Mariana Strijp writes: Going back to Budapest after nearly 8 years for me is the equivalant to me of my mum telling you that your high school boyfriend is in town – your heart is filled with a mixture of sweet and bitter memory, along with the possible display of new charm and realisation that your life has moved on from the moment of high school musical glory.
Pretty much similar to the history of Hungary – one of the oldest Kingdoms on the continent and the Kingdom which first in the world in 1849 constituted minorities’ rights and yet the only one that lost 71% of its territory and 60% of its population to the neighbouring Romania, Serbia and Croatia. Read more
Melissa Davis gives her advice on London
1. Get a map
In order to have fun, one of the first things you’ll have to do is learn about London is how to get around. Buy one of those pocket-sized London A-Z maps. The MINI size is best. It covers all the roads in London out seven miles in every direction from City Centre. There’s also a index to the name of every street in London and a map to the many routes of the London Underground or the Tube.
PS – getting there – Flight Centre has Cheap Flights to London
2. Riding the Tube
Understand how to use the Tube and you’ll be able to go anywhere in London. Buy the Oyster Card at any station and you’ll be set for the whole week. It’s good for unlimited travel in Zones 1 and 2 on all buses and on the Tube.
3. Where to go…
This photo of London is courtesy of TripAdvisor
Now that you’ve learned how to travel, it’s time to learn where. London has dozens of neighborhoods, each with its own character.
- The West End, the South Bank and Covent Garden are the places to go for theaters and performances, along with a vast array of restaurants and bars for early evening night-life.
- For the type of night-life that continues on into the early morning and that sometimes doesn’t even start until then, you should visit the Camden, Clerkenwell, Soho and Shoreditch boroughs.
- If you’re into rock and pop bands that are about to become famous, then go to the East End or Camden
- Knightsbridge, Chelsea and Kensington are the places to go during the day for shopping at designer shops and boutiques and for taking breaks at cafes, pubs and wine bars.
- For those of you who are flying in on those first-class London flights for high-end fashion, go to Regent’s Street, Bond Street and the Dover Street Market in Mayfair.
- London is an ancient city and you can have fun finding and exploring the historical sites: Tower Bridge, the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben or the Victoria and Albert Museum in Knightsbridge.
- Or you could spend your whole vacation in the Theatre District of London seeing a different show twice a day and still not cover all the productions being offered. You can’t miss by going to a show at the Old Vic. Check out the TKTS booth to get theatre tickets cheap; there are several all over London, but the most convenient is the one near Leicester Square.
Eat your way around London
This photo of London is courtesy of TripAdvisor
Meals are another way to have fun. You’ll never run out of choices in London. If you’re short of cash, go for brunch rather than dinner. Ethnic restaurants are one of the remnants of the British Empire. You’ll find cuisines from just about every country in the world in the restaurants of London. You’ll find that even traditional English fare such as lamb and rabbit has made a comeback. But you can also find Chinese food in Soho, Afghan and Moroccan food in Queensway, Middle-Eastern food on Edgware Road and kebab from the street corner vendor. Indian restaurants abound.
ENJOY!
Ceridwyn Parr reviews: 100 places in Italy Every Woman Should Go, by Susan van Allen
Susan van Allen fell in love with Italy at a dining table in New Jersey, an Italy of gorgeous food, sumptuous art and bel canto , an Italy which she got to know through her Italian family.
She has been fortunate enough to make countless returntrips : her roccoco passion for Italy is evident in every word. Her delightful book is one to take to bed very night for a month before you leave, with a map alongside, to mark all the places she describes which you simply cannot miss. Read more
When booking your first or next cruise, here are some tips you should consider when booking that can really make your life a whole lot easier for the entire family and get your cruise off to the right start.
Traveling with Children
If you are cruising with children, make sure you do some research into which ship and which itineraries have the facilities and shore excursions that they will enjoy. Some ships cater better than others for children. Ships like the Royal Caribbean oasis of the seas and NCL’s Norwegian Epic have tons of stuff for kids to do on board, with activities ranging from climbing walls, aqua parks and great evening family entertainment. Find out about whether the ship runs a kids club as these allow the kids to socialize with others of the same age whilst also giving you and your partner time to enjoy other aspects of the ship, safe in the knowledge the kids are safe and being well looked after. Read more
Guest blog by Lorraine Boissoneault, Go Girl Magazine
Traveling around the world inevitably means coming down with some form of illness or another. Whether it’s a simple cold picked up from fellow fliers, or the more uncomfortable experience of the local variation of Montezuma’s curse, having a well-supplied med kit is a must for all foreign adventurers.
My own experiences getting sick in distant lands somehow end up being more dramatic than most people’s, with the result that almost everyone I know thinks I am a walking cesspool. I swear I don’t actually get sick that often! Not with the common cold, anyway. When I get sick, I get sick in style, and require more medical attention than just a visit to the closest pharmacy. I could lament my bad luck, but instead, I try to look at the sicknesses as a chance to assess the health care system in each of the countries. As of now, my list consists of three countries: France, Morocco, and China. Travelers heading to these locales – read on and educate yourself. You never know when you might come down with a bad case of dengue fever (no, I have not had dengue fever – yet). Read more
Dianne Sharma-Winter writes: I came across this term Conscious Travel on the internet the other day as I was fishing in the great sea of communication that flows across continents and consciousness. With the corporate office where I came to share my talents with a company who promotes themselves as one which offers cultural insights as it’s unique selling point in the background, I skim read the blog and wondered at the vagaries of life.
My recent experience of this kind of Five Star “Stick Your Telescopic Lens in the Face of a Villager”, who has been paid to entertain you with the charming aspect of their desperately simple lifestyles” approach to tourism was perhaps the best example of Unconscious Tourism, a kind of tourism that smacked of voyeurism is something that I despise. Read more
Let me introduce you to Travel Belles – an online travel magazine for women:
I have been to Boston and loved it, but would have loved a bit more inside information on where to go, where to eat, where to explore. This is what many online magazines provide. I am also a woman traveling on my own, interested in the woman’s perspective and this is where blogs like Women Travel Blog and Travel Belles fit in.
Travel Belles Guide to Boston by Briana Palma
No matter what happens this weekend with Hurricane Irene and her annoying march towards the East Coast, Travel Belles will always love to visit Boston, Massachusetts. The city of Boston has gotten a bad rap lately, leading the pack of GQ’s worst-dressed cities and coming in dead last on a recent study ranking places by the kindness of their inhabitants. But don’t let these lists stop you from visiting Massachusetts’ capital. After years of suffering through the notorious Big Dig and other construction projects, the city is buzzing with energy, especially at up-and-coming areas like the South Boston seaport and the Rose Kennedy Greenway. So here’s to making the most of your visit to Boston and discovering all that the city has to offer in history, art, shopping and more. Well, to that and not having to ask for directions. Read the post
My latest e-newsletter from Journeywoman celebrates 19 years of their great project and website – the inspiration behind it is editor, twitterer and traveler Evelyn Hannon . In her last newsletter she writes:
WOMEN-CENTERED TOUR COMPANIES UP 200% — Think about it! Back in the Eighties there was a smattering of forward thinking women entrepreneurs experimenting with tour groups of five and six women going on canoe trips or visiting New York City on weekends. Laughably, major tour operators wanted nothing to do with the concept fearing any association with female-only tours meant that they were promoting anti-male sentiments.Women, they felt, should be travelling with a father or an husband to protect them. They couldn’t have been more wrong. Today women are happily travelling like never before and most tour companies around the world feature at least several female-only itineraries in their departures. We’ve come a long way, Journey Women.
Women Travel the World
Women Travel the World
Women Travel the World
Women Travel has been going for over 10 years now, and as editor I have also seen an enormous growth in this network which caters especially for women travellers. Our latest newsletter reports some interesting statistics.
- Accommodation for Women around the world 200 + women friendly accommodations around the world Use our Google map to search
- Tours for Women did you know our Tour Calendar has nearly 300 tours for women listed at present Find one here on our tour calendar
- Women Travel Blog Get a monthly mail out of the latest blog posts www.womentravelblog.com
- Women’s Tour Companies over 90 women owned companies listed – many offering women only tours Here they are
Women Travel website www.womentravel.info
MaryBeth Bond of the Gutsy Traveller
Marybeth reports that 80% of decisions about travel are made by women,
Ten years ago, there were no such statistics. Now we know that the average adventure traveler is not a 28-year old male, but a 47-year-old female. And she wears a size 12 dress.
Packing for a Year – a woman’s perspective
Larissa and Michael are travelling for a year, and Larissa shares some of her thoughts on how to pack for such a trip. Read their travels at Changes in Longitude
Based on our prior travels I’m a pretty efficient packer – truth be told, this all started when we were getting ready for our honeymoon almost 25 years ago. Michael watched me preparing a different outfit for every day and declared, “I’m marrying you, but not your luggage. If you pack it, you carry it.” So I’ve gotten pretty good at the whole mix-and-match wardrobe thing.
One Woman — One Perspective — One Country at a time
Evita Robinson: I’m a world traveler, writer, and travel photographer. More recently, I’ve been living abroad for the majority of the past two years, primarily Japan and Thailand. My travels over the last six years have taken me to eleven countries, and three different continents.
Nomad•ness TV has been Evita’s online home for all her travel writings, videos, and photography. Within the last few months, she has got a production company on board with my project and has shot the pilot episode of the show in Berlin. The episode showcases an urban travel show, including interviewing Public Enemy, and getting tours through Berlin’s famed Art House, Tacheles. It explores countries on five aspects: art, music, food, pastimes, and causes.
