Looking for a cheap tropical vacation? Looking to have a wedding that people want to forget? Not afraid of risking sunburn to your naughty bits? Why not combine it all and have nude wedding wedding in Jamaica? Did I mention it’s free. Here’s how. Continue reading
It seems like checking in at the airport has been making headlines lately here at YCT. Whether it’s a grenade toting grandmother, a big breasted reality startlet being patted down for no apparent reason or people wearing coats that look like they were made for bomb smuggling just to save on baggage fees, there’s always some sort of shenanigans going on at the airport these days. USA Today is reporting that a man was arrested at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Sunday for trying to bring a a loaded .22-caliber Magnum revolver in his carryon luggage. But the crazy doesn’t end there. Continue reading
I have mixed feelings about Spirit Airlines, the ultra low cost airlines. On one hand, you can find some really good deals. For example, my friends and I flew to Boston for $47 roundtrip for dinner and a show. That included all taxes and fees. This summer I flew to Chicago, one of my favorite cities in all the world, with a friend for less than $60 roundtrip (taxes, etc incl.) But on the other hand, they’re starting to tick me off. Lately, they’ve haven’t been including Atlantic City on their weekly sales, or it’s 5-10 times more expensive than the advertised lowest price (e.g. They’ll have a $9 sale, but flights from AC will be $66). But even when you can find a steal, they charge you fees out the wazoo. Continue reading
Never one to pass up an affordable travel adventure (or a good blog post title), I decided to go to Turkey for Turkey Day. Everyone has been asking how was it. It was great. So good that I needed a full week to catch my breath. And then family came to town (they’re still here…hopefully reading my blog with baited breath….catching up and sightseeing be damned, right?). So that’s why you are getting my Istanbul reviews late. I apologize. I will be bringing you more specific reviews (hostel, hotel, sights, etc) in the coming days. I don’t want to give you Istanbul overload, so I’ll only do a few a week…unless the masses are clamoring for more than that. But without any further adieu here are some of the highlights.
This was my first foray into a Muslim nation. Turkey is over 95% Mulsim. However, it’s a secular country so Islam isn’t the “official religion”. The overwhelming majority of women that I saw didn’t have their heads covered and very few had on a full burka with only their eyes and hands showing. You definitely realize you’re in a Muslim country wit the call to prayer 5 times a day, and beautiful mosques that dotted the city, but it’s not overwhelming or shoved down your throat as a non-muslim. Nobody was trying hand me religious pamphlets on the corner. There were no knocks on on my hotel door from anyone trying to convert me to Islam. And there were no Muslims with signs telling me to repent or that the world was going to end next Tuesday.
Istanbul is very friendly to tourists. Practically every shop and restaurant has a person outside saying hi to the tourist in their native language and asking them to take a second to low at their low prices and high quality. Some can bit used car salesman pushy, while others are genuinely charming. They seemed to target my mom. I guess they figure that women usually control the purse strings and do a majority of the shopping. We saw one so frequently who was always trying to sell my mom something that my dad and I joking referred to him as “your boyfriend.”
I let you pick my hostel and hotel in the YOU PICK IT elections. You did a great job. I liked both of my places. It was my first time staying in a hostel. The Cheers Hostel was neat and clean. The people there were friendly, especially the owner. I would stay there again and consider a hostel again. (A hostel wouldn’t be my first choice, but it’s now an option.) The Hotel Poem was a quaint boutique hotel. The hotel was renovated a few years back, so everything had a modern clean look to it. Like boutique hotels everywhere, it was on the smaller side but stylish.
The Istanbul sights were every bit as nice as the pictures in the guidebooks. The Blue Mosque (pictured at the top) and Hagia Sofia were the stars of the show for me. The Grand Bizarre was big enough to get lost in. The spice market was great, but after 5 minutes it got to be a bit repetitive (it had a been there done that feel to because many of the merchants sold the exact same thing). Taksim is a modern section of the city with grand hotels, plenty of restaurants and night life. You have to cross a bridge to get there and public transportation stops running around 1 AM as I found out. I ended up walking back to my hotel after I missed the last tram….it only took 3.5 hours. It actually ended up being one of the highlights of my trips. It’ll definitely get its own post. And it seemed like every third place was a restaurant or dessert shop.
I seem to be a magnet for quirky shenanigans. Whether it be turning the corner at a Walmart and seeing a teen in a black trench coat wielding a screw driver poised to stab his friend coming around the corner (true story), or running into star rapper 50 Cent in NYC this past Tuesday, odd things seem to happen to me or around me. Istanbul was no exception. I helped out a Brazilian tourist and we became long distance pals (keep your fingers crossed….maybe I’ll end up going to Brazil) and I missed a connecting flight which allowed me to see a protest and spend the night in Frankfurt. My 3.5 hour night walk was one the best travel experiences I’ve had so far. Like life, the unplanned moments seem to the most enjoyable and memorable.
Istanbul is great city. It has breathtaking sights, a rich history and great food (I fell in love with the desserts). The people are friendly and the city is easy to get around. My only gripe is that I stayed too long. The neighborhoods/sightseeing areas are somewhat small, so it only took me a half a day to see each neighborhood/area. A 4-5 day trip would have been perfect.
According to a recent Skyscanner poll, flights are the new singles bar. According to their survey, 45% of you have flirted while on board. About a third of those Flirty McFlirties were able to land a “rendezvous” once the plane arrived. Only 8% of them turned their “rendezvous” into a relationship. But what happens 35,000 feet in the air, stays 35,000 feet in the air? Usually…unless you get arrested (or an STD), as one couple just found out. (They got arrested.)
I usually don’t take much cash with me when I travel. I’m of the mindset that the less cash I have on hand, the less I stand to lose to a pickpocket. Instead I’ll go to an ATM everyday for cash only purchases. Otherwise I use a debit or credit card. Some travelers like to have enough cash to last their whole trip. But where do you put all that cash if you don’t want to walk around with a big knot of cash bulging from your pocket. Continue reading
New Zealand is known for its breathtaking scenery. Many a famous movie was filmed there: The Lord of the Ring trilogy, Avatar and the Narnia series. There’s an island off 50 miles north of Auckland called Little Barrier Island. It’s home to the world’s largest insect. I’m not talking “Oh look. That roach is as big as my thumb.” Oh no. I’m talking about an insect big enough to eat a carrot. Check out the picture after the jump. Continue reading
In a few months the Netherlands will begin shutting marijuana coffe shop doors to tourists. According to the Huffington Post, the ban takes effect January 1, 2012. It will start in three of the Netherlands southern provinces. The ban will then expand. It won’t affect Amsterdam until 2013. Continue reading
Happy Thanksgiving to my US readers. This story was pointed out to me by one of our loyal readers, Adam. Thanks, Adam!
As you know, the Thanksgiving travel season is the busiest time of the year for airlines. Everyone is going home for Turkey with all the trimmings. And the airlines know this and raise ticket prices accordingly. Airlines are always trying to make an extra dime any way they can with fees. Baggage fees are the worst. But a man has come up with a way that may help you get around baggage fees. Continue reading
Traveling to famous movie destinations is a great way to see the world and actually brings a themes to your travels. You don’t have to travel far. You can google famous movies featuring the city closest to you. Many major cities offer movie tours, showing you all the famous scenes shot in their city. Some movies, like Harry Potter, have tours all of their own. In my hometown of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Museum of Art is just as famous for its art and architecture as it is for Rocky running up its steps. (Don’t believe me, go on a Saturday and watch the tourists run up the steps and pump their fists.). Continue reading
