A friend of mine, Rachelle just spent a year living in France.  She did not live in Paris.  In fact, she only went to Paris for two quick visits while living in France.  Now that is dedication to explore the rest of the country!

The following are interesting things to do and see in France.

16 things not in Paris:

• Monet’s Garden at Giverny – the lily pond is at it’s best late July through early August.
• Fontainebleau – a hunting lodge from the 12th century – NOTE:  it’s closed on Tuesdays.
• Chateau de Chenonceaux in the Loire Valley - they have vineyards and delicious wine!
• Belle-Ile-en-Mar – the largest of Brittany’s islands – travel by ferry from Quiberon and check out the lighthouse.
• Marais Poitevin – nicknamed ‘La Venise Verte’ – the Green Venice.
• The Aven-Armand Cave – the worlds tallest stalagmite – NOTE: the cave is closed in December.
• Les Gorges du Verdon – the largest gorge in Europe – people call it Europe’s Grand Canyon.
• Gorges du Tarn – Want to see another gorge?  This is one of France’s most beautiful gorges – ride in a glass-bottom boat.
• Mercantour National Park – best between June and October.  NOTE: This is a high altitude experience.
• Orange – an 8th Century theater created by Charlemagne where you can still see live theater.
• Avignon – a picturesque French city on the water – this is a thriving energetic city!
• Les Calanques – a series of long, narrow inlets, like mini fjords, cut into limestone cliffs along the Mediterranean coast.
• Arles – Medieval buildings, including a roman arena, similar to the colosseum in Rome – in the summer they have live races and bull fights in the arena.
• The Camargue – an area of marshland with wild horses and a rare bread of flamingos – best between March and October.
• Marseille – an exciting, colorful, cosmopolitan city that travelers often avoid.  I have to trust the recommendations of others for most of these places outside of Paris.  However, I have personally been to Marseille and it is a colorful, amazing place.  The TGV train now links to Paris, which allows Marseille to be accessed more easily from Paris.
• St-Tropez – the beach holiday destination for the rich and famous – not a budget destination!

Now you know about many other opportunities for adventure while visiting France.  However, a traveler must leave Paris to get in on any of the beautiful, intriguing places on the list.

Unless you plan on living in France for a year, as my friend just did, you probably won’t be able to do everything on the list.  You know yourself best!  Follow your instinct on what sounds the most interesting.

It is really easy to use google maps while planing your time in France.  Just make sure you set an alarm clock so you don’t miss your bus or train.  If you can find a group of backpackers, sometimes renting a car will save everyone in your group money.  I spent sometime driving in the south of France!  It isn’t too difficult, you just need to drive slow enough to read the French signs.  Don’t forget your French phrase book, some euros and your adventurous, flexible self.

Enjoy your next visit to France, and get out of Paris!

The coast along the Dingle Peninsula could not be more breathtaking.  It is best to drive to the Dingle Peninsula by car and savor the approach.  While some will even walk the Dingle Way, which is a great option for a clear day, that is not rainy.  These are rare in Ireland.  If you have a handful of days without rain while visiting Ireland, consider yourself one of the fortunate few.  However, the rain creates the gorgeous green color that sweeps most of Ireland.  

Highlights of visiting the Dingle Peninsula!

• early Christian monuments – includes a 12th Century Romanesque church with incredible stone carvings and even an Ogham stone.  Ogham is the Latin Alphabet made up of notches and lines to represent the 20 different letters.  
• Iron-Age fortifications – built to last, for defense (military stuff, guys love it, and I do too)
• Beehive huts – piles of loose stone built huts that have been standing for over 4,000 years
• Fungie the dolphin who has lived in the harbor since 1984 (the year I was born!)
• Blennerville Windmill – a great reminder of Ireland’s industrial history.  The hard working Irish!!!
• Gallerus Castle – access by guided tours only.  It’s a super old (15th Century) castle and you might be interested in paying for a guided tour.

Overall, the Dingle Peninsula has a lot to offer.  The rocky cliffs are something to enjoy, photograph, write a poem about, etc.  

Visiting the Dingle Peninsula is a great way to get out of the cities, while venturing to the edge of Ireland, imaging what life was like centuries ago.  It’s beautiful to consider the isolation the Irish could experience while living on this coastal Peninsula so long ago.  

Take a wild walk through history through visiting these ancient relics, monuments, and national land.

Sick of the old stuff?  

• Visit the Dingle Aquarium 
• Go shopping in the little village
• You are in Ireland, Guinness on tap is never too far away.  Get a beer!

Don’t worry about where to sleep.  With over a dozen hostels in Dingle alone, you can  Travel on a Shoestring.  

Paddy’s Place is a great hostel for hikers, as you are situated at the perfect place to wake up and stroll along the natural beauty of the Dingle Peninsula.  They have a bar and restaurant with pool tables, Internet access, laundry facilities, the kitchen to save money by making your own meals, and if you have rented a car, they have plenty of parking.

Know before your book your stay:

Whenever you see a price listed, followed by “pp” in Ireland.  The “pp” stands for “per person”.  This is good to keep in mind while booking hostels and other lodging in Ireland.  A B&B’s (Bed and Breakfast’s) may appear to be cheap, until you have to double that price the next morning and receive check out shock, and have to skip the beer at lunch to make up for your lost travel funds.

A traveler could reasonably spend 1-3 nights in Dingle and have enough time to see the Dingle Peninsula without becoming bored with the area.  Have fun in Dingle, with it’s funny name, but serious beauty!

Soon you may say, “I’ve done the Dingle Way.  Have you?”

Transportation

As for transportation, the options are similar to New Zealand.  A traveler can buy a car or a camper van, rent a car or a camper van, buy a bus pass, or even hitch hike.  Be aware, if driving in Australia, during certain seasons, roads can become treacherous as drivers must avoid hitting Kangaroos.  This is similar to the problem in the  Midwest (of the U.S.A.) of hitting deer.

Money

It’s easy to travel Australia with $20-40 US per day.  ATM’s are readily available in all of the cities, but plan ahead and carry some cash for more remote over land travel.  Australia becomes even more accessible to the apprehensive traveler through being an English speaking nation.  The best way to save money in Australia, is through self catering.  Buy your own food at the store instead of eating out 3 meals a day.

Best to Explore

Australia offers so many wonderful places to explore including Sydney, Melbourne, Fraser Island, Nimbin, the Gold Coast, and the Great Ocean Road.  Sydney was an awesome city, and we found lots of FREE activities.

Although Justin and I have not visited Melbourne yet, we have only heard positive recommendations on Melbourne.  Aussies have described it as beautiful, friendly, colorful, artistic, and inviting.  Looking back, Justin and I really wish we would have made a few days in Melbourne a priority.  But it’s good to have an excuse to return and explore Australia.  Melbourne is currently ours excuse to return.  If you have been to Melbourne let me know what you think.  Is it truly an awesome place?

Problems

Now not all of Australia is perfect.  In fact, the long distances between one point of interest to another is a major  hindrance if you have not set aside an adequate amount of time to explore Australia.  It can also become dangerous to attempt driving a multi-day road trip across more remote regions of Australia.  Make sure you have properly loaded your vehicle with extra gasoline (or petrol), water, food, spare car parts, tools, and other necessary supplies.

Individuals complain that exploring Australia can become very expensive, quickly.  If you are looking for a cheap budget destination perhaps consider a trip to a less expensive country.  If your heart is set on exploring Australia, opportunities exist in order to avoid holding a ‘WILL WORK FOR FOOD’ sign.

Explore for Less

Many individuals get around the expensive of exploring Australia through working.  Work is not difficult to find and 12 month Work Visas are available online.  If you don’t have 12 months to spend exploring Australia, know that other opportunities exist.  In Australia it is popular to spend 2-4 hours working each day in exchange for accommodation.  Justin and I only spent one week in Australia and we did not participate in WWOOFing, however we spent two weeks in New Zealand working at a Pub on the Great Barrier Island for our food and lodging.  Just because we only spent 2 weeks receiving FREE food and accommodations, doesn’t mean you can’t spend several months lowering your travel expenses through becoming a WWOOFer.  You could even work at an alpaca farm!

Waiting to Explore

While waiting to explore Australia I would recommend the following as fun ways to learn and plan:

• Check Australia guide books out at the library
• Rent a movie based in Australia (Lord of the Rings doesn’t count, it was filmed in New Zealand)
• Read a fictional book (not just guide books)
• Hang a map of Australia on the wall – great inspiration to save money
• Need more inspiration?  You Tube beautiful Australia videos
• Look into WWOOLFing opportunities
• Set up a buzz alert with Kayak to monitor airfare prices

We currently have one year visas that are valid until early 2010.  Although we have only seen one week of Australia, who knows what the future could bring, we may even head back to the Outback?

© nomadbackpackers.com -  All rights reserved 2009

• 4 days in Sydney
• 1 day in the Whitsunday Islands    Hamilton  Island
• 1 day in Cairns
• 1 day in Darwin

Australia is a huge country.  The United States is larger geographically, however Australia is approximately the same size as the 48 contiguous states.  Australia offers enough nonstop adventure to easily fill a year or more.  In fact, there are countless routes one could take in traveling by land.  Here are 4 examples to help you imagine how you may explore Australia.

East Coast Drive 6-8 weeks

If you love the beach then this is the way to explore Australia.  Begin in Sydney and enjoy the beautiful harbor front with the iconic Opera House and all the FREE activities Sydney offers.  As you drive north, hiking and wine tasting will begin the adventure around Hunter Valley. Since you love the beach, spend a day or two in Port Stephens where you may participate in various water sports.  Continue driving north because there is loads of coast to explore, including Byron Bay, the Gold Coast, and the stunning Sunshine Coast.  Adventure off shore and join a whale watching tour while visiting Hervey Bay.  Towards the end of your East Coast drive, be sure to save time to consider sailing or even SCUBA diving in the Whitsunday islands along the Great Barrier Reef.  However, ending your beach explorations in Cairns is wonderful, with their public swimming lagoon (overlooking the ocean) and many more opportunities to SCUBA dive.

You can’t spend every day laying on the beach with a book, because the coast offers too much to explore.  This route is a great splash of urban and beach.

West into the Outback 6-8 weeks

This is a great route to explore the Outback while still having opportunities for wine tasting, some animals, and hours of endless rock formations and breath taking scenery.  Fly into Perth and savor your last few days while taking part in some urban exploration.  Once you begin to drive east from Perth, the art galleries, bars and restaurants will vanish rapidly.  Make sure you camp on the Margaret River and consider surfing or wine tasting before arriving in Augusta.  Here you will find Cape Leeuwin and you might be able to see some whales off the coast.  Even if you are not able to spot any whales, the giant old-growth forests of Southwestern Australia are next along the route, just before arriving in Albany to explore amazing architecture and perhaps SCUBA diving (it’s some of Australia’s best).  While driving along the south coast, Esperance will offer even more animals to explore with seals, penguins and sea birds.  Kalgoorie Bolder offers a historic look into the ‘wild-west’ and you can even have a miners beer.  While driving along the coast to Port Lincoln their are countless beach towns, opportunities to learn to surf, or fish a while (tuna is a popular catch).

The Outback exploration takes over all of your senses when driving north of Port Lincoln, towards Port Augusta, and continuing on to Alice Springs.  Rocks, canyons and springs, oh my!  Several national parks will adorn the route to Alice Springs.  This route is quite the journey and it can even be expanded to 2 months if you really want to take your time.  Rent a camper van or bring a tent and be prepared to create your bed from time to time.  Through bringing some food, water and other supplies you will be able to choose what you explore as you drive from the west into the outback.

Hinterland Route – Less Traveled 4-6 weeks

This is the lest traveled route that most tourists overlook.  However, it’s a route that offers the Outback, rivers, National Parks and more.  Melbourne is a great place to start, while enjoying the art and cafe culture of an Australian city.  Each National Park has something unique to offer, make sure that you allow enough time to explore.  Hiking, wildflowers, rock climbing, or even renting a paddle boat to take down the Murray River.  Broken Hill marks the middle of the route.  It offers great historic perspective through artists, poets, Aboriginal culture and the busy mining days of the past.  If you enjoy wildlife you will love the incredible Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo.  Don’t worry there is still loads to see before Byron Bay.  Amazing foliage, some historical buildings, the drive through Waterfall Way and more beautiful sights to explore.  Hope you are still enjoying the vehicle you have been driving for the past several weeks, because their is still a 2 hour drive from Byron Bay to Sydney before you fly home (unless you live in Australia).

This is a great option to explore Australia if you only have a month.

Cross-continent: One to two months

This is a long strenuous route with difficult driving (not all paved/sealed roads).  Beginning in the north (Cairns) will lead to a tropical start.  While continuing west, this route will take you through some old mining towns.  Driving even further west will bring endless days of exploring the vast outback.  The feeling of remoteness begins to end with gorgeous rock formations that appear along the Great Central Road.  Finally a wonderful site of the beach will end your long cross country experience.

This is a 2900 mile journey, only the adventurous should consider this path when exploring Australia.  Road and weather conditions are unpredictable, so it is best to allow 2 months of travel time.  In addition, much preparation is necessary to survive a drive as strenuous as the cross-continent route.  The vehicle should be equip with extra supplies including food, water and gasoline or petrol.  While interviewing a few individuals that have made this journey, I learned that many vehicles will even carry some spare car parts.  Make sure to do the proper research and preparation before executing this journey.  Want to explore Australia in an extremely wild, adventurous manner?  Go cross-continent!

Part two of this mini-series will discuss the tools you will require to make these adventures a reality.

© nomadbackpackers.com -  All rights reserved 2009

Only after we were 100% geared up (ice boots, pants, jacket, helmet, gloves, ice ax, etc.) our guide explained the weather conditions had worsened and we would be able to get a full refund.  We did get our money back…but had an entire day with no plans.  We drove north up the rainy coast and stopped as soon as the sun broke loose.  Surprise!  Punakaiki is a coastal city known for the Pancake Rocks and blowholes. 

What is a pancake rock? layers of limestone weathered to resemble a stack of giant pancakes, the result of stylobedding, a chemical process in which the pressure of sediments creates alternating durable and weaker bands.

What is a blowhole? Don’t think whale…high tide creates a swell in huge sea caverns where the surf rushes in.  Blowholes are best to watch after lots of rain.  Since it had just finished raining this was to our advantage.

This has been a great “Nomad Backpacker lesson”:

1. Be creative, talk to locals: Example:  We drank coffee in a cafe in Fox Glacier, talked to some locals, heard about the Pancake Rocks about 3 hours (drive) north of the Glacier.  We left Fox Glacier with the tentative plan to drive north and hoped the rain would subside.
2. Be calm (breath deeply if you must…) Example:  It was difficult to find a place for the night in Punakaiki (since this is the busy summer season in New Zealand).  After asking at 3 places to stay, and being informed of no vacancy, we knew we could always sleep in the car.  Staying calm is a huge part of being flexible when things change so quickly.
3. Flexibility and adventure will see you through! Example:  We ended up with a cute cabin right on the coast.  It was BYOL (Bring your own linens) so maybe that scared off other travelers who did not have their own sheets, sleeping bags, pillows, towels, etc.  I am glad we were able to benefit from the lack of amenities.

Travel is not always picturesque or glamorous. Life on the road often involves learning to turn undesirable situations into something enjoyable (or at least tolerable).

View Image Gallery

© nomadbackpackers.com -  All rights reserved 2009

Now we have a plan! I spent most of yesterday in my pajamas sorting through places on maps, looking into various forms of transportation, and mixing up dates on the calendar to create a starting route.

Justin and I have fallen in love.  Not only with one another, but with New Zealand.  We have both dreamed of going to New Zealand for a long time.  In fact, it was where we really wanted to go on our honeymoon, but we went to Belize instead.  We could afford to go to Belize, while New Zealand has always seemed out of reach.

So out of reach that we spent the past several months discussing ways to get to New Zealand.  We even explored the possibility of crewing a yacht.  However, our transportation decision was made upon the discovery of reasonable air fare from London to New Zealand (as long as we leave on November 1st…I know we are missing Guy Fawkes Day in London Remember, remember the 5th of November).

The Recap

Where do we begin? -> Italy

Why? -> My brother is getting married in Italy

Any other Italian adventures? -> Yes – visiting the small town Bagnoli Del Trigno where my grandma was born…with my grandma and grandpa (AWESOME!!!) and hiking and enjoying Italy with our good friend Cup.  We end our time together in Padova where Cup will then live for a month (or a few years).  Padova is west of Venice. 

Once our Italian travel plans solidified we were left with the following question

• - “How do we get from Venice (around Oct 17/18) and end up in London by November 2nd so we can fly to New Zealand?”

Going to London the Long Way

I had everything sorted out, and had planned a wonderful path for us.  As I was attempting to book a series of flights on RyanAir it suddenly became apparent that I wasn’t fast enough. The flight from Barcelona to Madrid wasn’t 10 euros anymore. Now Justin and I would have to pay 95 euros per person.  A few of the other flights I wanted to book had also gone up in price as well.

Wait a minute! I spent a leisurely hour or so, selecting the flights and formulating a plan. Why did my plan fall through so quickly?

The only option was to redesign our plans, destinations, dates, and everything. We are backpacking. We do not have a specific place to be, so it doesn’t really matter where we go or how long we stay. I applied our flexibility to the problem. At the same time, I had to keep the time crunch in mind.

I found new hope upon finding the first flight we would take from Venice to Paris. Only 20 euros! Alright, this is good! Then I found another at the same price from Paris to Barcelona! Then Barcelona to Dublin at 20 euros again! Finally, Dublin to London, again for only 20 euros!

Just as I was realizing, that I had our “new transportation plan”, Justin (also on his computer) mention he had a cheap flight from Venice to Barcelona. I immediately responded by saying, “Great! But I figured all the flights out. I’ve got em! Only 20 euros a piece for all of our flights, but we need to book them right now.” Both of us still in our pajamas teamed up and booked all the cheap flights with RyanAir. That last click with the mouse was a victorious moment. I don’t think people realize that a couple can fly around Europe without spending a lot of money ($170 for all of our flights). Compared to purchasing rail passes, we have been able to save hundreds of dollars with our inexpensive flights.

Overall, I never imagined that Justin and I would ever have the opportunity to visit these cities. It doesn’t even seem real yet. We have already begun trying to brainstorm ways to afford to stay in each of these cities.

googlemaps

HELP US SLEEP AND EAT:

Do you have a friend or family member that lives in one of these cities? Could we crash on their couch for a night? Know of a great hostel in one of the cities we plan on visiting? Is their something we must see or do? Know of a good market to buy food to cook? How about a good place to eat vegetarian food? Any opportunities you know of to volunteer?

Let us know your ideas or advice for the places we plan on traveling to.

Any one can plan a trip. Decide on dates and times. Book transportation, lodging, and sort out the details. I’ve done this before. It feels safe and good. Sort of like a warm, fuzzy blanket that is wrapped around me on a cold night. Don’t get me wrong, even with each detail “planned” to perfection, problems can still come up.

As much as my instinct would be to plan every detail of where we will go, what we will do, what will we see, how we will get there, etc. I know that Justin and I will inevitably have a more rewarding experience (i.e. more adventure and excitement) if I continually aim to not “plan it all”.

That being said, some planning is essential. At this time, this is what we do know.

30-Sep-2008

• Happy 26^th Birthday to Justin!
• We are getting on a plane in Detroit, Michigan. Our flight leaves at 3:10 pm.
• We have a lay over at the Toronto airport for a few hours.

01-Oct-2008

Our flight lands at 11 am in Rome!

• Our flight lands at 11 am in Rome!
• We have a reservation at the Colors Hotel near the Vatican.

02-Oct-2008

• Our first full day in Rome. We plan on sleeping at the Colors Hotel again.

03-Oct-2008

• We will wake up by 6 am and walk to the Panda Hotel, where my  family is staying.
• Bus arrives at 7 am and departs by 7:15 am. We are going to Bagnoli del Trigno (the town where my grandma was born).
• We should be back in Rome around 10 pm. At that point we can either talk the driver into dropping us off at the Colors Hotel or we can walk (0.9 miles).

04-Oct-2008

• My family is planning on checking out of the Panda Hotel around 10 am.
• From the hotel they plan to go to the train station. The train is schedule to arrive in Perugia around 2 pm.
• Around 4 pm we should be checking into the castle on Lake Trasimeno. We will stay at the castle for 7 nights

NOTE: During our time  at the castle, we will be celebrating with family. The next several days are currently based on an excel document my mom so kindly emailed to me. Other than the wedding date itself there are very few  details regarding how our time will be spent.

05-Oct-2008

• Go to Tuscany

06-Oct-2008

• Go to Florence

07-Oct-2008

• More time in Tuscany

08-Oct-2008

• Another day enjoying Tuscany

Apparently Tuscany is the place to be.

09-Oct-2008

• The BIG DAY!!! My brother (Philip) and Amy are getting married.

10-Oct-2008

• A day to rest and relax: recuperate from celebrating.

11-Oct-2008

• We check out of the castle. Suddenly our posh accommodations are gone. Time to be a real “Nomad Backpacker

We currently do not know where we will be sleeping the evening of Saturday, October 11^th. My family will be traveling up to Paris for a few days before flying back to Detroit. As tempting as Paris sounds, Justin and I have discussed the weather. As backpackers we are not planning on bringing winter gear or any heavy jackets. Therefore, we are currently planning on doing the first leg of our travels around the Mediterranean region instead of heading up into the northern, more cold regions.

At this time, we may travel through Southern Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, and Turkey. This is not in a particular order. We could easily end up not traveling to half of the countries I have just mentioned. Right now, its a vague plan.

THE FACT BOX

Reflections on Planning:

Overall, I feel planning is a process of taking the thoughts, ideas and dreams and making them reality. For example, our flight on Justin’s birthday is a fact.

Another element of planning should be to avoid taking dreams and shoving them into the fact box. It could be green like mine or your fact box might be another color. Unfortunately, no matter what color your fact box is, sometimes the fact box is too small. It won’t leave space to dream.

For example, we plan on spending 4 days in Naples. Perhaps on our fourth day, we hear about a really awesome festival occurring of the Amalfi Coast (just south of Naples), but we already have tickets to get on a ferry and go to Sicily. Now we can’t spend a few days on the coast enjoying the festival.

As a result, while planning, certain things should not move immediately from the initial dream to the fact box, because then the plans get stuck in the box. At this point in the “planning” process Justin and I will still discuss where should we go, etc. But we won’t be committing to the fact box until it becomes a necessity.

Although we won’t have the security of having it all planned out, thinking outside of the box should allow our travels to both enriching and rewarding.