Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Planner or Free spirited that is the question?

The question lies between if I am a planner or am I a more free spirited person? Well the fact that this blog is dedicated to planning out my European excursion it is easy to see that I am definitely a planner. I believe my roommate and I will have a pretty detailed plan of our whole trip to begin with, but who’s to say once we are out there things won’t change? One possibility is we might meet other backpackers who we wish to travel with for an extended period of time. But I believe having somewhat of a plan of where we might go and what we might want to see is very important.

Looking into the International Youth Travel Card (IYTC) which is obtainable to those part-time students like myself provides discounts not only in Canada but it can also be used in over 100 different countries with 21,000 discounts provided. For the low price of only $17.50 this card will be an asset on my European travels. To gain more important about the (IYTC) please Click Here. 

Or to gain information about where you can use you’re (IYTC) to be discounted Click Here.

As of right now I plan on traveling to many different countries over a period of 2 months or more. I have heard and read that the train is an exciting way to travel throughout Europe. With that said after researching what rail pass I should go with I have decided to purchase the Eurail Global Pass which is an unlimited travel pass that can visit up to 21 different countries WOW!!!!. The “Youth Flexi” pass is for young travelers like myself. I have chosen to go with a pass that allows me too use the Euro Rail for 15 days in a 2 month time period, costing me $831.00 a bit expensive, but well worth it. To visit the Rail Europe website for more information Click Here.

 

The World is at your Fingertips

Whether your deciding to trek it alone or to travel with a group these travel companies listed below offer a wide variety of tours and adventures. They are all targeted towards young adults ranging from 18 to 35 years in age. 

HAGGIS ADVENTURES provides tours in Scotland, England, and Wales. To visit their website  Click Here.

SHAMROCKER Irish Adventures offers tours throughout Ireland. They list the main attractions in Dublin that I am defiantly excited to check out, for example like the Guinness Storehouse.  To visit their website Click Here.

BUSABOUT explorer, caters to independent travelers as they offer “Hope-on Hop-off buses throughout Europe.”

BUSABOUT adventures, offers tours and trips throughout Morocco, Spain, Croatia, Pamplona, Egypt, Italy, Greece, and Tomatina with experienced tour guides. To visit their website Click Here.

TOPDECK does tours in Europe, Africa, and Egypt. To visit their website Click Here.

CONTIKI “is the world’s #1 travel company for students and young professionals” they conduct tours throughout Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand, Egypt, Russia, and Asia. To visit their website Click Here. 

EASTERN TREKKER offers different tours and trips in Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Prague, Krakow, Zakopane and Budapest just to name a few. To visit their website Click Here. 

So even though I have decided to trek it with a friend instead of a travel company these websites offer great attractions to visit in every country as well as great hostels. Also from looking through these websites they have offered me ideas of where I intend to travel, this was a great starting point to gain information. Check back on my Blog as I continue to share and post the many different places I intended to travel, I will be listing places to stay, and attractions to see. 

Please share your feedback if you have ever traveled with any of these companies or others I haven’t listed? 

Monday, September 28, 2009

Getting Started...


Before I set out on my fantastic journey through Europe, I thought I should research the places I intend to visit to ensure that I can save a buck. Today I visited TRAVEL CUTS at the University of Western Ontario which is located on the basement level of the UCC building, where I grabbed some brochures and other information. A couple of the brochures that I picked up were the Contiki books for Europe 2009/10. I also picked up the Rail Europe “2009 Europe on Track” book which is a MUST have, as it outlines different rail pass prices, and has a useful European Rail Map inside.
Also visit TRAVEL CUTS or join their page on Facebook "TravelCUTS - Univ of Western Ontario"

Check out the CONTIKI day on Wednesday September 30, 2009 on UWO's campus from 10-3pm at TRAVEL CUTS.

I know I’ll be there :)


(photo cred: http://www.facebook.com/TravelCUTSUWO?ref=ts#/TravelCUTSUWO?v=wall&ref=ts)