Category: General Travel

The human body is a wonder of nature. But we’re not here to discuss claustrophobic insides of a human body. Let’s just leave that to the surgeons. But this human body possesses some of the best resources upon which the world as a whole has been governed.

For example, the brain has been the force behind countless inventions, invasions, and even many unknown feats. Back in the early ages when the people were confined to their countryside, only tradesmen had the opportunity to go beyond their boundaries.

This traveling culture would nurture the relationship status between two or more kingdoms hailing from different states. Allies would be made and trade would flourish between the two parties.

It was at this period of time when global voyages were the talk of the crowd. People would fascinate visiting different places and feasting their eyes with beautiful landscapes. Thus, voyages in the earlier times were given much preference and had their place cemented in art and literature.

But as technology grew, people’s perception regarding traveling started to change. It became a means of visiting different cultures and making friends with new people. From Ferdinand Magellan’s journey around the world to Christopher Columbus’s discovery of America, traveling has done wonders for this planet and its people.

But what does Fast and Slow travel mean to the reader who has never been out of his/her nation? Let’s jump into the matter headlong, shall we?

Fast Travel

As we discussed above, the importance of traveling in the past had yielded serious results and even gave us new places to live. Travelling has changed a lot since then, gone are the days when people used to travel for either trade or some other orthodox purpose.

Traveling in this era means visiting different places and knowing the differences between the tourist’s and the denizen’s nation or state. Fast travel is a concept of traveling which deals with visiting multiple places or states within a short span of time, this could be a month or in some cases even a week. The participants of such traveling experience often have a strict schedule due to which they tend to travel a lot faster than the usual traveler.

Benefits

1. Fast access to different places

   Travelers often enjoy visiting more and more places in a short period of time. This is good for those who have a strict holiday vacation or the ones who cannot lose a bigger chunk of their working calendar to vacations. It is swift and provides with the same services as the ones given to the traveler in the slow travel model.

2. Isn’t boring

   Studies suggest the fact that an ideal staying time for any destination is not more than a week. Failing this criterion, the traveler might start to feel a bit bored, especially by staying in a hotel for a longer period of time. Fast traveling eliminates this condition as you are always on the go. This makes the experience fresh and long lasting. Plus, it gives you good memories.

Slow Travel

Slow travel module is made for those who want to feel the essence of every place to the last bit. In simpler words slow travel enables the traveler to see and feel the historical as well as the cultural significance of a place.

This is suited for the ones who have a longer vacation planned ahead and also for the ones who have a decent budget for their vacations. Such a travel module is mostly used by families and individuals who are done with their regular boring lives and want to escape that pace.

Slow travel also helps people in knowing the history of any given place, this is often beneficial for research-oriented students.

Benefits

1. Let’s you immerse

   Slow travel demands the attention of those who want to seek peace as well as knowledge. It allows the traveler to immerse him/herself to the surroundings hence eliminating the cultural differences in between. It doesn’t discriminate between races as well, therefore, one can see through the eyes of an individual who lives in that state or nation. It is also beneficial for research purposes and historical knowledge attainment.

2. Let’s you rest

   Travelling isn’t an easy thing, visiting different places and doing something different from the set of daily activities is a tiring thing. That’s why people stay in hotels and inns. While constant traveling in fast travel model might invite fatigue to the body of the traveler, the same cannot be said about the slow travel model as it provides a balanced ratio of exploration and rest. One could explore as much as possible in the day time and have a relaxing nap in the night. Blissful indeed.

While most of the arguments made in favor of either fast or slow travel tell us about their numerous benefits. Sometimes it also dawns upon the traveler him/herself as to how he/she manages the things.

Fast travel might be good for the younger population who wants to experience more in less amount of time. But it also screens the blissful nature of experiencing the aura of that place and could possibly remain a mere photograph in a Smartphone.

Fast travel is also a bit heavy on the wallet as you are constantly using one or the other means of transport. On the other hand, slow travel might be more bliss or knowledge focused but it might seem to be a bit boring for some who do not have a good taste for history.

But for the most part, slow travel is considered to be the go-to travel module by most of the travelers. There is only one way to find it out, pack your bags, point your destination on the map and fly away. Also, If you are low on cash you can prefer to travel slow.

Read Tips to travel during monsoon season

Read The Art of Slow Travel

 

What we usually perceive about minimalism is, living in small houses, using basic tools to make life easier; in general, people tend to consider minimalism as a set of rules to live in a limited environment to support.

But, this common mentality is not, what minimalism is, it is more than a way of living, It is an idea which, we in our normal lifestyle can incorporate without considering about the so-called ‘minimalist requirements’ which people use to think defines minimalism.

So, what is the meaning of minimalism?

Minimalism doesn’t mean that you spend days without eating or partying. As a human being, you will eat outside food, you will party on the weekends. 

It is to have what gives you the real joy and satisfaction, it is to have all essentials to live a happy, healthy and content life; things that tend to look useful are the mostly the least useful things in your life, and this is what you need to leave behind.

So, if you start separating yourself with all those least and no value things in your life, you find that you have more time and space for those who mean to you and value the most.

So, now you get an idea of what minimalism truly is, if so, and then let’s focus on some simple steps to start living as a minimalist.

Simplify
We all heard of simplification in our elementary school’s math’s class, at that, it was about eliminating the variables that are not required, you need to do the same with your life. It starts with analyzing what means and values the most to you.

Once you know what you truly need then it becomes easy, try to prioritize your requirements. Always be reminded about the reason you’re doing it, to add more freedom and space in your life.

Evaluate
Always start with an open mind and try to understand your priority. Once you know what your requirements are, start evaluating the things according to your requirements.

Always remember what looks nice to have to do not means that it add value to your life, soon you will realize that most of the things you have are of no or little use to you.

Start writing down what you need and leave the rest, be slow and steady in the beginning to be adapted to the new lifestyle.

Organize
So, now you have all the things that you need, start organizing them is such a way that it would be more accessible and easy to use. This will help you to save time which you use to spend in searching for your stuff before.

Always try to organize things according to your area, for example, if you’re a student, search a place to use as your study, try to organize all your writing and study material in that area, so you can have all your study material at one place.

Do the same with all the other things you have, organize them according to their accessibility in your daily life.

Eliminate
It is generally a long term process; gradually you start to understand your requirement and eliminate what is of no use.

Always try to focus on what you really need, eliminate anything not valuable or you have more than your requirement.

The main goal to have a minimalist lifestyle is to have what add value and meaning to your life, eliminate the rest.

Control
Once you start your minimalist lifestyle, the main problem you’re going to face is to have control over your desires and requirements.

When you start living as a minimalist, you think that you need this and that too, but you may unknowingly fall for something that adds no value or of no meaning to you.

Always try to control your thought, don’t let the unnecessary things to occupy your time, try to control your time and set it according to your need.

Multipurpose
Always try to have those things which can be used as multiple tools, this will help you to have limited things with multiple uses, to save your space, time and budget.

For example, if you’re planning to order some utensils for your kitchen, try to choose multipurpose appliances to save money and space.

It can also be applied to your living area for which you can choose to have multipurpose furniture like something convertible which can save a lot of space.

Minimize
It can be a difficult task, especially if you have a lot of things in your house. Try to start with minimizing the allocated area for all your stuff, go for a small cabinet to keep your clothes or a small table to work.

Always try to focus on minimizing your requirement so that you can gradually develop the habit of using multipurpose things and acquiring less space to do your stuff.

Limit
Always try to limit, what you usually consume your time in. Try to focus more on how you can utilize your time, start limiting your media consumption.

Try to spend less time watching movies or television; I’m not saying you should not have entertainment, bit try to focus more on productivity. Form a schedule for all these things and try to follow it most of the time.

Consistency
The last step is to be consistent; means always remember the goal of your life. Focus on what you need and leave the rest, be consistent in doing so.

Minimalism is not a one day process, it needs self-control and understanding of why you’re doing it, always try to be consistent with your decisions and actions so that you can live a healthy, meaningful minimalist lifestyle.

One of the best ways to start a minimalist lifestyle is to do a minimalism audit.  This could include an audit of either your physical goods or mental side of what’s making your life more complicated. Potential areas of the audit can be an office, car, home, subscription services, digital activity, habits, thoughts, etc. Auditing will help you simplify your life and reach your goals faster than you have ever imagined.

Read 5 Tips On How To Keep Your Home Secure When You Are Abroad

Read 7 Tips To Stay Fit As Travelers

 It is true that eating out alone can be haunting for most of us, we usually not think of going to a fancy restaurant to dine alone. It’s common to have a partner while eating out, we love a companion or so, to have social acceptance in a fancy restaurant.

But if you’re like me, who likes to travel alone then I believe you often face this kind of situation in which you have to dine alone. If you’re in an unknown city, wants to eat then you may feel anxious but to enjoy the real essence of solo dining, you have to leave this kind of preconception about solo dining.

It does not always depend on the restaurant to have a complete dining experience, you as a customer also plays a prominent role in it.

You’re planning to travel to a new city, then eating out alone can be a big challenge for you. Most of the time, the main problem uses to be what others would think about me, how am I going to face those people alone, be assured that everyone is busy in their own life.

In this busy life schedule, people do not have time to think about others, so clear your mindset about what people would think. Just pack your bag and start to explore what eating out feels out, maybe it can be just the thing you need to boost your life. Most of the ideas come when you’re alone.

If you’re dining alone then you may know certain rules to be followed, but to have a complete solo dining experience I would suggest to keep the following tips in mind.

Be selective
Always try to be more selective about the place and timings, you do not want to face the rush if you’re alone, waiting is something you would like to avoid if you’re alone.

Do some research about the area, try to go in family hours when things are bit informal and you can have a good meal peaceful. If you know a restaurant you want to go then try to have an advance booking to avoid unnecessary problems, normally lunchtime use to be less crowded, opt for lunch instead.

Remember, you’re going alone so you don’t want to waste your time in the queue, select the restaurant and timings accordingly.

Be relaxed
Eating out alone can be stressful, try to be relaxed, don’t treat your dining as punishment to you enjoy the food and your surroundings. Try to have a refreshing start by ordering something familiar, do not overthink about your choice.

Along with food pan to do something you would do after eating like to go for a movie or shopping. Take it as a reward to be more comfortable about eating alone. You can also add something to drink in your menu, like a beer or wine. It helps to feel relaxed, have a beer and enjoy your meal.

Dressing
Dressing plays an important role to enhance your personality and your confidence. So, when you’re planning to eat out alone always try to go for something comfortable, remember you’re going to enjoy not on a date with someone.

This mostly happens to ladies, try to be as simple as possible about your dress. Be confident, wear something which you think looks good on you and boost your confidence.

Focus more on food than your dress, so try to avoid something new so that you don’t need to think about how you look instead of what you’re going to eat.

Be occupied
Eating out alone can be pretty boring sometime, take a book along to read while you have supper. Always try to keep your mind busy so that you won’t feel boring, entertain yourself with something like a novel.

You can also watch your favorite TV show on your mobile to keep things entertaining. Remember, the key to having a good dining experience is being busy while you’re alone, you can also listen to your favorite artist while having your lunch.

Just don’t let boredom to spoil your solo dining, come up with some ideas to avoid it.

Don’t assume
One of the main problems you have eating out alone is that you assume, everyone is judging you. Don’t worry no one has time to focus on you, everyone is self-absorbed.

Try to be confident and remind yourself that you’re not the center of attraction, most of them have their own stuff to think of. Just be sure you’re feeling good and confident, let others do what they’re doing.

Be aware
Always try to be aware of your surroundings, notice what is going on around you. This can be entertaining, take a look at the couple sitting next to you or a family nearby.

You can also start a conversation if you want, you can talk about the specialty of that restaurant or the area to visit if you’re a visitor. Make sure to know what you’re doing, try not to offend someone or be in trouble.

Read  Wonderful cities for the differently-abled traveler

Read The Ultimate Tipping Guide For Travelers

Winter is a period of cold, and it is something different compared to the usual weather. If you read travel publications and trawls, you will understand that European winter is unpredictable, with a constant threat of rainfall/snow everywhere you can’t do without your pullover and jackets to warm your body.

Courtesy: TanteTati

Sometimes when you read those publications, you will feel scolded and begin to look for the best advice on how to pack for winter vacation. Don’t worry yourself when it comes to packing things and making special preparations, you only need to do simple stuff like dressing in layers, pack a hat, a glove, and some other little stuff.

To make things easy let me guide you on the easiest and best way on how to pack for a winter vacation. Here are hidden tricks that will help you know where to start if you are dumbfounded.

Guides like this one we are reading will help most travelers find packing tactics simple, straightforward, and useful for some other general vacations.

For every holiday you want to go, you should be sure the basics are essential, what are the basics? Your basics are underwears such as singlet pants and the rest to mention few.

Basic black: black clothes absorb cold, they are chic and lovely to match, and they don’t as dirty as they look. When preparing for a winter vacation particularly Europe, it’s nice to have black pants you will find them easy to pair with a t-shirt for casual outfit or dress in a lovely silk top or sweater for dinner.

Pack boots, not shoes: your best footwear during the winter period is a pair of socks and boots. You should be wondering why boot is recommended and not shoes. 

The reason is that in places like airports a slip-on is easy to take on and off. Boots match virtually everything aside from a shirt and trouser appearance.

Boots are suitable for long hours to walk, and they keep your feet warm dry better than sneakers and or flats. If you plan taking more footwear like sneakers along with you for hiking, then you can wear your boots while traveling so that they (sneakers and boots) will not occupy space in your carry on, otherwise.

Park warm, lightweight socks: boots alone is not capable of keeping your feet warm but with the help of a pair of socks you are good to go.

Pack three or four pairs of light socks as the thick socks will consume a lot of space and make a plan of how to keep them clean as you go.

Warm accessories: accessories helps you change your outfits while traveling and they are generally small and easy to fit in your bag. Accessories are also a great way to add a finishing touch color to an otherwise neutrals-heavy travel wardrobe.

When going on a winter vacation may be in Europe or within America, focus on accessories that can warm you as well. Samples of accessories include hats, gloves, scarves, long socks (for ladies).

A coat: coat is one of the essential packs you must take with you when going for a winter break; a long lightweight parka can make a good fit.

On a sunny day when the weather is around 60 degrees you can wear it over a t-shirt, but once the weather starts to get cold moving towards below 40-degree ass a sweater to give it an extra layer, this is a perfect match in the Mediterranean.

Let’s give some tips on the type of coat that fits your winter vacation. Choose a cloth that can befit the coldest destination of your trip. Choose a waterproof jacket so there won’t be a need for you to get an extra rain jacket.

Go for a long and slightly over-sized coat that can allow you to wear some other layers underneath. If you will be going to a severely cold place like Moscow it is advisable you go for a long down-filled coat that will keep you extra cozy and warm.

Day pack: no matter how you try to make your backpack small for your journey, there is no doubt you will still need a smaller pack for excursions after you arrive.

A day backpack is necessary as it allows you to leave your main bag in the hotel room where you are lodging, and you will be able to travel even lighter on a day pack.

If you are looking to get something small and lightweight but big enough for essentials things for your day outing, a nice pack you will enjoy is Set-out pack-able day-pack.

It’s such a convenient pack that allows you to move around without stress. However, if you are someone who needs to always walk around with his/her personal computer, perhaps you want to work a bit as you go then a day pack is essential.

You don’t need to worry yourself; this short piece will help you know how to go about packing a few things for a winter vacation, and it is all you need to get going.

Remember that you need to travel with enough budgets to cover your expenses so that you can have a hitch-free vacation. Going on trips like this is always interesting; you can’t afford to stop meeting new people, the more you go, the more you meet with new faces every day.

When you are on vacation, you will get to see entirely new things different from what you see usually see. It’s always a pleasant and great experience when you go on a vacation.

( Read    5 Tips on How to Keep Your Home Secure When You Are Abroad  )

Read Tips To Travel During Monsoon Season  

Read Fast or Slow Travel: Which is better?

Travelling has now become an important aspect of a person’s life. To gain peace from every day mundane, traveling not only lights up a person’s mood but also adds a lot of memories to a person’s life.

As soon as we get time from our work we want or visit a new place and want to experience new things. Travelling is like a cherry on the cake called life.

But traveling becomes easier and fun when it costs less or it remains in our budget. Maintaining the budget is necessary for those who work hard to earn their livelihood. Budget is what a person focuses on while planning a trip. The journey becomes a headache if the cost exceeds the budget.

Backpacking refers to the travel which is of low cost and focuses totally on the adventures and the experiences gained rather than having a luxurious one. This is what traveling is in the real sense, where you get attached to nature totally and spend your time gaining maximum from the place.

As traveling is for every individual, budget backpacking helps people to travel at a low cost and in turn get loads of memories. It is all about saving the money and moreover getting creative wherever possible.

Luxuries are good at times but the real peace we get by getting in contact with the soil and nature. It’s more enchanting than any other forms of travel. Traveling at lost cost makes you experience what most of the people do and gives knowledge about the people and the culture.

You come in contact with lots of people and make friends while traveling. Luxuries do not provide these experiences as most of the population cannot afford expensive travel.

There are different types of travelers. People who travel during weekends then comes people who make long journeys or the ‘tourists’ and many more.

The people who are true budget backpackers stick to their budget and avoid making any changes in it. They look for some good deals always to lessen the cost of their travel. One can follow certain things in order to enjoy the trip and also can save money.

Walks
Walking is an essential thing for health as well and also it saves money. By walking in the street you can spend much time and can experience things very closely. 

Food
One can always try street food because they carry the actual essence of the food famous at that place. Street food costs less and some of them are good in terms of hygiene as well. One can also cook his own food in order to save the cost of expensive food. Going to foods which are just for the purpose of tasting can also be avoided.

Accommodation
One can apply for a much lower cost accommodation. Sometimes there are rooms which are similar in size but have a different cost. Sharing rooms can reduce the budget and can build a healthy relationship between the two.

Accommodation must be taken by checking every aspect and it’s better to compare rooms and hotels with the lower cost one. For the accommodation of a single person, there are far much better options than spending money on the luxurious one. ( Read 27 Websites for booking hotels and alternate accommodations )

Water
Water is an essential element that every human need. One can use the refillable bottle so that he does not have to buy water and spend money. There are also various facilities of refillable water provided everywhere, hence, people can save money by being conscious about these small things.

Deals
There are various deals available everywhere. The person who stays aware can get the benefit of the same. He can save much of his money by taking advantage of these deals and can enjoy the expensive things at a low cost.

There is also tourists cost available which offers huge discounts. It can be a lot more beneficial for people who want to go for backpacking. ( Read 10 Easy Ways For Free Hotel Night )

Explore
A person who travels to explore the place always travels at a less cost. He gets to see the beauty of the place by living with it. The minute things and real beauty can only be experienced by looking at things closely.

People often do not look for things before going to a place. One can enjoy truly by having a good knowledge of the place beforehand.

Priority
Give priority to the things which are essential in your life. Spending too much on the luxuries can make you run short of money and hence backpacking would not go well.

People often do not make a choice between the two things and they do not try to do multiple things from a single commodity. One can save a lot of money by planning effectively and smartly.

You can also take things which are lower in cost and can do the same benefit as the higher one does. ( Read Ways to make luxury travel more affordable ) 

Security

At the time of traveling the risk of theft is more especially when one is traveling in local transport. Avoiding theft and keeping a watch on your things can save your money, as well as you can avoid the tension of searching for your things. Thefts and scams can spoil the mood and one fails to enjoy the trip as well.

The best things about backpacking is your ability to make the rules. From picking a country to getting there to making sure that you can manage with the little money is something every backpacker should learn.  

Internet is probably the most useful tool that you have at your disposal. Ultimately starting an online career is the best way to help you travel longer. Growing your online business will also give you the chance to create your small business empire in due course of time.

Read 15 Sustainable Travel Tips For Backpackers

Read 13 Simple Ways To Meet People While Travelling Solo