The Travel Thread

[Trojan97]

Thank you all so much for all the wonderful advice you've given me. I'm totally blown away by all the help you've thrown my way.

CP saves the day once again..I'm getting a little emotional here ( )

Cheers. Thanks again everyone!!

[I-Hate-Hulse]

For those that have been to Spain, Portugal & Morocco, can you comment on the crime situation? I'm going over there with the g/f and am wondering if I'll have to give off a Secret Service vibe there.

[Footscray]

Spain was really safe and tourist friendly for me, people were nice - I think the major issue is the ETA which you will not see signs of when interacting with people one on one. I partied well into the morning more than a few times and never had any hassle. Morocco is another matter, could be intimidating if you have not travelled alot, I wouldn't say from an ideological point of view or anything, just alot of street people, buskers and whatnot being very agressive, you may feel like many people are trying to rip you off. Also found the males very agressive towards white females. It's nice for a little flavour in an iberian vacation but wouldn't recommend a long trip there to be honest, just my two cents.

[Ranchlander]

I went to Malta this summer (A little island country off the coast of Sicily). Has it's own currency and everything. It was pretty awesome. It's pretty cheap(beer and wine especially) Awesome sightseeing (They filmed Troy, U571, and parts of Gladiator there), weather, snorkeling/scuba diving, women, and culture. (Its a mix of Italian and Arab sort of, and it was bombed HEAVILY by the Germans in WW2 due to its location right in the middle of the Med) Felt very safe there, amazing place.

I also went to Amsterdam, which was pretty damn dirty and expensive with ****ty weather. (Comparable to London or worse) Anything with the Euro is expensive. I'd recommend checking out countries that haven't converted to the Euro yet like Greece, Czech Republic, Spain, Portugal, and Malta, in search of better purchasing parity, if that is your main concern.

[Flame On]

Spain was awsome, and I never once felt all night because another of it's advantages, weather and bars open all the time. Great time and people and there are lots of amazing beaches and of course the women of spain add something to the mix.

[Jayems]

I've heard Iraq is pretty warm this time of the year....

[La Flames Fan]

Originally Posted by Jayems

I've heard Iraq is pretty warm this time of the year....

[Delthefunky]

Check out Travellerspoint.com , I'm a travel helper there and its the best forum i've come across... lot's of great members, kinda like calgarypuck that way. If your still thinking of going to Australia, know that it's not going to help your budget issues, it's along the same lines as Western Europe.

Backpacking doesn't necessarily mean that you hike from town to town. In my eyes it means travelling on a budget, a tight one at that, and finding ways to make ends meet. Hitchhiking in Europe is pretty common, and through the site I mentioned above you can actually arrange rides, usually as long as you chip in a bit for gas. You can also stay in many hostels for free as long as you agree to work there for a few hours a day. There are other places where you can work for accomadations as well, in fact there's a great site where people look and apply for such accomadations in many exotic places around the world (below).

My 2 bits would say to go to europe, no tremendous culture shock, but it's a great experience. If you can afford it, go to Norway. As Incogneto said above, Croatia is beautifull, with great beaches, Nudist welcome!! Ideally I would say go for a few months, but either way just plan ahead, and if your planning on staying in hostels ENSURE that you book ahead. Many are booked 6 months in advance. Railpasses can be had for a few weeks, a month or up to 3 months. Most but not all countries participate. Some Ferry companies also accept this pass, and you can actually take ferry's from places like Ireland to Spain, to Italy, and onto Greece. It's a great way to see the Meditteranean. http://www.eurail.com/

http://www.hospitalityclub.org/

http://www.workaway.info/

http://www.bugeurope.com/

[MagicallyAdept]

Come visit London, England. I will meet you and show you around.
You should also try to take a lot of Europe in. Forget France and Italy though, go to Talinn in Estonia. Australia is also amazing so is New Zealand.
If you are more daring i would say South America or some parts of Asia but not Thailand because everyone goes there. Go to Japan too, Tokyo is amazing.

Actually sell everyhting you have and travel the world. Go to the airport and buy a ticket to the next flight out and move every week. I always wanted to do that. I got as far as Turkey and ran out of money. I found that alcohol and partying was my downfall.

Tron_fdc - You got mugged in England, sorry to hear that, what part of London? Was you south of the river or in Edmonton (says it all really) ??

If you do not speak any other languages then venturing off the tourist trail is going to be much harde, they will know you are a tourist and they will almost definately rip you off.
Australia does sound like your best bet, it seems. It is their summer now so if you go in our summer it will be fairly cold in the southern parts of Oz.

I have a great idea for you, go to Germany for the soccer world cup. There will be parties every night, more girls than you could ever believe wanting to 'get to know you' and alcohol flowing all night and day. Just stick with the England fans

Where are you thinking about going at this moment mate?

[return to the red]

On the subject of Thailand. I was only there for ten days so I didn't get to see nearly all that I wanted too but i still ahd a great time and thought it was amazing. My lack of time there however, may be the reason that I loved it so much and recommend and want to go back.

Tron...i found very little english speaking people in Korea and the American influence isn't as much as you think unless you stay in the popular ares of Seoul (I think it is Itaewon). If you go to Seoul you have to check out Technomart as I have never seen anything like it...floors and floors of electronics. Movie experiences are always fun as you have assigned seating and people become very unpleasant if you are sitting in their seats haha. Lotte world you can experience if you go to West Edmonton Mall. Transportation is very cheap in Korea which was good because I was actually not in Seoul rather Guri (like anaheim is to LA). Smelled bad, dirty and otherwise I agree with Tron that good for a stop over but nothing special...sort of a meh, been there done that place

[Tron_fdc]

Originally Posted by MagicallyAdept

Tron_fdc - You got mugged in England, sorry to hear that, what part of London? Was you south of the river or in Edmonton (says it all really) ??
?

Northumberland, actually. Pricks stole my hat and about $100 in cash.

[icarus]

Originally Posted by MagicallyAdept

Come visit London, England. I will meet you and show you around.

That's not true, I've been to London and you didn't meet me nor show me around.

[Incogneto]

Originally Posted by Trojan97

Thanks alot for the feedback guys. Costa Rica is definitely something I'll be looking into.

Incogneto-how's Croatia in terms of expense? Would I need to starve myself to afford the trip or is it not bad?

Thanks again guys.

It's on par with Canada, I would say. Food and Beer is cheaper, but accomodations are a little more than what you would pay in the rest of Eastern Europe.

We stayed in a town called 'Bol' for 4 nights, and the private accomodations were about $16 a day. That was one of the better prices in a place that I would consider Heaven. If I win the lottery, I am moving to Bol, Croatia.

[icarus]

If you're interested, check out the site for the world's best adventure travel agency: http://www.bestway.com/ .

They do all sorts of tours to unusual places around the world, like Afghanistan and Antarctica. Even if you don't book with them, it will give you some ideas.