How does a FFP work? It’s simple: the more you flight the more miles points you will earn. At some stage, you won’t even realize you might have enough points to redeem a free flight and, the best of it all, is that all you had to do was nothing, just enjoying your flights around the world. You might even end it up earning miles points every time you book into a hotel, rent a car, even shopping online or when using a credit card with any flying club partners.
Signing up to a Frequent Flyer Program it’s as easy as completing an online form and normally free but the choice can be bewildering especially when trying to maximize the benefits, it will definitely cost a bit of effort and time to investigate around. It will depend much on your route, airlines, class traveling (not all FFP will get you mileage-earning in economy class) and what rewards you are after, if it’s a free flight or extra benefits such as airline lounge, class upgrade, discounted nights in partner hotels or other travel services.
So, before embarking on our big loop RTW, considering we would taken a hell of a lot on international flights, we spent some times browsing around the net in search of advices to choose the right FFP. The outcome: with our Great Escape ticket we then joint the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
Was it the best choice and the easiest to get the most rewards?
I guess we'll figure it out when the times comes to book our award ticket but I could tell you now that, even though we won’t be able to book another RTW ticket using our air miles, it seems like we would have enough to get a free return flight London-New York..in economy, not bad?!
The good thing is that we have also two years time to spend our 27’000 air mileage (if you would buy Virgin Flying Club miles it would be the equivalent of £375) and, even if we are not flying, we could use them to splurge a bit on our next vacation.
Do you think we played it smart? Which frequent flyer program have you been using and what’s your advice?
Tips:
- remember to quote always your frequent flyer number whenever you do a booking and save your boarding passes just in case your miles are not credited to your account, is required as a proof;
- for some hacking tips to accumulate quickly and wisely air miles points or get the most out of your FFP check Flyer Talk forum, it’s really great!
- when choosing a FFP, it’s not only important to check how many points you will earn but also how many you will need when it comes to redeem them.
Happy Travel Hacking!
Roadtrip! Traveling plays a big part of anyone journey. For many roadtripper “getting there” it’s half the fun but when mentioning a road-trip you might think about the classic epic routes along the rugged and most varied landscapes of places like New Zealand, Australia or the wild west countries in the States and the endless American highway through miles and miles of empty road and wide open spaces but what about Italy?
Italy is no short of great drives; they are surely quite different, certainly shorter (most likely it could be fit on a day trip), a bit “maddening” but as thrilling as the overseas counterparts.
Be ready to get a snap of the amazing panoramas offer by these great 4 drives along the Bel Paese:
Amalfi Coast – 50km along one of the most loved coastline for an exhilarating drive twisting your way from Positano to Vietri sul Mare along the SP 163. Idyllic bays, picturesque pastel-hued, cliff-hugging villages, vistas over the turquoise water enhance the charm of this scenic stretch of coastline.
Passo dello Stelvio –at 2,758 mt high in the Alps, it's the highest paved mountain pass in the whole Italy. This legendary, rewarding, high mountain loop will put to the test your driving skill zig-zagging the dramatic 48 hairpin turns (not that fun if you suffer from motion sickness, believe me!).
Watch Top Gear’s stars having a bit of fun on the "SS38" to get a sense of this majestic road. What a road!
Tuscany Hills – zoom around in the tranquility of Tuscany countryside, through its vineyards and olive groves, rolling green hills, medieval hill towns and castles and sleepy, tiny villages. Try the Chianti Road through the SS222 and as you go along don’t hesitate to refuel in the local “trattorie” and "enoteche" for a taste of the local famous wine and mouthwatering local dishes.
Sardinia – beside the swanky, yacht-set, coastal destinations as Porto Cervo and the Costa Smeralda, Sardinia captivates travellers yet with many untouched landscapes to explore at your own pace. Just get on the car and drive along its rugged coastline, such on the road Alghero-Bosa, or through its rocky inland either way rest assure you will be enchanted by Sardinia tremendous panoramas. There aren’t many roads so don’t be afraid to lose your way. While you are there, get sunkissed on a white sandy beach fringed by crystal clear waters.
Tips:
»» read more
Italy is no short of great drives; they are surely quite different, certainly shorter (most likely it could be fit on a day trip), a bit “maddening” but as thrilling as the overseas counterparts.
Be ready to get a snap of the amazing panoramas offer by these great 4 drives along the Bel Paese:
Amalfi Coast – 50km along one of the most loved coastline for an exhilarating drive twisting your way from Positano to Vietri sul Mare along the SP 163. Idyllic bays, picturesque pastel-hued, cliff-hugging villages, vistas over the turquoise water enhance the charm of this scenic stretch of coastline.
Passo dello Stelvio –at 2,758 mt high in the Alps, it's the highest paved mountain pass in the whole Italy. This legendary, rewarding, high mountain loop will put to the test your driving skill zig-zagging the dramatic 48 hairpin turns (not that fun if you suffer from motion sickness, believe me!).
Watch Top Gear’s stars having a bit of fun on the "SS38" to get a sense of this majestic road. What a road!
Tuscany Hills – zoom around in the tranquility of Tuscany countryside, through its vineyards and olive groves, rolling green hills, medieval hill towns and castles and sleepy, tiny villages. Try the Chianti Road through the SS222 and as you go along don’t hesitate to refuel in the local “trattorie” and "enoteche" for a taste of the local famous wine and mouthwatering local dishes.
Sardinia – beside the swanky, yacht-set, coastal destinations as Porto Cervo and the Costa Smeralda, Sardinia captivates travellers yet with many untouched landscapes to explore at your own pace. Just get on the car and drive along its rugged coastline, such on the road Alghero-Bosa, or through its rocky inland either way rest assure you will be enchanted by Sardinia tremendous panoramas. There aren’t many roads so don’t be afraid to lose your way. While you are there, get sunkissed on a white sandy beach fringed by crystal clear waters.
Tips:
- Don’t go bigger: turn down a big car or a comfy motorhome for a smaller one. It would be cheaper on fuel (it’s already bloody expensive over here at an average of €1,4 per litre) and you will get around more easily through the many Italian narrow streets plus you will have less trouble to park it around.
- Don’t be shy: Italians are famous for be impatient drivers and like it to beep on the horn. Come on, give it a quick one!
- For a real Italian driving experience hop on a Ferrari, for a grand road trip, ……umm maybe not the best deal if you are traveling on a budget. Then, why don’t you opt for a low-key but as stylish drive on a "cinquecento" (Fiat 500) or, my next dreamy trip, on an old fashion Vespa?
Travel to Italy in summer - 5 things you should know before you go
4 comments Posted by Marta at 7/07/2010
Always dreamed of visiting the Bel Paese? Want to take advantage of lots of sunshine, plenty of summer festivals, more daylight hours and maybe some lazy time on the beach?
Then these summer months are perfect but here are 5 things you should be mindful before get to Italy in August.
Crowd: Italian “Citta’ d’arte” (art cities) are full of tourists year-round but the summer months coincide with the school vacation and, specially during the two mid-weeks of August (the 15th is a major bank holiday in Italy “ferragosto”), most offices and business close and the workers are at home too leaving no much leeway in choosing their holiday absence. Tourist + mass of holiday makers= hard time. Major sightseeing can get easily, terribly overcrowded in August. Thinking to retreat to the beach? Would you really fancy sunbathe with someone else feet right in front of your nose? That’s as packed as it can get.
Heat – August in Italy is boiling particularly in the cities ("average" 84°F/29°C but so is July!) where there is no chance to have some sea breeze to refresh the air or the cool temperature of the Alps. But it’s not just hot, it could get unpleasantly muggy. June and September are yet generally sunny but without being stifling.
Prices – recession or not, prices of accommodation from middle July to the end of August skyrocket. Even so, rooms fill up quickly both in the art cities such Rome, Florence and Venice than in the seaside towns.
Hassles – that’s the last thing you want when traveling but more tourists/travelers means more work for the tourism-related workers (bartender, waiters, shop assistance, hotel staff..) which moods are put to the test: the heat, lots of work, a bit of jealously (everyone else is having fun while they are stuck at work) could turn their day into a bad one and your unpleasant too.
Traveling – during the summer getting around Italy can sometimes be… not so much fun. Flights, trains, buses are packed. Opting of getting a car and exploring around at your own pace? Think twice. Italian highways are famous for endless, stillstanding traffic jams especially during the summer week-end and the bank holiday.
If money is not your issue, you are fine to be sweaty hot on a typical August sweltering day and enjoy be among a crowd of people or simple just because that’s your only choice, I don’t see a reason to forgo beautiful Italy.
Have you been to Italy during the summer or at Ferragosto? How was it like?
Photo credit: SpecialKRB, Andy Ciordia
»» read more
Then these summer months are perfect but here are 5 things you should be mindful before get to Italy in August.
Crowd: Italian “Citta’ d’arte” (art cities) are full of tourists year-round but the summer months coincide with the school vacation and, specially during the two mid-weeks of August (the 15th is a major bank holiday in Italy “ferragosto”), most offices and business close and the workers are at home too leaving no much leeway in choosing their holiday absence. Tourist + mass of holiday makers= hard time. Major sightseeing can get easily, terribly overcrowded in August. Thinking to retreat to the beach? Would you really fancy sunbathe with someone else feet right in front of your nose? That’s as packed as it can get.
Heat – August in Italy is boiling particularly in the cities ("average" 84°F/29°C but so is July!) where there is no chance to have some sea breeze to refresh the air or the cool temperature of the Alps. But it’s not just hot, it could get unpleasantly muggy. June and September are yet generally sunny but without being stifling.
Prices – recession or not, prices of accommodation from middle July to the end of August skyrocket. Even so, rooms fill up quickly both in the art cities such Rome, Florence and Venice than in the seaside towns.
Hassles – that’s the last thing you want when traveling but more tourists/travelers means more work for the tourism-related workers (bartender, waiters, shop assistance, hotel staff..) which moods are put to the test: the heat, lots of work, a bit of jealously (everyone else is having fun while they are stuck at work) could turn their day into a bad one and your unpleasant too.
Traveling – during the summer getting around Italy can sometimes be… not so much fun. Flights, trains, buses are packed. Opting of getting a car and exploring around at your own pace? Think twice. Italian highways are famous for endless, stillstanding traffic jams especially during the summer week-end and the bank holiday.
If money is not your issue, you are fine to be sweaty hot on a typical August sweltering day and enjoy be among a crowd of people or simple just because that’s your only choice, I don’t see a reason to forgo beautiful Italy.
Have you been to Italy during the summer or at Ferragosto? How was it like?
Photo credit: SpecialKRB, Andy Ciordia
Thailand (slightly) off the Beaten Track – 3 places we wish had visited!
4 comments Posted by Marta at 7/01/2010
Thailand is one of those destinations par excellence for traveling on a shoestring but, despite been a big country, nowadays is hard to go off the beaten track.
The beauty and charm of places such as Koh Tao, Koh Lipe or Chiang Mai are no longer a secrets but have you heard of Sukothai, Nong Khai, Khao Sok, Chiang Rai, Hua-Hin, Mae Hong before?
Despite have travelled throughout Thailand for 2 months I have no clue of the existence of some of those places. On top of that, we missed out on few places apparently yet to be hit by the crowd of backpackers and somehow peacefully charming that we heard of as we went along.
These are the 3 places we wish had visited during our time backpacking in Thailand.
Tarutao Island – Tarutao National Park
The first and largest marine park of Thailand in the Andaman Sea, Tarutao National Park is composed by an archipelago of 51 islands only few kilometers away by boat to the Malaysian border while almost a thousand kilometers from Bangkok. Koh Tarutao, one of the islands among this marine park, was brought first to our attention by the tales of adventurous, Man-vs-Wild-alike friend that we met on nearby Koh Lipe island. It’s a place of primitive beauty that used to be first a penal colony, then home to sea-gypsies and nowadays the place for passing fishermen. Accordingly to him, it’s a natural paradise where you could "savor the wild". He had many wild encounters with crab-eating macaques, monitor lizards, wild pigs, snakes, countless birds and fishes while sleeping under the stars, kayaking upstream while exploring the mangroves forest, trekking deep into the tropical forest and exploring the marine-gardens surrounding the island.
BTW, where are you Mr Vincet?? Kinda worry now….Perpetually roaming around Thailand trying to find your own secluded place?
Apparently in Koh Tarutato, it’s really all about getting back to basic. There is only a small restaurant next to the park headquarters where you can pitch a tent or get a bungalow. Tarutao is a 2 hour boat ride on the route from Hat Yai – Pak Bara Pier, in the Satun district, to Koh Lipe. Planning to go there? I would avoid the monsoon season (May-November).
Ang Thong National Marine Park
Another marine park with 42 tiny islands scattered in the Gulf of Thailand between the west coast of Koh Samui and the Thai mainland. Rumor has it that it’s an archipelago of such primordial beauty. However it’s a popular destination for daily island hopping tours from nearby Koh Samui (only 1,30mins away by boat). Yet you could ask to be dropped at the Park's Visitor Center and arrange to be picked up within the next days so you could camp there. You could then have the time to explore the islands at your own peace by sea kayak, exploring secrets caves, finding your deserted beach, hidden lagoons and admiring the limestone formations taking a plunge in the deep blue. Pity, that the few companies that arrange these day trips are, for obvious reasons, speculating on it. At the time I rang them to get more info how to get there, they won’t just offer a “transfer-only” option but you would have to pay for the day trip twice! Yep, for each way. This worked out to be 3000 THB pp, roughly 90 dollar each, but was a matter of principle!
Khao Sok National Park
There are probably many daily or multiple-days tours arranged to this park, the most popular being from Bankgok or Phuket, but again experiencing it independently would probably be much more exciting. The park, located in the mainland in the Surat Thani province in the south of Thailand, encompasses 739sq km of thick, lush rainforest, limestone mountains, waterfalls, deep valley, stunning lakes and untouched sceneries. It said that the forest is home to many species of birds, insects, mammals including the leopard, the mouse deer, the Malaysian sunbear, wild elephant, gibbon, tapir, tiger and many snakes such as cobra and python, so keep an eye out! It sounds like the perfect place for intrepid, solitary travelers. Khao Sok NP is also known to have some species of the rare rafflesia, the largest flower in the world that could grow up to 90 cm in diameter but which flower dies in one week from the blooming.
Have you been to any of the above destinations? Are they really untouched by the tourism of mass or do you know any other places around Thailand totally off-the-beaten-track? Maybe some quiet last beaches? You probably wouldn’t tell us, would you??
Photo credits: MyBukit , mark_schermerhorn, rene_ehrhardt
»» read more
The beauty and charm of places such as Koh Tao, Koh Lipe or Chiang Mai are no longer a secrets but have you heard of Sukothai, Nong Khai, Khao Sok, Chiang Rai, Hua-Hin, Mae Hong before?
Despite have travelled throughout Thailand for 2 months I have no clue of the existence of some of those places. On top of that, we missed out on few places apparently yet to be hit by the crowd of backpackers and somehow peacefully charming that we heard of as we went along.
These are the 3 places we wish had visited during our time backpacking in Thailand.
Tarutao Island – Tarutao National Park
The first and largest marine park of Thailand in the Andaman Sea, Tarutao National Park is composed by an archipelago of 51 islands only few kilometers away by boat to the Malaysian border while almost a thousand kilometers from Bangkok. Koh Tarutao, one of the islands among this marine park, was brought first to our attention by the tales of adventurous, Man-vs-Wild-alike friend that we met on nearby Koh Lipe island. It’s a place of primitive beauty that used to be first a penal colony, then home to sea-gypsies and nowadays the place for passing fishermen. Accordingly to him, it’s a natural paradise where you could "savor the wild". He had many wild encounters with crab-eating macaques, monitor lizards, wild pigs, snakes, countless birds and fishes while sleeping under the stars, kayaking upstream while exploring the mangroves forest, trekking deep into the tropical forest and exploring the marine-gardens surrounding the island.
BTW, where are you Mr Vincet?? Kinda worry now….Perpetually roaming around Thailand trying to find your own secluded place?
Apparently in Koh Tarutato, it’s really all about getting back to basic. There is only a small restaurant next to the park headquarters where you can pitch a tent or get a bungalow. Tarutao is a 2 hour boat ride on the route from Hat Yai – Pak Bara Pier, in the Satun district, to Koh Lipe. Planning to go there? I would avoid the monsoon season (May-November).
Ang Thong National Marine Park
Another marine park with 42 tiny islands scattered in the Gulf of Thailand between the west coast of Koh Samui and the Thai mainland. Rumor has it that it’s an archipelago of such primordial beauty. However it’s a popular destination for daily island hopping tours from nearby Koh Samui (only 1,30mins away by boat). Yet you could ask to be dropped at the Park's Visitor Center and arrange to be picked up within the next days so you could camp there. You could then have the time to explore the islands at your own peace by sea kayak, exploring secrets caves, finding your deserted beach, hidden lagoons and admiring the limestone formations taking a plunge in the deep blue. Pity, that the few companies that arrange these day trips are, for obvious reasons, speculating on it. At the time I rang them to get more info how to get there, they won’t just offer a “transfer-only” option but you would have to pay for the day trip twice! Yep, for each way. This worked out to be 3000 THB pp, roughly 90 dollar each, but was a matter of principle!
Khao Sok National Park
There are probably many daily or multiple-days tours arranged to this park, the most popular being from Bankgok or Phuket, but again experiencing it independently would probably be much more exciting. The park, located in the mainland in the Surat Thani province in the south of Thailand, encompasses 739sq km of thick, lush rainforest, limestone mountains, waterfalls, deep valley, stunning lakes and untouched sceneries. It said that the forest is home to many species of birds, insects, mammals including the leopard, the mouse deer, the Malaysian sunbear, wild elephant, gibbon, tapir, tiger and many snakes such as cobra and python, so keep an eye out! It sounds like the perfect place for intrepid, solitary travelers. Khao Sok NP is also known to have some species of the rare rafflesia, the largest flower in the world that could grow up to 90 cm in diameter but which flower dies in one week from the blooming.
Have you been to any of the above destinations? Are they really untouched by the tourism of mass or do you know any other places around Thailand totally off-the-beaten-track? Maybe some quiet last beaches? You probably wouldn’t tell us, would you??
Photo credits: MyBukit , mark_schermerhorn, rene_ehrhardt
Post-RTW Trip – Following our passion: a new digital travel venture
7 comments Posted by Marta at 6/22/2010
Have you ever wondered what happen once you are back home after an extensive RTW trip?
Instead of focusing to earn some cash and get a serious job (maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea), we are dreaming of living a new lifestyle of continuous travel: heard of living locationless before?
You have probably noticed that our posts on A Travel Around The World have been less frequent on this last month while there was a blast of guest bloggers. We are not taking a break from our beloved travel blog, I swear you, we are pretty much stuck every day ‘n night in front of our laptop. So what’s up? Combined no earning and no cash with our love for traveling and blogging that's where this new travel project comes from, umm… actually two: We Love Veneto and We Love Londra.
Two different blogs on two different locations but focused on the same idea: sharing the passion of two places we love and played an important role on our lives, Veneto and London.
Where the hell is Veneto? I am pretty sure you all hear of Venice, this beautiful charming, Italian sinking city. Well it lies within Veneto, our home-region. Since we are back from this RTW trip we realized we don’t know much about this wonderful region that has so much to offer. Hence we decide to start playing tourist in our own background, discovering all the touristy places in Veneto but mainly the one off the beaten track, sharing them along with tips, as a local and a traveler, on this new blogging venture WeLoveVeneto.
What about London? Well, we lived in this cosmopolitan city for 7 years getting to know its attractions, its neighbours, exploring its surrounding, sampling its lifestyle and nightlife. That's why we feel we could inspire, or be of little help, other fellow Italians wishing to visit the British capital and perhaps doing the same life-changing experience through WeLoveLondra.
What happened then to ATravelAroundTheWorld? We would like it to become a travelogue where both first-timer travelers and perpetual nomads could share their passion to discover this world and enrich us through their travel experiences, not to forget we would keep blogging about our city breaks and occasional backpackers alike short trip.
Only a dream? Maybe, but we believe in good blogger karma, in our passions and mostly in you, fellow traveler and blogger to support us in these virtual adventures. How? Just simple connect with us, pop round to our blogs, leave your comments or, even more appreciate it, be our guest blogger and share your travel adventures. And, regardless if this will become a full time job or just a pastime we will blog!
What’s your take? It is possible to live locationless and make a living doing what you love?
»» read more
Instead of focusing to earn some cash and get a serious job (maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea), we are dreaming of living a new lifestyle of continuous travel: heard of living locationless before?
You have probably noticed that our posts on A Travel Around The World have been less frequent on this last month while there was a blast of guest bloggers. We are not taking a break from our beloved travel blog, I swear you, we are pretty much stuck every day ‘n night in front of our laptop. So what’s up? Combined no earning and no cash with our love for traveling and blogging that's where this new travel project comes from, umm… actually two: We Love Veneto and We Love Londra.
Two different blogs on two different locations but focused on the same idea: sharing the passion of two places we love and played an important role on our lives, Veneto and London.
Where the hell is Veneto? I am pretty sure you all hear of Venice, this beautiful charming, Italian sinking city. Well it lies within Veneto, our home-region. Since we are back from this RTW trip we realized we don’t know much about this wonderful region that has so much to offer. Hence we decide to start playing tourist in our own background, discovering all the touristy places in Veneto but mainly the one off the beaten track, sharing them along with tips, as a local and a traveler, on this new blogging venture WeLoveVeneto.
What about London? Well, we lived in this cosmopolitan city for 7 years getting to know its attractions, its neighbours, exploring its surrounding, sampling its lifestyle and nightlife. That's why we feel we could inspire, or be of little help, other fellow Italians wishing to visit the British capital and perhaps doing the same life-changing experience through WeLoveLondra.
What happened then to ATravelAroundTheWorld? We would like it to become a travelogue where both first-timer travelers and perpetual nomads could share their passion to discover this world and enrich us through their travel experiences, not to forget we would keep blogging about our city breaks and occasional backpackers alike short trip.
Only a dream? Maybe, but we believe in good blogger karma, in our passions and mostly in you, fellow traveler and blogger to support us in these virtual adventures. How? Just simple connect with us, pop round to our blogs, leave your comments or, even more appreciate it, be our guest blogger and share your travel adventures. And, regardless if this will become a full time job or just a pastime we will blog!
What’s your take? It is possible to live locationless and make a living doing what you love?
Despite being extravangantly beautiful Taranaki is skipped by travelers who follow the North island-South island itinerary way too often. Which is unfortunate, because not only is getting close and personal with Taranaki volcano one truly enjoyable experience but taking your time to check the nearby black sand beaches will result in great empty surf and windsurf (the road that surrounds Egmont National Park is appropriately named Surf Highway) and just as good photos (cape Egmont lighthouse).
Coming from Wellington we drove our campervan to Dawson Falls, on the SE side of Taranaki volcano. You can take great pictures of it from here, and although the falls are not too spectacular the 10 minute walk from the parking lot across the forest is very much worth the sweat. It feels good to stretch the legs too!
Driving along Surf Highway can sound quite exhilarating to any surfer, but before you get too excited you have to know that you cannot see the ocean from it. What a bummer, I know. You have to divert and take the small roads (many unpaved) that lead to the beach and check the conditions.
Opunake is the "surf city" of the area and it is here you should head to if you want to buy or rent surf gear, get lessons, or meet other surfers.
Nearby New Plymouth is the largest city in the area, yet small enough to easily find your way around. We found free internet at the public library and stocked up on food at Woolworths (we found it slightly cheaper than Coles). It is very easy to find a secluded spot where you can park your campervan and spend the night.
So, should you make Taranaki one of your mandatory stops of your Kiwi Experience? I would say so. It is much more fun than boring Marlborough Wine County and relatively close to Waitomo caves and Tongariro National Park. If you're a photography enthusiast you are sure to get some great shots (assuming the weather cooperates) and if you surf there's plenty of it before you reach Raglan. Don't doubt it and make your way to New Zealand's most climbed mountain: Taranaki!
About the Author
Federico has been 5 times around the world and visited over 80 countries.
Passionate about exploring our world and learning on the way you can read about his travel stories, jot down tips and look at the photos in his travel blog Maitravelsite
»» read more
Coming from Wellington we drove our campervan to Dawson Falls, on the SE side of Taranaki volcano. You can take great pictures of it from here, and although the falls are not too spectacular the 10 minute walk from the parking lot across the forest is very much worth the sweat. It feels good to stretch the legs too!
Driving along Surf Highway can sound quite exhilarating to any surfer, but before you get too excited you have to know that you cannot see the ocean from it. What a bummer, I know. You have to divert and take the small roads (many unpaved) that lead to the beach and check the conditions.
Opunake is the "surf city" of the area and it is here you should head to if you want to buy or rent surf gear, get lessons, or meet other surfers.
Nearby New Plymouth is the largest city in the area, yet small enough to easily find your way around. We found free internet at the public library and stocked up on food at Woolworths (we found it slightly cheaper than Coles). It is very easy to find a secluded spot where you can park your campervan and spend the night.
So, should you make Taranaki one of your mandatory stops of your Kiwi Experience? I would say so. It is much more fun than boring Marlborough Wine County and relatively close to Waitomo caves and Tongariro National Park. If you're a photography enthusiast you are sure to get some great shots (assuming the weather cooperates) and if you surf there's plenty of it before you reach Raglan. Don't doubt it and make your way to New Zealand's most climbed mountain: Taranaki!
Federico has been 5 times around the world and visited over 80 countries.
Passionate about exploring our world and learning on the way you can read about his travel stories, jot down tips and look at the photos in his travel blog Maitravelsite
During the last months of our RTW trip my attention got captured by a gossip magazine. It wasn’t the latest from a celebrities that drawn my curiosity instead my horoscope forecast for this year: “The world is round, after all you’ll be back” …umm I don’t get it?? What it’s trying to say? Hey, how the hell did it know anyway? Was it every Libra making an epic journey in 2009? A mystery to me or just a lucky guess yet my horoscope didn’t mention what I was getting myself into once back: unexciting “real” life?
Eventually everyone coming home from a big round the world trip would face some downsides, if you are lucky even some sort of prejudices, of being back to reality (particularly if home is Italy!!).
• Reverse cultural shock - Returning home was for us a cultural shock as our first day in Bangkok. I guess traveling (and living abroad) has changed our perception about people and things and seems like we are not entirely fitting back with our own country and people, what happened? We even need to get used back to our infamous TV with plenty of scantily-clad girls and too many a little bland and samey programs.
• Wrong assumptions - Most of the Italians we know are not yet accustom to the phantomatic “gap year”. They either think we suffered a 30-something life crisis and we wanted to escape from our responsibilities or else we are rich and have plenty of time to laze around; either way they will automatically talk or act with some sort of prejudices against two globetrotters like us. What’s wrong with simply pursuing your wanderlust instead of spending your saving for a brand new car??
• Materialism - It just took us a day to realize we are constantly bombarding from media and advertisers and just got back into “who is showing off the most” competition, yeah!
• Leaving out of a bag - Being tosses about from my parents place to Chris parents place is not exactly fun. That’s how stressful it could be until we manage to get our own place.
• Bureaucracy – Surely we missed that a lot while living in the UK and, even while on the road, buying and selling our backpacker van and opening a bank account in Australia were by far a piece of cake. Welcome back to Italy: expensive rental agency fees, long term rental contract, lot of papers and times wasted for any, at first glance, easy tasks.
• Global financial crisis – We hoped on our return things would have be better but Italian economy seems like is not yet picking it up. Not really promising for us.
• Life rolls on - For everyone else life has carry on, along the usual 9-5 routine. While we are so exciting about our travel experiences and we would love to share with all our friends some aren’t too bothered to know it others are asking the same banal questions over and over…haven’t you follow our blog? “sorry I was very busy with work”…
• Summer time – We just got back in time for the summer holiday. Everyone is contemplating on their next vacation. Happy for them, but we have at least 10k less in our pocket so please stop inviting us repeatedly to join you. As much as we would love to, we need to stay with our feet on the ground and focusing to start earning some cash fast and adjusting back home.
• Putting on weight – it might sound silly but among our families everyone is fighting to have us over for dinner. To keep them all happy we are eating, eating and eating.
If working your ass off for years, deciding to leave the cubicle behind and finally taking the plunge to go traveling round the world look as a big challenge, wait until you are coming back. Re-adjusting into the “real world” is even a bigger one but we are hanging there.
Anyone else has been back home since a while? Any advices?
»» read more
Eventually everyone coming home from a big round the world trip would face some downsides, if you are lucky even some sort of prejudices, of being back to reality (particularly if home is Italy!!).
• Reverse cultural shock - Returning home was for us a cultural shock as our first day in Bangkok. I guess traveling (and living abroad) has changed our perception about people and things and seems like we are not entirely fitting back with our own country and people, what happened? We even need to get used back to our infamous TV with plenty of scantily-clad girls and too many a little bland and samey programs.
• Wrong assumptions - Most of the Italians we know are not yet accustom to the phantomatic “gap year”. They either think we suffered a 30-something life crisis and we wanted to escape from our responsibilities or else we are rich and have plenty of time to laze around; either way they will automatically talk or act with some sort of prejudices against two globetrotters like us. What’s wrong with simply pursuing your wanderlust instead of spending your saving for a brand new car??
• Materialism - It just took us a day to realize we are constantly bombarding from media and advertisers and just got back into “who is showing off the most” competition, yeah!
• Leaving out of a bag - Being tosses about from my parents place to Chris parents place is not exactly fun. That’s how stressful it could be until we manage to get our own place.
• Bureaucracy – Surely we missed that a lot while living in the UK and, even while on the road, buying and selling our backpacker van and opening a bank account in Australia were by far a piece of cake. Welcome back to Italy: expensive rental agency fees, long term rental contract, lot of papers and times wasted for any, at first glance, easy tasks.
• Global financial crisis – We hoped on our return things would have be better but Italian economy seems like is not yet picking it up. Not really promising for us.
• Life rolls on - For everyone else life has carry on, along the usual 9-5 routine. While we are so exciting about our travel experiences and we would love to share with all our friends some aren’t too bothered to know it others are asking the same banal questions over and over…haven’t you follow our blog? “sorry I was very busy with work”…
• Summer time – We just got back in time for the summer holiday. Everyone is contemplating on their next vacation. Happy for them, but we have at least 10k less in our pocket so please stop inviting us repeatedly to join you. As much as we would love to, we need to stay with our feet on the ground and focusing to start earning some cash fast and adjusting back home.
• Putting on weight – it might sound silly but among our families everyone is fighting to have us over for dinner. To keep them all happy we are eating, eating and eating.
If working your ass off for years, deciding to leave the cubicle behind and finally taking the plunge to go traveling round the world look as a big challenge, wait until you are coming back. Re-adjusting into the “real world” is even a bigger one but we are hanging there.
Anyone else has been back home since a while? Any advices?
When you grew up in the same city for 25 years it is inevitable that you put the blinkers on and start to become oblivious to the enironment around you, but really this should never the be the case because if you start to look at things in a slighly different perspective you realise that what you walk past on a daily basis can be really quite interesting.
I grew up in Glasgow, which is an incredible place, it is blessed with so many thing that make it a city that any tourist would come away from feeling satisified with. The city has just the right mix of history, architecture, character and enough night life to quence any die hards thirst, that if you have never though of visiting it before, then you should.
If you look up any tourist website for Glasgow the following are the usual things to see and do -
Charles Rennie Mackintosh – This architect must keep the city council happy because virtually every tourist comes to Glasgow to see one or other of his buildings, one of the most famous being the Art School. But there are lots of Macintosh buildings in the city and suburbs that you could just spend a weekend visiting just Mackintosh buildings alone!
The Tenement House – An original 19th centrury tenemant house complete and intact exactly as it was in the early 19th centrury. It's like a time capsule and fascinating to see and definitely worth a visit.
The Barrowlands – The infamous down and dirty market on a Sunday that sells everything from broken china to stolen razors and batteries.
Kelvingrove Museum – You can't come to Glasgow without a trip to this tourist mecca, the second most popular museum outside London, this is essential to any visitor to Glasgow and best of all its free to get into.
What about off the beaten track....
Getting back to my original point – when you start to look at your environment differently you find out that there are some pretty cool things around you, you just need to know about them, or be nosy enough to discover them yourself. So this is my off the beaten track to Glasgow.
St Peters Seminary – I found out about this place when I was at an an exhibition at the CCA in Glasgow . Originally a seminary for training priests in Cardross (just outside Glasgow), it was built by Gillespie Kidd and Coia who built a wide range, in my option, of beautiful buildings – in others concrete eyesoars. The seminary now lies in an abandoned and falling to bit in a peacefull forest. You can get into it and look around it at your own risk, but the architecture is quite stunning and it is quite sad to see the building in such a bad state of disrepair.
Botanical Gardens Train Station – Glasgow used to have lots of train stations, but a number of them closed down in a cull on the national rail service after the second world war.
What this means is that there are a number of abandoned railway stations and lots of disued tunnels as well. I discovered the Botanical Garden's train station when I went to a dance party that was being held there. Glasgow has a great underground music scene so there are always parties on in unusual places. You can see some pics of the derelict station on flickr
The Titan Tower – This is located in Clydebank just outside Glasgow. For some reason you don't see a huge amount of advertising about it in Glasgow (well I haven't seen much, put it that way), however it is well worth the jaunt. Originally a ship building crane, it is now been restored into a visitor attraction and it is incredible – if you don't mind heights go to the top of it and you can walk across the mesh floor. And see views right along the river Clyde.
The Panoptican - Above an arcade in the trongate (East end of Glasgow) and largely unknown to the general public till a year or so ago. The Panopticon is an orignal music hall still in exactly the same condition as the day it shut down. It is famous for people like Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy playing there, it also housed a Victorian freak show and zoo, and is suppost to be haunted. – It's open at funny times to the public, but it is absolutely worth a visit if you happen to be in the city when it is open, a delight to see and you won't see anything else like it again.
Glasgow University Anatomy Museum - I studied biology at Glasgow University so was in and out of the anatomy museum most days, but the Univerisity don't make a big deal of it to the general public. You can visit it and it is certainly very interesting. It's almost like a Victorian Freak Show with body parts in jars. Ineresting and certainly not something you see everyday.
Doors Open Weekend – If your a bit of a geek like me, then doors open weekend is the time of the year to visit Glasgow. Doors open weekend is some relationship with the council and private buildings who get funding from the council, in return for which they have to open their doors to the public one weekend a year. All the building are free to visit and you will have a geek overload by the end of it. (The panoptican is always open on doors open weekend)
So there you have it – 6 things that are a bit off the beaten track that you should definitely do when you are in Glasgow in addition to the usual tourist attractions.
About the Author
Ross is a passionate traveller and writes his own blog at Europe Traveler about his travel experiences in Europe (as you may have guessed) sharing interesting things to see, hints and tips and anything the usual guide books miss out.
»» read more
I grew up in Glasgow, which is an incredible place, it is blessed with so many thing that make it a city that any tourist would come away from feeling satisified with. The city has just the right mix of history, architecture, character and enough night life to quence any die hards thirst, that if you have never though of visiting it before, then you should.
If you look up any tourist website for Glasgow the following are the usual things to see and do -
Charles Rennie Mackintosh – This architect must keep the city council happy because virtually every tourist comes to Glasgow to see one or other of his buildings, one of the most famous being the Art School. But there are lots of Macintosh buildings in the city and suburbs that you could just spend a weekend visiting just Mackintosh buildings alone!
The Tenement House – An original 19th centrury tenemant house complete and intact exactly as it was in the early 19th centrury. It's like a time capsule and fascinating to see and definitely worth a visit.
The Barrowlands – The infamous down and dirty market on a Sunday that sells everything from broken china to stolen razors and batteries.
Kelvingrove Museum – You can't come to Glasgow without a trip to this tourist mecca, the second most popular museum outside London, this is essential to any visitor to Glasgow and best of all its free to get into.
photo by pixelsandpaper @Flickr
What about off the beaten track....
Getting back to my original point – when you start to look at your environment differently you find out that there are some pretty cool things around you, you just need to know about them, or be nosy enough to discover them yourself. So this is my off the beaten track to Glasgow.
St Peters Seminary – I found out about this place when I was at an an exhibition at the CCA in Glasgow . Originally a seminary for training priests in Cardross (just outside Glasgow), it was built by Gillespie Kidd and Coia who built a wide range, in my option, of beautiful buildings – in others concrete eyesoars. The seminary now lies in an abandoned and falling to bit in a peacefull forest. You can get into it and look around it at your own risk, but the architecture is quite stunning and it is quite sad to see the building in such a bad state of disrepair.
Botanical Gardens Train Station – Glasgow used to have lots of train stations, but a number of them closed down in a cull on the national rail service after the second world war.
What this means is that there are a number of abandoned railway stations and lots of disued tunnels as well. I discovered the Botanical Garden's train station when I went to a dance party that was being held there. Glasgow has a great underground music scene so there are always parties on in unusual places. You can see some pics of the derelict station on flickr
The Titan Tower – This is located in Clydebank just outside Glasgow. For some reason you don't see a huge amount of advertising about it in Glasgow (well I haven't seen much, put it that way), however it is well worth the jaunt. Originally a ship building crane, it is now been restored into a visitor attraction and it is incredible – if you don't mind heights go to the top of it and you can walk across the mesh floor. And see views right along the river Clyde.
The Panoptican - Above an arcade in the trongate (East end of Glasgow) and largely unknown to the general public till a year or so ago. The Panopticon is an orignal music hall still in exactly the same condition as the day it shut down. It is famous for people like Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy playing there, it also housed a Victorian freak show and zoo, and is suppost to be haunted. – It's open at funny times to the public, but it is absolutely worth a visit if you happen to be in the city when it is open, a delight to see and you won't see anything else like it again.
Glasgow University Anatomy Museum - I studied biology at Glasgow University so was in and out of the anatomy museum most days, but the Univerisity don't make a big deal of it to the general public. You can visit it and it is certainly very interesting. It's almost like a Victorian Freak Show with body parts in jars. Ineresting and certainly not something you see everyday.
Doors Open Weekend – If your a bit of a geek like me, then doors open weekend is the time of the year to visit Glasgow. Doors open weekend is some relationship with the council and private buildings who get funding from the council, in return for which they have to open their doors to the public one weekend a year. All the building are free to visit and you will have a geek overload by the end of it. (The panoptican is always open on doors open weekend)
So there you have it – 6 things that are a bit off the beaten track that you should definitely do when you are in Glasgow in addition to the usual tourist attractions.
Ross is a passionate traveller and writes his own blog at Europe Traveler about his travel experiences in Europe (as you may have guessed) sharing interesting things to see, hints and tips and anything the usual guide books miss out.
No visit to Japan is complete without experiencing Japanese food the way the locals do. In Japan there is no way to separate eating from the atmosphere and experience. Food in Japan touches all of the sense from the minimalistic elegance of sashimi to the visual gourmet versions of hamburger patties. There’s more to Japanese food than sushi but let’s face it, navigating the difficult menus in a New York Japanese restaurant can be daunting, let alone tackling lesser known dishes on their home turf. To guide you through this culinary and cultural experience I have created a list of 5 dishes that are a must for any visitor to Japan.
The Japanese are famous for specializing and defining. It’s no different with food as each of these dishes will usually be served in its own specialized restaurant complete with accompanying unique atmosphere. Warning, if you are a vegetarian this menu is probably not for you, but there are always ways to substitute fish and vegetables for the meat dishes. But be careful, sometimes pork is not considered meat!
Donburimono
Donburi is a large rice bowl and the “mono” (lit. things) refers to the delicious toppings laid over the bed of rice. There is a large variety of Donburi from comfort food, such as chicken and egg oyako-don, stewed beef and onions gyu-don, and fried pork and egg katsu-don, to the more refined variations like tempura ten-don, marinated eel unagi-don, or even sea urchin una-don.
All of these are a great value, even the more expensive fish dishes, as you can eat out with just one dish. Finding a quality local shop may take a bit of work but it will be worth it. If you are looking to only experience gyu-don visit the chain shops Yoshinoya or Matsuya. You’ll have to decide for yourself which is better as its one of those questions that divides the nation. If you’re by the sea or a fish market look for the seafood versions as they’ll be the freshest.
Okonomiyaki
It’s not really a pancake, or a pizza, definitely not a crepe but it’s certainly delicious. Made with batter, egg, and your choice of vegetables, beef, pork, seafood and even noodles, you have to do the work here. The ingredients usually come out raw and you have to cook them on the large teppan (hotplate) that you sit around. There’s a variety of ways to make it depending if you are in Tokyo, Osaka or Hiroshima (my favorite) but the basics are: cook the fillings, pour on the batter and beaten egg, flatten the mixture on the teppan with the metal spatula provided, and flip over after five minutes. Aim for a browned outside keeping the inside soft. Finally, add the sauce with the brush provided and/or mayonnaise, and sprinkle on the fish flakes…if you’re into that sort of thing.
Yakitori
Literally grilled chicken, there is so much more to these skewers that can contain the full range of chicken bits, meat, liver, heart, cartilage and skin. Prices are usually by the skewer, even if more than one arrives, so be careful. They are cooked to order over charcoal and come with either sauce (tare) or salt (shio) seasoning. Nothing goes better with it than a large cold beer and good company. Yakotori can be found everywhere, from specialized restaurants to street stalls. In either case pull a seat up to the bar and be prepared for your orders to be yelled around the room, repeated by everyone from the server to the cook.
Ramen
These long Chinese noodles have become the staple of the Japanese fast food industry. Pop in for a quick and inexpensive bite during lunch or after a long night drinking on the town. Ramen shops are on just about every corner in Japan and you’ll be able to find one easily.
More difficult will be trying to decide what type you want, from curry to miso to chicken broth, topped with marinated pork to an extra helping of spring onions. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with any choice, it’s all delicious. Add in a plate of gyoza, Japanese fried potstickers, and you have one great meal.
Izakaya
This is the ultimate Japanese communal eating experience that can only be described as Japanese tapas. They are a great way to experience a wide variety of Japanese food, and drink copious amounts of beer, sake or chu-hai (shochu with flavored carbonated water. I like ume-chuhai, plum flavored. Yum!
These are friendly places that are like the local pub on the corner. Japanese come after work to share food, stories, and bond with each other. The portions are usually small and the variety of foods can be staggering, as will be your bill if you try to have a proper meal. Use your time in an Izakaya to sample different dishes, get to know those you are with, or even sitting next to, and then decide on a cheaper option for the next stop in the night.
About the Author
Todd is a writer, blogger, and conflict resolution specialist; he blogs about his travels and adventures at Todd’s Wanderings, where his Japanese wife also shares her recipes. He currently lives in Kosovo, and lived in Japan for over five years. He’s working on his first book about walking the 900 mile Japanese Shikoku Pilgrimage, twice. You could follow Todd tweets here
Fancy becoming our next guest blogger? Drop us a e-mail!
»» read more
photo by singingbeagle @Flickr
The Japanese are famous for specializing and defining. It’s no different with food as each of these dishes will usually be served in its own specialized restaurant complete with accompanying unique atmosphere. Warning, if you are a vegetarian this menu is probably not for you, but there are always ways to substitute fish and vegetables for the meat dishes. But be careful, sometimes pork is not considered meat!
Donburimono
Donburi is a large rice bowl and the “mono” (lit. things) refers to the delicious toppings laid over the bed of rice. There is a large variety of Donburi from comfort food, such as chicken and egg oyako-don, stewed beef and onions gyu-don, and fried pork and egg katsu-don, to the more refined variations like tempura ten-don, marinated eel unagi-don, or even sea urchin una-don.
All of these are a great value, even the more expensive fish dishes, as you can eat out with just one dish. Finding a quality local shop may take a bit of work but it will be worth it. If you are looking to only experience gyu-don visit the chain shops Yoshinoya or Matsuya. You’ll have to decide for yourself which is better as its one of those questions that divides the nation. If you’re by the sea or a fish market look for the seafood versions as they’ll be the freshest.
Okonomiyaki
It’s not really a pancake, or a pizza, definitely not a crepe but it’s certainly delicious. Made with batter, egg, and your choice of vegetables, beef, pork, seafood and even noodles, you have to do the work here. The ingredients usually come out raw and you have to cook them on the large teppan (hotplate) that you sit around. There’s a variety of ways to make it depending if you are in Tokyo, Osaka or Hiroshima (my favorite) but the basics are: cook the fillings, pour on the batter and beaten egg, flatten the mixture on the teppan with the metal spatula provided, and flip over after five minutes. Aim for a browned outside keeping the inside soft. Finally, add the sauce with the brush provided and/or mayonnaise, and sprinkle on the fish flakes…if you’re into that sort of thing.
Yakitori
Literally grilled chicken, there is so much more to these skewers that can contain the full range of chicken bits, meat, liver, heart, cartilage and skin. Prices are usually by the skewer, even if more than one arrives, so be careful. They are cooked to order over charcoal and come with either sauce (tare) or salt (shio) seasoning. Nothing goes better with it than a large cold beer and good company. Yakotori can be found everywhere, from specialized restaurants to street stalls. In either case pull a seat up to the bar and be prepared for your orders to be yelled around the room, repeated by everyone from the server to the cook. Ramen
These long Chinese noodles have become the staple of the Japanese fast food industry. Pop in for a quick and inexpensive bite during lunch or after a long night drinking on the town. Ramen shops are on just about every corner in Japan and you’ll be able to find one easily.
photo by Pabo76 @Flickr
Izakaya
This is the ultimate Japanese communal eating experience that can only be described as Japanese tapas. They are a great way to experience a wide variety of Japanese food, and drink copious amounts of beer, sake or chu-hai (shochu with flavored carbonated water. I like ume-chuhai, plum flavored. Yum!
photo by nicolacassa @Flickr
These are friendly places that are like the local pub on the corner. Japanese come after work to share food, stories, and bond with each other. The portions are usually small and the variety of foods can be staggering, as will be your bill if you try to have a proper meal. Use your time in an Izakaya to sample different dishes, get to know those you are with, or even sitting next to, and then decide on a cheaper option for the next stop in the night.
Todd is a writer, blogger, and conflict resolution specialist; he blogs about his travels and adventures at Todd’s Wanderings, where his Japanese wife also shares her recipes. He currently lives in Kosovo, and lived in Japan for over five years. He’s working on his first book about walking the 900 mile Japanese Shikoku Pilgrimage, twice. You could follow Todd tweets here
Fancy becoming our next guest blogger? Drop us a e-mail!
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