Tag Archives: travel tips

Top 10 countries that didn’t exist 20 years ago

Turbo boost your passport by venturing to these recently minted destinations, as highlighted in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2011. It’s also a good chance to increase your collection of miniature national flags.

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Czech Republic

Following Czechoslovakia’s Velvet Revolution in 1989, the Czech Republic and Slovakia finally sealed their Velvet Divorce in 1993. Less than 20 years on, Prague neighbourhoods like elegant Vinohrady and energetic Žižkov are buzzing, and a country full of emerging microbreweries proves there’s more to Czech beer than Pilsner Urquell or Budvar.

Add virtue to these delicious liquid vices by cycling and hiking through the idiosyncratic landscapes of Bohemian Switzerland or the Český ráj region. Away from bustling Prague, discover quieter provincial gems like Olomouc, Telč  and Loket, all still retaining the essence of Bohemian and Moravian culture.

Explore the Czech Republic’s rapidly expanding beer scene at Prague’s Czech Beer Festival or the Olomouc Beer Fest.

East Timor

The 21st-century’s newest nation finally achieved independence in 2002, 27 strife-torn and tragic years after initially declaring independence from Indonesia in 1975. Look forward to basic roads and infrastructure, but be rewarded with an intensely warm welcome from the locals.

The easygoing capital Dili is a hub for thirsty UN and NGO staff looking for new drinking buddies, and across on sleepy Atauro Island, a fledgling ecotourism scene supports hiking and diving. Explore East Timor’s Portuguese heritage amid the faded colonial architecture of Baucau, and check travel advisories on the country’s security situation before leaving home.

A 30-day travel permit (US$30) is issued to most nationalities on arrival at Dili airport. See the Immigration Department of Timor-Leste for the latest.

Eritrea

How far would you go for a really, really good coffee? What if it was a superb macchiato served in an art deco cafe in an exotic country in the Horn of Africa? An addictive combination of sleepy African vibes and an Italian colonial past also showcases cubist, expressionist and futurist architecture in the Eritrean capital of Asmara.

In nearby Massawa, centuries-old Islamic buildings linger in narrow, labyrinthine streets, and the port is the departure point to diving amid Red Sea corals in the Dahlak Archipelago.

Tensions are still rife between Eritrea and Ethiopia – and for now, the border between the two countries is closed – so be sure to check current travel advisories carefully. Visas are required by all visitors and should be obtained in advance from an Eritrean embassy or consulate before entering Asmara.

Slovakia

In a region crammed with dramatic castles, Slovakia‘s Spiš Castle trumps most with an audacious hilltop location and craggy towers and gloomy dungeons straight from a Hammer horror flick. Visit in summer for a full program of events including  concerts and mock battles.

Following Slovakia’s independence in 1993, Bratislava seems in no hurry to become a bustling Central European metropolis, and the cool cafes and bars of the Slovakian capital’s beautifully preserved old town are still largely tourist free – take that Prague! Look forward also to being continuously surprised by the funky street art lurking around every corner.

Get active in the High Tatras National Park before dissolving your weary limbs into Piešťany‘s healing spa waters.

Palau

How many jellyfish is just enough? How about 10 million, especially when you’re swimming with them in Palau‘s renowned Jellyfish Lake? (Don’t worry, the local species have evolved with an absence of stingers).

With a population of just 20,000, one of the world’s newest countries is also one of the smallest. The tiny island nation of Palau showcases some of the Pacific’s best diving opportunities with more than 60 vertical drop-offs punctuating locations like Blue Corner, Shark City and Turtle Cove. In 2001, the Palau Shark Sanctuary was established to further protect Palau’s sharks from the Asian shark-fin industry.

As Palau only achieved independence from United States trusteeship in 1994, you’ll need to come equipped with US dollars.

Serbia

Following the dissolution of Yugoslavia from 1990, Serbia has been less open to travellers than neighbouring Croatia or nearby Slovenia. Now Belgrade‘s gritty cityscape and Europe’s most energetic nightlife scene are attracting a vanguard of curious expat residents and intrepid visitors. It’s probably your best chance to experience what Prague was like following the fall of communism in 1989.

Other essential musical thrills include the annual Exit Festival – recent acts have included the Chemical Brothers, Patti Smith and Kraftwerk – and the wildly frantic Guca Festival, drawing 600,000 visitors annually for the best in manic Roma (gypsy) trumpet playing.

Check out the Belgrade Foreign Visitors Club for the latest expat-informed lowdown on the Serbian capital.

Bosnia & Hercegovina

For centuries Sarajevo was on the fault line of religion, culture and history, and in today’s capital of Bosnia & Hercegovina, mosques, churches and synagogues all huddle beside each other and the Neretva River. The city has emerged from the dark days of the siege of Sarajevo from 1992 to 1996 as an inclusive and collaborative centre for the arts.

The annual summer festival Nights of Bascarsija showcases music, art and dance in Sarajevo’s compact Ottoman quarter, and the Sarajevo Film Festival is one of Europe’s most important. Poignant memories of the Balkan Wars include Mostar’s reconstructed bridge.

Bosnia & Hercegovina is an emerging adventure-tourism destination, with excellent whitewater rafting on the Una and Neretva rivers.

Kazakhstan

Was the inaccurate depiction of Kazakhstan by Borat a few years ago a blessing or a curse? The film certainly lifted brand awareness for the Central Asian republic made independent from Moscow in December 1991, but the planet’s ninth-largest country remains a mystery to most.

Fuelled by revenues from copious oil and gas reserves, Almaty and Astana have emerged as modern-day boomtowns from the Central Asian steppe, but Kazakhs’ nomadic roots are still celebrated with one of the world’s more…er…interesting cuisines. How does beshbarmak (an offal stew) and horsemeat sausage washed down with a shot of vodka sound?

Celebrate the coming of spring with dancing, Kazakh food and equestrian events at the festival of Nauryz in late March.

Montenegro

The denouement of the inevitable dissolution of Yugoslavia came in June 2006 when the citizens of tiny Montenegro voted to separate from the federation of Serbia & Montenegro. Despite Montenegro being the smallest piece of the Balkans jigsaw, the rugged country packs in a geography textbook of natural features and spectacles.

The country’s eponymous ‘Black Mountains’ cradle the perfect medieval town at Kotor, and the pine-scented Tara River is Europe’s deepest canyon and a growing location for river rafting. The tiny island of Sveti Stefan, irredeemably picturesque and joined to the mainland by a slender isthmus, is rapidly regaining its pre-Balkan Wars status as one of Europe’s most exclusive destinations.

Passionate twitchers (birdwatchers) should pack their high-powered binoculars for Lake Skadar, one of Europe’s most important bird sanctuaries.

Kosovo

Consider the evidence. Kosovo declared unilateral independence from Serbia in 2008, but Kosovo’s closest neighbour refuses to accept the declaration. China and Russia agree with Serbia, but almost 70 other nations including the US, Germany and the UK accept Kosovo as an independent state. Membership of the World Bank and the IMF are a given, but UN membership remains elusive due to the veto-trumping machinations of the Security Council. The presence of the UN and NGOs keeps accommodation prices relatively high, so this is definitely one for the true country collectors out there.

In the Kosovar capital of Pristina, visit Bill Clinton Blvd, complete with a giant billboard of the former US president.

tipping etiquette around the world

One of the biggest riddles of global travel isn’t which airline to fly, where to stay or even which restaurants to dine in — plenty of travel guides and websites are eager to offer up advice and pricing options on that. But how do you figure out, once at your destination, where and how much to tip? Just as customs and cultures vary in each country, so do tipping habits and expectations. In this infographic, we give you the basics on tipping etiquette, country by country, as well as a detailed guide on how much you’re expected to tip for various services here in the United States.

Tattoo tourism: where ink and travel meet

By Jess Lowry via Lonely Planet

Art and travel go hand-in-hand. Local galleries can capture the history and creative culture of a destination, but if you’re looking for a gallery with a difference next time you hit the road, why not check out the local tattoo culture instead? Lonely Planet staffer and tattoo aficionado Jess gets under the skin of tattoo tourism:

Visiting tattoo shops and learning about the people who have expanded the art form can be as inspiring as visiting any art museum. It has been said that tattoos are 5000 years old and are as diverse as the people who have them.

Travelling for a tattoo follows a rich legacy of trend-setters. There are many places that still use ancient tattooing traditions and these might inspire you to travel for a piece of their traditional art. Destinations known for their ritual tattooing include Tahiti, Hawaii,Japan, New Zealand, Borneo, Thailand and Samoa. Whether you get a tattoo for fashion, tradition or commemoration, there are many reasons to seek out an artist who you admire. Many people choose to travel to a specific tattoo conference where they can get inked by a world-renowned artist while immersed in all things tattoo. (There is some debate about whether you get a good bargain at a convention as most artists raise their rates due to demand, but the costs can be rationalized considering you’ll presumably have the tattoo for life.)

Tattoo culture has a rich history of outlaws, misfits and travellers. Bert Grimm, the ‘grandfather of old school’,  tattooed Bonnie and Clyde, the famous outlaws who travelled the Central US with their gang during the Great Depression. It’s unknown exactly where and when Grimm tattooed the famous pair, but Bert Grimm’s World Famous Tattoo was the oldest continually operated tattoo parlour in the continental US. If you’re taking a road-trip up the Pacific Northwest it’s fascinating to check in at locations that shaped the industry as we know it today. You can pay your tributes at Seaside, Oregon where Grimm is buried, or you can stop by the shop he was best known for running, which was located in an amusement park called Nu Pike in Long Beach, CA. (The tattoo shop was under threat of condominium developers but it was purchased in 2004 by tattoo artist Kari Barba and two silent partners and still operates as a tattoo studio today.)

The highly popular exhibition Skin & Bones: Tattoos in the Life of the American Sailor that was staged at the Seaport Museum in Philadelphia beautifully illustrated the journey of tattoos from the east to the west; the melding of travel tales and art. Sailors didn’t just carry cargo from port to port; they also brought new forms of artistic expression on their skin.

So, want to blend tatts with travel? Here are some places of interest:

Top-rated international conventions

• Singapore Tattoo Show
• Miami Tattoo Expo
• New York AM-Jam Tattoo Expo
• Sydney Tattoo & Body Art Expo
• Moscow Body-Art Festival
• The Calgary Tattoo & Arts Festival

A short list of internationally renowned tattooists:

• Jean-Luc Navette, Lyon, France
• James Robinson, Nine, Brighton, UK
• Jonix, Holy Trauma,  Barcelona, Spain
• Tu, Siamese 5 Tattoo, Phuket, Thailand
• William Yoneyama, Tattoo Magic, Melbourne, Australia
• Lars, Loxodrom, Berlin, Germany
• Steve Moore, Get Moore Tattoos, Vancouver, Canada
• Edward Frazier, Tattoo Ritual, Dearborn, MI (US)
• David Glantz, Archive Tattoo, Toronto, Canada

Other great resources to check out:

• tattooroadtrip.com A website produced by Bob Baxter, tattoo artist, writer and tattoo historian
• vanishingtattoo.com The world’s largest online tattoo museum
• 50 tattoo artists you need to know