When you are travelling, there are some places you go to party, there are some places you go to sit on the beach, there are some places you go to see the museums and art galleries, and then there are the places you go to get great service and to relax and recover to be able to keep going for the months ahead. Villach is the perfect spot to recover from way too much country hopping.
I came here by Continue reading
Hallstatt is a very quiet place that can only be accessed by car or by taking a combination of a train and boat (2€) to the town. Be careful on the trains getting there. I had to make three train changes to get there and because most people only spoke German it was difficult to check if I was at the right stop.
It is very easy to find accommodation although things seem to book up fairly quickly. Continue reading
Gimmelwald Switzerland is one of those rare places that you stumble upon that just has everything. It’s hard to describe in words what is so special about it, but it seems to be the combination of one of the best views in Switzerland, the clean mountain air, the endless hiking opportunities, the cozy dining area in the Gimmelwald Mountain Hostel and the nicest people on the planet visiting it. Something Continue reading
If you are thinking about going traveling and being on the road a lot (ie: not just staying at the same hotel the whole time) it’s probably worth it for you to read below what happened to me when I backpacked through Europe before you decide to buy a backpack or suitcase. The suitcase and ultralight travel gear are the two most important things to get Continue reading
Here’s a list of the world’s friendliest cities. If you live in one of these places… lucky!
By far the friendliest places we’ve been were anywhere in Austria, Switzerland and many places in Canada (such as Jasper, Banff and Victoria). Try and find someone who’s not nice to you in these places. What a treat.
St. John’s, Newfoundland
Perth, Australia
Honolulu, Hawaii
Copenhagen, Denmark
Villach, Austria
Bangkok, Thailand
San Jose, Costa Rica
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (according to a British study)
Singapore
Auckland, New Zealand
What are the friendliest cities you’ve been to?
These are the best travel websites and any backpacker or flexible traveler likely uses them all the time! Here’s some real life examples of travel gems from each.
1. CouchSurfing.org This is a project set up for people to stay with others while they are traveling and to host other travelers while they are at home. It is mostly designed for the backpacker type of traveler, but we’ve seen all sorts of people on the site. It is an incredibly enriching experience to be able to surf or host. For surfers, you get to stay with a local and experience the culture. We’ve found the hosts to be very nice and fascinating people. For hosts, you get to have guests from all over the world stay with you, you learn about them and their travel experiences, and get to have that travel feel even when living at home. Definitely one of the best travel websites and a great idea.
2. Bid on your hotel on priceline.com instead of paying the upfront cost. We really only have 3 or 4 experiences with booking hotels on priceline, but were blown away with the deals. We were staying at the hostel in Washington, D.C. and going to be heading to Annapolis, Maryland: a small town on the Chesapeake Bay about an hour away. We figured we would try priceline’s bid feature and put in what we thought was a ridiculously low amount… just to see. So we bid $35 for a hotel room and got it, in a pretty decent hotel (the Super 8 for 2 nights) with two beds and a bathroom, and we liked that so much we decided to try it again, not sure if it was a fluke. So after biding the same price we got a room at The Marriott (rated 2 stars, but it should have been higher!), which was extremely nice and again had two beds, a bathroom and a fridge, a gym/swimming pool plus a pretty decent breakfast with eggs, waffles and fruit included. Kid you not, we got the deal a third time before we went to stay with the people who would be hosting us for the next week.
The one thing about priceline, is that you can’t change the reservation once you submit the bid, which we’d suspect has gotten a few people before when plans changed. Also, you can try and add extra nights at the end of your reservation once if there is availability. So for this option you do need to be able to be adaptable and flexible, but you can get amazing deals!
You can also bid on other things such as rental cars but we’re not as impressed with this service because often you have to pick the car up at the airport and can’t choose a different rental office.
3. Use itravel2000.com This site is really good for booking flights. We’ve used it to get a return trip from Edmonton to Cabos San Lucas, Mexico. It was a direct flight and it was only $350 Canadian including taxes. Haven’t booked too much else on there but we’ve seen some great deals while browsing.
4. AirTransat.com We’ve seen really cheap flights on here… especially from Calgary to Europe. Limited areas it visits but if it reaches your destination it might be worth checking out.
5. Vacationstogo.com This is the best travel website for finding cruises. You can book both last minute deals or ones more in advance. We’ve never actually booked through here, just done a lot of browsing. Most cruise prices are for two people booking with them.
These are the best travel website and frequent travelers or backpackers likely use these a lot!
The Christmas house just off 97st and 144ave in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada is called Maisie’s Magical Christmas House and is in honor of the home owner’s mother who created a light display every year for people to enjoy before her passing in 2007.
The family wanted people to be able to enjoy the Christmas Lights as her legacy. It’s free and visitors are encouraged to bring a a donation for the food bank.
In 2011 it was sponsored by the Northland’s Home Hardware to help support the enormous power bill and costs of running the light show.
Maisie’s Magical Christmas House, Light Show with Music
Christmas Display Ideas
Maisie’s Magical Christmas House Lights Edmonton
This is a video of a Christmas song and light display in sync with the music.
Here’s some great places to visit and ideas for a roadtrip from Vancouver to the Oregon Coast.
1. Plan to leave Vancouver to cross into the States at a time when the border waits aren’t too long. So if you’re doing a trip for the long weekend… perhaps take the day off and leave in the morning before the after work rush. Going from Vancouver to the Oregon Coast is a popular road-trip destination.
2. Take the I-5 straight through Seattle, it’s the quickest route from Vancouver to the Oregon Coast. Then depending upon where you’re going, turn West and you’ll get to the scenic highway 101 that you can take along the Ocean.
3. Make a stop at Mt. St. Helen’s in Washington on the way. Even if you’re not into Volcanoes the snow is something else.
Mt. St. Helen’s Washington Snow Summer (June)
4. If you get onto highway 101 in Washington, you can cross the water from Washington into Oregon and see the town of Astoria, Oregon. This bridge crossing the water is a must to experience.
5. Make a visit to Seaside, Oregon. It is an amazing long beach with powder soft sand.
Surfer Seaside, Oregon Beach
The Beach and Ocean In Seaside, Oregon
6. Camp in Ft. Steven’s State Park. This is the largest camping ground along the Oregon Coast for a reason. Very nice and with the option to stay in a Yurt it is not to be missed. The owls can be heard at night hooting back and forth for a true nature experience. There is even an sunken ship that’s washed ashore nearby.
Tall Tree at Campground in Oregon
These are schools of fish we saw when taking the yellow submarine tour in Cabos San Lucas, Mexico. They were awe-inspiring and so beautiful.
Underwater Fish Cabos San Lucas, Mexico
Watching the amazing schools of fish lying beneath the surface of the ocean make me realize how bountiful this planet really is. It kind of made me think of manifestations or when you’re trying to keep the faith about something. In the sense that when we are above water, it didn’t seem like there was anything there, but once we were in the submarine looking underwater it was completely overwhelming how much beauty was there, lurking below the surface but invisible to the eye until we went below the surface. It was magnificent. Gotta love nature.
We also saw a snorkeler down there unexpectedly.
Underwater Snorkeler Cabos San Lucas Mexico
Here is a video of the fish. A little short but worth posting!
I have so many amazing pictures from this tour and trip.
There are some great places to find cheap accommodation for backpackers and other budget travelers. If you are able to be a bit flexible with your accommodation or are ok waiting until closer to the date you’ll need your accommodation you can find absolutely amazing deals!
The reliable way to find cheap accommodation: Book Hostels
The perks
-you can make a reservation in advance online
-hostels are common worldwide
-these social places allow you to meet fellow travelers
-you can read reviews from other travelers who’ve been to the hostel with online hostel booking
The potential minuses
-it’s not as private as a hotel room, you share a dorm with other travels
-hostel standards can vary widely (some may be run down, whereas others may be nicer than hotels)
Similarly you can search and book cheap hotels. Cheap hotels can be a little harder to find than hostels but including these in your search can provide more flexibility.
B id On A Nice Hotel Room and Get It For A Hostel Price
If you are flexible with finding a hotel room (and maybe have a backup plan to stay at the local hostel) You can get amazing hotel rooms last minute for hostel prices by bidding on hotel rooms. Multiple times we’ve paid $35/night for a room at Marriott Hotels (2* or 3*) with two beds, a kitchen, air conditioning and access to an indoor swimming pool in the United States. It was total luxury. We got it because we bid a couple days in advance when staying at the hostel and the hotels accepted my offer.
Bidding On Hotel Rooms
The perks
-you can get absolutely amazing deals for super low prices
-your own private room
The potential minuses
-sometimes get better deals if you wait until last-minute (although not always, give the bidding a try and see what you can get)
-usually non-refundable once your bid is accepted
Become a part of the Travel Community and Surf/Host With Fellow Travelers
If you travel regularly and backpacking is a big part of your life consider joining a community of like-minded travelers where you can stay as a guest in local’s homes. You can also host travelers in your own home when they visit your area. CouchSurfing is a great way to find cheap accommodation. The best part about couchsurfing is that you’ll make friends for life and really experience the local perspective.
The perks
-make friends
-visit with locals or foreigners (depending upon whether you’re a host or a surfer)
-stay for free
The potential minuses
-if you don’t plan and ask in advance it can be hard to find hosts last-minute
-you may sleep on a couch (some people don’t mind this, if you do try the above options)
With these ideas you can find cheap accommodation almost anywhere in the world.