#but i have a 6 hours flixbus ride

[n3bismel]

London pt 1

#i don't have my laptop #but i have a 6 hours flixbus ride #and my phone so yeah #expect more idk #joker out #jan peteh #nace jordan #bojan cvjeticanin #see you soon tour #also if u're in the picture and don't want to be just tell me im gonna remove it

[moonmeg]

I was in Venice with a friend and here's how that trip went

Friday, February 17th

My host family had left the city and I decided to buy some beer for my friend and me as we planned to have a movie(s) night in our airbnb.

I had a plan for the remaining hours of the day: finish the laundry, take a shower, take a nap, wake up at midnight, eat leftovers from lunch and prepare to exit the house. Our bus was leaving at 5 in the morning and so we decided to walk to the station. We didn't really have another choice. No busses, no metro, and we didn't want to take a taxi.

Returning from Carrefour, listening and vibing to GOSSIP by Måneskin, as I walk towards the main entrance of the house, my phone vibrates in my hand. The icon in the top bar indicates a new mail. It's from Flixbus. Our bus has been cancelled.

In absolute disbelief I rush inside the house and my room. I message my friend, informing him on the situation. We can take another bus and either not pay anything or pay up 3-50€ depending on bus. A bus at 00:30 seemed the best alternative. We would arrive in Venice at 6AM which is extremely early, but the other busses would have arrived too late or asked for a 50€ pay up. Our airbnb was in Chioggia, an hour away from Venice. We needed to take that in consideration too.

I rebooked the bus and now we both had 6 hours to prepare until the voyage.

I did everything that was on my to-do list but had to leave out the sleeping part. I'll sleep on the bus.

I prepared some carrots and apples for me to take with me to eat.

We decided to meet up at a bus station close to his house at 23:15 and then walk to Principe (the main train station in Genova) by foot.

I needed 20 minutes to get to that bus station, 15 if I'm quick. As typical for me, I was running late and so I walked in hurry and half way through I realize I forgot to pack my toothbrush and toothpaste. I message my friend asking if I can borrow one, I'll buy a replacement. Luckily he had one left and gladly let me borrow it.

Mid-way I noticed that wearing my boots was a mistake but there was no turning back now.

The bus ride was not very spectacular. We both tried to sleep after a little talk - me successfully, him unsuccessfully.

At 6 in the morning we were in Venice. We decided to get a coffee or sit somewhere for startes and wait for it to become brighter outside, so we walked and took a seat in the Santa Lucia train station café. We had a coffee and planned the day. My friend noticed quickly that we'd be done with seeing the tourist attractions of Venice extremely quickly.

And he was right, by about 10 we were done.

To our surprise as we were walking through the small streets and piazzas of Venice, it was quiet. The city was only waking up. And compared to how much of struggle it was to navigate through the alleys at noon, we both were grateful to have arrived here so early.

We checked prizes for museums: too expensive. But at least we had booked a ride on a Gondola. It's expensive, but it was worth it. It was quiet and relaxing and we had a nice conversation with a sweet elderly English couple. The man promptly asked for a phone to take a picture of us. In return I did one of them too. (We're pretty sure they thought we were dating)

Unfortunately it was foggy so we couldn't see Venice in full beauty.

We sat down in a "cheap" café to plan on how to get to our airbnb now... at noon. He found a regional bus that would take us to Sottomarina in Chioggia, which is where our room was. Bought the tickets, got on the bus, turned into the wrong alley in search of the airbnb at first, checked in and let me tell you, that airbnb was worth is all.

Water bottles on the nightstands, two candies on the towels on the bed, a bottle of prosecco with two glasses on the kitchen counter. It was a wonderful room and we spent the remaining day inside. (Yes, there was only one double bed. Yes, my friends AND family teased me with this)

I showed him Anastasia. We "cooked" Chili Sin Carne (it was from a can but let us be). We had a small music break where we just danced to my playlist. We watched High School Musical, he showed me Inception.

We woke up at 8am because check-out was at 10 and our bus back to Genova as at 11.

Quick breakfast, small and big talks here and there as we are getting ready to leave.

We watch High School Musical 2 on the first Flixbus bus to Florence and then had 1 hour and 45 minutes of transit time "in" Florence. My friend ran out of water so he found a coop (supermarket) and we walked there, just talking and joking around. The coop was closed and we kinda low-key got lost because he's terrible at navigating but we made it back on time to the bus station! :D

He tried to buy water from a vending machine there but it wouldn't work so I told him to just keep my water bottle.

"But.. then you won't have anything to drink :("

"I'll be fine."

During the bus ride from Florence back to Genova we somehow ended up talking about Sims, what names we find pretty and would give kids, he started reading our horoscopes and our personality types. Then we ended up talking about our deepest thoughts and feelings, insecurities and fears. That was... wild. (We know each other for two weeks at this point)

We arrived in Genova and decided to eat somewhere. Near Principe I found a cheap Asian restaurant and while he was scared to enter it at first because it looked so small, the food was AMAZING. While we ate I read out our Chinese horoscopes (he's a horse, I'm a goat) and those hit closer to home than the first ones. We agree on having breakfast together on the 1st of March for sure, we pay and walk back to Albaro (the city part we both live in) and even though we passed his street first, he (as always) insisted on walking me home.

"Well, thanks for the weekend. I really enjoyed it.", I say hugging him.

"Yeah, me too. I'm so sad you're leaving so soon."

"I'll see what I can do this week. Maybe we'll see each other again."

"We definitely will. I'm not letting you leave without meeting up another time."

All in all it was a nice weekend and I'm sad it couldn't have last longer :(

#i wonder how many people will now start shipping us after reading this #i just know my friends will once I tell them all that #moonmegs au pair in 🇮🇹

[bigtinyworldtravel]

We spent five days in London and could see quite a few things in that time. However, there were plenty of things we didn’t get to do while we were there. Some were because they were too expensive while a few others we didn’t even know about. It is such a large city, so it is impossible to do it all. London is a perfect blend of old architecture and vibrant culture. With a few days, you can get a good feel for the city and see many of its highlights.

We took a bus to London from Belgium and went through the channel tunnel which was an exciting adventure. The bus was loaded on a train and then we rode through the tunnel under the water. That was awesome! Once we arrived in London, the bustling city greeted us with double-decker buses and rain. The rain didn’t stop us from getting out to see as much as we could, but we still couldn’t do everything because the city has so much to offer. Here are 6 things we didn’t get to do while in London and what we did instead.

Tower Bridge

The iconic Tower Bridge is well known around the world. With my love for bridges, I had to see it and cross over it. The bridge was fairly crowded as 40,000 people cross it daily. We walked over the lower deck and made a loop back over the Millennium Bridge, which was wonderful. We found out later that the upper deck of Tower Bridge is accessible with a ticket. The upper deck is an exhibition that features a glass floor where you can look down at the tiny cars below. Eek! Maybe next time we can splurge and go to the top. Before our walk, we found that the best views of the bridge are near the Tower of London on the west side of the bridge.

Tower Exhibition Ticket Cost: £27.50 ($36 USD) per adult (see website for current prices)

London Eye

On the south bank of the River Thames is the London Eye. I named it this because you are able to see 25 miles in all directions with a full view of the city. As we are budget travelers, this was another that was too expensive for us to do. We ate some frozen yogurt on top of a converted double-decker bus instead, which was much more affordable. On our next trip, we will find a way to get a discount so we can enjoy the expansive views of the city. It was worth looking at it from the opposite side of the river just to see how large it really is. Perhaps next time.

London Eye Ticket Cost: £40 ($52 USD) per adult (see website for current prices)

Big Ben

On our trip, this was a bust as Big Ben was scaffolded. Apparently, this is a large renovation project that started in 2017, but is expected to be completed by 2021. The clock tower is the main feature, and it contains a bell that weighs 13.5 tons. You can climb to the top by walking up the 334 steps but only if you are a UK citizen. Citizens can contact their MP in writing to make arrangements to climb the tower for free. Since we are overseas visitors, there is no chance we can get in, unfortunately. We have seen similar bells in many European cathedrals so it isn’t a big deal. We care more about the outside and next time we are in London we will want to see this beautifully lit up at night.

Globe Theatre

The original Globe Theatre is where William Shakespeare performed his plays and it was famous for its special effects by having several trap doors. The current version is a replica that was built in 1997 as the previous versions were burned or shut down. We stopped by the Globe Theatre but did not go inside as Brianna had already been there years ago. We wanted to see a performance there, but we went to Greenwich instead.

Globe Theatre Tour Cost: £17 ($22 USD) per adult (see website for current prices)

Royal Greenwich Observatory

The zero-degree longitude is called the Prime Meridian, and it is the divider of the two hemispheres. It is an imaginary line that a group of astronomers agreed upon in the late 1800s. It could have been placed anywhere. We went there, but we did not go into the Royal Greenwich Observatory as we didn’t want to pay for it and it was closed when we arrived. Instead, we had fun trying to get our phone compass to read 0 longitudes without success. Maybe next time.

Royal Observatory Greenwich £16 ($21 USD) per adult (see website for current prices)

The Shard

The Shard is a 95-story building that has 11,000 panels of glass which cover 56,000 square meters. It is a pointy building with an observatory and stands at 1,016 feet high (310 meters), making it the tallest building in the UK. It has an entry fee with several packages that you can book online. We opted to not go there but pleasantly found two other places that didn’t cost money to enjoy the view. One was the Garden at 120 which is free to enter and has a lovely garden on top. The other was the Sky Garden which you need to book in advance but it is also free to enter. We do not regret these choices but if we can visit the Shard at a reasonable price, we will next time.

The Shard Tickets: £25-39 depending on the package ($32-50 USD) per adult (see website for current prices)

Free Things We Did Instead

Changing of the Guard

The changing of the guard is one of those quintessentially British ceremonies to watch. We knew it would be very crowded with spectators, so we sought ways to see them without the people. We opted to watch them set up instead of the full ceremony. This was good enough for us and a way to get our fill of fuzzy hats and even enjoy a few songs as they practiced.

Shoreditch

If you want to see some of the best street art in the city, then Shoreditch is the place to be. We enjoyed walking the streets and seeing the colorful artwork. It was well worth spending a morning just wandering around enjoying the murals. There are also many trendy restaurants and coffee shops in the area.

Leadenhall Market

Known for its many shops, restaurants, and even a filming location in Harry Potter, Leadenhall Market was fun to visit. It is a beautiful indoor market that was built in the 14th century. If you catch yourself on a rainy day in London, this makes for a great stop. We ate at a wonderful fish ‘n’ chips restaurant as it is one of my favorite dishes. The rest of the time there we were photographing the place and looking for the entrance to Diagon Alley.

Platform 9 and 3/4

Speaking of Harry Potter, there is a touristy Platform 9 3/4 at the Kings Cross station. There, you can wait in line to have your picture taken with a luggage cart that appears to be halfway through the wall. The photos will cost you, but they do allow you to take a picture with your own camera. You are handed a scarf for your choice of house and then they fling the scarf up in the air to provide the illusion that you are going through. It was a fun place for a quick photo and to geek out on Harry Potter.

St. Dunstan in the East

This was an off-the-beaten-trail thing to do where we met one of our native London followers who had never heard of this place. St. Dunstan in the East was formerly a church that was demolished in WWII. The remaining ruins are now a free park and garden. The garden is definitely more off the tourist path and a great place to relax, take photos, or meet friends.

Day Trips

Windsor Castle, Leeds Castle, and White Cliffs of Dover

If you have extra time in London, there are many day-trips you can do. Some that we missed include Windsor Castle, Leeds Castle, and the White Cliffs of Dover. These three will be priorities for our next visit.

With a simple one-hour train ride, Windsor castle is the easiest to get to from Paddington Station. Brianna had been there before so it wasn’t a high priority.

Next time we will go to Leeds Castle and the White Cliffs of Dover in one day. This trip would be best by car as it is about an hour and a half drive to Leeds Castle and then another 30 minutes to get to the Cliffs of Dover. It is possible to do this with trains and buses, but at that point, you might as well stay closer to them.

Stonehenge and Bath

While we missed a few possible day-trips, we did manage to go to Stonehenge and Bath, which can be visited from London as well. These were both fantastic places to go to.

Stonehenge is best by car with a two-hour drive, but taking a train is just slightly longer at two and a half-hours.

Bath is best by train as it takes only an hour twenty minutes from Paddington Station.

Final Thoughts

Even though we were there for 5 days, we could not possibly see it all in that time. We are not disappointed in what we did not do, and this allows us to go visit a second time. We seem to run into this all the time as you can’t possibly see everything.

What places did you miss in your last trip that are worthy of a revisit?

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  We spent five days in #London and did our best to see all of the #highlights. There were many things we didn't get to with the limited time that are worth a #revisit. Check it out! #bigtinyworld #longtermtravel #travelcouple We spent five days in London and could see quite a few things in that time. However, there were plenty of things we didn't get to do while we were there.

#Day Trip #full-time travel #London #long-term travel #Travel #travel couple #UK Travel

[its-abroad-world]

Adventure #6 - June 10: Sea Day June 11: Oslo, Norway: The Stinky City June 12: Copenhagen to Hamburg: We got left behind

June 10: Last Sea Day

June 10 was our last sea day of the cruise. Our family spent it like our other days at sea: sleeping in and wandering around the ship, eating from the different bars or buffets. I went to the gym for a little bit to assuage my guilt of overeating every dinner, but for the most part, I spent my day sitting in the piazza reading or on Lido deck reading. The sea days were such nice breaks in between the busy days that we were docked. My dad tends to have a hot head when he’s tired so being able to rest and get away from each other helped a lot in us not getting into any arguments.

That night was cocktail night so we dressed in the last of our fancier outfits and took pictures before dinner (of course). They had a fun greenscreen setup that they partnered with Discovery to do. They had different scenes: Big Foot, Shark Week, and Deadliest Catch.

June 11: Oslo, Norway

Oslo was our last stop and our shortest stop on the cruise; we had to be back on board by 2 pm. In terms of exchange rates, Norway was one of the more expensive countries so we only visited the free places, which worked out for us because those were the places that we had wanted to see the most anyways. Conveniently for us, Akershus Fortress and Castle were right beside where the Regal was docked.

The castle and the fortress were built in the 1300s but was modernized and converted into a Renaissance castle and royal residence during the reign of King Christian the IV in the 1600s. Now, the grounds have become a popular place to host events and concerts. While we were walking around the grounds, we saw a concert set-up where people were practicing for a performance later that night. Many sections that are usually open for tours were closed off because of the event.

Our first stop after the fortress was the Royal Palace on Karl Johans Gate, the main street in Oslo. The Palace is a symbol of Norwegian history, built in 1814, it is home to King Harald V and Queen Sonja. While it is their home, it is also where the king presides over the Council of State, grants audiences, and holds official dinners. In the summer, there are guided tours of the palace but we had already had our fill of palaces in St. Petersburg.

After the palace, we got turned around for a bit and walked around in a circle, but eventually, we were able to find Karl Johans gate again. The first thing that we noticed about the area was that it smelled like garbage. Like it had been in Copenhagen, it happened to be trash day in Oslo. It seemed as if there was a garbage truck on every street we would walk down. The street was lined with popular shopping stores but we high-tailed it out of there, covering our noses from the smell. We found our way to the Norwegian Parliament. We didn’t go inside but we read about and looked at the history of Oslo and the building on the information boards that they had situated in front.

The only other thing that we wanted to see after that was the National Opera House, which was on the bay. The opera house overlooked the city as well as the ocean. Known for its unique white marble architecture, tourists are encouraged to walk on the ceiling of the opera. The roof is slanted on two sides of the building and meet and level out at the top of the building where you can see a panoramic view of the ocean to the city. I had never seen a building like that. Inside, the windows stretched high and looked out onto the sloped section of the roof. It was a bit of a trek to get to the top but it was well worth the view and in the distance, we could spot the Regal.

Afterward, we headed back to the ship with an hour and a half to spare. My sister and I grabbed lunch at the pizzeria located in the center of the ship and agreed that we ordered way too much food at the end of it, having chosen to order two antipasti, a pizza, and a calzone; we still managed to finish it all. We spent the rest of the day in the room and wandering around the ship, before getting ready for dinner.

That night, we had our last dinner sitting next to Nina, Wade, and Fred and said our farewells to our waiters, Alberto and Ukim, as well as some of the other waiters that we made friends with.

We had our usual stint in the karaoke room with the Flores sisters and were joined by our parents. In the end, everyone stood on stage and sang Sweet Caroline and took a group picture. It was quite a momentous moment. Us girls didn’t want the night to end quite yet so we headed to the club in the center of the ship. It was pretty empty and dead when we go there but after putting in a few song requests, we were dancing and enjoying the end of a fun cruise. We said our farewells to the girls, with promises of hanging out if we are ever in the Philippines. Upon getting back to the room, we packed our bags and placed them outside our door, ready to disembark in the morning.

June 12: Copenhagen to Hamburg

After having breakfast and disembarking the ship, we collected our baggage and took a bus to the train station where we would be taking a Flixbus to Hamburg, Germany. We found our way back to the train station easily and sat down until we had to go to our bus. However, we were unaware of how the train and bus system there worked. We didn’t know that the main train station was underground or that the area where the Flixbus was supposed to pull us was not where we were waiting.

As the time to board the bus grew closer, we became more frantic, asking different personnel at the train station where to go. They kept pointing us in different directions and the signs that were posted were unclear. We eventually figured out that the pick-up spot for the buses required us to go downstairs to the train station and then up the other side where we had to cross two streets to get there. We were running, dragging all of our luggage with us. By the time we got there, we found out that our bus had left us and the tickets were non-refundable.

A Dane that worked for the company kindly let us use his phone and helped us buy new bus tickets to Hamburg. We had to sit in the cold, windy weather as we waited for the next bus to come. The ride was 4 hours long and I spent most of my time in and out of sleep as I read. When we finally reached Hamburg, it was a short walk from where we were dropped off to our hotel. The elevator to the top floor was rickety and could only fit two people with luggage at a time, jolting at random moments and almost giving us a heart attack. We settled in fairly quickly and then headed out to get dinner, leaving the windows open because our non-smoking room smelled like smoke. The area we were in had a large population of middle eastern people so there were a lot of shawarma restaurants around; we ate at one of these. After dinner, we stopped by the market to pick up some water and snacks before going back to the room to shower. The shower was a whole other nightmare. There only seemed to be one water temperature: burn-your-skin-off-hot; it was the most painful shower I have ever experienced. We all fell asleep pretty much right away after the exceptionally long and stressful day that we had.

[gogingersnaps]

In the United States, Public transportation is rare. In our beautiful town of Selinsgrove, we don’t have much besides a small bus station (Which I didn’t even know existed until the summer after my second year), and the Saturday bus the school provides to get you to target and back. If you want to travel anywhere outside of walking distance, you really need a car. Maybe this wasn’t the case for you if you grew up in a bigger city, but for me, we didn’t have any public transportation at all. Having a car was a requirement to go to school, to work, buy groceries, and so on.

In Freiburg, we have something magical called the tram, or the street train! I like to think of it as a bus on tracks, more or less. There are tracks that go all throughout the city of Freiburg, even through the major shopping center! Most of the city is pretty inaccessible by car, so you have to use the public transit system (Or bike, which I’ll talk about in a bit!).

I just recently learned a bit about the history of Freiburg’s public transit system, which actually started as part of an effort to be a more sustainable city! Back in 1991, a card called the “environmental protection card” was introduced, where people commited to use more public transit and drive less in their own cars. This eventually turned into the RegioKarte, a monthly ticket for full access to all Freiburg transit.

Public transit is generally very “safe”, more so than using a car. It makes sense after all, everything is on rails. It’s also incredibly fast, since there’s less cars and traffic overall! But if you’re traveling alone, especially if you’re a female student, or are a student likely to be perceived as female, be extremely careful traveling at night, or in the early morning. My program made their students travel by tram at around 5:30, 6:00am, and I had a really bad encounter with a man who was getting entirely too close to me, tried to look at my phone, and went to grab me. Luckily there was a kind man and woman who stepped between us when he got angry, but if they weren’t there, I don’t know what would have happened. Make sure to put your bag on the empty seat if you’re traveling by yourself, and if you feel like you’re in danger, get off of the tram. I’d tell you to never travel alone, like my program told me, but that’s not always plausible.

To use the transit as a student for the semester, you’ll be looking at spending a bit under 100 Euro. And we also had to buy a 40 Euro monthly Regiokarte for our first two weeks here, so overall, it’ll cost you 140 Euro’s just to get around the city for the three and a half months you’re here (Anyone who says public transit is cheap is speaking relatively, cars and gas are even more expensive in Europe). If this is too expensive for you, consider buying a used bike!

Bikes can also be extremely expensive, more-so than you’re semester ticket. But if you can find a used bike, you might be in luck. There are bike lanes around all of Freiburg, making it easy to get around. Personally, I hate riding bikes, but there are one or two students who have opted for using bikes. I will say that relying only on a bike can pose a few problems. One problem I’ve overheard these students have is that they can’t bring their bikes on the tram. So, if they bike out to do something like go to the bar and are too drunk to bike back, they’ll have to leave their bike there overnight and buy a ticket anyway. Overall, I really just recommend that you get the semester card.

There are also trains that travel pretty much anywhere in Germany, and even throughout Europe! I went to the Netherlands on two trains and a short bus ride that overall took me about seven hours. There’s also the Flixbus, which while a lot slower, is a lot cheaper. 

Kait’s Weekly Fun Time!

Word of the week: Regiokarte: the Monthly Tram card!

Travel: No traveling for me! But my boyfriend is coming to visit my this coming weekend, which I am entirely too excited about.

[dakotahiggins-blog1]

We were supposed to go sailing with a family friend, and right beforehand, the friend broke his leg! Needless to say, the entire trip was off. For them, not us. We continued on with…

No plans. No reservations. No…really

I knew there’d be pros and cons to seeing a country this way. On one hand, it allows for more freedom. On the other hand, I probably spent entirely too much time scrolling Booking.com or Airbnb on my iphone for places to sleep that night. Must-haves: good reviews, A/C, Wi-Fi, preferred Superhost, location, location, location.

If you’re going from Hungary to Croatia, you have a few transportation options:

Rent a car with a v high one-way drop free (unless you plan on going back to Budapest)

Hire a car & driver for a high fee

Take a train (that wasn’t running the day we left because of a public holiday)

Take a bus

Day 1

We left Budapest at 10:30am on a FlixBus (booked day-of!) for about €20/passenger. Now I’m not a traveler that typically gravitates towards the public bus systems of central Europe, but this one didn’t disappoint mostly because it was half full, clean, and came with a view…and because the bus driver let me off to get a banana because HUNGER PAINS. With a border crossing consisting of 25 minutes, the total drive was ~5 hours. That’s 5 episodes of GoT. All good in my book.

Once at the Zagreb bus station, t’was time to hail a cab to the airport so we could rent a car and be on our way. (So let’s rewind and count: that’s 1 cab to the Budapest bus station, 1 bus ride to Croatia, 1 cab to Zagrab airport just to get to the rental car. PHEW). I wasn’t in the Volkswagen for 5 minutes before I went the wrong way down a one-way while stopping traffic everywhere. Then Google Maps took us the scenic route which was the definition of backroads if I’ve ever seen ’em – tractors, horseback, cyclists, greenery, and loooots of wide open land. Honestly, it looked a lot like Arkansas. I immediately felt right at home

After another 2 1/2 hour drive with a pitstop at Cowboy Western Ranch for lunch (if you’re doing this route, you must stop here and get the Texas Burger. Just do it. Not because it’s good, but because it’s a monstrosity and funny when you’re sleep deprived. Plus, it’s like you’re in Texas but you’re in Croatia. It’s weird).

Stay

Around 8pm we finally rolled into Ethno Houses Plitvica Selo. It’s not perfect (rude creaky floors), but I’d stay here again for its location in the heart of Plitvice Lakes National Park and extremely close proximity to Entrance 3. While you can’t purchase entrance tickets to the national park at Entrance 3 (big question mark here), the hotel offers to do it for you – alleviating you of getting back in the car and driving to Entrance 1 or 2. *Raises hand*

Day 2

Explore the gems of Plitvice Lakes National Park

Breakfast at the hotel

All day exploration of Plitvice Lakes National Park. Note: You walk here, there’s no driving, and you also can’t swim. I’m sure it’s for safety/sustainability reasons, but the waters are crazy inviting. Near the entrances, there’s food/water/ice cream stations. Stock up on water! Beware of the circus during the hours from 10am – 6pm. I honestly can’t come up with too many other nature-derived experiences that have been *this* crowded. Once 6pm hit, it was insanely calm and beautiful.

Dinner at Ethno Houses Plitvica Selo

Shop my favorite pair of high-waisted pocket leggings (pictured below)

Stay

Ethno Houses Plitvica Selo

Day 3

More Plitvice Lakes National Park + Travel Day

Breakfast at the hotel

Morning exploration of Plitvice National Park. Here’s a favorite spot of mine:

In front of the Big Waterfall is a staircase. Go up the stairs and at the top, walk right. You’ll find a road. Walk for about 2-3 minutes until you see a wooden bridge. Turn right after the bridge onto a path and walk for 1-2 minutes until coming to a lookout point. STUNNING!

Around noon, head towards Split (or Krka National Park on the way to Split)!

Dinner in the Old Town Harbor while the best people-watching unfolds before your eyes for some gold nighttime entertainment.

Stay

Marasovica Apartments – highly recommend based on location (5 minute walk to Old Town), communication, price and terrace views!

Day 4

Explore Split!

Wander the many historic alleyways and dig deep. Get lost. Eat at any gelato stand. Twice. Maybe three times. Take too many photos of 4th century Diocletian’s Palace. Head towards Marjan for a 550-ft high hill forested with cypress and Mediterranean pine trees – a perfect spot to hike off the questionable decisions from the day before.

Fig Split for dinner (or all meals because it’s *that* good)

Stay

Marasovica Apartments

Day 5

Island Day!

We went back and forth between hiring a private sailboat for the day or taking a small passenger speed boat to neighboring islands. Ultimately, we chose the speed boat because it allowed us to go further, see more AND get dropped off at Hvar that evening. We booked the tour the afternoon before down at the Old Town Harbor where many tours are on offer.

Komiža on Vis island

Stiniva Cove

Budikovac Island for snorkeling (lunch here)

Blue Cave

Hvar (we got off the boat and stayed on Hvar, although everyone else went back to Split)

Shop my easy breezy black sarong (pictured below)

Stay

DeVecchi Rooms in Hvar – This was one of my favorite hotels from Croatia due to the location, furnishings and outdoor space/view! We booked a Deluxe Double with balcony

Day 6

Langonini Beach Club

But first, coffee. Head right outside the hotel to Kava 37

Catch a small boat docked at the harbor (you can’t miss them) for the 15 minute journey

Just typing the name of this beach club makes me exhaleeeee. Laganini means “slowly” in Croatian, and it’s the exact vibe we encountered while there. A relaxing, no worries atmosphere, where water splashes and Balearic music make up the soundtrack. Note that there’s a spending minimum for bungalow use. We enjoyed a few cocktails and sushi mMmMm.

Leave on the last boat back to Hvar (6pm I believe, the same boat that took you over will pick you up) and wander into somewhere yummy for dinner. I’m not going to lie – we chose a very bad pizza spot so I can’t recommend!

Shop my Red Carter bikini top and bikini bottoms

Stay

DeVecchi Rooms

Day 7

Travel day

But first, wake up and hike to the Spanjola Fortress for insanely beautiful views.

Breakfast at Fig Hvar

More options: St. Stephen’s Cathedral and Square, Hvar lavender fields, Sveta Nedjelja aka wine region! Red Plavac Mali grapes thrive here.

11am ferry back to Split (ferries are every hour and tickets can be bought at a booth near the docking point)

Find the rental car where you left it at the last hotel Drive to Dubrovnik. Realize that the drive from Split to Dubrovnik is insanely pretty. Cancel all plans to swim next to pirate ships and explore Bosnia.

Shop my Aritzia yellow one-piece

Stay

In order to get to the southern portion of Croatia, one must pass into Bosnia and Herzegovina occupying just 12 miles of Adriatic coastline in the city of Neum, the 2nd shortest coastline in the world after Monaco…essentially cutting Croatia in two. There are a few other examples of geographically discontinuous countries, but this is definitely a rarity, and I hope you’ve enjoyed this geography lesson. Due to extremely late booking (around 4pm day-of!), options were minimal, especially good ones. We ended up booking at the Grand Hotel Neum, an extremely large hotel that I’d never recommend. Between feeling like cattle and the horrid buffet, I’ll sleep in my rental car next time… (kidding, sort of).

Day 8

Wake up very early to explore Bosnia & Herzegovina. This little country is super underrated. Having only spent 24 hours here, I’m sure there’s SO much we missed. Next Up: What to do for 24 Hours in Bosnia

Drive 2ish hours to Dubrovnik

Eat dinner at Horizont (recommended by host, yummy Mediterranean!)

Stay

Airbnb Stella Mia with a Sea View 2 – I highly recommend this Airbnb due to its size, location, price, and host. Fair warning: If you don’t like stairs, don’t stay here. Scratch that. If you don’t like stairs, don’t go to Croatia at all.

Day 9

Walk the Old Town, get lost in the alleyways and get your steps in on the steep staircases

Let the Game of Thrones tour commence (sorry not sorry)! It was fun, it wasn’t cheesy (not to me, at least!), and our tour was mixed in with lots of Dubrovnik history. 2-in-1, how good is that?! You can find times inside the Visitor’s Center near the Onofrio Fountain.

For everyone who said take the cable car: It was closed due to tax evasion. *EmBarRasSing*

Dinner at Pizzeria Tabasco (recommended by host b/c I had a pizza craving!)

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Stay

Airbnb Stella Mia with a Sea View 2

Day 10

Walk the City Walls as soon as they open (8am). Note: It’s HOT, even early.

Hydrate, eat somewhere yummy in Old Town, try to stop sweating

Take a ferry from the Old Harbor near the east gate (10 minutes) and relax on Lokrum Island for the day

Find the window cave (near station 5 and 6)

Take the 6pm ferry back

Walk to Buza Bar for sunset drinks (and cliff jumping if you dare). This hole-in-the-wall bar on the side of a cliff was so nice, we went twice!

Stay

Airbnb Stella Mia with a Sea View 2

The next morning, we flew to Slovenia. On my wish list for the following Croatia visit: Pula, Rovinj, Brac, Korcula and the Peljesac Peninsula!

The post Road Trip Itinerary: A Guide to Croatia appeared first on The Road Les Traveled.

#ffffff;

[worldwidetripweb-blog]

Me and 3 friends took a train from Bucharest to Craiova in order to take a plane towards Valencia, Spain. We chose this route because it was cheap. The train to Craiova (Romania) was free because I am a student and the plane towards Valencia was 10 euros with Ryanair. The entire trip took an entire week (9 Nov 2017-15 Nov 2017). We arrived in Valencia  on 9 Nov at 22.50.

In Valencia we have stayed about a night and half a day. We tried to take the most of it. We booked a hostel for 52 euros for 4 people,  breakfast included. We visited the city of Valencia both by night and by daylight. Some photos from Valencia:

MarketPlace

City of Arts and Science

City of Arts and Science

We had a surprise when we saw that in Spain aren’t that many people that speak English. I have used Google translate to order some food :).

The next day(10 Nov) around 14.45 we took a train to Tarragona. We have arrived in Tarragona at 17.00. Here we had around 3 hours to spend. The train was 15.5 euros each. There we admire a beautiful sunset, a wedding photoshoot some historical monuments.

At 20:30 we took the train to Barcelona, arriving at 21.37. The cost was: 8 euros each. In Barcelona, as well, we stayed in a hostel, for 60 euros for all 4, breakfast included. We use the metro for long distances. A ticket of 10 entries was 10 euros. Here we could not miss the Camp Nou stadium. The food we ate was usually and unfortunately from fast food, because we were a little in a hurry every time (McDonalld’s, BurgerKing and local fast foods).

After we had spent the entire day in Barcelona we took a night ride with a flixbus to Montpellier. The ride was 61 euros for all 4. We could not sleep in the bus too well. It was sometimes nosy, some times not that confy. We arrived in Montpellier very early in the morning, around 4 AM. and we have cross and seen the city by night and by foot. :). A peaceful city, there was no such think as nightlife.

We were a little tired and bored because all the restaurants and cafes were opening at 9 in the morning and we had to wait.

At 12 PM we had a train towards Nimes. We arrived there at 12.30 PM. The ticket was 6 euros.  At 14.30 we had a train to Arles, this one as well was 6 euros. In the evening, at 19:00 we took a train to Marseille. (the ticket was 8 euros). I do not have picture from Arles or Nimes, my phone battery died.

In Marseille, I have seen a multitude of people, of almost all colors and nationalities, was a little strange, but nice in the same way.

For food, here we chose to buy some from the market place and prepare some sandwiches.

Here, we saw a great amount of ships and boats. We rented a flat, near the opera and we payed 71 euros all 4. Was a really nice flat..

The beach here as well was very nice.

Nice. We left Marseille at 16.58 and arrived in Nice at 19.39, by train. The ticket was 43 euros for 3 people. We stayed in a nice hotel for 39 euros for all 3. The food we ate from a local market place.  We visited some local attractions. We stayed here for the night and some couple of morning hours.

From Nice to Monaco we took a bus in order to see the mediterranean coast and the Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat beauties from the bus. The bus was around 2 euros. As you would expect the prices in Monaco were very high, for eg. 1MB of Internet data is 9 euros. I was charged for some euros, because I forget the Internet Data on, for a while. So don’t forget to switch the internet data off when arrive in Monaco, because it is not part of EU.

Genova

Afterwards we went to Italy, by train, to Genova. The train ticket was 15 euros for each one of us.

We arrived in Genova about 17.00 o’clock. The were some parts of this city in which I did not feel so safe. This is the only city in this entire journey  where I felt unsafe.

We ate some italian pizza at Ristorante pizzeria Trieste Di Nizzari Natale, a restaurant near the train station. They charged us 2 euros extra for each person. The toilet was not the best, we order some beer and we received other cheap one instead – which was bad, but after we explain them we get the good beer. A pizza and a beer + the extra tax= 14 euros.

From Genoa to Bergamo we travelled with a train that cost around 15 euros each. We arrived in Bergamo at 23.27 and we had a flight at 8.40 to Bucharest, Romania (back home). Although we were tired we walk from the Bergamo train station to Bergamo airport, a 5 km distance.

From Bergamo to Bucharest we took the plane, Ryanair as well, and was 9 euros.

I was upsaid of the situation in the airport because we had nowhere to sit. Most of the people outhere sat on the floor, until the personnel opened some gates. Was a not so pleasant experience. Across the street is a mall but was close around 2 in the morning :(.

Conclusion:

I love this trip, even though there were some not so pleasant events, I would do it again.

I have discovered that visiting in extra season is way cheaper, like: November or April.

The total cost for this trip was: 300 euros. The buses/trains/planes + hotels/hostels/flats where 200 euros. The 100 euros  we spend on food, on metro, on souvenirs.

I hope you have enjoyed this experience with us.

A mediterranean coast trip (Spain, France, Italy) Me and 3 friends took a train from Bucharest to Craiova in order to take a plane towards…

#France #Italy #mediterranean #Spain #travel

[walterteng-blog]

Ultimate (Exchange) Student Guide + Travel Tips! [University of Surrey x Nanyang Technological University EEE]

After more than 171 days away from home, I am finally back in time for the reunion dinner in homely Singapore which is nice! :) Back to the topic, this is a short guide that I decided to put together for the benefit of the students who are going to/ interested in going for an GEM exchange programme at University of Surrey(UoS).  Writing this also serves a good time for me to reflect all the experiences and lessons learnt from my time at University of Surrey. Before I begin, I would like to mention that one of such article have been written before by getsurrey.co.uk which you can refer to as well. Academic: In case you are wondering, I am a EEE/3 student specializing in infocommunications and I did my Y3S1 at UoS. The 4 modules I took are: EEE2045 ELECTRICAL SCIENCE II Lectured by Dr David Carey and Prof Ravi Silva aka EE3001 ENGINEERING MICROMAGNETICS (4AU) - 100% Lecture and 100% 2 hour Written Paper. EEE3008 DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSING A Lectured by Prof Mark Plumbley aka EE3014 DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSING - 20% Weekly Flipped Classroom Assignments which are basically group presentations for your self learning of the new topic before the lectures. 80% 2 hour Written Paper - More theory explanations and derivations than calculations as compared to the usual NTU teaching style. - I realise there is a different syllabus for DSP B offered in Sem 2 while studying for my finals. I am not sure about this. EEE3033 RF AND MICROWAVE FUNDAMENTALS Lectured by Dr Peter Aaen and Dr Tim Brown aka EE4151 RF AND MICROWAVE ENGINEERING (3AU) - 20% Lab (Advanced Design System) and 80% 2 hour Written Paper - Really skeptical about taking this mod at first since I am taking Electromagnetics mod concurrently. - Lab was a little hard to grasp at first since the overall learning curve was pretty steep for me. - Glad that I have plenty of help from my EPS project mates :)

EEE3035 ENGINEERING PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Lectured by Dr David Carey and Supervised by Prof Klaus Moessner aka EE3080 DESIGN & INNOVATION PROJECT (DIP, 2AU) - Probably biggest takeaway mod; an eye opener - Project on creating a wearable tech for the medical field with a group of 6 - Lectures on various industry standards was very insightful. Topics like technological adoption life cycle, hype curves and sustainability management are a few of the many materials covered. - The UoS students have stronger hands-on skills like coming out with PCB designs and testing. Their 1 year placement/internship really gave them an edge that I am still hoping to catch up on my own. - Learnt some EAGLE basics and reinforced my knowlege of 3D design which I self learnt prior to this. - Efficient use of team management apps like Slack which was also new to me. University of Surrey EEE Faculty was highly regarded in the UK and it is a real privilege to do an exchange programme there. As mentioned, the teaching approach is very different as compared to NTU. It is very vocal with its flipped classroom teaching and there is a lot of self learning to do here. I have to refer to the textbooks a lot here. However, there is a need to memorize essential formulas for the finals which I am not used to, since the formula booklets for NTU papers are specific to the mods and comprehensive.

Play (Travel):  I went a 44 days pre-exchange trip with my friends from 8 August 2016 and we mainly covered the Scandinavian countries and Central Europe. I traveled on plenty of day trips around UK during the semester and explored the Eastern Europe during the winter vacation. I did a custom google maps to detail my travels and wrote about it a few times before. It can be overwhelming at first so it is easier to refer to the legend as a guide. Article and Legend WallEEExplore v17.01.21 Map

Helsinki, Finland (09 - 11 August 2016) Hameenlinna & Tampere (11 -12 August 2016) Turku, Finland (12-13 August 2016) Stockholm & Tyresta National Park, Sweden (14 - 17 August 2016) Norway Road Trip: Oslo Trolltunga Bergen Lysebotn Larvik, Norway (17 - 23 August 2016) Copenhagen, Denmark (24 - 27 August 2016) Aarhus, Denmark (27 -29 August 2016) Hamburg, Germany (29 Aug - 01 Sep 2016) Berlin, Germany (01 - 04 September 2016) Frankfurt, Germany (04 -07 September 2016) Luxembourg (07 - 09 September 2016) Brussels, Belgium (09 - 12 September 2016) Antwerp, Belgium (12 - 14 September 2016) Rotterdam, Netherlands (14 - 17 September 2016) The Hague, Netherlands (17 - 19 September 2016) Amsterdam, Netherlands (19 - 21 September 2016) London Day Trip (09 October 2016) Windsor Day Trip with Students’ Union (22 October 2016) Oxford Day Trip (23 October 2016) Woking Day Trip (02 November 2016) Bristol + Northern Ireland + Glastonbury & Wells (04 - 09 November 2016) Scotland(Glasgow & Edinburgh) Trip with Students’ Union (11 - 14 November 2016) Cambridge Day Trip (19 November 2016) Brighton Day Trip (26 November 2016) Paris + Disneyland (02 - 06 December 2016) Manchester + Lake District Road Trip (19 - 21 December 2016) Stonehenge + Bath Tour (23 December 2016) London (24 - 27, 30 - 31 December 2016) Prague, Czech Republic (01 - 04 January 2017) Salzburg + Hallstatt + Vienna, Austria (05 - 09 January 2017) Budapest, Hungary (10 - 12 January 2017)

It will take me a while or forever to ever write about the details of all the places I have been to, so if there is any particular places that you might want some tips or itinerary, do contact me directly. I don’t bite. :))

Here are some other custom maps I did during my researches for new places to go. These are mainly within the UK.

UK Top Places to Visit (Detailed)

Lake District Day Drive Trip

: This was meant for a day trip to the Lake District from Manchester during the winter when the daytime is short. Nonetheless, it is still recommended to spend more time there and go for a hike!

*** Tips for travelling around UK 1. Get a 16-25 Railway Card first! It cost  £30 and it’ll save you 1/3 on rail fares. You’ll cover back that  £30 in no time if you go for a lot of day trips. 2. Going for day trips with University of Surrey Students’ Union (SU) is a lot cheaper (even with a rail card). It is more worthwhile if they are able to get discounted admission tickets to castles etc. However, in my opinion, it is not recommended to go for a long trip with them though. You’re more restricted in terms of time and (super) long bus trips is tiring. :( 3. Generally, you can go for a day trip anywhere as long as the ride one way is about 3 hours or less. You’ll still have enough time to explore the city/town. Avoid going those that are far away during winter as you will have little day time. Unless you want to fork out more money to find accom. 4. Get advance tickets if you are able to plan about 2 weeks ahead. It can be very cheap. However, day trips tend to be impromptu, so super off-peak tickets bought on the day itself are your best bet. But still, try to plan ahead. 5. The best part of Guildford is that, London is just 40 - 60 mins away! A day travel zone tickets covers both your travel to and fro plus unlimited London tube travel! 6. Get an Oyster card if you travel to London a lot. Don’t forget to link it to 16-25 Rail card for 1/3 off. You have to go to any station and ask the station attendants to do that. Remember that daily fares caps are at about  £6 or  £ 6.45 and it costs nothing after that. UNLIMITED POWER~ 6. I prefer the National Rail app over Trainline cos it tends to be more detailed. But you will need trainline app if you want to buy tickets online.

Where to go in Guildford?: 1. Picinic / BBQ by the university lake 2. Short hikes / Picnics around town like The Mount, Pewley Downs, St Martha-on-the-hill, Guildford Castle 3. Tea Terrace  at the top floors of House of Fraser 4. Bike / Walk along River Wey to nearby towns like Godalming, Shalford or the Riverside Park. Refer to this route guide.

Giffgaff or Three: Personally, I used giffgaff when I know I am not travelling out of UK for the month and Three if I am going to travel. Yes, in the end, I kept 2 UK lines since my android phone support dual sim anyway. Here is why: Giffgaff: Good: More data tiering than Three. You can buy data for 1, 2, 4 GB and so on, depending on your usage. Three only has 1GB and 12GB packages. (who uses 1 GB anyway?!) Three: Good: You can use your data in many other European countries. No more trying to connect wifi on the streets to upload your latest snaps or instagram stories. UNLIMITED POWER~ x2 Santander Basic or Current: Basic. I think it will still be confusing even if I explain the differences between the two here so, you should listen closely when you are at bank then. Here is the why: 1. You will get used to transferring money between your bank card and debit card in no time. 2. No  £5/mo

BTW, remitting money from DBS to Santander is free and it offers the best exchange rate. It is almost instant during office hours (both UK and SG), but it can be a nightmare if you ran out of money and it is the weekend.

Food: There are food places like Young’s Kitchen, Hillside and some kebabs stalls nearby in school, but trust me, you will get used to cooking for every meal in the end. Deals varies from time to time in Tesco and Sainsburys’ but there are 2 things that are certain. 1.  £2.50 -  £3 B&J or Haagen Dazs is irresistible 2. Poundland for your snacks, chocolates and Haribos. 

Useful Apps (Android): 1. National Rail / Trainline: For your railway timings etc 2. Santander: Banking 3. Giffgaff / Three: Check your data usage 4. Tube Map London: London tube can be confusing and there is no reception once you are inside! 5. Moovit: Shows transport route options in many European cities when Google Maps fails 6. Flixbus: Mostly used this bus service in Europe like Germany. Track its prices religiously if you desperately need a cheap getaway from studies to Paris Disneyland 7. Skyview Free: Just cos you tend to see more stars wherever you are in Europe than Singapore 8. Maps.me: If you need an alternative to Google Maps. However, I used Google Maps extensively by starring important places. You can label them for easy identification when your maps get too crowded.

Tip: Use location history in Google Maps to review the places you go before, in case you want to research further on the place you been to when you are back.

Tell me your experiences! :  While I spent a rather fruitful time in UoS, I didn’t really join CCAs or had any sort of party life. Haha. I had plenty of the “chill in the kitchen/room” life though. Besides, my housemates kept telling Rubix, the school nightclub was always mediocre anyway. There are plenty of interesting CCAs in UoS like Equestrian Club, ABACUS, the Singaporeans Society or the SurreyEARS but I didn’t get myself to join in the end because: 1. You need Surrey Sports Park membership for sports CCA. 2. I want to travel around during my free time. Hope this guide have been useful so far and do share with me your exchange stories, I would love to listen to them! Go out there and create your own memories if you started your exchange!

PS. Pardon me for any major grammatical errors etc, I am writing this at 5am, Singapore time in the morning. Jetlag is hitting me pretty bad. Haiz.

[ Teng Kok Wai (Walter) - Nanyang Technological University x  University of Surrey, Email: [email protected] EEE AY16/17 Y3S1]

#walleeexplore #singapore #united kingdom #guildford #university of surrey #surrey #ntu #exchange #academic #Nanyang Technological University #travel #student #survival guide #university #college life #thoughts #reflections #tips

[lexieanimetravel]

There are quite a lot of free things to do in Amsterdam, have you ever visited this city yet? Well, did you know that Amsterdam is one of the top destinations of tourists in the world?

Yes, it is. With its scenic canals, unique and world-class museums, plus its open-minded people’s perspective makes it more attractive for tourist to experience a new trend of lifestyle.

Apart from those above mentioned, Amsterdam is also the heart of the LGBTQ community. Amsterdam’s reputation is well earned as one of the most gay-friendly cities in Europe. And is referred to as the Venice of the North. Attributed by a large number of canals that form a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Going to Amsterdam on a Budget

Finding the cheapest way from Brussels to Amsterdam was not the easiest. My Filipina friend and I planned to visit the city of Canals, but we opt to do it on a budget.

Browsing on the internet, I have found the cheapest one which was Flixbus. Around 30 euros per person (return ticket) from Brussels to Amsterdam. It was 2 hours and a 45-minute bus ride to Amsterdam Sloterdijk. From there, we took the train to Amsterdam central station.

The train ticket ride (return ticket) cost about 4 euros. It was already cheap and convenient for travelers who would start their tour in the heart of Amsterdam.

Travel on a Budget tip: You can find as low as 12.99 euros per one way ticket to Amsterdam, depending on the city you are departing.

Free Things to do in Amsterdam

Amsterdam is rich with captivating sights than can entertain visitors of all ages. From ancient churches to magnificent museums, secret courtyards to quaint cobbled streets, and, of course, the city’s world-famous canals.

I also recommend you get Amsterdam City Pass offers free or discounted entrance to many of the most popular sights.

Some of the attractions of Amsterdam are the world-class art museums (Stedelijk Museum, Museum Het Rembrandthuis, Moco Museum, Amsterdam Museum: Anton Havelaar, et,.) the famous Anne Frank House, a collection of quirky and unusual museums, and the postcard-perfect streets of the Jordaan District.

Your Amsterdam visit wouldn’t be completed without visiting the tulips, windmills, and cheese.

Top 9 Visit around the Amsterdam Centraal Station

Amsterdam Centraal Station is the largest railway station in Amsterdam in North Holland, Netherlands. A major international railway hub, the second busiest railway station in the country after Utrecht Centraal. It is used by 192,000 passengers a day.

On the other hand, this station offers railway services from the international, national rail, metro, tram, and bus services. There are 8 International rail routes and 22 National rail routes in Amsterdam Centraal.

From the moment we arrived in Amsterdam Sloterdijk, we took a train to the central station and had a quick walk. There were also shops, cafés, and restaurants inside.

You can also enjoy the beauty of the Gothic and Renaissance Revival features of the station. And as well as the cast iron platform roof spanning approximately 40 meters. It was designed by Dutch architect Pierre Cuypers and first opened in 1889.

Top 8 Take a photo of the Picturesque view of Damrak 

The first thing you would see when arriving in Amsterdam center is its enormous station. However, as you go further, you will eventually bump into one of the picturesque sites of Amsterdam. It is the Damrak.

This beautiful place is where the cruises/boat tours stop for letting tourists aboard on the cruise riverboat. You can also find here the Stromma, a Seasonal sightseeing cruises in glass-roofed boats along the city’s many canals, with an audio guide.

On the other side of the picture, those unsymmetrical dutch houses are occupied by hotels, restaurants, bars, and cafés. Among them are Het Karbeel restaurant, Hotel Old Quarter, Restaurant de Compagnon, and many more.

Top 7 Stop at the Historical Dam Square

If you want to know more about the history of Amsterdam, here’s one of the free things to do in Amsterdam. Try to visit the historical Dam Square. A square for the whole nation, surrounded by the Royal Palace, the National Monument, and the 15th-century Nieuwe Kerk.

Dam Square is at the point where the Amstel River was dammed in the 13th century. The scene of Amsterdam’s central market in Medieval times.

One of its memorable histories was the last outbreak of violence was at the Coronation of Queen Beatrix in 1980. And the massacre on the square at the end of the Second World War.

Going around the Square, you will see Madame Tussauds Amsterdam, a Museum chain for life-size wax replicas of famous Americans & historic icons in themed galleries. There’s the Royal Palace, the Grand residence for royal receptions since 1808. It is open to the public & exhibitions when not in use.

Top 6 Window Shopping at Magna Plaza

One of the best free things to do in Amsterdam is, of course, window shopping. Some places are known best for shopping since its a bit cheaper in Amsterdam in the sales period. Jordaan is also considered to become a treasured shopping and nightlife district.

Magna Plaza is an upscale shopping mall in a neo-gothic building since 1992. Filled with luxury brands and a gourmet food hall. The facade is so iconic that it looks like a palace.

It’s a large shopping mall which several floors and brands. If you’re looking for a quiet and calm place to shop in the center, you found the best place.

Top 5 Take a tour at the Floating Flower Market

Visiting Amsterdam without taking a tour to its Bloemenmarkt or Floating Flower Market would be a big sin. So I strongly recommend you to render to this place when you are in Amsterdam.

This fascinating floating flower market is found in the Singel canal between Koningsplein and the Muntplein. Since 1862 traders have been selling cut flowers and bulbs here from houseboats.

The Bloemenmarkt sells bulbs all year, so you can grow your own, while tulip season tends to fall between the middle of April and start of May.

You can also find different kinds of flowers like daffodils, orchids, carnations, violets, geraniums, snowdrops, and, of course, tulips, even out of season.

Top 4 Check out some of the Fascinating Dutch Houses

Dutch houses are commonly called as Canal houses. A canal house (grachtenpand in Dutch) is a usually old house overseeing a canal. These houses are often slim, high and deep.

The other distinct feature of Amsterdam’s houses is that they are very narrow. One of the reasons the houses are so narrow is because back in the day’s taxes were charged based on the size of the building’s facade. So the wider the facade, the more tax you pay.

One of the free things to do in Amsterdam would be strolling and checking out these fascinating Dutch houses. Some of those Canal houses that you’ll see above are taken from different locations in Amsterdam.

There’s the one near the De Krijtberg, one from Red Light District Street, Armburg, and one near the Oude Church.

I also recommend you to visit the Singel (De Dolphijn at 140-142). It is a canal that opens onto the IJ in the north. It is also one of the poshest parts of the city, with continuous rows of gabled canal houses.

Top 3 Be Amused by the Sightseeing Cruises and Boat Tours

I know you’ll say Sightseeing cruises would not be considered on a budget. But, watching these boats and cruises is free. One of the best free things to do in Amsterdam is to sit on a bench and watch boat cruises pass by in the canals. I promise it is really amusing!

Browsing in the internet, you’ll see a bunch of popular Boat Tours & River Cruises in Amsterdam. It ranges from 12 – 50 euros per tour, depending on your choice. There’s Amsterdam City Canal Cruise, Luxury Salon Boat Cruise, Private Canal Booze Crusie, Candlelight Cruise with Drinks, and many other varieties of tours.

I have personally tried to be on a canal cruise by night, and it was amazing. But I didn’t realize that watching cruises from afar it amazingly beautiful as well. The one the I love the most was the one from Singel streets.

You should see it for yourself, and you’ll know it’s really worth it!

Top 2 Discover the Astounding Bridges & Canals of Amsterdam

Amsterdam has more than one hundred kilometers of grachten (canals), about 90 islands and 1,500 bridges. The three main canals are Herengracht, Prinsengracht, and Keizersgracht.

Amsterdam’s canal ring area, including the Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht, Herengracht, and Jordaan, were listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010.

Did you know why Amsterdam is called the Venice of the North? It’s because of its number of canals and bridges. Nowadays, Amsterdam has 1753 bridges. It’s a lot!

I would not say you should visit all the bridges and the canals of Amsterdam cause it may take you days to visit them all (haha). All I can recommend you is to try to visit those that you can.

According to my research, the most famous bridge in Amsterdam is Magere Brug or Skinny Bridge. It is one of Amsterdam’s most iconic drawbridges featured in many films.

Some other famous bridges are The Torensluis Bridge, The Torensluis Bridge, Python Bridge, Jan Schaefer Bridge, and Nescio Bridge. Don’t forget to discover other beautiful bridges and canals of Amsterdam. I’m sure you’ll love them all!

Top 1 Take Your Souvenir Photos

We’re finally down to the top 1 free things to do in Amsterdam. It would be the most memorable part, of course, is to take your souvenir photos from this lovely city of Amsterdam.

This works best when you are traveling with someone or in a group. By then, there’s someone who’ll take photos of you. However, if you’re traveling alone, I recommend you take your selfie stick or tripod to take your selfies or your own photos.

In my case, I traveled with my close friend, and we took a lot of souvenir photos in instagrammable places.

So where did we take photos? We went to different bridges that are filled with bicycles that make it more attractive and photogenic. Adding up the Canal houses as a backdrop, It really turns out well.

So this is how we spent our Travel on a budget 1 Day tour in Amsterdam. For the record, we spend less than 50 euros for a day (transportation and food included). It was a successful and fun tour. Hoping to come back again one day to visit other places, especially those museums.

Other free things to do in Amsterdam are: Watching buskers perform at the entrance of Rijks Museum, You can also relax and unwind at the Rijks Museum park, Stroll at the Red district, and many other free things to do in Amsterdam.

Top 9 Free Things to do in Amsterdam

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Top 9 Free Things to do in Amsterdam – Our 1 Day Travel on a Budget Tour There are quite a lot of free things to do in Amsterdam, have you ever visited this city yet?

[dreamlaptoplifestyleclub-blog]

7 Super Tantalizing Summer Day Trips from Munich, Germany

Thinking about great summer day trips from Munich?

If you're thinking of going on a trip over to good old Bavaria, and are thinking about what some of the summer day trips from Munich may be, consider the following. Having grown up in what is called The Barvarian City of the Rockies (beautiful Kimberley, BC, Canada), it often

leaves one wondering what taking a trip to "the real" Bavaria would be like. For years and years now people from Bavaria have come to pay us a visit over here in Kimberley, and of course we've gotten to know and visit with many of them in our quaint little downtown tourist area. While most comments from our Bavarian visitors is usually positive on how our town created the feel and look of Bavaria, we've also often heard that there is nothing quite like the real thing. With this in mind, today we'd like to present to you some of the most irresistible and amazing sites from Bavaria, each within 2 hours of Munich, Germany. Whether you're into seeing incredible nature like settings, or have an appetite for cool castles and fairytales... there's something for everybody. These are some really great summer day trips from Munich. We're sure you'll agree!

1. Garmisch-Partenkirchen

While commonly known as a winter destination thanks to its wonderful ski opportunities, Garmisch-Partenkirchen is an awesome summer day trip from Munich that offers up stunning hikes in the Bavarian Alps and cool, unique sights you won’t find anywhere else in the world. For instance, swing by the impressive Olympic ski jump, a legacy left behind from when Garmisch hosted the 1936 Winter Olympics or make the short trek to Partnachklamm Gorge, a 700m long gorge with tunnels and caves carved directly into the rock, all accompanied by a coursing, electric blue river. And hey, if hiking’s not for you, Germany’s highest peak, Zugspitze, is right nearby (with convenient gondolas that can whisk you up and save your legs!) How to get to Garmisch-Partenkirchen from Munich: There are train connections to Garmisch-Partenkirchen about once an hour from Munich, and they’ll get you there in about 1.5hours.

The crazy blue water of Partnachklamm  

2. Salzburg

If you grew up watching the Sound of Music like me, Salzburg will be THE place for you to fulfill all your Maria dreams while twirling and singing to your hearts’ content. Not only was this the beautiful city where the Sound of Music filmed, the Von Trapps did actually live here, and it’s a wonderful city to explore as a day trip from Munich. Enjoy the spectacular views from the imposing Hohensalzburg Fortress, wander through the storybook Old Town, prance through Mirabell Palace and Gardens and of course, ponder how do you solve a problem like…… not wanting to ever leave. (That was a Sound of Music reference… in case I didn’t prove my nerd status enough) How to get to Salzburg from Munich: There are frequent direct trains from Munich to Salzburg that take about an hour. There are also companies as well like Flixbus that offer coach services, but the train is way easier.

Swoonworthy view from Hohensalzburg Fortress  

3. Neuschwanstein Castle

This fairytale castle, said to be the inspiration for Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle, is one of the most magical little places on Earth… that is, if you can ignore the many crowds who share your same fairytale dream. Commissioned by Bavaria’s “Mad King” Ludwig II, this dreamy escape nestled in the mountains is one of those postcard-perfect places you need to see to believe. There’s also an equally lovely castle right next door – the mustard yellow Hohenschwangau Castle, which (in my opinion) never gets as much attention as it deserves. How to get there from Munich: Catch a train to Füssen and then follow the hordes of other tourists to either the 73 or 78 bus, getting off at Hohenschwangau.

*cue Disney theme song*  

4. Linderhof Palace

While Neuschwanstein takes the cake as Bavaria’s most famous castle, it was actually Linderhof Palace where famous Mad King Ludwig II lived for much longer, and the only one of his commissioned castles he lived to see completed. Despite its tiny size (by royal standards anyway), this palace is a worthy must-see, modeled after France’s oh la la summer palaces, meaning beautifully symmetrical gardens and opulence for days. How to get there from Munich: Catch a train from Oberammergau and then take Bus 9622 to Schloss Linderhof.

Feeling like a Queen.  

5. Regensburg

The charming little city of Regensburg doesn’t get nearly as much love as it deserves. Despite being a popular favourite among river cruisers, it’s a city many visitors omit on their visit to Bavaria, which is definitely a mistake you shouldn’t make! With a reputation as Germany’s best preserved medieval city, its colourful streets are packed with historic charm and simply made for aimless wandering. Of course, don’t miss the postcard-perfect view from the city’s Stone Bridge, which dates all the way back to the 12th century. How to get there from Munich: The easiest way is by taking the train, which would be about 1.5 hours. Otherwise, there is also Flixbus which takes around the same time, but you’d be at the mercy of traffic.

The view from ye ol’ bridge  

6. Herrenchiemsee New Palace

You can find this gorgeous palace on an island in the middle of Chiemsee, one of Bavaria’s most well-known lakes. Modeled after Versailles, this palace was originally built as a “Temple of Fame” dedicated to Louis XIV (the Sun King), who King Ludwig II had a not-so-subtle obsession with. Not only is the palace itself a sight to behold, the journey to get there is lovely and scenic as well, requiring a boat ride from Prien that glides you across the clear waters of Chiemsee. If you’re looking for the perfect summer day trip from Munich, this is it. How to get there from Munich: Take the train to Prien am Chiemsee, which lasts about an hour. From this station, you can either catch a special Chiemsee train to the Prien/Stock boat pier (in the summer) or proceed to the pier by foot (about 30 minutes), at which point you can take a boat to Herreninsel Island.

Herrenchiemsee New Palace  

7. Ammersee

Last but not least, one of my favourite day trips from Munich is the glorious lake of Amersee. This beautiful lake is the third largest in Bavaria and has absolutely killer sunsets. Besides beach time and watersports, it also makes an ideal base for visiting Andechs Monastery, a beautiful Benedictine monastery perched on a nearby hill. You can take a bus up, or proceed by foot, drowning out your tired calves after with the monastery’s special Andechs beer, which many praise as the most delicious in Bavaria. How to get there from Munich:Take the S8 to Herrsching and proceed to the lake by foot.

I mean wowzers! Original article: https://happytowander.com/summer-day-trips-from-munich/ Well, like us... we hope you enjoyed this article about 7 of the most awesome summer day trips from Munich. Please feel free to let us know what you think, and of course, if you know of some other destinations in the area that are incredible as well, then let us know that too! Read the full article

#summerdaytripsfromMunich

[travelguy4444]

7 Cheap Ways to Travel Across Europe

Updated: 6/26/18 | June 26th, 2018

Traveling around Europe can be fairly expensive. Airline tickets, high-speed trains, overnight trains, ferries – they can all eat into your limited and precious travel budget. I mean you came to spend money on delicious food and wine, not transportation!

However, there are a few recent trends that have helped travelers get around Europe cheaper: weaker currency exchange rates, the rise of the sharing economy, new bus options, and lots of new budget airlines.

The 7 Best Ways To Travel Europe Cheap

Travelling Europe by Megabus

Megabus is a cheap way to get around the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales) as well as to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam. Tickets can cost as little as 1 GBP if you book at least a month in advance on popular routes to get these fares. However, even if you don’t scoop up these amazingly cheap deals, you can still travel for a more reasonable price than on the national bus system, as fares rarely top 20 GBP. I recently took a 5 GBP bus from London to Bristol. (The train? 45 GBP!) That ticket was only bought the day before too! Additionally, Megabus also operates trains to some destinations around the UK, starting at 10 GBP. Megabus is definitely the cheapest way to get around the UK and now is also the cheapest way to get to Paris, Brussels, or Amsterdam.

Travelling Europe by Busabout

Busabout is a hop-on/hop-off bus service primarily used by backpackers, similar to the Oz or Kiwi Experience in Australia and New Zealand, respectively. You can get on and off whenever you want along one of their set routes. You can buy tickets that let you travel their whole network with a set number of stops. For example, a nine-day flex-pass, which gives you nine stops from your starting city. The only downside to Busabout is that if you want to visit a city not on their route, you have to make your own way there at an added cost. A lot of backpackers use this method of travel to get around as well as meet other travelers. The pass also comes with a guide and sometimes include group activities. A two-week pass is $299 USD. If you figure you can visit about 6 cities in two weeks, that’s $50 a trip. When you consider the soft benefits of a guide, included trips, and meeting people, Busabout becomes price comparable to trains and flights, though still more expensive than a regular public bus! Their unlimited passes for $1,499 for 6 months of travel is the best long-term transportation deal.

Travelling Europe by Flixbus

Over the last few years, a new company has come on the market that has totally changed the bus system in Europe! German based Flixbus has routes in 20 European countries and thousands of cities with prices starting as low 5 EUR. Their buses include WiFi, electrical outlets, up to three 3 free bags, and comfy seats. It’s essentially Megabus, but less sucky and for the whole of continental Europe. Flixbus quickly became my favorite non-train way to get across Europe cheaper after it came out. It’s the best and cheapest way to get around continental Europe!

Another option is to take Eurolines. Every country in Europe has its own national bus service but for international long distance bus routes, they sort of combine into the umbrella company, Eurolines. While they serve more destinations than Flixbus, I prefer the comfort and prices of Flxibus if I have a choice between the two. Eurolines prices usually start at around 20 Euros for a 5-6 hour journey.

Travelling Europe by Budget Airline

By far one of the cheapest ways to travel long distance in Europe is by budget airline. These airlines are hugely prolific on the continent and competition leads to incredibly cheap fares. You can often find fares as cheap as 1 Euro. When I need to go somewhere and I don’t want to take a long bus or train journey, I fly budget airlines. My favorite budget airlines are:

Vueling

Ryanair

Easyjet

Aigle Azur

Wow Air

Eurowings

Flybe

Norwegian Air

Wizz Air

I use Skyscanner and Momondo to search for the best deals. They do all the legwork for ya!

It’s important to remember that these budget airlines make most of their money through fees, and the second you mess up, they whack you with a fee. They are very strict about baggage limits or forgetting to print out your boarding pass. Be sure to follow their rules to the letter. Sometimes these budget airlines cost more money because of all their fees so if you’re traveling with a lot of bags, it may be cheaper to fly with one of the larger airlines (which have also lowered their fares in the face of tough competition).

For more information, here is a complete guide to finding cheap flights around Europe.

Travelling Europe With A Eurail Pass

Getting a rail pass is a good option if you are going to be traveling across vast distances and don’t want to fly. The European rail system is one of the best and most extensive in the world. I love traveling by train. Sitting in a big seat, relaxing with a book, and watching the stunning landscape go by. It’s more comfortable than a bus and much less stressful than air travel.

If you’re going to travel by train, it’s hard to beat them on price and convenience for short city to city travel. For longer journeys (overnight journeys, between countries, or rides that require a high-speed line like Paris to Bordeaux or Berlin to Munich), trains tend to be very expensive. If you plan to travel around Europe in a grand tour, a rail pass is your best money saving travel option. Your cost per trip will be a lot lower than if you were to buy these tickets separately.

For more information, here is a complete breakdown of Eurail passes and when they should be used to save money.

Travelling Europe Using BlaBlaCar

The rise of the sharing economy has allowed people to hop a ride with locals going their way, and BlaBlaCar is the reigning king of this service. Hugely popular and widespread in Europe, I’ve used this service many times. This website lets you rideshare with people who have extra space in their car. You find a ride, they agree to take you, and off you go. You can find rides for as little as 5 Euros. It is the best, BEST paid way to get around Europe. You get to meet a local, have a friendly conversation, save tons of money over bus and train travel, and get off the highways and more the countryside.

Alternatively, there are websites where you can ask for rides so long as you pitch in for gas. Gumtree is the most popular among backpackers.

The Cheapest Way To Travel Europe: Hitchhiking

The best way to travel Europe cheap is to not pay for it. Hitching is quite common in Europe, and I’ve met a number of travelers who have done it. I myself traveled this way in Bulgaria. It’s important to use your head when hitchhiking.

***

There are a lot of ways to get around Europe on a budget. But what’s the best way for your trip? MIX AND MATCH YOUR TRANSPORTATION. The key to traveling around Europe on the cheap is to know when to use each one of the listed transportation methods. For short trips, I like trains and BlaBlaCar. For medium length trips (half a day), I’ll take a bus, BlaBlaBla car, or train. For long distances, I fly, take a high-speed train, or overnight buses. If you have no preference on how you travel – you just want the cheapest – use a website like Rome2Rio. All you have to do is enter where you are going and they will find all the ways to get there and list the prices for each method.

When you are looking for cheap ways to travel Europe, use the transportation options above that suit your needs and you’ll always get the best deal!

Next step: keep planning your trip to Europe with these articles:

Continent-Wide Europe Travel Guide

The Cost of Western Europe Travel

The Cost of Traveling Eastern Europe

Is a Eurail Pass Worth the Cost?

Photo Credits: 2, 4

The post 7 Cheap Ways to Travel Across Europe appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

source https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/cheap-ways-to-travel-across-europe-2/

[melissagarcia8]

7 Cheap Ways to Travel Across Europe

Updated: 6/26/18 | June 26th, 2018

Traveling around Europe can be fairly expensive. Airline tickets, high-speed trains, overnight trains, ferries – they can all eat into your limited and precious travel budget. I mean you came to spend money on delicious food and wine, not transportation!

However, there are a few recent trends that have helped travelers get around Europe cheaper: weaker currency exchange rates, the rise of the sharing economy, new bus options, and lots of new budget airlines.

The 7 Best Ways To Travel Europe Cheap

Travelling Europe by Megabus

Megabus is a cheap way to get around the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales) as well as to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam. Tickets can cost as little as 1 GBP if you book at least a month in advance on popular routes to get these fares. However, even if you don’t scoop up these amazingly cheap deals, you can still travel for a more reasonable price than on the national bus system, as fares rarely top 20 GBP. I recently took a 5 GBP bus from London to Bristol. (The train? 45 GBP!) That ticket was only bought the day before too! Additionally, Megabus also operates trains to some destinations around the UK, starting at 10 GBP. Megabus is definitely the cheapest way to get around the UK and now is also the cheapest way to get to Paris, Brussels, or Amsterdam.

Travelling Europe by Busabout

Busabout is a hop-on/hop-off bus service primarily used by backpackers, similar to the Oz or Kiwi Experience in Australia and New Zealand, respectively. You can get on and off whenever you want along one of their set routes. You can buy tickets that let you travel their whole network with a set number of stops. For example, a nine-day flex-pass, which gives you nine stops from your starting city. The only downside to Busabout is that if you want to visit a city not on their route, you have to make your own way there at an added cost. A lot of backpackers use this method of travel to get around as well as meet other travelers. The pass also comes with a guide and sometimes include group activities. A two-week pass is $299 USD. If you figure you can visit about 6 cities in two weeks, that’s $50 a trip. When you consider the soft benefits of a guide, included trips, and meeting people, Busabout becomes price comparable to trains and flights, though still more expensive than a regular public bus! Their unlimited passes for $1,499 for 6 months of travel is the best long-term transportation deal.

Travelling Europe by Flixbus

Over the last few years, a new company has come on the market that has totally changed the bus system in Europe! German based Flixbus has routes in 20 European countries and thousands of cities with prices starting as low 5 EUR. Their buses include WiFi, electrical outlets, up to three 3 free bags, and comfy seats. It’s essentially Megabus, but less sucky and for the whole of continental Europe. Flixbus quickly became my favorite non-train way to get across Europe cheaper after it came out. It’s the best and cheapest way to get around continental Europe!

Another option is to take Eurolines. Every country in Europe has its own national bus service but for international long distance bus routes, they sort of combine into the umbrella company, Eurolines. While they serve more destinations than Flixbus, I prefer the comfort and prices of Flxibus if I have a choice between the two. Eurolines prices usually start at around 20 Euros for a 5-6 hour journey.

Travelling Europe by Budget Airline

By far one of the cheapest ways to travel long distance in Europe is by budget airline. These airlines are hugely prolific on the continent and competition leads to incredibly cheap fares. You can often find fares as cheap as 1 Euro. When I need to go somewhere and I don’t want to take a long bus or train journey, I fly budget airlines. My favorite budget airlines are:

Vueling

Ryanair

Easyjet

Aigle Azur

Wow Air

Eurowings

Flybe

Norwegian Air

Wizz Air

I use Skyscanner and Momondo to search for the best deals. They do all the legwork for ya!

It’s important to remember that these budget airlines make most of their money through fees, and the second you mess up, they whack you with a fee. They are very strict about baggage limits or forgetting to print out your boarding pass. Be sure to follow their rules to the letter. Sometimes these budget airlines cost more money because of all their fees so if you’re traveling with a lot of bags, it may be cheaper to fly with one of the larger airlines (which have also lowered their fares in the face of tough competition).

For more information, here is a complete guide to finding cheap flights around Europe.

Travelling Europe With A Eurail Pass

Getting a rail pass is a good option if you are going to be traveling across vast distances and don’t want to fly. The European rail system is one of the best and most extensive in the world. I love traveling by train. Sitting in a big seat, relaxing with a book, and watching the stunning landscape go by. It’s more comfortable than a bus and much less stressful than air travel.

If you’re going to travel by train, it’s hard to beat them on price and convenience for short city to city travel. For longer journeys (overnight journeys, between countries, or rides that require a high-speed line like Paris to Bordeaux or Berlin to Munich), trains tend to be very expensive. If you plan to travel around Europe in a grand tour, a rail pass is your best money saving travel option. Your cost per trip will be a lot lower than if you were to buy these tickets separately.

For more information, here is a complete breakdown of Eurail passes and when they should be used to save money.

Travelling Europe Using BlaBlaCar

The rise of the sharing economy has allowed people to hop a ride with locals going their way, and BlaBlaCar is the reigning king of this service. Hugely popular and widespread in Europe, I’ve used this service many times. This website lets you rideshare with people who have extra space in their car. You find a ride, they agree to take you, and off you go. You can find rides for as little as 5 Euros. It is the best, BEST paid way to get around Europe. You get to meet a local, have a friendly conversation, save tons of money over bus and train travel, and get off the highways and more the countryside.

Alternatively, there are websites where you can ask for rides so long as you pitch in for gas. Gumtree is the most popular among backpackers.

The Cheapest Way To Travel Europe: Hitchhiking

The best way to travel Europe cheap is to not pay for it. Hitching is quite common in Europe, and I’ve met a number of travelers who have done it. I myself traveled this way in Bulgaria. It’s important to use your head when hitchhiking.

***

There are a lot of ways to get around Europe on a budget. But what’s the best way for your trip? MIX AND MATCH YOUR TRANSPORTATION. The key to traveling around Europe on the cheap is to know when to use each one of the listed transportation methods. For short trips, I like trains and BlaBlaCar. For medium length trips (half a day), I’ll take a bus, BlaBlaBla car, or train. For long distances, I fly, take a high-speed train, or overnight buses. If you have no preference on how you travel – you just want the cheapest – use a website like Rome2Rio. All you have to do is enter where you are going and they will find all the ways to get there and list the prices for each method.

When you are looking for cheap ways to travel Europe, use the transportation options above that suit your needs and you’ll always get the best deal!

Next step: keep planning your trip to Europe with these articles:

Continent-Wide Europe Travel Guide

The Cost of Western Europe Travel

The Cost of Traveling Eastern Europe

Is a Eurail Pass Worth the Cost?

Photo Credits: 2, 4

The post 7 Cheap Ways to Travel Across Europe appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

from Traveling News https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/cheap-ways-to-travel-across-europe-2/

[jeffreyclinard]

7 Cheap Ways to Travel Across Europe

Updated: 6/26/18 | June 26th, 2018

Traveling around Europe can be fairly expensive. Airline tickets, high-speed trains, overnight trains, ferries – they can all eat into your limited and precious travel budget. I mean you came to spend money on delicious food and wine, not transportation!

However, there are a few recent trends that have helped travelers get around Europe cheaper: weaker currency exchange rates, the rise of the sharing economy, new bus options, and lots of new budget airlines.

The 7 Best Ways To Travel Europe Cheap

Travelling Europe by Megabus

Megabus is a cheap way to get around the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales) as well as to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam. Tickets can cost as little as 1 GBP if you book at least a month in advance on popular routes to get these fares. However, even if you don’t scoop up these amazingly cheap deals, you can still travel for a more reasonable price than on the national bus system, as fares rarely top 20 GBP. I recently took a 5 GBP bus from London to Bristol. (The train? 45 GBP!) That ticket was only bought the day before too! Additionally, Megabus also operates trains to some destinations around the UK, starting at 10 GBP. Megabus is definitely the cheapest way to get around the UK and now is also the cheapest way to get to Paris, Brussels, or Amsterdam.

Travelling Europe by Busabout

Busabout is a hop-on/hop-off bus service primarily used by backpackers, similar to the Oz or Kiwi Experience in Australia and New Zealand, respectively. You can get on and off whenever you want along one of their set routes. You can buy tickets that let you travel their whole network with a set number of stops. For example, a nine-day flex-pass, which gives you nine stops from your starting city. The only downside to Busabout is that if you want to visit a city not on their route, you have to make your own way there at an added cost. A lot of backpackers use this method of travel to get around as well as meet other travelers. The pass also comes with a guide and sometimes include group activities. A two-week pass is $299 USD. If you figure you can visit about 6 cities in two weeks, that’s $50 a trip. When you consider the soft benefits of a guide, included trips, and meeting people, Busabout becomes price comparable to trains and flights, though still more expensive than a regular public bus! Their unlimited passes for $1,499 for 6 months of travel is the best long-term transportation deal.

Travelling Europe by Flixbus

Over the last few years, a new company has come on the market that has totally changed the bus system in Europe! German based Flixbus has routes in 20 European countries and thousands of cities with prices starting as low 5 EUR. Their buses include WiFi, electrical outlets, up to three 3 free bags, and comfy seats. It’s essentially Megabus, but less sucky and for the whole of continental Europe. Flixbus quickly became my favorite non-train way to get across Europe cheaper after it came out. It’s the best and cheapest way to get around continental Europe!

Another option is to take Eurolines. Every country in Europe has its own national bus service but for international long distance bus routes, they sort of combine into the umbrella company, Eurolines. While they serve more destinations than Flixbus, I prefer the comfort and prices of Flxibus if I have a choice between the two. Eurolines prices usually start at around 20 Euros for a 5-6 hour journey.

Travelling Europe by Budget Airline

By far one of the cheapest ways to travel long distance in Europe is by budget airline. These airlines are hugely prolific on the continent and competition leads to incredibly cheap fares. You can often find fares as cheap as 1 Euro. When I need to go somewhere and I don’t want to take a long bus or train journey, I fly budget airlines. My favorite budget airlines are:

Vueling

Ryanair

Easyjet

Aigle Azur

Wow Air

Eurowings

Flybe

Norwegian Air

Wizz Air

I use Skyscanner and Momondo to search for the best deals. They do all the legwork for ya!

It’s important to remember that these budget airlines make most of their money through fees, and the second you mess up, they whack you with a fee. They are very strict about baggage limits or forgetting to print out your boarding pass. Be sure to follow their rules to the letter. Sometimes these budget airlines cost more money because of all their fees so if you’re traveling with a lot of bags, it may be cheaper to fly with one of the larger airlines (which have also lowered their fares in the face of tough competition).

For more information, here is a complete guide to finding cheap flights around Europe.

Travelling Europe With A Eurail Pass

Getting a rail pass is a good option if you are going to be traveling across vast distances and don’t want to fly. The European rail system is one of the best and most extensive in the world. I love traveling by train. Sitting in a big seat, relaxing with a book, and watching the stunning landscape go by. It’s more comfortable than a bus and much less stressful than air travel.

If you’re going to travel by train, it’s hard to beat them on price and convenience for short city to city travel. For longer journeys (overnight journeys, between countries, or rides that require a high-speed line like Paris to Bordeaux or Berlin to Munich), trains tend to be very expensive. If you plan to travel around Europe in a grand tour, a rail pass is your best money saving travel option. Your cost per trip will be a lot lower than if you were to buy these tickets separately.

For more information, here is a complete breakdown of Eurail passes and when they should be used to save money.

Travelling Europe Using BlaBlaCar

The rise of the sharing economy has allowed people to hop a ride with locals going their way, and BlaBlaCar is the reigning king of this service. Hugely popular and widespread in Europe, I’ve used this service many times. This website lets you rideshare with people who have extra space in their car. You find a ride, they agree to take you, and off you go. You can find rides for as little as 5 Euros. It is the best, BEST paid way to get around Europe. You get to meet a local, have a friendly conversation, save tons of money over bus and train travel, and get off the highways and more the countryside.

Alternatively, there are websites where you can ask for rides so long as you pitch in for gas. Gumtree is the most popular among backpackers.

The Cheapest Way To Travel Europe: Hitchhiking

The best way to travel Europe cheap is to not pay for it. Hitching is quite common in Europe, and I’ve met a number of travelers who have done it. I myself traveled this way in Bulgaria. It’s important to use your head when hitchhiking.

***

There are a lot of ways to get around Europe on a budget. But what’s the best way for your trip? MIX AND MATCH YOUR TRANSPORTATION. The key to traveling around Europe on the cheap is to know when to use each one of the listed transportation methods. For short trips, I like trains and BlaBlaCar. For medium length trips (half a day), I’ll take a bus, BlaBlaBla car, or train. For long distances, I fly, take a high-speed train, or overnight buses. If you have no preference on how you travel – you just want the cheapest – use a website like Rome2Rio. All you have to do is enter where you are going and they will find all the ways to get there and list the prices for each method.

When you are looking for cheap ways to travel Europe, use the transportation options above that suit your needs and you’ll always get the best deal!

Next step: keep planning your trip to Europe with these articles:

Continent-Wide Europe Travel Guide

The Cost of Western Europe Travel

The Cost of Traveling Eastern Europe

Is a Eurail Pass Worth the Cost?

Photo Credits: 2, 4

The post 7 Cheap Ways to Travel Across Europe appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

from Traveling News https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/cheap-ways-to-travel-across-europe-2/

[nadiaamf]

Le premiere voyage à Paris (1)

I’ve been living in Toulouse, France for these past 2.5 months. Finally had a chance to do a real trip together with my husband for the first time (yes, it really is the first time) and we chose Paris! Yes, the city of lights they call it. Well I wasn’t as excited as I am writing this post but since I am now in France lets say ‘Hi’ to the iconic ‘iron lady’. In this post I will try to tell you guys things we did: the preparation and some useful tips to consider. I am surely not an expert in traveling but here we go!

We spent a week in Paris, included times spent in train for about 6 hours each to go from Toulouse to Paris and vice versa. We already planned the trip 2 months before. People keep asking why it took us a whole week just to visit Paris. Well, there are too many places you can explore that a week is not even enough, especially for me who can’t just take a peek of a museum or a gallery. So when my husband had a full week-off of Toussaint, why not? And also, there won’t be a longer line compared to summer-time holidays. We did not take any tour since we thought it would be better to have a flexible itinerary.

How we got there?

For those who live in France (or neighborhood countries), you guys can consider going with a plane since there are some times of the months when the price is gonna be cheaper or at least the same as train’s expense. But we didn’t find a good price so we chose the train instead. It only costed us 40€ per person to go back and forth Toulouse-Paris. Yes we were lucky that the price was so cheap and the train was also comfortable enough, but yep, no Wi-Fi guys. So let’s just chill, enjoy France’s southern-west countryside view and have a quality moment to read the book that’s been postponed :-)

Where to buy the ticket?

We booked the ticket from SNCF (French National Railway Corporation) official website. If you live in France and love to travel around France a lot with train, do not hesitate to purchase the Carte Jeune: 30% off guaranteed on French trains, including last minute prices and 25% guaranteed on selected range of international trains. You just need to pay 50€ for a year. Yes, a YEAR! You’re welcome ;-) For bus, my friends recommend me to check out the Flixbus. And of course there are some cheap flights offered by RyanAir, Hop!, etc. simply give yourself a time to explore SkyScanner oooooor GoEuro for all (flights, trains, or bus). Oops, one last thing guys, there is this ride-sharing called BlaBlaCar if you consider traveling with a car and (probably) lower budget.

The Accomodation

We booked an apartment-hotel for 308€ (8 days 7 nights) so it’s about 44€ per night. It is located in Courbevoie, near La Defense station, the end of Metro’s line 01. Courbevoie is 8.2 km (5.1 mi) from the center of Paris haha just because my husband knows the neighborhood well (my parents in law lived in this neighborhood back then). He said the neighborhood is safer, besides the price was also considerable for an apart-hotel. Why does it has to be an apart-hotel? We were on a budget so we thought we could prepare some simple meals to control our food and of course to save money instead of eating out all the time (yes, the apart-hotel has a small proper kitchen with standard cooking ware you need). But then again it is because we spent a whole week so it goes back to your necessity. I do not have any place recommendation for staying in the heart of Paris (so sorry guys) but make sure that the area is safe enough and you can find the public transport easily.

The Weather

Do not ever forget to check the weather forecast before going on a trip. Make sure you’ve prepared basic things needed. It was autumn so jackets and coats are a must-thing, and also moisturizer or even sunblock, hand cream, and umbrella; because unconsciously your skin will dehydrate and because the sun will be a lil bit tricky. Since we are obliged walking around touristic spots and areas in Paris, please wear the shoes that is as comfortable as possible. You want to always look stylish but not with sore feet, right?

The Entrance Ticket

Paris Museum Pass, (THIS IS THE HIGHLIGHT!) this one is a must-have for you who are into museums and galleries (or even for you who are not). With this card, you will have a privilege to enter a list of Paris’s best destinations with discounted price. A museum/gallery’s entrance ticket commonly costs you 15€. With this card, you can explore as many places (on the list) as you want in 6 days for just 74€! You do the math but I can say that it is totally worth it because we were able to explore at least 2 places which are included in the list. PLUS, we do not have to wait in line because the holder of this card will have a special entrance. I mean, in some places we do have to queue but it is not as long as the normal entrance, except in Chateau Versailles we did have to queue in the same line with hundreds of people we didn’t know why tho.

The Public Transport

We took the metros and the bus hopping from one point to another. Afar from Toulouse (who only has 2 lines of metro kkk), here we have 13-sih lines of metro and more than 120 lines of bus. It kinda scared me at first but thank God there is my husband who is (unbelievably) all well-prepared, besides he has been here a couple times. And also thanks to technology you can check the route, schedule, and others helpful infos in SNCF’s mobile app for metro, train, light rail, bus or coach, bicycle or on foot—or any combination.

A friendly tip

I suggest you guys to always bring a bottle of drinking water because you know, most of the time we walked, we absolutely didn’t want to be dehydrated even if it wasn’t summer. A side note, you might find a minimarket nearby but it is not as easy as finding gerobak teh botol di pinggir jalan and besides, you can save a bit of your money cause you can also find a tap water station to refill your bottle. For us Moslems, you can ‘easily’ find the halal kebab around. It usually cost around 6€ (without drink) or 7.5€ (with drink) all with fried fries. Sure, there are others halal food around Paris but yeah :-) Aaaaaaand I tried this halal fried chicken in Paris which I will tell you guys in details on the next post so stay tuned!

#Paris #Travel #Trip #Autumn #2017 #TravelTips #TravelExperience

[celena-in-europe]

48 Hours in Luxembourg- Day 1

This past weekend myself and a few other folks decided to take a trip to Luxembourg! When we told our french teacher we were headed there she responds with, “...Why??” Honestly, I didn’t really have an answer other than the fact that I knew it was a beautiful place, but when we got there, it did not disappoint. 

These are the top 5 things to do in Luxembourg, according to Trip Advisor:

1) Luxembourg American Cemetery Memorial

2) Le Chemin de la Corniche

3) Barrio Grund

4) Casemates du Bock

5) Notre Dame Cathedral

“The top 10 things to do in Luxembourg city 2017,” 2017)

We started our journey on Friday night when we travelled to the bus stop in Strasbourg and got on a Flixbus that took us directly to Luxembourg. It was a 3-hour ride and we left at 10:30 pm. It was about €15 there and €13 back. We arrived at 1:30 am and our hostel was a 24 minute walk away. We made a pit stop at the Mcdonalds to get a little midnight snack and we continued on our way to the hostel. 

Not gonna lie, right where the bus station was at night was a little sketchy. There were security guards outside the fast food places and a few people looking a little crazy running around. Thankfully there are safety in numbers so we just stuck together and went on our way. 

Even walking to the hostel at night time you could tell how beautiful the city would look in the sunlight. The city is quite hilly with many steep and windy streets, but we managed to make it to our hostel with no problems.

I booked our hostel online with hostelworld.com and we stayed at the Youth Hostel Luxembourg. It is a chain hostel that has many locations in different cities across Europe. The reception is 24 hours, which was great for us considering we got there around 2:30 am and the reception staff were very helpful. Online I booked a 6 person mixed dorm, but when we got there he offered us two separate rooms with 4 beds in each and our own shower and toilet for only €1extra per person. We had 8 people so it worked perfectly for us! We booked 2 nights and later on ended up booking one room for an extra night so we could have a room to stay in while we waited for our bus on Sunday night. (Our bus back to Strasbourg was leaving at 2:30 am because that was the only direct one we could get.) We were required to put our own sheets on the bed, but those were provided for us. Check-out was at 10 am. The hostel had its own restaurant called The Melting Pot that offered free breakfast with our stay until 9 am. Although we got there really early in the morning, the girls still woke up to have breakfast and than head back to bed. I even made an extra sandwich for myself to eat for later :) It’s important to note that the Wi-Fi at the hostel was so terrible… really bad. Like unbearable... but what can you do?

When we all got up and decided we were ready to go I went down to talked to the receptionist at the main desk and get some info on the city. She gave me a map and pointed out where we could find the tourism office and some good places to see in the city. She mentioned the William Square where the main walking promenade was, the old town called Grund and the Bock castle, which was only 5 minutes away from our hostel. She mentioned that the local restaurants were located on Loge rue. We even got the location of where all the good clubs were in Luxembourg; somewhere we would definitely be going that night! After that we went on our way and just started walking around the city, heading toward the tourism office.

The city is so beautiful!! I can’t stress that enough. We walked around, got to the tourism office, found out there was a walking tour and we decided we would go on that one on Sunday. €12 for students! €14 regular. Everyone was pretty hungry so we decided to head to a place we had just passed by called The Chocolate House. It seemed pretty popular and the food was really delicious. We ate burgers and ordered their famous hot chocolates. It was hot milk and your choice of flavoured chocolate that came on a stick and you melted into the hot milk with some marshmallows and whip cream on the side... so delicious. 10/10 would recommend. 

photo by Kevin Cabrera 

After lunch we continued to walk around more and ended up in the main square and where all the expensive shops were. We later learned that Luxembourg has the most expensive street to shop on in the world. After a long day of walking around we headed back to the hostel and made plans to go out that evening. I ended up having dinner in the hostel restaurant; a delicious and hardy meal of chicken nuggets and fries. Perfect food to eat before a night of drinking. They were really yummy. We went to our rooms and got ready, had a fun little pre-drink and made our way to the club district of Luxembourg. 

To be honest, we didn’t really know where we were headed, we kind of just started walking in the direction the receptionist told us to go, but we managed to find our way to an amazing club called Tilt. The music was popping and I honestly didn’t stop dancing until the moment we left. The drinks were cheap, the dj was amazing and no one else seemed to know how to dance! But us Canadians showed them how to do it. We all had an amazing time.

photo by Tilt photographer, obtained through Facebook

It was an awesome night, and we were all tired as we headed back to our hostel for a good nights rest. Day 1 complete!