Sometimes I comfort myself with a list of experiences and feelings and will not exist in Heaven. Once I pass into the forever-after, there are things I will be happy to leave behind.
For example, today, my clothes are just too tight. In general, I prefer for my clothes not to touch my skin. Anyone who’s ever MET me has seen me in my favorite outfit: my green Evergreen soccer t-shirt (from high school) and my purple skirt (from Goodwill circa 2000). I would wear this everyday and infact recently have requested to be buried in the same. The last year has made it difficult to keep my personal policy of clothes not touching my skin - my first desk job, my crippling discontentment and my rapid approach to 30 have found me outgrowing the clothes I’ve owned for the better part of a decade. Things are tight and uncomfortable. Clothes will not be too tight in Heaven. I will (because I have a merciful savior) be granted the body I’ve always deserved but that was somehow given to Lindsay Schuette on accident.
Also non-existent in Heaven - that ‘oh shit’ that silently follows words out of my mouth that should never have been uttered. Or that feeling when you were spacing out and dropped your speed to 55 in the fast lane and you’ve got 5 cars behind you, just as mad at you would be in their place. Oops! Hangovers, nope they’re gone. Guilt over wasted opportunities and 20-20 hindsight - for example, WHY didn’t I just take the pay cut and fight harder for my job to remain at DAT instead of taking the first job my bruised ego was offered - no point in crying now, but the crying, nope, none of that either. Papercuts, sweat, dead cell phone batteries, long lines, scary dogs, slugs, slivers, bad eyesight, stale crackers, dirty kitchen floors, Sean Hannity, Barkley Haggen, Hummers, Seattle traffic, hang nails, chapped lips, student loan payments, weak routers, getting locked out, port-o-potties, dull knives - none of it! Adios!
Final addition to the list - the ‘uh ohs’ from traveling. All you want to do is put your head on a pillow. You’ve been traveling all day (or all night, or both). You have a reservation for a nice double room at a nice hostel, in a nice city in central Europe - let’s even just say (for kicks of course) that you’re on your honeymoon. You get on the tram, you get off at the right spot, you hold your Lonely Planet map under the glow of a street light, you follow directions precisely. You find the correct building number, you’re SO excited to get inside because its 22 degrees outside and its starting to snow...
Uh Oh: The hostel you booked online doesn’t exist when you arrive.
Plan: Let’s be honest, every single dealing you have on the internet carries with it the risk that you’ll get swindled. Whether or not people even still use the word ‘swindled’ is a separate issue, thank you. Anyway, we know this is a risk. Still, the convenience of the internet is well worth the occasional rip off. When booking hostels online, if you’re booking from a reputable site like hostelworld.com or hostels.com, you’ll only be required to book with 10% deposit. Don’t ever book a hostel online that requires 100% payment to hold your reservation. The good news is, hopefully you’re only into the phantom hostel a few bucks. The bad news is, you got robbed! And now you don’t know what to do! First of all, make double sure you’re in the right place. Ask people on the street. Then, try whatever contact information you have for the hostel. But, don’t break your back over this. If you’re in western Europe - and remember, my definition of western Europe extends well beyond the iron curtain - hostels have no reason to be unidentifiable. If the hostel has absolutely no signage, is on the 5th floor of a locked building with no buzzer, it might as well not exist. These are the details you’ll hope to find on the ‘reviews’ section of your booking engine. If you’ve tried the contact information to no avail, then you’ve made every good faith attempt at following through with your reservation. Now, go find another place to stay. First thing the next morning, email both the hostel directly and the booking engine. Explain when and how you attempting to find & contact the hostel. At this point, you hold the power. The booking engine does NOT want to sponsor a hostel that doesn’t exist or opens & closes without regard for reservations. When you book a hostel on foot rather than through their booking engine, they lose your booking fee. They don’t want that. You’ll most likely get a quick response from the booking engine offering your deposit either returned or applied to your next booking with them. Fine, its only a few bucks. The hostel may or may not respond. At this point, you owe it to the backpacking universe to explain your story on the review section of the booking engine for that hostel. Bad hostels are a black eye for the budget travel community. Shame on you. Note: this entire section does not apply to hostels in the former USSR.
Shea & Kristy, I can't believe you leave in 11 days!!!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Trouble Shooting, Part 2
Wow Jake...that video was exactly what traveling with you is like. Hey bearded man!!
After many, many story swaps over dinner prep & dinner consumption last night with the Loya family (me, Jake & Anna), its become clear to me that with each ‘uh oh’ abroad you gain a greater sense of humor and a greater travel confidence. The more travel confidence you have, the more likely you are to try something, do something or go somewhere that a little fear might have helped you avoid. And so, the stakes are higher, the drama is greater, the stories are funnier and ranker. I don’t even know how much collective time our current household has spent budget traveling, but I can tell you that the ‘listen to the time I really screwed THIS up’ over backpacking went on and on and on.
One of the greatest joys of my life is the fact that my dearest friends and I have traveled both independently and together. After many years of friendship there are still stories to tell, to marvel at, to make fun of. Anna spent 6 months in Europe a few years ago; I thought following her blog religiously, spending hours reviewing pictures and hearing stories upon her return would mean I had a pretty good grasp on what that experience meant to her. But that’s the great thing about traveling - that experience means something different to her now than the day she got home, than 12 months ago, than 5 years from now. The experience that was is always evolving; new life, new ideas bounce off one’s worldview everyday and the value of one’s worldview experiences evolves with it. With travel adventures that are constantly evolving, revisiting them with old friends and a good bottle of red wine - discussing ‘what I felt then’ versus ‘what I feel now’...the whole concept is slow, moving, deep, challenging - much like travel itself.
And to Shea & Kristy...as you wait for plane ticket prices to come down, book hostels that are just a dot on a map, weigh backpacks, buy toiletries and arrange for dog sitters - as you’re doing all the unromantic, housekeeping items, remember that your travels - no matter how screwed up or botched - are a wonderful gift to yourself and to those of us who’ll be lucky to be sitting around a dinner table with YOU in 6 months, 2 years, 10 years ... reliving the experience that was and enjoying the evolution of ‘uh oh’ drama moments into stories that have us rolling on the ground, dying of laughter.
Here are some more trouble shooting ideas to chew on.
Uh Oh: My passport got stolen.
Plan: Ok, getting your stuff stolen is the most violating feeling. When your passport is among one of the casualties, panic is sure to set in. Generally speaking, here’s what you need to do. Find the local police station; file a police report for stolen property. Police department information should be on your Lonely Planet map for a city, for a small town, ask someone. Go into the police station, eek out "stolen" or gesture what you need. Fill out a report. What you write down is not that important, but you’ll need the report # for the American consulate to issue you a new passport. You should get a copy of the police report. Next, look up where the closest American consulate is. There may only be one in the country (again, this information is in your guidebook). Find a phone, call the consulate. You’ll need to travel to their office, but be sure you know their hours, working days and any potential holiday office closures before setting out. They may agree to meet with you even on a day they’re normally closed; afterall, helping Americans abroad is what they do. Get all that information before you make plans to travel to their office. Once you get to the American consulate’s "compound" (depending on the country), you’ll probably have to pass through security to enter. While the consulate and their staff are American, the security guards probably won’t be. Don’t be alarmed, you’re in the right place - if the huge American flags didn’t give it away in the first place. You’ll be escorted into a office that - again depending on the country - may or may not look like a nice DMV. You’ll probably be staring at a large picture of President Obama. Your travel companion may or may not be asked to wait outside. The consulate’s staff will ask you for the following: $some-odd (probably around $175), passport photos, and ID (remember, this is the stuff you’re bringing with you incase this happens). If your wallet was stolen along with your passport and you don’t have any ID, your travel companion may be asked to identify you. They’ll also look up your previous passport and photo in their database. They’ll probably ask you a series of personal questions that would be of public record, for example, where were your parents married, what are your grandparents’ names, where were your siblings born and on what day, etc. I don’t think any wrong answers would disqualify you completely...you can probably answer enough of these correctly to confirm you are you. Now, if you’re able to show them a drivers license, you might not even answer these questions. Finally, they will produce a passport for you. This new passport functions exactly like a real passport except that it’s a temporary passport and is probably only good for one year. It will have this information stamped into it. When you get home, mail it in to the State Department and they’ll issue you yet another passport that is good for 10 years. This USED to be free, I don’t know if it still is. While this passport functions like a real passport, keep your police report with it incase customs officials want to know how you got into the country without a stamp in your shiny new passport. The date of issue should give them a clue, but they may ask.
You can see why I’ve stressed the importance in previous blogs about keeping your passport on your body at all times. Replacing it is a pain.
More to come...oxoxo
After many, many story swaps over dinner prep & dinner consumption last night with the Loya family (me, Jake & Anna), its become clear to me that with each ‘uh oh’ abroad you gain a greater sense of humor and a greater travel confidence. The more travel confidence you have, the more likely you are to try something, do something or go somewhere that a little fear might have helped you avoid. And so, the stakes are higher, the drama is greater, the stories are funnier and ranker. I don’t even know how much collective time our current household has spent budget traveling, but I can tell you that the ‘listen to the time I really screwed THIS up’ over backpacking went on and on and on.
One of the greatest joys of my life is the fact that my dearest friends and I have traveled both independently and together. After many years of friendship there are still stories to tell, to marvel at, to make fun of. Anna spent 6 months in Europe a few years ago; I thought following her blog religiously, spending hours reviewing pictures and hearing stories upon her return would mean I had a pretty good grasp on what that experience meant to her. But that’s the great thing about traveling - that experience means something different to her now than the day she got home, than 12 months ago, than 5 years from now. The experience that was is always evolving; new life, new ideas bounce off one’s worldview everyday and the value of one’s worldview experiences evolves with it. With travel adventures that are constantly evolving, revisiting them with old friends and a good bottle of red wine - discussing ‘what I felt then’ versus ‘what I feel now’...the whole concept is slow, moving, deep, challenging - much like travel itself.
And to Shea & Kristy...as you wait for plane ticket prices to come down, book hostels that are just a dot on a map, weigh backpacks, buy toiletries and arrange for dog sitters - as you’re doing all the unromantic, housekeeping items, remember that your travels - no matter how screwed up or botched - are a wonderful gift to yourself and to those of us who’ll be lucky to be sitting around a dinner table with YOU in 6 months, 2 years, 10 years ... reliving the experience that was and enjoying the evolution of ‘uh oh’ drama moments into stories that have us rolling on the ground, dying of laughter.
Here are some more trouble shooting ideas to chew on.
Uh Oh: My passport got stolen.
Plan: Ok, getting your stuff stolen is the most violating feeling. When your passport is among one of the casualties, panic is sure to set in. Generally speaking, here’s what you need to do. Find the local police station; file a police report for stolen property. Police department information should be on your Lonely Planet map for a city, for a small town, ask someone. Go into the police station, eek out "stolen" or gesture what you need. Fill out a report. What you write down is not that important, but you’ll need the report # for the American consulate to issue you a new passport. You should get a copy of the police report. Next, look up where the closest American consulate is. There may only be one in the country (again, this information is in your guidebook). Find a phone, call the consulate. You’ll need to travel to their office, but be sure you know their hours, working days and any potential holiday office closures before setting out. They may agree to meet with you even on a day they’re normally closed; afterall, helping Americans abroad is what they do. Get all that information before you make plans to travel to their office. Once you get to the American consulate’s "compound" (depending on the country), you’ll probably have to pass through security to enter. While the consulate and their staff are American, the security guards probably won’t be. Don’t be alarmed, you’re in the right place - if the huge American flags didn’t give it away in the first place. You’ll be escorted into a office that - again depending on the country - may or may not look like a nice DMV. You’ll probably be staring at a large picture of President Obama. Your travel companion may or may not be asked to wait outside. The consulate’s staff will ask you for the following: $some-odd (probably around $175), passport photos, and ID (remember, this is the stuff you’re bringing with you incase this happens). If your wallet was stolen along with your passport and you don’t have any ID, your travel companion may be asked to identify you. They’ll also look up your previous passport and photo in their database. They’ll probably ask you a series of personal questions that would be of public record, for example, where were your parents married, what are your grandparents’ names, where were your siblings born and on what day, etc. I don’t think any wrong answers would disqualify you completely...you can probably answer enough of these correctly to confirm you are you. Now, if you’re able to show them a drivers license, you might not even answer these questions. Finally, they will produce a passport for you. This new passport functions exactly like a real passport except that it’s a temporary passport and is probably only good for one year. It will have this information stamped into it. When you get home, mail it in to the State Department and they’ll issue you yet another passport that is good for 10 years. This USED to be free, I don’t know if it still is. While this passport functions like a real passport, keep your police report with it incase customs officials want to know how you got into the country without a stamp in your shiny new passport. The date of issue should give them a clue, but they may ask.
You can see why I’ve stressed the importance in previous blogs about keeping your passport on your body at all times. Replacing it is a pain.
More to come...oxoxo
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Trouble Shooting, Part 1
The best thing about budget travel is the unexpected, unplanned, unstructured nature of experiencing a culture. Three hour meals, siestas, non-peak everything, local encounters, journaling for hours, back of the bus, down & dirty...raw adventure is the immeasureable benefit. On the flip side, traveling for adventure rather than leisure gives one a large margin of error. These ‘oh sh*t’ moments are the stuff of legends. With a little forethought, these circumstances can be met with humor and resolve rather than panic. And remember, this is the good stuff...these are the stories you’ll be sitting around telling for the rest of your life.
I’m just laughing to myself right now...thinking about Art & Diana getting on the wrong train and spending the night behind a dumpster, about Holly’s butt shot, Anna’s Gibralter monkey attack, five American girls chasing down an Italian thief in the subway (and catching him!) Spanish police reports, stolen stuff & more stolen stuff, bad choices in Vienna, starving in Dublin, crying in Barcelona, lost in Prague, conned in Yekaterinberg, stalked in Amsterdam, more missed buses and trains than one can count. Many of the solutions I’ll offer in this blog are at the expense of souls whose misfortune has amused and inspired me. Thanks to you misfits in advance. :)
And again, our focus here is Europe.
Uh Oh: We jumped on train without confirming that our rail passes are valid on this route.
Plan: If you’re on a commuter train or a Eurostar (ES) train in Italy, it might not be. You’ll find out very quickly. If you’re onboard with an invalid rail pass, you’ll usually have the option of purchasing the ticket for the journey or getting off at the next stop. The conductor will come around to punch or mark your rail pass and upon your discovery will give you a dirty look and a foreign tongue lecture. It’ll be pretty obvious, I’m sure. Purchase the ticket if you’d like or simply get off and laugh yourself to the ticket window to book a rail pass-valid journey.
Uh Oh: I lost my rail pass.
Plan: You’re SOL unless you bought rail pass protection when you purchased your pass. Should you buy the protection? I’m inclined to say no, just because I don’t buy protection for anything (this from the girl who stowed away on a train for 5 hours hopping between bathrooms because I lost my rail pass - dark). However, you should think of your rail pass as cash, because that’s essentially what it is. Should you buy protection for a $300 single country pass? Probably not. But would you carry $1200 cash around in your pocket? No you wouldn’t - so if you’re buying a 3 month unlimited, buy the pass protection. As for replacing unprotected rail passes...if you’re American, they can only be purchased and delivered to an American address - you’ll cease to see any value in the savings after someone at home overnights it to your hostel. For replacing insured passes, follow the instructions you received with your pass.
Uh Oh: I missed my train connection and now its 10:00 pm and I’m in who-knows-where.
Plan: Many long distance train journeys in Europe require connections just like a flight would. And, its not uncommon for train delays to result in a missed connection. Let’s say, for example, you were so in love with a girl back home that your judgement was clouded the day you booked a train from Rome to Barcelona. Now, lets say that there was a rockslide on the tracks. This delayed your train entering Nice, France. When you got to Nice, you’d missed your connecting train to Barcelona and the next train wasn’t until the following day. And its 10:00 pm. First of all, there is no such thing as stranded in Europe...its just a city you didn’t KNOW you were going to visit. :) Second, thank the Lord for your Lonely Planet. Make a plan before you EVER leave the train station. Make sure you know what time the train is leaving the next morning. In the light (and warmth) of the train station, plot out a plan for finding a bed. This is a good time to approach other bewildered passengers who may be in your same boat. Want to share a cab? Want to walk together to Jo & Flo’s Hostel I see here on the map (ok, that would be a long walk since Jo & Flo’s is in New Orleans). You get the idea. If you’re alone, take a cab (being sure to secure your cab fare before you get in).
Related Uh Oh: I didn’t realize it was rugby weekend in Edinburgh. I didn’t pre-book a hostel and there’s not a bed in town.
Plan: When you’re traveling in non-peak times, you can get spoiled just showing up for accommodation day-of - and you’re probably not tracking national holidays or major sporting events. When possible, always book yourself a bed ahead of time...even the day before. In the above ‘uh oh’, these travelers could have found out quickly that every hostel in town was booked BEFORE arriving in the city. Alas, scotch often got in the way of planning on this venture. So, first of all, hostel desk attendants are usually really helpful. They will most likely offer alternatives for you; maybe even offering to call ahead for you. They may also know locals who routinely rent rooms for overflow. Generally speaking, a hotel room is probably cheaper than hopping on the next train out of town. Not an option? Then it sounds like you’re going to have a night with the airport or train station community!
More to come...
I’m just laughing to myself right now...thinking about Art & Diana getting on the wrong train and spending the night behind a dumpster, about Holly’s butt shot, Anna’s Gibralter monkey attack, five American girls chasing down an Italian thief in the subway (and catching him!) Spanish police reports, stolen stuff & more stolen stuff, bad choices in Vienna, starving in Dublin, crying in Barcelona, lost in Prague, conned in Yekaterinberg, stalked in Amsterdam, more missed buses and trains than one can count. Many of the solutions I’ll offer in this blog are at the expense of souls whose misfortune has amused and inspired me. Thanks to you misfits in advance. :)
And again, our focus here is Europe.
Uh Oh: We jumped on train without confirming that our rail passes are valid on this route.
Plan: If you’re on a commuter train or a Eurostar (ES) train in Italy, it might not be. You’ll find out very quickly. If you’re onboard with an invalid rail pass, you’ll usually have the option of purchasing the ticket for the journey or getting off at the next stop. The conductor will come around to punch or mark your rail pass and upon your discovery will give you a dirty look and a foreign tongue lecture. It’ll be pretty obvious, I’m sure. Purchase the ticket if you’d like or simply get off and laugh yourself to the ticket window to book a rail pass-valid journey.
Uh Oh: I lost my rail pass.
Plan: You’re SOL unless you bought rail pass protection when you purchased your pass. Should you buy the protection? I’m inclined to say no, just because I don’t buy protection for anything (this from the girl who stowed away on a train for 5 hours hopping between bathrooms because I lost my rail pass - dark). However, you should think of your rail pass as cash, because that’s essentially what it is. Should you buy protection for a $300 single country pass? Probably not. But would you carry $1200 cash around in your pocket? No you wouldn’t - so if you’re buying a 3 month unlimited, buy the pass protection. As for replacing unprotected rail passes...if you’re American, they can only be purchased and delivered to an American address - you’ll cease to see any value in the savings after someone at home overnights it to your hostel. For replacing insured passes, follow the instructions you received with your pass.
Uh Oh: I missed my train connection and now its 10:00 pm and I’m in who-knows-where.
Plan: Many long distance train journeys in Europe require connections just like a flight would. And, its not uncommon for train delays to result in a missed connection. Let’s say, for example, you were so in love with a girl back home that your judgement was clouded the day you booked a train from Rome to Barcelona. Now, lets say that there was a rockslide on the tracks. This delayed your train entering Nice, France. When you got to Nice, you’d missed your connecting train to Barcelona and the next train wasn’t until the following day. And its 10:00 pm. First of all, there is no such thing as stranded in Europe...its just a city you didn’t KNOW you were going to visit. :) Second, thank the Lord for your Lonely Planet. Make a plan before you EVER leave the train station. Make sure you know what time the train is leaving the next morning. In the light (and warmth) of the train station, plot out a plan for finding a bed. This is a good time to approach other bewildered passengers who may be in your same boat. Want to share a cab? Want to walk together to Jo & Flo’s Hostel I see here on the map (ok, that would be a long walk since Jo & Flo’s is in New Orleans). You get the idea. If you’re alone, take a cab (being sure to secure your cab fare before you get in).
Related Uh Oh: I didn’t realize it was rugby weekend in Edinburgh. I didn’t pre-book a hostel and there’s not a bed in town.
Plan: When you’re traveling in non-peak times, you can get spoiled just showing up for accommodation day-of - and you’re probably not tracking national holidays or major sporting events. When possible, always book yourself a bed ahead of time...even the day before. In the above ‘uh oh’, these travelers could have found out quickly that every hostel in town was booked BEFORE arriving in the city. Alas, scotch often got in the way of planning on this venture. So, first of all, hostel desk attendants are usually really helpful. They will most likely offer alternatives for you; maybe even offering to call ahead for you. They may also know locals who routinely rent rooms for overflow. Generally speaking, a hotel room is probably cheaper than hopping on the next train out of town. Not an option? Then it sounds like you’re going to have a night with the airport or train station community!
More to come...
Monday, April 20, 2009
How do I...?
Most questions I’ve had traveling involve the phrase "how do I?..." Travelers love to tell stories...obviously I’m no exception. When I’m listening to someone’s travel stories, I always find myself asking "how did you DO that?" My favorites are usually from Holly’s misadventures around the world...how did you surf down a volcano? How DID you find a bungalow on the beach for $5/day? I’ll find myself wandering around a city and a friend’s story comes to mind. I can’t go to Edinburgh without thinking about my friend Brian scoring a job in a pub, completely under the visa-radar. How did he DO that?
From "big" things like scoring a job abroad to little things like making it through airport security unfondled, there are things that seasoned travelers do/have done that bare repeating in light of this Euro budget travel blog series. And Shea & Kristy, when you come home, you’ll have "how do I’s" of your own to pass around. I look forward to hearing them!
Here are a few...
How do I... use my cell phone in Europe?
There are a couple things you can do. First of all, before you leave, call your provider and ask what kind of coverage you have in Europe. Ask good questions. Its entirely possible that you have decent coverage and that your roaming fees aren’t much more than Canada. With the small amount you’ll actually use your phone, this might work just fine. If you DON’T have coverage in Europe and its too expensive to add it for the duration of your travel, AND your phone uses a SIM card, you may be able to buy pre-paid SIMs that function like calling cards. If you’re going to be in Europe for more than 2 months, put your phone on "away" mode and get a new cell phone in Europe. Look for "Orange" shops...you can get a cell there. European cell service tends to be more expensive than American cell service in terms of cost-per-minute, so Europeans are text-crazy. Once you know where you’ll be getting your European cell (say, in the first city you visit), post a question on Lonely Planet Thorn Tree and ask the travel geeks about the best deals and any residency requirements for acquiring a cell.
How do I...make money abroad?
This isn’t a simple answer. In the world of Craigslist, job postings are easier to come by. However, its going to be harder to communicate over email about things like "hey, can you hire me under the table?". That might get a bit dark. Now, working in Europe usually falls into two categories: either you need money because you’ve run out, or you’re trying to get a job to stay. Assuming you're not trying to secure a work visa, your number one resource for making money illegally :) is that hostel front desk attendant. You may score a 2 day gig cleaning up trash after a big event or washing dishes in a pub for a week...you know, the kind of glamorous jobs you can probably imagine. You may also see postings at the hostel looking for English tutors or other side-job postings that won’t require proof of citizenship. Use the same good judgement you would at home. Now, for work that will allow you to stay indefinitely...each country has unique work visa requirements. This topic is a bit too long for our purposes here. BUT, what I will say is that if you’re looking for a live/work situation, check out http://www.wwoof.org/ - World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. You exchange a few hours of work per day on family farms for free room & board. You arrange the length of time you want to stay. This is cool on many levels...not only are you staying for free and experiencing farm life in Europe, but you’re making more local contacts that could open doors to a new life on the other side of the pond.
How do I....extend my stay?
Can’t get enough? Want to stay longer? Its alllll about your flight home. Here’s a make-your-life-simpler tip. Print out and bring along the conditions under which you purchased your flight. Many times the cheapest flights have the greatest restrictions and heftiest change penalties. Ideally, you have a flexible enough flight to pay the $100 change fee (or whatever) to push your flight back. Bite the bullet and call the airline for help. As for limits on the length of time you can stay in any one country, it varies. Be sure to research visa and/or time restrictions for tourists if you plan to stay in any one country longer than 30 days. In many cases, you just have to leave the country and come back.
How do I...exchange currency?
The Euro has made cash transactions a lot easier in Europe. You can take out cash in Frankfurt and use it in Rome. Gone are the days of un-exchangeable coins at the bottom of your bag. However, not every country in the EU is on the Euro, so you’ll still have some exchanging to do. EU countries that are NOT on the Euro include Denmark, Sweden, UK, Estonia (pending), Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic & Poland (I hope I’m not outdated here). You’ll find exchange booths at train stations and airports; many won’t take coin and will charge you a percentage of what you need exchanged. In short, it can cost you 5 Euro to exchange 25 Euro into UK pounds, for example. Ideally, only take out in cash what you’ll need/use. IF you need to exchange, the cheapest way is usually to just trade currencies at the hostel with another traveler. Ask the front desk what the current exchange rate is (or look it up at http://www.xe.com)/) and just trade. This is pretty common and gets you out of paying commissions to the booth people. And, don’t exchange your pounds. British currency (GBP) - like the US dollar - is widely accepted as an alternate form of payment and having a stash of it is a good idea (for example, Egyptian visas can only be purchased in GBP or USD - random - we didn’t know this and thankfully between the two currencies, had enough to buy our visas).
How do I...get out of a really awkward political conversation?
One of the most interesting travel experiences is when you realize you’re the first American someone has ever met. This WILL happen. Now, 99% of Europeans you’ll encounter will be curious about your life/country in the same polite and respectful way you’re curious about theirs. BUT, you’ll also encounter people who are very excited to tell you what they think of ‘your country’. Here are my thoughts on this subject: for the conversation that is a friendly give-and-take about culture & politics...enjoy. For the conversations that start to go south because a) the person appears to know more about American politics than you do and you’re starting to feel stupid b) the person obviously has NO idea what they’re talking about c) you’re both very drunk d) the person has been to NYC and therefore thinks they are The Authority on Americanism - Here’s my suggestion: if you don’t have ANY US political knowledge, get some before you go. Plan on conversing on a basic level about our government. Most Europeans believe that the President has full power and authority to do whatever he wants. You should brush up on the three branches of the federal government. Most Europeans live in countries smaller than our States and are interested to hear that States have their own governments. Europeans follow our politics WAY more than we follow theirs...don’t be surprised that they know a few key American politicians. You should know a few, too. I hope hope hope that you won’t have to have a conversation with anyone about President Bush. It’s not pretty. My European friends have confirmed the media hype that President Obama is internationally popular. This should make things easier for American backpackers! Yeah!
A couple more topics that might come up -
the Iraq/Afghanistan War...now is a good time to form an opinion if you don’t already have one. If you don’t have an opinion or don’t want to talk about it, come up with a conversation closing statement like "you know, this whole thing is such a mess, I don’t even know what to believe anymore."
Socialized Medicine...Europeans are curious about our healthcare system and how it functions privately. They might ask you things like how much your premiums are, how long you have to wait for appointments...that sort of thing. The differences are interesting.
Taxes...Do some math and figure out how much you pay in taxes (%). European (Socialist) taxes are very high and this is a hot topic of conversation. Ask them how much they paid for university.
Their form of government...might be a good idea to brush up on current European leaders and systems of government. What’s a Parliamentary system? IS it democratic? Spending 10 minutes on the internet will make you feel a lot more comfortable if it comes up. All it takes is one good question "Do you think being Scottish has helped or hurt Gordon Browne’s popularity?" to make you sound kick-ass and to turn the conversation away from something you don’t have a clue about. Or, if you find yourself in a no-win over politics, my favorite conversation ender is "I guess what it comes down to is the disconnect between effective governance of 4 million people and that for 300 million." Try that one. Or, "well, I guess the one thing we can agree on is our undying affection for beer."
How do I...communicate in a language I don’t speak?
First of all, English is widely spoken in Europe. Where you can’t use English, some functional hand jestures usually work. But sometimes the message is too complex to be subjected to grunts and pointing. For example, it can be difficult to convey "I’d like to buy a train ticket. With a sleeper. Departing Milan at 10:30 pm. To Paris. Two of them" in jestures. So, what do you do? Write It Down. The last couple pages of the Lonely Planet are for notes. Jot down "2 Milano–>Paris 22:30 posto letto" [or whatever the guidebook says to call it] and slide it under the ticket window. This accomplishes a couple things - it hopefully gets you the ticket you want and it also encourages the other person to write down any message they have for YOU. Its easier to look up "sold out" if you see it written down rather than hear it spoken.
Stay tuned for more topics along this line as we begin discussing some Euro Budget Travel Trouble-Shooting...aka the "uh...oh's"...
From "big" things like scoring a job abroad to little things like making it through airport security unfondled, there are things that seasoned travelers do/have done that bare repeating in light of this Euro budget travel blog series. And Shea & Kristy, when you come home, you’ll have "how do I’s" of your own to pass around. I look forward to hearing them!
Here are a few...
How do I... use my cell phone in Europe?
There are a couple things you can do. First of all, before you leave, call your provider and ask what kind of coverage you have in Europe. Ask good questions. Its entirely possible that you have decent coverage and that your roaming fees aren’t much more than Canada. With the small amount you’ll actually use your phone, this might work just fine. If you DON’T have coverage in Europe and its too expensive to add it for the duration of your travel, AND your phone uses a SIM card, you may be able to buy pre-paid SIMs that function like calling cards. If you’re going to be in Europe for more than 2 months, put your phone on "away" mode and get a new cell phone in Europe. Look for "Orange" shops...you can get a cell there. European cell service tends to be more expensive than American cell service in terms of cost-per-minute, so Europeans are text-crazy. Once you know where you’ll be getting your European cell (say, in the first city you visit), post a question on Lonely Planet Thorn Tree and ask the travel geeks about the best deals and any residency requirements for acquiring a cell.
How do I...make money abroad?
This isn’t a simple answer. In the world of Craigslist, job postings are easier to come by. However, its going to be harder to communicate over email about things like "hey, can you hire me under the table?". That might get a bit dark. Now, working in Europe usually falls into two categories: either you need money because you’ve run out, or you’re trying to get a job to stay. Assuming you're not trying to secure a work visa, your number one resource for making money illegally :) is that hostel front desk attendant. You may score a 2 day gig cleaning up trash after a big event or washing dishes in a pub for a week...you know, the kind of glamorous jobs you can probably imagine. You may also see postings at the hostel looking for English tutors or other side-job postings that won’t require proof of citizenship. Use the same good judgement you would at home. Now, for work that will allow you to stay indefinitely...each country has unique work visa requirements. This topic is a bit too long for our purposes here. BUT, what I will say is that if you’re looking for a live/work situation, check out http://www.wwoof.org/ - World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. You exchange a few hours of work per day on family farms for free room & board. You arrange the length of time you want to stay. This is cool on many levels...not only are you staying for free and experiencing farm life in Europe, but you’re making more local contacts that could open doors to a new life on the other side of the pond.
How do I....extend my stay?
Can’t get enough? Want to stay longer? Its alllll about your flight home. Here’s a make-your-life-simpler tip. Print out and bring along the conditions under which you purchased your flight. Many times the cheapest flights have the greatest restrictions and heftiest change penalties. Ideally, you have a flexible enough flight to pay the $100 change fee (or whatever) to push your flight back. Bite the bullet and call the airline for help. As for limits on the length of time you can stay in any one country, it varies. Be sure to research visa and/or time restrictions for tourists if you plan to stay in any one country longer than 30 days. In many cases, you just have to leave the country and come back.
How do I...exchange currency?
The Euro has made cash transactions a lot easier in Europe. You can take out cash in Frankfurt and use it in Rome. Gone are the days of un-exchangeable coins at the bottom of your bag. However, not every country in the EU is on the Euro, so you’ll still have some exchanging to do. EU countries that are NOT on the Euro include Denmark, Sweden, UK, Estonia (pending), Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic & Poland (I hope I’m not outdated here). You’ll find exchange booths at train stations and airports; many won’t take coin and will charge you a percentage of what you need exchanged. In short, it can cost you 5 Euro to exchange 25 Euro into UK pounds, for example. Ideally, only take out in cash what you’ll need/use. IF you need to exchange, the cheapest way is usually to just trade currencies at the hostel with another traveler. Ask the front desk what the current exchange rate is (or look it up at http://www.xe.com)/) and just trade. This is pretty common and gets you out of paying commissions to the booth people. And, don’t exchange your pounds. British currency (GBP) - like the US dollar - is widely accepted as an alternate form of payment and having a stash of it is a good idea (for example, Egyptian visas can only be purchased in GBP or USD - random - we didn’t know this and thankfully between the two currencies, had enough to buy our visas).
How do I...get out of a really awkward political conversation?
One of the most interesting travel experiences is when you realize you’re the first American someone has ever met. This WILL happen. Now, 99% of Europeans you’ll encounter will be curious about your life/country in the same polite and respectful way you’re curious about theirs. BUT, you’ll also encounter people who are very excited to tell you what they think of ‘your country’. Here are my thoughts on this subject: for the conversation that is a friendly give-and-take about culture & politics...enjoy. For the conversations that start to go south because a) the person appears to know more about American politics than you do and you’re starting to feel stupid b) the person obviously has NO idea what they’re talking about c) you’re both very drunk d) the person has been to NYC and therefore thinks they are The Authority on Americanism - Here’s my suggestion: if you don’t have ANY US political knowledge, get some before you go. Plan on conversing on a basic level about our government. Most Europeans believe that the President has full power and authority to do whatever he wants. You should brush up on the three branches of the federal government. Most Europeans live in countries smaller than our States and are interested to hear that States have their own governments. Europeans follow our politics WAY more than we follow theirs...don’t be surprised that they know a few key American politicians. You should know a few, too. I hope hope hope that you won’t have to have a conversation with anyone about President Bush. It’s not pretty. My European friends have confirmed the media hype that President Obama is internationally popular. This should make things easier for American backpackers! Yeah!
A couple more topics that might come up -
the Iraq/Afghanistan War...now is a good time to form an opinion if you don’t already have one. If you don’t have an opinion or don’t want to talk about it, come up with a conversation closing statement like "you know, this whole thing is such a mess, I don’t even know what to believe anymore."
Socialized Medicine...Europeans are curious about our healthcare system and how it functions privately. They might ask you things like how much your premiums are, how long you have to wait for appointments...that sort of thing. The differences are interesting.
Taxes...Do some math and figure out how much you pay in taxes (%). European (Socialist) taxes are very high and this is a hot topic of conversation. Ask them how much they paid for university.
Their form of government...might be a good idea to brush up on current European leaders and systems of government. What’s a Parliamentary system? IS it democratic? Spending 10 minutes on the internet will make you feel a lot more comfortable if it comes up. All it takes is one good question "Do you think being Scottish has helped or hurt Gordon Browne’s popularity?" to make you sound kick-ass and to turn the conversation away from something you don’t have a clue about. Or, if you find yourself in a no-win over politics, my favorite conversation ender is "I guess what it comes down to is the disconnect between effective governance of 4 million people and that for 300 million." Try that one. Or, "well, I guess the one thing we can agree on is our undying affection for beer."
How do I...communicate in a language I don’t speak?
First of all, English is widely spoken in Europe. Where you can’t use English, some functional hand jestures usually work. But sometimes the message is too complex to be subjected to grunts and pointing. For example, it can be difficult to convey "I’d like to buy a train ticket. With a sleeper. Departing Milan at 10:30 pm. To Paris. Two of them" in jestures. So, what do you do? Write It Down. The last couple pages of the Lonely Planet are for notes. Jot down "2 Milano–>Paris 22:30 posto letto" [or whatever the guidebook says to call it] and slide it under the ticket window. This accomplishes a couple things - it hopefully gets you the ticket you want and it also encourages the other person to write down any message they have for YOU. Its easier to look up "sold out" if you see it written down rather than hear it spoken.
Stay tuned for more topics along this line as we begin discussing some Euro Budget Travel Trouble-Shooting...aka the "uh...oh's"...
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Sleep Cheap
A great portion of your traveling budget is spent on accommodation. Let's talk about how to keep this as low as possible.
Probably the single greatest stressor for first time budget travelers is hosteling. Not speaking the local language comes in second, but I’d venture to say hosteling is #1. Until you’ve done it, its hard to picture, so let me just give you some information to balance out the horror stories I’m sure you’ve heard or seen (was a hostel horror movie really necessary?).
Hosteling is going to save you a great deal of cash. It’s pretty easy to gain an appreciation of the price difference between hotels & hostels by spending some choice time on hotels.com’s international site. Again, since we’re focusing on Europe, I’m going to mainly discuss how to sleep cheap in that particular region. A basic hotel room in Venice is $200/night, easy. A hostel, $35. Pick your city, repeat the pattern.
First let’s talk about hostels before we move on to a couple other money-saving accommodation ideas.
Hostels are like a dorm for travelers. Each is unique, but generally speaking you’ll find 2-20 person rooms, bunks and shared bathrooms & kitchens. They have check-in, check-out times just like hotels, but unlike hotels, require full payment upon check in. You receive a bunk assignment, a front door (and sometimes a room) key and linens. Some hostels have curfews that lock the front door permanently between say the hours of midnight and 6:00 am. Some will only hold your reservation until a certain hour in the evening (especially in the summer or high travel times). Be sure to read the hostel rules carefully before booking.
Like any dorm, hostels carry the liability of crowds; some aren’t terribly clean, some are very loud. In many (but not all) cases, you get what you pay for. For example, a hostel that is recognized as an International Youth Hostel (IYH) is probably more expensive, but they tend to be very organized, cleaner and are most likely to include breakfast in your stay. Some IYH hostels host their own city or vicinity tours, a great option if you find yourself spending a couple days alone.
Hostels might not be that clean, they might be loud, but there are some hostel pluses hotels just can’t beat. For example, 95% of hostel desk staff will be proficient in English. So, for the price of a $20 bunk, you just scored yourself a local, English-speaking resource. More times than not, your new roommates will be cool. Whether you end up getting a beer or just chatting about how they just arrived from a city you’re heading to next, hostel friends are also a great resource. I’ve made great friends this way and most recently spent 3 weeks traveling the Trans-Siberian with a grip of Irish guys I met at a hostel who, let’s just say, blessed my experience.
So, how do you have a positive hosteling experience and avoid the horror-stories? Here come the tips...
Book them in advance
If you’re traveling in the summer, the most centrally located and cheapest hostels will book up. You don’t need to book them that far in advance (a week/10 days is probably fine) however, why not book them further out if you know for sure you’re going to be arriving on a certain day?Book on hostels.com.
Do Read the Reviews
Skip over the stupid ones like ‘its dirty’ or ‘hate the front desk girl’ and look for important critiques like ‘doesn’t have a sign, wandered for hours’ or ‘online map misrepresents how far it is from the train station’ or ‘front desk wanted us to surrender our passports’ or ‘right next to train tracks, couldn’t sleep a wink’. Stuff like that.
Stay Central
I mentioned this in the transportation blog, but save yourself time, effort and money on public transport and book a centrally located hostel. Do not be tempted to save $5 and stay 2 miles from downtown.
Food
When you’re booking, read for amenities like a kitchen or included breakfast.
Sleep with your good stuff
If you’re staying in a room with other people, I find I sleep a lot better with my money belt on and my ipod & camera under the covers with me. Sounds weird, but I do it. I have never, in 9 years of on-n-off traveling EVER had anything stolen in a hostel. Some hostels have lockers for your valuables. Use them if it makes you feel more comfortable, especially during the day. Don’t ever leave your passport anywhere. It always belongs on your person. I’ve never really used lockers...I figure if someone wants my dirty clothes, they can have them...I’ve got my valuables with me.
Sleep in your comfort zone
Most hostels will offer mixed gender or single gender rooms, bathrooms in the hall or in the room. The prices on hostels.com are per person, so if you’re booking a room just for 2 people, the price is still listed per person, unlike a hotel which lists the total room price. Double rooms in hostels can be $40-$50 pp and begin to lose their value...might look into a hotel at that price (depending on the city). There are certainly exceptions to this rule, we stayed in a double in Prague on our honeymoon for $25/nt for the both of us.
Have the right equipment
In the what to bring blog I referenced a headlamp and ear plugs. These are hostel necessities. Practice hostel ettiquette; don’t turn the overhead light on when people are sleeping and plug your ears for the noise of people coming and going in the room. And I hope this goes without saying: shower shoes.
Now while hosteling is a great option for budget accommodation, there are other options as well.
Airports/Train stations
Airports will let you spend the night. If you fly in past your hostel's curfew or don’t feel like wandering in the dark to your hostel (or if public transport is no longer running for the night), just sleep in the airport. Remember that scarf you’re bringing? Wrap it around your head & bed down. There is nothing glamorous about sleeping in a public place, but it beats a park bench. And it may actually be the friendliest accommodation you’ll encounter: the security guards at the Glasgow/Prestwick Airport come around and wake everyone long about 6 am. Train stations are a bit different; many actually close during the night and you won’t be able to stay. But, if you can see from the train schedule that trains come and go all night, they’ll be open. Train stations are a lot colder than airports. I wouldn’t stay the night in a train station that serves alcohol (like Moscow). There is so much more to say about public sleeping, but I fear I’m risking my cred...I’ll stop.
Guesthouse/Bed and Breakfasts
Why not? If you’re staying in a small town, these may be your best - and only - option. These aren’t usually listed in any guidebook. Click on ‘include Guesthouses’ on your hostels.com search, or better yet, pop into the Visitor’s Bureau and ask. Even small towns in Europe have some sort of Visitor’s Center or information kiosk. THAT info should be in your guidebook. If you happen into Fussen, Germany during winter, the only hostel will be closed...see if you can score a night with the lady who has 2,000 tea pots in her house. No English, but lots of breakfast meats.
Couch Surfers
Want a local experience? Book a free bed on couchsurfing.com. People (mostly young) offer their couch or spare room to travelers visiting their city. There’s no better way to meet a local and stay for free. Every host approaches it a bit differently; some simply give you a key and say ‘have fun’, others plan to show you around, share their food/culture with you as their invited guests. On the site you can check out reviews of the hosts and pictures of themselves and their place. This is a world-wide network. For kicks, type in your hometown and see how many couches are available right here. Jake and I have had a really positive experience having couch surfers stay with us in Bellingham. You do not need to register your own ‘couch’ or ‘exchange’ night stays; it’s not like that. You don’t earn points or anything, you do not have to register your own couch to stay with someone else.
Book a flat
My latest obsession in budget accommodation is renting a flat. This really only works financially if there are several of you splitting it, but, you never know who you’re going to meet that might want to chip in on a long weekend flat rental on the Portugese coast (sounds nice on this rainy Wednesday). Look at www.holiday-rentals.co.uk. This site is my favorite. Last winter when traveling with my family, we booked a flat in downtown Edinburgh (Grassmarket) for $150/night for 6 of us! The next week, we booked a house in Cork for $90/night, again for all 6 of us. W-o-w. That’s the steal of the hour. Yes, ideally these should be booked more in advance than most backpackers plan, but you never know what last minute deals will be offered for a few open nights mid-week. Read carefully for non-refundable cleaning fees and booking charges.
Make yourself at home...
When you make a new friend, follow them back to their hometown and stay for awhile. You’ll be amazed how completely socially appropriate this is among European backpackers. How else would Jake have scored an invite to a German grandparents’ 50th anniversary party in Berlin? These aren’t things you experience staying in hotels and traveling like Samantha Brown (*hate*her*).
Come to think of it, how many times have you done that, Jake? Please see Jake's upcoming nonfiction work "How to overstay your welcome around the world"...
Remember, the less you spend, the longer you can stay.
Probably the single greatest stressor for first time budget travelers is hosteling. Not speaking the local language comes in second, but I’d venture to say hosteling is #1. Until you’ve done it, its hard to picture, so let me just give you some information to balance out the horror stories I’m sure you’ve heard or seen (was a hostel horror movie really necessary?).
Hosteling is going to save you a great deal of cash. It’s pretty easy to gain an appreciation of the price difference between hotels & hostels by spending some choice time on hotels.com’s international site. Again, since we’re focusing on Europe, I’m going to mainly discuss how to sleep cheap in that particular region. A basic hotel room in Venice is $200/night, easy. A hostel, $35. Pick your city, repeat the pattern.
First let’s talk about hostels before we move on to a couple other money-saving accommodation ideas.
Hostels are like a dorm for travelers. Each is unique, but generally speaking you’ll find 2-20 person rooms, bunks and shared bathrooms & kitchens. They have check-in, check-out times just like hotels, but unlike hotels, require full payment upon check in. You receive a bunk assignment, a front door (and sometimes a room) key and linens. Some hostels have curfews that lock the front door permanently between say the hours of midnight and 6:00 am. Some will only hold your reservation until a certain hour in the evening (especially in the summer or high travel times). Be sure to read the hostel rules carefully before booking.
Like any dorm, hostels carry the liability of crowds; some aren’t terribly clean, some are very loud. In many (but not all) cases, you get what you pay for. For example, a hostel that is recognized as an International Youth Hostel (IYH) is probably more expensive, but they tend to be very organized, cleaner and are most likely to include breakfast in your stay. Some IYH hostels host their own city or vicinity tours, a great option if you find yourself spending a couple days alone.
Hostels might not be that clean, they might be loud, but there are some hostel pluses hotels just can’t beat. For example, 95% of hostel desk staff will be proficient in English. So, for the price of a $20 bunk, you just scored yourself a local, English-speaking resource. More times than not, your new roommates will be cool. Whether you end up getting a beer or just chatting about how they just arrived from a city you’re heading to next, hostel friends are also a great resource. I’ve made great friends this way and most recently spent 3 weeks traveling the Trans-Siberian with a grip of Irish guys I met at a hostel who, let’s just say, blessed my experience.
So, how do you have a positive hosteling experience and avoid the horror-stories? Here come the tips...
Book them in advance
If you’re traveling in the summer, the most centrally located and cheapest hostels will book up. You don’t need to book them that far in advance (a week/10 days is probably fine) however, why not book them further out if you know for sure you’re going to be arriving on a certain day?Book on hostels.com.
Do Read the Reviews
Skip over the stupid ones like ‘its dirty’ or ‘hate the front desk girl’ and look for important critiques like ‘doesn’t have a sign, wandered for hours’ or ‘online map misrepresents how far it is from the train station’ or ‘front desk wanted us to surrender our passports’ or ‘right next to train tracks, couldn’t sleep a wink’. Stuff like that.
Stay Central
I mentioned this in the transportation blog, but save yourself time, effort and money on public transport and book a centrally located hostel. Do not be tempted to save $5 and stay 2 miles from downtown.
Food
When you’re booking, read for amenities like a kitchen or included breakfast.
Sleep with your good stuff
If you’re staying in a room with other people, I find I sleep a lot better with my money belt on and my ipod & camera under the covers with me. Sounds weird, but I do it. I have never, in 9 years of on-n-off traveling EVER had anything stolen in a hostel. Some hostels have lockers for your valuables. Use them if it makes you feel more comfortable, especially during the day. Don’t ever leave your passport anywhere. It always belongs on your person. I’ve never really used lockers...I figure if someone wants my dirty clothes, they can have them...I’ve got my valuables with me.
Sleep in your comfort zone
Most hostels will offer mixed gender or single gender rooms, bathrooms in the hall or in the room. The prices on hostels.com are per person, so if you’re booking a room just for 2 people, the price is still listed per person, unlike a hotel which lists the total room price. Double rooms in hostels can be $40-$50 pp and begin to lose their value...might look into a hotel at that price (depending on the city). There are certainly exceptions to this rule, we stayed in a double in Prague on our honeymoon for $25/nt for the both of us.
Have the right equipment
In the what to bring blog I referenced a headlamp and ear plugs. These are hostel necessities. Practice hostel ettiquette; don’t turn the overhead light on when people are sleeping and plug your ears for the noise of people coming and going in the room. And I hope this goes without saying: shower shoes.
Now while hosteling is a great option for budget accommodation, there are other options as well.
Airports/Train stations
Airports will let you spend the night. If you fly in past your hostel's curfew or don’t feel like wandering in the dark to your hostel (or if public transport is no longer running for the night), just sleep in the airport. Remember that scarf you’re bringing? Wrap it around your head & bed down. There is nothing glamorous about sleeping in a public place, but it beats a park bench. And it may actually be the friendliest accommodation you’ll encounter: the security guards at the Glasgow/Prestwick Airport come around and wake everyone long about 6 am. Train stations are a bit different; many actually close during the night and you won’t be able to stay. But, if you can see from the train schedule that trains come and go all night, they’ll be open. Train stations are a lot colder than airports. I wouldn’t stay the night in a train station that serves alcohol (like Moscow). There is so much more to say about public sleeping, but I fear I’m risking my cred...I’ll stop.
Guesthouse/Bed and Breakfasts
Why not? If you’re staying in a small town, these may be your best - and only - option. These aren’t usually listed in any guidebook. Click on ‘include Guesthouses’ on your hostels.com search, or better yet, pop into the Visitor’s Bureau and ask. Even small towns in Europe have some sort of Visitor’s Center or information kiosk. THAT info should be in your guidebook. If you happen into Fussen, Germany during winter, the only hostel will be closed...see if you can score a night with the lady who has 2,000 tea pots in her house. No English, but lots of breakfast meats.
Couch Surfers
Want a local experience? Book a free bed on couchsurfing.com. People (mostly young) offer their couch or spare room to travelers visiting their city. There’s no better way to meet a local and stay for free. Every host approaches it a bit differently; some simply give you a key and say ‘have fun’, others plan to show you around, share their food/culture with you as their invited guests. On the site you can check out reviews of the hosts and pictures of themselves and their place. This is a world-wide network. For kicks, type in your hometown and see how many couches are available right here. Jake and I have had a really positive experience having couch surfers stay with us in Bellingham. You do not need to register your own ‘couch’ or ‘exchange’ night stays; it’s not like that. You don’t earn points or anything, you do not have to register your own couch to stay with someone else.
Book a flat
My latest obsession in budget accommodation is renting a flat. This really only works financially if there are several of you splitting it, but, you never know who you’re going to meet that might want to chip in on a long weekend flat rental on the Portugese coast (sounds nice on this rainy Wednesday). Look at www.holiday-rentals.co.uk. This site is my favorite. Last winter when traveling with my family, we booked a flat in downtown Edinburgh (Grassmarket) for $150/night for 6 of us! The next week, we booked a house in Cork for $90/night, again for all 6 of us. W-o-w. That’s the steal of the hour. Yes, ideally these should be booked more in advance than most backpackers plan, but you never know what last minute deals will be offered for a few open nights mid-week. Read carefully for non-refundable cleaning fees and booking charges.
Make yourself at home...
When you make a new friend, follow them back to their hometown and stay for awhile. You’ll be amazed how completely socially appropriate this is among European backpackers. How else would Jake have scored an invite to a German grandparents’ 50th anniversary party in Berlin? These aren’t things you experience staying in hotels and traveling like Samantha Brown (*hate*her*).
Come to think of it, how many times have you done that, Jake? Please see Jake's upcoming nonfiction work "How to overstay your welcome around the world"...
Remember, the less you spend, the longer you can stay.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Eat Cheap.
Welcome to the next installment of my budget travel blogs...my dedication to Shea and Kristy’s summer of Euro Love 2K9.
Now that we’ve discussed transportation & packing, let’s move on to eating.
There is nothing better than eating and drinking in Europe. You’d think they invented both. While I’m pretty sure they didn’t invent eating, what Europeans DID do was take eating from a requirement for survival and make it into an art. Eating while you’re budget traveling serves not only as an energy source but as a way to experience the culture...literally, to entertain yourself with food and drink all day long. This might be my single greatest longing in my fantasies about moving to Europe permanently.
BUT, eating and drinking can suck up a lot of your resources if you’re not careful.
When I say ‘budget travel’, I mean BUDGET travel. I’m talking Britain for $40/day, Spain for $30/day, Poland for $20/day. THAT kind of budget. Like, tight. While I need to responsibly recommend giving yourself a healthy financial buffer, there’s nothing better than spending LESS than you thought and spending the last 3 days of your trip doin’ it up right! That’s much better than coming home broke and with a maxed out credit card(s). Take it from someone who’s tried both ways.
My money saving tactics in all other areas of travel are largely to feed and water myself. Every dollar I don’t spend on a train or on some over-rated museum is another dollar I can eat. But, it can be really intimidating when you try and budget eating and drinking in large, expensive and unfamiliar cities.
Here are a few of my tips:
Budget for an expensive meal immediately upon arrival in a new city.
There is nothing worse than getting off a bus or train, starving, backpack on and feeling the pressure of food bargain hunting in an immediate sense. Don’t do it. Get off the train, stop at the nearest and easiest kiosk or restaurant and eat something. Then you can find your way to your hostel without the stress of trying to save money on food. This also keeps relations between you and your travel partner healthy. Hungry map reading is recipe for dis-aster.
Make finding a grocery store priority #1.
For budget travelers, finding the grocery store is more important than anything else. Sure you have to go to the trouble of finding it, but it is welllll worth it. The more meals you can eat out of the grocery store, the less you’ll spend.
Make your own food.
When you travel, you lose perspective on money; it happens. Its very easy to over-spend. But, if you’re staying in hostels, make sure you pick one with a kitchen. Even if you only use it once, its worth it. Most smaller hostels will have a kitchen...usually if the hostel has its own restaurant and bar, it won’t. There is an absolute ART to hostel cooking. Here goes: First of all, only buy enough food for the meal you’re preparing. DO NOT be tempted to buy enough food for several meals...travel eating cannot be that planned out, you WILL waste it. Even if there is a fridge in the kitchen, don’t plan on ever seeing anything you put in it ever again. This why you don’t over-buy. Sure, keep your stuff in a plastic bag with your name on it...you might get lucky...it might be there tomorrow. As for WHAT you make, cheap food is generally the same as home...pasta, tomato sauce, random cured meats, onions. So, make your dinner in the hostel kitchen, clean up after yourself, take all remaining groceries back to your room.
Pack your own food.
Buying food at a grocery store (or corner convenience store) is the single #1 way to save money on food. So, hit up the store every morning when you set out to wander. Remember all those ziplocks you packed? Grab a couple gallon sized and head to the store. Pick up packable food like baguettes, cucumbers and Pringles. And don’t forget the cheese! Buy it in small quantities since it’ll just be in your bag all day (and night). Eat off these treasures for breakfast, lunch and snack. Then scope out a dinner place (or make spaghetti at the hostel) and all of a sudden you’ve saved yourself $20 for drinks.
Quick shopping note: "Lidl" is Europe’s grocery outlet...find it.
Drinking on the cheap...
...is pretty much exactly like home. Buying it at the store is cheaper than at a bar. Drinks in European cities are pretty on-par with drinks in big American cities. One difference you may notice is that the domestic vs import costs are flipped...so why have the Coors when you can have the Smithwicks (or Guinness?) for cheaper? And please promise you’ll try the European canned cocktails...they are the best deal in the drinking world...16 oz gin & tonic in the unmarked white can for $2...check the refrigerated section of the grocery store. God’s gift. And the cider...oohh, hard cider is so much cheaper in Europe. When you’re in Britain, see you if you can find Strongbow cider in the 2 liter bottles for $4, now THAT is drinking cheap. Feel overwhelmed standing in front of an unfamiliar liquor or beer section? Take note of what the guys at the train or bus stations are drinking, that’s sure to be the best deal. I know that sounds dark, but its true.
DO experience plenty of pub life.
Don’t get too cheap on yourself, enjoy nights out. My recommendation: only drink what you can see a listed price for. Most pubs and clubs won’t have a drink menu readily available, and if you’re stumbling through a foreign language transaction, you might get charged a "special" rate. Either ask for, or point to, or order whatever’s advertised on the tables. If you’re not sure, just order "house red" and start there. Also, be aware that you’ll pay more for a drink (or food) that’s served outside.
DO experience café culture.
Again, don’t get too cheap on yourself. You WILL eat out, make it GOOD. Try and hit up culturally important foods. Have gelato in Italy, tapas in Spain, champagne in France, fish & chips in Britain. If there’s nothing you’re dying to try in a particular country or city (like, what is good in Amsterdam?) then don’t. But if there’s something you’re really wanting to try, do NOT deny yourself. Have a $30 spaghetti & meatballs with a jug of house red dinner in Italy...just make up for it tomorrow.
And finally...
Street food is always the cheapest. Find a good kabob stand and eat there every day you’re in that city. If you see locals eating it, its fine. In many cities, the cheapest "restaurants" are Asian. You can eat the nastiest British dinner for twice the price of the hole-in-the-wall thai place next door. I KNOW its tempting to eat McDonalds but beware its not often that cheap. Neither are most of the American chains...but man there’s nothing better than a big ol’ fat Pizza Hut pizza when all you’ve had is sand & beer for three days. Your Lonely Planet will list restaurants by price...but the law of travel says that once a restaurant’s been mentioned in the LP, their prices increase. So, don’t hold too tightly to the menu range listed in the LP. Be VERY careful at Starbucks...European Starbucks will assassinate your budget faster than these things called "hotels". Step AWAY from the Starbucks. Instead, find an espresso dispenser in the hostel lobby and load up. Or even better, find instant coffee in the tube (bare with me here) at the grocery store and just add water. The 3-in-1 by Jacob’s coffee is the best (coffee, creamer & sugar in one packet)...you can find them in every grocery store over there...they love their instant coffee. If you’re going to have espresso, at least find a place that brews Illy. Hands down best coffee in the world (I think).
Traveling in the winter carries further recommendations, but for the sake of how long this post already IS, I’ll stop.
Now that we’ve discussed transportation & packing, let’s move on to eating.
There is nothing better than eating and drinking in Europe. You’d think they invented both. While I’m pretty sure they didn’t invent eating, what Europeans DID do was take eating from a requirement for survival and make it into an art. Eating while you’re budget traveling serves not only as an energy source but as a way to experience the culture...literally, to entertain yourself with food and drink all day long. This might be my single greatest longing in my fantasies about moving to Europe permanently.
BUT, eating and drinking can suck up a lot of your resources if you’re not careful.
When I say ‘budget travel’, I mean BUDGET travel. I’m talking Britain for $40/day, Spain for $30/day, Poland for $20/day. THAT kind of budget. Like, tight. While I need to responsibly recommend giving yourself a healthy financial buffer, there’s nothing better than spending LESS than you thought and spending the last 3 days of your trip doin’ it up right! That’s much better than coming home broke and with a maxed out credit card(s). Take it from someone who’s tried both ways.
My money saving tactics in all other areas of travel are largely to feed and water myself. Every dollar I don’t spend on a train or on some over-rated museum is another dollar I can eat. But, it can be really intimidating when you try and budget eating and drinking in large, expensive and unfamiliar cities.
Here are a few of my tips:
Budget for an expensive meal immediately upon arrival in a new city.
There is nothing worse than getting off a bus or train, starving, backpack on and feeling the pressure of food bargain hunting in an immediate sense. Don’t do it. Get off the train, stop at the nearest and easiest kiosk or restaurant and eat something. Then you can find your way to your hostel without the stress of trying to save money on food. This also keeps relations between you and your travel partner healthy. Hungry map reading is recipe for dis-aster.
Make finding a grocery store priority #1.
For budget travelers, finding the grocery store is more important than anything else. Sure you have to go to the trouble of finding it, but it is welllll worth it. The more meals you can eat out of the grocery store, the less you’ll spend.
Make your own food.
When you travel, you lose perspective on money; it happens. Its very easy to over-spend. But, if you’re staying in hostels, make sure you pick one with a kitchen. Even if you only use it once, its worth it. Most smaller hostels will have a kitchen...usually if the hostel has its own restaurant and bar, it won’t. There is an absolute ART to hostel cooking. Here goes: First of all, only buy enough food for the meal you’re preparing. DO NOT be tempted to buy enough food for several meals...travel eating cannot be that planned out, you WILL waste it. Even if there is a fridge in the kitchen, don’t plan on ever seeing anything you put in it ever again. This why you don’t over-buy. Sure, keep your stuff in a plastic bag with your name on it...you might get lucky...it might be there tomorrow. As for WHAT you make, cheap food is generally the same as home...pasta, tomato sauce, random cured meats, onions. So, make your dinner in the hostel kitchen, clean up after yourself, take all remaining groceries back to your room.
Pack your own food.
Buying food at a grocery store (or corner convenience store) is the single #1 way to save money on food. So, hit up the store every morning when you set out to wander. Remember all those ziplocks you packed? Grab a couple gallon sized and head to the store. Pick up packable food like baguettes, cucumbers and Pringles. And don’t forget the cheese! Buy it in small quantities since it’ll just be in your bag all day (and night). Eat off these treasures for breakfast, lunch and snack. Then scope out a dinner place (or make spaghetti at the hostel) and all of a sudden you’ve saved yourself $20 for drinks.
Quick shopping note: "Lidl" is Europe’s grocery outlet...find it.
Drinking on the cheap...
...is pretty much exactly like home. Buying it at the store is cheaper than at a bar. Drinks in European cities are pretty on-par with drinks in big American cities. One difference you may notice is that the domestic vs import costs are flipped...so why have the Coors when you can have the Smithwicks (or Guinness?) for cheaper? And please promise you’ll try the European canned cocktails...they are the best deal in the drinking world...16 oz gin & tonic in the unmarked white can for $2...check the refrigerated section of the grocery store. God’s gift. And the cider...oohh, hard cider is so much cheaper in Europe. When you’re in Britain, see you if you can find Strongbow cider in the 2 liter bottles for $4, now THAT is drinking cheap. Feel overwhelmed standing in front of an unfamiliar liquor or beer section? Take note of what the guys at the train or bus stations are drinking, that’s sure to be the best deal. I know that sounds dark, but its true.
DO experience plenty of pub life.
Don’t get too cheap on yourself, enjoy nights out. My recommendation: only drink what you can see a listed price for. Most pubs and clubs won’t have a drink menu readily available, and if you’re stumbling through a foreign language transaction, you might get charged a "special" rate. Either ask for, or point to, or order whatever’s advertised on the tables. If you’re not sure, just order "house red" and start there. Also, be aware that you’ll pay more for a drink (or food) that’s served outside.
DO experience café culture.
Again, don’t get too cheap on yourself. You WILL eat out, make it GOOD. Try and hit up culturally important foods. Have gelato in Italy, tapas in Spain, champagne in France, fish & chips in Britain. If there’s nothing you’re dying to try in a particular country or city (like, what is good in Amsterdam?) then don’t. But if there’s something you’re really wanting to try, do NOT deny yourself. Have a $30 spaghetti & meatballs with a jug of house red dinner in Italy...just make up for it tomorrow.
And finally...
Street food is always the cheapest. Find a good kabob stand and eat there every day you’re in that city. If you see locals eating it, its fine. In many cities, the cheapest "restaurants" are Asian. You can eat the nastiest British dinner for twice the price of the hole-in-the-wall thai place next door. I KNOW its tempting to eat McDonalds but beware its not often that cheap. Neither are most of the American chains...but man there’s nothing better than a big ol’ fat Pizza Hut pizza when all you’ve had is sand & beer for three days. Your Lonely Planet will list restaurants by price...but the law of travel says that once a restaurant’s been mentioned in the LP, their prices increase. So, don’t hold too tightly to the menu range listed in the LP. Be VERY careful at Starbucks...European Starbucks will assassinate your budget faster than these things called "hotels". Step AWAY from the Starbucks. Instead, find an espresso dispenser in the hostel lobby and load up. Or even better, find instant coffee in the tube (bare with me here) at the grocery store and just add water. The 3-in-1 by Jacob’s coffee is the best (coffee, creamer & sugar in one packet)...you can find them in every grocery store over there...they love their instant coffee. If you’re going to have espresso, at least find a place that brews Illy. Hands down best coffee in the world (I think).
Traveling in the winter carries further recommendations, but for the sake of how long this post already IS, I’ll stop.
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