Category: Travel

Hostels: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Fun Fact: Good hostels can be hard to come by. Places can be very hit or miss and often the reason a hostel is great has more to do with the location more so than anything else. When trying to pick a good hostel there are a few things to consider

Price

Budget travellers have a natural preference to go for the cheapest accommodation but that can sometimes bite back. Many cheap hostels are unclean, the showers are filthy and the pressure is terrible, and the place could be rife with bed bugs! The lower the price usually means the lower the cleanliness.

Check Out Time

The best hostels have 11 A.M. check out times and the excellent ones let you checkout at noon. Sleep is priceless on the road because you’ll rarely get enough of it, if you’re travelling correctly!

Safety

A good hostel comes with good lockers. Lockers in rooms are an absolute must and a safe at reception is a major draw-card. Building security has got to be taken seriously, so make sure you check out the level of security before you book.

Common Area

If your hostel doesn’t have a bar, leave. Kidding. But it should have a big common area. The best hostels have a place where travellers can hang out and socialize with each other. Common areas facilitate interaction and help solo-travellers have an easier time meeting people. They’re almost as important as…

..Staff

Oh man, is there anything worse than bad service at a hostel? The staff at a great hostel must be friendly, helpful and welcoming as well as knowledgeable about the city and its surroundings. The best hostels have natural people pleasers as staff, often fellow travellers themselves, or at least former ones, who can give good advice.

Fun Times

Even if the hostel you choose is clean and safe, you’re going to leave unsatisfied if it doesn’t provide a range of activities for guests. Tours and trips around the city, and special events at the hostel are great activities for fostering relationships between travellers. A recent Blackout Bingo review says that parties and barbecues are an even better way for travellers to meet and greet each other, swapping stories of brews and burgers. Many good hostels have a games room for rainy days, ranging from board games to pool tables.

If you’re pressed for time and can’t bother going through the multitude of hostel websites out there to check out individual facilities, you can just hop online at TripAdvisor where heaps of travellers leave honest, sometimes too honest, reviews of hostels from around the world. If you’re travelling in your free Transfercar rental, you might want to check if the hostel has secure parking. If you’re looking for a way to save money, check out our deals on free RVs and campervans, where the room is clean and comfortable! Just check out our routes and with a few simple clicks you’ve got yourself accommodation on wheels for free! You can’t beat that!

 

Editor’s Pick for Best Travel Blogs

Ok. There are literally tens of thousands, no, possibly millions of travel blogs out there in the World Wide Web that cater to every, and any, traveler’s tastes. Over the year we’re going to publish our picks of the most popular travel blogs and the ones we believe are the most inspiring, too. If you come across some that you think we should have a look at then get in touch as we’d love to see them!

Young Adventuress is a darling blog geared toward adventure and slow travel. Liz Carlson began travelling at the age of 16 and 40 countries later she’s not showing any signs of slowing down! She starts her blog while trekking through the Andes before moving to Spain for two years, where she was teaching English and living the expat life before kinda getting sent packing by the government for over-staying on her visa! Yikes! She’s so hard-core! With over 25 countries under her belt, Liz is living in New Zealand and you can follow her (mis)adventures as she wanders, eats, and photographs her way around the North and South Islands. Her posts on how to talk the talk with kiwi slang are well, sweet as, bro.

Bridges and Balloons Victoria and Steve, a writer and filmmaker from London packed up their home in 2012 and took their careers on the road for as long as they can. They were recently in South America, but right now they could be just about anywhere! They happen to be serious vegetarians and their posts do a great job highlighting how to continue that lifestyle choice while travelling the globe. Their blog is composed of travel stories, photos, personal tales, interviews, curated content, and practical guides that are written in a way to inspire you to explore, dream, discover.

The Polar Route is a travel photography blog geared towards anyone with a hunger for seeing this incredible world through pictures. The best thing about this site is the daily photo which could be taken from anywhere in the world. No country seems too far for Ed Graham who has travelled almost everywhere and manages to produce professional style travel photography. This site is a great inspiration if you’re looking to travel but you’re not quite sure where you want to go yet.

Four Jandals: Cole and Adela, an adventurous traveling couple from New Zealand, started this blog when they began travelling together in 2009. They have great posts on how to travel as a couple and not break-up! Ha! Trust me, it happens! Their posts have an interesting take on locations, pushing you to experience all that there is available in certain locations. The idea for their blog began during an 18,000km road trip across Canada. Man, I bet if Transfercar had been there they would have saved some sweeeeet cash! Clearly they managed because the adventure continues! FYI: “Jandals” is kiwi slang for flip-flops or sandals.

Anywhere But Home is the creation of Naomi, a 20-something wanderer pursuing her travel dreams on a backpacker’s budget. In 2010, she left home in search of unique experiences and hasn’t looked back since, which is I guess why her blog is so aptly titled. She gets up to all kinds of no-good: she’s been shot at with live fireworks in Taiwan, tracked wild orangutans and pygmy elephants in Borneo, worked with mummies in Peru and dropped plans to impulsively move to Georgia, the country. Her posts on Australia will have you packing faster than you can say “koala” so maybe book your Transfercar now for that epic Aussie road trip?!

Emma’s Travel Tales is a blog aimed at the under-30 traveler, but not necessarily a backpacker. Emma is a 22-year-old Scottish lass who has already been on over 10 cruises. Girl likes boats! Her quest is to see the world and to work wherever she can to satiate her wanderlust! She’s an inspiration for travelers who want to keep going and who work travel into their life plans.

Our Tasty Travels Brett Domue, a lifelong gypsy who has been traveling the world since 2004 created this blog to inspire everyone to quit their jobs and work overseas!  He started in the Netherlands and Taiwan and then paired up with the lovely Erin De Santiago, an avid foodie and wine-lover, and together they search the world for tasty dishes. Yum! Erin just happens to be “Best of” Food and Drinks writer for CBS Sacramento and she regularly contributes to Examiner: Belize Travel Examiner, Luxury Hotels Examiner, International Travel Examiner, Culinary Travel Examiner, Islands Travel Examiner, and Worldwide Disney Theme Parks Examiner.  She was previously the Topic Editor of Asian Cuisine and Old World Wine for Suite 101. I think she knows her food inside and out! Consider yourself warned: do not look at this blog while hungry. You will eat your computer.

Flora the Explorer is one cool chick who is out in the world looking for the wonderful weird and wacky! Over the years, adventurous Flora has studied Italian in Florence, literature in San Francisco, volunteered with villagers in Kenya and orphans in Lithuania, and worked with musicians in Iceland and celebrities in India. There is no stopping her! She’s eaten crickets in Thailand, slept in the deserts of Jordan, read nursery rhymes to numerous classes of Nepali children and navigated her way around America’s East Coast via the notorious Chinatown bus system. Oopf! If you’re looking to do the same, maybe grab a free rental car from us first?!

And there you have it, some of the finest blogs on the Web to date. Dirty secret: I wanted to put the Transfercar blog on there too, because we have posts on everything from budget travel tips to how to party in some of the great places in America, Australia and New Zealand. If you’re looking to explore any of those three countries sometime soon, have a look at our free rental car system. And then book!

Travel Apps: Making Travel Easy-Peasy

With Smart Phones and iPhones basically running the world, they make everything seem easier, even the complications of planning and booking a trip. While travel agents and DIY travel sites are still excellent and aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, we think it’s time to turn to our phones to check out what travel apps can do for you and your holiday. Have a look at some of the trending travel apps available. You just might find one that catches your eye. And if we’ve missed any get in touch and let us know which ones you prefer to use and we’ll add them to our next list. Promise!

FlightTrack
This sneaky app helps you check out the paths of heaps of international flights with detailed info on departure gates, delays and even pesky cancellations. If you’re looking forward to someone’s impending arrival, and you want to be there on time, this is the app for you.

WeatherPro
You know how weathermen always get it wrong? Well, with this intuitive app offering weather reports for over two million geographical locations, you’ll never be underprepared again! This app is so accurate that it can basically tell the future of weather. Get it and get it now.

JetLag Genie
How many remedies do you have up your sleeve for jetlag? Well guess what, smarty-pants? They don’t work! What does work is gradually altering your sleeping habits before your trip and this app will help you do that. Simply input your destination, dates and sleep schedule and it will create personalized alarm clocks to set your internal clock straight.

XE Currency
It’s all about the bling bling. This free app is the user friendly and it uses live currency rates making it super accurate. FYI: it’s been downloaded over 5 MILLION TIMES, so everyone you know already has it! Get it together!

Packing Pro
Yes, some people need packing help to this extent and yes there is an app for to help them. Just tell the app where you’re going and for how long and who with and it tells you what you need to bring in list form that you can tick off as you pack. Amazing.

Onavo
Ugh. Data roaming charges can be a kill buzz for any trip, and I know this first hand. With Onavo the amount of data required to perform everyday tasks is drastically decreased, so it won’t cost you an arm or a leg retrieving emails and posting selfies to Facebook. Can I tell you how it does this? No, no I can’t, but does it matter when it’s saving you money and doesn’t cost anything?!

Perfect World Clock
In a perfect world this clock would run it, but because the world is flawed, we turn to this app to access the time in hundreds of different cities the world over. Is it revolutionary? Not really, but you won’t be calling your mom and dad at 3am anymore so there’s that. Keep time zones at the touch of a screen by adding several clocks as home-screen savers.

TravelSafe Pro
This app is basically your lifesaver. A database of emergency service numbers for every country you’d want to visit, and a few you wouldn’t! And if you’re prone to losing stuff, and your mind in the process, there are embassy details if you “misplace” your passport.

WorldMate
If you have a personal assistant, then I hate you, I mean, fire them this instant because all you need is this app, and this app is all you need. Just forward your various confirmation emails for flights/hotels/hire cars/restaurant bookings etc. to [email protected] and the app generates an itemized itinerary. And it’s free. FREE.

Waze
This is where GPS navigation meets social networking. Just tap in your destination, or use the nifty speech recognition option if you’ve got busy hands, and other users submit traffic reports ensuring you the quickest route!

HopStop
This free app gives you the public transport information of over 68 of the world’s biggest, busiest metropolitan centers. So if you’re looking for the best Metro routes in Paris or you’re just looking to catch a bus in downtown Montreal, this app will give you a stop-by-stop itinerary making it less likely to get lost.

Pin Drop
There are two kinds of travelers: the psycho over-planners who devour all the guidebooks and those who just off and enjoy the spontaneity of travel on the fly. If you subscribe to the latter, this app is for you. It allows you to drop GPS pins onto a map when you come across something interesting, or browse user-made lists recommending the best places for shopping, dining and sleeping in town.

Foodspotting
Foodies rejoice! This app responds to your every gastronomic whim by giving you user-generated recommendations for the local area you’re travelling in. So if you’re in downtown Kiev looking for the best pierogies, have a scroll through Foodspotting and you’ll be on your way to cheesey-potatoey heaven in no time. And it’s free!

Better Translator Pro
Say hello to the highest rated translation app on Android. This app has more than 50 languages in text-to-text mode, and an impressive 11 that operate with the voice recognition feature. Who needs phrasebooks with apps like this?! Don’t expect immediate fluency, and learning a language while travelling is always a better choice, but this app is at least a start in finding your feet in countries where English isn’t center stage.

I could go on and on as there are so many great travel apps out there these days, but you’ve got work to do exploring the list we have here. When you’re travelling in the States, Australia or New Zealand with your free Transfercar rental, these apps can give you a head-start on the trip of your dreams. With most of the best ones available for nothing, it just goes to show that the best things in life truly are free. Register with us today.

Photo copyright Anne Worner:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/wefi_official/14610977120/

 

Answer the Phone: Colorado is Calling

Colorado is one of the most picturesque places to visit in the great U S of A. If you’re a fan of Mother Nature, look no further than this mountainous state! From hikes to concerts to big cities and bright lights, Colorado has it all. Here are our top three picks for a stellar outdoors experience in this American gem. All you need to do is pick up your sweet Transfercar rental from Denver and go exploring!

Pikes Peak America’s Mountain

The best way to connect with Mother Nature during your trip to Colorado is to hike up to Pikes Peak, if you’re feeling fit enough that is! This mountain is the most visited in the entire country and is open the whole year round. Take a hike on the 19-mile Pikes Peak Highway or check out the Barr trail. Lassie and Fido can get in on the fun too, as the entire park is pet friendly, but don’t forget your pooper scooper. Rumour has it that one of the best reasons to visit Pikes Peak is to catch a glimpse of the elusive Big Foot. No, I’m not kidding. There have been several sightings of Big Foot since 1988. You just may be the one to capture him on film (and then sell the images for thousands online!).

Fun Fact: On March 25, 1929, Bill Williams, an average joe from Hondo, Texas spent a gruelling 21 days on the Pikes Peak Highway. His goal?  To push a peanut from the base of the mountain to the summit. With his nose. Apparently he went through 3 pairs of shoes, 12 pairs of gloves and roughly 150 peanuts. Did he achieve his goal? Yes. Did it make the world a better place? Not so much, but it’s still an impressive achievement I must admit!

Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre

The Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre is the ultimate Colorado experience. World renowned as the only naturally-occurring, acoustically perfect amphitheatre, visitors not only get to groove here but they can also discover the region’s different flora and fauna. The summer concert series brings some of the best acts from all over the country. From Sting and The Beatles, to opera stars and U2, every artist aspires to play on this magical, spiritual and emotional stage. In 2015 you can count on seeing Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Kings of Leon, Led Zeppellin and even Drake vs. Lil’ Wayne! The amphitheatre opened in 1941 and is still going strong today. With 9525 seats this is a great concert venue and not something you should miss on your trip.

But it’s not just a great place to catch a concert. The 868 acres of geological wonders, prairie and old dinosaur stomping grounds is where the Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains. There are a number of recreational options available to you here at Red Rocks, from  hiking, biking, guided tours, and even shopping and fancy dining for those of you who are more at home in the mall rather than nature!

Fun Fact: On June 10, 1971, a riot involving Jethro Tull, led to a five-year ban of rock concerts at Red Rocks. 1,000 people without tickets arrived at the sold-out show and when police directed the non-paying crowd to an area behind the theater, some of the people attempted to enter the amphitheatre by charging at the police line. Then they began lobbing rocks at the police, and well, the police responded with tear gas that the wind then carried over the hill, into the paying crowd and onto the stage. It all ended in tears so to speak. Since then there haven’t been any more riots. Ah the 70’s! Good times…

Rocky Mountain National Park

You may have heard of the Rocky Mountains?! Of course you have silly, who hasn’t?

Adventure seekers shouldn’t miss out on trekking and hiking at the Rocky Mountain National Park. There are activities for every level of fitness here, so don’t worry if you haven’t been hitting your local Cross Fit gym lately, there’s something here for you. You can go skiing, snowshoeing, sledding, fishing, hunting and horseback riding. But if you want something slower paced then just get your shoes on and go for a walk! The stunning views and spectacular vistas are just begging to be seen. If you’re into animals Rocky Mountain National Park offers a wide variety of wildlife. In the higher alpine areas, you’ll find yellow-bellied marmots and pikas. Larger mammals that inhabit the park include elk, bighorn sheep, black bears, mountain lions, mule deer, and moose. Leave your shotgun at home, ok? This is a no hunting zone!

Fun Fact: The oldest rocks in the park are metamorphic, and estimated at 1.7 billion years old, making them some of the oldest rocks within the National Park System. That’s some old rock! If you know any geology nerds, make sure you save a seat for them in your free rental car as the geological wonders of the Rockies will blow their minds!

Ugh, enough about nature for a minute. Let’s talk about the capital city of Denver. With a population of 2,697,476 people, Denver is Colorado’s largest city and the 22nd most populous city in America. Once you’ve natured-up in the Rockies head into this fabulous city and catch a show at the Opera House or spend some hard-earned cash at the 16th Street Mall, a pedestrian and transit mall that runs along 2km of Denver’s 16th Street! In the summer there are heaps of festivals to watch out for such as The Great American Beer Festival (hello! Glug! Glug!), the Dragon Boat festival in July, and the Moon Festival in September. For foodies, Denver offers the best New Mexican cuisine America has to offer, so pack some Pepto Bismal for the aftermath of spice!

Getting to Colorado is easier now that Transfercar has free rental cars available to you year round. Have you registered yet?

The Hoover Dam

The Hoover Dam is a breathtaking place to visit, and is a must for anyone road-tripping around the West Coast of the USA. The Dam is an incredible feat of engineering, and everyone should visit the architectural wonder at least once in their life time.  Transfer car has compiled a list of fun facts so you can wow your travel companions with impressive trivia about the dam. Prepare to get wise!

1.  The Hoover Dam was initially called the Boulder Dam, because it was originally going to be built in Boulder Canyon. However, Geologists decided it would be better to be built in Black Canyon, where it is now located. The name stuck, and it was called the Boulder Dam until 1947.

2.  The purpose of the Hoover Dam was to try and end the Great Depression. President Hoover started many public projects to increase jobs and try and provide much needed economic stimulus, the Hoover Dam project was one of the biggest.

3.  When the Dam was finally finished and opened in 1935, over 12000 people attended the opening ceremony! That’s a lot of people at one party!

4.  The dam only became The Hoover Dam in 1947, when President Roosevelt controversially renamed it after former President Herbert Hoover.

5.  The Dam is astounding architecturally and from an engineering perspective. President Hoover was an engineer, and was very involved in the plans and designs for the Dam. The concrete wonder is an arch gravity dam, so every section of the dam is stable regardless of what is happening to other sections, and the curve faces upstream so water is forced to the sides, compressing the dam.

6.  The Hoover Dam is one of the largest producers of Hydroelectric power in the world, and can create enough energy to power 1 million homes! That’s a lot of lights!

7.  The biggest part of Lake Mead, Boulder Basin, is right next to the Hoover Dam. Lake Mead has lots of great water sports, like boating and fishing.

8.  If you stand on the Hoover Dam and look over the lake, you can see a lot of white rings around the edge of the lake. The ‘white bathtub rings’ are created from the falling water levels of Lake Mead.

9.  96 people died during construction, but that was out of 21000 workers! That is a lot of people to work on one dam!

10.  The Hoover Dam is a movie star, featured in Hitchcock’s film Saboteur, and also in the film Superman where it bursts dramatically (not in real life, they built a miniature version to show all the destruction!)

That is a lot of awesomeness all found in one spot! It is such an amazing creation to see, everyone should make the journey there. An epic road trip is the best way to get there, and Transfercar has your back. Check out our latest deals on car and campervan relocations to get yourself to the Hoover Dam and beyond cheaply!

Backpacking tips for the student traveler!

At last! There is a decent break between study long enough to do some travelling! What better way to see the world this holiday season than to pack a bag and head off to backpack around some astounding places? To have a good backpacking trip, it is vital that a few key things are decided before you go. So here are some great tips on how to backpack when you are a student.

The Backpack

You’re about to get your backpack and heft it onto your shoulder, and then stride out the door to become as free as a bird! There is just one problem; half your stuff won’t fit, and the stuff that does is causing back problems; you feel like an elderly person already! Here is the best packing order ever so you can stride with purpose and grace, instead of shuffling with pain and agony.

1.  At the bottom, pack your sleeping bag and mat. Your bag will have a zip to open the bottom, so you can access these easily.

2.  Then in go the shoes (not your walking boots)

3.  Then goes the stuff that you doubt you will look at, but need to have; like very thick jumpers.

4.  Gadgets and breakable souvenirs should go in next, nestled in safely.

5.  Then CLOTHES!! To save space, roll your clothes. And have your ‘unmentionables’ in a drawstring bag…or you will wear the same pair A LOT as the rest will be lost to the depths of the bag.

6.  Have a second drawstring bag for dirty laundry, and try not to confuse them!

7.  Then place the cooking pan (with stuff crammed inside it) on top of the clothes and laundry.

8.  Finally, your rain jacket, for easy access

9.  In the top pocket place everything small, that would otherwise hide and not be seen until the great unpack after the trip; lip balm, sunscreen, first aid kit, tissue, hat etc

10.  Remember, pack into the corners stuffing them with things that are unlikely to be used; like the hat and gloves you packed just in case Egypt got snow…

Who should you travel with?

Who are you going to backpack with? Are going to be a solo Stanley, head round the world with your best mate, or are you wanting to go in a big group of all your friends? There are pros and cons to all. Solo means you don’t have to worry about other people, if you love a city, then break out the spontaneity and just stay a while longer. The feeling of freedom can be awesome. However, it can also be more expensive, and as a student, low cost travel is much better for those loans… Heading off with your best mate seems like a rockin’ idea, it will be cheap, you can split the cost of rooms and food between you. Plus there is an added safety bonus; they have your back.  If your best friend is the stay at home type, or wants to travel but you have different ideas of where to spend the holidays, then you could join a bigger backpacking group.  If you get a group big enough that entire dorms are booked out at the hostel by you, and you can get group discounts at museums and tourist spots, then this is a great idea. But, it requires A LOT of planning!! Everything has to be booked way in advance, and you have to stick to the schedule.

Where should you stay?

Where are you going to stay? A hostel is great fun, you get to meet loads of people and make friends from all over the world. They can also be a great, cheap option for the student traveler. It’s a good idea to have your sleeping bag ready, just in case they don’t provide sheets (or you don’t want to use them) and  in a hostel you won’t’ have much privacy.  If you do go with the hostel option, always dibs the bottom bunk as ladders are hard to navigate after a few beers at the backpacking bar. A campervan is great if you are travelling with a small group of friends and you can all split the cost. In a campervan, you won’t have to worry about thieves or ‘that guy’. You can often get amazing deals on travelling with campervans especially with Transfercar, so keep your beady wee eye out for them.  Just make sure you can cover the cost of petrol. Camping is another option, and is good for if you are walking across a country or something similar, just make sure there are good, safe, camping spots dotted all over where you plan on strolling.

How will you travel?

How are you going to get there? Planes are fast, but expensive and you don’t get to see the countryside. If you have a campervan, you are already covered, but for other situations a car might be best. Backpacking and road trips is an awesome combination and definitely worth considering. Bikes are also good if you are not planning on going a million miles in one day.

Where will you go?

Finally- where are you going? There are many amazing places to backpack or to travel around cheaply if you do it right. Just remember to balance it, for one expensive city you can probably see three non-expensive cities, so maybe go to  Los Angeles, and then check out the secret places in California . Head to  Australia and drive through the Outback.  Other options can be to pick a cheaper place, like Dunedin or Adelaide and just spend a long time there, you will get such an amazing knowledge of the place, and phenomenal experiences.

However you decide to travel this holiday season, Transfercar can help you. We have great campervan deals, and great car deals to get your where your need to go! Transfercar will help get you to the best backpacking destinations on the planet. So enjoy your gallivanting round the world!