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Thread: Travel ideas

  1. - Top - End - #1
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default Travel ideas

    Hi fellow playgrounders, after a bit of a think tank, if I may ?

    See, as it is, I have just got my first passport, having not left the country since I was a child many moons ago. So, I have some catching up to do and I would like to do some travelling, and to that intent I am putting together a scrapbook of sorts of places I'd like to go ..... and I'd love to get some suggestions from around the globe.

    Here are some guidelines

    - I'm not overly rich, so budget idea's are better.
    - I'm probably going to be travelling alone, so idea's that work for solo's are best.
    - I value experience as high as a value adventure, but I'm not one for just lounging around on holiday.
    - I love the idea of doing some charity work (like, I dunno, the 'help build a house for the community' things)
    - I'd love to hit up some of the big conventions whilst I'm traveling (RPG, movie, larp ... whichever ... )

    So yeah, I'd love some idea's to add to my scrapbook, if anyone could oblige?
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    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default Re: Travel ideas

    If you want to start by catching up on Europe, you might consider getting a one month Interrail pass. This will let you travel around most of Europe freely within the period, which should end up being cheaper than buying individual tickets if you want to visit many different places. Lodgings are still a concern, of course (but I guess you could try couchsurfing, if you're really on a tight budget).

    This will also make it easy to reach whatever big events may be going on around Europe within this month, if you plan carefully.

    I haven't tried Interrail myself, but those of my friends who have always speak of it as a huge, life-changing experience for them.

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    Colossus in the Playground
     
    Flickerdart's Avatar

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    Default Re: Travel ideas

    Once you get to Eastern Europe, you'll be surprised how rich you suddenly feel. The Romanians say it best - "our draft beer is cheaper than your bottled water."
    Quote Originally Posted by Inevitability View Post
    Greater
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    Quote Originally Posted by Artanis View Post
    I'm going to be honest, "the Welsh became a Great Power and conquered Germany" is almost exactly the opposite of the explanation I was expecting

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    Troll in the Playground
     
    PirateCaptain

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    Default Re: Travel ideas

    Yeah, I was shocked at the price of vodka when i went to a grocery story in Poland.

    About your ideas... Not sure, maybe you could plan a train journey, visit a lot of places (youth hostels are your friends here) and end up on a beach in the Tchech Republic?
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    Quote Originally Posted by Greenflame133 View Post
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  5. - Top - End - #5
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default Re: Travel ideas

    Quote Originally Posted by Corlindale View Post
    If you want to start by catching up on Europe, you might consider getting a one month Interrail pass. This will let you travel around most of Europe freely within the period, which should end up being cheaper than buying individual tickets if you want to visit many different places. Lodgings are still a concern, of course (but I guess you could try couchsurfing, if you're really on a tight budget).

    This will also make it easy to reach whatever big events may be going on around Europe within this month, if you plan carefully.
    Wow, that looks fantastic (and also more than a little bit confusing once you start paging through the 'how do I do it' pages )

    Budget isn't tight tight, but cheaper is better so I can save up and visit more places


    Quote Originally Posted by Flickerdart View Post
    Once you get to Eastern Europe, you'll be surprised how rich you suddenly feel. The Romanians say it best - "our draft beer is cheaper than your bottled water."
    Fair point, but I've heard a lot of horror stories about some places (I believe there was a travel warning against going to romania a couple of years ago due to a spate of kidnappings ?


    Quote Originally Posted by thorgrim29 View Post
    About your ideas... Not sure, maybe you could plan a train journey, visit a lot of places (youth hostels are your friends here) and end up on a beach in the Tchech Republic?
    Any particular reason on the czech republic? Anywhere you've been and would recommend ?


    -----------------------------------------

    One of the things I've been looking at are sights like explore , where you sign on as part of a group of solo travellers for a tour. Anyone had any experience with those ?
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  6. - Top - End - #6
    Troll in the Playground
     
    PirateCaptain

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    Default Re: Travel ideas

    Quote Originally Posted by meltodowno View Post
    Any particular reason on the czech republic? Anywhere you've been and would recommend ?
    From what I hear there's a ton of beach related parties there
    Quote Originally Posted by Peelee View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Greenflame133 View Post
    So what do you think? What is best use for Signatures?
    To curate my brilliance and wit, of course. Any other use is a waste.

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    Firbolg in the Playground
     
    Closet_Skeleton's Avatar

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    Default Re: Travel ideas

    The Czech republic is landlocked.
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    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default Re: Travel ideas

    Then the beach parties must truly be legendary ! lol.
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    Troll in the Playground
     
    PirateCaptain

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    Default Re: Travel ideas

    River cruises maybe? Or I'm confusing it for another country "looking it up"... Oh Croatia. I was thinking of Croatia.
    Quote Originally Posted by Peelee View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Greenflame133 View Post
    So what do you think? What is best use for Signatures?
    To curate my brilliance and wit, of course. Any other use is a waste.

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    Bulldog Psion's Avatar

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    Default Re: Travel ideas

    I was in Turkey briefly once. I was only there for a day, but the place looked interesting and the prices weren't outrageous. You can also buy a visa in the airport on arrival, for $20 if I recall correctly. A lot of nice coastal towns there, I believe. The Russians go there for their vacations all the time because it's kind of like a giant seaside resort around a lot of the coastline, from what I gather from my in-laws, with decently affordable prices and a good climate in the warmer months.
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    Troll in the Playground
     
    PirateCaptain

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    Default Re: Travel ideas

    Quote Originally Posted by Bulldog Psion View Post
    You can also buy a visa in the airport on arrival, for $20 if I recall correctly
    That is not the case anymore, you have to get a visa by the internet, costs about 60 USD
    Quote Originally Posted by Peelee View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Greenflame133 View Post
    So what do you think? What is best use for Signatures?
    To curate my brilliance and wit, of course. Any other use is a waste.

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    Troll in the Playground
     
    Bulldog Psion's Avatar

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    Default Re: Travel ideas

    Quote Originally Posted by thorgrim29 View Post
    That is not the case anymore, you have to get a visa by the internet, costs about 60 USD
    Wow, they changed it recently, then. I was there in 2013 and was able to buy the visa in the airport when I arrived. How things change in 2 years.

    Sorry for accidentally disseminating incorrect information.
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    So the song runs on, with shift and change,
    Through the years that have no name,
    And the late notes soar to a higher range,
    But the theme is still the same.
    Man's battle-cry and the guns' reply
    Blend in with the old, old rhyme
    That was traced in the score of the strata marks
    While millenniums winked like campfire sparks
    Down the winds of unguessed time. -- 4th Stanza, The Bad Lands, Badger Clark

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    Colossus in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Travel ideas

    Quote Originally Posted by meltodowno View Post
    Fair point, but I've heard a lot of horror stories about some places (I believe there was a travel warning against going to romania a couple of years ago due to a spate of kidnappings ?
    Everywhere has crime. You always want to be informed about where you're going.
    Quote Originally Posted by Inevitability View Post
    Greater
    \ˈgrā-tər \
    comparative adjective
    1. Describing basically the exact same monster but with twice the RHD.
    Quote Originally Posted by Artanis View Post
    I'm going to be honest, "the Welsh became a Great Power and conquered Germany" is almost exactly the opposite of the explanation I was expecting

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    Default Re: Travel ideas

    What should be requirement for applying viza for UK, suggest me, if someone from Uk here ???????


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    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    GnomePirate

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    Default Re: Travel ideas

    If you're looking for a little bit more activeand down-to-earth, I'd propose a well-used cycling or walking route somewhere. Especially if you choose one of the busier routes, you'll find plenty of other solo travellers who are often willing to join up for one, two days, and then go separate ways again.

    One I haven't done yet, but was always interested in, is the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostella. From the UK, train tickets to Vichy won't cost too much, and from there on if you have some solid cycling experience, you can finish the route in less then a month. You'll come across some nice historic towns, lot of nature, and pretty friendly people. Fun fact: if you've got a pilgrims pass, no matter if you're actually religious or not, a lot of the hostels, hotels and campings along the route give you big discounts (say, a pound or five for a bed, dinner and breakfast).

    There's some popular cycling routes along the Rhine, too. Even inexperienced you can cycle some 60 km per day, which means in seven days you can see Mainz, Worms, Bonn and Cologne, all interesting cities, some awesome nature, and the infamous Lorelei. Again: plenty of solo travellers looking for hook-ups, and "senior boat tours", if that's your thing

    I think the "volunteer vacations" are, sadly, not longer "low budget". The days of "you work for us so we'll pay your travel expenses" are pretty much over. To go build volunteer orphanages in Zambia you'll still have to pay the big price for airplane tickets - of course, it does mean you can get all the onions you want for a few pennies.

    Interrailing has already been mentioned, and works perfectly in Europe. Especially for city trips it's perfect.

    EDIT:
    Woopsie. It seems this thread was only bumped up by the spammy dude above me? Sorry. Nevermind me, then.
    Last edited by Murk; 2015-08-15 at 04:18 AM.

  16. - Top - End - #16
    Pixie in the Playground
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    Default Re: Travel ideas

    Quote Originally Posted by meltodowno View Post
    Hi fellow playgrounders, after a bit of a think tank, if I may ?

    See, as it is, I have just got my first passport, having not left the country since I was a child many moons ago. So, I have some catching up to do and I would like to do some travelling, and to that intent I am putting together a scrapbook of sorts of places I'd like to go ..... and I'd love to get some suggestions from around the globe.

    Here are some guidelines

    - I'm not overly rich, so budget idea's are better.
    - I'm probably going to be travelling alone, so idea's that work for solo's are best.
    - I value experience as high as a value adventure, but I'm not one for just lounging around on holiday.
    - I love the idea of doing some charity work (like, I dunno, the 'help build a house for the community' things)
    - I'd love to hit up some of the big conventions whilst I'm traveling (RPG, movie, larp ... whichever ... )

    So yeah, I'd love some idea's to add to my scrapbook, if anyone could oblige?
    It does not matter a lot whether a traveler is overly rich or not. You just need to prepare for something before traveling like-
    1. Budget and Put Away a Certain Amount of Money Every Pay Cheque - Once you finally decide, “Yes! I am going to take that trip I have always wanted,” the first thing you’re going to need is money. Traveling can be very cheap if you are willing to make sacrifices. You must ask yourself if you are comfortable staying in a dingy hostel dorm, or if you would like a bit of comfort.

    2 Keep Positive - Having your financial issues figured out, the next thing you’re going to have to face is keeping positive. Nobody saves up enough to travel in a week, more than often it took me upwards of six months to save up for a trip

    3 Buy a Ton of Guide Books - This one is one of my favorite things to do to keep positive between travel times. Guide books give me new trip ideas, teach me about the country itself, and they are filled with beautiful images to inspire me to get there. They are also quite cheap! Depending on where you shop

    4 Take Leave or Find a job with high Turnover - So now you must figure out your work situation. This can be easy if you decide on a two-week trip, and work gives you two weeks’ holidays. More than often this is not the case. In the past, I have planned a one month trip.

    5 Don’t Buy Materialistic Items - This doesn’t mean cut out all you’re shopping, you do not want your life between trips to suck all together. Once you’ve decided you want a life of travel, you just give up on wanting expensive things.

    6 Plan Trips Around Weekends - This one goes for those who must work with meager holiday time. When it comes to planning trips, time is usually always the issue. If your work likes to treat you like their slave and won’t give you time off, then you either quit, or you’re going to have to plan better.

    7 Get Creative - You’re probably saying, Stephen, you’re off your rocker. Seriously, though, my creativity has made me lots of money to help with traveling! When I was 19 years old, I started a small business for fun. I had recently visited India and brought back some whole spices. I ground the whole spices into blends which I learned while traveling in India, and I sold them at a local market.

    8 Strategic Planning - How much planning do I, the Uncharted Backpacker, put into a trip? The answer is – a lot! Literally, from the day I decide I am going somewhere, to the day I arrive there, I am planning. I plan accommodation, transport, locations, festivals, you name it.

    9 Get a Job Abroad - Not everyone can get time off from work and not everyone has the money saved up to travel. If this is your case, then why not consider working abroad?

    10 Be Smart when Buying Flights - Your flight alone is going to be one of your biggest expenses when it comes to your trip. If you know the industry, however, you can avoid paying absurd prices to fly!

    These are the few steps which one should follow to save money and before planning a tour they should do some research about the place where they wish to visit. This will also help in saving you a lot.
    Last edited by akash30; 2019-01-13 at 07:55 AM.

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    Troll in the Playground
     
    ElfRangerGuy

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    Default Re: Travel ideas

    Check out the Wolter's World channel on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/user/woltersworld). They have tons of tips on different countries, but also on budgetting and travelling solo and the like. Not all tips are applicable for you, but I found it quite interesting.

    A couple of tips I can give you:
    -Book early: you get better prices on flights and hotels if you book early. I often book flights more than 6 months in advance

    -Go in the off season: if possible avoid peak holiday season (and check for each country when that is, as it's not the same everywhere, but mostly it's around school holidays). Prices can more than double in peak periods.

    -check on booking sites, but then contact the hotel directly. They often have a contract with the booking site to not put lower prices than the booking site on their own site, but that doesn't mean they can't give those lower prices if you ask. If you ask, you can get them to lower their price as they don't have to pay commission to the booking site.

    -In Europe, you have budget airlines that fly very cheap, but if you count everything it's not Always the cheapest (again, Wolter's world has a video on budget airlines I recommend you check out). As Always, plan ahead and compare prices (and include all hidden costs as well).
    Clacks-Overhead: GNU Terry Pratchett

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    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Scarlet Knight's Avatar

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    Default Re: Travel ideas

    How about the Caribbean? There is lots of charity work to rebuild hurricane wrecked islands (ie Habitat for Humanity). Airfare is good in the off season. And there are plenty of activities (depending on the island) if you don't like to lie around a beach.
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  19. - Top - End - #19
    Ogre in the Playground
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    Default Re: Travel ideas

    I would always go to Brazil, but that's just me.

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    Barbarian in the Playground
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    Default Re: Travel ideas

    You could always visit graveyards, solitaires and necropolii, they are, after all, where the dead reside. Now back to the grave with ye necro thread!!

  21. - Top - End - #21
    Pixie in the Playground
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    Default Re: Travel ideas

    Depends on what you really feel like and want. For example you can rent property in Morocco through Tranio and explore the country. It is safe for tourists, lots of charity work is going on there, cheap and local food is amazing. Have you ever been there?

  22. - Top - End - #22
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    ElfPirate

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    Default Re: Travel ideas

    This thread is 4 years old.

    We need to arrange a rescue party not give travel advice.

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    Quote Originally Posted by snowblizz View Post
    This thread is 4 years old.

    We need to arrange a rescue party not give travel advice.
    Depending on what happens at the end of this month, probably both.

  24. - Top - End - #24
    Troll in the Playground
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    Quote Originally Posted by Qumiol View Post
    Depends on what you really feel like and want. For example you can rent property in Morocco through Tranio and explore the country. It is safe for tourists, lots of charity work is going on there, cheap and local food is amazing. Have you ever been there?
    Ain`t Morocco where those two girls got beheaded recently? Not what I would call safe.
    ,,,,^..^,,,,


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  25. - Top - End - #25
    Barbarian in the Playground
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    Default Re: Travel ideas

    Quote Originally Posted by Vizzerdrix View Post
    Ain`t Morocco where those two girls got beheaded recently? Not what I would call safe.
    Not sure where you are from, but Morocco is *much* safer than most touristic destinations as well as one country in particular...

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    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    WolfInSheepsClothing

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    Default Re: Travel ideas

    Quote Originally Posted by Flickerdart View Post
    Everywhere has crime. You always want to be informed about where you're going.
    One GenCon I picked a hotel room in an unfortunate area. There were other problems, but the sink did not work, as the plunger to drain the sink was missing. I went to the front desk, and the lady was like "People take those to pack their crack pipes." Awesomeness abounds.

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