Sunday, October 11, 2015
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Sunday, July 26, 2015
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Friday, July 24, 2015
Saving money for travel
Saving Money For Travel: 9 Practical Tips
We all wish we could we could grow money on trees, or inherit an inheritance we didn’t know we had, or rub a magic lamp to take care of all expenses for that next dream trip. I can almost hear the excitement in the emails and tweets of people who stumble upon my blog for the first time, because as one of them put it, reading about my travel adventures can make it seem like I’ve discovered the secret of always having enough money to travel! Unfortunately, the truth is far from it, and saving money for travel is a conscious effort I’ve been making for the past many years.
I’ve already talked in detail about how I afford my travels; this time, I’m sharing practical ways to save money for a trip that have led me to my most awesome adventures across India and the rest of the globe.
1. Say goodbye to shopping.
If there is one indulgence that can’t co-exist with travel, it is shopping. You can either spend a day at the mall, adding the latest trend in fashion to your wardrobe, or you can use that money to buy an air ticket to an adventure you’ll never forget. Warning: both are addictive. If you decide that the latter is what you want more badly, stop going to the mall, unsubscribe from all your favorite shopping newsletters and Facebook pages, and refuse to accompany friends for window shopping. Find other free hobbies to bide your time and weekends; you could start by exploring the free sights in the city you live, discovering new neighborhoods and parks, taking your camera for a spin at odd hours, or really anything that will convince you that sacrificing that trip to the mall will soon be worth it.
Shopping or a sunset like this in the terraced valleys of Bir?
2. Create a savings fund.
I’ll be honest here; I’m not investment savvy or inclined to find complicated ways to grow my money by a wee bit. I opened a simple savings account while I still had a full time job, and authorized an automatic transaction into it for a fourth of my total salary, on the day after pay day. I also refused to use my ATM card for that account, for the simple reason that if I had easy access to it, I would give in to a fleeting desire to buy something expensive. Before I knew it, I had saved enough money for a back-up fund that would allow me to quit my job and travel.
Now that I don’t have a regular monthly income, I create mini saving funds for particular trips. For instance, before my trip to Turkey, I took on freelance writing and social media assignments particularly to channel funds towards my trip; not only did it motivate me to work harder, but having a target in mind helped me prioritize my work.
A savings fund could mean views like these.
3. Avoid eating out.
Eating out in a metro like Delhi can be terribly expensive. When I first moved here, I was spending most of my time working out of cafesand clocking up bills of INR 500-1000 a day for simple meals and tea / coffee, in the name of a conducive working environment and because I hate cooking. I would’ve become bankrupt at that rate, but I made simple modifications to my “home office” and convinced my house mates to have a part-time cook for us. My expenses went down steeply. If you like cooking, even better. Avoid a night out at a good cafe or restaurant, and instead indulge yourself with a nice home-cooked meal and a movie; you’ll thank yourself when you’re using the same money to indulge in a Chocolate Con Churros in Spain!
Expensive meals at home or an open air breakfast in the wilderness of Mauritius?
4. Find work online.
Gone are the days when earning money online was only a thing of scams. Identify your skills; writing, social media, web designing, coding, content development, even poker, and put them to use online. Organizations all over the world are looking for better and cheaper ways to get things done, and if you can prove your credibility and build good search ranking on Google, there’ll be no stopping you. I recommend working online as opposed to getting a part time job offline, because of the flexibility it offers; you could be working in the middle of the night or from an airport halfway across the world, as long as you have internet connectivity. If you can master the art of making an income entirely virtually, believe me, you’ve struck gold. It’s the only kind of gold I know I’ll ever own!
My life as a digital nomad.
5. Be smart about weddings.
Especially if you’re planning your own. By my very rough estimates, a small wedding in an Indian city could fund my entire travel in Western Europe for a year! That’s right. Yet, many people will choose the former, because that’s what society demands. If you ask me, you can either meet the various demands of society (now get a masters degree, now get married, now have a kid…) or draw a line somewhere and claim your life. It is not impossible to travel for a living when you’re married or even when you have a kid; I know of many travel blogging couples who homeschool their kids on the road, but of course it requires even more guts and rebellion to do it, besides a partner who shares your boundless love for travel. If you must get married, ditch the big fat Indian wedding for a legal registration or an intimate ceremony in a part of the world you love.
While I have radical views about the concept of a marriage, I try to be supportive of friends and family who decide to take the plunge, but only while keeping my expenses at bay. I prefer to borrow wedding clothes and accessories from my mom or aunts (truth is, they can hardly ever be reused), club travelling for a wedding with my own travel plans, and believe that a wedding gift that involves travelling is the best that I could genuinely give someone.
Crashing a Turkish wedding in Cide!
6. Stop drinking out.
I know it will be criminal to recommend avoiding alcohol altogether! When the going gets tough – when you have an unstoppable urge to go to the mall and buy the new in-thing, when you watch your savings fund dwindle on returning from a trip, when your taste buds wouldn’t feel satiated with anything but a fancy Italian meal at an expensive restaurant, when assignments fall through, when everyone around you is getting married – and it will get tough, you’ll need your favorite wine or whisky to stay strong. Keep your stock at home or drink at a friend’s place if you must; drinking out is the second biggest expenditure for most people after shopping, and you’ll wake up with guilt for having blown precious money on alcohol that could’ve been bought at a fraction of the cost.
A nightout at home or rum tasting halfway across the globe?
7. Sell things you don’t need.
Most of us have a natural inclination towards hoarding. When I got my swanky new Sony Cybershot, I carefully put away my old camera in my cupboard, thinking what if something were to happen to my Cybershot. It sat there for months, slowly depleting in value; I’ve only recently decided to let go and am still cringing about the money I lost because I didn’t sell it sooner. Likewise, raid your cupboards, find things of value that are of no use to you anymore, create a listing on eBay or olx, and make some bucks while you still can. If nothing more, it could buy you a train ride or a meal on your next trip.
When I receive extravagant gifts (however seldom that might be) that I can easily do without, my first instinct is to sell them; the point is, once you’ve set your mind to saving every extra penny for traveling, there will be no stopping you.
Sell things you don’t need so you have experiences you want; a Flamenco performance in Spain.
8. Get rid of your credit card.
When I got my first credit card, it felt a little like a magic lamp that could buy me things I didn’t have the money to buy. I would get a bill shock pretty much every month that I owned that dreaded card, and blow all my money paying for extravagant purchases. Then one day, out of spite, I cut the card in two and called my bank to cancel it. I haven’t owned a credit card since, and it’s the only reason I’ve never travelled with money that I don’t already have, only to struggle to pay it off later. So go, get rid of your credit card, and get control of your expenses. You’ll thank me later.
Don’t spend money you don’t have; the best views are free. At the Black Sea coast in Turkey.
9. Save for budget trips.
I’ve long stopped thinking of travel as a luxurious getaway; to me, travelling is everyday life. I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth (and if I was, I probably would’ve sold it to travel), and when I travel, I don’t long for the luxury of a five star resort or roads without potholes or people at my beck and call to plan my itinerary or high end meals at fancy restaurants. Much the opposite in fact; the best adventures are born out of lack of a big travel budget. When you set yourself a saving target for your next trip, look out for cheap flights, factor in public transport rather than hiring a car, a nice but basic place to stay, and local food at small cafes; if you’re going to do this often, you have to start looking at travel not as a break from life, but as life itself.
Sunflowers fields seen during a bus journey in northern Turkey.
Your turn, what are some ways you save money to travel?
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
My motivation
WORK LIFE
11 Famous People Who Turned Their Failures Into Success
By Nishi Jain
The road to success is challenging. There is no one in the world who hasn’t struggled his way to the top. It’s never easy for anyone. Luck doesn’t always favour you. You have to get up and get going. Even the most successful people in the world have faced failures, and too many of them. But he who rises up against obstacles and continues the race forward is the one who reaches the top.
Here are 11 successful people who faced huge failures early in life, but didn’t stop trying.
1. Walt Disney
© Wikimedia Commons
Walt Disney, the creator of Mickey Mouse, was accused of lack of creativity in the beginning of his career. Not letting himself get bogged down by an early rejection, he went on to give the world characters like Donald Duck and Goofy.
2. Steve Jobs
The man responsible for the iphone, the ipod, and the ipad, was given away by his biological parents for adoption because they couldn’t afford to bring him up. Later, Jobs was unceremoniously ousted from Apple, the company he co-founded. Today, he is known as the father of the digital revolution.
3. Steven Spielberg
© Wikimedia commons_spielberg
There is no questioning the talent of the brilliant director Steven Spielberg who directed blockbusters like ‘ET’ and ‘Jurassic Park’. But not everybody believed in him from the start.
4. Henry Ford
The man who is believed to have revolutionized industrial production in the 20th century suffered many a loss in business. Failed businesses and bankruptcy didn’t discourage him from trying to build one of the most successful car companies in the world.
5. Richard Branson
The famous Virgin Atlantic tycoon much known for his colourful antics and acute business sense was nothing like his impressive self as a child. Growing up, he suffered from dyslexia and had major cognitive problems. Today, he stands as the twelfth richest man in Britain.
6. Abraham Lincoln
© Wikimedia Commons _Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States, is regarded as one of the greatest presidents in the history of the US. And yet his start was not exactly smooth. A humiliating demotion in the army (he went to war as a captain but returned as a private which is the lowest rank in the army), a series of failed businesses, and repeated defeat at elections could have broken the toughest of men.
7. Michael Jordan
© Reuters
Often regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan struggled his way to success. According to Forbes, he was the first athlete to become a billionaire.
8. Albert Einstein
© wikimedia commons
The genius of a scientist most famous for his theory of relativity was mistaken to be retarded by his parents when he was a child. His grades in school were consistently poor and he couldn’t even read till the age of seven. No one could have predicted the child would go on to win the Nobel prize in physics.
9. JK Rowling
© Reuters
The creator of the bewitching world of Harry Potter lived a far from comfortable life before her books became a rage across the world. Struggling as a single mother raising her child in absolute poverty, Rowling was living on government welfare when she wrote her first Harry Potter book. Today, she is one of the richest women in the UK.
10. Amitabh Bachchan
© Reuters
The Bollywood star needs no introduction. He is one of the most iconic actors alive today. And yet, luck didn’t shine on him too soon in Bollywood. He had his share of failures before he finally turned around his fate.
11. Oprah Winfrey
The host of the most successful talk show in the world had a tough childhood. Who knew she would grow up to become one of the most influential women in the world and North America’s first black billionaire.
The success stories of these people prove that nothing is impossible. If they could make it despite so many hurdles, so can you. No matter how many failures you face in life, the ability to get up again and finish the race is what makes you a winner.
We are sure there are a hundred other inspirational stories of people who have conquered success despite being down in the pits. Human will power never ceases to amaze. Have you written your story yet?
Saturday, July 18, 2015
15reqson
15 Reasons Why Punekars Will Never Ever Think Of Moving Out Of Pune!
Source: thepunekar.com
Nothing can beat Pune’s weather! The chill breeze and drizzling all day long makes it the most romantic and soothing place to be in unlike Delhi and Mumbai.
HolidayIQ Traveller Shivam Gupta says, “I have been living in Pune for the past four years and I must say that it is a wonderful city with so much to see and do. Its a very green city and its true beauty comes out during and after the monsoons. The climate of Pune is quite pleasant.”
2. Gorging On Those Shrewsbury Biscuits
HolidayIQ Traveller Priyanka says, “Kayani bakery is located in M.G. Road and is one of the oldest parsi bakeries. Their choicest ones are Madeira.” Adds HolidayIQ Traveller Shalini Tiwari, “After whatever you eat for dinner, please go and eat pastries at Kayani Bakery.”
3. Night Life Doesn't Let You Get Back Home
HolidayIQ Traveller Shivam Gupta says, “From historic landmarks to posh nightclubs, Pune has everything. Pune has a fair share of nightclubs and if you are into live music, go to High Spirits, its the best live music venue in our country and there is always a gig happening there.”
4. Where Else Would You Get A Bun Maska Chai For Breakfast?
HolidayIQ Traveller Shalini Tiwari says, “Head to the famous and young Ferguson College Road. Take an auto and head up straight to Good Luck Cafe and get the best tea and bun maska combination served to start a perfect morning.”
5. Lohgarh And Rajgarh Trek To Pump Up Your Adrenalin
If you stay in Pune you will never get bored as there are so many adventures around the city.
HolidayIQ Traveller Mihir Mandrekar says, “Have climbed the fort thrice in three different seasons right from the base of the hill before the right turn to pavna. The trek is largely easy but gets quite intimidating towards the end near Vinchu Kaata. Best season is definitely monsoon when the top of the hill is entirely covered in clouds. The view is mesmerizing giving a panoramic view of lonavala to the west, pavna lake to the south and visapur fort to the north. Also a good place to spot snakes in the off season.”
6. The Mindblowing Events. Need We Say More?
Pune events are mindblowing NH7 weekender, PIFF, Pune Festival etc.
HolidayIQ Traveller Sanket Shah says, “Lot of music festivals take place here because of the number of students and also its close proximity to Mumbai.”
7. The Huge Queue Waiting At Vaishali, FC Road
HolidayIQ Traveller Tushar says, “FC Road is a must visit in Pune. Shopping can be done here. There are many famous eateries.” Adds HolidayIQ Traveller Richa from Bangalore, “Pune is a place to eat as much as you can! Eat outs at Fergusson College Road are awesome.” The best place in Pune to have breakfast you can always see a huge queue waiting for their opportunity and its a regular scene in a Punekar's life.
8. You Have Tried All Vada Pavs
You have tried out wada pavs from Joshi Wadewale, JJ Garden or Maushi’s. Vada pav at the Garden Vada Pav Centre is truly exceptional and Garden Vada Pav is a name, which most Punewala's are familiar with.
Source:Wikimedia.org
Nothing can beat those impromptu trips to Lonavala, Mulshi, or Lavasa with your friends and loved ones.
10. Book Bonanza At Appa Balwant Chowk
A significant part of Pune, Appa Balwant Chowk is located in the heart of Pune city near Jogeshwari Temple. The entire area, which is mainly a road, is a prominent hub for books and stationery items and is often referred to as ABC Chowk amongst Puneites.
11. Shopping? Has To Be Tulsi Bagh
HolidayIQ Traveller Rohan says, “Tulsi Bagh is a shopping only place especially for girls.” HolidayIQ Traveller Priyanka says, “When in Pune, do not forget to shop the osho slippers.” Enjoy shopping for small knick-knacks at the local market of Pune called Tulsi Baug. Shopping is conducted at Laxmi Market and every Punekar know where to find the best tops, kurtis or shoes at Tilak Road and Tulsi Bagh all year round.
12. Scarfs, Women And Bikes... Where Will You Find Another Pune?
HolidayIQ Traveller Nirav Par says, “The public transportation is pathetic, in addition to that, auto guys in Pune are just miserable. Therefore the best way to commute is a two wheeler.”
13. FC Road Brimming With Cheery People On A Sunday Night
HolidayIQ Traveller Tushar says, “FC Road is a must visit in Pune. Shopping can be done here. There are many famous eateries It is one of the most famous hangout places in Pune.”
14. The Magic Of Ganesh Chaturthi At The Dagdu Sheth Temple
Every Punekar is sure to understand the magic of Ganesh Chaturthi, at the Dagdu Sheth temple.
HolidayIQ Traveller Abhijeet Wakkar says, “The most famous attraction of the Pune is the Shreemant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Mandir. Beautifully designed and well constructed with good security system.”
15. Because Nothing Can Replace Your Love For Pune
HolidayIQ Traveller Shivam Gupta says, “I have been living in Pune for the past four years and I must say that it is a wonderful city with so much to see and do. It’s a very green city and its true beauty comes out during and after the monsoons
Friday, July 17, 2015
Europe
First Time to Europe? 10 Travel Tips to Get You Started.
written by Shivya Nath
While Europe is one of the best DIY destinations even for a first time trip, it is by no means as simple as packing your bags and setting off, not for us Indians anyway. From the complexities of the Schengen visa, to reliable travel resources, maximizing your preciously saved money to the last rupee, and making the most of your trip, I’ve compiled travel tips from my personal experience and hope these will save you ‘basic research’ time on Google. Feel free to shoot me other questions you may have in the comments, and I’ll try my best to answer them.
Get a Schengen Visa and be smart about it.
Getting a European tourist visa is perhaps the most complicated when you hold an Indian passport, but there’s a method to the madness. If you intend to travel to two or more countries on your trip (and you should), apply for a Schengen Visa, which covers most countries in Western Europe & a few in Eastern Europe. To get a Schengen Visa, you need to show confirmed flight & hotel bookings, which is crazy because what if you pay for everything and don’t end up getting an approved visa? The best way to work around it is to book a completely refundable flight on your credit card, typically a full-fledged carrier like Lufthansa or Quantas. Similarly, book fully refundable hotels on Booking.com, the most reliable site when it comes to refunds. Soon as you get your visa, cancel your bookings and start your real research.
Research, research, research, then leave some things unplanned.
Everyone has a different travel style; while some like to plan to death, others like to leave it all to chance. For a trip to Europe from India, I recommend taking the middle path. Read and know enough to not burn your time at places that won’t interest you, but give yourself enough flexibility to stay longer or shorter at a place if you so choose. Below are some travel resources I swear by:
– Information on Wikitravel. Comprehensive & usually reliable travel guides.
– Inspiration on Lonely Planet. Their finesse with words can bring to life the entire globe.
– Events on What’s On When. Current & upcoming events in all major cities.
– Reviews on Travel Blogs. Travelogues that paint a realistic picture of what to expect.
– Recommendations on Twitter. There’s always someone who knows someone with a recommendation.
On my own first Euro trip, I largely had a plan for the places I wanted to cover, but a hotel booking only for Paris where I was landing. It wasn’t peak summer season and I was travelling to smaller towns & villages, so I booked a place only while leaving the previous one. That’s the only way I could stay to my heart’s content in Gargnano and cut my stay short in Paris.
Also Read: First Time to Germany? Practical Tips to Plan Your Travels
If there’s a good deal, Google shall find it. Photo by Travis Isaacs.
Start early, and Google hard for value for money deals.
A good bargain is in our Indian blood, and our pockets thank us for it. While this might not be your street shopping negotiation, there are tons of great deals & bargains if you look hard and relentlessly. Start by subscribing on Facebook to the flights that fly to parts of Europe you’d like to land in, for instance Turkish Airlines & Qatar Airways for western Europe, and broaden your search with aggregators like Make My Trip & Clear Trip. With all discounts, promotional fares, special deals & contests landing in your newsfeed, thou shalt let no opportunity go.
National and regional tourism boards often have lucrative sightseeing deals on offer in major cities, while Trip Advisor lets you “watch” destinations for hotel promotions. Google to your heart’s content, go all out with your research, and only settle for the very best deals you can find. (I’m assuming that if you’re reading this, you are not rich enough to want to pay a travel agent to do your research & bookings!)
If your trip is planned last minute and you don’t have enough time to wait for better deals, flight aggregators are your best bet for flight tickets, while Booking.com can find you the best bargains for accommodation. Rely on TripAdvisor reviews for the latter; I made pretty sound accommodation choices by trusting them.
An alternate way to save money is throughCouch Surfing, where you stay with a local host in a city and reciprocate though offering your own house at home to travellers for free. To be honest, I haven’t tried it because the latter is not an option with my current living arrangement, and on some level, I’m not yet comfortable with the idea of not paying for my own space.
Stick to a budget and get a Eurail Pass.
Once you have a rough idea of the going price for your flights & hotels during your travel period, think about your budget for the entire trip. Set aside the costs for your flight, visa & rail pass, and set yourself a daily budget for the duration of your stay, that includes accommodation per night, meals and sightseeing; it’s very easy to spend a fortune in a single day if you land in Europe without a number in mind! Then think about how you’ll carry the money with you; try to exchange currency in a bigger city like Delhi where exchange rates tend to be more competitive, and consider the option of traveler’s cheques.
For most of my Euro trip, I set a budget of 50 Euros for myself, and often alternated between spending miserly in some places to credit the money for relative splurging in another. I’m not a fan of living on credit, so I took my credit card only for dire emergencies and never used it. I carried some cash with me, and since I didn’t want to bother with traveler’s cheques, I withdrew money in bulk at local ATMs in Europe.
Depending on how much time you intend to spend in Europe & the number of countries on your plan, getting a Eurail pass can lead to big savings, and the train is a great way to see the European countryside. I bought a month-long pass with 10 travel days under the youth (under 25) category, which gave me enough flexibility and saved me enough money. I found that France, on one extreme, was very strict with the seats on a train allotted to Eurail pass holders and travel had to be booked a day or 2 in advance, whereas Italy, on the other extreme, was very liberal.
Seeing the European countryside on the Eurail.
Prep your vegetarian taste buds.
Before I left for Western Europe, I was warned several times about the astute lack of vegetarian food in the countries I was visiting. For everyone who thinks that way, I wrote about my vegetarian love affair with Europe, because even as someone not overly experimental with food, I loved everything from the breads in France to the pastas in Italy. What worked for me was knowing beforehand, the names of vegetarian ingredients in the local languages (easily found online). Italian menus for instance, are half filled with vegetarian dishes, but they do not often carry a green mark next to them or fall under an explicit ‘vegetarian’ section. Servers not well acquainted with the concept of vegetarian food might not be able to offer enough recommendations to create an impression of variety.
Before you leave, learn to say I’m vegetarian, no seafood (it’s considered vegetarian by many) in the local language, and make a physical / mental note of the names of vegetables in the most used language of the country, so you can refer to them while eating out. Your taste buds will thank you!
One of the best pastas I’ve ever had (despite the green gooey look).
What’s in your backpack?
If you pack like my mom, you’ll probably curse yourself for having to lug around your bags on trains & buses, or worse still, while walking to the station. Europe is best seen on foot, and if you’re travelling on a budget, chances are you’ll often end up walking long distances with your luggage. Difficult as it might sound, try to limit your luggage to a single carry-on bag by planning your belongings well. Carry miniature versions of everything you can find, choose clothes that are easy to mix & match, and get rid of anything that only adds to the weight (like a hair dryer?). You can read about my self acquired wisdom on the art of packing on Women’s Web, or better still, get some inspiration from George Clooney’s An Empty Backpack speech in Up in the Air.
If I had carried anything more than a haversack on my Europe trip, I wouldn’t have survived the 3 km walk in the rain in Chamonix to our hotel, when we missed the last evening bus, and would’ve missed the train on two occasions in Italy that we made at the last minute after running up stairs and past hallways. And of course, since my backpack was always on me, there were no opportunities to lose any of my stuff!
See the countryside.
First Euro trips are often about seeing the maximum number of countries you can possibly squeeze in the limited number of days you have. If that floats your boat, so be it. But remember to skip the cities in some countries and escape to the countryside. Western Europe’s alpine meadows, seaside villages and lake towns are little pieces of paradise that let you indulge in slow living and experience country life. Wikitravel & Lonely Planet are good resources to find smaller towns & villages, as are local tourism offices in the cities. On my own month-long trip, I fell so hopelessly in love with the alpine countryside that I happily skipped most cities along the tourist circuit, and discovered 4 small towns in Western Europe you probably haven’t heard about.
The fairytale countryside of Europe.
Visit the local tourism board.
I’m not a big fan of seeking advise from people ‘officially’ offering it, maybe because of my many futile attempts with state tourism boards in India. I tried it first in Annecy in France, as a by the way thing, because few other locals could offer suggestions in English, and was surprised pleasantly enough to try it everywhere else. Unlike in Southeast Asia, where tourism board recommendations are very formalized, I received personal recommendations from many of the folks manning the tourism counters at train stations in various small towns. It’s how I found a delicious hand-made (nameless) pasta joint in Innsbruck and discovered the little ski resort of Seefeld.
Learn some phrases in the local language.
Cliche as it might sound, picking up phrases in the local language of some European countries you intend to visit can go a long way in making conversation with the locals and sometimes rescuing you. I learnt that the hard way. When I landed in France, I couldn’t even say I don’t speak French in French, and had atleast 3 instances of people coming to me and striking a conversation in French. I put on a dumb smile and nodded my head each time, with absolutely no clue of what they might be referring to. In fact, I soon realized that people in France were so much nicer to you when you tried to start a conversation in French and gradually switched to English (as my friend who spoke a little bit of French did), rather than delving head on into English (like I did, much like a cultural noob).
Luckily, I had brushed up my conversational Spanish for Italy, and I had a gala time. In one situation while leaving Cinque Terre, we needed to catch a train and our pizza order had taken a decade to show up. We didn’t have time to eat it, we couldn’t forego the precious money we had forked out for it, and we were starving. After many futile attempts in sign language at the counter of the food court, I strung together the words, pizza, mi casa (my house) to get the kind woman to give me a box to carry the pizza! So as respect for the local culture, or as a means to rescue yourself in sticky situations, pick up a few phrases in the local language. Better still, save them on your phone so you can make a quick reference every now & then.
Stay in touch.
If you compulsively need to keep in touch with parents / family that worry themselves sick if you don’t (like I have to), going online is the most cost-effective way. Many budget hotels throw in free wifi (deliberately look for them while booking), and if you have a smartphone, a tablet or a laptop, you can iMessage, email or Skype for free. Phone cards, while available, are often country specific and expensive to use. Pay phones are usually located outside most train stations and are convenient, though you need a fair amount of small change to call India.
Microsoft may get cheaper
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Central america border fee
Border Crossing Fees
Border crossing fees suck but what makes it even worst, is not knowing exactly what the “real” fees are. There are almost never signs at the border, just people telling you what to pay and Central America is no different. While traveling throughout Central America, one of the hardest things to find out was the land border crossing fees for entering and exiting a country in Central America. Searching online was no help either. Every site had a different price and not to mention the scammers at the border trying to get rich off of every tourist crossing the border.
So to help everyone traveling by landthroughout Central America, Ben and I collected border crossing fees and compiled a list so you don’t have to spend hours searching online or make the same mistakes as us. Of the seven borders, Ben and I have personally crossed six of them and can give you the exact fees.
1. Belize
Belize is one of the countries that has signs everywhere, informing you of the border crossing fee as well as what the fee is used for. There is no entry fee for Belize, however there is an exit fee. The departure fee is 30 Belizean dollars. Also, if you have been in Belize for more than 24 hours there is an additional fee of 7.50 BZ$ making your departure fee total 37.50 BZ$ ($~18.75USD) payable both in US dollars and Belizean Dollars.
VISA NOTE: Most visitors vising Belize do not need a visa. You will receive an entrance stamp at the border when entering and this stamp is good for up to 30 days.
2. Guatemala
There is no entrance fee or exit fee for Guatemala. However, other travelers have reported paying 10 Guatemalan quetzeles (~$1.30USD), so be aware of this possible scam. According to the Guatemala government website the amount above is the amount a foreigner would pay for every day they overstay their 90 day visa. If they do ask for you to pay this fee, ask them for a receipt and you will notice that they miraculously changed their mind.
VISA NOTE: The visa you receive at the Guatemala border is good for 90 days and applies to the rest of the countries that are a part of the CA-4 Agreement (Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador). This means that you have 90 days to travel throughout the 4 countries. The 90 days will not start over when you cross the border of one of the 4 countries.
3. Honduras
Honduras was probably the easiest to find online when we were looking for border crossing fees for Central America. Pretty much everyone online agreed that the fee is $3USD. That entrance fee can be paid in dollars, Honduran lempiras, and Guatemalan quetzales (~30Q ). Keep the receipt that is given to you at the border to avoid reported scams from other travelers when exiting Honduras.
There is no exit fee for Honduras. Some officers might ask you to pay the $3 fee again when leaving but if you show them the receipt or even just tell them you paid that fee when you entered they will “let it go”.
VISA NOTE: The visa you receive at the Honduras border is good for 90 days and applies to the rest of the countries (Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador) that are a part of the CA-4.
4. El Salvador
Unfortunately, El Salvador was the only country we did not travel too while in Central America. However, after some research we found there was no entry or exit fee for El Salvador. If you have traveled by land to El Salvador recently, please verify or correct our information in the comments below and we will be glad to update the info.
For the country known for pupusas, there is no entry fee thanks to the CA-4 Agreement. Prior to the CA-4 agreement there was a $10 entrance fee but not anymore. That means you can get all the pupusas you want from the $10 you save at the border. (Hint: We love pupusas)
5. Nicaragua
Nicaragua has by far the most disputed border crossing fees of any country in CA. It seemed like almost everyone paid a different fee. When I was researching the entry fee, someone wrote “no one would ever know the true fee, just expect to pay between $10-$20 USD for entry”. After some serious digging online we found that the fee was $12 USD + another $1 USD fee to enter Rivas making it a total of $13 USD. However, when we got there we had to pay $15 USD. We took the Tica bus over the border. The driver collected the fee and our passports while we were on the bus and they did not give us a receipt or an entry stamp in our passport (suspect). I am pretty sure the fee was suppose to be $13USD they just took a $2 bonus for their service. But hey, I guess we win some and we lose some .
As for the exit fee, we are 100% sure it’s$3USD. The exit fee is paid at two separate windows. The exit fee is $2 USD (55 Nicaraguan cordabas) per person at one window and then you pay a $1 USD (26 Nicaraguan cordabas) municipal fee at another window. I guess all the money you save from the other participating C-4 countries you pay for at the Nicaragua border.
6. Costa Rica
There is no entrance fee for Costa Rica however you do need to show proof of onward travel. And yes, they will check.
Crossing the Costa Rica to the Panama border was my least favorite and frustrating border crossing. I just felt like I was being scammed and couldn’t do anything about it and regardless of how I felt, apparently it was all legal. Costa Rica’s exit fee is $7 USD and can be paid in dollars or Costa Rican colones. The $7 fee consist of a $5 exit tax and a $2 luggage search fee, regardless of whether the traveler has luggage or not. The extra $2 fee foreigners pay must not be enough for the luggage searchers because the cops that searched our bags took everything out and then had the nerves to look at us like “umm can you hurry up and pack your shit.” Like we were the ones that threw all our stuff on the table. I definitely wasn’t feeling it at all and neither were they.
There are several ways to pay this exit fee. There is a kiosk machine in the departure building that apparently is always “broken”, at least according to the guys that are trying to get you to pay through the second option.
Outside the office, there are two houses not to far from the border where you pay an $8 fee for an exit fee sticker. People by the border will do anything in their power to get you to pay $8 bucks instead of $7. They even wait for you by the bus terminal whispering crap in your ear. Ben and I felt that this had scam written all over it and we decided to take our chance with the “broken” machine. And it worked.
So for paying this exit fee you can pick your poison. We picked the cheapest one.
NOTE: You cannot pay the officer at the window booth in the departure building, he will not accept it. He is only there to see proof that you paid and give you an exit stamp. The kiosk takes cards only.
7. Panama
After crossing the bridge from Costa Rica to Panama, the same guy that was trying to get to pay an $8 USD exit fee instead $7 USD was waiting for us at a little office (which is not the official immigration office) trying to tell us to pay another fee for another damn sticker. He said we had to pay $3 USD for a stupid sticker on our passport, and we weren’t buying it, so we refused. But of course, the guy dressed in army gear that he called over told us we had to pay. So unfortunately, I will have to say that there is an entrance fee of $3 USD that can also be paid in colones. No matter how much you argue, you will pay this fee and then walk away frustrated as shit to the real Panamanian border office to get the official stamp in your passport.
As for the exit fee for Panama, it varies depending on whether you choose to leave panama via plane (almost the only way to exit Panama if you plan to go to South America) or continue to travel north into Costa Rica. If you choose to fly, like we did the departure fee mostly likely will be included in your plane ticket price. We took a flight out of Panama to Colombia and our departure fee was $40 USD. Theland exit fee is $3 USD.
Note: You are required to have proof of onward travel to enter the country. Yes, they do ask. You can stay up to 180 days in Panama.
Summary of Border Crossing Fees for Central America
Belize: No entry fee | $18.75 USD exit fee
Guatemala: No entry fee | No exit fee
Honduras: $3 USD entry fee | No exit fee
El Salvador: No entry | No exit fee
Nicaragua: $13 USD entry fee, or $15 if you take Tica Bus | $3 USD exit fee
Costa Rica: No entry fee | $7 USD exit fee
Panama: $3 USD entry fee | $3USD exit fee
Have you ever been scammed at a border crossing before? Please share below, so we can all learn from each other.
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Saturday, April 4, 2015
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10 Ice Cold, Easily Made Popsicles That Will Make Your Summer!
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With the mercury rising up, there is nothing we all want more than bite into something cold and delicious. But it's equally painful stepping out of the cool confines of your home in the blazing heat to buy ice cream or something cool. It gets worse if you have children and they are at home for the summer. There is only one quick fix for this. Popsicles!
Popsicles are super easy to make and involves no toiling in your warm kitchen. Many of them use just three ingredients and they can be made in large batches and frozen in advance even for a month! So try out these gorgeous popsicle recipes we have got for you and throw a frozen party at your place. These not only look good, they also taste good. And don't worry, we have got boozy liquor filled popsicles for the adults too, for that sublime high. Read on...
1.Strawberry Banana Popsicle: This lovely popsicle has a summer blush to it and that feel-good flavor of banana and strawberry - a fail-proof combination! Click here for the recipe.
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2.Coconut Mango Popsicle: This has all the warm nectar-like flavor of mango with the mellow white softness of coconut cream. Set in alternating layers, it lends a lovely pattern to the popsicle. Here's the recipe for it.
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3.Watermelon Cucumber Popsicle: Go low on the sugar and this could be a yummy yet healthy summer alternative to those cooling juices. Check out the recipe here.
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4.Citrus Basil Mojito Popsicle: This is an out-and-out summer flavor with the tropical flavours of orange, lemon and pineapple swirling in our mouth, while the basil lends an additional zing. Dotry this out.
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5.Masala Grapes Popsicle: Try this out for some desi swaad and you will be taken right back to your childhood memories of golas.
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6.Rainbow Popsicle: This one is an all-time favourite with kids, and adults too. This multi-layered popsicle has different fruit flavours in each layer. You can experiment and use your own flavours. Thrown in a cream layer too for a fruit-punch-like result. Check out the recipe here.
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Didn't we promise you boozy popsicles! Check out these liquor filled popsicles for adults, that'll be an immediate success at any summer evening party. Two or three of these popsicles each, and everybody suddenly becomes a child!
7. Rum Mango Lassi Popsicle: Lassi and rum! This seems like an unlikely pairing, but we have been assured that the results are good, primarily because of the mango. Don't forget to let us know your experience with this one. Check out the recipe here.
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8.Strawberry Peach Vodka Collins Popsicles: This is your dressy lounge cocktail, served frozen and on a stick. Slurp it or suck it, whatever it is, you still get decently high with this one. Check out the recipe here.
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9.Tropical Tequila Sunrise: What's a party without tequila! Check out this recipe for the famous Tequila Sunrise cocktail, now in a popsicle.
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10.Vodka Gummy Bears Popsicle: You have gorged on gummy bears till your tongue turned several colours, soaked it in vodka and tried out the results. Now try this in a popsicle.
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