A trip to Ikea (aka Sweden)

Travelling to Stockholm airport(s)

Four airports, remember that all of them may be named as “Stockholm airport”, but can be really far away from the city of Stockholm, the most accessible airport is Arlanda. Every hour you can find either coach or train heading to and from this airport with a fairly low price.

Staying in Stockholm

On-boat hostels provide an unusual experience for those bored of regular accommodation. Pros: new experience, view to the sea, low prices Cons: lack of space, shared showers & toilet

Apartments, tend to have more competitive prices than the hotels, most of them are well equipped with the elemental appliances for a short stay such as microwave, oven, washing & tumbling machine. ( Personally suggest - Hammarby apartments)

Pros of renting an apartment: can cook to avoid expensive eat-outs, flexibility in check-in & check-out, lower prices than hotels

A typical "Fika" Sample

Living in a nordic country requires a lot of energy to catch up with daily life, the solution was found by the Swedes, establishing the habit of “fika”. Fika, stands for a small social gathering with friends to enjoy a cup of coffee with a snack (mainly cinnamon bun), having a major role in the daily life of Swedes.

You can try a quick fika in one of the many 7-11 shops located all over Stockholm, which are more-or-less small super markets mainly selling coffees, bakery stuff, magazines, snacks and food. Don't forget to grab a mini map of Stockholm with the location of all 7-11 round the area!

Moving around

A well structured network of frequent trams and buses allow you to move around the city round the clock, remember buses and trams may share the same stations. After midnight the time schedules are spread, though not causing any trouble for a night-out goers.

A great experience is traveling within Stockholm using the ferry lines, offering a good chance to relax and take great pictures of the city and sites along the sea (included in the pass ticket except St. Emelie line).

Using ferry lines : When taking the ferry remember to use the special sign to attract the attention of ferry's captain and place it back to its initial state, once the ferry arrives.

You can find more information about tickets and moving round Stockholm over here

Wi-fi, is available in every place in Stockholm some of them may be free whilst other are locked.

Sightseeing

Royal Palace, the ticket is 160 SEK includes visiting the Royal apartments (180 SEK with a 45 min tour - Sep 2016), unfortunately not all rooms are open to the public for visiting as they are still used by the Royal family.

The architect of this fine palace was inspired from the romantic features of the “Palace de Versailles” in France, making both palaces to look similar.

In the price of the ticket you have access to 2 more exhibitions the Treasury and the Tre Kronor museum. The Treasury presents the original crowns and symbols of power belonging to the Royal family from the old times, whilst the Tre Kronor museum outlines the architecture of the palace, before a huge fire  and renovation that led to its nowadays style.

Armoury museum (free entry), an interesting collection of armors through the ages

Historika museet

Historiska museum (free entry), well organised museum outlining the history of Sweden, with a rich variety of exhibitions related mainly to the great Viking era.

Additional exhibitions may be found with the wealth of Viking culture in tools, jewellry and presenting parameters affecting the progress of the culture from that time.

The museum offers special activity programs for children as well as free lockers, where you can store securely your belongings.

Gamla stan, the oldest neighbourhood of Stockholm with traditional alleys spread over a small island, the old buildings host various hostels, restaurants and souvenir shops.

Outside view of Vasaa museum

Vasamuseet, a museum dedicated to one of the greatest ships built in the beginning of the 17th century, which unfortunately sunk 24 minutes after leaving the shipyard and remained for 333 year in the bottom of Stockholm port. The guided tour lasts approximately 25 minutes, giving in depth explanation about the history behind the ship, after the tour you can enjoy a short film about the ship  too.

The museum includes 3 different levels, the first level analyses compartments of the ship, items found onboard, their use and purpose, in the ground floor the museum describes the techniques used to lift the ship from the bottom of the ship. While in the -1 level, you can find you can learn more about the conservation process of the ship, the chemical processes affecting it, the project of conservation as well as the history of it since it has been moved from Stockholm's seabed.

ICEbar, a bar made entirely out of ice covering an area of about 40 sqm with the temperature stuck at -5 C degrees all year long. Walls are decorated with pieces of artwork of nordic fauna, music played is mainly EDM (Electro, Dance, Mainstream), whilst you can stay for a 45min slot until your toes freeze! A special cloak and gloves that will keep you warm is supplied once you enter, remember that your glass made out of ice is slippery if you hold it with bare hands! Booking your tickets online gets you a -15% discount to the entrance fee!

Athens Out and About

Transport

Travelling round Athens is easy, during high peak tourist season the atmosphere in some means of transport is quite hectic and overcrowded. A all-ways-of-trasport (bus, tram, bus) costs 1,20EUR (June 2015), it does not cover some special routes such as going to the airport (Eleftherios Venizelos) and has a time span of 70 minutes, the validation of the ticket is necessary.

Metro Line 2

Metro, suggests the main way of transporting round Athens, 3 metro lines, 1 suburban line and 1 tram line carry approximately 1 million people every day, try avoid the peak hours  where wagons will be packed (Mon-Fri 7.30 - 10.00, 13.00 - 16.00 and Fri-Sat 9.00 -12.00). Keep in mind: during summer trains get also full with tourists making moving around a bit uncomfortable. Metro lines map here (some maps show future extension)

Buses, they suggest the "support" of the train lines in Athens as the government formed in 2014, though they might not be always on time, be aware that there might be changes without warning on the route and the time of departure or frequency. Information you should seek is, the place of departure (all stops have an individual name, the places where stops are located are rarely being given on the route plan). For more info you can get advised the official website here.

Taxi sign in Athens

Taxis, a "tribe"(fara) that seeks psychological help are the taxi drivers, hated by the majority of Athenians for their aggressive of driving, rude behaviour, and all-time seeking a way to get some extra money (i.e. When its time to pay the fare, it is very likely he will try to "steal" you some of the change or take the longest route to your destination, be aware of any tricks they might do).

Car driving, just don't copy the Athenians, you can't have their driving skills, take the public transport. Note: there might be crossings for the pedestrians, but for the drivers there are not any crossings!

Weather in Athens

Hot in the summer, cold in winter, Easter bit cold,  storms especially during summer and autumn can be very sudden and strong!

Food in Athens

Walkway in Psyrri at 3am

Souvlaki, an all time favorite for locals and tourists, its quality depends on the place you will ago. Also famous with souvlaki is gyros, which is a souvlaki wrapped with a pita bread and filled with french fries, tzatziki sauce (in some places tzatziki sauce is replaced with other types of sauces),onion, tomato and other, for food lovers this can be breakfast, snack, lunch and dinner!

Indian, I would recommend a relatively new restaurant opened in 2013 named 'Mirch' about 3 minutes on foot away from Monastiraki station, has a short but tasty options in its menu, portions are big and cheap, soon you will feel fool. (I would totally recommend you to try 'Indian souvlaki')
 

Lifestyle of Locals
For the Greeks coffee, is what tea is for British , beer for the Germans. Our personal time to gather and discuss, hence you will notice an crazy amount of cafes round Athens, ideal time of the year to do that....mostly summer but cold will not bother Greeks to enjoy their coffee, though Athens is not the biggest consumer of it in Greece. Greeks do love welcoming tourists, especially those interested in understanding deeper their personal philosophy and culture of modern life.

Neighbourhoods

Monastiraki Square

Central meeting points of the locals are usually one of the places : 

Monastiraki square at 5am during summer

Monastiraki, an important transport joint connecting lines 1 and 2 of the metro leaving the visitor the option to visit nearby areas without walking much. Monastiraki square takes its name after an old mosque and nowadays remain closed(?!?). All streets round Monastiraki square are full with souvenir shops, restaurants, clothes shops and the local delicatessen "frozen yoghurt", but the access is 99% done on foot.

Visit tau bar, A for Athens roof bar, 360 roof bar, Vrettos for some great flavored liquors to take home

 Thisio, the next station of metro line 1 after Monastiraki station (heading to Piraeus) spread around the Acropolis rock with loads of cafes placed along the road and great view to the Parthenon, (keep in mind the road is uphill, so make sure you aren't tired)
Visit Stavlos bar for drinks

Plaka - Anafiotika, an urban neighbourhood of old houses built during the 1920s after Greeks fled during the destruction of Smyrna(nowadays in Turkey), with some cafes and restaurants appearing between the narrow streets and small alleys, creating a refreshing shelter to enjoy a cold drink or meze during the high temperatures of the Greek summer. 

Most cafes and restaurants remain open at night too, serving drinks as the past few years they are very popular to modern Greek youth of Athens.

The area inspires people interested in culture with obvious existence of graffiti artists, small theatres and museums hidden all over Plaka. Special characteristic is the architecture of houses in the area, named in Greek as "Refugee homes" indicating a different architect style compared with the common "neo-classic" style of other houses existing at that era.

Syntagma, the heart of Athens where hundreds of strikes and riots have taken place round the square, as many violent incidents have taken place in the old and modern history round the Parliament house (which used to be a Palace). It is a 24/7 alive area and meeting point for youth due to the easy access to Ermou street (one of the most expensive roads) and the nearby shops. Have all the metro lines closed? No problem! Around Syntagma square you can find all-night buses passing through all the main roads of Athens, just ask the driver and make sure you are on the one you need.

Band performing on the lower part of Ermou walkway

The ideal night-out for me - an Athenian, starts with some snack in a local meze-restaurant to prepare physically for the drinks. After some mezes, head towards Psyrri, going through the main road you will see youth enjoying some shisha, "vromiko" (dirty in greek - meaning fatty food), traditional sweets and delicacies in local shops which usualy stay open until early in the morning.
Afterthe first drinks, it is time to head to Gkazi-Technopolis, attending several concerts located on Ermou walkaway or ending up in the numerous night clubs around Kerameikos station for some proper
greek style or modern clubbing.

View from a roof bar in Thissio

If you prefer romantic atmosphere, Thiseio's cafes and roof bar-restaurants offer a great view on Acropolis for you and your partner, I would strongly suggest the one's located on Apostolou Pavlou walkaway, where there are no objects blocking the view.

Depending on the class of the bar you visit, the average price for cocktails is 9 EUR, for standard drinks 8 EUR, for special drinks 9 EUR.

Feeling hungry after a great night and it's very late? Don't worry! Round Kerameikos station you will find a wide variety of cheap fast food restaurants open 24/7.

Sermpetia stou Psyrri front

Sweets and more sweets

Those of you having a sweet tooth, look for the "Sermpetia stou Psyrri" a sweet shop opened in 1997, where you can find loads of traditional and modern sweets for every occasion, all of them are served with a side of vanilla or kaimaki ice-cream flavour, when you are done they will bring you a "kerasma", some shots of masticha liqur - take care it's strong, but helps with stomach aches.

Visit the Street burger for burgers, Hoxtron bar for underground mood, WS for some greek nightclubbing


Places to visit: Psyrri, Kifissia, Marousi, Glyfada, Alimos, Kolonaki
Wikipedia provides a good analysis above the above places
Places to avoid: Viktoria, Omonia, Exarchia

100 things you should know about Greece
http://www.greeka.com/greece-travel/greece-things-remember.htm

More to come:

Athens and Art

Athens and Monuments

As Athens is one of the oldest cities in the world, you know where this is going.... Several ancient ruins are spread round downtown Athens and some remain hidden underground till nowadays.

Acropolis, Shower of winds, Stoa of Attalos, Temple of Hephaestus, the columns of Zeus, New Acropolis Museum, Benaki museum

Tips and tricks from around the world

United Kingdom

London - 2 for 1
If you have any friend citizen of UK, he/she can register to the website "Days Out Guide" and download from there vouchers for sightseeing's and museums. The vouchers must be downloaded, printed and completed, later they should be presented to the cashier of the museum, with 2 rail tickets proving your arrival to London! After that you will be charged 2 tickets for the price of 1, it is worth going through the process, cause tickets in London are fairly expensive. London 2 for 1 offer, is valid only for the day of your arrival in London! Other on - site offers : students, over 65 years old citizens, family group tickets and other offers are available.

National Express coaches - When you enter the coach do not sit at the far back seats, at the back there is also the WC, where in most of the cases it's quite smelly

National Rail trains - During holidays make sure your train arrives at least 3 hours prior to your flight if you go to the airport, expect further engineer works, delays, cut-offs etc. Some members of the company can be real pricks!

London – NYE
From December 2014 the mayor of London has decided to charge visitors from £10  just to stand and watch the fireworks for the NYE. I would definitely suggest you to avoid attending such an event, and book a hotel room with a view to the fireworks, keep in mind that most of the rooms will be booked already from mid-summer. 

How it works: All small streets have been closed with barricades by the police and only the main roads are open, there is no access for any vehicles except for ambulances and police cars. 

The roads having sight to the river banks will be open, though later will be closed again by the police to control the crowds and for safety reasons. As the time passes by the place get more and more crowded, you can actually smell in the air the alcohol and the cannabis, main command by the police is not carrying any glass objects with you as they can be used as a weapon. After the fireworks, thousands of people will start heading towards the underground stations, there will be loads of pushing, squeezing and waiting - again, the police, cuts off the traffic with guards and horses, to let the public transport run smoothly. The danger in the whole situation, is that some drunk people will actually try to start a fight, others will be panicked due to the lack of space around them and will start pushing, last but not least, this time of the year is beloved by pickpockets.

 Gatwick Airport
A busy airport, located 29.5 miles south of central London with 2 terminals (North & South) and suggest a base of Easyjet (low fare airline) in the UK, you can access it easily by coach (National Express, Megabus, easyBus) or train (every 15 minutes trains depart from Victoria via Gatwick Express and journey lasts approximately 30 minutes).

Several airlines prefer to have their flights early in the morning, just make sure that you can either get to Gatwick Airport early in the morning or very late at night, sometimes there aren't any train or bus schedules to/from Gatwick, so you must wait until morning


Gatwick suggests a great, clean and safe airport focusing on the satisfaction of travelers, well equipped with individual areas dedicated in the relaxation or sleep of travelers (1st floor), equipped with plugs to recharge any devices. A few meters away you can find "Weatherspoon" a 24/7 pub offering meals and drinks throughout the day and the gates before the body control.


The whole airport is covered by Wi-Fi offering a free 45 minutes session, after creating an account by filling in only a username, password and email.  So, you can use 3-4 random email, no notification email would be sent back to the email addresses. For unlimited Wi-Fi acces create different usernames each time, don't forget to remove cookies/history after each session has finished.

In 2013, Gatwick North Terminal Coach station was changed with the expansion of it, more stands have been placed a bit further from the entrance of the terminal, which is approximately 2-3 minutes on foot, nothing to worry about

Hungary

Hungarian Pastries

In every single underground station you will find bakeries selling pizzas, loaves of bread and  having a huge variety of delicious pastries in many flavors, something Hungarians are known for and love.
Small puns of bread can be found in different flavors: bacon, tomato, potato, cheese, pizza filling, etc. All the small pastries are sold per kg. or might be part of a special offer ( though it differs from one place to another).

Budapest -  Hop on- off buses - It is strongly recommended to get a hop on - hop off ticket, as there are plenty of sight seeings to go and visit, 2 bus services (red and green line) and 1 boat line (blue line). This will give you a good, cheap and fast way to get the most out of your time in Budapest in order to avoid long exhausting walks!

Budapest - Currency - The exchange rate is approximately 1 EUR equal  to 300 HUF(September 2014), hence the total cost of your vacation over there will quite cheap. In order to convert your money in any desired currency avoid any exchange offices nearby train stations, airports and busy roads, expect the currency to be bad over you.

Do not miss to visit the ruin pubs!

Netherlands

The typical sign
at the meeting point

Amsterdam - 360 Amsterdam tours - If you have the chance to drop by in Amsterdam, do not lose the chance to go for a walking tour,I tried the walking tours and I was amused by the guides of how relaxed, chatty and communicative behavior the guides had, willing to answer any question you have after noticing some unusual details down to the neighborhoods of Amsterdam.

 The agency 360 Amsterdam is organizing daily walking tours (tips only), bike tours (22,50 EUR) and sells tickets for cruises (14,50 EUR), museums (Van Gog museum plus priority line 15 EUR, Rijkmuseum plus priority line 15 EUR, Madame Tussauds  plus priority line 21 EUR, Heineken Experience plus priority line 17 EUR, prices are indicative for September 2014). The priority line allows you to skip the long queues of people waiting outside museums, pretty useful for short stays in Amsterdam!


Amsterdam - Renting bikes
Moving around can be quite tiring when you are on foot, renting a bike will make your transfer easy and fast. There are some cons too, Dutch have a weird skill of moving through other cycles and riding their cycle on any terrain, you will be surprised! Bikes are split in two different categories hand-brake bicycles and foot-brake pedal bicycles, the first ones are the "normal" ones and the other brake by cycling counter-clockwise. Avoid using foot-brake pedal cycles if you are not used to them! Note: It is not easy to find a place to lock your bike!


Next parts:

Greece

Athens - Walk around the city center
Athens - Bars - Athens 360, Vrettos,Six Dogs, etc.
Ancient Olympia
Delphi
Information also available at 100 facts about Greece link
Italy - Rome
Germany - Munich

Steps for perfect packing

A miracle in your bag

Watching several videos on YouTube and following the advices of several experienced travelers, packing your bag/suitcase has always been and always will be one of the biggest problems. But before start packing, first :

1. Pick a size of a bag, big enough for your clothes but not too big for you
2. Choose what clothes to put on every day and prepare for the weather from forecasts
3. Place heavier clothes at the bottom, so you can find them easier
4. Folding the clothes saves a lot of space, rolling them though might cause sometimes wrinkles on them, so if you roll them, roll them tight
5. Use any spare space, such as the inside of your shoes in your bag
6. Organize and distribute evenly your clothes
7. Fragile items should be placed in the middle of the bag, so they do not break and remain protected by your clothes
8. Formal clothes should be placed on top so they can easily be removed, hanged and ironed when the bag is opened
9. Any empty gaps between the clothes should be filed with other items such as underwear, socks, etc.

Not convinced? The video below shows how many tings you can pack in a tiny backpack!

Size

Size available for each bag is measured in liters (L), depending on your needs and length of your trip the size of you bags should be ideal to your opinion. The volume can be from 10 L up to 100 L! I personally prefer a 70 L backpack since I can strap my bag and squeeze is as much as possible.

Resources:
Gapyear, Lifehacker, Gizmodo, WikiHow, StartBackpacking.com


Know what you want. Be prepared. Enjoy

Ancona (Italy) to Patras (Greece) by boat - Survival guide

Odyssey or Love cruise ?

 

When you get there
If you get to Ancona by train, frequent buses pass from the Ancona train station (there are some ticket offices round there from some lines), pick the bus to take you to the city centre and after approximately 20 minutes you will get there - it's a nice city - start looking for the port, you pass the ticket and passport check and you will be able to get on board the ship.


Ticket and passport

Boat connections between Italy and Greece

Make sure where the offices of the lines you will be using to get to Greece, you will be asked for your passport of course (in order to find a seat make sure you, book the tickets by phone using your card a few days earlier). The price of the ticket is exactly the same for most of the companies, remember that for Interrail and Eurrail pass owners, there is a discount "using " 1 day of your pass.

Also some groups of people might be allowed a discount, so investigate if you can have a discount either by calling the customer service of the company you have chosen or online.


Companies
There are 3 companies (ANEK lines, Minoan Lines, Superfast Ferries), having used all companies I would strongly suggest to avoid ANEK lines and prefer Minoan lines for various reasons.

Expenses on the ship and before boarding
Be aware that the products on the ship are more expensive than on the land, prepare for it and purchase goods from local supermarkets before getting on board! the trip lasts up to 25 hours (in totally rare occasions), so buying fridge products would not be worth it. On the boats there are also a restaurant and a mini-shop.

On the boat
If you have a "deck"- ticket, it means that the company provides you with a plastic chair to sit down, it is not worth it to stay outside(during the night there will be some noise and wind). Prefer to get indoors ASAP, find a good place to relax, lay down on the isle somewhere it will not bother passengers and the staff to pass (prefer corners with plugs if you find any, find a way to keep your  luggage safe, actually check what your fellow passengers will do if you are not sure).


  Sleeping on board

Using your backpack as a pillow
will give you a feeling of security

Fellow travelerscould guard the team's backpacks

During the night lay down on the floor your thin foam mattress (if you do not have one use layers of towels to avoid waking up with back pains) and get in your sleeping bag. Sleeping on your backpack or using it as a pillow will give you some security for your belongings. Accessories such as waist wallet or secret pockets on your clothes or luggage can be a lifesaver.

Not the best sleep you will ever have,
but it is better than not sleeping at all

There will be some noise indoors but you will get used, a night mask and earplugs will definitely let you have a better sleep, so don't worry. The other passengers after some time will be resting too and from time to time a member of the boat's staff will pass through the isles just to make sure that everything is fine. Whenever the boat reaches any destinations, there will a quite loud announcement from the speakers and enough time for you to pack your things and get off the boat. Remember : having a fellow traveler guarding your belongings is the best solution.


When you reach Ancona - Italy

Ancona Ferries Terminal (maritima biglietteria)

 If you have booked your ticket online, but did not have it printed yet you should go first to the "maritima biglietteria"( means ship tickets). All the ship companies of Ancona are based in the same building on via Einaudi street, which is outside the city. To get there you will need to catch the bus #20 or  #12, from the port or the train station both buses have a frequent timetable. Note that the accounting office of Minoan line is opposite the port, so do not get confused you can not get your ticket from there.


When you reach Patras - Greece

The "KTEL" coach station in Patras

When you finally get to Patras, right outside the port there will be a local bus stop (from early in the morning until 6pm), there are buses to the city center and to the coach station (KTEL). In case there are no buses, taxis will be there to transfer you anywhere you want.
KTEL is the national bus operator in Greece and main way of moving from one place to another (if no car is available).

A trip to Athens from Patras "KTEL" coach station takes from 2,5 up until 3 hours (Price 18,90EUR - August2014).



Know what you want. Be prepared. Enjoy.

• Introduction
  Who am I and why start blogging?
• A helpful and inspirational guide before you travel by train
  Where to start and what to think before travelling
• How to pack your bag
  Overstuffed and overweight bag, at least keep it overstuffed 
• What to pack in your bag
  You don't need your fashionable clothes in here! 
• Travelling Solo VS Travelling as a group
  Loneliness doesn't always have to feel bad
• Couchsurfing and stay
  Make your stay safe 
• Raildude,ticket purchasing
  How to get the pass,the rules in the train station 
• Maps and books
  Should I get a map, guide or ignore everything? 
• On the way/train
  You can't get bored here my friend 
• Law,stereotypes,different lifestyles and adopting
  How not to end up behind the bars! 
• Types of travellers
  People worth meeting and not 
• Journeys
  Past personal Experiences 
• Ancona (Italy) to Patras (Greece) by boat - Survival guide
  Meeeeeeeeh...
• Additional tips
  Weren't all these enough?
• Self awareness, Self confidence, Passion and Personal awesomeness
  So you think you are not cool enough?

Useful Links

Please add your suggestions for sites in the comment section

Flights:

There is a variety of websites allowing you to search for cheap or flexible flights, unfortunately most famous websites such as Skyscanner, limit their search only within some pre-defined airlines not showing all potential airlines.

Kiwi.com : Multi search engine, allow search according to date range, geographic location with an innovative design and dynamic price change according to the user parameters.
In addition you can limit your search with how much time you are willing to spend in between changes, as well as the available routes on the map.
www.kiwi.com


Kayak : Multi search engine for plane tickets, comparison of plane tickets with other sites.
www.kayak.com


  

Skyscanner : Not so efficient search engine for flights as it used to, combining flight schedule to achieve the lowest price. Several problems have appeared as the prices of the website are not automatically updated and more companies refuse to cooperate with Skyscanner.
www.skyscanner.net

Additional tip : remove your cookies before revisiting or the prices will keep increasing



Alternative websites:

Tripsta : http://www.tripsta.co.uk


Viva: http://travel.viva.gr/en/

Skyexpress: a small airline company interesting offering deals with flight connections from Crete (Greece) to other islands, suitable for island hoping. (http://www.skyexpress.gr/en-us/home.aspx)

Note: Some websites may have already "clicked" some sections where the user accepts to offer a small donation to the selected company as an economic aid, make sure no such thing is selected.

Accomodation:

Booking.com : Easy to use website, many criteria to find the best hotel, hostel BnB for any budget.
http://www.booking.com

Couchsurfing : Want to do something unusual without paying to much? Why not ask a local to host you for free?
 https://www.couchsurfing.org

Additional Tip: A short guide about Couchsurfing is available from my blog. (Couchsurfing and stay)


Airbnb: Locals rent their rooms or properties to visitors, the price range is variable, in the description of each advertisement the owner describes what the accommodation offers such as wi-fi, towels, breakfast with extra charge and more. The process of finding an available property is fast-track, starts with sending request to the owner for specific dates, if there is no answer within 24 hours, the request is automatically cancelled, in parallel you get automatic text messages on your mobile updating you with the answers of your requests.

Train Tickets and train schedules, maps:

Raildude : The "Facebook" of Interrailer and Eurrailer, maps with train connections and timetables, tips, tricks and forums about traveling by train round the world, meet other travelers (Interrail and EUrail passes also available here). Suggested routes and examples of possible travels for a few days produced by the admins of Raildude website are also available, but they did not stop there, they equipped the website with a blog, news feeds about train connections globally. In 2013 Raildude became official online partner of Deutsche Bahn (national German railways).  http://www.raildude.com

Additional Tip : Having a look at this website before traveling will give you for sure a good boost you will need

The man in seat61 : Mark Smith

The man in seat61: A frequent traveler goes round Europe with the starting point always from London, the website covers a wide variety of information about purchasing tickets ways for every country, general feedback on the routes and opinions as well as other information and tips like travelling with children, where to store your luggage and other. Mark Smith, the creator of the site has also been awarded many times for his website from the Telegraph, Guardian, Observer and other papers. Additional site in french http://www.seat61.fr , or http://www.seat61.com for English speakers.

Additional Tip : Even if you do not intend having a look at his website you can see his videos on YouTube about the routes he uses.

Areas:

Daily Secret : Frequent newsletter and updates for each area you have selected, small tips that could change the way you see the place and live in it! Careful cause some of the tips are on for a very short time period or be seasonal.
http://www.dailysecret.com






Know what you want. Be prepared. Enjoy

• Introduction
  Who am I and why start blogging?
• A helpful and inspirational guide before you travel by train
  Where to start and what to think before travelling
• How to pack your bag
  Overstuffed and overweight bag, at least keep it overstuffed 
• What to pack in your bag
  You don't need your fashionable clothes in here! 
• Travelling Solo VS Travelling as a group
  Loneliness doesn't always have to feel bad
• Couchsurfing and stay
  Make your stay safe 
• Raildude,ticket purchasing
  How to get the pass,the rules in the train station 
• Maps and books
  Should I get a map, guide or ignore everything? 
• On the way/train
  You can't get bored here my friend 
• Law,stereotypes,different lifestyles and adopting
  How not to end up behind the bars! 
• Types of travellers
  People worth meeting and not 
• Journeys
  Past personal Experiences 
• Ancona (Italy) to Patras (Greece) by boat - Survival guide
  Meeeeeeeeh...
• Additional tips
  Weren't all these enough?
• Self awareness, Self confidence, Passion and Personal awesomeness
  So you think you are not cool enough?