by Roy -

The United States has plenty to offer, but there’s a big, wide world out there. Why not do something different this summer and go overseas? Before you get on that plane, follow some of these useful tips to make the most out of your summer trip:

1) Define what you want: What do you want to do on your summer trip? Are you interested in visiting museums and historical sites? Do you want to relax on a beach? Do you want to immerse yourself in cultural experiences? Do you want to go to a place with good nightlife? Are you interested in nature and outdoors activities? Asking yourself these questions is an important first step because it will help you narrow down your destination choices. Many destinations offer a variety of activities and interests to partake in, but it is up to you to decide which ones are your priority.

Average Rating: 4.4 out of 5 based on 243 user reviews.

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by Roy -

This article is written by Rishiraj Pruthi. Rishiraj is a family man, an avid traveler who loves his wife and his car (in that order!) – he believes in wandering into the off beaten tracks and exploring the local culture and savoring every moment of his Wandering Ways. He celebrates life and believes in living every moment of it to the fullest!

Starting off the tour to the Arctic Circle !!!


Commenced the long jpurney to Helsinki via Franfurt… Slept throughout the plane journey to Frankfurt, only to get soaked in football fever in Germany. Kind of a festival atmosphere at the airport. Ventured out in the 7 hour stopover with Kiran, my wife. Met a Brazilian named Euginia in the subway train to Frankfurt city central. The helpful localite took us to the old city as against her plans to show us around. What a sweet way to start the soujorn !! enjoyed the tranquility of the atmosphere there in, feasting on a fantastic pork pizza and strawberry cake along the way only to end up having yummy pasta on the onward flight to HELSINKI. And now its 11:30 pm here and we can still see daylight and scores of youngsters soaking in the atmosphere. Sitting in a pub called Teerenpeli wherein the Jack Daniels and amazing scenes have helped get over the jet lag!! Not to forget the picturesque Hotel Helka where we are staying … DAY 2 will take us to Rovaniemi.

Average Rating: 4.9 out of 5 based on 192 user reviews.

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by Roy -

Just off Marrakesh central square – Djemaa el-Fna – lies some of the most enticing souks in Morocco. The immense market is home to food vendors, storytellers, musicians, tattoo artists and snake charmers…and the list goes on.

Djemaa el-Fna

Fascinating, spell binding, alluring – and the list of adjectives could go on if we were to describe the Marrakesh Market – where the exotic world of snake charmers, musicians and riot of colors and cacophony of sounds bring the market alive and enticing enough to take a day out and revel in the magic of it.

Its ancient history revolves around desert caravans and pirates; its low red buildings are framed by the snow covered High Atlas mountains. The square around, which the city is centered is easily the most alluring of any African market.

It is so easy to get lost in the shrouded alleyways, which leads us into a darker, narrower lane that snakes into a twisty clutch of passageways, each nudging us in directions we can neither predict nor resist. But then, at the end these labyrinthine byways all funnel back to the main square – eventually.

Spices in Marrakesh

And in your journey through the sights, smell and sound of the souks…you chance upon its very soul which pulls you back into its fold. Enveloping you in its magic and transporting you into a world like none seen before.

Amid the dense souks, you’ll find objects to sate every sense. Monkey trainers, snake charmers, henna artists, carpets for the feet, candies for the tongue and scores of potent spices for the nose, people standing over huge boiling cauldrons dyeing wool whilst their neighbours measure out spices on old lead scales. Music acting as a layer to the souk…and over cups of sugary mint tea, with chat of family and country bartering and haggling seals the deal.

Whilst you go to the square at different times of the day, and you’ll keep seeing it reborn. At times, storytellers spin tales. At others, the food stalls dominate the scene, packed with everything from dried fruits, nuts and orange juice to gleaming rows of calf brains.

The flavor of the market is it’s salesmen – aggressive, pushing everything from rugs to perfume, with prices “just for you, my friend.” With the  happy cacophony of sounds – honks, braying of the donkey, the blaring music which keeps the shopper enthralled – it is a world of havoc – captivating havoc…

For a flavor of culinary heritage

Four-course meals are common here, the freshest salads, and meat platters ladled over fine bowls of couscous in the steaming tagines.

Pastilla

A must taste: Pastilla, a meat or vegetable pie with powdered sugar on its crust. There’s also fresh bread here to rival anything from Italy or France.

The mechoui sellers’s delicious slow-cooked lamb flavoured with cumin and salt is not to be missed. Stalls selling aromatic bunches of mint compete with colourful displays of ras al hanout, a popular spice blend, and jars of preserved olives and red peppers.

Visiting the bazaar

Thumb rule: If you decide to buy, the name of the game is to haggle. Offer about a third of the original price presented to you. You may as well make yourself comfortable as negotiations can take hours and be prepared to drink numerous cups of sweet mint tea in the process. It may also be possible to swap things, if you have designers T-shirts or trainers for example that you are prepared to give up.

The most interesting time to visit the souks is in the early hours of 5 – 8am, or late afternoon around 4-5pm when local traders can be seen bargaining for goods. Most stalls are closed in the evenings, although a few stay open till 7 or 8pm. It’s also worth noting that some souks are closed on Fridays, the holy day.

23 Mar 2011

http://www.thewanderers.travel/blog/index.php/morocco-marrakesh-market-a-treat-to-the-senses/

Average Rating: 4.8 out of 5 based on 188 user reviews.

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by Roy -

This article is written by Rishiraj Pruthi. Rishiraj is a family man, an avid traveler who loves his wife and his car (in that order!) – he believes in wandering into the off beaten tracks and exploring the local culture and savoring every moment of his Wandering Ways. He celebrates life and believes in living every moment of it to the fullest!

Jungfrau – A must do in every Wanderers List

My yearly vacation – which like every Wanderer, I really look forward to – heading away from the daily rigors – the stress, the constant emails, deadlines and more – and this time around, it was in the midst of rolling hills of Switzerland and the warm smiles of the Italians that held the promise of working its way into creating a whole new chapter in my travel diary.

What more could I ask for…a romantic sojourn with my wife, Kiran had us discovering the quaint and offbeat Italy and Switzerland – (Bellagiom Mennagio, Cadennabia in Italy ) and (Zurich, Interlaken, Lucerne, Lugano, Berne, Geneva, Locarno, Ascona in Switzerland) – a world away from the tourist traps!

Both of us are avid travelers – we love our sojourns to be quaint and unique – learning about cultures, flavors, the exotic – it’s what we believe travel should be all about.

Magical Berne – Rediscovering the old world charm

Switzerland –  to many may seem cliched as a getaway – but what I realized was that it’s a land of much more than mountains, cheese and gnomes. It’s a revival of the senses. It’s the crisp freshness of the air, the scent of pine, the riotous splash of wildflowers, and the taste of sweet milk straight from the cow…

Average Rating: 4.8 out of 5 based on 203 user reviews.

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by Roy -

The end of the summer season has brought considerably lower hotel prices across Europe, statistics released by Trivago October 14 have shown.

The average price for a standard double in Europe this month is €127, Trivago said, a fall of seven percent on September and a widespread trend seen across 35 of the 50 top European cities tracked.

Significant falls of 18 percent were seen in Barcelona (€147) and Milan (€161), Trivago said, with 15 percent drops in Copenhagen (€142), Geneva (€253) and Amsterdam (€161).

Brussels and Dublin fell by 11 percent to €135 and €96 respectively, while Budapest and Lisbon fell by nine percent to €78 and €118 respectively.

Customers planning a late-autumn trip to popular destinations such as the south of France, the Balearics, Portugal or the Greek islands could also save money, calculated TripAdvisor, with a night in Cannes 22 percent cheaper than last month at €123 and a night in Nice 19 percent cheaper at €108.

For the first time in months, Geneva lost the title of Europe’s most expensive city, to Venice, while the cheapest destination indexed by Trivago was Sofia, a steal at just €72 a night.

Mardan Palace – Europe’s most expensive hotel, Antalya, Turkey

Europe’s Most Expensive Destinations (October 2011)

Data from Trivago
1. Venice €259
2. Geneva €253
3. London €198
4. Paris €186
5. Stockholm €177

15 Oct 2011

http://travel.hindustantimes.com/travel-stories/hotel-prices-fall-in-europe.php

Average Rating: 4.4 out of 5 based on 229 user reviews.

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by Roy -

This article is written by Alka Deshpande

PROLOGUE

The US visas for our co-travellers were not happening which meant that we had a whole week of vacation before proceeding to New York and Columbia University to attend our son’s graduation. With barely 10 days left, getting a visa from the country of our choice (Spain/Portugal/Greece) in time was difficult, if not downright impossible. Our travel consultant, Farah from Wanderers suggested Germany (of course, the Germans would be the most efficient!!) as that was the only consulate that would give us a visa in a week. So we planned to visit Munich (our port of entry), Vienna, Salzburg and Budapest.

AUSTRIAAAAH!!!

Europe is one of our favourite traveling destinations for all the variety it offers…scenic surroundings, history, architecture, art, cuisine and good weather….if you are lucky!!

Munich, Germany

We landed at Munich and were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves upgraded to a suite at the Le Meredien – what a nice start to our holiday! We wandered around the city on a Hop-on Hop-off tour that allowed us to spend as much time as we liked at any of the spots or skip ones that did not interest us. The problem, however, is that sometimes by the time the guide finishes his explanation in three languages the object of his verbosity is left far behind!!! One of the MUST SEE places in Munich is undoubtedly the BMW Museum. This ‘Mecca’ for automobile fans, it impressed and intrigued even a casual visitor like me. The sprawling Scloss Nymphenburg spread luxuriantly amidst acres of well laid gardens is beautiful too. Munich seemed a friendly city and it is a relief that English is more widely understood now than it was during our first trip to Europe in the 1990’s.

BMW Museum,  Munich

One of he highlights of our trip was the train journeys between destinations. Farah did not have to work too hard at encouraging us to splurge and travel first class. It may have cost us an arm and a leg, but it was worth every penny. The trains are clean, fast, and efficient and our seats were booked and marked out with our names. We were met promptly at all the stations by distinguished looking and extremely courteous chauffeurs and many of them were quite knowledgeable about the city and its history. To our astonishment we also encountered a couple of them who had traveled to India!!

Kursalon theatre, Vienna

Austria is beautiful…probably as good as Switzerland. We spent 2 days at Vienna which is a huge bustling city full of the most beautiful old buildings. On our first evening at Vienna we visited the Kursalon theatre for a musical performance of Strauss melodies. It was very entertaining and the female lead vocalist irrevocably reminded one of the famous Bianca Castafiore (of the Tintin comics fame) even though this lady was pencil slim and very pretty!!

The Danube by sunset

An evening city tour took us up a TV tower from where we could get a beautiful view of Vienna and the Danube by the light of the setting sun. The highlight of the tour was a visit to a little tavern with live musicians and a warm and cozy ambience. We spent a lovely evening chatting with tourists from around the world, sipping wine and enjoying the lively melodies – waltzes, folk music, and even the theme from ‘Titanic’!

The Imperial hunting lodge at Mayerling, Vienna Woods

A day trip took us through the beautiful countryside to the Mayerling hunting Lodge with its haunting history of the tragic romance of Crown Prince Rudolf and his mistress Baroness Vetsera. The lodge has now been converted into a church and nunnery and incredulously the bedchamber where the lovers were found dead is now the chapel!!!

Following the Danube further south brought us to Budapest (Hungary), another old and historic city with a huge rambling castle and grounds sitting atop a hill. Our guide, Catherine took us on a 4 hour walking tour around the city and yes, up the hill to the castle as well. Because their economy is in a shambles, the city seems a bit run down but it is very beautiful nevertheless. The city has a lot of history of invasion and influences of different cultures as, pretty much like Rajasthan in India, it bore the brunt of invasions into Europe. One of the advantages of the walking tour is that one gets to see curious and interesting little known places, charming inns and buildings which would otherwise be lost in a group tour. It was also lovely talking to Catherine as she was really knowledgeable and was quite easily the best guide we had. That evening we went for a performance of Hungarian Folk dances which was exhilarating. The dances were energetic and intricate, the music foot-tapping and the costumes gorgeous.

Hungarian Folk Dance

The Danube at Budapest is broad and majestic and divides the city into its two original quarters, Buda and Pest. The evening river cruise on the Danube beckoned… and watching the lights come on and light up the elegant and historic buildings and bridges on either side of the river was a sight worth seeing. Hungary is also famous for the delicate porcelain and dainty lacework …but it is prohibitively expensive!

Salzburg-Fortress

And finally we reached Salzburg….Salzburg is probably one of the quaintest and most charming places we have seen. Right from our heritage hotel, the Aldtstat Radisson Blu to the Salzach river, its just picture perfect. The hotel is housed in a 600 year old building and has been renovated most tastefully. The coffee shop, called Picnic, had delicious food and we found ourselves eating there almost every day.

Sound of Music tourbus

There are many well organized tours to see every part of Salzburg including the hugely popular ‘Sound of Music’ tour (and, NO, we did not take that tour. Its like one of our chauffers said, “The movie was made 40 years ago and people still want to run around like Maria Von Trapp!!”). One highly recommended trip is the one to the Salt mines and another to Eagles nest and the Nazi bunkers. The latter is a chilling experience.

Also, not to be missed is the Lakes and Mountains trip that stops at the tiny village of St.Wolfgangsee. Yes, its all very touristy and recreates the ambience of tiny picturesque village with hazaar quaint shops selling zillions of overpriced souvenirs, but its fun as long as you don’t think this is the real Austria. What is worth seeing at St.Wolfgangsee, however, is the winged Gothic altar by Michael Pacher (one of only 2 that he made). Pacher’s masterpiece is considered one of the leading and most remarkable carved and painted altar shrines in all of European art. Do not forget to pick up your supply of ‘Mozart Balls’ before you leave Salzburg, they are available everywhere!

EPILOGUE

So what did I enjoy most about the trip to Austria? Undoubtedly the lavish breakfasts that were spread out each morning no matter where we stayed. Nothing like starting a day with a King sized repast and then walking it all off exploring the fascinating and engrossing cities and countryside.

Alka Deshpande

18 Aug 2011

http://www.thewanderers.travel/blog/

Average Rating: 4.4 out of 5 based on 173 user reviews.

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by Roy -

Exploring Europe on a Student Budget

Whether you have just graduated and are looking for a taste of adventure before hitting the real world, or you are simply hoping to spend your summer break exploring the globe with friends, Europe is a dream destination for students of all ages in undergraduate and graduate programs. With its beautiful landmarks, unique cultural identity, and incredible history, there is plenty to see and do on the continent. While Europe is often thought to be an expensive vacation destination, there are fortunately several different ways to see the sites without spending a fortune. From Barcelona to Rome and beyond, planning an affordable vacation abroad doesn’t need to feel like mission impossible.

Budget First

Choosing a destination for your vacation is perhaps the most important step in ensuring that your vacation falls within the parameters of your budget. For example, some European cities, such as London, are known to be particularly pricey in general and even more so when the pound is doing well in exchange rates. On the other end of the spectrum, destinations like Istanbul are easy on the pocketbook. You will also want to take key factors like safety into consideration when planning your trip.

Paris is another European city that appeals to many students, and is a less expensive than London. Some of the most popular tourist destinations, including landmarks such as L’Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower, can all be enjoyed from the outside without spending a single penny, and there are quite a few cheap hostels around. If your heart is set on seeing the view from the top, a few euros will gain you entry.

Furthermore, the city government of Paris has a wide selection of different offers that allow tourists to see everything at a discounted price. The transport authority, the RATP, offers a ParisVisite pass, which provides unlimited travel for several consecutive days, in addition to discounted entry fees to many popular landmarks in the city. If hitting the museums is your main priority, the Paris Museum Pass provides unlimited entry to more than 60 museums throughout the city, easing the impact on your wallet.

Look Out For Discount Travel Cards

Another breathtaking European destination that many students enjoy cheaply is Prague. Nestled on the banks of the Vltava River, Prague is a magnificent city for travelers looking to experience the beauty of Central Europe. From the glamor of Prague Castle to the historical neighborhood of Josefov, which was once the Jewish ghetto, Prague has plenty to offer student tourists.

Much like Paris, Prague also offers visitors a discount card for seeing the many museums and historical sites in the city. These cards can be purchased from many of the local hotels and tourist sites. They can also be pre-ordered online before departing.

One thing travelers will certainly want to remember regardless of their final destination is to book accommodation in advance. While many backpackers choose to keep their trip fluid and open, instead booking their hostel when they arrive in the city, this can lead to inflated prices. The best hostels in the city generally fill up rather quickly, so it is always a good idea to book ahead of time.

It is also key to take some precautions before leaving home. If you have not already reviewed the specific vaccination requirements for the countries you will be visiting, you will want to do so, so check in with your own doctor. Keep in mind that it is always cheaper to buy food from grocery stores and farmer’s markets than to eat out at restaurants, especially if the exchange rate is not in your favor.

With a bit of advanced planning and some navigation once you arrive, you will likely find that Europe can be cheaper than expected!

13 Oct 2011

Students and Travel

Average Rating: 4.7 out of 5 based on 291 user reviews.

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