Tokyo, Japan’s capital, is a fusion of the traditional and the contemporary Japan. Although Tokyo has been dubbed one of the most expensive cities in the world, there are still many ways you can enjoy the city without making a hole in your pocket.

Take a cultural trip for free by visiting the temples around the city. Most temples do not charge an admission fee. Visit the Yakusumi Shrine in Chiyoda and learn about the fight for the Emperor of Japan. There are over 2,466,000 people listed here whose lives were lost during the war. Find the Sensoji Temple in Asakusa. This Buddhist temple is one of the oldest in Tokyo, and probably the most important. The trip here is worth it as there is one other shrine located across the temple, the Asakusa Shrine. The Tokyo Imperial Palace also offers free admission. With a total of 3.41 square kilometers, the palaces serves as the main residence of the emperor of Japan. The area includes the palace, administrative offices, residences of other royalty, as well as museums and gardens.

Take a bike ride for free at the Palace Cycling Course. There are five hunderd bikes loaned for free every Sunday. Most gardens are open for free as well. Then go to the Harajuku area after and check out the outrageous outfits worn by the young Japanese. Try the Yoyogi Park, the largest park in Tokyo, where the first Japanese flight took off in 1910. If want to see the beautiful cherry blossoms, go to the Ueno Park. Dating back to 1873, it has the most beautiful cherry blossom trees from March to April, and has many lotus flowers during summer. The park is truly photogenic.

Visit the Tokyo Tower – this is a nice site for pictures, although there is an entrance fee of fifteen dollars to get to the top. You can also opt to go to the Shinjuku’s Twin Towers where there is no charge to get to the top deck. Here you get a beautiful view of the city, overlooking Mt. Fuji.

Learn more about Japan’s history, arts and culture. Visit the museums – lots of them are free, too! Some interesting specialty museums that offer free admission are the Sumo Wrestling Museum and the Kanto Earthquake Memorial Museum. You can also watch as Sumo match for about twenty dollars.

Shibuya intersection in Tokyo, Japan, by Guwashi999

One of the cheapest accommodations is the ryokan, or the local Japanese bed and breakfast. Ryokan Sawanoya is one of the most popular. Sleep on a futon here for about 5,000 Yen, or about sixty dollars per person. There are also capsule hotels for only twenty five to thirty dollars, although the space is very limited. Try the Asakusa Riverside Capsule Hotel which is right in the heart of Tokyo.

Eat authentic Japanese food for less. The Tokyu Department Store has a wide selection of sushi, sashimi, etc for a cheaper price. Menya Musashi has yummy but affordable ramen. Yoshinoya sells huge rice bowls for only five dollars each.

Experience Japan’s culture and heritage without having to splurge. Pack your backpack and grab your travel buddy. This is a trip you will surely enjoy.

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Where are you going?

We started our trip near the end of February. Originally, we wanted to fly direct to South America from Seoul (which is where we started our trip), but it turns out that you have to connect through North America somehow. So, rather than waste segments on our RTW tickets, we chose cities in North America where we could visit with friends and family, recover from jetlag and shop for travel gear and supplies. (We also took advantage of free accommodation!!)

The Inca Trail

Our trip really started, when we got to Colombia on March 5th. We stayed pretty close to Bogota and it’s surrounding area for a few weeks, and then took off for 3 weeks in Peru. We hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu (which has always been a dream) and visited Lake Titicaca, Arequipa, Cusco and Lima. We headed back to the Caribbean coast of Colombia after that for a little R&R on the beach. Right now, we’re in Salvador, Brazil and after a little more time here in Brazil, we’ll be heading to Uruguay, Argentina, Bolivia and Chile if we can squeeze it in somehow. In total, we’re spending about 3 months in South America, but as we’re discovering, you could easily spend much more time here.

When we’re done with South America, we’re heading to South Africa and Tanzania, where we’re doing a safari in the Serengeti, and then chilling out on the beach in Zanzibar. After a month there, it’s off to Turkey, and then Croatia, Montenegro, the Greek Islands, and Albania by land, before we end up in Italy and western Europe for about 3 months. We’ve met other travelers on the road, and now have invites to Switzerland and Germany, so we’re trying to figure our how to work that in. Free accommodation when traveling makes such a huge difference to the budget, and well, we’ve always wanted to have a real Swiss fondue. ;)

After that, we head to the Middle East – Jordan, Egypt and Israel, and then cap off the trip with 6 weeks in India, and some beach time in Indonesia and Thailand.

We’d never been to South America, so it was high on our wish list, as was a safari in Africa. We mostly tried to pick places that neither of us had been to before, but some of the destinations on our itinerary are to visit friends or family, like in Albania, Italy, Jordan and Thailand. We also tried to mix it up with a good variety of cheaper and more expensive countries to try to balance the budget a bit. The other way that we selected destinations is by following the sun! We’re trying to avoid the cold as much as possible, first because we don’t like the cold, but also, because it makes your bags so much lighter, when you don’t have to pack winter clothes and we’re really trying to travel as light as possible.

What motivated you to go on your trip?

Shelley and Agri

Hmm…the motivation for the trip? Well, we’re big time travelers already. It’s a way of life for us, and we get super itchy feet, if we haven’t gone somewhere new for a little while. We think we’ve traveled an average of 2-3 months of every year, for the last 5 years.

This is the first time we’ve done a trip of this length though, and it’s because we plan to have a baby at the end of the year. We know that you can travel with a kid, and believe us, we’re definitely planning on doing it, but the way that you travel definitely has to change when you have a child. So we’re kind of having one last hurrah before we “settle” down.

What did you learn about yourself?

Shelley: One thing that I’ve learned about myself is that I’m quite shy and timid. I feel nervous approaching strangers, so traveling has been a great lesson in opening up. To me, all of life is about the battle of love vs. fear, and travel underscores this in a big way. Do you approach new people and countries with fear and worry, or with trust? It’s challenging because when you’re traveling, everything is new and unfamiliar, so it’s easy to fall into fear, but I’ve found that people all over the world are overwhelmingly good and kind, and that we all ultimately want the same things – security, peace and authentic connection with other human beings. It’s a beautiful thing to realize everyday.

Agri: Personally, I have learned that I feel at home in every corner of the world and that I can find my way around most situations. I have also discovered that all people around the world are truly one, we all have the same needs and wants and that cultures and skin colors just give us different flavors.

What’s the best place you’ve ever been to so far?

Shelley: This is a tough question. Every country has great things and bad things…but I’ve had some truly magical experiences in India. India is definitely a challenging destination, but if you open yourself up to it, crazy stuff can happen. It’s just that kind of place. In Pondicherry, a friend and I knocked on a door, thinking it was a hotel/hostel…turned out it wasn’t. It was someone’s house…but the lady invited us to stay with her, cooked us amazing French/Indian food and took us touring around to all the temples in the area. She also took us on a crazy adventure to meet an old raja who was destitute and selling off the last of his family’s fortunes to make ends meet.

Colombia was also totally amazing, but once again, I think it’s because we met a bunch of locals right off the bat. They took us to an authentic ayahuasca ceremony – not one designed for tourists – and we hung out with them on their farm, eating organic food from their garden and hiking the beautiful mountains around Lake Guatavita.

Later on, we met up with them on the Caribbean coast, and they took us to a coconut plantation on the beach that isn’t in any guidebook. We slept in hammocks, bathed in a lagoon and cooked our meals on a wood fire.

In both cases, integrating with locals made all the difference…and we’ve found this to be the case, in almost every place we’ve been.

Agri: Though quite cliche, Thailand is also very high up on the list. The combination of factors there is so unique that it’s hard to find it anywhere else. It has stunning beaches, jungles, beautiful architecture, it’s a deeply spiritual country, the people are amazing, the food is great, and it’s dirt cheap. We love it so much we decided to get married there and we keep going back time after time.

How did you determine your budget for your trip?

Agri and Shelley

We don’t actually have a budget that’s set in stone, but we’re attempting to average $100/day for both of us, not including flights and big ticket items like our safari in the Serengeti (which is mad expensive), and our hike to Machu Picchu.

We’re fortunate, in that we didn’t have to do too much saving for the trip. We got married last summer and coming from Asian and Eastern European backgrounds, well, we got a lot of cash as gifts. On top of that, we’ve made some investments over the last few years, that have allowed us to take this trip.

HOWEVER, the investments have not paid us so well, that we don’t have to watch our dollars! We make decisions everyday that allow us to save money. We don’t shop. Period. Before the shopping we had to do for this trip, we can’t really remember the last time we spent money on clothes etc…

The best way to save money is to prioritize. Do you need a latte from Starbucks and another pair of jeans, or can you make a coffee at home and wear your jeans from last year? In our minds, the question is, should we spend money on “things,” or should we travel? For us, it’s an easy choice to make. :)

Any advice for other travelers?

Shelley: Definitely interact with the locals in a country. They will show you things that aren’t in any guidebook and make your experience of a place more real and authentic. Also, don’t plan too much. We’ve already had moments on this trip where we regretted having plane tickets booked etc…

We think it’s best to have the frame of the trip laid out but not the details, hoping and allowing for the magic to happen.

Agri: Pack light! My backpack for the trip only weighs 14 kilos and I still don’t even use half the stuff in it. If you need something you can buy it along the way. Shelley’s backpack is carry on size and she’s having no trouble at all.

Shelley and Agri have a travel blog at Travel-Stained.com where you can follow their footsteps around the world. Have a great trip, guys!

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While spending time as hobos moving slowly around the world, they have blogged about their travels at www.hobos.ch (in German with English and Spanish translations). They even carry a GPS with them, leading to some very detailed route maps on their website. We asked them a number of questions about their trip, and here is what they said:

Where did you go?

The beach in Cuba, by David and Karin

We started in Argentina in November, 2010, and spent the first nine months in South America (Chile, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador & Columbia). We continued traveling north to Cuba and Canada. At that point one of our dreams came true and we crossed the pacific ocean from Vancouver to Tokyo on a freight ship. After five amazing weeks in Japan we left for the Philippines from where we continued to New Zealand. Our last flight took us from Christchurch to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. Many hours in buses and trains brought us to our current location: China.

Why did you choose those countries?

Our plan was not to have one! We only booked a one way flight from Switzerland to Buenos Aires and decided spontaneously. Recommendations from other travelers are a great help, as well as the internet with all the travel forums and travel blogs. Also very important is  the climate and the traveling season in general. The roads for example can get very dangerous during the rainy season. We realized that cultural and climate changes are really important to make the journey interesting. After spending weeks in the heights of the freezing Andes Mountains we were looking forward to go to a nice beach in Brazil. Remaining independent was really important to us. We have good equipment including a tent and warm sleeping bag. Worst case we can sleep almost anywhere.

How do you usually get around?

We try to avoid flights. Usually we travel by bus or train. This way you can get in touch with  the locals and their culture much easier.

What’s it like traveling for a long period of time?

It took quite some time until we were able to get away from it all. In our case it took around three months. From then on we were living in our own world and could do whatever we wanted to do. We’re enjoying the freedom very much. The relationship between us became better and things just work without many words. After a while we each had our own tasks. If one of us is not feeling well we can motivate each other. It is just important to appreciate every single day of the trip. We also think that it is important to have a next big goal, this way we can always look forward to something.

What motivated you to go on your trip?

Karin in Torres del Paine

We just wanted to have a change from our everyday life. The world is so big, and we wanted to discover it, learn about other cultures, languages, foods, religions and lifestyles. For us it was also a challenge to just make a cut in our lives and do something we do not know how it will end. We also loved the idea of total freedom, to decide every morning what to do next, without any restrictions.

Where are you going?

We will stay in China for another three weeks. From China we are going to take the trans-Siberian railway back to Europe. We hope to visit some countries in eastern Europe at the end of our trip.

Why and how did you decide on those locations?

The plan was not to fly anymore. First we planned to start our trip by taking the train from Europe to China, but the season was not the best. Now we just end the trip that way.

What did you learn about yourself?

• To be more patient; many things don’t work out as expected, you just need to learn to accept it.
• To be more enduring; you learn to stay in buses for 30+ hours, you also learn to wait for a bus which is late for a couple of hours
• We have come to know our preferences better; at the beginning we couldn’t tell if we prefer the mountains or the beach, now we know. We also learned to say what we think, if we are not satisfied with a certain service, we tell them.
• We can handle stress situation much better now; on a trip you will get confronted with many of these situation. After a while we could take it easy.
• To have no prejudices: treat every person the same way. Now it is also easier for us to assess a person’s character.

What’s the best place you’ve ever visited so far (and why)?

That is really hard to say. The special moments we will always remember don’t need to be at specific places but can be encounters with other people. Generally speaking, we liked South America because family seems to be more important than in the Western world. Every city and village has a central square where people gather to talk, play or dance. Some really nice places we have seen so far include: Patagonia, the whales on Península Valdés, Easter Island, Galapagos, Iguazu Falls, Salar de Uyuni, Cordillera Blanca, Macchu Piccu, Japan, the great walks in New Zealand and the Meili Xue Shan moutains in China.

How did you determine (or manage) your budget for your trip?

New Zealand, by David and Karin

We budgeted to spend about 20,000 Swiss francs per person per year (about US $20,000). When we look at the expenses today we have only spent about 15,900 francs per year per person. The estimated budget of 20,000 francs per year was based on information of friends of us who were doing a similar trip. Budget Your Trip helps to keep control over our expenses. It is also really fun to know how much you spend in what country and in what category. Sometimes it feels like a game.

Any advice for other travelers?

1. The best plan is not to have a plan: If you are doing a trip around the world and time is not a concern, do not book any flights or accommodation in advance! We met people that liked a certain place but they had to move on because they already booked the next flights/hotels. On the other hand we also met travelers that did not like to stay where they were, but they had to because they already booked an apartment in advance.
2. Stay flexible: Don’t make any appointments with friends or family on your trip a couple of month in advance. It is of course amazing to meet them, but only if they are spontaneous enough to book a flight last minute where ever you are. Your visitors will most likely have a completely different style of traveling, they are willing to spend a lot of money and they probably want to see a lot of tourist attractions in a short time – that’s mostly not the way of traveling if you are on a trip around the world .
3. Bring good equipment: Even though you can buy almost anything for a better price in Asian countries and South America it is probably best to buy all the equipment at home. This way you can test it before you actually take off and you can get used to it. Most probably the quality will be better when you buy it at home. We met too many people in Patagonia sleep in tents with water in it :)
4. Be prepared: check all the travel alerts before you visit a new place. Also take note of the typical scams, you can find them in any travel guidebook. Most incidents can be avoided by being prepared. Always be careful with your valuables.
5. Choose your travel dates carefully: always check the climate and weather. You don’t want to be in Bolivia during the rainy season. Be sure not to travel during any public holidays or around politically sensitive dates.
6. Travel slow: if you are traveling slow, you will be able to get to know the culture much better. You will also have the chance to visit places which are off the beaten track. We never try to stay less then four weeks in a country.
7. Always appreciate that you can go traveling. It is a privilege to be able to travel for that long.

This sounds like an amazing trip! Thanks guys, and we hope you enjoy the rest of it.

You can follow David and Karin’s adventures and see more of their amazing photos at www.hobos.ch.

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The awards are broken down into various categories as well as geographic locations. There are awards for the top three overall for each continent, as well as awards for cleanliness (always very important!), value, location, atmosphere, staff, couples and families, etc.

We’ve listed the top three for each continent here, but for all of the awards, check out the HostelBookers Awards Page.

Europe

• Grand Hostel Berlin Berlin, Germany
• Greg & Tom Krakow, Poland
• Travellers House Lisbon, Portugal

Asia

• NapPark Hostel @ Khao San Bangkok, Thailand
• Refill Now! Hostel Bangkok, Thailand
• The Jade Emu International Guesthouse Dali, China

Australia & Oceania

• Blue Parrot Backpackers Sydney, Australia
• Sydney Harbour YHA Sydney, Australia
• Travellers Oasis Cairns, Australia

North America

• City Hostel Seattle Seattle, USA
• Green Tortoise Hostel Seattle, USA
• USA Hostels San Diego San Diego, USA

South & Central America

• Hostel Way2Go Florianopolis, Brazil
• Ritoque Raices Valparaiso, Chile
• Submarino Hostel Florianopolis, Brazil

Africa & The Middle East

• Dar Hafsa Fes, Morocco
• Riad Khabia Marrakech, Morocco
• Riad Verus Fes, Morocco

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As a travel agent, you can benefit from these services that help you do your job with ease. Organizational tools, such as client relationship management systems, help you organize, track, and stay on top of your growing client base. You can design campaigns that market directly towards your clients’ preferences. Staying organized is critical for maintaining a professional business and providing each client with the personal attention they expect.

Information based tools give travel agents information and knowledge at their fingertips. Online applications offer anything from destination information to travel costs, or supplier reviews. Educate yourself and your clients will be thrilled with the experience you offer them. It is essential in this growing age of technology that you reassure your client that you are not only a booking agent, but also a great source of information and knowledge. Back up your business with informational resources and your clients are sure to be impressed.

Clients often expect their travel agent to be “on call” 24 hours a day. It is important that home based travel agents reassure their clients that they can help them immediately, in the event of an unexpected travel situation. For this reason, travel agents must be able to tap in to their organizational systems from anywhere, home or away. Technology such as iPhones or iPads give travel agents access to online based tools from any place they may be. This alone will give their clients peace of mind in their agent’s ability to offer them service.

It is essential that travel agents tap into every resource available to them. They are competing with an online travel industry that gives the general public the ability to research, plan, and book their own trips. By arming themselves with the countless tools filled with information, organizational resources, and user friendly technology, travel agents can stay ahead of the curve and keep their clients pleased with the service they receive.

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We didn’t plan for this, or even predict this type of creativity to occur on our site. When we first started Budget Your Trip, it seemed obvious that a trip should have a name, for no other reason than to keep track of all of your trips in your account. A number would have been too boring, and dates would have been too generic. Thus, a trip for a week in June with a database assigned unique identification number becomes “Girls Beach Getaway”. It’s so much better this way, don’t you think? We’ve been looking through the list of trip names for awhile now, and we wanted to share with you some of our favorites. Some are humorous, while some are inspirational. Here they are, in no particular order.

• A Little Adrift
• Poetic Justice
• Kilimanjaro
• Get out of Here
• European Supernova
• Planes, Trains & Automobiles
• COLO-FREAKIN-RADO
• Dream Time
• Euro Romp
• Passport Stamps!
• Dark Side of the Moon
• Around the world in 365 days
• Time to Wander
• Steve and Sarah Conquer the Americas
• Where am I going?
• World Domination
• I earned my doctorate, now let’s take a real vacation!
• Luckiest weekend in the world
• Hello World!
• Searching for home
• Get a glimpse of the world
• In search of Peak Experiences
• Life Begins at 20
• father son vacation
• A reward after finals!
• Forklift Certification
• Why work when you can live?
• Cape Cod Sexy Times
• Quarter Life Crisis

Do you think that your trip has a creative, funny, or inspirational name? Give us your ideas in the comments, or start your own trip!

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Kim and Duane

Where will you go, and why did you choose those countries?

We will spend two weeks seeing Sydney and Melbourne. Our first international flight of the trip is 15th February to Singapore. From Singapore we move overland through Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and up through China. From there we will make our way to Europe, on to South America, USA and Canada.

We chose to visit South East Asia as it is so different to our culture in Australia and New Zealand and we feel it will be a real eye opener for us. Also the history and food of the Asian countries was a big draw-card. Europe is somewhere that we have always wanted to visit. In particular we can’t wait to attend Oktoberfest in Germany and discover Ireland and Scotland.

How will you usually get around?

We plan to use the local public transport as much as possible. Transport costs can really add up on a big trips so keeping them to a minimum will be key for us. We will use local buses and trains as much as possible.

What do you think it will be like traveling for a long period of time?

We are both excited and anxious about our impending departure for long term travel. Traveling for a long period of time will be an eye opening experience and have us adjusting to different environments constantly. It will be relaxing some days and stressful others but we are going to make a conscious effort to cherish every moment and remember to laugh, even when the going gets tough.

What motivated you to go on your trip?

When we got engaged in 2007 we dreamed of heading off traveling for 12 months for our honeymoon. In the end we decided that visiting a different country every year was a much better plan. We purchased our first home and got married. 2 years passed and we realised that our plan of visiting a different country each year was perfect in theory but not realistic as although many people say this is what they are going to do general everyday life takes over and many never actually end up doing it. So we decided that we would put the house on the market and if it sold we would travel. Within 48 hours we had a contract on our house – the sale went so smoothly we knew we were on the right path for us. We sold our house and 4 months on we are departing fur our around the world adventure.

We visited USA in June 2011 as our first real international experience. We suffered from severe culture shock. We were amazed at how uncomfortable and lost we felt. We realised that we were becoming too comfortable in our daily life to the point of not being able to see past our own front door. We decided that it was important for us to learn about, experience and understand different cultures – so we decided world travel was the way to break down these barriers and have us living our life to the fullest.

What do you expect to learn about yourself?

Kim: I am not good in crowds and during this trip this is something I am going to have to overcome. Also I think I will learn that I am capable of doing things that in my normal every-day life I would never even attempt – putting myself out of my comfort zone, although daunting is something that I am looking forward to as it will allow me to expand my horizons and gain new hobbies and friends in the process.

Duane: I expect to learn how to face my fears of being lost. I always need to know where I am going and how to get there – on this trip this will not always be possible and this is something that I am going to have to learn to accept and be comfortable with.

What’s the best place you’ve ever been to so far (and why)?

We both agree on this one – San Francisco, Calafornia. We loved everything about San Francisco from its old homes, Chinatown, Marina and Awesome biking/walking paths.  There are so many options for things to do with the Yarra Valley so close, Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge and many pubs to check out, it is a city that has an awesome vibe where we felt comfortable and safe.

How did you determine (or manage) your budget for your trip?

The main source of information for our budget came from budgetyourtrip.com as it gave us a starting point of a daily budget and allowed us to calculate how much we can afford to spend daily on accommodation, food, transport etc. We have a detailed spreadsheet that we will use to keep track of our expenses on the road to ensure we are staying within our daily budget. Finances had been something that we were extremely worried about however using budgetyourtrip.com and having our spreadsheet up and running has taken the stress out of it and allowed us to have confidence in managing our finances whilst on the road.

Any advice for other travelers?

Cherish every moment on the road, you are living the life so many can only dream of.

Thanks guys, have a great trip! You can follow Duane and Kim’s adventures at Wright2Travel.com or on Facebook or on Twitter @wright2travel.

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Ancient Pirate Locations:

Many people instantly think of the Caribbean when talking about pirates. However, if this location is a little too far or out of budget for you, then harking back to the period of Ancient Piracy in the Mediterranean is a different option.

The rocky coastline and low population densities in sporadic villages throughout the Med fostered the birth of piracy. Barbary Corsairs attacked locations in the Mediterranean, using North Africa, particularly Algiers (in Algeria), Morocco, and Tunis (in Tunisia) as safe havens. These are well known to today’s modern tourist and therefore seeking out the bloodthirsty past can add a new twist to well-trodden tourist hotspots.

The Romans and Greeks became accustomed and weary of these pirate attacks. A trip to Crete or the Lipari Islands can make for a fun filled holiday that many a pirate from this period enjoyed. Alternatively, for fans of Barbarossa, or Red Beard, then consider a trip to Turkey. The resort town of Kuşadasi in the Aydin province is picturesque and some historical architecture is still around.

The Far East:

As the world’s third largest island and full of dense, lush jungle, Borneo is already on the tourist map. However, for fans of Eastern Pirates who raided the seas of Singapore and Hong Kong, a holiday to Borneo will take you to one of their safe havens. This was one of the more recent pirate locations, lasting up until the 19^th century. With plenty of caves and being located in a region of the world rich in Islands, it is very easy to get into the pirate spirit here!

Moving a little Westward brings us to Madagascar. Like Borneo, this is a country known for its dense jungles and rich biodiversity. However, toward the end of the 17^th century this too became a location for piracy, as lawless seamen attacked the ships of the Indian Moguls and exploited European trade in the area.

North America and the Caribbean:

This well-known location for piracy spoils the pirate enthusiast for its wealth of locations. Starting off in the Caribbean we have the much popularised destinations of Port Royal (a former British seaport in Jamaica), and Tortuga (a former French settlement). These experienced degrees of lawlessness and therefore piracy thrived at the beginning of the 18^th Century. Tortuga is an entire Island in the Caribbean and offers undeveloped and isolated bays. Port Royal has greatly diminished in size and due to an Earthquake and other local disasters it is known as the city that sank. You can still visit it though and there are a number of forts and churches still in existence. Fort Charles is a definite highlight, built at the end of the 17^th century it was once briefly home to Lord Nelson. As well as the remnants of Royal Navy Forts and defences, there is also an old jail, all of which contribute to a great walking tour of the area.

Moving over to mainland America the states of North and South Carolina have seen their fair share of piracy. Charles Town in South Carolina flirted briefly with the smuggling aspects of Piracy, and North Carolina’s Bath Town was where Blackbeard sold his booty. For a picturesque location visit Ocracoke Island, steeped in Maritime history it is the location of the naval battle that brought about Blackbeard’s death.

So there ye have it. Piracy spanned and plundered the world. However, like many travellers these days, pirates sought out warm climates, locations with plenty of secluded and hidden spots, and the odd tavern. This all still makes for a great holiday, cutlass or not!

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And without further ado, here’s the list our favorite posts:

• How to Stick to your 2012 Travel Resolutions at FoxNomad
• Perception Busting in Egypt at Uncornered Market
• Edelma – The only female taxi driver on Ometepe by Chickybus
• Italy Is All About The Food at Hecktic Travels (yum!)
• 2011, My Year in Photos by Johnny Vagabond (amazing, as usual!)
• 2011, My Travels in Photos by Lauren at Never Ending Footsteps (great!)
• Yes, you will travel this year. Here’s how. by Adventurous Kate
• 9 Lessons from Our 2011 Travels at Inspiring Travellers
• 7 Up-and-Coming Adventure Destinations for 2012 at Wild Junket
• Danakil Depression – The Hottest Place on Earth in Pictures by Jack and Jill Travel The World

Finally, this should make you want to either visit Fiji or go surfing, or both.

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If you are planning on visiting somewhere different this holiday season, here are three wonderful and diverse places to go:

Rome

Between Italians and visitors to Italy alike, Rome is probably the most popular place to visit during the festive period. Rome really ‘pulls out all of the stops’ when it comes to Christmas celebrations, largely because of its strong connections to Christianity. The Piazza Navona, a famous square, is turned into a huge Christmas market with stalls that sell everything from food to decorations and gifts.

The well-known St. Peter’s Square is also transformed with a Christmas tree (although they are not particularly traditional in Italy) and a full-size Nativity which is usually not unveiled until Christmas Eve. There are also other nativity scenes on show and elegantly decorated churches. Other activities such as ice skating are also available.

New York

New York is an extremely popular destination for many people at Christmas, simply because it’s such a fun and festive place to be! The people of New York make a tremendous effort at Christmas time; you only have to go into downtown Manhattan to see this for yourself. Due to its world famous shops, New York is an excellent place for a Christmas shopping spree!

The Rockefeller Christmas tree is situated between 5^th and 6^th Avenue and now has a whopping 30,000 lights on it and so is definitely worth seeing. There are many Christmas shows and, because there are several parks in New York, it’s a great place to ice skate. It’s advisable to book early because New York becomes extremely busy during the holiday season. Just remember that the weather tends to be very “Christmassy”, so wrap up warm!

Oxford

Outside of London, Oxford is one of the most popular English Christmas cities. Oxford Castle is one of the central attractions at Christmas; a great place to take the kids so that they can visit Santa or for the whole family to go and experience the Christmas market where you can buy festive treats and gifts and do a bit of late night shopping. The Cotswolds is a famous cycling holiday destination and during the festive season there are many themed bike rides that take place with people taking to two wheels dressed as Santa and a whole host of other Christmas characters. There are many musicals, pantomimes and shows that are tailored towards children, so this could be an excellent way to get the whole family active over the Christmas season. The switching on of Christmas lights in early December is also worth visiting if you get a chance.

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