FAQ Series #2: How do you travel that much?

After explaining the reason of my disease - travelling - I wanted to jump directly to the second most asked question that comes up very often when I talk to People: HOW do you travel that much?

As you might can imagine as a frequent Reader of this blog (thank you so much, by the  way!), I don't sit around at home and wait for my summer Holidays to come, like tons of People do. Yeah, I'm guilty, I travel around a lot, and sometimes People think that Money suddently Pops out from the wrinkles of my Couch or something. Not.
My very chaotic being is most of the time very well organized when it Comes to plan the upcoming trips of the year.

Photo shot while climbing Diamond Head in the morning.
Hawaii 2015

I thought that this post may could encourage you guys to travel more often, or, for those who want to figure out how to do it, i put together a few simple tips in this post. Here you go:

1. You have more Holidays than you think

I know, I know, doesen't matter where you work at, you'll never have enough vacation days. So do I. That's why I plan my trips also depending on how the festivities like Easter, Christmas and several national Holidays (this depends on your Country) fall. If they are on a Friday or a Monday, I have my win Situation already and I figure out what to do with this Extended Weekends.

2. Earlybirds never loose

A lot of my friends laugh about the fact sometimes, that I book a lot of my trips months in advance. Well, there is only one reason: I save a lot of Money. If I book certain flights 6 months or more before departure date, I'll might be going to pay way less than doing it a couple of weeks before. Let's take a Destination like Ibiza for example: if you're planning to go for the Grand Club openings, then you probably know on which Weekend this is going to happen. And you're probably not going to be the only one willing to do some booty shaking on the Dancefloors there, which means, you should book as soon as you can. I live one flight hour away from this beautiful, little mediterranean Island, and the Prices can reach 600$ easily, if you book last Minute. My plane tickets for the european destinations around me rarely are over 200$ for a round trip, and now you know why.

I have to add something else on this: another Thing that makes me save is the fact that I don't really care which carrier is going to bring me to my Destination. I can tell with no regrets here that I had good experiences with Budget Airlines (Easyjet, Vueling) AND the regular ones (Swiss, Qatar). Think about it: is it really necessary to play picky for a 1 or 2 hour trip? You got the answer. ;)

3. A Hotel isn't always the right choice

I'm not telling you to throw yourself in a 30 bed hostel dorm here, especially if you're maybe a Little over 25 and you're looking for some peace. There are plenty of Hotel deals online. Hotels.com is one of my favourite sites, since you can collect rewards and get every 11. booked night for free. If you travel as often as I do, it's an Advantage to book there.
When I'm travelling for a longer period like I am right now, I try to find a good Balance. Hostels are totally fine for me but I couldn't do it for 4 months in a row. My perfect combination for housing was booking a bunch of hostels, Resorts and local Apartments (most of the time on Airbnb), depending on how expensive my Destination was. I Chose to stay in some Resorts in Fiji, local Apartments in the US and part of Australia, and a hostel in between here and there.

4. Do you really want those Louboutins?

I rarely do Shopping when I am back home. It's limited to one piece a month, maybe socks? Just kidding... I'm Feeling quite ironic tonight. Back to the Topic: I don't go Shopping in my hometown unless it's for Food. Simple answer why: because I do that while I travel. I discovered so many good local brands while on the road, stuff that People back home don't even know the existence about, that's so great! So, before your best friend takes you out for a Shopping tour in town, because you'll might have to check out the latest issue of a Louis Vuitton bag, or Loubutins heels, think about it: you could come home from a citytrip with  Little treasures that nobody back home has. And, despite the Shopping abroad, you just saved Money for another intercontinental flight. :)

PS: this guide is for average People, so if you're rich then Keep on buying your Louis Vuittons.

5. Always go off sesason

Depending on where you wanna go, you'll have a high season in some period of the year. If you don't have any Kids that only have the longest break during summer, then DON'T. Don't do it.
The worst Thing I could do, seen from my Country's official holidays point of view, is to book my trips in July or August. That's high season here, where you basically don't recognize you own Airport anymore, so no, thanks, I'd rather stay home. I don't even mind because I know that there is loads of good stuff going on in Switzerland, like Festivals and warm weather (mostly), so I don't really Need to chase the sun then.
You'll find the best deals off season, which doesen't mean it's bad. I had a lot of alarms ringing when People knew I was going to Fiji in February: everyone was telling me about the bad rainy season. I was there 10 days, and I saw rain for 30 minutes. The rest of the time was sunny with an average temperature of 35 degrees Celsius, and the only thing I was looking for was a palm's shade. So if you want to experience Fiji in February, I can guarantee that the storms are mostly over. Just go for it! ;)

Top of Diamond Head, Hawaii

I hope I could answer one more questions with this :) If you have some more, or you might feel I forgot any important Topic, or just wanna leave your Feedback, then post your comment below or send me an E-Mail.

I'm out of here #9: Auckland, NZ - culinary joy & dizzy heights

I don't always inform myself to death when I go out travelling, at least not when I'm on a long trip as I am right now. I Need to be Aware in between somehow, that I have no clue of where I'm exactly going, like having some Kind of suprise effect open. This is what I thought when I was about to leave the untouched Tropical paradise  of Fiji to visit the City of Auckland in New Zealand. Bad move.

Auckland CBD

The only fact I knew was that the temperature will drop down by almost 20 degrees Celsius and it will be raining most of my time there. Don't get me wrong, this is not going to be any hater post about Auckland, I think I guess imagined the whole Thing differently because I was thinking stuff like "I'm still in the Pacific Ocean" and Maori is equal Polynesia so it's going to be still exotic in some way. So now you might understand why I was a wee bit disappointed when I took a cab from the Airport and saw very Swiss similar landscapes out there. There's nothing wrong about my home Country either: but I wasn't expecting any disappointment, so this Feeling deep down just reminded me how I wasn't ready to end being on the road and head home.
More than 50% of my world trip is already over now, and looking back to a couple of weeks ago, fortunately something is starting to Change. I am starting to loose the scary mood about thinking about what will happen when I get home, I didn't loose it completely, but I can tell that I can Focus more on what's Happening NOW. And this is a pretty good Thing.

All this stuff started to Change during those four days, I feel ready to embrace the things that life has to offer when I get back, see what happens and go with the flow, so thank you Auckland. A lot. And no, it wasn't all  disappointment actually, I had a bunch of pretty good times here too. Our trio still had some time to do some Sightseeing in the city's Business centre, including a visit to the Sky Tower. That's actually the best Point to have a wide overwiev of town, the surrounding Islands and Suburbs. The most awesome Thing for me was to step up on bare glass and see the cars passing down on the tiny street way down at the bottom of the building.

Another great Thing about my stay in Auckland was my neighborhood. I was so happy to have Chosen to live between Ponsonby and Grey Lynn. Our Apartment was located on the backyard of a house, which gave us a real feel to be part of it, also because our Hosts invited us to join their home Party once. Wine is always a good Option if you ask me :)

The area of Ponsonby seems to be the hippest in Auckland, featuring vintage, heritage buildings, a slowed down City life and great local Restaurants. I liked a lot how creative the gastronomic world can get here, every place has its own vibe and is decorated individually. So if you'll ever find yourself wandering around in Auckland, make sure to be hungry and in a discovery mood, there is plenty of stuff for every taste.

I tried to put together a bunch of my favourite places during those days, I hope you'll find your favourite in here.

Breakfast/Brunch

I usually am not a big breakfast taker. This is maybe combined with the fact that I rarely am awake early in the morning, for me it's more brunch. There are a few chains of coffeeshops that offer great breakfast Sandwiches and amazing coffee. I really missed a good macchiato, so I really enjoyed being awake again in the morning :) plus, the salmon and Avocado Sandwiches are simply delicious. I tried several places and they really are good. So just step in wherever you are, the Cafés are great in Auckland!

Meatballs

I discovered Bedford Soda & Liquor by Meeting an old friend there that now lives in New Zealand again. This spot is great for tasting very good made Cocktails and the New York inspired Meatballs are great. The funny Thing about ordering meatballs is the Menu itself: you can choose different variations of Beef, sauces, and add extras like salad or Pasta to them. It can get pretty crowdy here during nighttime so make sure to be early.

Ponsonby Central

Pizza (!)

I know, you get Pizza everywhere. But you don't get LA Pizza everywhere. Especially not while travelling. Dante's Pizzeria is a small place with just a bunch of seats outside, that serves only the simple variations of neapolitan Pizza. So if you're looking for no-nos like add ons like pineapple or chicken you're definetly in the wrong place here and should go to Domino's. Dante's only uses real italian products and is certified by the neapolitan association of Pizza as a member. That's something that only 200 Restaurants in the world reached, it means something, or it will as long you will give the first bite to your Pizza slice. I didn't have a proper Pizza in Ages, so I was almost about to cry :)

Live Music/Bars

As a live Music Lover I was delighted to find a Little bar just across Ponsonby Central which has bands playing every Weekend. We enjoyed a Jazz Band playing and had our Drinks in the huge backyard where another, good stocked bar is provided. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out its Name, but you can see the colorful lights of the back shining out from the street.

The bar located on Ponsonby Road

On our last day the sun was laughing a Little bit more, and I really enjoyed one last walk in Ponsonby, including its cute Little park. My mind got ready to leave some annoying stuff behind and I was really looking Forward to see what Australia has to offer. I was wondering the most if the Feeling would last, and fortunately I have to say that it does every day a Little bit more. This trip was supposed to discover new places. However, I also wanted it to calm me down from unnecessary worries. And it's working out. The world is mine.

FAQ Series #1: Why do you travel that much?

I really wanted to write this post since a good while, but something was always holding me to do it. I didn't want to explain myself on this topic, I think it's something of the easiest things to experience in life, but since I have a lot of people questioning about it, here I am.

The question "Why do you travel that much" or "What? You're going again?" pops up a lot in my own environment, between some positively amazed statements, of course. It's a question that's hard and easy to explain at the same time. I didn't really choose to make travelling one of my hobbies, I wished I could have a less expensive and easier managable passion sometimes, like gardening or something.

I went out for travelling outside of Switzerland and Italy, my home country, in 2006 for the first time. I didn't really have a good summer vacation, so I decided to book an autumn trip to Greece with two good friends of mine. After I landed and drove to my hotel by bus, passing all these cute white buildings facing the very blue mediterranean sea, there was just something that came up in my head: "Damn, there is a lot of beautiful stuff to discover out in this world and I had no clue!". That's how everything basically started. That's how I figured out that I really enjoy reading about different cultures and love sightseeings. That's how I realised that I wanted more every time my feet hit the Swiss ground going back home.

I think you could maybe compare it to someone who madly loves seeing soccer games live: you travel to them as much as you can. Or somebody who gets tattooed for the first time and finds his or herself fully covered a couple of years later because of wanting more ink. Totally fine for me. I feel fully judged sometimes, like travel could be one of the biggest crimes. You really don't need to understand. I don't wander around asking people why they're going out for jogging every second day. Or why they're going out clubbing three times a week. I don't even do the opposite: by asking people "Why are you working your ass off the whole year and just go on vacation one week a year outside of the country?". It's not my business. I guess it's because they love it, right? So am I feeling about travelling.

I love it. Like I love a couple of other things I got addicted of. Some places turned out to be a habit for me, because I feel good there, it feels like home. The new places I visit are always combined with excitement because you'll never know what to expect, like how you wouldn't know how you'll react by doing skydiving for the first time.

It makes me feel good, and it gets even better knowing that I can go out to some places and visit some amazing people I met years before. It makes me happy. I totally get dosed by the feeling of packing my bags, to inform myself how to move around, just to go. And no, it's not escaping, at least, not anymore. It's opening my mind, getting to my limits, I get to know myself better after every destination. You'll learn to deal with different people, cultures and to respect them even if you don't fully get why some things are so logical for them. There's no better school than travelling. So, instead to ask me the above mentioned question, topic of this post, you really should get yourself a ticket and go. You'll might understand. Because

"Not all who wander are lost".

 

 

Photo taken in Auckland, New Zealand, by Paulo Zenz

I'm out of here #8: Fiji - Cast Away, somehow.

When  I was a kid, I was fascinated by adventorous things. I made houses out of trees, pretending to live somewhere far away, or tried to make out stories while being in the outdoors of the wide land that surrounds my house back in south Italy. That always worked out for me, I never got bored and could spend hours by inventing new stories. Then the teenage years came and some of the Fantasy got lost on the way. I still love to tell myself stories to make the world around me brighter, but they're pretty different from twenty years ago and way more realistic.

Fiji Coral Coast

My childhood Feelings came up a Little stronger again when I hit the Fiji Islands. I didn't really have a clue of what to expect from this 300 Islands complex in the Pacific, but I knew I might gonna like it. Well, I wasn't wrong. Arriving in Fiji at tiny Nadi Airport is maybe the experience that got lost years ago in Hawaii: you're greeted in a very polynesian way with singers and guitar Players, which makes the whole Arrival pretty charming.

Sunset on the Waya Island

To spent my ten days to the fullest, I booked a Bula Pass for one week, which makes Island hopping possible between the Mamanuca and Yasawa Islands. Another Thing I always was interested in as a child, was the idea of being on a tiny Island in the middle of nowhere. Obviously the whole Thing was arranged more comfortable than in the movie "Cast Away" or the world famous 80s film "Blue Lagoon" :)
Still, it was a Little dream that came true, on our first catamaran ride to the first Island, which was two hours, I saw a lot of mini Islands surrounded by clear water. And the idea of being on a couple of those in the next few days was pretty exciting, according to the 8 year old me, who was here again, somehow.

one of the views during Island hopping

Transfer time

The first stop was on the Waya Island, for one night only, just to get used to the small Island vibe and be on a hammock facing the bright ocean. When I got to our Bure, which is a traditional house construction in Fiji, I almost cried. Literally. The whole Picture was like the ones you face during winter in Switzerland when you see a getaway advertisement for exotic destinations like Mauritius. I tried to make the best Pictures as I could to describe how I felt, and I think you'll notice what I mean.

Stop number two was on the Barefoot Island for three nights, and I am glad to have Chosen this place. The Island has two different sides, one facing sunrise and the other sunset, which is just amazing. The Bures here are more like huge tents, which made me experience a sort of "Glamping" for the first time. During my travel I discovered my love for snorkeling, and Barefoot is an amazing Island to do that. It's possible to snorkel all around it and I saw the most different creatures and corals so far. There is also a 20 minutes hike on the Island, with gorgeous views especially when sunset time kicks in.

Barefoot

The Hike on Barefoot

Fijian People are some of the most welcoming that I've experienced while travelling. They smile a lot and are very positive, even if they don't really own a lot.  It was also nice to see some traditional polynesian Dance Performances, where I've learned that Fijians loved to eat human meat in the past. Not anymore, but they "still got the taste", according to some local jokes. Another must is to try the local beverage Kava: it's made of a plant root and your Body gets more and more relaxed with every sip. It's a good alternative to alcohol, since you won't get a hangover and, as the locals say: "Kava makes a good Lover", apparently.

Fiji has some Indian influence, and you can also tell by tasting its cuisine. I had some fish Curry, which tasted delicious. Some Resorts offer one fix menu per day, others have a bigger choice of dishes.

Useful tips:

Plan your trip: Besides my one week Island hopping, I booked one night to see the Coral Coast, which has beautiful beaches for snorkeling as well. My stay at Mango Bay Resort was one of the best I had in Fiji. Please Note that you should book a Transfer from the Airport Prior your Arrival.

Mango Bay Resort

When to go: I was quite scared when I heard that February is rainy season in Fiji. There is actually nothing to be afraid of! We had maybe 20 minutes of rain in 10 days. It was the best time to book because of the low Prices and the very warm Tropical weather. You won't experience overcrowded places which is a good Thing in my opinion.

Getting around: Public Transport with luggage can be a Problem in Fiji, but the most Resorts and hostels offer free or very cheap Transfers. If you plan to do some Island hopping then I'd reccommend the Smuggler's Cove Hostel and Resort for short layovers. It's located very Close to Port Denarau and to the Airport as well. Transfers between the Yasawa Flyer and the different Resorts is always provided. You can book your Bula Pass here. By the way, "Bula" means Hello & Welcome in Fijian language, you'll use it a lot during your stay :)

Smuggler's Cove's great patio

Hotel Tips: Octopus Resort for Waya Island and Barefoot Lodge for the Yasawas

The Glamping experience on Barefoot

Island Life: Most of the Resorts offer different activities,  one of the most interesting I noticed was the night snorkeling on Barefoot Island. These places are very quiet, so try to take some stuff with you to Keep yourself busy in the quiet hours of the day. Oh yeah, and here again: bring tons of mosquito Repellent.

Vinaka (Thank you) Fiji, I had a blast.