Island Hopping in the Philippines
I’m no longer offering this service as I am on the prowl for a paradise beach island in the Philippines onto which will build an eco-resort, but there’s lots of tips and tails here and Europe is an excellent tourist destination.
Latest Trip: Bulgarian mountains to Prague (previous trips)
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travel with a cool guy, with great roadtrip music
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go off-road and discover the real and authentic Europe
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I’m a great cook, so save on food costs as well
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sleep in the caravan, one of three tents, or I’ll help you find accommodation
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internet available, portable volleyball net and all sorts of other games. Lots of solar power if you bring laptop.
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jam around the campfire with many musical instruments
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from only 10 Euro a day!! Contact me now for more details!
Or you can read my tips below how to travel cheaply through Europe by yourself or as your own group.
Driving through the Cyprus mountains during the winter. On the coast it was t-shirt weather.
Well, I guess I’d be a somewhat unorthodox travel agency, but for those who are interested in adventure and not just the five star hotel and standard package, I could offer you some interesting spice for your travels.
On my pages you will find my experiences while I travel through Europe, which I do on a full time basis, since I moved myself and my business into a caravan truck so that I could travel and discover the world. But while traveling I can stumble on and make friends with hidden and romantic little pensions which you would not find through your standard travel agent. Or I could recommend to you some secluded beach or hidden ruins not brought to your attention by the standard travel agent because these usually only sell you packages from which they make a profit. If you want to get off the trodden tourist trail and away from the bustling crowds and really discover a country, you want first-hand advice from a local, like me. Even though I’m a ‘local’ in many places.
On the Euro Trip page you will see maps of where I have been so far. While traveling, if I find a nice quaint pension which attracts my attention, I will collect their business card and can book a room for you. In time I plan to take pictures of hotels/pensions with their rooms and put them on individual country pages. I’ll choose only places where the staff seem nice and where I get a good feeling.
Cook up a storm by the seaside anytime you want, and sleep under the stars like we did here.
And if you’d like to go a step further, I’d love to host you in my caravan truck. Much less expensive and more interesting than to jump from hotel to pension, always clambering with your stuff and waiting at a bus stop. Heck, you can blaze new trails with me, which I love to do.
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here is room in the truck, or I have three tents with me, or you can stay in any hotel or pension along the way which suits your fancy. Consider me like your private chauffeur, with pleasant music, bouncing in the blue bus along back roads through nature in the countryside and enjoy the view through the broad screen front window of the Mercedes truck. This is the REAL way to discover a country. I have all the comforts of home, so if you want to buy fish from a local farmer and fire it up on the grill by the ocean, no problem. Pull out the lawn chair or just sprawl out in the sun on a blanket. Heck, if there is a group of you I can even set up the volleyball net. Or play frisbee or water sports with any of the toys I carry with me. Or start a fire and we can jam by the shore with the host of musical instruments in my arsenal. Much more interesting than hopping from tourist trap to tourist trap, snapping pictures of one monument or another. The real and genuine people are in the rural countryside. Cities are certainly not a problem either. Usually one has a limited time or budget for their travels, so why spend so much of it at bus stops, receptionists, or just lounging on the beach in front of one hotel when you can blaze new ground and discover the amazing wonders of a country?
Stay in the luxury of the royal palace wooden cottage on wheels with the sea in the background, or I’ll drop you off at the hotel or pension of your choice and continue our travels the next day.
If you need internet while traveling for any reason, I am always hooked up for my business so that is not a problem. Or if you need electricity to charge your mobile or fire up your laptop, I got solar panels on my roof and I’m totally self sufficient with my caravan electrical connections. I do this on a full time basis and have become a professional at instantly setting myself up at every new location I arrive at. Sure, you’d be roughing it relative to a five star hotel, but what adventure will you find there except the standard package and more fancy restaurants which wont be much different from the fancy restaurants in your home town. If you want luxury it is no problem to find accommodation along the way. But to blaze new trails or follow my old ones through mother earth’s beautiful nature, stopping occasionally to dabble in local life—this is truly an enjoyable way to travel! And more so with a creative madman like me who wins over the hearts of all locals he meets.
Who with his five and increasing number of languages (English, German, French and Spanish covers a broad enough area, while Czech is similar enough to Polish, Croatian and Russian etc., and now with Turkish which is understood in a broad area including Azerbaijan and Georgia etc.) and creative waving of arms and facial expressions is capable of arranging anything anywhere—as long as one has the correct and friendly attitude. It is this random element which makes traveling so much more fun and adventurous. Like when you befriend a local who will take you into his home and reveal treasures of his country which no official tourist agency will ever divulge to you. Not just to follow the massive tourist crowd and be shuttled from one tourist attraction to another. Do you ever visit the tourist attractions in your home town? Sure, while traveling it is nice to have a couple of pictures of yourself standing in front of a pyramid, but beyond that, there are much more interesting and pleasant places to spend your time.
Whether you travel with me or just want some honest and friendly advice where or where not to go, give me a hoot and we’ll work something out!
Here are some travel testimonials from people who have traveled with me.
Back to Euro Trip Page
Island Hopping in the Philippines
Below you will find some pictures of places I’ve traveled to so far. If you hold your mouse over a picture and the arrow turns into a hand, you can click on the picture to get to a page with more pictures of the area. The Euro Trip link above will show you the story line where I’ve traveled so far, or you can go to the travel Europe page to select individual country tips. Or just check out the gallery of travel pictures.
While driving around, wherever you want to go, get a fantastic view which you’ll never get behind the tinted windows of a seat-crammed bus.
Above driving along the coast of Croatia, and below along the coast of Monte Negro,
later to climb the steep mountains into the interior.
Above are some ruins I found while driving through the interior of Montenegro. Below I later drove through the mountains in the background above. This is something you’ll never witness from a standard tour package, or find difficult or awkward if hitch hiking. The only way is with the freedom of your own vehicle.
Above left a shot of the coast in Monte Negro, and to the right and below in Turkey.
If you’re ever worried about getting lost, we can always pull out the super GPS navigation system. Otherwise, getting ‘lost’ is often nice, because that way you discover the secluded beaches.
Above and below a secret monastery on an island in Croatia (they wanted to remain a secret). To the right a beach in a small town in Croatia. Why rush somewhere when you can take your time, hopping from village to village?
Step out of the truck any time and go for a walk, exploring historic and secluded towns off the beaten track (above left a small coastal town in Croatia, to the right a very secluded village near to the border with Montenegro). Below the Pitkovice lakes in Croatia, which should be explored over several days and not rushed.
To the right a famous monastery in Montenegro to which many make a seasonal pilgrimage from many countries around. John the Baptist’s hand was held here for many centuries, until it became too unsafe to keep it there.
Below left Bodrum Turkey, below right near Stoliv Montenegro, near where the latest James Bond movie Casino Royal was filmed. A hard place to get to without your own wheels.
In Montenegro overlooking where Casino Royal was filmed. The widescreen view better than any wall mounted high definition home entertainment system! Below a walk up the hill to a local monastery.
Picture farther up and the one to the right, decided to pull over by the road to check out an old olive grove. What official tour bus driver would do that for you? Directly above a nice day’s stroll to a castle ruin overlooking Kotor Montenegro.
Below left the small city of Kotor (one of my favourite along the whole way and a great party night life). Otherwise, below right, one can always raise up a party storm with the local indigenous population.
To get to the nicest and most secluded spots, occasionally one has to go offroad! That is always a fun and bouncing blast.
Finding and enjoying the nice secluded beaches makes traveling a pleasure. Below left in Turkey was a small town where many people paraglided, as the bay between the mountain ranges produced a constant jet of incoming air from the sea.
Above right in the Turkish part of Cyprus and below left near Myra, Turkey, where Santa Clause was born and died.
Always time to smell the flowers
when you’re not in a rush.
To the right an interesting coastline of lava rocks I discovered during one of my random walks.
When exploring, there are ruins and old castles to be discovered everywhere.
And below, one of my favourite, stairs leading into a crisp clean sea from the patio of a restaurant. Away from the main tourist paths, no one would even flinch or mind if you went for a quick dip!
Here’s a video clip of the tow truck pulling bobka, followed by a clip parking by the beach where we grilled fish below, followed (video part at 220% speed) by a drive through a small Croatian town after the ferry (narrow roads, as for a long time vehicles, especially of my size, were an oddity there).
How to Travel Cheaply in Europe
Probably the cheapest way to travel through Europe is for free. Hitch hike between locations, sleep under the stars, play guitar and beg for food. I know of people who survive like this. Carry a small tent with you in a single but large backpack, with a warm enough sleeping bag etc., and many times in Europe you will find it relatively easy to set up your tent in some neighbouring forest as it starts to get dark, to take it down again early in the morning. Different countries look at such practices in different ways, but generally Europeans are more relaxed about something like this and don’t object as long as you are out of sight, gone by the morning and do not leave any garbage or cause any commotion. I camped like this for three years in the Czech Republic without the slightest problem. After all, what is the chance that some local will stumble upon your tent in the dark? Take your valuables with you to the pub and try to hide your tent off any beaten forest path. Just make sure to get out there early enough while there is still light – enough to set up a tent with – and that there is just enough light left so you can walk out of the forest and hopefully remember your way back once you are done partying in the town/village. In this case a flashlight will definitely prove useful (otherwise a bright mobile phone can also work), and feel free to peruse the forest and surroundings well ahead of time in order to orient yourself, find the best spot and make sure you will know how to find it once you’ve finished your binge.
This will obviously be more difficult in larger cities, where perverts and the police might patrol any parks or forests in the centre. In such cases the next best thing might be to try couchsurfing. These two websites bring together travelers looking for a free couch to crash on with locals who are willing to offer their couch. I’ve tried it out a few times and came to the conclusion that the type of person who is willing to take a chance and sleep on a stranger’s couch is roughly the same type of person who is willing to take a chance and allow a stranger to sleep on their couch: they tend to be more adventurous risk-takers who are not quick to judge. You will get along and be pleasantly surprised how much you have in common. But the sites also have a means to rate people who host or sleep on a couch, in case you are a single female and want to limit your risks. In this way you can carefully check out a hoster’s profile to see what other people say about them. The good thing about this approach is, not only will your accommodation be free, but you hook up with a like-minded local, who can show you the best places in town. You instantly network with the community, make a great friend, and learn about all the best places in an area.
Beyond that youth hostels would be your next best bet. You can do a search on google for “youth hostels Europe”, for example, and see many sites listed. In case you do not know what a youth hostel is, they are usually buildings which have been converted for this purpose and where many travelers often sleep on bunkbeds in larger rooms. Sometimes smaller rooms with only a few bunkbeds, so that you can sleep together if you are part of a traveling group. There is often a curfew, or a secret code to get into the building if you are drinking late, and places to lock your valuables. Generally I find them quite safe, and they often come with shared kitchens. It is fairly easy to make new friends in the common areas, so you can hook up with other travelers and make your trip more enjoyable. With the kitchen you can save on food costs or not be forced to eat in restaurants all the time, which can be expensive and not so healthy.
After that you might try googling cheap pensions or hotels, or at train and bus stations you may find private persons offering to rent out spare rooms in their house, which could include a wholesome breakfast in the morning.
Since hitchhiking can be difficult in some countries (it is illegal on the big highways of Germany, for example), the next best thing might be to get yourself a Eurail pass (or do a search for “eurail pass” on google and try various sites). Check out their prices and you should be able to find a good package. For example, you might choose an unlimited pass and ride the train freely (many travelers hook up into groups and travel randomly together around Europe, such that the train ride together can get rather fun – people play guitars and drink etc.), or select a limited number of cities, hitchhiking locally or in countries where it is easier to do so. In some countries, such as in central or eastern Europe, it can often be cheaper to book trains locally rather than internationally before your trip, as such avoiding the higher international rates. You can often also get attractive group rates, such as five people who purchase together a group return ticket to and from a particular town, coming back on the following day. Check out your options and research!
A more interesting option might be to buy and later sell or rent a caravan, or something smaller which you can sleep in. It is wonderful to drive freely around Europe through its nature and experience the culture of each region and village without being confined to some tour package or train schedule.
If you are interested in tour packages, it will most likely be cheaper to find something locally than book in advance. There are many locals who work privately as tour guides and you do not need to resort to some more official package offered by the larger organizations. The more middlemen there are, the more expensive it will be for you – not to mention that it is unnecessarily. You can walk around town and if you see someone who seems interesting to you, just ask them how you can join one of his/her guided tours.
If you’d like to take the hobo and cheapest alternative possible, you might want to take a look at my caravan survival tips in Europe for some useful advice. Or just join the expert – me!
Some Email Correspondence Concerning Cheap Travel Europe Tour Guide
Hey there, I’m a 22 year old student from Canada. I’ve been itching to see the rest of the world before settling down for life and who knows, maybe finding a way to never settle down. Anyway it said from 10 Euros a day, is this consistent day to day? What expenses does this include? Whats the maximum I could end up paying per day? How much time will be spend not driving per day?
It all depends on what my agenda is. If I’m already on my way in a certain direction you could hang along for 10 Euro a day, which would basically cover gas and accomodation. If you want your own agenda we’d have to work out something special for the case. Too bad you just missed my recent drive up the Greek coast, cause that was truly a treat. Now though I’ve got a different agenda helping a friend reconstruct his house in the beautiful mountains of Bulgaria, so it would be more difficult to arrange something. But half way through July I’m driving to the Czech Republic, then back about three weeks later (between which I intend to drive through a lot of Czech), and then to the Greek island of Thassos some time before winter. So perhaps you could tag along for some of those sections, or we can work out a deal if you want to make extra excursions.
Often if I’m on a cruise, like the Greek one, I like to drive for a couple of hours, almost every day. Sort of snail my way along the coast (but can jolt inland occasionally if some local recommends something), sometimes stay for a few days on a particular beach if I like it a lot or if I’m trying to complete a project and need peace of mind. Fairly flexible, since I work while I’m traveling.
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We are a family operation managing private custom boat tours in the beautiful Palawan area, and are happy to help travelers with their plans through the Philippines, having traveled a lot of it ourselves and planning to visit it all. These pages in this section cover my various solo travels through Europe before meeting my wife.