Travelling: Spontaneity v planning

From your grandma to your dog, everyone seems to have an opinion on the best way to travel. Should you plan your trip down to the day, or is it better to be spontaneous and let the wind blow you wherever you go.

There is a lot to be said for both attitudes. Both are entirely different ways of travelling and one way may be more attractive to you, while others like something different. But really, what is better?

Being a planner

Doing your research, making notes that turn into plans and creating an itinerary is a great way to really get to know the country you’re visiting. Through research, you’ll find out what to visit, when to visit, and will be able to see everything on your list. Think of it is a big to-do list. This is great for those who like to have some structure and some idea of what to do. It’s also a great way to make sure you see/do/eat/experience everything the country has to offer! Nothing is worse than going home and hearing about some epic place you had no idea existed!

For example, I quickly learnt that bus fares are the cheapest way to get around in Europe and if you book 30 days in advance the fares can be half price! I planned the first 4 months of my trip to take advantage of these savings. It also meant I knew what monuments I wanted to see and when to see them. In Paris, infamous for its hour long queues is the Louvre. By doing some research and planning when to visit, not only was there NO queue, but I got in for free!

So there is something to be said for planning! So where to start? Use google and look up everything you might want to know. Sticking with Paris, you might want to look up best times for visiting the Louvre/Eiffel Tower/hundred other important things to see, or the best croissants/crepes/macaroons. A must-see is the catacombs. This was such an incredible experience albeit a little creepy. And if you book in advance you skip the queue! Once you’ve done your research, get a note book and figure out how many days you want to spend in the city, then factor in everything you want to do and voila! You have an itinerary that will guarantee you an epic experience.

Being spontaneous

Maybe free styling and leavings things up to chance is more your style. Maybe you might miss out on something you wish you had seen, but maybe you will experience something no-one else has. Get off the beaten track and see non-touristy aspects of each city. Spontaneity opens up a whole world of adventure as you’re not stuck to one plan and have the freedom to chop and change as you please. Heard about something great? Easy, factor it in and go for it.

Having a rough outline of days and cities helps to keep you on track without the monotony of checking things off one by one. For the last part of my trip, there was no plans only endless days that promised adventure. While in Croatia we heard fantastic stories about Montenegro, so we up and left Croatia and headed there to spend an awesome 5 days. It is to date, one of the best experiences we had.

Having no plans leaves you free to take each day as it comes. While in Berlin, we had a huge list of places we wanted to go and experiences we wanted to have. At the end of our stay we had a day of no plans. We chose to wander around the city, just walking and taking everything in. We ended up a festival with live music, 2 euro beer and 2 euro sausages. It was a truly awesome day.

8 ways to travel more

The start of a New Year brings new chances and new opportunities. A chance to re-do and start afresh. Stepping outside your regular life and seeing more of the world allows you to reboot, expand, grow and develop. Maybe it’s a two week vacation spent sipping cocktails poolside, maybe its trekking to Mt Everest Base camp or maybe this year you plan on eating French croissants, Italian pizza and chowing down on a currywurst in Germany. Either way there is plenty to see and do! Here are my seven tips to get you out and about:

1. Buy yourself a nice thermos mug and some homebrew coffee and stop buying coffee out. You’ll get the same kick and save yourself anywhere from $3-6 a day. Instead set up an automatic bank transfer from your normal account to a savings account and deposit this $6 in every day. After six months you’ll have $1,008. Enough for return flight to Asia from Sydney!
2. Enlist a friend or two! No better motivation than a friend who wants to do the same thing. Start talking, planning and booking.
3. Get outside more often. Travel doesn’t have to be thousands of kms away in a foreign place where you can’t even pronounce the name of the main city. Find some local waterfalls, hidden beaches and untrodden paths.
4. Just say yes. It seems so simple but sometimes you need someone to remind you to take the plunge. Maybe you’ve already done it, maybe your friend gave it a bad review or you’re feeling tired – ignore all that and just give it a go.
5. Do what you scares you. Maybe hurtling down a snow-covered field makes you nervous, or jumping out of a plane makes you turn and walk the other way – whatever it is, book it and don’t think about it again. It could be one of the greatest adventures you go on this year.
6. Create a budget. If money is always a concern, then create a budget. Yes it may be mundane and boring but once you see where your weekly pay goes, you’ll be more inclined to cut down and start saving. And once that savings account starts going up, you’ll be more motivated to plan a getaway.
7. Learn another language. It’s exciting and stimulating to be able to speak more than one language, and it also makes travelling a lot easier! It might make you feel comfortable when exploring South America, or ordering food in Indonesia.
8. Volunteer. Travelling and helping others? Yes please! You’ll walk away from this trip feeling inspired and good about yourself. And you’ve also seen another part of the world and been involved with new customs and new experiences. Winning!

 

The 5 towns of Cinque Terre, Italy

Being lucky enough to spend 3 nights in Cinque Terre we saw a lot of the 5 beautiful towns along Italy’s rugged coast line. Here’s my favourite part about each one.

Riomaggiore
This is the first town, where we stayed and also coincidentally our favourite. It was less busy and touristy, had some great food and a beautiful port for swimming, reading in the sun and taking photos of the gorgeous little town. It feels Italian and locals can be seen tending to their lemon trees or vineyards in the late afternoon. We stayed in an apartment, called Cinque Terre holidays which was 2 rooms crammed with 8 beds each but we were lucky and virtually had the place to ourselves. The apartment had a small balcony where we sat every morning to have breakfast and watch the sun rise, and every night for dinner to watch the sun set over town.
Things to try:
– sea food cones. There’s a small take away shop on the Main Street that sells cones of fresh hot seafood. They are delicious so make sure to grab one.
– fresh pesto. Pesto is sold in literally every shop and restaurant. We found a small deli that made their own and had pesto pasta with seafood one night. It was scrumptious!
– focaccia. Cinque Terre is the birthplace of this divine delicacy and Paulina’s bakery is a small shop near the top of the street that sells slices for cheap. Once you have one you can’t stop.

Manarola
Manarola is the 2nd town in line, and while lovely, it’s not a great place to take a dip. It’s very small and the Main Street leads you straight down to the port. The water was always very rough and difficult to get in and out. Instead cool off with some gelato and tuck into some local food. A small restaurant called Porticcioli serves the most amazing seafood spaghetti I’ve ever indulged in. The pasta was silky and al dente, the tomato sauce rich and bursting with flavour and the seafood tasted fresh. It was divine, I could of eaten it every day.
Things to try:
– the most incredible walk starts here and ends at Corniglia. It is a mountain walk, not coastal so it’s rather hard but worth the views.
– eat seafood spaghetti. Words cannot describe how delicious it is. I think I may of even licked my plate.

Corniglia
Set 365 steps up from the train station, the 3rd town offers some spectacular views given its higher location. Again it’s a tiny town clustered with houses and restaurants. We didn’t stay long in this town as we ended our big walk here and were exhausted but walk along the perimeter as well as through town to see gigantic mountains awash with greenery that descends down to a deep blue ocean. It’s a great place to stop and admire the view. Around the back of town is a small organic bar that sells their own wine and vineyards creep along the outdoor setting. It is a great spot to relax and enjoy the local products.
Things to try:
– relaxing and admiring the view.
– enjoy a glass of wine, or two.. No-ones watching and your on holidays!

Vernazza
The second last town is the best for swimming. The narrow road takes you straight from town to the water which is actually a little bay and perfect for taking a dip, then lie on the sand to dry off. Unfortunately it was hit by a flood in 2011 and signs of damage are still evident. Near the beach are tons of gelato shops so get yourself a scoop!
Things to try:
– swimming. No other town has a bay so enjoy the water.
– gelato. Pile scoops of fresh homemade gelato into a cone and enjoy. Italian gelato is like nothing else.

Monterosso al Mare
This is the last time and the most touristy and busy town of them all. It has a few beaches, the main ones being dotted with red and yellow umbrellas that are for hire. It has more than one street, and alleyways are filled with people browsing the shops and eating at the restaurants. There are also resorts here, which is unlike any other towns so be wary if you don’t like lots of people.
Things to try:
– more gelato. You need to try every flavour don’t you.. Treat yourself and enjoy one by the water
– varied selection of restaurants and accommodation. Want some luxury, or have a fussy travel companion that can’t decide on food.. Monterosso has the greatest selection of food and accom so there’s something for everything.

 

9 reasons you need to travel now

Thinking about travelling? Experiencing wanderlust? Travelling is exhilarating and if you’ve never been I urge you to pack a bag and see what the world has in-store for you.

Here are 9 reasons you need to travel now:

1. You have no responsibilities. As a young 20something year old I have no mortgage to repay, or husband and kids to take care off. Celebrate this now, and later celebrate your family.
2. You have time. Pretty soon you’ll be climbing that corporate ladder so take a chance to become a more worldly person now.
3. You have energy. Trust me you’ll be grateful for this when you’ve spent all day looking at the beautiful sights, drinking and dancing till 3 am and getting on a bus at 7am hungover and tired.
4. You’re independent. Chances are you haven’t met ‘the one’ yet so go explore before you can’t.
5. You have (or can get) money. Work nights in a bar, all day at cafes or borrow from your mum either way you’ll soon have all the dosh you need.
6. You are young. Your future is still being shaped so let it form in the best way possible.
7. You’re insecure or shy. Travelling teaches you to be more confident, more sure of yourself and stronger – traits that will always be in fashion.
8. You have absolutely no idea what you’re doing. With parents, teachers, family and friends asking you what you want to be and shoving ideas into your head it’s hard to make a decision. Take some time away, immerse yourself in new ideas and cultures and decisions will come easier – when I went travelling I found what I wanted my future career to look like.
9. For the memories and stories. Want to be the cool nan with the amazing stories of trekking it through forests, climbing mountains, meeting boys, and sleeping under the stars? You need to go somewhere to enjoy all these experiences.