“There’s nothing quite like wild camping for the true “back to nature” experience. When done properly it’s a very environmentally friendly way to see some truly wonderfully hidden areas of the UK countryside. However, as with anything, there are always a few guidelines to be followed, even in this most unstructured type of holiday:-

Leave the site in the same (or better) condition as you found it

This is the golden rule of wild camping. Pay special care to areas where you may have had a campfire and most certainly don’t leave any rubbish or litter lying around on your departure. Bury your toilet doings and don’t bury tampons or sanitary towels- animals can smell the pheromones and are sure to dig them up.

Don’t get in the way

Even though a lot of open land may not appear to be used when you pitch camp, the odds are good that dog walkers and ramblers will come upon your site at some stage during your stay (most likely early in the morning, always say hello and be friendly!). As such, don’t camp on towpaths or bridleways or anywhere else where you could block access.

Be careful when camping on farmland

A large amount of ‘open’ land in the UK actually belongs to farmers. While they may not appear to be working the land at present, it does belong to them and there’s nothing more sure to annoy a farmer first thing in the morning than finding he can’t graze his cattle in a field because you’re camping in it! A general rule of thumb is that if you need to climb over fences to get to a campsite, you’re likely to be camping on private land and need to be extra sure that you’re not going to cause a nuisance.

Be prepared to move

There are times when you will get item number 2 wrong… in those cases, be prepared to be polite and be happy to move if asked. The key here is to be polite. Most situations can be defused by a simple apology and then going on your merry way.

Where possible, arrive late and leave early

This will ensure that you cause minimum disturbance, especially if you’re on agricultural land.

Respect the peace and quiet

Don’t make huge amounts of noise or disturbance. You are guests of the land and should respect your surroundings accordingly.”

It’s that time of year again – Christmas markets, festivals, and events are gearing up all over Europe.   I simply love them – steaming mugs of mulled wine, twinkling lights brightening up the dark nights, hot food stalls, rosy cheeks and big smiles… it’s the one of the best things about winter!

One of my favourite places to enjoy Christmas is in Cologne, Germany.  Not only is it a wonderful city the rest of the year – with good restaurants, an excellent modern art museum, the impressive cathedral to mention a few things – but the city goes all out for Christmas.

Cologne - the Dom (cathedral) with Christmas Market boat below - Copyright Andrew Hayes

In Cologne (Köln in German) there are no less than six Christmas markets, so you’ll need at least a 3-day weekend to explore them all.  Shopping by day, food and drinks by night is my strategy.  Here’s what you’ll find in each market:

Chrismas Market underneath the Dom:  Perched underneath the impressive Cologne Cathedral (the Dom), this market is a stunning beauty, with the overhead lights shooting out from a beautiful Christmas pine overhead.  This market has plenty of homemade crafts, lots of mulled wine and a huge food market.  Best to head here if you’re hungry.

Angel’s Market at Neumarkt Square:  Between the major shopping streets, this is a candlelight paradise, as if it did just drop from heaven – hence the name.

The Rustic Market in the Old Town:  Buy some traditional sweeties handmade in the traditional ways.  Plenty of Kölsch, the local beer, is on hand here – even though it’s cold, try it – it is delicious.

Children’s Market in Rudolfphplatz:  Children will adore this cute fairytale-themed market.  Lots of toys are on sale, as well as plenty of sweets and treats.

Medieval Market at the Chocolate Museum:  This market comes complete with concerts, buskers, and even a live nativity.  The area has such an old-world feeling, with open fires used for roasting corn as well as beating out iron ornaments. 

Floating Christmas Market:  Moored down below the cathedral on the Rhine is the MS Wappen van Köln, a large ship with an expansive Christmas market.  Much of it indoors, this might be a nice place to warm up if the weather is inclement.  Lots of stalls with antique ornaments and there is an on-board restaurant/café.

Christmas Market at Stadtgarden Gardens:  what a lovely atmosphere here at this massive market, full of stalls with food, antiques, and modern Christmas goods.

You’ll have to pay a deposit for the glasses that the Kölsch and mulled wine are served in.  Both are considered popular souvenirs, as the glasses have the market name and date on them.  There are even different glasses in different markets.  If you decided that you don’t want them, be sure to return them to the stall for a refund of your deposit.

Have you been to Cologne?  Any recommendations for Christmastime?

Albania was top of the list, as I had a picture of a country still recovering from its communist years, with a bleak capital of Tirana blighted by concrete architecture. I knew from my sister who lives in neighbouring Greece that there were many Albanian economic migrants who had moved to Greece in search of a better standard of living, ending up in low paid jobs.

Beach near Vlora by KC

Putting these preconceptions aside, I had a chat with the Albania representative and came away with a fistful of brochures, maps, DVDs and cookery books. He told me that the country was investing heavily in infrastructure and tourism; last year the focus had been on the south of the country, this year it was on the north. All the material was branded with the slogan - Albania, a New Mediterranean love. The country clearly has ambitions to become a mainstream holiday destination like Spain or Italy.

So why should you go to Albania? Here are the highlights.

Beaches and coastline
Albania has 450km of coastline, with calm and sheltered waters for swimming. On the northern Adriatic coast centred around the large port of Durres, the beaches are sandy and shallow, making them ideal for families although they are crowded in high season. The unspoilt southern Ionian coastline, south of Vlora is more rocky, with the mountains coming down to the sea, and watersports and diving on offer. Further south, ferries from the Greek island of Corfu run to the seaside town of Saranda, giving access to the most southern stretch of coastline.

The city of Berat by Mage

Culture and Heritage
Through the centuries, Albania has been a melting pot of many cultures, with the Illyrians, Greeks, Romans and Venetians all leaving traces of their past behind. To mention a few of the sites worth visiting; Berat is a picturesque UNESCO world heritage site, where the old white ottoman houses cling to the side of the hill, earning it the name Town of a thousand windows; The museum town of Gjirokstra, known as the City of Stone has the largest castle in the country where the National Folk Festival (held only every 4-5 years) will be taking place in 2009; At Kruja, a medieval town with a mountainside location, the old bazaar leads you up to the castle of national hero Skanderbeg, who in the 15th century led the struggle against the Ottoman empire.

The Great Outdoors
Lovers of nature and outdoor adventure sports should find plenty to keep them busy in Albania. The northern town of Thethi, set in the Albanian Alps, is a centre for outdoor activities such as treking, mountain biking and winter skiing, but if white water rafting is your thing you can try the Osumi River Gorge further south. If you like birds and wildlife, head for the wetlands of the Velipoje National Park on the northern coast. Llogera near the southern coast is a centre in the Balkans for air sports such as paragliding and on the eastern border with Macedonia you can relax beside the crystal waters of Lake Ohrid, the deepest lake in the Balkans.

Painted buildings in Tirana by Davduf

Tirana
One of the first thing artist and mayor Edi Rama did, when he was elected, was invite the citizens of Tirana to get out the paintpots and brighten up the drab communist architecture. Now you can see apartment buildings in rainbow shades all over the city. Sheshi Skënderbej is the heart of the city, with a statue of Albanian hero, Skanderbeg. If bars and restaurants are your scene, the centre for nightlife is the neighbourhood of Blloku, once the exclusive preserve of dictator Enver Hoxha and his communist officials, now opened up for everyone to join the party.

So, is Albania likely to be the next big Mediterranean destination? I’ll let you decide, but I’m pretty sure that Easyjet or Ryanair should be planning to start a route there. In the meantime British Airways flies from London Gatwick to Tirana.

Thanks to kc, mage and davduf for their photos on Flickr

I know some people aren’t really into visiting art galleries when they travel, but I have to say that everyone should make an exception for The Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. It’s not only a Russian icon but it’s also a truly breathtaking place to stroll around - whether art interests you or not, even just the buildings that house all the art are fascinating.

Okay, enough of the lyrical adjectives, this is the plain truth: the Hermitage is stuffed full of paintings, sculptures and other works of art and every guide book likes to cite some statistic on how many lifetimes you would need if you wanted to look at the entire collection (there’s a lot more that’s not on display). Whichever period of the history of art you’re attracted to, there’s some representative of it there.

Being this incredible means that every man and his dog wants to visit the Hermitage, so you have to plan your visit well to avoid either paying too much or seeing too little. I’ve been twice and both times have got there early in the morning, about half an hour or so before it opens, and as long as you have a book to read in the queue or a snack to keep you busy, it’s quite tolerable. As for buying tickets, there are several ways to go and they change regularly. At the moment you can buy tickets online for US$17.95, which seems reasonable although locals get in much, much cheaper; having tickets in advance at least means less queuing.

Last time I was there a tour guide was walking up and down the queue giving people the tip that if they were in the first hundred or so people they could pay for the special Jewellery tour and general admission was included - yet weirdly, this made it cheaper. We took her advice and got to see some of the more secret stash of jewels as well as get in cheaper. So keep your ear to the ground if you’re on a tight budget.

To win the map, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post saying why you’d like to win the giant wall map. I’ll then select the most entertaining answer given by 30th November 2008 and then the map will be winging its way to the lucky winner.

Go Away. Come Home. Gloat.

I can hear you protesting “No, we go away for the experience! We travel for the adventure!” but, seriously now, you can’t tell me that you don’t get a small frisson of glee when you drop in lines like “Yes, well, in Namibia last year…” or “This reminds me of a wonderful little restaurant I know in Paris…”

Ah-huh. You’re still protesting, but you know no one believes you.

Of course in the modern world with it’s thirty-second attention span we can no longer subject people to four hours of a slide-show of sunsets and mountain vistas. The eyes of friends and family glaze over by the time you reach Day Three in your journey’s recounting. So how can you still gloat, still tell people all that you’ve seen an experienced without boring them or bringing them to think that you’re a pain-in-the-proverbial name dropper?

Bored by scragz

Tell them all with a Blog

This is, of course, the most popular option. Blog your adventures! Gather a loyal cadre of readers who await your every written tale of excitement and amusing food anecdotes! If you don’t already have a blog (are there people who don’t?) sign up for a free one before your next trip. Of the big ones (MySpace, LiveJournal, Blogger, Wordpress, Typepad) I prefer Wordpress for it’s slickness and community-building aspects. There are also plenty of travel sites which host free blogs.

Keep it quick with Twitter

I’ve discussed this before, but it deserves to go on the list. Anyone can handle an SMS length update on your doings, right? If you update thirty times a day, they’re still each only short aren’t they? Just beware. You do have to pay for each SMS you send to Twitter, just as you have to pay to send an SMS to a normal phone, and those costs can stack up. It is addictive to try and create pithy, exciting updates in 140characters or less.

Make it pretty with a Facebook Application

The explosion of Facebook users means that this is a really nice way to show off to people you know - ESPECIALLY those who were enemies in high school but for some reason have still hunted you down and befriended you. So show off! Update your status with what you’re doing, or use the Twitter application to update it from your Twitter feed. Make some pretty maps showing where you’ve been. Search for “maps” and then click on “Application” in the result window and you’ll get a list around five hundred different applications. I’ve used the TripAdvisor and TravBuddy applications before on Facebook and found them both pretty good.

Show off on Flickr (or another photo hosting site)

Where are you going to showcase your photos? Of course, the really embarrassing ones taken by that Canadian guy you met in a bar in Reykjavik will appear on Facebook, but for the best of your shots, make sure they get onto a great photo hosting site. Just be careful of what you put up and how if you wish to retain the rights to them. The terms of service of Facebook do state that they can use any data you put up there, including your photos. Flickr gives you the option of releasing them under Creative Commons if you wish.

Spread the sound with Last.fm

This is a music social networking site which hooks into your iTunes library and creates your own personal radio station based on your tastes. It’ll play songs tagged similarly, or in the libraries of other users who also have what you have. Anybody can listen to your type of music by putting in your username and listening to your station. What you need when you’ve discovered that Lithuanian hip hop is your next great love and it needs more exposure. Similarly, a MySpace page will let you put in music - in fact bursting the eardrums of anyone who pops by is a must there.

Sketch your way into DeviantART

So you find yourself sketching quick glimpses of foreign life in your Moleskin, scribbling furiously in a bus-stop like the hipster artist you are? DeviantART lets you showcase your work and set up your own online gallery. The shop function even lets you sell artwork, but do make sure you are aware of their copyright policy before releasing work on the site. It isn’t just limited to traditional art - put up vector art and photos as well.

Send a Postcard

Putting pen to paper, licking a stamp and writing an address is still the best way to get people to pay attention to your travels. Everybody gets email, everybody has blog feeds building up in their RSS readers. Nowadays though, an old fashioned postal message is going to get you the attention that the flashiest MySpace background won’t. People will stop to read your short missive if it arrives by mail. They will look at the photo. They will think “Oh look, she was thinking of ME while away!” and feel special. And because of that they will be more likely to be forgiving of all the name- and place-dropping you do when you get home.

Old postcard. by Hot Meteor

There are some airports that I watch with morbid fascination of the kind normally reserved for car wrecks and really bad street performers. CDG definitely falls into that category – it’s even better than watching a car wreck, there’s all the morbid fascination you can handle AND you get to come out (mostly) alive at the other end.

Arlanda, on the other hand, is an airport I love and continue to love almost instinctively. Why? It’s big in a provincial sort of way. It’s safe in a way that most international airports in capital cities are not. It’s a “silent” airport with no blaring announcements disturbing your sleep. That lack of announcements makes for interesting entertainment when you get to watch lost foreigners running for their flights, frequently in the wrong terminal altogether.

But Arlanda is a silent airport in a different way, too. Most of its shops, cafes and businesses close ridiculously early – between 7 and 8PM, which makes for a comfortable and peaceful night should you choose to sleep there. And sleeping at Arlanda can be a surprisingly easy options for those unable and unwilling to shell out their hard earned cash on a hotel or a hostel. That also happens to be my option of choice. And judging by the hordes camped out around me at this late hour, it’s the option of choice for many budget travelers, both Swedes and foreigners alike.

The most popular places to sleep are in Sky City (try to get the benches in the corner by the hairdresser’s) or in Terminal 5 downstairs by the left/lost luggage offices. It’s quiet and pleasant down there and that space tends to fill up quickly.

But if you can’t find an appropriate bench or a row of seats, you can simply sprawl yourself on the floor on top of your bags, or next to them. That seems to be the way favored by those with own sleeping bags and blankets.

The security is quiet and unobtrusive and in my five years of sleeping at Arlanda while waiting for an early morning flight I have never been bothered by them. The cleaners are courteous and kind and try very hard not to bother the sleepers.

And just who sleeps at Arlanda? Seemingly everybody who doesn’t have an expense account and is not on a business trip. You can see entire families with children on their way to a sunny charter destination (charter flights normally leave at an ungodly hour of the morning), you can see foreign students returning to their native lands (normally on the cheapest Air France flight which leaves at 6-something AM), you can see backpackers with packs the size of large refrigerators, you can see stranded travelers unable to afford a hotel (airlines don’t have to put you up when a flight is canceled due to bad weather and SAS is famous for being ridiculously stingy like that).

If you want to clean yourself up in the morning head to Rest and Fly in Terminal 4 where for 70SEK you can take a shower. It sure beats the 500SEK and up you’d have to fork over for a night at one of the nearby hotels.

And if you find yourself stranded at Arlanda during the day? There’s not much to do, that’s a fact. There are public internet terminals for 2 euro or 19SEK an hour, or a wireless network for 70SEK an hour, if you have your own computer. The dining options are mediocre, and if you order a salad, chances are it will be served without any sort of salad dressing. It won’t be available even if you want to pay extra.

And if you’re really bored – go skating. A small skating rink is being constructed in Sky City for the winter months. Open 10AM to 7PM, skates and helmets available for rental. There are no prices posted just yet, but even if you can’t afford it, watching those who can will still be fun.

The term “slow travel” or travel without any rushing around, points to the way of travelling where the traveller becomes part of the holiday destination, there is communication with the local people and getting to know the customs and life style. It is a kind of integration to the culture while being on a holiday.

As a reaction to stress, considered as the disease of the twenty-first century by many specialists, comes the slow trend emphasizing the pleasure of living without rushing and therefore enjoying the wealth that represents the diversity and the small pleasures of life. That philosophy has shifted to tourism with the so-called “slow travel” and the development of slow-cities.

The “fast life” has now reached tourism: organized trips, low cost package deals and hotels that offer minimum comfort and services for the person who just spend the night there. Tourists that want to visit as much as possible in a record time, without communicating with the locals, feeling seduced by travelling as far as possible and ending up passing more time in the plane or on the road. The purpose of the slow travel, however is not merely visiting a particular city or region but discover it, know it, enjoy it and be integrated into it.

For a town to be considered a slow city or Città Slow first it must have a population below than 50,000 inhabitants, not being a capital city and offering the opportunity of walking in streets in the old city closed to traffic among other requirements. The first slow city was the Italian town Bra. In 2003, thirty European cities were considered slow cities. In Spain, two Andalucian towns in Granada and Almeria did it too: Pozo Alcón and Niguelas.

Visiting a big country like Spain which is rich in history, culture, nature, apart from being an extraordinary holiday resort, deserving of a slow visit, and for this reason and according to the slow travel trend, I would recommend renting a holiday cottage in Spain. This type of accommodation lets the traveler feels like at home, and offers the chance to get mixed into the culture much more.

Enjoy the journey and the destination!

The Elaphite Islands are great for a relaxing holiday and relaxing is an understatement since the islands are free of cars. There are quaint and pristine beaches, great food, and a laid back atmosphere on the islands.

The islands can be reached from Dubrovnik. Jadrolinija has a daily ferry service that goes to Kolocep (15 minutes), Lopud (40 minutes), and Sudjuradj (55 minutes) and Sipanska Luka (1 hour 40 minutes) on Sipan.

Lopud is the most developed of the islands, but don’t let the word fool you, as it is still laid back and very relaxing. It is the second largest of the Elaphite Islands and one of the better ones for accommodations.

Lopud

One of the highlights of Lopud is the ruins, especially Rector’s Palace on the outskirts of the island’s only town and the hill-top Franciscan Monastery offers fantastic views of the island and the surrounding coastline. You can also see the ruins of many churches on the island. Two hills are connected by a beautiful valley where a footpath goes through to the bay called Šunj at the other side of the island. The island has been inhabited for thousands of years and you can find a lot of old Greek, Roman and old Slavic buildings and ruins.

Sunj Bay, which is located on the far side of the island, has calm waters and a pleasant white sandy beach, which is great for a picnic and sunbathing. The northeast side of the island is not easy accessible by the rocks and steep cliffs and the island has a coastline of 11,5 km and 1.2 km are sandy beaches.

The food on the island is amazing, and it is not a shock to tell you that the seafood is the highlight. There are quaint restaurants on the island and some bigger more expensive ones located in the resorts and hotels. There are a few hotels, but I would suggest looking for a private room, as sometimes you can not only find great deals but fantastic rooms and small apartments near the water. There is also a youth hostel on Lopud.

If you want a relaxing time then check out the islands, especially Lopud, as you will be glad you did.

St Andrews harbour

Watching Chariots of Fire always reminds me of how wonderful it was to live in St. Andrews, Scotland, where the famous “running on the beach” scene in the film took place.

During my junior year of college I was fortunate to study abroad at the University of St. Andrews, the oldest university in Scotland. The school is set in the ancient town where golf was invented, which makes St. A’s famous among the game’s fans. While there I was sure to take golf lessons from a women’s only golf school and purchased a couple of clubs from Forgan, the oldest golf club factory in the world and the last one left in St. Andrews. If you want to play at the Old Course you can only get a tee-time by lottery and you should plan your trip years in advance. However, there are five other courses there that are easier to get times on and each is just as beautiful as the first. Luckily for my handicap, and those who are not fans of the game, there is much more to do in St. Andrews than curse at the wind and walk across the famous bridge on the Old Course!

Kat on the Old Course Bridge

A coastal town, St. Andrews is set on the North Sea, which is always cold. It is also known to be windier than Chicago so bring all-weather clothing, even in July. Other than golf, the town is best known for its university, which itself is known as much for its excellent academics as it is for having more pubs per square inch than any other university in Scotland, possibly in the entire UK. The three best in my opinion are Ma Bells, where they have great food, comfy couches, and a wonderful fire place; The Westport, which is a little swankier and has higher-end food and a chic Euro crowd; and The Cellar Bar which is tiny and in a cellar but has great beer. If you’re lucky, you may run into a uni student who will introduce you to the wonders of pub golf, but I warn you, any third- or fourth-year can and will drink you under the table!

The Cathedral, St Andrews

St. Andrews is also known for the beautiful ruins throughout the town, including St. Andrews Castle and Cathedral. The castles and museums are full of the history of an amazing and proud people and it is incredible to see just how long the people of Scotland were working, surviving, and innovating long before the English came around! The cobblestone streets running through the center of St. Andrews will take you to ancient cemeteries, beautiful stone buildings, and delicious bakeries! The shops, salons, incredible restaurants, and adorable library lend the ancient town a bit of a modern feel.

Although I lived here in a flat five feet from the beach, when my mother came to visit I got to know a few of the beautiful little B&Bs in town, many of them at a pretty reasonable price (in pounds though, so watch out for the exchange rate). There are also a slew of magnificent hotels and resorts of course, you would expect nothing less from a world-class golfing destination! For ultimate luxury, the Old Course Hotel is definitely the top of the line but there are a few very nice and more reasonable hotels around town, including the St. Andrews Golf Hotel, home of Ma Bells! The people in St. Andrews (as in all of Scotland) are so friendly and the golf courses, beaches, parks, and ancient architecture so beautiful, this town is a definite “must-do” on anyone’s travel list.