Five travel suggestions for Julian Assange of Wikileaks

by Tom Johansmeyer on

If you were just let out of solitary confinement after having wandered the globe, where would you go? Now, let’s make it complicated: what if you were one of the most controversial figures on the planet?

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is now out on bail, and for now, he’s staying in the United Kingdom. But, there’s some doubt on how long he’ll be there, since the charges on which he’s being held may not be crimes there (though they are in Sweden, which is the country that wants him).

Well, he’s been granted bail, which means he’s out of solitary confinement but that his ability to travel is still constrained. If he winds up free of the charges against him in Sweden, Assange will probably want to hit the road for a bit and enjoy his newfound mobility … and Gadling is ready with some options.

Here are five travel alternatives for Julian Assange if he beats the rap (please forward this to Assange if you know him):


1. Washington, D.C.: given that he gets a lot of material from our nation’s capital, he could double it up as a work/pleasure trip. Nothing beats multitasking!

2. Reykjavik: Iceland has its own problems; I strongly suspect they don’t give a damn about any emotional or historical baggage that Assange will stuff into an IcelandAir overhead compartment.

3. Pyongyang: The U.S. State Department isn’t particularly active there, which means Assange will be able to vacation in relative peace. Even better, he could go to the Majong Bathing Resort and relax on the beach for a bit.

4. Back in time: since Assange’s lawyer claimed he was being “held in Orwellian conditions,” maybe he should revisit 1984 to see just how accurate the claim is.

5. Stockholm: nothing is as satisfying as delivering a big ol’ F*** YOU in person to the people who wanted to detain you.

Assange can’t really go anywhere until his next court appearance, which is on January 11, 2011. So, he’ll be in the London area for a while especially with curfews and a daily 6 PM check-in at the police station (I wonder if there’s a badge for that on FourSquare …).

If you know Assange, please send him this link with a few ideas on how he can spend his time.

[Via Business Insider, photo by Mataparda via Flickr]

Budget Travel Tips for Europe

by Alex Robertson Textor on

Practical, how-to budget travel advice is indispensible. There’s something particularly valuable about travel advice that opposes the emphasis on expensive hotels and other forms of high-end consumption that characterizes the contemporary travel media, perhaps especially in regions like Europe where costs are generally quite high.

Budget-friendly travel in Europe is no impossible dream, and the following sites are good for inspiring shoestring feats, assessing likely costs, and, above all else, disproving the idea that you have to spend hundreds of dollars a day to see Europe well. For some ideas about where to travel affordably in Europe, check out last week’s ten budget-friendly European destinations post.

1. Less Than a Shoestring. Though no longer publishing on a regular basis, the archives of this blog are astoundingly helpful in their low-budget audacity. Particularly useful for anyone scared off at the thought of Europe’s cost index are the blog’s “Baring my Budget” posts, which run through budgets for various short trips in great detail: three nights in Malta for €50 (currently $66); five days in London for £85 (currently $133); four nights in Venice for €91 (currently $120), all departing from Berlin. Costs breakdowns are provided in these “Baring my Budget” posts, as are the freebies encountered along the way. The mention of freebies is particularly helpful, as it reveals how often tourist information, maps, museum admission, and various cultural performances can be accessed free of charge. Though this series ran over two years ago, it is still very relevant.

2. EuroCheapo. Disclosure: I worked as an editor at EuroCheapo for almost three years and continue to do occasional freelance projects for the site. Phew. Glad I got that out of the way. Personal loyalty aside, EuroCheapo really is an enormously helpful resource. It is first and foremost as a hotel review site with useful descriptions of hotels written by trained hotel reviewers. EuroCheapo also edits a great blog full of essential budget-oriented tips penned by correspondents on the ground.

3. Guardian’s budget travel section. To be fair, the Guardian’s budget travel section is good for destinations around the world, though the density of articles on the UK, France, Italy, Spain, and other European countries is impressive. Recent articles that showcase well the newspaper’s creatively open approach to the subject of budget travel include Susan Greenwood’s budget Stockholm journey story, indebted to insider tips provided by a local blogger; a piece on backpacking in the Crimea by Maxton Walker; and Benji Lanyado’s TwiTrips series, for which the author receives tips via Twitter about the city he’s visiting and then liveblogs his discoveries. The most recent TwiTrip series installment sees Lanyado visiting Liverpool.4. Flycheapo. This site felt buzzing and electrified back when Europe’s low-cost airlines were announcing new routes weekly. With all the route cut-backs and cancellations of the last few years, the site sees far fewer regular updates. Nonetheless, Flycheapo is still an essential place to look for route information for inexpensive flights around Europe. The site provides new route news snippets, a route index, an airline index, and a route search, all of which are helpful for figuring out potential itineraries for low-cost air journeys across Europe.

5. Deutsche Bahn. Indispensible for figuring out train itineraries, Bahn.de features Europe-wide train schedules in enthralling detail. Bahn.de is also a much cheaper place for purchasing advance train fares than US-based agents. A very helpful run-down of how much cheaper these fares can be as well as information on how to access Deutsche Bahn sales personnel in English can be found in two posts by the editors of hidden europe magazine, here and here.

(Image: Flickr / vxla)

Top ten hostels in Europe

by Alex Robertson Textor on

Staying in a hostel in Europe is a rite of passage for budget-conscious travelers making their way around the continent. This is particularly the case for budget-conscious younger travelers. Here are ten hostels across Europe that either receive particularly high user-review grades or are notorious enough in one or another way to be noteworthy.

St. Christopher’s at the Winston, Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Winston presents itself as “an interactive museum of modern art.” However it refers to itself, it is without question one of the most dynamic budget hotels in Europe, with a few hostel-style dormitory rooms on offer. It’s got a restaurant on the premises and a nearby nightclub, and is aesthetically far more exciting that your average hostel.

Långholmen, Stockholm, Sweden. Ever wanted to spend the night in a prison? OK, a former prison? Långholmen is a rehabbed prison located just a stone’s throw from Stockholm’s supercool Södermalm nabe. Fantastic, and not as austere as you might expect.

Good Bye Lenin, Krakow, Poland. Tucked away in a corner of Krakow’s history-rich Kazimierz neighborhood, Good Bye Lenin replays the aesthetics of Polish socialism in a cheery, friendly space. Very atmospheric and fun.

Balmers, Interlaken, Switzerland. In operation for over a century now, family-run Balmers is Switzerland’s oldest hostel. Balmers offers dormitory rooms, private rooms, and tent accommodations. And lots of fresh air, obviously.

Meininger, London, United Kingdom. The Meininger chain of hostels can be found mostly in big cities across Germany and Austria. The London outpost, though not particularly British in spirit, is a welcome, well-scrubbed addition to London’s dreary hostel scene.Oops! Hostel, Paris, France. Far more stylish than your average hostel, Oops! injects a blast of fun energy in Paris’ Latin Quarter. Hotel interiors wizard Philippe Maidenberg is responsible for Oops!’s fresh interior design.

Hostel Archi Rossi, Florence, Italy. One of the best loved hostels in Florence, Hostel Archi Rossi offers free wi-fi, free breakfast, and complimentary walking tours of Florence. Archi Rossi is very close to the Santa Maria Novella train station, too.

Kadir’s Tree Houses, Olympos, Turkey. Near Antalya on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, Kadir’s Tree Houses is a sprawling complex of bungalows, cabins, dormitory rooms, and campground. Kadir’s provides a great range of services (laundry and a travel agency, to name but two) and also includes both breakfast and dinner in its nightly rate.

The Pink Palace, Corfu, Greece. One of Europe’s most notorious party hostels, the Pink Palace is a garish temple of hedonism, just possibly the best place in the world to play spin the bottle in five languages. Woohoo!

Hotel 4 Youth, Berlin, Germany. There are two Hotels 4 Youth in Berlin. The branch on Schönhauser Allee gets especially high marks. 133 beds, conical pillows, and a few nice extras (seminar rooms, a pool room) make this a top Berlin hostel. Location in hip, bohemian Prenzlauer Berg is also a big plus.

(Image: foilman / Flickr)

Budget Stockholm: How to afford a summertime trip to Sweden

by Grant Martin on

Stockholm has an expensive reputation — those who return from a visit to this swanky Swedish capital rave about its slick design, luxurious cuisine and modern amenities. As a result, would-be travelers automatically expect it will be more expensive than other European destinations. It isn’t.

Though subtle, the capital of Sweden has a thriving and widespread budget culture – you just have to look in the right places to find it.

First off, it goes without saying that general budget travel tips hold true to this city. For example, if you want to save money it’s probably not the best idea to stay in the luxurious Grand Hotel or eat at five star restaurants every night. It also helps to pack a lunch, take the extensive public transportation and avoid tourist traps. That said, a few local tips apply well to the city, and Gadling’s ebullient and knowledgeable staff have compiled some below.

Dining

Swedes take their food very seriously, and it’s quite easy to spend one’s entire daily food budget on a simple, fresh cooked meal. Eating on a shoestring here can thus be a bit of a challenge, but there are plenty of ways to stay frugal.

Food markets are a great way to find great, fresh food at reasonable prices. Perhaps the most popular (and certainly the most hyped), Östermalms Saluhall (Östermalmstorg, 114 42) is one part tourist attraction and one part high-end food market. Among the myriad vendors, there are several tables available for taking a seat and enjoying a freshly prepared lunch, great places to sit, munch on some fresh herring and watch the commerce pass you by.

As an alternative to Saluhall, the more modest and less expensive Hötorgshallen (Hötorgshallen, 11157) is also in the center of Östermalm right next to the Hötorget metro stop. During the daytime, one can also find fresh, farmer’s market fare and the occasional flea market in the cobblestone, airy Hötorget Square.

For inexpensive restaurants, it’s best to take a few steps away from the popular downtown areas and seek out some outstanding, neighborhood digs. Though it’s still close to the city, SoFo (short for South of Folkungagatan) is a great place to explore and find a new favorite haunt. Moving west on Skanegatan street you wont get more than three blocks before you find a fantastic new restaurant, but if you want our pick, try the Urban Deli (Nytorget 4).

Recommended by several guides including TimeOut, Cliff Barnes (Norrtullsgatan 45) serves decent Swedish fare to a younger, more raucous crowd. If you stay past 11 be prepared to dance, past 11:30, prepared to dance on the tables.

On the deepest budget end of the spectrum, street food is always a possibility in Stockholm, and those open to the idea of fried onions will be pleasantly surprised by the hot dog culture here. Just north of the Medborgarhuset Metrostop on Götgatan (incidentally a huge bar area) there are plenty of options available.

Finally, if you’re interested in a bit of vegetarian fare, our good friend and Stockholm resident Doug Lansky suggests Hermans (Fjällgatan 23B) for a wide spread of delicious, all-you-can-eat, contemporary Swedish cooking.

Accommodations

Like in any destination, when demand is high (during the summer, ie) hotel prices are similarly high. Where this doesn’t regularly apply is in the private market. None of VRBO’s three (only three?!) properties host seasonal rates, and some creative Google searching will surely locate another sheaf of possible rental properties.

If hotels are your thing, however, fret not. Eurocheapo lists a variety of inexpensive hotel options scattered around the city, and a cross-reference of lowest-priced Kayak hotels against the Tripadvisor database should yield a few options inside of the city limits. Additionally, Frommer’s hosts the entirety of their hotel database online where you can reverse sort by price.

Note that while summer rates will still be high, you may be able to find a few deals during the Midsommar festival near the end of June, when many locals are out of town and when hotel loads are similarly light. Be advised, however, that you may have to deal with creative holiday schedules.

As an alternative to traditional hotel lodging, Stockholm also has a wide range of unique hostels from The Red Boat Mälaren (it’s a boat!), on Lake Mälaren to the Jumbo Hostel (it’s an airplane!) outside of Arlanda Airport.

Tourist Attractions

It might be cliché, but one of the best inexpensive tourist attractions in Stockholm is people watching. From the moment you set foot in the Stockholm airport you’ll probably notice that everyone is gorgeous, and many an hour have Gadling staff spent sitting at Muggen Cafe (Götgatan 24) in Södermalm celebrating various passers-by.

Digressions aside, the best way to tackle most of the city’s sites on a budget is with a tourist pass. Providing free access to scores of museums and attractions, The Stockholm Card is one of your best bets for universal tourist access. Prices range from $50 to $90 and if you plan on going to more than a couple of museums the cost is totally worth it. You can acquire the card prior to departure online or downstairs at the airport once you arrive.

If approaching the museum scene piecewise, make sure to keep the Vasa Museum (Djurgårdsvägen 36) near the top of your list. Centered around a painstakingly restored 17th century ship (in its entirety), the Vasa is one of the most unique attractions in the world, is multilingual and offers free admission to anyone 18 or younger. Admission for adults is $15 or free with the above Stockholm Card, and a visit here can easily last half of a day.

Another excellent and inexpensive museum is the recently opened Fotografiska (Stadsgårdshamnen 22), which currently features an outstanding Annie Leibovitz exhibit and a slightly creepier fetal photography series. Admission runs around $14.

Outside of the tourist scene, one great way to explore the region and enjoy the natural beauty of Stockholm is via the ferry system. Since everyday Swedes rely on this network to commute between downtown and the hundreds of archipelago islands, prices are relatively low and the variety of destinations quite high. Vaxholm, for example, is a bucolic, beautiful island town only an hour away from downtown Sweden and can provide a full day of exploration and socializing.

Ferries can be picked up across the city. A major hub from which tourists can get further directions is right in front of the Grand Hotel in Östermalm.

Finally, keep your surroundings in mind when planning out your frugal trip into Stockholm. Though budget options are available, the city is built upon a foundation of high quality, well-done goods and services. It’s thus best to leave a bit of wiggle room in your overall budget, even if you’re the best penny pincher in the county. Rest assured, that on a budget or a binge Stockholm will always please.

Cheap transfers from Stockholm’s Arlanda airport to the city center – For now

by Ralph Grizzle on

Arlanda Express offers the fastest and easiest transport from Stockholm’s international airport (Arlanda) to the city center, but it hasn’t always been an inexpensive way to go – until now.

Through August 29, the fast train will take you and your traveling companion between the airport and city center for SEK280 (about US$20 each). The normal price is SEK240 each (or a little more than US$30 each).

Don’t have a traveling companion? Buddy up with at the airport or at the central train station. In fact, at the train station there is “meeting point” (pictured) for those traveling alone and looking for a companion to qualify for the two-for-280 offer.

Arlanda Express whisks you between the airport and city center in 20 minutes, with trains departing every 15 minutes during peak periods.

Want an even cheaper alternative? The Flygbussarna (airport bus) costs only SEK 110 per person (about US$15 – or purchase on the internet for SEK99 per person), but takes twice as long to get to the city center.

Taxis take about the same amount of time but cost four times as much as the bus. While airport-to-city taxi fees are fixed at SEK495 (about $70), it’s still a good idea to look for companies with trustworthy meters, such as Taxi Stockholm. As Doug Lansky reported in The Great Swedish Taxi Rip-off, Stockholm’s taxi drivers can’t always be trusted.