Top 10 Travellers' Tips
Beginner Travel Tips and Travelling Cheap with St Christopher's
This month we've taken two of the strongest contenders in the St Christopher's E-zine and mixed them together like flour and water.
The combination of the Top Ten and the Travellers' Tips has resulted in a rather tasty little number that incorporates the top new gadgets and gizmos on the road, the best budget busting money saving tips, how to keep yourself safe in the places you don't know and the latest must try cocktails.
1. Most mobile phones and MP3 players can now pass between countries and computers without a hitch. But what happens when you travel to the other side of the world and discover that there's no way to charge these bad boys? Well I'm glad you asked because I happen to have the answer. The FreeLoader Solar Charger does exactly what it says on the tin – It allows you to charge your Ipods, mobile phones, PSPs and various other technical wonders even when you're in the middle of a mountain range with no plug sockets in sight. This clever little contraption soaks up the sun's all powerful rays and uses them to breathe new life into gadgets and gizmos. Genius! It's yours from www.firebox.com for £29.95.
2. If you fancy setting the cat amongst your complacent, alcoholic pigeon friends then you should definitely demonstrate your knowledge of percentages with this month's hottest drink. The Absolut Vanilla Avalanche is a taste bud teasing love affair that will leave your fellow drinkers gasping for more. All you have to do to create this sinful temptation is follow these simple instructions. Mix two parts of Absolut Vanilla with 1 part Amaretto. Add 1 part Milk to this and then blend it with some ice. Complete the mix with a vanilla pod and a sprinkling of almond flakes and you are ready to sit down, tune the world out and focus on the good stuff.
3. If you're in London in July, have strong views about the British monarchy and like to mix everything up with a few laughs then this tip is perfect for you. On July 8 comedian
Dom Joly is hosting a brand new show for BBC Radio Five Live and the debate promises to revolve around whether the UK should ditch the monarchy. Comedians, experts and the studio audience will be taking the floor and politicians have been banned from taking part, which means a refreshing show of straight forward comments and answers. You can get involved for free by registering for tickets at www.bbc.co.uk/tickets. Tell the comedians just what you think about their arguments, south of the river in Balham and do it without paying a penny!
4. This tip was sent in by fellow backpacker and loyal subscriber Florencia. Her recommendation saves you guys some serious cash when you fly into London, through Luton airport. When you shop around for a transfer into the city the best thing to do is book an online ticket through easybus. A ticket to Baker Street station can cost you as little as £2, which is a phenomenal saving when you bear in mind that a single rail transfer will set you back £11. Check out the easybus website for all the details.
5. If you're an economic little bunny then St Christopher's appreciate that you eyes will be comparing the room prices at hostels across Europe. We want to make sure you get the best deal and stay safe so here are the cheapest rooms, available at St Christopher's during the month of July. Drum roll please. The top money saving, entertaining, fun enforcing, hot hostels in July are The Inn, the Oasis at the Orient Espresso, Edinburgh, Bath, Brighton and Bruges. An 8 bed dorm at The Inn will cost you £9.50 for a night and at the female only Oasis it's £14. A 10 bed dorm in Edinburgh is down by £2 at £9.50, a 12 bed dorm in Bath is also £9.50 and a ten bed dorm room in Brighton is £18. The team in Bruges are also giving you a great deal with 8 bed dorms going for €17 at the weekend!Get in there now though because the rooms always sell out fast.
6. Don't underestimate the power of the street busker. You have to get a license to perform in London's Covent Garden but this isn't true in many other locations. A lot of buskers are being pimped out by the local criminal underground. This means they will draw you in with something pretty and then, when you're a distracted automaton in a sea of equally clueless travellers, the pick pockets will move in and subtly confiscate your worldly possessions. Buskers can be very cool people and many of them posssess skills us mere mortals never will. However sometimes it's best to take the jaded English stance that nothing good comes for free. Paying for stimulation has a stigma attached to it but not in this case.
7. Make sure you pick up the July / August edition of Packed Magazine. This fantastic publication is “packed” (ahem) with everything that's fun to do in, around and beyond the St Christopher's cities. The crew behind the magazine are backpackers just like your fine selves and sometimes, they let a fish out of Yorkshire have a go at an article. Check out Savage Trips in the latest issue for my take on Edinburgh and the finer points of etiquette when your jeans are ripped to shreds by a violent and unprovoked radiator. You can pick up free copies from The Village on Borough High Street and soon, from our new Hostel in Hammersmith.
8. If you, your back pack and your other assorted bags are travelling through a busy city street, keep a fair distance from the curb. It's not a regular occurrence but sometimes a crafty criminal on a bike, moped or motor bike will slow down, grab what they can and speed off, leaving you on the floor in a dazed, confused and angry state. You can stop snatching of all varieties by keeping everything in one big bag and strapping this firmly to your body with those clever snap clips. That way if the Speedy Gonzales of the criminal world gets a grip, you will go with them and be in a position to exact some Lara Croft, Tomb Raider revenge on their sorry behinds.
9. If you're strapped for cash and feeling lucky, then try your hand at the competitions we run every month. By taking part in Write For A Night, Snap For A Nap and The Hot Hostel competitions, you can win two free nights of accommodation for you and a friend, at the St Christopher's Inns. There are some great runner up prizes too, including T-Shirts, Rough Guides and most practical of all, Bottle Openers! Do you feel lucky punk? Well do you?
10. This one goes out to all the backpackers who love Gospel music. You can see the best talent London has to offer by grooving your booty down to Shoreditch Park on the 7th and 8th of July. The London Gospel Music Festival will involve an assortment of fun that includes live performances from the best contemporary and traditional UK acts, a goody bag, a street art (graffiti) competition, a stepping workshop and the greatest freebie of all - Smoke detectors from the London fire brigade. The nearest tube for this is Old Street on the Northern Line of the London Underground. You can find this stop in the North East corner of Zone 1, on the tube map.
