Meet locals (and save money) hiking through Europe – International travel tip

by Gadling Staff on

Most travelers are keen to mingle with locals while taking in the sights. Do both and save money by hiking along the fjords and fjells of Scandinavia and/or the soaring majesty of the Alps.

Don’t like the idea of lugging your gear over the mountains? No worries. Join one of the following hiking clubs that maintain hut-to-hut hiking trails and get discounts on accommodations. This lets you can pack light and spend each night in the company of local hiking enthusiasts:

Happy trails!

[Photo: Flickr | Geir Halvorsen]

Wanderfly.com travel-planning site launches in beta

by Meg Nesterov on


A new travel-planning website and booking engine is launching this month in beta, and I was excited to give it a test run, having first heard about the site this spring at a EuroCheapo travel happy hour. Wanderfly.com is a “personalized recommendation engine” that takes your interests, budget, and even social network connections to give you inspiration and help you plan your next vacation. Flights and hotels are pulled from Expedia, with restaurant recommendations, activities, and sightseeing descriptions culled from Lonely Planet, FourSquare, NileGuide, and Yelp.

Let’s say you have a week to travel in early September for Labor Day. Budget is under $1,000 per person for flights and hotels, and you’re interested in culture, beaches, and food. Plug all those into the search engine and you’ll get a series of destinations to review, refine, share, and book. While the site still has a few bugs (budget busters would sneak through the filters, the help feature is not fully enabled), the interface is slick and user-friendly, the features are thoughtful, and the content is reliable.

What’s cool about the site:

  • Since I’m currently based in Turkey, I loved that your point of origin could be pretty much anywhere in the world so I could run searches from New York and Istanbul to get a wide variety of places convenient for different parts of the world.
  • A wide (1,200 and growing) network of destinations gave me some ideas I’d never considered or even heard of (Kalingrad, Russia; Azemmour, Morocco; Krabi, Thailand), as well as some more tried-and-true vacation spots(Sunny Isles Beach, Florida; Mykonos, Greece; Split, Croatia).
  • Weather and news tabs give you an idea of the current climate (could be too hot on that Egyptian beach) and happenings, though you might come up with nothing for more obscure destinations. I also love that many of the news feeds are through Twitter accounts like @visitbritain, giving up-to-the-minute quickie items.

What will be cool about the site:

  • Ability to share trip ideas and plans with friends via email or Facebook is great for planning a trip with multiple people or getting feedback on a destination. Currently, Facebook Connect will tell you who you know in a given place, but I’d probably remember if I had a friend in Lutsk, Ukraine.
  • Festivals and special events come up via Eventful, but on the beta site event dates will pop up well after your search range so don’t plan around that blues festival just yet. There are also plans to add destination reviews, currency converters, and travel tips.
  • After all the searching, sorting, and sharing, you can actually book through the site, though only if you have a US credit card. The booking interface is also easy to use and gives options for frequent flier numbers, seat and meal preferences, and room types.

All in all, Wanderfly is a nifty new tool for dreaming and planning your next trip. If they could find a way to integrate time-sensitive deals, local blogs, and multiple-destination trips, this could be the only travel site you need.

Tahiti greens up its tourism

by Laurel Miller on

Tahiti ain’t cheap. And, at least in the past several decades, it’s also had a reputation for crappy food, cheesy resorts, a seriously sketchy scene in Papeete, and a general lack of sustainable tourism. But that’s all changing.

CNN reports that small-scale, eco-oriented tourism is thriving in Tahiti, especially in the mountainous interior, and on the peninsula of Tahiti Iti. An influx of B & B’s, guesthouses and bungalows have cropped up, making a visit to the island paradise more affordable to budget travelers (after you cough up the plane ticket, but Air Tahiti Nui offers promotional prices and family discounts). The less-populous inland has loads of hiking trails, waterfalls, and remote beaches accessible only by foot, and outfitters such as Tahiti Evasion offer guided hikes for non-DIY’ers. On the luxury end, some properties, like Bora Bora’s InterContinental Resort, are reducing their carbon footprint by using high-tech cooling systems that use pumped-in, deep-sea water, instead of A/C units.

Additionally, great public transit and a thriving local food scene make it easier for culturally-inclined travelers to get a true taste of Tahiti. Roulottes, small food trucks found along Papeete’s waterfront, offers local ingredients and traditional dishes, while the central market, Marche Papeete, sells all manner of locally-grown produce. On rural Moorea, check out family farms, and slip into the relaxed, local way of life.

[Via Mother Nature Network]

[Photo credit: Flickr user D.[SansPretentionAucune]]

Recession kills Chapel Hill Museum, threatens others

by Sean McLachlan on

The municipal museum in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is the latest victim of the recession. It closed its doors on Sunday after 14 years in operation. The town council had only earmarked $20,000 for the museum in the 2011 budget, far short of the $49,000 it needed to stay open.

The Chapel Hill Museum explored the history and culture of this prosperous university town with displays on early settlers, desegregation, works from local artists, and a popular fire engine from 1914. More than 15,000 people visited the museum every year and it was a regular destination for school groups.

With budgets getting cut across the country, the Chapel Hill Museum may be the canary in the coal mine for cultural organizations. The Battleship New Jersey was recently saved from a budget cut, but a nearby children’s garden had to reduce its hours after getting less funding than it needed. Numerous parks and historic sites in New York also face closure.


Photo courtesy Siera Heavner via Wikimedia Commons.

Ten tips for visiting California on a budget

by Gadling Staff on

California is one of America’s most beautiful and popular states for tourism. From wintry ski resorts to dry desert landscapes you can have it all – but all that choice also means California can get expensive quick. Between airfare, big cities like San Francisco and admission to theme parks, a California traveler can spoil a budget in no time. Here are some money-saving tips to keep your California vacation budget in check.

Buy a National Parks pass

California is home to some of the most beautiful National Parks in the country, but each of these parks have admission fees. If you pick up a National Park pass, you can travel to and from any of these parks as many times as you like in a year, all while saving a few bucks in the process. Check out the national parks page for California and schedule your vacation around one of the United States’ most beautiful outdoor areas. Once you’ve purchased your pass, the possibilities are endless. Everything from hiking, boating, exploring and picnics is within reach, all for cheap.

Check out areas around the state’s big cities
It can be very expensive to stay in some of the major cities in California. Consider San Francisco, where the average hotel can set you back $200 or more. Check out nearby cities where you’ll easily find accommodations while still using the city’s public transit. San Francisco has one of the countries best public transit systems, so chances are you won’t even need a car. Great cities not far from San Francisco include Berkeley, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto and San Jose. There are great things to do in these cities as well, and they offer a convenient and cheaper alternative to a money-gouging big city hotel.

Discover California’s less touristy beach locations
California is well-known for beautiful beaches and coastline, but don’t forget to look for the beaches and parts of the coast that don’t see as much tourist activity. Spots like Pismo Beach offer beautiful sand with perfect scenery without the high prices. Located between Los Angeles and San Francisco, this beach town offers fantastic, affordable accommodations, great restaurants and plenty activities for the family. It also is a beautiful honeymoon spot or romantic getaway. From Pismo Beach, if you have a car you can travel to some of the nearby cities for a day trip. San Luis Obispo is a short trip from Pismo Beach, as well as the famous Hearst Castle.

Head to the desert during “shoulder season”
The desert starts heating up in March and April, but is still completely comfortable, beautiful…and affordable. The prices are driven down after February as the “sun birds” begin to skip town. For some great desert travel on the cheap, check out beautiful, sunny Palm Springs. Palm Springs is a short 2-hour drive from Los Angeles and you’ll find great deals there in the spring months.

While in Palm Springs there’s plenty to do, including hiking, golfing, shopping, and plenty of great eating. If you are lucky enough to be in Palm Springs on a Thursday night, you can go to the famous Palm Springs Village Fest, which offers plenty of entertainment, shopping and eating. You can do self-tours for free in Palm Springs of all of the famous 50’s retro modern architecture as well as the famous celebrity houses, like Bob Hope’s house and Frank Sinatra’s house. Also, not far from Palm Springs is the unique and gorgeous Joshua Tree National Park. Take a day trip out to the park and check out the famous Joshua Trees, where the band U2 got their inspiration for the album “Joshua Tree”.

Go to a ski town in the off-season
If you are not big into snow and skiing, finding a ski town in the off-season is the perfect way to spend a vacation, and get some great deals at the same time. Big Bear Lake happens to be one of the most beautiful places in California. And in the off-season, you can spend a fraction of the price on beautiful lodging. There is plenty to do when the snow isn’t falling: hiking, boating, swimming are plentiful and perfect in the spring and summer months. For a relaxing and affordable vacation, Big Bear Lake is a great money-saving choice.

Visit San Diego
Home to some of the country’s most beautiful beaches, San Diego is your one-stop California vacation place for sun, ocean, theme parks, shopping, and nightlife for less. First stop are the beaches at La Jolla and Coronado Beach, both rated as top beaches in the United States. Not satisfied with just the beach? Check out Mission Beach, boasting two miles of boardwalk along the beautiful coast. Then head down to the famous Belmont Park where you can ride the oldest roller coaster in California, catch a ride on the wooden carousel and play glow in the dark mini-golf all while watching surfers for free at the famous Wave House. Head to downtown San Diego for a walk around Little Italy, a walk through the modern Gaslamp Quarter. And be sure to check out San Diego’s Old Towne. This park is completely free, and free to park featuring great shops, entertainment.

Visit California’s top-notch farmers’ markets for inexpensive meals
California is already famous for its bountiful harvests of fruits and vegetables. Why not take advantage of all that deliciousness and save some money while you’re at it? All throughout California you’ll find some of the country’s best farmers’ markets. Chances are whatever city you decide to visit you can find a farmers market on almost any day of the week. These markets offer fresh fruits and vegetables, and most offer inexpensive food stands with delicious local treats.

Find a vacation rental
You can save a lot of money on a California vacation by renting a vacation home rather than staying in a hotel. Check out AOL’s travel page of vacation rental listings, or head to one of the many web-based rental sites like VRBO. Staying in a vacation rental is great for everyone from families to individuals and couples. You can save a lot by not eating out, and most are below what hotels charge, and offer every thing you need for your vacation.

Enjoy a free/cheap California festival
There are numerous festivals around California throughout the year. Most are free to get into, or have a very low admission. How about the Patterson, California’s famous Apricot Fiesta? Or maybe Big Hat Day in Old Towne Clovis, CA . There are festivals each month of the year, and offer a unique view of each city and daily life. There are tons of deals to be had, and a lot of free activities. For more information check out the California Fairs and Festivals page.

Theme parks
California is home to some of the best (and most expensive) theme parks in the country. Disneyland, Sea World, Legoland, Knots Berry Farms are some of the best, though a visit can add up quick. Save some money by staying outside the parks. Cities like Anaheim, CA have plenty of accommodations and will save you a few dollars over staying in the park itself.