10 best times to break your travel budget

by Jessica Festa on

While it’s smart to plan a budget and make wise spending decisions, there are times while traveling when a splurge is in order. Don’t think of these instances as wasting money, but as investments into your personal happiness and enhancements to your travel experience.

If there’s a site you really want to visit

Whether it’s a museum that covers a topic you’re passionate about, a trek that will take you through unexplored territory or ancient ruins, or a historical site with a unique story to tell, you should let yourself experience it. No matter how much information a guidebook or website gives you, it can never compare to actually seeing the site for yourself. And if you think about it, isn’t the point of traveling to a city to experience things for yourself? When I was in Sydney, Australia, I had heard about a place called the Blue Mountains, and although I was a broke student at the time, the vivid photos and natural landmarks I kept reading about online made me realize that if I didn’t go visit this area I would regret it later on. I splurged on a coach bus and a cabin in the mountains, which allowed me to have an unforgettable long weekend hiking diverse terrain, getting aerial views of valleys and mountains, photographing unusual rock formations like The Three Sisters and Orphan Rock, and seeing firsthand why they call it the Blue Mountains (the oil mist from the eucalyptus trees creates a blue haze over the area).On a taxi after a long flight or when you’re pressed for time

I love to explore a city on a foot, as I feel it makes it easy to discover places and meet people you normally wouldn’t. Moreover, I firmly believe that regularly using taxis over subways and buses is a big waste of money. That being said, there are certain instances when the convenience of a cab is worth the extra cash. After a long flight, the hassle of attempting to navigate the city’s unfamiliar public transport system while lugging around a heavy bag just isn’t worth it. Furthermore, when I’m in New York city I often find myself rushing to catch the train back to Long Island, having a small heart attack as the subway’s digital clock seems to change minutes to seconds. I’ve realized that splurging on a cab when I’m really pressed for time is worth it, especially if it means I won’t have to sit around for an extra hour waiting for the next train.

To gain a new perspective

One of the best things about traveling is it allows you to visit a unique culture or city and experience life from a different point of view. However, if you spend your entire trip pinching pennies and worrying about transportation and entrance fees you’re going to miss out. Splurging on things like a boat ride to a cultural village in Fiji, a tro-tro to the slave castles in Cape Coast, Ghana, entrance to a monastary in Thailand, or a ticket to a Dong Minority Cultural Show in China (pictured) allows you to have a unique cultural experience.

On a hotel if you’re feeling travel fatigue

While budget travelers often opt for hostels, couchsurfing, and homestays, it’s important to clear your mind and get some alone time when travel fatigue sets in. The thing about travel fatigue is when it sets in, if you don’t cure it it’s very likely that it will ruin your entire trip, which would be more of a waste of money than splurging on a night or two in a comfortable hotel room.

For a ticket to an unusual or unique festival

Festivals allow for unique opportunities to experience events that do not happen on a regular basis. While the Winter Music Conference in Miami, Florida, allows you experience the world’s top techno DJ’s and non-stop parties, Burning Man is a radical celebration of extreme art and expression. The Carnival and Mardi Gras festivals around the world give people the chance to celebrate by dancing in the streets and dressing up in outrageous costumes, while the annual Stampede in Calgary, Canada, gives a rowdy glimpse into western heritage and rodeo culture. If you’re in a city during a time when a festival is happening I would recommend forgoing a tight budget and allowing yourself the rare opportunity you’ve been given. Another option is to base your travels around festivals and visit cities during times when you know you can attend one.

For the chance to get a great view

A visit to a new city is never complete without getting the chance to experience it from a great view point. While sometimes you can simply hike somewhere to get a bird’s eye view, there are often towers, incline hills, restaurants, and museums that offer these views for a small price tag. Sometimes, however, an amazing view can leave a bit of a dent in your wallet. When I was in Interlaken, Switzerland, I had heard the view of the Alps from the Jungfrau was unbelievable. Unfortunately, my Eurail Pass didn’t work in the country and local trains were expensive. I weighed my options, pay $215 and immerse myself in a place considered to be one of the most beautiful in the world, or save my money and buy a postcard. In the end, I paid the money and it was absolutely worth every penny to get a first-hand experience of this rare and serene landscape, not only because it was beautiful, but because it invoked a peaceful feeling of being in nature that I couldn’t possibly get from seeing a photograph.

When you’re really craving comfort food

While trying new foods is a fun and important part of learning about a culture, it’s not unusual for your body to begin feigning for the comforts of home. Many times, dining in a Western-style restaurant can be pricey, and depending where you are, you may have to travel quite a ways to find one. Depending on how bad your cravings are, it can be worth it to give your body what it wants so you can feel better and enjoy your trip. When I was volunteering in Ghana, Africa, in the rural village of Achiase, protein wasn’t very accessible. I was literally going to bed fantasizing about steak and ribs, and would have gladly paid $100 for a hot dog. Because this wasn’t even an option, I instead took a bus ride that was about 5-hours round trip to the capital of Accra where the mall was and bought myself an overpriced cheeseburger and a slice of pizza. It was the best money I’ve ever spent.

When safety is an issue

While this should be a given, it still bares repeating. If you ever feel uncomfortable in a certain situation, whether it be on a tour, in a hotel, in a city or district, or with the people you’re with, forget social graces and your budget and get out of there. Whether you have to lose your money and rebook accommodation somewhere else or hop in an overpriced taxi to get yourself away immediately you should never let money keep you in an uncomfortable or dangerous situation.

To try something adventurous

Everyone should experience what it’s like to have a heart-pounding, shriek inducing adventure, or something that allows you to prove to yourself that you’re capable of more than you thought. Whether it’s mountain climbing, trekking, scuba diving, or sky diving, think of something you’ve always wanted to try but have been too scared try and do it. I’ve been terrified of heights my entire life and still am, however, that has not stopped me from Bungee Jumping in the Swiss Alps, skydiving in New Zealand, cliff diving in Italy, or doing a Go Ape! high-wire obstacle course in Scotland. By trying these things, I’ve actually learned that fear will never stop me from trying new things, and I find being terrified oddly invigorating.

When you fall in love

I know some people may debate this one, but I’m a firm believer in taking chances and exploring possibilities so that you never have to wonder “what if?”. Throughout my travels, I’ve met many backpacking couples who had met on the road and have witnessed travelers making connections that seemed to be promising. When I was in Amsterdam, I met another backpacker in my hostel who I immediately hit it off with. After spending a long weekend together, we decided that it was worth exploring where the relationship could go and I booked a flight to visit him in Vancouver, Canada. It was an amazing trip, and we spent the next 6 months traveling together and trying to make it work. While we’re not together anymore, I have fond memories of the time we spent together and am comforted by the fact that we gave it a genuine shot. Sometimes it’s worth the price tag to allow yourself these spontaneous and passionate experiences, as you never know what can happen.

Photo of the Day: Monday morning in Ho Chi Minh City

by Jessica Marati on

Each morning in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, mobile street vendors brave the city’s frenetic traffic to hawk breakfast specialties like banana patties, pho, and other popular Vietnamese street foods. A typical Monday morning scene is captured in today’s monochrome Photo of the Day from Flickr user Jeryc Garcia.

Does your photo belong here? Upload your favorite travel shots to the Gadling Group Pool and your image could be selected as our Photo of the Day.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: From steel town to scenic city

by Jessica Festa on

While many people still visualize Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to be an old steel city, the hilly town has certainly changed a lot in the last 30-40 years. My first impressions when arriving were that the lit up hillsides, public art, modern architecture, colorful bridges, scenic rivers, diverse restaurants and lively club scene made Pittsburgh seem a lot more eclectic and trendy than industrial. If you’re visiting Pittsburgh, here is a guide to help you navigate the best the city has to offer based on your preferences.

For a mix of history and food

Visit the Strip District. The area was home to many industrial innovations (it’s where Andrew Carnegie began doing business in the iron and steel industry) as well as a once booming produce industry, a legacy that can still be tasted through ethnic food shops, cafes, markets, and restaurants. Use Penn Avenue as your main focal point, and veer off as necessary. Make sure to stop in the Pennsylvania Macaroni Co. for traditional Italian groceries and natural alternatives to processed cheeses, sauces, soups, and meats, as well as Mon Aimee Chocolat for unique varieties of organic and artisanal chocolate. For those who love vino, Dreadnought Wines offers glasses and accessories as well as specialty wines and educational classes, like “Cooking with Wine” and “High Brows and Low Brows- Can You Taste the Difference?”. A stop in Penzeys Spices is a delight for the nose as visitors can walk around and sniff the many herbs and seasonings out on display, as well as ask questions about the products and get free recipes. Want to educate yourself on the city’s history and culture? A visit to Senator John Heinz History Center allows you to explore Pittsburgh’s past and present through six floors of exhibits on local sports, companies, heroes, innovations, artifacts, and more. My favorite parts were sitting in an old-fashioned trolley and walking through a life-sized replication of a traditional early-1900’s home.

For a list of businesses in the Strip District, click here. To keep up to date with events in the area, click here.If you love boutique shopping

Shadyside is home to myriad non-chain boutiques and upscale shopping in a quiet neighborhood. Use Walnut Street or Ellsworth Avenue as your focal point, and from there you can branch off as you wish. Some of my favorite stores to browse included Ten Toes for shoes, Francesca’s Collections for clothing, Feathers for housewares, Gardell Designs for handmade jewelry, and S.W. Randall Toys for a fun trip down memory lane.

Click here for a list of shops in Shadyside. To learn about news and happenings in the area, click here.

For the artsy traveler

Visit the Andy Warhol Museum, one of the four Carnegie Museums in the city. While it’s $20 to get in ($10 for students), you’ll get the chance to view over 8,000 pieces and installations by the artist, who was a Pittsburgh native, as well as his film and video work.

Another unique art museum worth checking out is The Mattress Factory, which features contemporary “room sized works called installations”. The unusual art is created by in-house artists participating in the museum’s residency program.

You can also take a stroll down Ellsworth Avenue in the Shadyside area where many galleries are located, including Aspire Auctions, Gallerie Chiz, Maser Galleries, Mendelson Gallery, and Morgan Contemporary Glass Gallery.

For those who like street art, Pittsburgh is filled with beautiful graffiti works. A walk around almost any of the urban areas, like the Strip District (pictured), Downtown, or South Side, will guarantee a free look at some of the city’s most colorful and creative outdoor masterpieces.

If you’re a hipster

Head over to South Side, which is where you will find an array of clubs, bars, ethnic restaurants, eclectic coffee shops, art galleries, theatres, and funky stores. Visit The Exchange for vintage records, City Theatre for live performances, and The Zenith for vegeterian food, antiques, and an art gallery all under one roof. There’s also a really quirky coffeeshop called The Beehive Coffeehouse & Dessertery that has a hippie vibe and features speciality teas, pinball machines, delicious sandwiches, and a lively bar at night. For those who want something upscale with a large, interesting menu, Ibiza Spanish Tapas and Wine Bar is a great pick, with dim lighting, indoor and outdoor seating (in the winter they have a heated awning up), a knowledgable and friendly staff, and a huge menu of tapas as well as main courses. I would highly recommend the shrimp couscous, the pork chop topped with spinach and goat cheese, and the small plate of grilled scallops with mango sauce (pictured). For something a bit more low key, Mario’s South Side Saloon offers a fun atmosphere and delicious bar food.

If you go 1 mile east of South Side, you’ll hit Station Square, another trendy area with shopping, dining, and nightlife. For those who want to dance, Buckhead Saloon hosts live DJ’s on Fridays and Saturdays and is usually packed with a young, energetic crowd. They also serve bar food and delicious pizza by the slice for when those beer munchies hit.

For photographers and those who want to take in the view

A ride on the old-fashioned trolley at Duquesne Incline on West Carson Street makes for a unique way to see the entire city. The ride mimicks a similar route that was a coal hoist from about 1854 or earlier. For $4.50 round trip per adult, you will be taken up one of the very steep hills overlooking Pittsburgh to the top observation deck. There is a mini museum with historical facts and photographs as well as telescopes to get a close up view. The trolley runs until 12:45 AM, so it can be a good idea to go once during the day and once at night to see the city’s two different personalities.

There is also a 22-mile coastal walk called the Three Rivers Heritage Trail that allows you to experience the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers. It’s also an excellent way to view the skyline and bridges from an array of focal points.

If you’re hungry or if it’s a little too chilly to be outside, stop at Jerome Bettis’ Grille 36 and ask for a table near the window. The restaurant sits right on the water and gives great views of the skyline, hillside, Points State Park, bridges, and Heinz Field, especially at night when the city is all lit up. The venue is owned by former Pittsburgh Steeler Jerome Bette and is a trendy restaurant with the feel of a sports bar. Side note: They serve the most amazing Spinach and Artichoke dip I’ve ever had as they add prosciutto and serve it with warm pita bread triangles.

If you love sports

The Senator John Heinz History Center in the Strip District mentioned above is also home to the Sports Museum. Here you will be able to learn about big name sports in Pittsburgh like football, hockey, and baseball, as well as lesser known athletics like marbles, bridge, ballroom dancing, and competitive eating. Moreover, because Pittsburgh is home to three major league sports teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL), the Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL), and the Pittsburgh Pirates (MLB), it can be a fun experience to go to a live game. Click here for team information and schedules.

Three unexpected treats on Oahu’s North Shore

by Don George on

Last October, when my wife and I visited Oahu for a week, we spent the first few days happily exploring the attractions and activities we’d plotted before the trip: the artfully educating exhibits at the Bishop Museum; the snorkeling splendors of Hanauma Bay; the tranquil and transporting Byodo-In Temple; Chef Ed Kenney’s acclaimed organic cuisine at Town restaurant; and the then-just-opened Japengo restaurant in the Hyatt Regency Waikiki, which promised – and as it turned out, delivered – a palate-expanding fusion feast (three faves: the Tootsie maki with crab, avocado, shiitake and lobster; the scallop butter yaki; and the coconut crème brulee). I’ve already written about two other highlights from those first few days: a night of multi-course culinary magic at Alan Wong’s restaurant in Honolulu and a visit to life-changing MA’O Organic Farms in Wai’anae.

But a quarter-century of serendipity has taught us that some of the most memorable on-the-road experiences come from listening to residents after you’ve landed in a place, and on this trip again three of our finest discoveries – all on Oahu’s less-visited North Shore – came from locals’ impromptu advice. If you’re going to Oahu, here are three North Shore sites we’d recommend you add to your own must-do map.

1. Waimea Valley: This 1,875-acre valley preserve on the outskirts of Hale`iwa, near Waimea Bay, doesn’t billboard its wonderfulness. In fact, that’s one of the many things we loved about it: how humble and low-key it is, despite– or perhaps because of? – its riches.

Waimea Valley comprises one of Oahu’s last examples of the traditional land use system called ahupua’a. In this system, the islands were divided into wedge-shaped slices of land, ruled by a local chief and often overseen by a priest, that ran from the mountains to the sea and incorporated all the kinds of topography and resources residents needed to thrive. You can learn much more about the ahupua’a system here.

If you have time, Waimea Valley offers a many-layered immersion in traditional Hawaiian nature and culture, with daily activities that teach Hawaiian games, stories, hula-dancing, lei-making and other creations, special events such as the Kanikapila celebration of music, and guided hikes that range from 2 to 7 miles and take visitors through streams, into forests and up ridges for spectacular views.

Waimea is so inexhaustible that you could easily spend a few days here or make multiple visits – and amazingly, 80 percent of the valley is still virtually unexplored — but even if you have only part of an afternoon, as was our case, it’s still a thoroughly edifying and enchanting place. All we did was walk along the path that has been thoughtfully paved through the cultivated part of the preserve. The three-quarter-mile trail wanders through a luxuriant profusion of plant life: thick ferns slick and shiny as green rubber, flaming red ginger plants, sun-burst yellow hyacinth, cloud-white lilies and flamboyant festoons of purple bougainvillea. The world we wandered through was so lush and bright that it was as if the preserve had removed the filters from our eyes.

The best thing about Waimea Valley for us was this: Even though we weren’t machete-ing our way through dense underbrush, those paths seemed to lead us ever deeper into a wonderland of tropical flowers and plants, so profligate and prototypical that they became a splendid synecdoche for wildness, and ended in the Edenic sight of a deep green pool backdropped by plunging Waimea Falls. While we never had to worry if we would make it back in time for our sunset horseback ride, by the end of our afternoon visit, we felt cleansed, renewed, in a way that only wilderness can confer.

2. Giovanni’s Original White Shrimp Truck: When we told locals we were going to spend a couple of nights at Turtle Bay Resort in Kahuku, they told us we had to save one meal for Giovanni’s Original White Shrimp Truck, located a few miles away just off Kamehameha Highway.

So as soon as we checked in and got settled, we meandered down the road, past a few other trucks advertising Kahuku shrimp and other fresh-caught seafoods, until we spotted the sign “Giovanni’s Original White Shrimp Truck” and the gloriously graffiti-covered vehicle itself. We splashed into a muddy parking space and made our way to a roofed and paved pavilion area with perhaps twenty picnic tables and benches. Half a dozen people were waiting in line at the truck, where the menu was posted on the side.

We chose the classic “Shrimp Scampi” combo plate: a dozen grilled shrimp marinated in olive oil, fresh chopped garlic, and lemon butter, served with two generous scoops of rice, and the whole drizzled with lemon garlic butter and flakes of carmelized garlic.

To complement that, we bought grilled corn on the cob – “picked this morning,” said the kindly farmer behind the grill — from a stand at the opposite end of the pavilion, and fragrant slices of pineapple from a third truck bordering the pavilion area. And then we dove into the greasy, buttery, corn-kernelly, garlic-shrimpily, pineapply pool. Oh man! This is how you spell DELICIOUS! For about 20 minutes, we both journeyed to a place of silent savoring bliss. For $20 apiece, we’d found Kahuku heaven.

3. Twenty One Degrees North: At the other end of the budget spectrum, we saved one final splurge for our last-night-on-Oahu meal – and it was absolutely worth it. Ten minutes by car from Giovanni’s, we ate at Turtle Bay’s flagship Twenty One Degrees North restaurant. Presided over by exuberant executive chef Hector Morales, this was the white-tablecloth-and-china yin to Giovanni’s picnic-table-and-paper-plate yang. The welcome was warm and gracious, the setting subdued and elegant without feeling uncomfortably formal. One could be equally at home here in an aloha shirt or a sportcoat, we thought. And the setting was spectacular, with floor-to-ceiling windows that looked onto the beach, the swaying palm trees and the ever-swashing sea.

Even more spectacular was the food. Because we were celebrating one of the finest trips we’d had in years, we went all out and ordered a multi-course extravaganza. Our favorite dishes included the Diver Scallops, a single splendid scallop served with melted leeks in an Asian pear and poached fruit reduction; the Crab-Crusted Hawaiian Sea Bass nestled in a cannellini bean cassoulet, with spinach and roasted tomatoes; the Opakapaka, served with a savory pipikaula risotto and an audaciously delicious pea and mint puree; the Kahuku Shrimp, Avocado and Hearts of Palm, the shrimp grilled perfectly and accompanied with buttery local avocado and hearts of palm; and the Ahi Tartare, a palate-piquing marriage of smoothly scrumptious ahi with a piquant chili mango salsa.

Our delight in these dishes was deepened by the knowledge that we had field-tested and -tasted many of their ingredients earlier in the day on a visit to Al and Joan Santoro’s wonderful Poamoho Organic Producefarm. This convivial couple, who had retired from their careers as a naval intelligence officer and computer systems engineer to become organic farmers, embodied Oahu’s inspiring new sustainability ethic, and their joyful collaboration with Chef Morales exemplified the farm-to-table spirit that we had encountered throughout the island – and that infused the Twenty-One Degrees North menu, from the shrimp and fish caught in the sea just outside the restaurant’s windows, to the fruits and vegetables harvested from family farms just down the road. Our sense of culinary apotheosis culminated in the chef’s signature chocolate soufflé – which simply and sweetly lifted us away. Overall, we felt the cuisine at Twenty One Degrees North was every bit as enlightening, delighting and delectable as the creations at Alan Wong’s – and that is the highest compliment we could pay.

As we drove to the airport the next morning, we silently thanked the locals whose tips had bestowed these unexpected gifts of Oahu’s North Shore – and began to plot how soon we could return to discover even more.

Photos by Kuniko George

Paris postcard: Savoring the subversively seductive splendors of the Marais

by David Downie on

French star architect Jean Nouvel once gave me a ride home from his studio in Paris’ edgy 11th arrondissement. I chuckled to discover that the guru of transparency, glass and steel lives around the corner from me in a 1600s building on the Rue des Francs Bourgeois, the spinal column of the Marais. Old is better?

I was amused but not surprised: after 40 years of blanket gentrification the Marais has reportedly become theplace to live for a mix of fashion designers, artists, architects, auctioneers and other professionals–plus droves of bobos, meaning bohemian bourgeois. It’s so desirable that it’s practically unlivable.

Luckily you don’t have to move here to enjoy the Marais: wandering its patchwork of streets from the 1500s-1800s is still a magical experience.

For one thing, super-rich celebs and bobos aren’t the only ones drawn here. Trawl the gay district around Rue Vieille du Temple, the Rue des Rosiers Jewish neighborhood, or the Place des Vosges-the Marais’ centerpiece square-and you’ll discover a global festival of hip hedonism.

What’s the attraction? The Marais’ storied streets spread on the Right Bank between Beaubourg (the Pompidou Center) and the Bastille, the Seine, and the dowdy Place de la République. They’re home to enough boutiques, museums, art galleries, trendy restaurants and cafés stuffed into landmark townhouses to defeat even those born to shop (the French call such people “window-lickers”). This is a safari park for people-watchers, a study in how to preserve and gentrify a unique historic neighborhood.

The penurious few who wound up here before the Marais became trendy do what we can to appreciate the hallowed atmosphere without sounding like party-poopers. Truth be told each time I step out I discover something new and wonderful in my backyard. But I always find myself at least once a day in the Place des Vosges.Often overrun, the Place des Vosges is breathtaking no matter how many sour-sounding, faux Dixieland bands invade its symmetrical arcades, and no matter how many gawkers show up to see where Dominique Strauss-Kahn and other celebs and politicos live like pashas. One of France’s swankest Michelin-3-star restaurants is here (l’Amboisie), not that I would recommend it. So is the HQ of Issaye Miyake. The parade of human peacocks never ends.

With its 400-year-old, slate-roofed aristocratic pavilions, compact park and power-elite feel, the square has always been a microcosm, the quintessence of what makes the Marais special-love it or loathe it.

Four centuries ago Madame de Sévigné-the queen of French epistolary literature and high-society gossip-was born here, then moved nearby to the sumptuous Hôtel Carnavalet (now Paris’ historical museum). The Duc-Maréchal de Richelieu, with a pavilion at number 24, seduced a catalogue of lovers that reportedly included every noble lady then resident on the square. Does similar debauchery continue today? Such is the gossip.

It must have been exciting to be here during the first great French Revolution of 1789, when the debauched aristocrats were expropriated and exiled or lost their heads-literally. Afterwards, in came wild men like Charles Baudelaire (The Flowers of Evil). They hung out in the Marais’ dicey dives and lived in the square’s rundown flats-and turned literature and poetry upside down.

The reluctant revolutionary Victor Hugo rented a corner pavilion: his apartment is now a house-museum, one of my favorite places in Paris. From his perch he witnessed the Revolution of 1830 and penned subversive books, trying (but failing) to stop the tyrant Louis Napoleon Bonaparte-better known as Napoleon III-from taking over.
Even when the Marais bottomed after World War Two, the gloomy arcades and crumbling courtyards of this sublime square were subversively inspirational, providing the backdrop for Georges Simenon’s crime novel, L’Ombre Chinoise-also a cult movie.

So now it’s the star architects, plutocratic politicians, bankers, movie stars and moguls who grace the Place des Vosges, while the other 99.99 percent of us watch the show. That’s okay. Nothing beats sitting on a bench in the center of the square and gazing gratis at the parade or sipping a coffee-still affordable-at a plebian café. This will be the ideal spot from which to watch the next French revolution unfold. I can’t wait.

Author and guide David Downie’s latest book is the critically acclaimed “Paris, Paris: Journey into the City of Light.” His websites are www.davidddownie.com, www.parisparistours.com, http://wanderingfrance.com/blog/parisand http://wanderingliguria.com, dedicated to the Italian Riviera.