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Monday, 7 November 2011
Wednesday, 7 September 2011
Tokyo on the cheap
As per the previous post, Tokyo is one of the
most expensive cities to be a tourist or traveller. My friend Alice lived there
for about 4 years. Here are her tips on cheap or free fun times.
This half day plan for Tokyo is especially good for Sundays & a good remedy to museums. Apart from train tickets, food & drink, it is all free. It is worth a mention that these are based on my time there in 2006.
Take the train to Shibuya station & get out at the Hachiko exit. Have a look at the loyal dog statue and check out the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world. There is a Starbucks with a great view over the crossing - a great spot for people watching.
This half day plan for Tokyo is especially good for Sundays & a good remedy to museums. Apart from train tickets, food & drink, it is all free. It is worth a mention that these are based on my time there in 2006.
Take the train to Shibuya station & get out at the Hachiko exit. Have a look at the loyal dog statue and check out the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world. There is a Starbucks with a great view over the crossing - a great spot for people watching.
Next up, walk to Harajuku station (or train it) - there is an elevated walkway towards the park. On Sundays this is where you'll find heaps of dressed up teenagers looking all Gothic or manga - like & loving the attention. Keep going and you'll find Meiji jinga (shrine) in Yoyogi Park. The shrine has a lovely long entrance that includes walking under the torii gates - it is a nice shady place to be in summer. The shrine is great to look at and you'll often see a traditional wedding.
Head back out and spend some time in
Yoyogi park - on the weekend there's some awesome people watching, pet watching
(dressed up dogs, rabbits … crazy stuff) plus people doing kendo, singing or
dancing.
Hungry? If you are happy at the
park, grab an ice-cream from one of the vending machines (Y100) or head back to
Harajuku station and grab something from the convenience store (beer, rice ball,
sushi, spaghetti ... there's a high turnover so there's a fair range and fresh
Y300+). If you are happy to leave the park, walk into Harajuku, on to the
main drag - Omotesando dori/street. Opposite Zara, there is a cheap but good
sushi train place on the first floor - plates from Y100, plus all the wasabi,
ginger & tea you can eat & drink.
There you go - a nice chilled out day
so you will be all rested up for karaoke or dancing!
Other places I'd suggest: Kichijoji
Park during cherry blossom time, pizza delivered to your picnic blanket- need I
say more?
Catholic themed
bar/restaurantDay/weekend trip to Hakone
Rail & Train tickets
Guest house with hot spring
Great Izakaya pub food nearby and just down the road from the Petit Prince museum.
Free things in the world’s most expensive cities
Another great tip list from Lonely Planet. Sign up for their email newsletter to get more great tips in your inbox.
Thursday, 25 August 2011
Top 10 most surprising things about travelling
Check out Ben Groundwater's - Top 10 most
surprising things about travelling.
Ben is Fairfax's
resident globetrotter on a shoe-string.
Thursday, 23 June 2011
Email yourself!
As you may have guessed dear reader,
I'm not a 21 year old backpacker. I can remember the days when you would send
postcards home from your travels. Some folks still do it, and it is nice
getting a postcard that someone has spent time out from their holiday buying,
writing & posting just to you. But in these days of the Internet, Email, Skype, Facebook, Blogs, Twitter and smartphones,
postcards seem to be from a bygone era.
Now, I'm not pining for those far off
times when travel was slower or less connected; although I would like to do
some long train journeys in the future. As long as the train has Wi-Fi access!
For safety reasons we've been told to
make copies of our vital documents: Passport, Visas, insurance documents, etc.;
and stick 'em in the bottom of our backpacks. Better still, swap copies with
your travelling companions. While both of these are good ideas, we now have the
technology to improve on this. You can scan your documents & email them to your
Internet email account, Gmail
in my case. You can also email them to a friend at home, and / or your
travelling companions. On my last trip OS, I used the iPhone app Evernote to
store documents, take notes and write my blog.
So instead of carrying physical copies of the important documents, which you would also lose if your luggage was stolen, why not store them in Cyberspace. Then all you have to do is get thee to an Internet Cafe or Wi-Fi hotspot to retrieve your precious documents.
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Tune Hotels are coming to Oz
When in Asia, Tight Arse Travel chooses to stay in Tune Hotels. I've mentioned these fine establishments in a previous post, and am glad to see them bringing their no frills business model down under. I for one will be glad to see them shake up the budget end of the industry. They are opening the first hotel in Melbourne on 1 November 2013.
http://www.tunehotels.com/my/en/our-hotels/melbourne/
http://www.tunehotels.com/my/en/concept/
http://www.tunehotels.com/my/en/our-hotels/melbourne/
http://www.tunehotels.com/my/en/concept/
The Odyssey
Graham David Hughes has a penchant for tight arse travel. He has to; he
was trying to travel to every country on earth in one journey without flying.
Now if anyone knows about travelling on a shoestring it's this guy. check out his website and his 20 tips to travelling on the cheap. His initial plan was to do it all in one
calendar year. Unfortunately due to circumstances beyond his control, this time
frame has blown out a little.
The world's best free stuff from Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet recently sent me an email about free stuff around the world, and that's my favourite price!
Wednesday, 8 June 2011
We Can Remember It for You Wholesale
Here is one of the cheapest holidays you can ever take: no passport, visa, vaccinations or insurance needed. You don't have to worry about the weather, language, customs or currency.
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
WWOOFing
No it’s not an amateur werewolf club; much more mundane than that.
WWOOF is a worldwide network of organisations that link volunteers with organic farmers, and help people share more sustainable ways of living. In return for volunteer help, WWOOF hosts offer food, accommodation and opportunities to learn about organic lifestyles. WWOOF organisations link people who want to volunteer on organic farms or smallholdings with people who are looking for volunteer help.
If you have the time when travelling, it's a great way to slow down, find out about the area and get absorbed into the local culture. You won't get paid, but you can live for free, and if you are lucky the folks you are staying with will take you on merry jaunts.
Friday, 25 March 2011
Eat the local food
I'd add - To make your eating experience safer and more enjoyable, choose an establishment which is busy. This usually means a quick turnover of ingredients and the food is cooked fresh. Night markets and street food are often the best way to experience the local culture. Not only do you get up close and personal with the chef, but you get to see the ingredients and cooking method.
Sunday, 20 March 2011
Couch surfing
I
remembered this morning a conversation I had with Mr. Grace; tour guide,
logistics expert and ex-marathon runner. Couch surfing has turned pro. The term
was used by poor Uni. students and hippies to describe their tight arsed way of
scrimping on accommodation costs by sleeping on couches of friends, or
unsuspecting friends of friends when travelling or looking for cheap digs of
their own. Now there is an organisation with which you can register your needs
or resources - Couch surfing.
As
they state on their website "Couch Surfing is an international non-profit
network that connects travellers with locals in over 230 countries and
territories around the world. Since 2004, members have been using our system to
come together for cultural exchange, friendship, and learning experiences.
Today, over a million people who might otherwise never meet are able to share
hospitality and cultural understanding."Thursday, 10 March 2011
Car Pooling
There is a community in Australia called Carpool One who operate a web based service to connect people travelling from & to the same destinations.
They state on their website - 'If you're tired of spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on your everyday commute, looking for a travel buddy for the next great road trip, concerned about our environment or just need a lift, then check out how Carpool One can help!'
http://www.carpoolone.com.au/
They state on their website - 'If you're tired of spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on your everyday commute, looking for a travel buddy for the next great road trip, concerned about our environment or just need a lift, then check out how Carpool One can help!'
http://www.carpoolone.com.au/
Monday, 21 February 2011
Tightarse Tune Towels
When on the road in Asia, TightArseTravel choose to stay in Tune Hotels. We love them because you only pay for what you use; this includes towels. You could choose to use your own towel, but then you may have a wet towel when you leave. You could choose to rent a towel from the hotel, but that's hardly part of the TightArseTravel philosophy. We choose to use the bath mat supplied; best of both worlds.
Thursday, 10 February 2011
Dumping at the duty free shop
We all love picking up duty free booze when we get home from an OS trip, and it can be a balancing act to run down your foreign currency to the last cent before heading home. Why not use up all those left over Ringgit, Baht, and Rupees by offloading them in the duty free shop? Most checkout registers used in duty free shops, can do all the currency conversions on the fly. I usually start with the currency I am least likely to use again, and work my way down to the $US. If there is still a shortfall, you can pay with A$ or your credit card.
Wednesday, 9 February 2011
Tuesday, 8 February 2011
Keep your room cool and dry your clothes
If you have a hotel room where all the electrics are controlled by the key fob inserted in a slot, remove the key from the fob and leave the fob in the slot. Now you can leave the A/C running while you go out and get sweaty. Also, if you have washed your smalls they will dry quicker in the dry air produced by the A/C. You can also leave any fans on to help circulate the dry air. I put the key on a string around my neck, so I can't lose it.
Upgrade your flight
When checking in for your flight, ask nicely for an upgrade. Unfortunately, most of the time you will be refused, but you might as well ask. Who knows, you may get upgraded on that long haul flight you were dreading. It also helps if you are dressed smartly and well presented. Airlines are hardly going to give you a free upgrade if you look like a slob.
Guide Books - on the cheap
If your trip is less than a month, borrow the relevant guide book from your local library, it's free! Even if you incur a late fee, it will be far less than buying the book. Guide books for popular destinations are published regularly, so if you are lucky, you'll get a reasonably recent issue. You can now download chapters of Lonely Planet Guide books instead of buying the whole book. LP also have apps for the iPhone & iPad.
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