Tag Archives: Travel Style

Posts from Base Camp

Choosing Hotels and B&Bs

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

I’m sitting in my living room, listening to one of my recent vinyl acquisitions,  After staying in so many different hotels and B&Bs this year, I am definitely appreciating the comforts of home more.  However, I have learned quite a bit along the way about European accommodation; today’s post gathers a little bit of that acquired knowledge.

When travelling alone, I generally prefer B&Bs to hotels.  There is more of a personal touch in a B&B and that can be helpful when you don’t know anybody…especially if the local language is an unfamiliar one.  Most B&B owners will speak at least one other major European language in addition to their own.  Hostels are another good option when travelling solo, although one needs to do a bit more research on these.  Some hostels heavily favour a partying demographic, while others are much more inclusive.

Beach restaurant on Schiermonnikoog (Friesland, the Netherlands)
Beach restaurant on Schiermonnikoog (Friesland, the Netherlands)

Often, however, it is necessary to stay in a hotel when travelling alone.  One of the fun things about solo European travel is the occasional great hotel deal you can find.  While North American hotels charge a solo traveller almost as much as two people sharing a room, a number of European hotels charge solo travellers little more than one-half the two person rate.  Some business-oriented hotels drop their rates even more on weekends.  Admittedly, the rooms can be on the small side and the bed is generally only a single bed, but otherwise you get all of the amenities of the hotel…including breakfast!  As a result, my bargain single room at the 4-star Hotel City Central in Vienna came with a huge and luxurious all-you can-eat buffet breakfast (including some very posh warm food) that I could only begin to sample.  It was a perfect way to begin a very long day of travel back to Kingston.

The village of Schiermonnikoog (Friesland, the Netherlands)
The village of Schiermonnikoog (Friesland, the Netherlands)

As the year progresses, I am paying a lot more attention to formerly inconsequential details when choosing a place to stay.  I am always trying to stay within my budget, of course, and I do check to see if a place has attracted a lot of bad reviews.  However, there are some things that warrant an extra Euro or two.   Here are the three main things I’ve been looking for:

1.  Reliable WiFi.  The blog obviously requires it, but for me it is even more important to stay in touch with my wife when I am on the road.  Skype (or FaceTime, in our case) is a godsend for solo travel.

A quiet moment at low tide on Schiermonnikoog (Friesland, the Netherlands)
A quiet moment at low tide on Schiermonnikoog (Friesland, the Netherlands)

2.  Easily accessible from major rail stations.  Taxis are a budget killer and hauling luggage gets very old towards the end of a trip.  Local public transit can also play tricks on you when you’ve just arrived in a new city.  If the train station isn’t right downtown, I’d rather stay near the station…commuting downtown is a lot easier without the backpack.

3.  Early check-in, especially on the day of arrival overseas.  Most flights from North America to Europe arrive between 5:00 and 8:00 a.m. local time.  I generally don’t get enough sleep on overnight flights and the last thing I want to do upon arrival is to carry my luggage around for 8-10 hours until it is time to check in.  Most places will at least let you drop off your luggage if you arrive early…but that is only a partial solution to the exhaustion I usually feel by late morning on the day of arrival.

Damp Dutch dogs drinking by the desolate dunes (Schiermonnikoog, Friesland, the Netherlands)
Damp Dutch dogs drinking by the desolate dunes (Schiermonnikoog, Friesland, the Netherlands)

All of today’s photos are from the Frisian island of Schiermonnikoog.  Stay tuned – on Saturday I will be arriving in a brand new country that has very little in common with the Netherlands!

Posts from Base Camp

Thoughts on Group Tourism

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

As you may recall from my pre-Peru posts, I had never taken a multi-day group tour before.  I was a little concerned with how it might turn out, given my long history of travelling independently.

I needn’t have worried.  Practically everyone in my group was in the same position:  none of us had ever been to South America, nobody was fluent in Spanish, we were all new to group tours, and we were all curious about this country with a legendary archaeological site.  We were all from either Canada or the U.S.A., as it turned out; this was neither good nor bad, but it probably helped to give us a few more things in common.

Hiking to the Sun Gate at Machu Picchu
Hiking to the Sun Gate at Machu Picchu

Although my major trip (almost 3 weeks) in August will be independent, I will not be as quick to dismiss group tours as a travel option in the future.  I doubt that I would ever embark on a group tour in Western Europe, as I have family there and I have been there many times, but that doesn’t mean that a first-time visitor should avoid a European group tour if that will make them more comfortable.

I'm not entirely sure what is happening here, but the police and various other people were quite interested (Cusco, Peru)
I’m not entirely sure what is happening here, but the police and various other people were quite interested (Cusco, Peru)

Of course, you have to do your research.  I chose to use G Adventures for my visit to Peru because they were a Canadian-based company with a long history in Latin America and a commitment to more sustainable and “authentic” travel experiences.  My voluntary visit to McDonald’s (the photo at the top of this post shows the location on Cusco’s Plaza de Armas) was the only international company I experienced while in Peru:  all of our hotels and restaurants were locally-owned.  We also had the freedom to do a fair bit of exploration on our own; on our full day in Cusco, for example, the only scheduled group activity was dinner.   I think the tour company’s approach meant that the others in my group were looking for more or less the same thing that I was.

Llama at Machu Picchu
Llama at Machu Picchu

The big question now:  will I travel with  a group again later this year?  The answer is “yes”!  In fact, two of my remaining trips could be considered group trips, although only one of them is a “conventional” group tour.

Typical street in the San Blas district of Cusco, Peru
Typical street in the San Blas district of Cusco, Peru

Here’s why I chose the “conventional” group tour for my late October trip:  this year is a special opportunity for me to see places that would normally be too remote for a 1-2 week vacation.  There is one destination that I have often thought about but never seriously considered because of its utter isolation, my lack of experience in that part of the world, the language barrier, and a host of other excuses that (especially after successfully visiting Peru) I don’t think should stand in my way any longer.  This destination is ideal for what I’ll call adventure-oriented group travel and I’ve found some tour dates that appear to work.   While I haven’t booked it yet, it is in my internal travel calendar and I expect to complete the formal arrangements within the next few weeks.

Still more from Machu Picchu!
Still more from Machu Picchu!

As for the “unconventional” group trip I have planned for early September, it does not focus on the acknowledged tourist highlights of a particular region.  Instead, it focuses almost entirely on a special interest of mine.  However, I should also have lots of free time to explore on my own because this special interest is not a day-long activity.  Not all of my fellow travellers will be complete strangers, either.   Perplexed?  It will all be clear in about 6 weeks!

Posts from Base Camp

Travel Style Q&A

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Thanks to everyone who has been checking out the blog so far.  If you like, there is now a place in the margin of this blog where you can sign up to receive e-mail notifications of any new posts.

Only a few days until departure!  In the meantime, Ian B. has posted some interesting questions on my “About Me” page….and here are my responses.

• Do you think you will be staying in more hotels or hostels?

The Orient Hotel in Victoria, Prince Edward Island, Canada (2009)
The Orient Hotel in Victoria, Prince Edward Island, Canada (2009)

I hope to stay mostly in locally-owned accommodations that have some character.  This translates to a lot of simple hotels, B&Bs and “pensions”.  Hostels are always an option, especially in remote areas, although I’m not keen on large dormitories.

• Once you are in a country, how do you like to travel around most? Trains? Buses? Walking? Hitch-hiking and depending on the kindness of strangers?

For travel between places, I prefer trains because it is a lot easier to walk around during long trips (and to keep track of luggage). However, for short distances, I like to walk as much as possible.  You see so much more of your surroundings when you walk.

• Do you stick closely to your itinerary or give yourself leeway to get taken off course as you are exploring?

There are certain “can’t miss” sights and experiences that I want to make sure I see .   However, I try to stay in most places long enough to have some free time to explore and see what happens.  The weather often plays a role in this, but I also make decisions based on what I think has been missing from the trip so far.  This leads to your next question…

• What do you think you will visit more: cathedrals or soccer stadia? 

Soccer
Brazil v. Sweden (Stockholm, 2012)

It will probably be about equal in the end!   I think the key is to have balance.  Too much of a good thing can lessen the magic.

I will say that going to a soccer game is a great way to truly experience a local culture (and be entertained at the same time).  I’ll try to see as many games as I can, although most teams play only once a week and it can be hard to coordinate that with my travel schedule.

• Do you like to try out new tastes in each stop or hunt down familiar flavours?

I definitely prefer to try out new tastes that are specific to the region I’m in.  However, there are certain limits:  mayonnaise and tripe (together or alone), for example, are out of the question.

• When you need to ask a local a question, are you the kind of traveller who would rather risk offence by asking (perhaps poorly) in the country’s native language or risk offence by asking in a lingua franca? (English, French etc.)

If the local language is French or German, I will try my best to ask in that language.  If it is another language,  I will learn about 10 key phrases in that language before I arrive…including “Do you speak English?”  I think it’s important to at least try to speak the local language, however poorly, when you first approach someone in another country.

• Do you think you will go into a McDonald’s just once to try one of the unusual items they have on the menu in other countries?

It is a possibility, although it’s more likely that I would go to a restaurant chain that we don’t have in Canada.   Going to a local chain might also prove to be helpful later in that trip!