When Travelers Compete

One of the things I find oddest about traveling is the competitiveness between travelers. In one category you have the "been the most places". In this category you have the (usually Australian) backpackers. They been to  so many places they can't even remember them all and they did so many "bad-ass" things there that there is no way you could possibly be as cool as them. In the other category you have the "been here the longest". These expats have been living abroad for a year, 5 years or 10 years and in that time they accumulated enough arrogance knowledge to tell you everything about that country. It's their mission to defend their chosen homeland against criticism and offer 'helpful' advice to keep you from making a cultural faux pas. The one thing these two groups have in common: they think they are better than you, nay, they know they are and will not bat at an eye at imparting wisdom on topics they know nothing about or sharing some 'cultural insight' which they could have as easily found on google. The worst part of all this, is I'm exactly the same. I have my opinions about Ireland, Spain and anywhere else I've lived or visited and I certainly don't mind sharing them.  I, too, make little "pshaw" noises to myself when someone tells me they're just here for the weekend. Why are we like this? Sometimes I wonder if people who travel are inherently unhappy. The truth is, I think most people are unhappy with some aspect of their lives. Unhappiness motivates us; being discontent with a job motivates us to go to school, for example. We constantly change our homes, our clothes, our appearance in hopes that it will improve our situation, by changing one thing we want to change everything. This is true about travelers too, at least some of us. We hope that by changing the location we will change how we feel, we will be happy at last but it doesn't work. Living abroad means all your problems are still there but now you're in a strange country where daily activities like buying groceries and paying the rent are stressful enough that perhaps our problems are pushed away, but they're still there underneath. Maybe that's why we are all so competitive; we want to justify our existence and why we made these choices. On the other hand, maybe we are just arrogant.

Alicante!

I've just come back from Alicante and I must say I had a great time, I thought the city was fabulous. I stayed at a hostel called Hostel X Alicante, it was a cool hippie-esque kid of hostel. Friday night there was sangría and  shisha on the balcony and Saturday night was a pub crawl. 

Weird mural in the entrance!

I do have to say, what a great hostel it was, the staff were lovely and it felt like one giant family. If you ever find yourself in Aliancte, I definitely recommend it. 

Picture Credit

Saturday I climbed Castle Santa Barbara. Phew. I come from the prairie so this was quite the hike for me, especially in the afternoon heat. My legs are a bit worse for wear more toned and the view was incredible. Looking at the sea from the top, I felt like I was in Narnia. 

Afterwards, it was time for the beach. And again the next day, and the next!

Saturday night, I danced the night away with some lovely fellow travelers and incredibly cheap drinks, which I am always a fan of. The next day, being slightly hungover I had the best burger of my life.

I've never been a fan of eggs on burgers but now I am a convert. Eggs do belong on burgers! Delish!

Sunday night as a quiet one, a few people headed out for drinks.We went to  a place called 23, it was a concept bar, although the concept was a bit confusing-fruity (and delicious) drinks and loads of skulls. The bartender was hilarious and offered us a shot called "Puta Madre" or "motherfucker" in English. I can't say it was good  but it was unique! Otherwise I recommend the "sandía y  limón", it was the perfect drink after a weekend of drinking beer.

Bottom Line: Great little city if you like beach, nightlife and sun. The people, at least the ones I met, were friendly and the relaxed atmosphere made it the perfect getaway for me and I definitely recommend 

More Information: 
X Hostel Alicante
Castle Santa Barbara
23

Questions about Travelling

Recently I was reading various articles around the internet about travelling and it's impacts, how tourism changes culture and many other questions.It reminded me of a question I asked myself when I was in Venice last month. As we were taking the water bus I watched numerous gondola riding tourists pass us by. Indeed, Venice is a city mostly populated by tourists and I wondered what affect that has on the culture as a whole. Will things like gondola rides, which are largely outdated, become part of, or stay part of Ventian culture again?  Will they become/stay relevant in a non touristic sense? Or is that too pedantic a question. Furthermore, I often hear people from North America griping about how where ever they go in the world there's a McDonalds and a Starbucks and this is certainly true, but is it arrogant to claim that these things  are damaging other cultures? Do we feel that other cultures are weak enough to collapse under the impact of McDonalds? Or are the naysayers correct? Continuing on this line of thought, what does this say about how we, as North American's, feel about our own culture? Do we see it as too unimportant to be threatened, do we look down on ourselves and what our countries have to offer? One of the things I hear from Europeans (since that is mostly where I travel) and North American's alike is that we have new countries and we're not as cultured. But I think it is time to change our thinking, I think that Canada, for example, is a great country and as a new country we have many things to offer, culturally and otherwise. And being a new country may be to our advantage in many ways. What is the point of all these comments and questions? I guess it is that, as travellers and as a larger society we have a a kind of mass travel that hasn't been seen before. As a fellow Canadian traveller pointed out to me recently "our parents didn't travel as much as we do now, they didn't have the chance." And she's right, my mother has said the same thing. Our generation is priveleged to be able to travel as much as we do but we are also changing the future and the world and while I'm certainly not predicting something horrible for the future, I do think it is good to think about these things.

Festival De Las Naciones

Well readers, as you may know, if there's one thing I like more than animals it's multi -cultural festivals, and just my luck there's one in Valencia right now!


Since I went alone, I came prepared with my book, some and enjoyed some Cruzcampo in the sun. What is better than drinking in the sun? 

The best part of any festival is the food- am I right? I haven't gone to the American one yet, but I think those ribs will be calling my name soon!

I did stop for some curry and my first taste of Indian beer (in Spain-c'est la vie!)

The curry was delicious as well.

 These guys tried really hard to get everyone to dance with them. With not very much luck.

Then I saw these two little guys and fell in love instantly. They were so sweet.

Although this guy did make a bid for my affections with his tremendous dancing skills. I was too stupefied to  make a video but this guy gave Beyoncé a bootylicious run for her money.  (The guy on stage)

 But my heart still belongs to these guys. 

And maybe this stand. (Desserts of Europe)

Travel Thursdays-10 Ways to Spend Less Abroad

Unless you are a celebrity or just plain well off you need to save money while traveling, and let's face it most of us fall into the category of  needing to save money. Plus, the more money you save, the more you can spend on clothes  souvenirs!  As a disclaimer, these ideas come from my own personal experience and are notan exhaustive list!

1.) Pack a lunch
Some  hostels offer a free breakfast and, although the hostels don't like it, I've seen many people pack an extra sandwich for later. For a lunch that doesn't irritate hostel staff, pack a lunch not unlike you would at home. A sandwich, fresh fruit and yogurt for you to eat while you're out and about is cheaper than eating in a restaurant.

2.) See it for free
You've heard this one before but it couldn't be more true. Many museums and attractions offer free days/ times or exhibits so it's worth your while to find out when these are and enjoy them then.

3.) Prioritize
That said, you will have to pay for some sights so decide ahead of time whether they are worth it to you or not. Same with eating in restaurants. Personally, I love restaurants, but it's all about knowing how much you have and how important doing certain things are to you.

4.) Do your own laundry
Whether in your hostel or in a laundromat doing laundry is expensive. If you can, hand wash as much as possible. Lots of drugstores offer travel size laundry soap or just use a bit of mild shampoo. If you have to use the laundromat, only use the washing machine and hang your clothes to dry somewhere.

5.) Pack light
Yeah, you've heard it before but it really is true. Not having to drag around a big suitcase will save you time, hassle and money.

6.)Ask for Advice
Asking locals, someone who has been there before or the travel desk at your hostel/hotel is always a good idea. Chances are they know of some good deals, cheap places to eat, attractions etc.

7.)Drink before you go out
This is the adage of travelers everywhere but it is also true. Drink prices in bars and clubs are outrageous so have a couple of drinks back at your hostel or at a cheap local place if you plan on a night out.

8.)Shop Around
This one seems obvious, but when I haven't done it I always regret it. It's worth your time to look for accommodation, insurance and flights at more than one site before purchasing. Just because it says cheap, doesn't mean it is! Same goes for currency exchange. As all travelers and websites will tell you, taking money out of an ATM is the best way, you get the best rate. However, if your bank charges you for taking money out it's best to take out as much as you will need for the foreseeable future and lock it up somewhere.


9.)Beware of costly phone calls
If you're like me and tend to call home at least once a day you have to watch out for expensive pay phones. Use Skype as much as possible, if you must call buy a local mobile phone or head to one of those phone booths/internet places. For international calling they are the cheapest, however, if you want to talk to some one in the same country (at least in Europe this is the case) you're better off sending a text as phone calls are expensive.

10.)Don't be afraid
European cities, by and large, aren't as dangerous as their North American counterparts. I've seen many a North American flee from someone trying to give them flyers for restaurants or clubs. While these may be tacky, they are, for the most part, harmless and you may be able to get a deal. However, at the same time people will try to rip you off, especially if you are a tourist or an outsider. Be firm and confident and you should be able to avoid most of these situations. On that note, watching your belongings is common sense, (and will definitely prevent you from losing money)even the locals do this. Keep your bags with you at all times and just because you've ridden the metro without getting robbed before doesn't mean you can be sloppy.

Travel Thursdays-ABC's of Travel

I love these survey things so when I found this one floating around the internet I had to do it myself!

A: Age at which you first internationally traveled? 

20!

B:Best (foreign) beer and where?

I have to confess that I love cider to so let's say, a Strongbow in England!

C: Cuisine (favourite)

I love crepes when I'm in Europe, savoury or sweet!

D: Destinations (favourite) and why and least favourite and why?

Favourite: Paris, this city was a magical as I imagined! Least favourite: I don't think I have a least favourite!

E: Event you experienced that made you say “wow”

I'm going to say Halloween in England! People were going out in costumes from the 27th to 31st! Here, we get dressed up on Halloween and that's it!

F: Favorite mode of transport

I have a love/hate relationship with flying but I just plain love train travel.

G: Greatest feeling while traveling?

The greatest feeling is knowing your survived all the crap that comes along with traveling and actually ended up loving your destination!

H: Hottest place you’ve ever travelled to?

Valenica, Spain!

I: Incredible service you’ve experienced and where?

I have to say, despite all the negative things I heard about Air France they had the best customer service I've ever experienced. British Airways did too! I felt like royalty, even in coach.

J: Journey that took you the longest?

Flying from Barcelona to Winnipeg this past summer! First, my flight was delayed by 8 hours, when I finally got to London I had to spend the night there, plus an 8 hour flight to Montreal where my connecting flight to Winnipeg was also delayed. I think it ended up being 48 hours of travel in total!

K: Keepsake from your travels?

Clothes, obviously but also postcards, ticket stubs, etc.


L: Let down sight? Where and why?

I think sights in general tend to be a let down but I remember seeing the Eiffel tower, although, as I said, I loved Paris, there was a feeling of "yup, there it is" and that was it.

M: Moment where you fell in love with travel?

 I had been living in Ireland for a couple of months and really, really hated it. My sister was out for a couple of weeks and I went to see her off at the airport. It was a bank holiday so I had to wait a good hour for a bus to get back to my house. When I got back I remember this sensation of feeling at home and truly being happy to be there. I went to find my roommates and after that I knew I could love traveling.

N: Nicest hotel you’ve stayed in?

I can't say I've ever stayed in a place I would consider nice but I stayed at a lovely old hostel in Valencia with some friends and it was definitely the kitchiest and most charming place ever! Unfortunately I, a.) can't remember the name and b.) it seems to be defunct now, which is a shame!

O: Obsession. What are you obsessed with taking pictures of?

I'm a horrible photographer so I would say I mainly take pictures of awkward moments!

P: Passport stamps. How many and from where?

6-Frankfurt, Barcelona, Paris, Dublin, London, East Midlands

Q: Quirkiest Attraction you’ve visited?

I'm going to have to say it was an avant garde show in Sheffield. A band was improvising music while Carrie was projected on a big screen. It was in an old warehouse and another room was converted into some kind of club where Disney Films were being played.

R: Recommended Sight, Event or Experience?

The Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, it's as incredible as it seems. 

S: Splurge! Something you don’t mind forking over for while traveling?

Food, booze and clothes and, weirdly, deodorant!

T: Touristy thing you’ve done

Taking pictures of myself in front of Big Ben, The Eiffel Tower, Gaudí's houses, etc

U: Unforgettable travel Memory.

A memory I'll never forget is this one day when I was living in Dublin and my roommate and I went out to the "beach". We just wandered around and sat on the rocks talking. It was such a low key day but special, in a way.


V: Visas. How many of them and for where?

1, Work permit for Ireland

W: Wine. Best glass of wine had while traveling and where?

This is a weird one but, a glass of Chianti in Berlin!

X: eXcellent views and from where?

Barcelona is an incredible city to visit, everywhere you look there is something magnificent! Montjuic, Gaudí, Placa Reial. It's truly a beautiful city! 

Y: Years spent traveling?

4? Can that be all?

Z: Zealous sports fan and where?

Fans...but Spain...when Spain won the world cup!

Winter Getaway...at home!

Due to an unseasonably warm winter here in Manitoba which promptly ended last week I have been craving summer. I'm not one to enjoy winter, I can't say I hate it but it certainly isn't something I enjoy. Since I can't afford a winter getaway this year (even though it seems like everyone else is!) I am stowing my cash for a trip down south next year! However, if you are stranded in sub zero temperatures like me, I suggest taking a day and having a Warm weather getaway-at home!

Step 1- Perpare Mojito

So fresh and summery!

What you need (for one Mojito) 

1 oz. Light Rum

Ice cubes

Fresh Mint

1 oz. Fresh Lime or Lime Juice

3 teaspoons sugar

Soda Water

How to make it: 

Place Rum, Mint and Sugar in the bottom of the glass

Muddle the mint 

Add the Lime and Ice cubes

Pour the soda water over the whole thing

Enjoy!

Step 2-Play Some Cheesy Tunes

A couple summers ago I was flying to Europe with friend and we were each watching a different movie on the inflight entertainment system when suddenly both were interrupted by what must be the cheesiest song ever written. The lyrics were more or less along these lines: "the sunflowers love the sun, the look to the sun, what happy sunflowers..." and so on. It took a few minutes before we looked at each other saying "do you hear a weird song about sunflowers?" Anyway, I digress. The point is, no vacation is complete without some cheesy music! Note: I say these songs are cheesy but you know that means I love them!

1.) Me Voy-Julieta Venegas

2.) 24 Horas-David Bisbal

3.) Loca-Shakira

4.)Fuerte-Nelly Furtado 

5.)La Quiero a Morir-Shakira or Jarabe De Palo

Step 3- Laze About with Some Quality Reading Material

I'm currently reading To Hellholes and Back by Chuck Thompson. Yikes, the cover is a bit aggressive but a good real overall! 

If that fails, I suggest tabloids or trashy magazines, only acceptable during holidays!

Step 4-Order Up Some New Warm Weather Wear/Don your Most Summery Clothes and Don't Leave the House! 

Even if you can't wear your purchases for a few more months, you can imagine wearing your summer clothes, shoes.

Step 5-Get A Tan 

Obviously you have to come back from your vacation with a tan! I don't go tanning because I have fair skin and burn so I tend to use those gradual tanners. My favourite is Jergens Natural Glow Foaming Daily Moisturizer for Fair to Medium Skin.

Step 6: Finish the Day off Right

For me, a key part of any vacation is the food! I love cooking and eating and I am not adverse to cooking while on vacay. Cook up something delicious or order something in. Parisian Chic suggests serving up a luxury ice cream  in wine glasses. I love this idea and nothing says summer like delicious ice cream.

Step 7:Repeat if necessary!

Pictures from makeherup.com, myspringshoes.com skyrisefoods.comand supercocktails.com

Travel Thursdays-5 Things I Can't Travel Without

There are some things that I just can't travel without and never, ever regret bringing.
Here are my 5 "must-packs"

1. A (small)  umbrella. You never know.

2. A roll of plastic bags  from the dollar store. Great for stashing garbage, dirty laundry and many other useful things.

3. A sewing kit

4. Extra scarves . Can fix a bad hair day, dress up or dress down an outfit, keep you warm on a chilly night.

5. Eye drops and throat lozenges. Airplane air and the stress of travel can bring on sore dry eyes and I always, ALWAYS, get a cold in the first week of my travel so now I'm always prepared! 


What about you? What do you always pack?

To Pack or Not to Pack?

Wednesday, 04 January, 2011
I love to travel and even more than traveling I love packing. I read somewhere once that planning a trip is half the fun of it that is my mantra as I making packing lists and dutifully plan out my trips. However usually when I arrive somewhere I am pulling the most enormous suitcase in history, my sightseeing plans go out the window and I turn into some hippie who will happily put my hair up in some sort of white-girl turban, throw on an old t-shirt and pass the afternoon drinking beer in the sun (without sunscreen! oops!) and go home without seeing a single sight before eating dinner and going out dancing, The next day usually means drinking an enormous bottle of water and lathering myself in after sun cream. But I digress, knowing my tendency to overpack I have read loads of packing and travel tips which range from ridiculous (no way I am bringing one of those nasty fleece jackets. I'm not climbing a mountain) to useful (baby aspirin the day before flying). With winter holidays, spring break and summer vacay coming up here is my compilation of good and not particularly useful travel tips!

DO
1.) Take baby aspirin (or daily low dose) the day before and of your long haul flight.  Have you seen those nasty leggings you have to wear if you get a blood clot? Must be avoided at all costs!

2.)Pack an extra outfit in your carry-on

Have you ever ended up somewhere after 24 hours of flying, your luggage is lost and you have nothing in your carry on but an extra scarf? Not nice.

3.) Pack a light carry-on

Why are airports always so enormous? Just when you've walked 25 miles and think your gate must be just around the corner you realise that you are only half-way through the journey to your gate! 

4.) Dress in layers and bring a blanket
I love the LUG blanket and pillow I got for Christmas but any kind of blanket will do and is worth the extra space in your suitcase. Airplanes are freezing and if you've ever had to spend the night in Heathrow (or any airport for that matter) you will be eternally glad you packed it.

5.)Be true to yourself
It sounds like a cliche but traveling should be fun, even if you are traveling for work if there's something you really want to have a long-bring it, if every travel guide is telling you to bring something you would never wear/use-leave it! It's not the end of the world if you over or under pack and ultimately life is too short to spend loads of time sweating what to bring or not bring.

Don't

1.) Make a packing list

This is a bit of misplacement because I always make a packing list, I'm only putting it here because these are rumoured to help stop you from overpacking, however proceed  with caution-if you're like me you just make more room on your packing list if you accidentally buy something you also want to bring. 

2.) Bring things you "might wear" or "might need" .  If it doesn't fit in your suitcase and you haven't worn it recently at home you probably aren't going to wear it abroad. If you arrive there and suddenly are wishing you had brought a tub of leg wax or an extra dress remember that you there are shops where you are going and those things will be available wherever you are going and probably on the cheap!

3.)Roll Your Clothes, Pack in Ziplock Bags, etc. These things aren't particularly useful in my opinion. If you're going to be moving around you'll have to keep repacking and how much space is really saved by doing this? Also I've read somewhere about "bundling" where everything sort of gets rolled together. I can't imagine how useful this is, what if you want some jeans that are at the bottom of the bundle, do you have to redo the whole thing? If anyone has done this and recommends it, let me know. My opinion? Roll some items but otherwise pack normally.

4.) Pack Bulky Travel Guides
I love the travel section as much as anyone but if there is one thing you don't need on your trip it is a heavy travel guide. If you have a smartphone you can get all the information you need there and transit and street maps as well as tourist information are available at your destination. If you want to bring something in print I suggest a guide from hostelworld.com which has great little travel guides. Or, as I do, buy the book ahead of time, read the highlights and leave it lying at home to impress guests!


5.)Bring miniature products (if you're going for a long trip)-Yes, little shampoos are adorable but if you are checking a bag pack a full size shampoo (and conditioner in one) etc or wait till you arrive to buy products there. Why? It will be cheaper and free up room in your carry on.

The 6 People You Meet in Hostels

 Recently, I was searching for hostels to stay in this spring. I was browsing hostelworld.com  which brought me fond, and some less fond, memories of staying in hostels. It seems that no matter where you go you, no matter which hostel you stay in, you encounter some of the same cliches.

1.) The Australian-Surely no other nationality travels as much as Australians, they are always to be found, and usually in some state of inebriation. No one drinks or parties quite as much as Australians, so I suggest going out with them. The downside is, for some reason they believe that they have the most authentic travel experiences, although they can only remember about 30% of them. You did something cool? Yeah, well, they went running with the bulls yesterday, and the day before that they swam the English channel.

2.) The Mental Breakdown-Traveling is stressful! No matter what anyone says, after you've been abroad, even if it is a vacation, you need a vacation. Traveling can be lonely and exhausting. Problems seem so much bigger when you're away from family and friends. You'll always find someone in the midst of some personal crisis, we've all been there. For some reason a large quantity of people think that the perfect time to break up with their partner is while said partner is off traveling. The Mental Breakdown is characterised by crying, yelling into the phone, storming around and consumption of sangria.

3.) The Horny Toad-The Horny Toad is easiest to spot. They are clearly only at this hostel to pick someone up. They can often be found in the vicinity of the mental breakdown, attempting to give sound advice while simultaneously encouraging alcohol consumption. Is your roommate a horny toad? Here's how to tell, casually mention a significant other and/or 'wanting a quiet night in'. If they absolutely refuse to talk to you after this, they are a horny toad.


4.)The Hippie Grandpa- Nobody quite knows what the hippie grandpa is doing in your hostel. He seems to always be around sporting his unkempt hair and matching beard. He seems to be a permanent fixture of the hostel but surely he is just passing through?

5.) The Indignant North American- What is it about life in North America that has conditioned us to believe that things will always run smoothly, someone will always be around to help you, and customer service must always be friendly? If you have ever stayed in a hostel, or traveled at all, you will know that trains don't come on time, sometimes (or all the time) the internet in your hostel doesn't work, nobody has any information to help you and did that phone call just cost me 3 euros per minute? The indignant North American believes that Europe (or wherever they are traveling) is conspiring against them, They missed their flight? The airline's fault. A bomb found in the ubahn line?  Placed there for the sole purpose of interrupting their day of sightseeing. Crappy service in a restaurant? They are off to the embassy! This breed of hostel-goer can be easily spotted because they are yelling into their phone/computer or at their traveling companion about what has inconvenienced them.

6.) The Italian- The Italian has great contempt for you and your English speaking cronies. They will talk to you but only to humour you, and do you get that feeling that they are laughing at you? Well, yes, they probably are. As someone once said "Italy is nice except for all the Italians".  No, I'm only joking, I'm sure Italians are lovely but there is something about those Southern Europeans, they may be open and friendly to each other, but if you're an English person in their midst, you can't help feeling a teeny tiny bit like they are patronizing you, if they even notice you at all.

Honestly, I love traveling and I love staying in hostels and I love meeting people from different nationalities. Have I had some unpleasant experiences, yeah, but I am always looking forward to the next trip and am even looking forward to going to Italy someday soon (hopefully!)

P.S. don't you think hostel photographers deserve an award? The pictures always make it look like you are going to some luxury spot and you get there and there is a hoard of june bugs who have set up camp in your room which hasn't been cleaned in months.

Pictures from www.hostelworld.com

"Authentic" travel?

Monday, 28 November 2011

As someone who travels a lot, loves to travel, thinks about traveling a lot....I frequently find myself frustrated with the travel literature that's out there. It seems as if everyone is looking for an experience that no one else has had or that if only 300 people have been somewhere it is somehow better than if  1000 or 10000 people have been there. Furthermore, I find it a bit humourous when travel magazines/books feature "local's only" places. Surely if you are writing about it, it is not, or shortly won't be, a "locals only" place? On one hand, I understand this mentality, why go somewhere everyone has already been? But on the other hand, people go to these places for a reason. The Eiffel tower or Las Ramblas for example, yeah, they are touristy and cheesy, but they're also beautiful and I would feel quite sad for anyone who went to Paris or Barcelona and didn't go see these places. We all want to avoid being tourists, but we are tourists. When I go to a city that I'm not living in, I am a tourist, whether I like it or not. Even if I understand the language, the city, I still am not a local and I wonder if we should give up trying to be "not tourists" and enjoy the sights and sounds of a foreign city for what they are. When you travel there's always a competition between the long term travelers (I've been here for 2 months) and the just-passing-through travelers (I've been here two days and I'm still drunk from the last city I was in) something, which,  I've grown to find ridiculous. Personally, I like to stay somewhere for a long time, it's just how I like to travel, but I have to recognise that in the end, I don't think my experience in a place is any more "authentic" than someone who has just been there two days. The fact is that we are both going home with some new experiences and new information about the world.  I'm not sure what it is about modern life that has us in an endless search for authenticity but I think, at least in terms of travel, it's time to give up that quest and just enjoy where we are, wherever we are and for however long we are there.