More booking than a library...

...or something.

In the last few days I have gone booking crazy. I finally ordered my Interrail ticket (very quick and easy using the STA Travel website) which arrived swiftly the next day - thanks to a mandatory £9 next day delivery fee. Hopefully Meg will be getting hers in the next few days.

I also booked our flights. We wanted the cheapest flights possible, to start our trip (London to Madrid) and end it (Amsterdam to London). A few months ago I earmarked flights on the Easyjet website, but for some reason I put off booking the tickets. Meg reminded me a few days ago that I should book them before the prices went up, and sadly it was too late. We have chosen to embark on our trip on a very early flight in order to keep costs down, so I am expecting to leave my house at about 4-5am in order to make our early morning flight. Oh well, at least we'll catch the worm right?

Finally, I finished all the hostel bookings yesterday. Unfortunately some of our picks were now unavailable so we had to spend a few hours debating and negotiating on replacements. The 3 contentious hostels were as follows:

• Barcelona - HelloBCN was now unavailable. Choice was between Centric Point - good area, but very big and noisy - or Downtown Paraios - not so good area, not so sociable. In the end we went with Centric Point, deciding that it is more of a hassle to deal with a stolen passport than a sleepless night.
  
  
• Florence - We couldn't find the place we'd picked, so we needed a whole new place. For some reason HostelWorld showed a high-rated hostel, Academy Hostel, as not having enough space for us a to share a room. However, I checked back later and it said there was space. We think that website is a little dodgy in this respect, but we got it booked so it's all gravy now.
  
  
• Amsterdam - As has been discussed in the blog before, we decided to ditch St Chris' at the Winston because of it's rampant mouse population. The replacement contenders were narrowed down to 2: StayOkay Vondelpark, a HUGE basic studenty place, or Hotel My Home, a small family run place. In the end we went with Hotel My Home, which appealed to me greatly for several reasons: it's really central, the staff are friendly, the breakfasts are supposed to be fantastic, and it has a cat! Homey the cat will protect me from the evil mice, and provide me with "cuddles and purrs", I can't wait to meet him.
  

Here are some pictures of Homey that I found on the internet, copyright of Todd Mecklem 2007:

I am definitely glad that Meg and I decided to book hostels in advance. Having seen the multitude of horrifying reviews that the majority of hostels have, and the lower availability of good hostels even a month or two in advance, it seems we would be stuck in a festering hellhole if we left it to providence. Plus, I can't imagine it being fun to traipse around the city after a long train ride, looking for a place to stay with our rollalong suitcases in tow.

Here are my perceived benefits of booking hostels in advance:

1. You know you are getting the features that you want: 24 hour reception/access, no curfew, lockers in rooms, internet access, etc
   
   
2. You have read all the reviews, so you know where to avoid due to lack of security, safety, thieving cleaners (I've read stories...) and so on
   
   
3. You know exactly where to go when you arrive, so you don't waste time trying to find a place to stay
   
   
4. You're already booked into a place, so you are somewhat guaranteed a place when you arrive, as opposed to earmarking a place and turning up hoping it has room (but possibly/probably being turned away disappointed)
   
   
5. It's one less thing to worry about, and you can get on with your trip without having to think ahead - less stress, more enjoyment!
   

One last thing: we haven't booked a hostel for Rome. The reason is that I have a family friend in Rome who has agreed to let us stay in her apartment for the days we are there. This is great, as it will give us a break from noisy hostels, it will be private, secure, and comfortable, and of course - it will save us a few hundred pounds, crucial for stingy students like us.

So in summary, here are my tips for accommodation during your travels:

1. If you know where you are going to be and when like we do, book hostels in advance, the earlier the better.
   
   
2. Make sure the place has good reviews, and important security and convenience features such as 24hr access, luggage room, lockers.
   
   
3. Print off important details before you go - names and addresses of hostels, directions from the train station. We've also noted the size of room we booked so we can check we get the right place and price, and where has laundry facilities so we can plan when to wash our clothes.
   
   
4. If you know anyone at your destinations, ask them if you can stay with them. It will be a nice change, and it will save you lots of money.
   
   
5. Shake it up a bit - Meg and I have picked a mix of basic hostels, home-run places, budget hotels and a friend's house. We expect this will give us a broader experience, and if we don't like one place then we won't have to suffer through the same type of housing for the whole trip. For instance the budget hotels will give us a few days of respite from the crowded, loud hostels, and if we find it boring being isolated from other travellers, at least it's only for a few days and we will move onto a more sociable place.

Mojo

One of the most hilarious reviews I've ever read...

"it is a dirty place.while ı was sleeping a mouse entered into my bagage and ate my chocalates ı wake up because of its voice"

And what a voice it had. I've managed to find a candid recording of the tiny mouse singing:



Sadly this review is about St Christopher's at the Winston, although I love the look of it.. shame everywhere in Amsterdam seems to have mice!

and it turns out mice CAN actually sing - read!
read about a famous singing mouse

Meg

STOP. LOOK. LISTEN.

Thanks to http://europe.mordac.org/index_2002.php for the photos. Yeah I don't know them, but I couldn't resist. Bad me, I know, I know.

You may be wondering, or even WORRYING about us. What, you scream feverishly, are you going to DO to entertain yourselves during the long hours spent on trains during your trip?! HAVE YOU EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT THAT?

Well, yes. We have. We're thinking of books to read (see our wishlists further down the page), I'm going to crack out a few thrilling mini travel games (check ME!), and of course any spare minute will be spent plugged into every 21st century audiophile's saviour: the iPod. Mmm. I can't live without mine, especially during long journeys. Or even short journeys. There's something so right about rolling down the road in a bus, or gliding along in a train, or even walking along on your own two feet that complements the beat of your favourite songs. To me, travelling and music fit together like pieces from a jigsaw, or:

• club beats and dancing feet
• being cosy in bed when there's a storm outside
• coffee and newspapers/books and/or peoplewatching
• turning your alarm off and going back to sleep
  

Buses and trains are best for music, especially when you have a window seat and an amazing landscape view, and you can just sit still and ponder. I find I drift into a pensive own-world, which probably means that I freak people out as they get onto the bus by staring at them with my brain on vacation. Usually though I just stare out of the window and think about things, undisturbed. It's the best place to be.


These videos seem to capture some of what I mean (though they can get a bit pretentious..):

or this one

or the best night travelling music from Burial - try this

and watch out for some tracks on my mixtape.

In summary, music provides a soundtrack to my life: you probably have your own soundtrack too. When I listen to music I love, it can complement or change my mood, can make me feel amazing or comfort me when I'm not feeling great, or bring back memories of good times. Perhaps I should read a book I've been meaning to for a long time and find out why:


In keeping with being an anthropologist I'm already reading this other one by Mithen too:

So what are our soundtracks for this trip? We decided to let you listen to a sample of the music we're likely to have on heavy rotation during our bon voyage by making little "mixtapes" for you to listen to. Possibly while you're reading our blog. Now wouldn't that be civilised and lovely? Have a look for a little teddy bear with speakers and an oldy-fashionedy tape on this page - click for sweet musique, a digital serenade. Well that's Mojo's mixtape, hopefully you'll like some of mine too. And keep your ear to the ground/speaker as the content of our tapes will change (mine definitely will). Hope you enjoy.

“Music, the greatest good that mortals know,
And all of heaven we have below.”
Joseph Addison (he definitely got it right)

p.s. we are soon to post on buying train tickets... and our sidebar link is almost up on STA travelbuzz...

Meg

Escaping the mouse factory

You may recall an entry over a month ago discussing the hostels we had booked. One of them, St Christopher's at the Winston in Amsterdam has a mouse problem, but we decided to overlook it because there weren't many nice, cheap alternatives.

Well, my resolve is weak. I had another look at the reviews the other day and realised that I will be on edge all the time if we stay there, and probably unable to sleep for fear that a mouse will brush against my leg. Not only that but it appears to have some other unpleasant and offputting qualities - here are some reviews that hopefully prove I'm not just being picky:

"If you like smoking and prosty's they both a stones throw a way...if you're into more of a laid back not red light oriented stay best to avoid this place."

"dead mouse in the bedroom are just terrible and awuful!"

"The sheets were stained, I found other people's hairs in my towles, and we CAUGHT TWO mice in our room in one night."

"Winstons was the filthiest place I've ever stayed in. We switched rooms because of mice but the second room had mice scurrying around too, so we cancelled the remaining two days and are awaiting a refund."

"mice living in bed!!!!!! and only got 1/2 money back."

"In the bathroom, unless you were amputated, you had to take a shiit sitting sideways, because there wasnt room for your legs infront of the bowl."

"I watched people being mugged and chased walking to and from the hostel and there is a bell that rings outside the window every 15 min till midnight so if you had an early flight like me u got no sleep. Not a safe place staying alone in this area."

I've started looking for alternatives and Meg has agreed to as well. I'm certainly glad we are picking hostels in advance - dead mice in bed would be a pretty horrible surprise.

Mojo

"Not just Granny, Dad, a few friends and the pets..."

Uber-fantastiche news! We have been chosen to be featured as STA travel “Explorers” (ooh, Columbus!) on their website -
“we'd like to feature you as an 'STA Explorer', so others from all over the web can follow your experiences through blogs, photos, videos, podcasts – the whole shebang. The hope is that by reading your experiences, viewing your photos, and watching your videos, our readers can get a real insight into the places you visit, the way you travel and (hopefully) learn something for their own journey.”

We've already been written about, commenting on STA Travel. I chose to call them STI travel as a joke - a bit cheeky. It wasn't a typo. Look how far away 'I' is from 'A' on the keyboard!

The aforementioned great news has led to my wasting of the entire day drinking too much coffee and going a bit crazy listening to Vampire Weekend and Billy Joel, and doing hamster-in-wheel impressions*. We’ll be linked to from their website, and hopefully earn our 2 minutes of Internet fame. And a few more readers, genuine ones, not just Granny, Dad, a few friends and the pets. Not that we’re doing this for readership – we’d be making this blog if it were only for Jo and I to read once we got back, to laugh/cry/mutter about “the good old days”. If you come here from STA travel, leave us a nice little comment somewhere as proof of your existence (that’ll solve your existential crisis). Plus we’re super celebrities now so, start a blossoming friendship with us now - when you have that financial crisis in 2030 we’ll be more likely to help you out.

In response to Jo’s post this morning, the only big trip I’ve done before was my 4 month Gap Year trip in Thailand last year. I did some teaching in a nice remote village called Mae Meung Noi, then learnt how to scuba dive and travelled around like a lazy gap year bum in Koh Tao and around islands and the coast. Lots of great things happened, and I learnt a lot, in a clichéd life-changing type way. It might be naff, and sound boring, but you do really change when you travel, especially for a longer amount of time. Accosted by bad experiences (having my passport stolen), and overwhelmed by the good (many things, including being made to dress up as a jungle savage and dance with burning torches in front of hundreds of schoolchildren), I learnt how to just go with it and have a good old laugh when before, my response to trouble would have been to throw myself against the nearest brick wall with emphasis.

My feeling is that Jo will overcome many of her perceived “uptight” tendencies, and I might rein myself in a bit and gain some self-control. When left to my own devices I simply slob and have fun. The truth. You should see my room at uni: dire. Having Jo be so organised has been like some kind of manna from heaven – I hope to contribute to the trip ethos by occasionally interjecting with something along the lines of Thailand’s unofficial motto: “mai pen rai", meaning 'never mind', 'don’t worry', “being able to deal with difficult situations, not brooding over material and personal loss and an all-pervading cheerfulness” (Not too cheery, because that's creepy). I assure you it’s a useful attitude in times of stress. However, I'm not some total hippy. I can still panic, scream, and run away flailing limbs in the air.

I think Jo and I will find a happy compromise between seeing all the wonderful European sites we aim to see, chillaxing in café’s, and slobbing (including the occasional lie-in if we feel like it).

I live now and only now, and I will do what I want to do this moment and not what I decided was best for me yesterday.
Hugh Prather (whoever he was he had the right idea)

True happiness is…to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.
Seneca

Meg

*consists of screaming “RUN!!!!” in a high-pitched hamstery voice and running on the spot for many minutes

The Introspective Traveller

We all know travel is great for helping a person "find themself". Many people would argue that the only way people can figure out their values, nature, priorities etc is to undertake a challenging, life-changing journey in unfamiliar lands.

Of course, a month romping around Western Europe is probably among the least challenging trips one can take. I'm confident that we won't be harangued by petty criminals, forced to eat grubs, or shit in a hole in the ground (though I have heard hostels bathrooms can be nauseatingly revolting).

Yet I do think it will challenge me to face up to some of my flaws. I am an uptight girl, and I know it. It's simply part of character that I cannot change, inherited from my dear mother. I doubt I will ever evolve into a laidback, low-maintenance kind of girl. However I know that on this trip to Europe, my highly strung nature will be tested, and it will be an excellent opportunity to improve myself in this respect.

Of course, being uptight isn't all bad. When it comes to our Epic Romp, Meg's life is made a lot easier by the fact that I am the uber-organiser. I designed a route, made spreadsheets to map out details, and all the printed information we have is filed neatly in a folder. All Meg has to do is sign off on things that she approves of. She is the Queen to my Prime Minister. It's not that she is lazy and leaves all the work to me, in fact she has worked hard to help me with picking hostels and checking train connections etc. But I gave her the instructions on what to look for before she had the chance to research it herself. So far she hasn't complained about my overeagerness in organising the trip.

However, it may well be a different story when we get there. Meg is a very chilled out, go-with-the-flow type of girl. I can imagine her wanting to stay out late chatting to people we've met, then have a long lie-in in the morning to recover. All the while I would be stressing about not getting enough sleep, then desperate to get up as soon as the sun rises in order to get a full days sight-seeing in. It seems likely that I'll be so busy worrying about what we are going to do next that I won't have time to enjoy what we're doing in the present.

So I plan to tackle my restiveness during our trip. I will endeavour not to complain when I am hungry or tired (and not to get grumpy either). I will attempt to be laid back about our schedule, though I feel that Meg and I are on the same wavelength when it comes to how we like to spend our time (culture + cafes) so it might not be a problem.

Hopefully I can keep that side of myself under control, and chill out enough to enjoy the trip to the max - and not drive Meg crazy with nagging.

Mojo

In fact, I'm sure we'll stay close friends...

Like these two:
Meg

Tension, Schmension!

I don't care what people say, I'm determined to avoid grievous buddy-ly harm on this trip, and undue pessimism. At times we might have differing opinions on things, but I remain optimistic that both of us will be able to quickly work things out and be fair and considerate. If not we can act like a mixture of a co-habiting couple and nuns/that boy from little miss sunshine and just sleep in the same places and not speak to each other. I hope you realise I'm joking and in no way expect it to get that dire. Having read Jo's post below I decided that the ground rules were good and that I might look up some third party advice on a cheesy gap year site. Here's what I found, with the addition of moronic comments from myself:

“Travelling with friends may well bring you to a new level of intimacy - with their strange senses of humour, quirky traits, and disgusting habits (you can say that again). Ask anyone who has ever travelled with a friend and they will tell you that it is literally the best of times and worst of times, all at the same time. To make the most of your [journey], and to keep your friendships firmly intact, set some ground rules before you go and remain flexible. A great trip won't be far behind (rather than a monumental bust-up, deportation, and mutual restraining orders). Travel can be a frustrating endeavour. Long lines, delays, unfamiliar foods (crazy stressful European food - argh! sarcasm, obviously) and a lack of creature comforts can all add up to a tiring time. With this in mind, choose carefully which of your friends might make good travelling companions, and which may be better off staying home. Remember, your best friends may not always be the best travelling companions (eep!), and the best travelling companions may not always be your best friends. When you are thinking of a companion for your travels, evaluate:

* Friends who live similar lifestyles (crazy).

* Friends who hold similar values and opinions (more rights for coffee chain customers! Say NO to burnt coffee).

* Friends who you know are patient and flexible (hopefully you think I am).

* Friends who can manage money and be serious when required (I lose on both counts).

* Friends who are mature and responsible, and deal well with tricky situations (you know I can do at least some of this. If in doubt I’ll just scream “RUUUNNNN!”)

* Friends who appreciate and wish to explore foreign cultures and environments (hello!? Anthropologist!)

* Friends who you have travelled well with in the past (there's a first time for everything).

Set Some Ground Rules Early: (...we're one step ahead Watson!)
When you decide to travel with friends, setting ground rules before you leave home can help head off squabbles/a ruckus/scuffles/skirmishes/tiffs/raising of fisticuffs/pistols duels at high noon as you go. Issues to address may include:

* Daily budgets - what do you each expect to spend on food, activities, mementos, etc.

* Responsibilities - how will you divide the cooking, hostel reservations, phoning home, etc. (I imagine we won’t be doing loads of cooking, and if we do, it will most likely be you. Joking. As for hostel reservations, we’ve done them, and phoning home is not an issue seeing as we have mobiles)

* "Must sees" - plan out the regions and sites you each must see, and create an itinerary that values everyone's requests (done, almost done, and done).

* Travel specifics - decide if you are open to all types of travel, and how you feel about being "bumped" from flights, travelling overnight, taking domestic flights and ferries, etc (not an issue! Though I would like to fit a donkey trek in somewhere).

* Respect alone time - during any trip a traveller may feel the need to be alone. If this happens with you or your friends, respect everyone's wishes (certainly).

* Other travellers - decide if you are open to the idea of travelling together with others you meet on the road (yep, but only for a while, and as long as they’re not psychos – agree?).

* Divide the possessions - decide if it is important for you each to bring your own iPod, mobile phone and sunscreen, or if you can share items to lighten your load (hmm we have not yet done this…)

* If you decide to share, remember that you will need to be patient and won't be able to use every item at all times (I WANT TO USE THE SUNSCREEN NOW JO!!! NOWW!!!!!) Travellers must expect the unexpected. No matter how well you prepare, or how finely you plan, life may have other ideas for your [trip] (ruh-roh!).


If you are travelling with a friend who can go with the flow, life will be that much easier, but if you are travelling with a high maintenance model, even more of the responsibility will be on your shoulders. Keep this in mind when you select your travelling companions, and remember that above all, you want to have fun and make memories. A friend who feels the same way will likely be an asset! (we can go with the flow, I’m pretty certain ☺) "


Meg

It's been a while...

Meg and I haven't blogged in a while, the reason being that we are both busy being scholars, and also because there isn't much news to report. We still haven't booked our plane or interrail tickets, and a good half of the hostels we plan to stay in haven't been booked yet either, but none of those things are especially urgent.

It's about 6 weeks until the trip and that sounds so soon it's almost scary. One thing everyone keeps saying to me is that by the end of our travels (or probably sooner than that) Meg and I will be completely sick of each other and possible tearing each others hair out. We've never travelled together before, we both have a tendency to become irrational when intoxicated, and we both get grumpy when we're tired (well, I know I do). This is a surefire recipe for tension and I have no idea how we will cope with it. Hopefully we will be so excited and happy to be travelling around Europe that we won't have time to think about how annoying the other is. Ideally we won't be annoyed by each other at all, but that is very idealistic.

One thing that will help is to come up with some ground rules, I think. Here are some ideas I have come up with which could help prevent trauma and catfights instead of harmonious, platonic friendlove:

1. Stay together no matter what. Of course I don't mean we have to go to the toilet together, or be in plain sight of each other at all times. What I am worried about is that going out for some refined drinks in a bar may lead to Meg wanting to ditch me in favour of a dashing European beau. Scurrying back to the hostel alone in the dark is not an appealing thought, and neither is lying awake in the uncomfortable bunkbed worrying about the health and safety of my compadre. No matter how cute a boy is, I would like to make it a rule that if we go together, we leave together.
   
   
2. On a related note, it is important that one person isn't sat around miserably being hounded by sleazy European greaseballs while the other is enjoying being the life of the party. Of course empathy comes into play, and many situations can be endured for the sake of the others happiness. However, there needs to be a code for cases where one of us feels ill, or depressed, or angry, or exhausted, or whatever, and strongly wants to leave. In such instances, the unhappy camper should notify the happy camper that they want to leave, and then they should leave within a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I always hated when I was a kid and wanted to leave, and my mum would appease me by saying "5 more minutes", but of course it was 3 hours before we actually did. 10 minutes to wrap things up is fine; half an hour more conversation (no matter how fascinating) isn't.
   

That's all for now, but hopefully Meg will agree with these guidelines and come up with some of her own. I remain optimistic that we will return from this trip as closer friends than ever rather than hating each others guts. Wish us luck!

Mojo