Hi all my name is Adri and I am a solo traveler. I pack and travel extremly light. Im planning a very long like 3-5 year trip around as much of the world as I can. I want to move slowly and take my time. My starting point is to fly from Alaska to Glasgow Scotland and the end of April 2010 as im from Alaska. I have already traveled pretty extensivly across the United States and some of Canada. I also have traveled through the UK and the Republic of Ireland on long extended trips.
Hi Adri,
When you say "off the beaten path", what does this mean for you? Would you like to visit almost inhospitable places, or just places that you may never have heard of?
If you want a stunning area to visit, try Southern Germany (Bavaria), i found it picturesque and the natives are always willing to help. I went for Octoberfest, which is the highlight of the year. It's a giant beer festival - which the Germans are renowned for. Don't forget about Stuttgart during this time, which holds the Volksfest (a slightly smaller, more traditionally German version of Octoberfest).
More out of the way is Riga (Latvia) which you could do on the way to St Petersburg (Russia). It's relatively cheap and was gorgeous in December time (when i visited). Scandinavia is beautiful too, but being from Alaska? you may have seen a lot that they have to offer that far north.
Finally, you should check out Wales! Being a native, i may have rose-tinted-spectacles on here - but the Gower region (West of Swansea) is my favourite place in the world (so far!). You could get a ferry from Swansea to Cork (Ireland) which is also brilliant.
Cardiff is a small city compared with other capital cities, you won't need more than 2 days here. We have Snowdonia, our high mountain range in the north, but you'd be lucky to get good weather at any time of year - and if you do then you'll get the added pleasure of meeting the whole of Northern England, who will flood over the border when the sun shines.
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Thanks these are great ideas. I will defently be checking them all out. I have been to Ireland and its actually a place I love and holds a very special place in my heart. I want to explore and check out Wales as sadly I havent seen it as much as I wanted to. I do like off the beaten pathes and not as much visited tourist places along with tourist places. I like a healthy mix of both. I do also want to see Scandinavia but its so expensive so im planning my time thier very carefully. I really want to see Norway so thats my focus when I go thier
Warmly,
Adri
I don't have much recommendation for you right now, but a couple of practical points.
If you want to travel by bus, check Eurolines website for further information. Eurolines is Europe-wide bus network that links the different operators in the various European countries. It's not like Busabout which has a set number of routes and during peak travelling season.
If you want to be truly mobile though, having a bike to cycle would be an option to consider. A couple of my friends did just that last summer - they cycled over ten thousand kilometres around Europe, and hit not only major cities but also small villages and other off the path locations. You will have to pack super light since you'll be carrying everything you have with you. And oh, pray for good weather. At least for dry days.
You're planning on a very long travelling period, so you should be aware of your visa entitlement carefully. E.g. there have been travellers who confused the Schengen rules and end up running into trouble of overstaying. So plan your itinerary accordingly. You can look into staying within Schengen zone for 90 days, then visit non-Schengen countries in Europe for another 90 days, etc. You can use to help you determine visa requirements, but for any further clarifications you should contact the relevant embassies/consulates.
Thanks for the advice lil_lil and Yep about the Schnegan zones. I will spend 90 days days in the UK and then another 90 days in europe and then I can also spend if i want another 90 days in turkey. Iceland also has the 90 day out 180 rule as well. I am thinking about the bicycling and ive also looked at Busabout. Im just looking at the most economincal way to see sites. Ive looked at the bus lines. Ive also thaught I might do a shorter 30 day stay in contiental europe then check out some cheaper eastern european countries and Turkey as well. I would like to spend a lot of time in Turkey so will probly use up my full 90 days thier
Adri
A point I missed out earlier: I've seen other TPers asking about volunteering, and someone has previously mentioned WWOOF as an option. It's volunteering work at organic farms etc in return for food and board. Perhaps you can check that out.
Thanks lil_lil I will defently check it out
Adri
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