Sunday, March 14, 2010

kenneth, the travel adviser!

my friends always think i'm a bloody rich f**ker! they always questioning me on how can i afford all those trips. when come to travelling, i have many hidden secrets. those secrets helped me to travel to many places but using very minimum $$$. i won't use more than 600 euro per trip (7-8 days trip). europe isnt as expensive as everyone thinks. when i was told some people used up to 20,000 ringgit for three weeks travelling in europe, i was quite stunned. the friend told me, the 20,000 ringgit not included gucci and lv purchased. 20,000 ringgit? for three weeks? a bit too much... i might be using just 600 euro per trip but i'm still staying at crowne plaza, hilton, hyatt etc and eating good food!

lately, many of my friends started coming to me for advises. here are some of those travelling tips in europe. hope they can help you plan your next european adventure better and cheaper!

1) cheap air fare,
some of you might not believe it, but yes... one way ticket within europe can be as cheap as 1 pound. i've booked many before. always check ryanair.com for the promotion. easyjet.com and jet2.com are two others cheap solution. if a return ticket within europe costs more than 50 euro, i consider it as expensive.

2) plan trip 2-3 months ahead
always plan your trip at least 2 months before the travelling date for cheaper air tickets, train tickets and hotel rooms. many deals/ packages are normally on offer two months before.

3) book ahead - train & bus tickets
if you coming to uk and wanna explore the country by train or bus, always book your tickets at least 1 month before the travelling date. for example, london - oxford by train, if you purchase the ticket one month before the travelling date, the ticket will only cost you 4 pound but if you purchase the ticket on the travelling day, it will cost you 19.90 pound. same goes to train fares in france, italy and many european countries. is always better to purchase all your tickets (online) before start travelling to save money and time. bus ride in europe can be extremely cheap. long distance bus tickets within uk can be as low as 1 pound.

4) say no to hostels
im those people who wont stay in a hostel rooms. waking up in the middle of the night, go out from the room and look for a toilet isnt something i wanna experience. hostel is so inconvenience!!! i normally spend less than 50 euro per night per room. 50 euro is more than enough to get a clean and comfortable room but my 50 euro can get me further. 50 euro is enough to get a 3-4 star hotel room. when you share with a friend, it just gonna cost you 25 euro. hostels arent as cheap as you think! it costs around 20 euro per person per night at major european cities. if you are not travelling alone, it is better to have a room, with built in shower/ bathtub and toilet. hotwire.com is the solution for cheap accommodations. also try ibishotels.com and ichotelsgroup.com.

5) entrance tickets
some tourist attractions have online discount. is worth checking online before travelling. is also advised to book tickets online especially for famous attraction like versailles, eiffel tower, colosseum, louvre etc (i hate queuing). to view the last supper mural at milan, book your ticket at least 30 days before the visiting day.

if you need more advises or want me to check tickets or hotels for your trip, feel free to ask... i love doing it!

happy travelling!

Monday, March 1, 2010

italy.... a dream or a disaster?

italy has always been the dream of most travellers... when you ask them where he/ she wanna go, they will say rome, venice, pisa, milan and so on. the question here, is italy really a dream destinatian? i just came back from 9 days backpacking in the region of rome, lazio and campania and for me, italy is indeed very beautiful but i will think twice before going there again. the reason: italians are rude and not friendly! with thousand and thousand of tourists flooding in everyday, they should be friendly and helpful in every aspect. if you think french are rude, italians are 10 times worst. apart from the people, italy is an extremely interesting country to visit, the most interesting among all the european countries. i also have to give credit to italian cuisine... the pasta and pizza tasted absolutely fabulous (much better than those i tasted in uk)... and gelati, the little devil which brings you to heaven! wish i can have it now...

ps... italy is pretty dirty as well!

conclusion, it surely not a dream destination but a must visit!

to be a dream destination, the place gotta be beautiful, people gotta be friendly and the food gotta be great.... for me, only paris meets all the criteria (at least i didnt meet any rude ppl when i was there).