*Sorry this is out of order!

Tuesday, July 8 (Mallorca & Casares, Spain) – Today was a relaxing day at the pool and traveling from Mallorca to Casares, Spain, so not too much to report on.  So I thought I'd make today's post about something really unique and potentially helpful to anyone interested in traveling around multiple cities in Europe:  Busabout.

WHAT IS BUSABOUT?
Based on the geography of Europe, there are a couple of traditional 'routes' backpackers and travelers take.  Whether Paris to Prague or Venice to Valencia, there are certain stops that tend to come with the itinerary.  Finding a good accommodation and getting from place to place can take a lot of time to plan (as I am well aware).  So I'd like to introduce you to Busabout, the company that takes away these moments of stress or uncertainty, and replaces them with a safe and easy form of transportation, recommended housing, and dozens of new friends.

HOW BUSABOUT WORKS:
Busabout offers a variety of packages for different types of travelers based on where they want to go and how long they plan to travel.  You sign up for a flexible trip or one of the loops (or even one of the specialty tours like one that follows music festivals around Europe), and don't have to worry about transportation along the journey.  

When you get to a city, you can choose to stay at the recommended / partner hostel or go somewhere else, and you can stay as long as you would like, knowing that the bus to the next stop along the journey comes every other day.  You can even veer off and do another city if you'd like, and then come back to get the bus when you are ready.  It is a flexible, convenient and innovative way to travel while meeting likeminded travelers and making the most of your money!

MEET WILSON NG... a 28-year old youth worker / martial arts instructor from Sydney, Australia.  We met at The Treehouse in Grunau Im Almtal, Austria - a popular stop for Busabouters between Vienna and Salzburg.  As someone who is traveling Europe with Busabout, he was happy to chat with me about his experience, the organization, and his general travel tips.

STACYTAKESFLIGHT:  What is your travel story? (Why?  Where?  How?  How long?)
WILSON NG:  I'm 28, I've have travelled for three months through the Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, France, Spain, and Turkey.  This has been a dream of mine for a long time and it has been such a rewarding and eye-opening experience. Nothing but respect and love has come out of this.


What Busabout program are you using and why did you decide to travel with them?
I did the West Loop (which covers France, Italy, Switzerland, and Spain). I decided to do it because it appealed to me and I'm not into super regimented activities.

What is a typical day like in a Busabouter's life?
Wake up, get dressed and ready, have brekky, work out the day's activities, and see if anyone else is keen.  Then go out and eat, come back and hang out, and see who else is keen to party!


What kind of person should consider using Busabout?
I'd recommend B'usabout to someone who wants to a have a little bit of a plan or outline of where to go, but doesn't want much more than that.


What is the most random / cool / unexpected thing you have done so far on your travels?
The most unexpected thing for me, was going on a massive bike ride by a lake and up through mountain trail, hiking through forests and finding a waterfall up a mountain!


After traveling for three months, what are some tips or advice for newby travelers that you wish you knew when you started?

• Save your money where you can
• Always be ready to have to change your plans or try new things 
• You never know when or where that next life-changing adventure will be
• Smile and meet new awesome new people
• Don't trust cab drivers
  
• Couch Surfing is an awesome way to save cash and meet potential new best friends!

Saturday, July 5 (Mallorca, Spain) – Although I had been planning to take it easy the final month of my travels, to unpack my suitcase and spend a full week or two in a few select places, I have found myself on the move like before.  There are just so many places to see, and the more I think about going home, the more I want to pack in before I have to leave. 

However, I am spending six full days in Mallorca and I want to treat myself at the last hotel I will be staying at on my travels.  (I will be staying with cousins and then friends from my travels for the remaining week and a half after Mallorca!)  My first hotel, on the southern coast of Mallorca about 20-minutes (driving) from the city of Palma was not much of a treat.  It was fine, it was clean, it was literally on the beach.  But my room was teeny tiny, I looked into other peoples’ windows, and it didn’t quite feel like the relaxing atmosphere I had envisioned (except when I snuck into another hotel’s beautiful pool area).  The place was definitely budget-friendly, and at any other part of my trip it would have been perfect, but no.  I deserve a little bit of luxury!

So today I made a move.

Some people I have met throughout my travels recommended Alcudia to me.  It is a region in the north part of the island with incredibly beautiful beaches and a mountain range.  I did a lot of research and finally settled on the JS Alcudi Mar hotel, which is on Muro Beach.  It is only a little more than an hour away from my last accommodation, but it feels like a different country.  As I walked into my room and saw the sea through the sliding balcony door, I couldn’t stop smiling.  THIS is it, my time to relax and recharge and do all the mental rest and exercise that I have been wanting.  It will only be three days, but in Stacy’s world, that is more like a week anyway.

And it’s not as big of a splurge as you may think… For under $100 a night, I not only have a nice, clean room, I have a balcony overlooking the sea, a 2-minute walk to the most gorgeous beach, a big pool, helpful concierge, oh, and FREE breakfast AND dinner!!!  On top of that, there is a gym, a 1-Euro laundry machine, and a spa – and I am treating myself to a massage in 20 minutes (only 45 Euro for an hour!).  Yay for Alcudia!!

Oh, and I have a fridge so I picked up some provisions at the supermarket including a bottle of Spanish white wine.  Salud!

Tuesday, June 17 (Grunau im Almtal, Austria) – I was referred to The Treehouse (as the B&B is called) by my friend Anthea who I met in Ireland and randomly ran into in Rome.  She said she thought I would like it because there are lots of active things to do, and it is halfway between Vienna and Salzburg (two stops on my way) so I figured I’d give it a shot.

When I first arrived, I borrowed one of the bikes from The Treehouse (after being a bit sore from yesterday’s bike tour of Vienna) and started peddling.  I was told there is a lake I could ride to so I left with that in mind.  I stopped off at what I think was the town’s only open café (really, we’re in the middle of nowhere!) and enjoyed some late lunch and coffee.  Then I hopped back on the bike and peddled for miles and miles, only stopping for an occasional photo of the unreal scenery. 

After what seemed like hours, I hadn’t seen a lake and wasn’t sure I was going the right way.  It was starting to get chilly so I turned around (at what ended up being just before the lake!) and started for the B&B.  Although the 30km ride got chilly as the sun went down, it was such a nice break from the nonstop city touring and breathing in the fresh air was so necessary.  There isn’t much to do here, and that normally stresses me out, but as I sit here in front of the stream, there is nothing I would rather be doing.

By dinnertime, I realized why this place is so special.  It is a mix of camp and a summer home.  There are activities to do like tennis, archery, hiking, biking, and horseback riding, and there are home-cooked meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  But, at the Treehouse there is also a bar and no curfew… so better than camp!  The staff at the Treehouse likes to say that people come for a night and end up staying for days, and they are right! I’ve met people here who are on their 6th day when they meant to stay for 2.  It is just a perfect place to relax, get some exercise, meet people and have a nice break from the nonstop touring we are all in the middle of.  But, do keep in mind it turned out to be a very young clientele, many of whom are participating in the semi-guided European tour called Busabout (which I will discuss in a future post).  The people can get rowdy and loud at night, so it is definitely not for everyone!

The next day I got back out on the bike with a group of 15 new friends while we went on a search for the famous waterfalls we had heard so much about.  Well, hours later there were no waterfalls, but we had a few good laughs, some great exercise and a whole lot of memorable photos.

I also (obviously) went horseback riding!  There is a barn just a few kilometers from the Treehouse where many guests go for a leisurely trail ride, and I was lucky to get a private two-hour ride with Simone.  We went along the river, in and out of neighborhoods and in the woods – it was excellent.  Highly recommended for anyone who visits the Treehouse!

There need to be more places like the Treehouse – or if there are more, I want to hear about them!

Monday, June 16 (Grunau im Almtal) – One month from today I will be home in New York.  I can’t believe that and I have very mixed feelings about it.  I’m having such a great time and feel so lucky to be experiencing this, and I don’t want to go back to reality.  At the same time, summer in NYC is my favorite and there are a bunch of people I miss a lot.  What am I going to do when I get back to New York?  What have I learned about life? About myself? 

These questions and more are questions I have been putting off until now.  I really wanted my first two months to be about travel and having fun and experiencing everything without reality holding me back.  But month #3 is going to be a bit different.  I plan on staying in the places I visit more than just a night or two, to unpack my suitcase and feel like I am somewhat settled.  I want to use this more relaxing, less action-packed month to really think about me and what the heck I’m going to do come July 16.  I’m not going to over-analyze or stress about it, but I’m going to let my natural thoughts come up since I haven’t made time for them in two months!

Today is the beginning of this third phase, and without even realizing the date, I had booked myself at a little B&B in the middle of nowhere for some relaxation and nature.  I am in Grunau im Almtal, which is about halfway between Vienna and Salzburg, Austria.  See more about this highly recommended town and B&B in my next post.

I’m currently sitting on a chair behind the hotel (“The Treehouse”) with a stream flowing just in front of me and a mountain with trees densely packed together just beyond the stream.  There is something comforting yet unsettling about the juxtaposition of the ever-flowing stream and the trees that are forever in the same place.  The water gets to travel and see the world, but the trees get to see how the world evolves from one place.  I could get super philosophical right now, but I’ll stop here and leave you to your own psychoanalyses.

I recently finished my first true guided tour in Morocco, and it was a great experience, but a bit different than expected in terms of pace, participants and activities.  When looking for a tour company, the most important factors to me were the tour dates, the places covered on the tour and the budget.  I ended up choosing an inexpensive tour with Explore Worldwide who has many Morocco tours, but the “Highlights of Morocco” trip I selected was brand new.  Looking back, there are a few other factors I could have looked at more carefully as well as things I wouldn’t have known to ask about.  So now that I’ve had the experience in Morocco – as well as after speaking with many people on my tour who have been on similar trips in the past – I have put together a list of tips to help you select the right tour to get the most out of your holiday.

I wrote out the pluses and minuses of taking a guided tour that could be helpful in answering this question.  A few other thoughts… For me, the extensive hours on the bus took away from the experience at times.  When we stopped it was often for short tours or photo breaks and didn’t balance the time spent on the bus.  But on the other hand, Morocco is a big country and there is really no other way to get around and see it all.  Also, there were drives where the scenery was stunning and was part of the tour experience. 

Additionally, some of the organized stops we made included some kind of shop (carpets, leather, etc.) where we were told about the craftsmanship and cultural importance of the items… but then we were given a hard sell to buy.  I was not happy with that technique.  

There are a couple of well-known tour companies that have different reputations, and then there are smaller, more niche companies that may be lesser known.  For example:

• Contiki – Geared to 18-35-year olds
• Intrepid – Quality tours at a higher price 
• G Adventures – Attracts younger crowd but also offers family tours at a cheaper rate
• Explore Worldwide – UK-based, budget-friendly
  

But in order to find out if a company is “good” for you, I think it is important to get two types of reviews – the company you are looking at and the specific tour (or a similar one) that you are interested in.

Since everyone has a different experience on these tours, we are lucky that in this day and age that there are reviews for everything.  I recommend looking at the reviews on tour company websites with a grain of salt – often those reviews come from the evaluations filled out at the end of a trip and are taken out of context (or the negative ones are not used).  Instead, TripAdvisor is a great resource for reading reviews and forums about tour companies as well as posting a question to expert travelers.  Also, Googling reviews of your tour or tour company will likely bring up some responses.

• Luxury (comfortable coach bus or train, expensive hotels, etc.)
• Mid-range (basic hotel with limited amenities, small bus) 
• Roughing it (hostels, budget hotels, camping and basic transportation)
  

And finally, my biggest recommendation is to contact the tour company by email and/or phone and gauge their knowledge, customer service and answers to your questions.  You can ask things like the age range of people who are signed up, male-to-female ratio, how many hours on the bus per day, etc.).

Wednesday, May 21 (Merzouga) – When you think of Morocco, images of sand dunes and camels most likely come to mind.  The Sahara Desert covers much of the country and camel riding is not only a tourist attraction, it is a means of transport for many locals (although more often you will actually see them riding small donkeys).

So when given the last-minute opportunity to not only go for a camel ride, but to ride to a campsite in the Sahara at sunset, sleep under the stars and ride back at sunrise, I couldn’t say no.

After checking into our hotel, six of us on my tour were picked up by camel to start our adventure.  We were sent off by the rest of the group and started our journey into the desert.  My hair was wrapped in a pashmina turban to protect my face and hair from the blowing sand.  We rode the camels up and down the sand dunes for 1.5 hours, making one stop to get off the camels, run up the tallest dune to capture the sunset (getting up the dune was a workout – the sand is soft and goes up mid-calf with each step). 

If you are ever in the Sahara, you may see hundreds of small black rocks lining the sand dunes.  Well, those aren’t rocks.  Camels poop all the time, like constantly, and in surprisingly small poop balls.  Over time they appear to darken and become a part of the landscape!

When we arrived at the campsite, we were greeted with the Moroccan standard – green tea with mint and sugar – while we sat around a table and relaxed.  Dinner was prepared for us at the campsite and was delicious – tomato-based vegetable soup and chicken tagine.

After dinner we sat outside looking at the thousands of stars, trying to make out the constellations, satellites and planets.  I even saw a shooting star – only the second time in my life!

I spent the night in a tent, which was very basic, but more ‘glam’ than when I camped in Israel.  In other words, I had a mattress on the floor instead of a sleeping bag.  I thought it would get very cold overnight but it stayed warm and comfortable.  

In the morning, we woke up at 6am in order to catch the sunrise on our camel ride back across the desert to the hotel where the rest of our group was staying.  Even though I was pretty tired on the ride back (and the saddle could have been more comfortable), but overall the experience was amazing and definitely one of the highlights of my trip!

(Friday, May 2) – I tend to be a big planner when it comes to travel.  It’s not that I need every moment planned out; it is more that I don’t want to leave a place and then find out a week later that I missed something because I hadn’t done my homework.  I also like to know where I am going next and that I have a place to stay.  But on this trip, part of “Stacy taking flight” is that I want to be more flexible, take things as they come, and be okay with being a bit spontaneous or changing plans.  So I decided to switch up my Spain itinerary a bit after learning the easiest way to get from city to city wasn’t necessarily what I had thought.  However, this put me in a tough position in terms of where to stay. 

I found myself in Marbella on Thursday without having a place to stay for the next few nights.  I had planned to go on a day trip to Ronda on Friday and then find a hostel or cheaper hotel in Malaga for the weekend, but everything was completely booked.  So, I ended up spending a night in Ronda (which was great) and then taking a big risk in trying something brand new for the Saturday and Sunday in Malaga:  Airbnb. 

I have a few friends who have tried this service where people who have an extra bedroom (or an empty house) can rent it out to travelers, and they have had positive experiences.  But as a solo female in a new country, I was very hesitant.  Also, many hosts don’t actually live in the house.  They have an extra house that they turn into a mini hostel and rent out constantly - not really what I was hoping for.  So after being unsuccessful with Hostelworld and hotel sites, I finally decided I would Airbnb it in Malaga.  BEST DECISION EVER!

I found myself staying in an extra bedroom in the home of Eugenia, her husband Nacho and their dog Sacha.  They also had a friend, Romi, in town.  As I arrived I was greeted like family with double cheek kisses and a cold beer.  While I thought I would drop off my stuff and head into the city center to explore on my own (the only downfall of staying with them is that they live a good 30-40 minute walk from the center, but I could also take a cab or bus), I ended up staying in their home chatting (in Spanish!) for hours.  It was really great and before I knew it, it was about 8PM and I was starving.  The four of us went into the city center together and they took me to what they said is the best tapas spot in all of Malaga - Cortijo de Pepe.

Then we hopped around from bar to bar while they graciously showed me different sites along the way.  Staying with them was such a great way to get to know the city and the people and practice Spanish! Seriously, I am so happy that I was able to communicate and understand with only minimal – and I mean minimal – English.

I am now much more open to using Airbnb in the future (and won’t freak out if I don’t see any hostels or hotels available in a place that I want to visit).  There are just a few tips I have for anyone looking to try it out.