolutely no interest in your treasures, but the way I see it is...the less hassle you can get into the more enjoyable your trip will be; saving you from laborious insurance claims, visits to the police and angst about the cost of replacing your stolen belongings.

So, there it is...five great tips to help you navigate your first stay in a hostel and make it go as swimmingly as possible.  Please let me know, in the comments box below, how your first stay went or if you have stayed in hostels before the tips you would offer the plucky hostel first timer.

Aim High! aka TRGTALP's Guide to Great Views!

In my last post, I wrote about, and included some pictures, of my climb to the top of Zadar's highest building, the Bell Tower at the Cathedral of St Anastasia.  I gushed about how the ascent to the top of this fine bell tower afforded some fantastic views over the Old Town and across the sea to the islands that lie off Zadar.  Even before I started the climb, I knew it was going to be good; views from atop a building almost always are.  And, it is this that I urge you to do whenever you travel...AIM HIGH!

I always enjoy taking in the view from hillsides to dizzying my high Ferris wheels to glorious edifying monuments of a Communist past and even the odd ancient religious building.  It must be in my nature as a Capricorn; the desire to want to be like the mountain goat and climb to the top of all that is high.  If there's a tall building with a viewing platform, I probably will want to be up it!  The funny thing is...when faced with these ginormous buildings, my foot on the first step of a 354 step spiral staircase climb, I often think, "Surely the Benedictine Monks installed a lift!"  But, despite my moans, both internal and to anyone who will listen, I always think it is worth the effort and have never regretted a hearty ascent and the view that comes with it.

I'm not going to lie to you. These climbs are not for the faint-hearted!  You will need to be of good health, risk life and limb when placing your foot on that ropey looking wooden step and happy to be pressed up against a whole host of travellers; in many cases, on both the ascent and descent!  On the whole, you'll  find that it is more than worth the hassle and a great way to get up close with your fellow traveller...whether you like it or not!

So, where can you grab a feast for your eyes from on high?  Below, I have listed a tiny amount of the world's best dizzying highs; splitting them into free highs and ascents you are going to have to pay for...

TOP 3 FREE VIEWS...

- Primrose Hill, London - This North London spot offers great views over this mighty fine city. Grab a picnic, get among the crowds on a summer's day and live the high life in this fantastic city!

(source - wikipedia.org)

- Griffith Park, Los Angeles - The City of Angels has its detractors, but who could argue with the stunning view from Griffith Park, looking over this sprawling US metropolis?

(source - drewrtw.blogspot.com)

- Printemps, Paris - Many will recommend a climb to Montmartre and the church of Sacre Coeur for an impressive free view of Paris.  Avoid the crowds of tourists and wind your way through the immaculately arranged departments of the Printemps store on Boulevard Haussman for a brilliant 360-ish view of the French capital, including a close up of La Madeleine and the gilded rooftop of the Paris Opera.  The rooftop terrace has a cafe where you can soak up the views over a cup of creme or sparkling fizz.

 (source - MikeW)

TOP 4 PAID VIEWS...

- Arc de Triomphe, Paris - The 'city of views' features twice on the list and what list of great views would leave out the Eiffel Tower?!  Well, this one, for a start!  Notoriously busy, a little pricey and filled with a constant stream of couples proposing to each other, I would rather recommend the triumphal arch at the end of the Champs Élysée anyday!  Though, not as high, this does not mean the view on offer is not as good. Far from it. Because you are not as high, you get to see more of the city close up, including the direct symmetry of I.M. Pei's Louvre Pyramid through the Arc, all the way to La Defensé, as well as enjoy the hustle and bustle of one of the busiest junctions in Western Europe!  Not only that, but time your visit right; getting there just before dusk and you will have the benefit of a daytime view of Paris coupled with a brilliant nighttime view, as all the cars drive in 8 different directions towards the Arc, the myriad of headlights a sign that Paris at night has come alive!

(source - commons.wikimedia.org)

- The Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center, New York - Two impressive skyscrapers in one mind blowing city!  But which to ascend?  I am no authority on this, having only been to the top of the Empire State Building (which offers excellent views), but have been reliably informed that the Rockefeller Centre is a better experience as it allows you to see both the Empire State Building AND the magnificent Chrysler Building from the same rooftop.

(source - Aludon at flickr.com)

- The Academy of Sciences, Riga - If you ever visit Riga, I can highly recommend a trip to the top of 'Stalin's birthday cake'.  This ornate Communist block was built as centre of agricultural education.  Its two attractions are the fact that it really isn't visited in large numbers; leaving me and two giggling girls as the only people at the top of this monument the whole 30 mins I was there!  Also, by getting up that high, you can really appreciate what a green and pleasant land lies so close to this city.  The locals I met made such a great play on the fact that Latvians are proud to say that their country is their 'breadbasket', with much of their food coming directly from the countryside to the capital city.  Once you see the expanse of fields and forests so close to Riga, what the Latvians claim suddenly all becomes clear.

(source - MikeW)

- Castelo Sao Jorge, Lisbon - High over the Portuguese capital is an old castle with some fantastic views. On a clear summer's day, I was able to enjoy a superb view across this city of 7 hills!  Watching trams work their way through the maze of narrow streets and Lisboetas make their way around this wonderful capital city.  In addition to the views from the castle, I would certainly recommend catching the views and the sun's rays from the many miradouros across Lisbon, where people gather to socialise, drink beer and generally have fun as they watch the sun set.

(source - MikeW)

So, whenever you are in a place that has a tourist sight that towers over all others grab yourself a ticket and get to the top!

Oh...and, of course, please feel free to add your own suggestions in the comment box below!  I would love to hear where you think is worth a look.

Bicycling Through Berlin (A Guest Post by Calum)

The fourth of our guest posters, brings another slice of German life.  This time...the incredible city of Berlin.  Calum, a friend and former colleague of mine, is a well-travelled Scot, who is not only possessed with a great sense of humour, but a with a love of travel that has taken him to various destinations across Europe; along with recent adventurous trips to India and Vietnam.  With the help of his friend Silke, a local, Calum was able to take 'The Home Advantage'; utilising the knowledge of a native to show him the best that this magnificent city has to offer!  I hope you enjoy reading about Calum's trip and his thoughts on Berlin.  Remember to leave your comments below for the wee Scot!

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Berlin. Where all the tourists go. The Bundestag. Brandenburg Gate. And Alexanderplatz.
I've really loved Germany since some friends were kind enough to host a visit to Mainz Carnival, or Fassenacht, six years ago. I learned a lot about the country on that trip. I learned how to love ironic 80s rock, shoulder strap keyboards, singing 99 red balloons by Nena, and pubs where tables hung upside down from the ceiling (I'm sure I saw it more than once). Prior perceptions of Germany were influenced by old 'Monty Python' episodes and 'Fawlty Towers'. A stiff, serious bunch. But how wrong I was.

 Contrast expectations of Germany on the left, a la 'Fawlty Towers', with the real thing.

Earlier this year I had an opportunity to meet up with my friend Silke in Berlin. I expected a lot from the city. On my previous visit to Germany I'd found people were incredibly welcoming and on this occasion things were no different. I was first to experience this immediately after getting off the train from the airport at the Zoological Gardens, central Berlin, where a super-helpful taxi driver took time out to give me walking directions to my hotel. It might not sound much but in
London, or Paris, this sort of thing really doesn’t happen.

Different cities have different names for their underground systems - in London The Tube, Paris le Metro. In Glasgow it is the Subway but in Berlin we have the U-Bahn below ground and S-Bahn above. I’m normally pretty good at navigating metropolitan railway lines but I found Berlin tricky – lines look similar, numbered U1-U9 and the stations seem a maze of platforms and escalators to me. I did eventually seem to get to where I wanted – perhaps through luck more than anything else.

I’d arranged to meet up with Silke outside the Bundestag at 9am. There are a few activities that are mandatory on a first trip to Berlin: visiting the Bundestag is one, and another is to photograph the Brandenburg Gate. Luckily the Gate is just around the corner from the Bundestag.

Providing you book ahead, free tours of the Bundestag are available, allowing access to the walkway that winds up inside the glass dome with an audio guide (booking for visits to the Bundestag – http://www.bundestag.de/htdocs_e/visits/besgrupp/index.html). Views over the city are spectacular and a small museum provides information on the history of the building: the Reichstag fire that boosted the Nazi Party in 1933, the dome’s reconstruction and even the concert Michael Jackson gave outside in 1988 (http://concertsgalore.net/file/michael-jackson-at-platz-der-republik-berlingermany-on-jun-19-1988-concert-bootleg-download-37035.php).

The Bundestag on the left, essential Brandenburg Gate pic on the right.

Berlin to me seemed open and spacious in feel. Traffic is calm considering the size of the city and even the U-Bahn isn’t too cramped. A few people had recommended a cycling tour of the city. Rather than sign up to an organised group we decided to do it ourselves. Berlin is incredibly well suited to bikes, much more so than London in my view. We stopped at Museum
Island, passed by the Rotes Rathaus, Berlin City Hall, before crossing the city to find the Eastside Gallery, a good hour or so away. This is a 1.3km stretch of the old wall that still stands, with artists across Europe invited to paint sections. I’d recommend visiting this above all else I managed to do. There were some great little coffee spots on the way and later in the
evening we cycled through the Tiergarten Park alongside the river, passing through a small zoo on the way! This was a great way to see a quieter side of the city – a side of the city I may not have thought to visit without some local knowledge (thank you, Silke!).

The East Side Gallery running down the street. See Fernsehturm in the distance.

Another attraction we visited earlier in the day was the Fernsehturm in Alexanderplatz – a large TV tower originally constructed by the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and apparently modeled after Sputnik. The tower is visible throughout Berlin, with a revolving restaurant and gallery up top. I’m a sucker for tall buildings – if it’s there I have to climb it – so I couldn’t possibly pass up on this; despite the slightly expensive ticket price at €12.50. Parts of the tower seemed very dated, from the dull concrete walkways and walls outside to the slightly aged decor within, but the views of the city were truly stunning. With such a vantage point it’s still possible to see distinct differences between parts of the city - large wide roads and housing blocks to the east, and much more colourful and organic city planning to the west. Of course the differences are beginning to fade away.

On the left, cake - it really was as big as it looks. View from Fernsehturm on right.

Visiting a city is always a much richer experience in the company of someone who knows it well. I’m most grateful to Silke for showing me around. If you ever fancy a tour around Glasgow, my home town, get in touch!

TRGTALP Takes Off on Facebook!

In an attempt to reach a wider audience, I have decided to set up a Facebook page for The Rough Guide to a Lonely Planet.  The aim of the page is not only to get some more people reading and interacting with the regular readers, but to also spread the word about solo budget travel.

Click the link below - then, please LIKE the page and SHARE it with your Facebook friends, so they too can read all the goings on, inspiration and travel advice that you enjoy here at The Rough Guide to a Lonely Planet!

https://www.facebook.com/TRGTALP

See you there!

The Feel Good Factor!

MikeW and The FeelGoodGuy (David) cycling the French countryside! (source - author)

One of my favourite reasons for travelling are the positive experiences I have that essentially make me feel good.  For me, there are many great things that travel offers.  Firstly, I look forward and feel good about going on my trip...the packing, the preparation and excitement that comes with the journey to the airport and flight to the destination are something I really enjoy.  I love the journey itself, particularly when the sights out of the plane, train or bus window are new and interesting.  I also love to return, so I can look back at the great times that I have had and how much better I feel for it.  I see travel as a kind of pick me up...a chance (especially after a busy term or year of school) to relax and revive myself, ready for the 'onslaught' of the new school term!  Travel just makes me FEEL GOOD!

I believe one of the best things about travel has to be how it provides you with wonderful opportunities to meet people.  And, it is these friendships that create such a brilliant feel good factor for any traveller.  I have written before about the friends I have made through travel and all the fantastic experiences I have had following these trips in these peoples' home countries.  In mid-August, I visited a good friend of mine, Kate, in Paris.  Like any good visitor to the French capital, I made sure I indulged in the usual Parisian treats such as crepes, a wander through the Jardin du Luxembourg and an obligatory photograph in front of the Eiffel Tower!  Despite all of these fantastic Francophile treats, the best part of the whole weekend (apart from catching up with a great friend) involved meeting Kate's friends.  The friends comprised mostly of Kate's work colleagues who had meticulously organised a cycling trip, in the countryside, around the beautiful French town of Troyes.  The group had an excellent dynamic meaning that the day was filled with laughter, jokes, some energetic cycling and top notch food and wine.

One of the group, David, and I got talking about a number of different things and we discovered a shared interest...in feeling good!  I spoke of my love for travel and how much it makes me feel good.  David talked about how he has begun a blogging journey where he aims to document experiences (and not just those related to travel) that make him feel good.  The blog aims to inspire readers to take up new activities and get involved in experiences that will hopefully make you feel good too.  And, in David you have a very willing and humorous companion on this journey to feeling good!  You can find his blog at...

http://feelgoodguydotcom.wordpress.com/

Happy Birthday TRGTALP!

Mmm, cake! (Source - twobirdiesandab.blogspot.com)

I can barely believe it, my little treasure has turned one year old!  After 37 posts, 28 comments, 1 follower and almost 6000 pageviews; The Rough Guide to a Lonely Planet has come of age!  What I genuinely cannot believe is the amount of people who find my writing worthy of their precious time and that some of the readers of TRGTALP actually enjoy it...and even come back for more!

Highlights, so far, have been the awesome comments people have taken the time to write about their travel experiences and the inspiration that they have taken from my blog.  As well as, the Saturday evening my blog post about Stockholm retweeted by the Swedish Tourist Board, that resulted in TRGTALP pageviews going through the roof!  To those commenters, retweeters and readers, I am especially thankful!

So, this is my opportunity to raise a glass of bubbly to what is one of the most enjoyable things I do these days...inspiring you to travel.  This blog has never really been about me (though, it can often sound like that some times).  The main aim has always and always will be to use my experiences to get you out into the wider world.  Get out there, travel, see and experience this wonderful world around you...even if that means breaking out alone.

Here's to the next year!  Happy travels, people!

The Freak Parade - Oddballs on the Road...

(Source - theatrefolk.com)



Let me tell you one truism about backpacking.  You can guarantee you are certain to meet some utter freaks on your journeys.  They are the hallmark of the budget travel experience and are bound to stick in your memory for longer than you'd hoped.  My advice?  Embrace these weirdos!  Enjoy their bizarre, off-the-wall company and savour their outlandish behaviour.  Not only will these people be fantastic for your self-esteem, they will provide you with a whole host of stories to carry with you on your journey to other like-minded people you meet and will serve as an entertaining aspect of your travels your family and friends will lap up on your return.

I could tell you about the old lady, travelling with her daughter in Bled, Slovenia; who thought it appropriate to wear the shortest nightwear going in a shared dorm room, as well as leave her false teeth in a small plastic tub on the shelf I shared with her.  Or the Belgian girl in Port Macquarie, with a rather skewed view of British eating habits, who asked my friend, if only English people ate English muffins.

Mushy was perhaps the weirdest, though.  Let me take you back to Airlie Beach, Australia - September, 2005.  A moment I remember vividly.  I was in Airlie Beach; a place that marks the jumping point for the Whitsunday Islands three day sailing trips.  On entering my hostel room, I was met by my fellow roomie, a young-ish, drink and drug addled guy who told me his name was 'Mushy'; so called thanks to his love of the hallucinogenic fungi!  I could hear the alarm bells ringing softly in my head, but thought nothing of it as he asked me about my travels so far and where I was heading to after Airlie Beach.  Mushy then went on to tell me about his life and how he had worked at a local hotel resort and was on his downtime and aiming to enjoy himself in Airlie Beach.  As I sorted out my stuff, Mushy piped up that he was a talented singer and had made the later rounds of the hit Australian show, 'Australian Idol'.  The alarm bells were ringing loudly now.  As I had already established the guy could barely speak let alone sing, I humoured him and said, "Really!  What did you sing?"  He told me he had wowed them with a performance of the Oasis hit 'Wonderwall'.  I had to see this.  I sat back on the bottom bunk and readied myself for this stellar performance.  Mushy kicked off his song, wailing the verses like a cat being strangled by an excitable pig and then come the chorus where he broke into some high energy dance moves that involved him spinning round a lot and touching the floor.  All the while, my fingernails are digging deep into the palm of my hand to stop myself from laughing.  He suddenly stopped, looked to me and gave me the 'what do you think' face, to which I replied, "You were robbed, Mushy!"  He kindly offered me some 'shrooms.  I politely declined, made an excuse and got the hell out of there.  I returned after an hour or so to find Mushy had, thankfully, taken his talents elsewhere and that an Aussie and Dutch man had turned up in the room.  We chatted for a bit and I then went out to meet some people I had met earlier on my trip up the Australian east coast.  The next morning I woke up with a start to hear the Aussie guy, from the bunk above the now departed Mushy, yelp, "Aw, shit!"  I got up to find him looking at his feet and back at the floor.  "F***ing *****!"  While everyone was out enjoying the nightlife in Airlie Beach, Mushy had clearly decided to have a night in to clip his toenails.  And, rather than clear them up like any normal person, he thought it best to leave the clippings on the floor where they fell...for everyone else to tread on!  Freak!

Maybe it was the place, but on returning to that very same hostel three days later, I was accosted by a young South Korean guy who leapt out of his bunk to photograph me.  So, so strange!  But, that's travel for you.  I urge you to expect the unexpected and, most of all, enjoy it!

Embrace Your Fellow Traveller...

 Noodles with my Travel Friends for the Day!

As you might expect, being on the road as a solo traveller can be a lonely affair.  It doesn't have to be and it is up to you to decide what you want from your trips.  Personally, I enjoy meeting people on my travels.  As I have mentioned before, I have been lucky enough to make (what I consider) some lifelong friends from my backpacking trips.  It is a great aspect of travel that enables you to get an insight into the life of someone else from another country but to also allow you to put your own life in context and, ultimately, better understand yourself and the role your country has to play in our global village.

Schmaltzy stuff aside and looking at this in a more practical way.  Making friends on the road means that you've got someone to watch your bag while you use the toilet.  You have someone to share the costs of accommodation, transport and food with.  You have some one to beat at cards, drink local moonshine and share stories with; as well as someone to revel in the peculiarities and extraordinary moments you are bound to encounter as you both travel from place to place.  Don't get me wrong, with a positive open minded approach you'll have an amazing time on your travels if you do it solo.  But, with a friend you've got someone with which to share those special moments as well as those, lets say, hairy times we all tend to encounter on our journeys.

I've made friends in the hostel, on the free tour and from a cafe that for a number of reasons have simply been companions for the day.  The random encounter I had on a boat in Bangkok with a lovely Japanese girl, led to her and an amusing French guy (whom I have no recollection of ever being introduced to) both joining me on my explorations of the many bead and plastic carrier bag shops of the China Town area of the city.  Bizarre, but great fun; especially when we broke bread (well noodles) together at one of Bangkok's famous street stalls!  Just one look at the 20p toothpaste squeezer I bought that day instantly brings back floods of memories and laughter from four years ago.

So, my message to you, is embrace the people you meet on your journeys.  Some may become firm friends, others friends for a day, but, all will provide you with a host of memories and experiences that will almost certainly make your travels much more enjoyable.

Hej Sverige! (AKA Storming Stockholm with Friends)

View from the City Hall (Source - TRGTALP)

I posted a few months back about my impending trip to the Swedish capital, Stockholm with my two friends (see 'Stockholm Syndrome').  I expressed what I knew were going to be completely unfounded fears about travelling with other people.  The three of us had a brilliant time exploring the historical Gamla Stan, trying to be hip and happening in hip and happening Södermalm, wandered the rarefied streets of the Östermalm, strolled the Djurgården and sampled lots of great places to eat across this fantastic Scandanavian city.  We took the free tour (as I always recommend), with our sweet, if a little hapless, guide who told us that, "Greta Garbo was founded in the PUB department store" and that there was nothing of historical importance on the Kungsgatan, but the gym which was the site of the first meeting of the Crown Princess, Victoria and her buff beau, Daniel.

Gustavus Adolphus would be proud! (Source - TRGTALP)

I would highly recommend a visit to this awesome city, but must warn you of two things:

• Number 1 - Prepare to hemorrhage your bank balance or take a few bars of gold with you...to pay for breakfast.  I had heard about the country's reputation for being pricey and, boy, the people who had warned me were not wrong.  Despite having paid more than double the price for almost everything you would in the UK, I (a tightwad Yorkshireman) still think that Sweden is worth the money.  The quality of the food and shopping, in most instances, make it worthwhile.  Getting round this, might involve self catering in your hostel accommodation for a night or two.  Or, taking advantage of the fixed price, set menus on offer at most restaurants and cafes at lunchtime to fill yourself up.
• Number 2 - The reputation holds fast...Swedes of both gender are absolutely gorgeous.  The women have legs that go on forever with luscious blonde locks and model-esque cheekbones that could cut granite.  The men are tall modern day Viking warriors, with luscious blond locks, thick beards and model-esque cheekbones that could cut granite.  Do not...I repeat...do not go to Stockholm if you have a low self esteem.  The Swedes won't remind you of this beauty disparity.  I don't think they even know that they are a supremely good looking nation, but one simple walk down most streets in the capital will render the individual to a lustful mush or speed-dialing a plastic surgeon.

Places I would recommend a visit to:

• Cafe Gildas Rum - Skånegatan 79 - Great cafe with the best brownie I have ever eaten!
• Cafe Saturnus - www.cafesaturnus.se
• Cafe Albert and Jack - www.albertjacks.se - The breakfast meal deal, service and surroundings at the Gamla Stan branch were impressive!
• AG Restaurant - A meat feast.  Dress up in your finest gladrags for this one! www.restaurangag.se/?lang=en
• Le Rouge - A great restaurant in the Gamla Stan - www.lerouge.se/en/
• Pelikan Bar in the Södermalm - www.pelikan.se
• The Saluhall in the Östermalm district - www.saluhallen.com
• Scandi design shopping in both Östermalm and Södermalm.
• A walk round the Djurgården.

So, that's Stockholm!  Until the next journey...hejdå!

Hostel Heaven and Hostel Hell

Having recently stayed in a hostel, I often forget how much I love...and hate them!  Sometimes I think that, for the single traveller, they are a necessary evil and, at the same time, a wonderful resource for fun and friendship.  Faced with snorers, plastic bag rustlers and the strange eating habits of the occasional traveller I am often pleased to return to my own room at home.  So, for the hostel first timer and the backpacking old timer here are a few things you can do to make your fellow roomies trip just as pleasant as yours...

(Source - Hostel Bookers - http://blog.hostelbookers.com/travel/the-10-hostel-commandments)

Got The Itch for Travel? Scratch Away!

I come to you having just spotted something on TV that I want !  I spied it on the wall in the background of an episode of 'Wanted Down Under', I now yearn for one!  I have talked before about my habit of ticklisting the countries and places I have visited.  Well, I have now found a fun way of displaying my travel exploits.  Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you...**DRUM ROLL**...The Scratch Map:

http://www.scratchmap.co.uk/shop/scratch-map-personalised-world-map-poster/

http://www.scratchmap.co.uk/

Like a Lotto Scratchcard, but for travel! (Source - thegadgetstore.ie)

It is ingenious!  You simply scratch off (using a coin, I assume) the places you have visited and over time you get a changing picture of your personal travel history.  In addition to the classic world map, Scratch Map also offer a host of maps, from around the world, to fulfil all your cartographic scratching needs.

Thing is, I am now faced with a problem, as it is not Christmas for 10 months and my birthday falls at the end of December...*HINT HINT* :D

Happy travels, people!  Get scratching!

We're Slammin'!

Tim Tams - Food of the Gods!

I fell in love on my first solo trip to Australia and New Zealand.  I encountered a love that held no boundaries, a love that came in a number of tempting flavours and, most importantly of all, a love that gave me an immense amount of pleasure!  That love came in the form of the chocolate covered biscuity goodness of Arnott's Tim Tams.  Being a vain, self-obsessed health freak, I try not to indulge too often, but for me it is not the taste of the product itself that amazes me these days, but the fantastic memories that they bring flooding back that makes me want to eat these Aussie delights.  That bite of the chocolate coating to the biscuit, cream-filled centre takes me back to munching these on the beach at Byron Bay where the sea kayaking tour guide showed us how to perform the 'Tim Tam Slam'.  They remind me of the snacking I did on the long bus journeys between my stopping points on the Australian east coast and how sharing my Tim Tams with newly made friends, over freshly opened bottles of Tooheys and VB, brought our group all that bit closer on Fraser Island.

It is funny how foods you have tasted on your holidays can act as a powerfully vivid reminder of a place you have visited, a kind of sensory time machine to events and experiences that occurred many years previously.  And, ultimately, a reminder that makes you smile and look back with great fondness.  It is not just the Aussies that elicit this reaction; as I could easily say the same about the Dutch stroopwaffel or the par Thai cooked on the street stalls of the Khao San Road in Bangkok.  One taste of these foods and I am back there - the smells, sounds and sights come rushing back.

Now I have new associations to these glorious biscuits, though.  This particular packet (pictured above) came to me as a birthday gift, from my awesome Aussie friend, Erin, who I have mentioned before at TRGTALP.  I met her in a hostel in the summer of 2010 in Dubrovnik.  We hit it off and have kept in touch ever since.  I think it is just great that an Aussie woman I met in Croatia has sent me something I discovered back in 2005, when I was roaming around her country.  I just need to save up that money to invest in a return trip to Australia to hand deliver some British treats Erin misses from her time living here in the UK.  I will keep quiet about my real reason for visiting.  I will just say that the spare case I have with me is for all the Sydney Opera House magnets, cuddly koala toys and kangaroo key rings I want to buy as gifts for people back home (and not the hundreds of packets of TimTams I will be aiming to smuggle out of the country)!  Keep schtum and I might let you have one of them...

The Stockholm Syndrome

Swedish meatballs! (Source: briska.co.uk) 

Later this year, I am taking a trip with friends.  Travelling with friends is always great fun.  I have done it several times in the past and, on many occasions, with the very same friends I am taking this trip with too.  We are heading to Stockholm, capital city of the sickeningly beautiful Swedes!  It was my idea; having read a bit about the Scandinavian city recently and further fuelled by the availability of some reasonably priced flights from my local airport.  So, how could I pass this great travel opportunity up?!

The thing is...I am worried that I am going to find this trip difficult.  Pretty much all of my trips since the summer of 2010 have been solo affairs.  I have gotten used to a certain way of travelling.  It has become habit for me to follow my own whim, eat what I want, when I want, where I want and at the price I want to pay too.  I see the attractions and sights I want to see, at my own pace, in my own gloriously selfish way.  And, there is the rub...me, me, me!  All my recent trips have been about me.  In Stockholm, I will have to defer to the group and what they want to do.  As I see it, I am bound by another way of deciding how I should enjoy Stockholm; the majority vote, common sense or the will of a raving madman is likely determine how I experience the home of ABBA!  Or will the trauma induced from having let the reins pass to other people, lead me to empathise with my travel 'captors' and thank them for showing me a side to travel I am not that used to; endearing me to my captors just like the psychological phenomenon named after this fair city.  I'll let you know sometime around the end of April!  I have a feeling it will be all 'bra'!

Adjö och säkra resor!

Travel - One of Life's Great Teachers...

Something I learnt travelling...Slovenia is beautiful!  The sun setting over the gorgeous Lake Bohinj.

Travelling as an activity is a hugely satisfying leisure pursuit that can result in you seeing, tasting and experiencing much of what the World has to offer.  What has surprised me the most about travel, is how much I have got out of the act of travelling.

There is a danger this is going to sound like a CV or job application, but the things I have been lucky enough to learn on my travels have proved very useful in interviews for academic courses and in the hunt for jobs.  Presenting yourself at an interview to strangers, is no different to presenting yourself to the strangers you meet when you travel.  The only difference is you are probably wearing flip flops and a massive grin on your face during the latter scenario!  Travel, and especially solo travel, requires you to be confident enough to talk to complete strangers about yourself in an interesting way without being overbearing or intensely annoying.  Closely linked to this is the ability to listen to other people.  The number of times I have been involved in conversations where people are happy to talk about themselves for hours on end without taking much (if any) interest in your thoughts or background infuriates me.  And, to be honest, travel has taught me that these are the kind of people to avoid in all aspects of life.  However, do not let this stop you from reaching out...striking up a conversation with a random person can be a useful tool, in the right circumstances.  In work situations, I have successfully applied this principle, and have found myself talking to people who some of my colleagues were too afraid to engage with for fear of their status in the organisation, for example.  The trick is to listen.  I may make the mistake of assuming that life and work is like the rather flat/equal structure that exists amongst travellers, but I enjoy it and feel like I have gained a lot from it.

Travel has helped me realise I can enjoy my own company and get a lot done.  The time I get to be alone to think (often in a beautiful location) is a real luxury these days.  Without the distraction of other people, travelling solo (in particular) can allow you to really appreciate your destination; watching the people come and go, take in other cultures and also take pleasure in the scenery that lay before you as you look across the horizon.

Trust that intuition!  It is usually right.  Having put myself and having been put into a number of exciting and hair-raising situations, always go with your intuition.  Travel has acted as a useful training ground for my intuition, allowing me to make some great friends, avoid some not so great people, get involved in some great activities and stay away from some not so great travel diversions.  Judging the quality of a hostel at 20 paces or the best place to eat in the backstreets of Vilnius has proved so useful in everyday life.  The idea that I can use my experiences to forge a positive future, based on my judgement was a fantastic revelation.  I know...obvious for most people, but for me, knowing that I could decide what I wanted to do based on a number of factors was an eye-opener. 

Big deal!  So what!  Who cares?!  Having seen many different places, cultures and experiencing a fair few things during my travels, my sense of perspective has improved massively.  When things get stressful at work, I sometimes have to remind myself that I do have a sense of perspective, but it is the things that I have seen on my travels that helps me remember that in the grand scheme of things nothing really matters.  That deadline...yes, it is important, but so what?!  If it is a day late, it is inconvenient, but ultimately no-one died and there are far more important things to worry about in life.  Having seen the way that people live, work and what they have experienced, I am always mindful to count my blessings.  My first trip turned me into a right hippy.  I backpacked without any desire for all the possessions I owned back in the UK.  After about two weeks of travelling, I could have easily given them up for my backpack full of clothes and a couple of good paperbacks.  Stupidly idealistic and probably quite impractical, but what I took from that was the realisation that the 'stuff' we work so stupidly hard to accumulate to fill our homes is pretty worthless - 'mo money, mo problems' and all that!  What I did miss were my family and friends.  So, travel changed my perspective regarding where my priorities lie.  Before that first big trip, the accumulation of financial wealth and belongings was my main objective in life.  And, after that trip, I know that the only things that really matter are not fulfilling someone else's targets at work or generating cash for me to spend on a huge state-of-the-art flat screen TV or on the repayments for a new BMW, but family and the people around you.  Success, for me, is not measured in material wealth, but by the relationships you cultivate and maintain with the people around you.  Maybe this came to the fore during my trips, as travelling is a very people-centric activity that really helps you understand your fellow man.  Ultimately though, this aspect of discovery I have made on my travels is of greatest importance to me.

So, travel...the great educator!  You don't believe me?!  Well, all I can say is go find out for yourself, you may be surprised what you learn.

Please feel free to comment below on any things that travel has taught you.  I would love to hear your views on this!

Get Rich...Quick!

A great travel 'investment' - bathing elephants in Thailand!

Erin, an amazing Australian friend of mine (whom I met in a hostel in Dubrovnik a couple of years back), once told me a brilliant quotation that has stuck with me.  It goes, "travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer".  If you are here, reading my blog about travel, you will have probably heard it before.  If not; well, here you go.  Take it in, savour it, because it is true.  Every penny I have spent on my travels has been worth it for a number of reasons.  The people travel has enabled me to meet, the different cultures I have been lucky enough to see, the food I have been able to taste and the experiences I have had on my travels have been a superb investment.  I have these imprinted as memories for the rest of my life.  I know if I had stuffed the money I have spent on travelling in a bank account and had stayed at home, I would not be the person I am today.  I know I would certainly be poorer for it - emotionally and spiritually.  Travel has opened my eyes to a number of things about myself and others and has taught me a host of skills that I could have probably have learned elsewhere, but I am sure I had more fun learning them in the humidity of a Bangkok night market or on the back of a yacht (Tooheys in hand) in the Whitsunday Islands in Australia.  So, open your purse and wallets, splash the cash (within your means, of course) and I can guarantee your travel will pay you back tenfold.

USA...Tick! France...Tick! Azerbaijan...erm...

Location, Location, Location!

On a recent flight, I was surrounded by a party heading to Slovenia to...erm, party.  One of the group, exclaimed to the others a few minutes after we took off, "when we land, this will be my 50th country!  And, all before my 30th birthday too!"  The milestone birthday, it turns out, was being celebrated in Slovenia, so the girl in question made it to her target by a whisker!  This little story got me thinking...do we travel to put a notch on our proverbial hostel bedpost or is this just a satisfying byproduct of a wide and varied travel diet?  For those of you that were wondering, I have made it to 24 countries - so long as you count Monaco and the Vatican City as independent states.  I think that is pretty impressive for someone who has never taken a gap year that wends through a number of South East Asian and South American countries or is that flush with cash.

Some people take this tick-listing of countries visited to an extreme.  Take, for example, Kashi Sammadar, who has visited all of the countries of the World.  Or even our own Queen Elizabeth II who has visited 116 countries to date.  You can compare your travels to Liz's on this BBC News website - 'Have you been where the Queen's been?'

Though, sad to admit it, I quite like seeing where and how many places I have visited.  I love updating my travel map on Facebook; putting virtual pins into a map to highlight the cities and countries I have trampled with my size nines.  I look at the gaps on the map and think, 'I really must visit ... or ...'.  I do this, not to ensure I fill in those gaps, but help me think about the places I would like to travel to, not the ones I feel I should visit simply to pin on my map.  My travels this year have included four new countries and hopefully, a fifth before the year is out.  I realised looking at my map, I had not really seen much of Eastern Europe, but for a short break to Prague a few years back.  So, when I saw the flights to Hungary, Latvia and Slovenia at a reasonable price, I jumped at the chance to see these countries and cultures that had previously been virgin territory for me.

As for the girl at the start of the post, she may have achieved her 50 countries mostly via travel through her work commitments.  For all I know, she could have been a pilot or stewardess; jetting all over the world on a daily basis.  She might be filthy rich, with a purse deep enough to allow her the opportunity to travel lots and see a whole host of countries.  It is easy to become cynical about such people - mocking their approach to travel.  Besides, we all enjoy travel for different reasons.  Either way, we all have something in common...we like to travel.  Therefore, I am always in admiration for those people that are lucky enough to visit so many places.  They make me want to travel more as I reason with myself, 'if they can do it, so can I!'  I often fail to remember that they may have more time or cash at their disposal, but still the desire to travel remains.  So, look to your tick-listers as inspiration, a source of ideas for future destinations and most of all enjoy the experience of travel, seeing it not simply as a chance to 'tick' another place off on a list of places you have travelled to.

The Glorious Free Tour...

The Ljubljana Free Tour - MikeW in the middle on the front row! (Source - The Ljubljana Free Tour)

 

Free!  My favourite price!  The old saying goes, "there's no such thing as a free lunch", but I disagree when it comes to one 'free' aspect of travel and it is one of my top tips for the solo traveller.  Whenever I am in a place that has one on offer, I always take the free tour.  I've free toured in a number of cities including Lisbon, Budapest, Riga, Vilnius and most recently, last week, in Ljubljana.  And, what a treat these tours are.  The concept is pretty straightforward: a person in their early twenties (often an inhabitant of the place) will have advertised a meeting point somewhere in the city, at a set time everyday, usually via a leaflet or poster in the hostels and tourist information offices.  They will walk you and a group of other fact-hungry tourists around their fair city all for nothing, nada, nowt!  OK, OK...before you all scream, "Mike, you're wrong...it's not free!"...the tour is not completely free as the tour guide will explain to you at some point on your walk round the city.  They work on a tip based system, whereby you pay what you think the tour was worth.  So, in theory you could pay nothing for an abysmal tour and thus, get yourself a free tour, but if you are paying nothing, it is probably safe to assume the tour was a waste of time or you are just one tight-fisted git!

I like the free tour for a number of reasons.  First of all, you get to meet a local; someone who is always very passionate about their city and their country; happy to share many interesting facts and stories about its people, buildings and culture.  I have learnt some fascinating things from these free tours.  The quality of the guides varies.  The tours where I have laughed heartily, learnt lots about the place and felt like the guide was genuinely interested in our experience have been fantastic.  The tours where the guide has been very serious or a little eccentric, making the tour all about themselves, I have found less interesting and have tipped accordingly.  Secondly, free tours are really useful in helping you get your bearings; allowing you to see the highlights of a city in a short space of time, but then give you the opportunity to decide what you want to visit again and see in more detail.

Free tours are a great way to meet other like-minded travellers.  Free tourers are usually backpackers, probably travelling solo (and on a budget) just like your good self.  On the tour in Ljubljana, I was able to meet a great girl who me and a fellow traveller, from my room in the hostel, spent the day exploring the city with and dined with in the evening.  Further than that, the people on the free tour might become future travel buddies...an Aussie girl I befriended on the free tour in Riga I am travelling to Krakow with in October.

So, take the free tour...learn about the place you are visiting, soak up the culture and meet people!

Get Out There...Explore!

Some postcards made by my class during the 'Tourism' topic!

I am a Geography teacher in a secondary school, here in the UK.  I mention my travels, and the experiences I have had on them, a fair bit in my lessons, whenever it is relevant to do so.  Occasionally a student will suggest I am "always going on about my holidays"; bragging about my trips to other countries, cultures and environments.  As I aim to do in my posts on this blog, I am very conscious that I do not tell my students these travel stories as a way of showing off either a) my wealth (which for any prospective golddiggers out there, is pretty small, by the way) or b) to somehow seem to beat someone else's equally exciting travel experiences into submission with my heavily stamped passport.  I tell the students my money does not go on attending expensive Premiership Football matches, buying Playstation and XBox games, boozing every weekend in Leeds city centre or a fast car.  I save my hard-earned pennies to spend on travel.  As previous readers are well aware, I hunt down the cheapest flight possible within a time I am free to travel to ensure that I get the best value for money from my journeys and take as many as possible within the holidays I have.  Like the readers here, I want to inspire the students I teach to travel when they are older.  To take themselves off on journeys that make them more rounded individuals; exposed to all the amazing sights and experiences this magnificent world has to offer, as well as a developing awareness of the world's problems and what impact we humans have on the planet and the environments in which we live.  My 'Henry Rollin's post' a few week's back highlights this.  To travel is not to just simply get a better understanding of the world, but I believe it is vital in helping you understand yourself better.  It is this that philosophy I am trying to get across to the students I teach.

As 'The Rough Guide to a Lonely Planet' reaches almost 1000 page views, I want to thank all the visitors to my rather self-indulgent travel blog, but hope that it has and will continue to prove to be a great source of help, advice and inspiration to all visitors.