Archive for 'Introduction'

episode #1 – London

Posted on 22. Feb, 2009 by Ryan.

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Our first stop on our simulated backpacking Europe trip is London, a truly exciting and cosmopolitan metropolis.

London is world-class in many ways, and an essential destination for any European traveler. While expensive, it is very backpacker-friendly in its diverse offering of accommodations and in the countless free or low-cost activities to fill up your time.

Our recommendation for this type of trip is to spend 5 days and 4 nights in London. One needs months or years for London, but we have limited time on the trip and must always be on the move.

In this first episode, Melissa and I talk about:

  • arriving to London and some basic ways to get acclimated
  • each of our top 5 things to see and do in London
  • other interesting sights beyond the top 5 list
  • general backpacking Europe advice on packing light and smart
  • after departing London, where to go next

Here are some relevent websites for London based on our discussion (in rough order as we talked):

TRANSPORT IN
Heathrow Airport (probable arrival airport)
Transport for London (Tube maps, fares, tickets/travelcards, Oyster card)
Heathrow Express (fast train from airport to city center)

INFO
TimeOut London (weekly “what’s-on” magazine)
TNT (another listings magazine)

ACCOMODATION
One Summer in Europe (London hostel and budget hotel page)

SIGHTSEEING
Leicester Square (live webcam)
London Theatre Guide (official half-price tickets)
Tate Modern
British Museum
Covent Garden (area guide)
Tower of London
English Breakfast (description)
Jack the Ripper walk (and other walks of London)
London Eye
Tower Bridge
One Summer in Europe (London page for other sightseeing activities, including hop-on/hop-off double-decker bus tour)

TRANSPORT OUT
Ryanair (cheap flights to Dublin from Stansted or Gatwick, but watch for add-on costs)
Stansted Airport (with to/from London info)
Gatwick Airport (with to/from London info)
Sail & Rail (cheap £27 train/ferry combo ticket London-Holyhead-Dublin)

Join us for our next episode as we spend some time on the Emerald Isle!

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episode #0 – Introduction

Posted on 15. Feb, 2009 by Ryan.

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We’re pleased to present the first episode of One Summer in Europe – the backpacking Europe podcast!

As this episode is an introduction to the rest of the series, we name it episode #0.

In this episode, Melissa and I discuss:

  • who we are and our different European travel experiences
  • why people should consider taking their own backpacking Europe trip (hint: FUN), whether one is a recent graduate or is out of school a few years
  • why traveling on a budget is a great skill and how it actually leads to a better experience than spending a lot of money
  • we set up our virtual “one summer in Europe” trip scenario which is based on :
  1. 10-week trip (last half of May + June + July)
  2. visiting 20 interesting destinations (3-4 days on average in each) with no formal itinerary (next stop = ??)
  3. spending on average $50-70 per day by keeping to a budget
  4. using a 2-month unlimited use railpass for 20 countries
  5. flying into London as our 1st stop

Here are some relevant links from this episode:

  1. a useful airfare comparison website: Momondo.com
  2. where to get your European railpass: RailEurope
  3. where to get your passport: USA, Canada, Australia
  4. and of course our partner site where you can quickly search 1000s of hostels and things to do across Europe: One Summer in Europe

For reference, here are the railpass prices we mentioned:

2-month unlimited
Adult = $1590
Youth = $1034
Group = $1351

15 days in 2 months
Adult = $1085
Youth = $704
Group = $924

Finally, we welcome listener questions and comments at questions (at) backpackpodcast.com, and we may read these emails on future episodes.

Join us soon for our first stop in Europe – episode #1 London!

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