Bus vs Train vs Tour

What is the best way to see Europe? Is it by bus, traveling by train or by guided tour. Their are many advantages to each kind of travel, and also many disadvantages. Lets take a look at the more favored options and see how they stack up against each other on the pro and cons..

Bus Travel
There are two major companies offering ways to get around Europe; Busabout and Eurolines.

Firstly Busabout. This company runs buses in 3 circular interconnecting loops taking in Central, Northern and Southern Europe. You can travel to most of the major and popular capitol cities of Europe as well as many smaller cities starting at about $580US. The company also has deals with specific hostels and hotels which allows you to make a booking in some cities where accommodation may be hard to find in peak periods. You can also add on extras such as Eastern Europe cities and sailing adventures. Pick up and drop off points are generally at their own accommodation site in a particular city or in a centrally located area.

The main downside to Busabout is not being able to backtrack on your journey and buses only departing every 2nd day. This means you will have to stay a least 2 days in some cities or towns that only warrant a day trip, and there are quite a few of them. This can be avoided if the city or town is on a connecting link of two of the bus route loops, if so you may be lucky and get out the next day! The Busabout timetable operates mostly between 08:00 and 18:00 on the days it runs, and therefore you waste a days sightseeing with a full day traveling. The service operates from May to October only. Therefore you  must travel in peak periods and miss out on some awesome winter options and also my favorite time to be in Europe; late March through April when it's not too cold and there are no queues at the museums or sites.

Kids Travel & More Free Travel Stuff

Here are some great sites I've found to help you plan your next trip, and best of all you can also get some more free travel stuff .

Get a free kids travel PDF activity book and learn about all the great travel with kids!

Travel with Kids (Click Here)

Get some amazing travel deals with the weekly newsletter from TravelZoo. Has to be just about one of the best newsletters around!

Travel Zoo Newsletter (Click Here)

Free downloadable travel guides for cities all around the world.
http://www.arrivalguides.com/en

For those in the USA, you can get loads of free travel stuff at the link below.
http://www.freestuffchannel.com/travel.html

Another great free travel newsletter.
http://www.justtheplanet.com/just-the-planet/newsletter/

Happy Traveling
The Baldman

Cheap and Free Food in Europe

There are many ways to save on food in Europe, and we're not talking about eating rice and noodles in the hostel everyday. Through a bit of exploration you can find the cheap places and ways to get your food for free. This post has a few ideas where you will be able to save a bit of money that you can spend elsewhere.

When booking your accommodation try to stay somewhere that has breakfast included in the price. In particular somewhere that provides fresh fruit in the breakfast menu. Most good booking engines have a link to the hotel or hostel with the best of them showing what's included in the menu. So, in the morning whilst you're enjoying your bowl of cornflakes, slip a few pieces of fruit into your daysack, a banana, apple or whatever, it will keep you going for most of the day. While staying at a hostel in Paris some years ago I met a young backpacker who'd grab a few pieces of sliced bread and/or rolls, then during the day when sight-seeing he'd buy some cheap cheese (if none was available at the hostel) and wine, and enjoy a lunch by the Seine each day.

The Best Free Sites in Europe

I’ve been to plenty of cities and towns in Europe and am always looking for the best places to go. I seek out the weird sites, the unusual sites, the unique sites but most of all… the free sites! There are so many great free places to find and explore throughout the entire continent, I know, I have lists of them. From London to Paris, Berlin to Prague I’ve found many free sites to visit and I know there are still hundreds I’ve yet to find. Below are my favourite free sites from various European cities and towns. It is only a snippet of what’s on my lists, I know of at least 5 to 20 free sites in most of the places I’ve been and from places I’ve yet to experience.  So, enjoy this teaser of what you can find.

Free Travel Newsletters

Some great free sites I found that should help you out with your travels.

Adventure and Travel
Get a free travel newsletter from Gap Adventures. This group do some awesome stuff for anyone looking for a bit of adventure or just a good time in their travels.

Click here and Get your Gap Adventures Free Newsletter.
(Sign up for a free newsletter)

Teach and Travel
Also, check out TEFL England and sign up for their free info and also take the free course. Teaching English overseas is one of the best ways to see the world for cheap, and get paid for it!

Click here for TEFL England Information, Newsletter and Sign Up.
(Sign up for a free newsletter)

Rail Journeys
Plan your next rail journey with Great Rail, they provide awesome deals for many rail trips all around the world. Get a free brochure or sign up for a newsletter.

Click here for Great Rail Free Brochures and Newsletter.
(Request a free brochure)

So check them out, it's free!

A Traveler's Guide - Hong Kong

Ad: Find A Cheap Hotel Worldwide

By Kevin Delbert

Hong Kong is widely known for its large, fine-looking malls, open street markets and stores spread all over. The street market is a favorite with many for its bargains on all items from jeans to jewels. Hong Kong not only provides a great shopping experience but also has much more to offer in terms of family attractions. The Hong Kong government makes sure your visit to this city is comfortable and worthwhile. Therefore, if you choose this former English colony for your vacation, you will not be disappointed. Some of the sites of Hong Kong you won't want to miss are listed below.
The local Architecture Institute provides a tour package that takes you to the downtown area and gives you the opportunity to visit some prominent buildings. It helps you learn about the city and its history. It lasts around three hours.
The Man Mo, an ancient temple is the other must see in the city, located near the Hollywood Road. 'Man' is the god of ancient literature and the 'Mo' is the god of fine martial arts. The statues of these deities are inside this temple. The statue of Man holds a calligraphy brush while that of Mo holds a sword in hand. It is among the oldest temples as it was built in the year 1848. The Inside of this temple is full of smoke from the incense burnt by the devotees. Surely, the beauty of this temple is awesome.

Free Things to Do in the Charlotte NC Area

Ad: Find A Cheap Hotel Worldwide

By Rebecca Grace

In today's economy, people everywhere are looking for ways to cut back on spending. The Charlotte NC Uptown and surrounding areas offer several free things to do to make leisure time fun for the whole family. See below for five ideas on free things to do in the Charlotte NC area:
ImaginOn: While productions through the museum's Children's Theatre of Charlotte require paid entry, ImaginOn itself never charges an admission fee. The museum combines entertainment and education by providing kids through 5th grade an assortment of picture books, a wide variety of media and hands-on projects. Activities are also provided for teens allowing youth to interact with modern technology that includes blue screens and claymation as well as the chance to produce their own videos.

Suburbs Best Bet for Cheap Hotels in Big US Cities

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By Muttakhidul Fahmi

 

If you want to visit any of the major cities in the United States this summer, the time to make your plans and reservations is now. Tourism in the United States will probably be up this year as North Americans who can't afford to go to Europe compete for space with bargain-hunting Europeans, Latin Americans and Asians.
There is some good news for budget travelers to the United States. Gasoline is expected to be in plentiful supply this summer, and the price is not likely to rise. It may even fall a little because of the world-wide oil glut. However, gas is considerably more expensive in the United States than in Canada, already as much as 50 per cent higher in some parts of the country.
Food costs in the United States are approximately equivalent to those in Canada. In most major cities it is easy to find good, moderately priced restaurants with a bit of looking. As a last resort, you can always turn to the ubiquitous fast food places.
The bad news concerns the cost of accommodation. Many of the big tourist cities, such as Boston and New York, suffer from a general shortage of hotel rooms, and a severe shortage of budget priced rooms. At the height of the summer tourist season the few reasonably priced rooms tend to be booked up months in advance.

Free Travel Guide

Create Your Own Travel Guide:

Are you tired of guidebooks that provide information that you just don't want or need, I know I am. The good news is i have found a site that allows you to create your own, for free! So throw away all those old guidebooks and make your own, no more carrying around a 500 page book when you'll use maybe 100 pages. Include what you want in your own personally designed guidebook

Tripwolf allows you to make your own travel guide which when created you can download as a pdf. You can have your own book of your entire trip from the first city you plan on visiting to the last city. Don't buy a travel guide as this option allows you to pick and choose only those cities and towns you plan on visiting. Tripwolfs 'Travel Planner' is brilliant, it is one of the best free travel related products I have found.

http://www.tripwolf.com/en/mytripplanner

Happy Planning.

Great Free Info for European Travel

Sadly it's true, I don't know all there is to know about Europe. There are many countries, cities and towns that I have never visited. There are also ideas and tips I have never thought of or heard of before. That's why I will recommend sites I believe will be extremely helpful to travellers, and when I find them I will post a blog about them.

The site 'Guide of Europe' I have found provides some good sound all round tips and advice about travelling to Europe. It includes tips about food, sight-seeing, packing, tours and visas just to mention a few. The owner of the site does sell a pdf book about Europe (I haven't read it so I cant advise of its value), however his info on the site is well worth a look. And best of all it's free!

Guide of Europe Free Website

Enjoy.

7 Lesser Visited European Cities and Towns

1. Trier, Germany


Porta Nigra

Located in the West of Germany on the banks of the Moselle in the Rhineland-Palatinate region, close to the French and Luxembourg borders. It is easily reached by train from many German cities.
The city and surrounding region is full of many well preserved Roman buildings and monuments as well as a well stocked archaeological museum featuring many of the finds from the local area.
http://redaktion.trier.de/praefectus/trier?tourist_en
Best free site: The Basilika (Constantine's Throne Room)

Free Before You Travel

So you're planning your overseas trip and you need information and maybe a few other things that will come in handy. The sites and links below will help get you started.  They provide free information and sometimes items to help you with your trip.

Packing:
Get free printable luggage tags. Gives your luggage and bags a classier look than handwritten tags.
http://www.printableluggagetags.com/

Travel Brochures:
There are many sites you can find in your own country where they will send you travel brochures, in most cases the brochures are only available online or pdf. however the site below can mail brochures to you if required.
http://www.globusjourneys.com/Travel-Brochures/

Maps, Accommodation, Sight-Seeing and more:
Send an email to the tourist office in the city your planning to visit and ask them to send you anything they have available; tourist maps, accommodation, sight-seeing, discounts and transport. Tourist offices have budgets specifically for this reason and will happily send what they have in stock.
http://www.towd.com/

Good luck and happy planning.

Roman Dollardays

The Baldman at the Roman Forum

Rome is one of the the great sight-seeing cities of the world. There are so many ancient ruins and famous sites to visit all over the city,  you have the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain just to name a few. However, the entry charges to visit some of the sites are just not worth it, and I have just found out there is now a charge to enter the Roman Forum. For many years it was free to wander around this magnificent piece of ancient Roman history, but alas no more.

I don't understand the reasoning behind the change. Yes, I understand the authorities need money to care for and preserve the site. But, I believe all ancient sites should be free. They are part of the history of humanity and therefore all our histories and we should have every right to visit them for free.

Packing Right

Packing the right items is so important when you travel. You don't want to be carrying too much with you as that one extra top or pair of jeans can weigh heavily on your back if you've got a fair distance to walk. In most circumstances buy any extra clothes during your travels. Tops and Tshirts make great souvenirs! Of course, if you travelling during winter you may need to add a few heavier items to your bags for that extra warmth. However, there is an alternative to taking along that heavy coat/raincoat. Once you reach your destination why not find a second hand clothes store or charity shop, you can easily find an appropriate garment to suit your needs and purposes. You will not pay much more than a few dollars and think of all the space you'll have in your bag for the more important things.

No room for any more.

*Top Tip: You don't need to take hair dryers or straighteners, these can generally be hired from your hostel or hotel. And plenty of other travellers will be silly enough to carry them in their bags/packs, which you could easily borrow.

The packing list below will all fit comfortably into a 65 litre backpack and also leave you room for any extras you pick up on the road.

Free Accommodation in Europe and Worldwide

A free bed in Poland for The Baldman

Apart from your airfare the largest cost you will incur in your travels will be for accommodation. So, how can we reduce our costs? What can we do to save money and allow us to spend more on other things such as upgrading rail passes or the ability to travel for extended periods of time.

The first thing you can do is join up with free accommodation sites such as http://www.couchsurfing.com/, http://www.globalfreeloaders.com/. Both these sites will enable you to stay for free, either in a bed, on a mattress or as the name suggests, on a couch. However, sometimes there may only be room for you to lay out your sleeping bag on the floor.

*Top Tip: Always take some decorated tea-towels, fridge magnets or little souvenirs showing icons or landmarks from your home city with you when you travel. Give these as gifts to people when they allow you to stay in their homes.