Let the Road Trip Planning Begin
Sunday May 11, 2008
Road trips are a time honored way to get summer's motor running, and it's time to start thinking
about heading out on the highway -- where do you want to go? What do you want to do? Get some ideas, get out the maps, and get ready -- how about a test ride this weekend? You don't need to go far to get away, and you can even stay for free.
Similar stuff:
about heading out on the highway -- where do you want to go? What do you want to do? Get some ideas, get out the maps, and get ready -- how about a test ride this weekend? You don't need to go far to get away, and you can even stay for free.
Similar stuff:
- Top Money Saving Road Trip Tips
- US Road Atlases
- Real Road Food
- Road Trip Photos: States Less Traveled
- How to Calculate Gas Mileage
- AAA
Couchsurfing Safety
Sunday May 11, 2008
Life can be unsafe on the road. You could get robbed, shanghaied, or accidentally let a cockroach run up your nose. Read more...
Wifi Resources for Travelers
Thursday May 8, 2008
I've been watching with interest as Andy, the Hobo Traveler extraordinaire, has been compiling a Read more...
Call Your Mother...
Wednesday May 7, 2008
Any time's a good time to call your mother, but Mother's Day (May 11) is an especially good occasion, even if the call is of the dialing for dollars
nature. It's also a good opportunity to learn how to get hooked up with a Skype account, or some VoIP solution, for cheap international phone calls. You can also pick up calling cards for ten bucks in most countries, buy an international calling card before you leave home, or rent a GSM international phone for use abroad. Just don't use your US cell phone outside the US -- way too spendy.
nature. It's also a good opportunity to learn how to get hooked up with a Skype account, or some VoIP solution, for cheap international phone calls. You can also pick up calling cards for ten bucks in most countries, buy an international calling card before you leave home, or rent a GSM international phone for use abroad. Just don't use your US cell phone outside the US -- way too spendy.
- US Cell Phones Abroad (Or Why I Love Skype) - learn about Skype vs cell phones
- How to make international phone calls -- finding country codes | Learn about buying and renting international cell phones
AAA International Travel Forecast, Summer 2008
Monday May 5, 2008
US travel giant AAA reported Friday that 25.1 million Americans are expected to be traveling internationally this summer, an increase over last summer's 24.5 million despite a Read more...
Tourist vs Traveler Circa 1881
Saturday May 3, 2008
Great post recently from Greg Watts at Following the Equator: in "Let's Go 1881," he likens some European Grand Tour travel advice unearthed from the New York Times' 
archives to today's student-penned "Let's Go" guidebooks, which are billed as giving travelers the "freshest coverage, insider tips, and an authentic perspective."
The 1881 article, partially subtitled (in the period's caps), "THE AMERICAN IN EUROPE - PEOPLE WHO SHOULD AND SHOULD NOT TRAVEL," includes in the author's estimation of the latter those who "...are unsuited to the variety, the singular usages, and (to them) Bohemianism of certain phases of foreign life." Not to beat this tourist-traveler horse too hard, but it's true that tourists sometimes find life abroad disagreeable in the many ways in which it is not like home; travelers, on the other hand, delight in the difference. Fun read; check it out:
Related reading: Best Backpacker Guidebooks | WYSETC: Tourist, Traveler or Backpacker?
Screenshot courtesy New York Times
archives to today's student-penned "Let's Go" guidebooks, which are billed as giving travelers the "freshest coverage, insider tips, and an authentic perspective."
The 1881 article, partially subtitled (in the period's caps), "THE AMERICAN IN EUROPE - PEOPLE WHO SHOULD AND SHOULD NOT TRAVEL," includes in the author's estimation of the latter those who "...are unsuited to the variety, the singular usages, and (to them) Bohemianism of certain phases of foreign life." Not to beat this tourist-traveler horse too hard, but it's true that tourists sometimes find life abroad disagreeable in the many ways in which it is not like home; travelers, on the other hand, delight in the difference. Fun read; check it out:
Related reading: Best Backpacker Guidebooks | WYSETC: Tourist, Traveler or Backpacker?
Screenshot courtesy New York Times
YHA London Central Hostel Vid
Wednesday April 30, 2008
You should check out a piece posted from the UK Times Online ("Whatever Happened to Youth Hostels?") on YHA's newest London digs, the YHA London Central, in order to see the video, which is a great view of life in a modern hostel. The reporter seems surprised at the luxurious life possible in backpacker central West End, but this is the way 
new hostels in Western city centers are rolling: more en suite rooms (with bathrooms), wifi, nice kitchens and common rooms. Worth checking out to see how a spendy (18 GB pounds per night for a dorm) London hostel shapes up in the 21st century.
And in reference to other centuries, the vid's voice over does some back in the day stuff when discussing how hostel guests once cleaned the whole joint, and the final line delivers an interesting judgment: "I can't see this lot reaching for the duster" (shot of typical hostel guests looking normal, but perhaps pampered slackers in the editorial thinking here).
Related reading:
Photo (Bunk Brisbane hostel pool) © Kathleen Crislip | Sydney YHA photos | Katoomba YHA Photos
new hostels in Western city centers are rolling: more en suite rooms (with bathrooms), wifi, nice kitchens and common rooms. Worth checking out to see how a spendy (18 GB pounds per night for a dorm) London hostel shapes up in the 21st century.
And in reference to other centuries, the vid's voice over does some back in the day stuff when discussing how hostel guests once cleaned the whole joint, and the final line delivers an interesting judgment: "I can't see this lot reaching for the duster" (shot of typical hostel guests looking normal, but perhaps pampered slackers in the editorial thinking here).
Related reading:
Photo (Bunk Brisbane hostel pool) © Kathleen Crislip | Sydney YHA photos | Katoomba YHA Photos
Rail Europe Special: 50% Off With Credit
Sunday April 27, 2008
Buy a qualifying Eurail pass by July 15, 2008 and Rail Europe will give you a credit voucher good for 25 percent of the value of that pass, which can be used toward
up to 50 percent of any rail travel purchase made by December 15 (see detail), provided your second purchase is at least twice the value of the voucher. For example, buy a $483 Eurail Youth Global pass (that's the already discounted student price) and get a voucher for $120.75 (25 percent). Save $120.75 when you buy any Rail Europe passes or tickets worth at least $241.50 next fall. That could be up to 50% off a different pass or a point-to-point ticket which you discover you need to buy on top of your pass.
up to 50 percent of any rail travel purchase made by December 15 (see detail), provided your second purchase is at least twice the value of the voucher. For example, buy a $483 Eurail Youth Global pass (that's the already discounted student price) and get a voucher for $120.75 (25 percent). Save $120.75 when you buy any Rail Europe passes or tickets worth at least $241.50 next fall. That could be up to 50% off a different pass or a point-to-point ticket which you discover you need to buy on top of your pass.
- Learn more about the RailEurope pass credit special
International Nightlife Notes
Friday April 25, 2008
I knew I'd spotted something recently from parent New York Times about international bar scenes and, in seeking it, also found a few other fun partying pieces for perusal, perfectly timed for the weekend. Lonely Planet's 
got a great post this week wherein New York, Buenos Aires, Madrid, Manchester, Brussels, Munich, Moscow, Prague, Cape Town, Hong Kong and Melbourne are defined as the best cities for pub crawls worldwide; Gadling's blogger Abha Malpani lays down some criteria defining a city with a good pub crawl and lists his qualifying winners (Valencia, Spain, Madrid, Spain, Wollongong, Australia and Phi Phi Island, Thailand). And taking the perfect timing even further, Eva Holland at Brave New Traveler dishes some tips today for gals tippling alone. Enjoy the research:
got a great post this week wherein New York, Buenos Aires, Madrid, Manchester, Brussels, Munich, Moscow, Prague, Cape Town, Hong Kong and Melbourne are defined as the best cities for pub crawls worldwide; Gadling's blogger Abha Malpani lays down some criteria defining a city with a good pub crawl and lists his qualifying winners (Valencia, Spain, Madrid, Spain, Wollongong, Australia and Phi Phi Island, Thailand). And taking the perfect timing even further, Eva Holland at Brave New Traveler dishes some tips today for gals tippling alone. Enjoy the research:
- After Midnight in 10 European Cities
- Gadling: Best cities for a pub crawl?
- Lonely Planet: World's Greatest Pub/Bar Crawls?
- Brave New Traveler: The Gutsy Girl's Guide to Drinking Alone
- Nairobi Business Daily: Kenya Seeks Tourists With an Eye for Nightlife
Win a Trip to Great Britain
Thursday April 24, 2008
If you've been longing to see London but the specter of how short your American dollar falls against the British pound
(not to mention awfully expensive summer airfare) gives you pause, check this out: VisitBritain is giving away two trips for two folks: one to to the Knowsley Hall Music Festival in June (Merseyside, North England) and one to the Bestival Music Festival in September (Isle Of Wight). Both trips include airfare to London, British train passes, hostel nights, and more free stuff. Good luck!
More on visiting London:
(not to mention awfully expensive summer airfare) gives you pause, check this out: VisitBritain is giving away two trips for two folks: one to to the Knowsley Hall Music Festival in June (Merseyside, North England) and one to the Bestival Music Festival in September (Isle Of Wight). Both trips include airfare to London, British train passes, hostel nights, and more free stuff. Good luck!
More on visiting London:
- London Student Travel Guide
- How to Use the London Tube
- Top Free Things to Do in London
- How to Use the London Tube
- Soho Shopping