2015: A year of indie travel

I’m often surprised when I look back over photos from the last twelve months to see how much I’ve done… and this year is no different. 2015 has been an amazing year, full of good times, not-so-good times, and time with friends and family.

January

We saw the new year in in our temporary home of Alcalá de Henares, where I was doing a master’s degree. We’d been based there since September 2015 and stayed until the end of June, so it was a pretty long stretch for us. Luckily, we loved it — and who wouldn’t? Not only is it Unesco world heritage listed, it’s full of lovely people and delicious tapas.

We spent a lot of time in the Plaza de Cervantes.

February

We’re always happy to have an excuse to visit our old home of A Coruña, so we took advantage of a long weekend to fly up to visit our friends Oliva and Guille at Carnival time. They (and another friend, Alba) had created some spectacular costumes for us to wear, and we enjoyed watching the parades and looking like idiots while eating tapas.

March

I had to knuckle down to work and study, but Craig headed off to Berlin to attend a conference and hang out with awesome people. I wasn’t too jealous — after all, it was at least ten degrees warmer where I was.

I got to go to Berlin later in the year, so I wasn’t too jealous…

April

April was a month of family visits. First, my brother Simon and his fiancée Katie hopped over from London to spend Easter with us, and then Craig’s parents visited for a week in the middle of the month. We made sure to explore Alcalá and Madrid with them, and headed over to Valencia for the weekend.

Katie, Simon, Linda and Craig at the Puerta de Alcalá.

May

The big event of the month was a trip up to Lloret de Mar in Catalunya to attend the TBEX travel bloggers’ conference. It’s always great to catch up with our travel blogger friends, some of whom we’ve known for almost ten years — as long as Indie Travel Podcast has been running.

After TBEX, Craig headed up to the Baltics with JayWay Travel and I returned to Alcalá with my friend and workmate Alisa. While Craig explored Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, I finished my thesis and went on school camp with a hundred preteens.

However, I was jealous of missing the trip to the Baltics.

June

Our last month in Alcalá was spent in good company. My sister came over for a visit with her son Henry, and our friend Janine joined us part way through the month. We all hopped in a car together for a quick trip around Portugal with a stop in Segovia along the way, and Janine and Craig finished the journey with a week-long surf school in Peniche.

After my graduation, Janine, Craig and I headed north to take part in the Haro Wine festival — yep, we threw wine at each other for a beautiful, sticky morning.

We got a little damp.

July

Janine had never walked a Camino de Santiago, and we are always keen to do another, so we hiked 300km from Oviedo to Santiago over two weeks or so. We started as a group of three and finished as seven, and for some reason we called ourselves the Smurfs.

One of the many views on the Camino Primitivo.

After a quick stop in Coruña (to show it off to Janine) we hopped in Alba’s car to head to Toledo for Oliva and Guille’s wedding. It was a beautiful day in a gorgeous location and we felt privileged to be invited to take part in it.

We had a few days in Madrid, during which we caught up with a few friends and ate tacos, then flew to Berlin for something completely different.

August

We were housesitting in the outskirts of the city and thought we’d just get down to work — but it didn’t work out like that. Instead, we spent heaps of time with our friends Claudia and Holger; Frankie and Jesus; Adam; Javier; and Natalie and Stephanie from Context Travel. We did find time to walk the dog twice a day, though!

We even spent time at the beach while in Berlin!

From there, we caught a bus down to Prague, where we stayed with the excellent Charles of JayWay Travel. Our friends Graham and Jon were over from New Zealand, and Janine and our Camino friend Clothilde joined us for a wonderful couple of days together.

Too soon, it was time to go — we flew to England for another housesit.

September

We’d never heard of Oundle before we accepted the housesit, and it wasn’t anything like what we expected. There was so much to do — pub visits with the neighbours, walking tours, a visit to the theatre. I even went to a blogging festival near London (where I almost froze, but at least in good company). We were sad to leave, but not too sad — we were going to Moldova!

Oundle was beautiful and surprising.

October

We’d wanted to attend the Moldovan wine festival for at least eight years, so you can imagine our disappointment when it was called off when we finally had tickets to the country. No worries, though: alternative activities were put on, and we enjoyed them in the company of a group of Moldovan and Romanian bloggers.

The Moldovan flag flies over the Et Cetera vineyard.

Our trip to Ukraine was postponed as a result of my incompetence, but we got there eventually. We loved spending time with local people in Odessa and having a Performance Foundry mini-conference on a boat in Kiev.

St. Sophia Cathedral is one of the most spectacular buildings we’ve ever seen — and we’ve seen a few.

November

The weather really started to cool off at the beginning of November, and heading back to England probably didn’t help matters. However, we had a stunning day for watching New Zealand win the Rugby World Cup final, and only shivered a little while travelling across London for the World Travel Market conference.

Go All Blacks!

Most of the month, though, was spent in Mexico with Janine and our other best friend, Ange. We hung out in Cancun for a week before starting our epic road trip around the Yucatan Peninsula, during which we ate a lot of tacos and only had to pay three bribes.

December

Cuba was our next destination, where we were joined by another friend, Luis. We loved staying in casas particulares (local homes) and trying rum and cigars in various spots around the country.

Cuba is full of awesome classic cars.

Pin me on Pinterest!

It was sad to say goodbye to Ange, Janine, and Luis, but they had other plans and we were heading back to Mexico to hang out with other friends. Pete and Dalene had told us they would be spending Christmas in San Miguel de Allende, so we decided to crash the party and head there too, with a one-week stop in Querétaro along the way.

An indie travel 2016

2015 has been an epic year, especially since we thought we’d be travelling slowly. Next year though, we really should be slowing down: we’ve got a housesit lined up in Panama, and we’re heading to Colombia for three months after that. We hope to explore a bit more of this part of the world before heading south again to hang out with family and friends in Australia and New Zealand towards the end of the year.

What are your plans for 2016? What was your highlight of the last year? Leave a comment below.

Where to stay in Cuba: casas particulares

Travel is about people. However, your accommodation choices can limit how many people you meet: hotels tend to isolate, while hostels will help you meet travellers but won’t put you in touch with locals. In Cuba, staying in casas particulares will give you a taste of local life — quite literally, as many casas offer breakfast and dinner.

What is a casa particular?

Pin me on Pinterest!

“Casa particular” means “private home” in Spanish, which is exactly what it is: local people rent out rooms in their house to travellers. It’s strictly regulated, and until a few years ago, getting a license was a long-drawn-out process that involved at least ten forms and a considerable cash outlay. Now, more licenses are available as part of Raul Castro’s reforms, and many more people are refurbishing their houses to make them suitable for paying guests. This is great, because tourism is increasing rapidly — high season can see full occupation in some towns.

Every room we stayed in had a private bathroom and two beds, usually one single and one double. Most casas had two rooms available, though we were told a few had up to five. You pay per room rather than per person; this means it’s great value for couples and groups of three, while people travelling alone might want to consider finding a travel buddy to save costs.

The going rate is 20-25 CUC per night. (Note: the Cuban convertible peso is pegged 1:1 to the US dollar, so 1 CUC = US$1.)

The living room of one casa particular in Cuba.

Food

We were always offered breakfast, at prices ranging from 3-5 CUC per person per day. When we declined the 5 CUC offer, our host lowered the price until we said yes (at 3 CUC). This was pretty good value for coffee, eggs, fruit, juice and bread, which is the standard offering, even if we could have put it together ourselves at a lower price. (Note: the Cuban convertible peso is pegged 1:1 to the US dollar, so 1 CUC = US$1.)

Some casas particulares also offer dinner for 7-12 CUC per person. If you’re staying more than one night, I’d recommend you eat at home at least once: the food is delicious and the price is comparable to what you’d pay at most restaurants. Plus, the money goes direct to your host, rather than to the government.

The food at casas particulares can be amazing!

How to book

Most people in Cuba don’t have access to the Internet, so you probably won’t be able to reserve online. That said, we saw a few casas particulares listed on sites like Homestay.com, so it’s not unheard of. Personally, we were given a business card for a casa in Havana by a fellow traveller, and called to make a reservation.

Once you’re in Cuba and in a casa, your problems are over. Your host will happily call a friend, relative or contact in your next destination to reserve a room for you, which works out great for everyone involved: the contact gets a client, your original host increases the chance of his contact sending him clients in the future, and you get a room with very little effort. It’s a wonderful system.

Our street in Havana.

Paperwork

As soon as you arrive at your casa, you’ll be asked for your passport so your host can record your details in a log book and call to register you with the government. There are stiff fines for non-compliance, so make it easy for them! We generally paid when we left, but some hosts might ask for payment on arrival.

Hand over your passport!

What if I don’t speak Spanish?

Everyone in Cuba studies English at school, so you might be able to get by in English. It’s worth learning a few key phrases in Spanish just in case, though:

• Hello: Hola (OH-la)
• Thanks: Gracias (GRA-si-ass)
• How much does it cost?: Cuánto cuesta? (KWAN-to KWES-ta)
• At what time?: A que hora? (ah KAY OH-ra)
• Breakfast: Desayuno (des-ah-YOO-no)
• Dinner: Cena (SEH-na)
• 1: uno (OO-no)
• 2: dos (DOS)
• 3: tres (TRESS)
• 4: cuatro (KWAT-ro)
• 5: cinco (SIN-ko)
• 10: diez (DEE-ez)
• 20: veinte (BEN-te)
• 25: veinte cinco (BEN-te SIN-ko)
• 30: treinta (TREN-ta)

Enjoy

Every experience in a casa particular will be different, just as every host is different. One thing’s for sure, though, you’ll have a great experience staying in Cuba‘s casas particulares.

More Photos Of My Favorite Christmas Celebrations Around The World

This week my fake, self-imposed #FriFotos theme is appropriately enough CHEER. The timing couldn’t be more perfect since today is Christmas, so I thought I’d update an older post and share some of my favorite yuletide photos from places I have visited during the Christmas holidays. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Milan

Mexico

Nuremberg, Germany

Christmas market stand somewhere in Europe

Gaylord National – Washington, DC

Four Seasons Budapest Hungary

Colmar, France

Brussels

New York City

Vienna

Quebec City

Cologne Germany

Delicious Christmas treats

Williamsburg, Virginia

Paris

Venice

The White House

Strasbourg, France

Speyer Germany

The post More Photos Of My Favorite Christmas Celebrations Around The World appeared first on LandLopers.

Reflecting on Gravneset Magdalenefjorden

Christmas podcast: How to celebrate the holidays away from home

Transit issues aside, the end of the year is a great time to get away from home: many people have time off work and you have the chance to experience different holiday celebrations in exotic destinations. However, being away from family and friends can be the trade-off for year-end travel.

Pin me on Pinterest!

Although our parents would love us to come back to New Zealand for Christmas every year, we don’t always make it. On average, we’re there one year in two, which is pretty good considering how far away New Zealand is from the rest of the world!

For us, Christmas is a family celebration and New Year’s is for friends, and we always feel a little sad not to be celebrating with the people we love the most. However, over the years we’ve developed a few tricks for celebrating the holidays away from home.

To listen to the Christmas podcast, hit play below or find episode 313 in iTunes, Stitcher or Soundcloud:

Escape completely

Perhaps you despise Christmas and all it stands for. In this case, now’s the time to travel somewhere where Christmas is not celebrated, or at least, not much. Last year, we spent Christmas Day in the Moroccan desert, and there was not a Christmas tree in sight or a carol to be heard. It was refreshing after the months of Christmas lead-up that we’ve experienced in many countries.

If you want to escape completely, let your friends and family know you won’t be contactable for a few days and turn off your phone. You can deal with any Christmas messages when it’s all over.

We might look like the Three Wise Men, but it didn’t feel too Christmassy at the time.

2. Find local celebrations

If you are quite happy to celebrate but just happen to be away from home, find local celebrations to take part in. A few years ago, we were in Jerez, Spain, over the holidays, and jumped feet-first into the many, many events that take place there every year. Parades, zambomba concerts, nativity scene exhibitions — there was a lot going on, and it was awesome. When we celebrated Christmas in Germany and the Czech Republic we made sure to visit the Christmas markets, and in Perth we went to outdoor evening carol singing events.

Jerez was great for Christmas events.

3. Create traditions you can take with you

Many families have traditions that they follow during the holidays; why not create some of your own? You can invent them yourself or steal them from places you’ve visited. We’ve appropriated the tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight on New Year’s Eve, and I often make Christmas cookies or date balls if I have access to a kitchen the week before Christmas. You could consider the Spanish tradition of wearing new red underwear on New Year’s, or make your own paper Christmas tree to decorate your hostel or hotel room.

Sometime during the last week of every year, Craig and I talk about what we’ve done during the year: where we’ve travelled, what we’ve acheived, the highlights and the lowlights of the past twelve months. This is one of my favourite traditions, and can be done alone, with a partner, or with whoever you happen to be with — if they’re willing!

Eating 12 grapes is an important part of our New Year!

4. Make friends

If you’re travelling solo or as a couple, it’s a good idea to spend time with friends over the holiday period. This could mean planning your travels around where your friends are, or just making friends on location. Sharing a bottle of wine with a Brazilian couple made our Moroccan Christmas more special, and we had a fantastic Christmas, New Year’s, and Three Kings with people we met through Couchsurfing in Jerez.

Spending time with friends (old or new) can make a big difference to your holiday experience.

Making friends on location isn’t as hard as it sounds: if you’re on a tour or in a hostel, just talk to people and you’re sure to find someone you’d like to spend time with. Otherwise, try Couchsurfing or a language exchange to find like-minded people in your destination. If you’re single, Tinder is an option too!

You could also convince people to come to you or go where your friends are. We spent our first Christmas away from home with our best friends Janine and Ange, who flew to Europe from New Zealand to celebrate with us in Prague, and we saw in the New Year with my Dad in Germany the year after that. We’ve travelled to be with people too: we celebrated our Perth Christmas with my aunt and uncle and an Adelaide one with my sister and her friends. And this year, we’re in San Miguel de Allende mostly because our friends Pete and Dalene were going to be here — we’re looking forward to a Christmas Day of games and tacos.

Enjoy the local traditions (like nativity scenes), wherever you are.

5. Be in touch

If you can’t be with them, you can at least contact them! You might want to send presents or Christmas cards from wherever you are, or record a video to send like our friend Sherry does every year. We always call our family some time on Christmas Day and as many people as possible at midnight on New Year’s — since New Zealand is the first country to see in the New Year, it’s usually sometime in the afternoon on New Year’s Eve for us.

The holidays can be a difficult time to be away from friends and family, but it’s certainly possible to improve your experience of travelling at Christmas and New Year’s. To listen, hit play above or check in iTunes, Stitcher or Soundcloud.