Archive for Alex

Wild Swimming: 5 Secret Spots for a Refreshing Dip in UK

Looking for a wild swimming spot that is off the beaten path? Check out these five locations in the United Kingdom for a refreshing dip. Though they are hidden, these waters are not necessarily remote. In fact, some might be found right on your doorstep. So grab your swimming gear and head to one of these amazing spots!

Porth Wen

Porth Wen is one of the best wild swimming spots in the UK, and it’s easy to see why. This place used to be a Victorian brickworks, and its crumbling moss-covered harbour spills into the sparkling rock pools below. The water is refreshing, and the views are simply magnificent. If you’re looking for unique photo ops along with a refreshing dip, Porth Wen is definitely the place to go.

Black Moss Pott

Black Moss Pott is one of the most popular wild swimming spots in the lakes, and it’s easy to see why. The water is crystal clear, and the rocks around it are perfect for jumping into the water. There are also some lovely pubs around, to reward yourself after a day of swimming.

Watkins Pools

Watkins Pools is one of the most underrated and overlooked wild swimming spots in the UK. Situated in the heart of Snowdonia National Park, just a little way from one of the hiking trails, you may have walked past these majestic pools on your way to Snowdon’s summit. This series of pools and waterfalls that cascade down the valley provide the perfect place for a day of wild swimming. The Watkins Pools are a hidden gem and should not be missed.

Tellisford

Tellisford is a real bucolic haven, and one of the few wild-swimming spots that’s deep enough for jumping into. The best launch pad is from a nearby tree stump, as the local kids have discovered. The pool by the sloping field and the large weir is a great place to cool off on a hot summer day, and it’s also a beautiful spot for a picnic. Whether you’re looking for a place to take a dip or just want to enjoy the scenic view, Tellisford is definitely worth a visit.

Lake Windermere

Lake Windermere is the undisputed king of outdoor swimming in the Lake District, but there are plenty of other great lakes to take a dip in. Lake Buttermere is a great option for wild swimmers looking for a challenge. The water is usually quite cold, but the views are stunning. If you’re feeling brave, why not dive in and see for yourself? You won’t be disappointed!

5 Ways to stay occupied on a flight

Traveling to a new destination is always great fun, regardless of whether you’re taking a beach vacation or flying to New England to tour Boston houses for sale. However, for as fun as traveling can be, actually getting to and from your destination can be a drag. Flights tend to be boring, especially ones that take several hours to complete. Thankfully there are some ways that you can make long flights much more bearable. So how exactly can you make time pass by faster on a plane? Here are five ways to stay occupied on a flight.

Read

One of the best ways to pass time while on a flight is by reading something. Reading is a very engaging activity, allowing time to pass by quite quickly. Getting engrossed in a good novel or story is a fantastic way to distract yourself, no matter what you’re doing. Additionally, you can engross yourself in many types of literature. You don’t necessarily have to read a thrilling novel on a flight, as you could instead read some issues of your favorite magazines to pass the time. No matter what you prefer to read, reading while on a flight is a fantastic way to make the flight seem like it goes by faster.

Watch a Show or Movie

Another classic way to distract yourself on a flight is by watching a T.V. show or movie. Many airlines have a selection of shows and movies to choose from. Additionally, many popular streaming services allow you to download shows and movies for later use, allowing you to watch them even when you don’t have wifi access. Shows and movies are just as engrossing as reading a book, making them a great way to stay occupied on a flight. If you get really into a thrilling show, time will fly by while you’re on your flight. Finally, movies usually last around two hours, making them perfect for shorter flights.

Play a Game

It’s usually only an option when you’re flying with friends and family, but playing a game is a great way to pass the time while on a flight. Simple games like tic tac toe can provide quick fun and don’t require any equipment besides a pen and paper.

However, with newer technology like smartphones and tablets becoming mainstream in the last decade, playing complex games has become extremely easy. Classic board games like chess can be played on these electronic devices, as well as brand new exciting mobile games. Many of these games can be played solo vs. the A.I., or with a friend. Once you start playing these games, you’ll be so engrossed that you likely won’t realize how much time has passed by on your flight.

Listen to a Podcast or Album

A relaxing way to pass the time on a flight is by listening to a new episode of a podcast or by turning on your favorite album. While these activities may not be as engaging as some of the other options, they are still great at helping you pass the time on a flight. Another great thing about these activities is that they are conducive to sleep. On long flights or overnight flights, listening to a podcast or music is a great way to occupy your mind and block out other noises. This means you can use what you’re listening to as a way to fall asleep easier, helping you to further pass the time on your flight.

Last Minute Trip Planning

One of the more productive ways to occupy your time on your flight is by doing some last-minute trip planning. By doing this, you can finalize all of the plans you’ve made for your trip, ensuring that you have everything you need for your trip to go smoothly.

This may entail going over the itinerary of your trip or brushing up on the local language of the place that you’re visiting. Doing all of this requires you to be focused and engrossed, meaning time will go by quite quickly. On top of all that, you’re not just simply filling time, but rather doing something extremely productive on your flight.

Why exploring the world doesn’t have to cost as much as you might think

If you ask someone why they haven’t tried exploring the world yet, one answer will usually prevail more than all others: “it’s too expensive”. And while that may be true if you want to take advantage of the full range of luxuries you can get for your travel and accommodation, it’s definitely far from the general case. In fact, it’s easier than ever to explore the world on a budget as long as you’re aware of the options that are available to you, and know how to use them to your full potential.

The Internet Has Changed Everything

The average person today has a lot more freedom to just pack up their things and start exploring the world compared to anyone in history. And much of that is owed to the internet and its tight integration into our lives. It’s easy to find good deals for pretty much any destination around the world. Companies like Porter Airlines cover a large number of places across the USA and Canada. From flights to Toronto, New York, and many other major destinations (and some not so major ones), you can get a pretty good deal without having to spend a lot of money. Porter Airlines in particular is a favorite among experienced travellers, as they tend to offer some great seasonal promotions.

The same applies to things like accommodation, eating out, and many other aspects of your trip. You no longer have to limit yourself to what your travel agent recommends, or risk falling into common tourist traps by exploring on your own. With a smartphone in your pocket, you have all the information about your local area that you may ever need right at your fingertips.

People Are More Open Than Ever

There’s also something to be said about the openness of people as a whole. You’ll find a very welcoming attitude from the locals in many parts of the world, even some that are not traditionally associated with major tourist destinations. It’s hard to say where exactly this is coming from. Perhaps it’s another consequence of the way the internet has brought everyone together, or perhaps people have always been that prone to goodness towards each other, and we’re just seeing that more clearly in recent years.

But in any case, you have lots of options that can help you bridge any gaps in your finances with the help of others. From couch surfing, to ride sharing and more, you can enjoy a lot of services that have been made possible through the pooling of communal resources. And even if you don’t have anything to contribute right now, don’t worry. That’s not the point.

Getting the Most Out of Each Place You Visit

Exploring the world isn’t just about checking locations off a list and moving on to the next one. You should try to maximise what you get out of each place you visit, as that’s the true point of going around the planet in the first place. To this end, you can get a lot out of your travels even if you’re on a smaller budget, as long as you make it a point to actually dig into each place you go through, and learn something new about it.

In fact, it might be beneficial to have limited funds when you’re starting out in your travels, because this can force you to take a more careful look around the places that you’re exploring, and to ensure that you’re truly getting everything that they have to offer.

Supplementing Your Income on a Longer Trip

Another great thing about travelling around the world today, compared to a couple of decades or so ago, is that you are no longer so heavily bound to your place of residence in terms of income. You live in the age of the digital nomad, and you should take full advantage of that. If you have any skills that can be sold online, you can turn this into a freelancing gig without too much effort. And with just a small laptop in your backpack, you can keep working on the go wherever you are, and supplement your trips with a nice stream of extra income.

In fact, some people have taken the aforementioned concept of the “digital nomad” to some extreme levels, operating entirely on the move, and never settling down. It might sound stressful to you, but some consider it a very liberating feeling to know that they can just pack up and move to a completely different location at any time, and their income situation won’t be affected in the slightest.

It’s a Skill Like any Other

Don’t feel down if your trips don’t turn out completely flawless the first few times. Travelling – especially on a global scale – is a skill, and you’ll need to take some time to polish it if you want to see good results consistently. Make sure that you learn something from each trip, even if it goes through smoothly. There is always something that you could have done better, and paying attention to those factors will make it a lot easier to organise even more complex trips for the future.

It Will Only Get Better

And the more you do this, the easier it will become. Not just because you’ll gain experience as we described above, but also because the world is constantly changing and moving even further in a direction of improvement. As we said earlier, it’s easier than ever to travel around the world on a more restricted budget and still get a lot out of the experience. And if you think that’s true now, just wait and see how things will evolve in the next decade. There are many reasons to believe that travelling is going to be one of the most heavily impacted sectors in the near future, and we’re already seeing the first signs of that progress on the horizon through the rise of services like Airbnb and Uber.

Always Have a List – But Keep It Flexible

Choosing where to go next can be part of the fun, but it can also be a daunting experience if you don’t approach it in an organised manner. Keep a list of places that you want to visit, and do your best to tick them off, but make sure that the list is as flexible as possible as well. Sometimes your plans aren’t going to come together exactly as you were hoping, and you may not be able to make your next target destination. Having alternatives is a good way to keep things fresh without breaking the bank in those cases.

The sooner you get started with this, the better. There is so much to gain from exploring the world, and we don’t mean pictures for Instagram either. The kinds of experiences you’ll have once you make this a regular part of your life will be truly eye-opening, and it doesn’t have to cost you a lot of money to get them either. All you need is a planned, organised approach, and the patience to scout out the best deals on a regular basis. The rest comes down to gathering enough experience about the way the process works and putting it to good use.

Around the world in 80 hours to 80 days

Round-the-world-trip done in 80 hours might not seem possible at first sight. I agree that 80 days sound more logical and doable. But I’ve read that you could travel around the world on a plane in 80 hours! I mean, if you followed almost the identical route as in the famous novel I’m refering to.

Around the world in eighty days might ring a bell, right? It is a well-known classic novel written by Jules Verne in 1873. The main protagonist of the novel Phileas Fogg leaves London to travel around the globe. He makes his way towards the East through Egypt, India, Hong Kong, Japan, the US and back to London. Phileas decided to prove that it was possible to be done in 80 days because he got into an argument at the Reform Club about it. As a nobel man of his word, he just wants to prove he is right. Yes, the whole trip started as a bet 🙂

Phileas’s original route covered an incredible 40,765 miles. Good news are that nowadays it would be necessary to cover between 27,788 miles (flying by plane) to maximum 31,925 miles (if traveling by car). It makes it 1/4 less of the original distance.

 

 

Yes, traveling is becoming faster and easier each year. Can you see the difference when it comes to distance and time traveled in the 19th century vs now almost 150 years later? If you want to travel more, there’s no excuses. It’s easier than ever, trust me.

 

I’d like to tell you more details so let me be clear.

There’s different kinds of transportations to travel around the world but in this research 4 of them were taken into consideration:

  1. boat
  2. car
  3. train
  4. plane

 

As you can guess, the fastest global expedition would be by plane but to follow the similar route as in the novel, you’d need to also take 3 trains. By plane it’s necessary to cover 27,788 miles and it could be really done in 80 hours!

On the other hand, traveling by boat would take you the longest. You would still manage to to complete a round-the-world trip from London in less than 80 days. Considering ideal weather for sailing, it would take you 72 days, to be exact.

 

The following interactive chart made by Betway will tell you more about different modes of transportations, length of routes etc.

 

 

What do you think about this? Would you rather take the fastest or the slowest route? What’s more important for you, time or the mode of transportation? Tell me in the comments.

How to enjoy Ottawa on a budget

Ottawa Canada

Ottawa is Canada’s capital city and because of that we can expect things to be slightly pricier than we would in other cities. However, many people do not want to miss out on this part of Canada when they come to visit. The beautiful Victorian architecture and the stunning Rideau Canal are not to be missed; especially when the latter freezes over in winter! If you are thinking of visiting Ottawa with a strict budget in mind, here are some tips and tricks to help you stay on course financially.

 

How to enjoy Ottawa on a budget

 

Start with Planning

You can save a massive amount of money during your planning and booking stage. The advantage of this is it then gives you more money to play with when you get there. Would you rather stay in a hostel and eat well or would you rather have a nice hotel room but scrape and save on food and activities? These are the sorts of questions you need to be asking yourselves.

One of the best places where you could save a little money is with your flights to Ottawa. You can often save money by splitting up your trip by flying into different cities instead of direct, or you could go for an airline with lower prices but a commitment to delivering a great service. If you would like to know more about the latter, you can check out the link here: https://www.flyporter.com/en-ca/book-flights/where-we-fly/canada/ottawa

 

Get Around Town on the Bus

You should always aim to travel on public transport instead of getting taxis in a new city and Ottawa has made sure that this is easy for you to do. If you want to use a bus to see more of the city, you can buy a DayPass. This allows you unlimited same-day travel on the bus system in the city; perfect if you are going to be going here, there and everywhere.

 

Get a Bike

Ottawa has plenty of cycling trails and bike lanes, making it a very safe city for cyclists. Even if you are not the most confident of cyclists, you are bound to get around with little difficulty. There are plenty of places where you can rent a bike to get about. Whether you want it for just a day or a little longer, you will be able to find the perfect rental for you.

Head out to Petrie island from Rideau Hall for a longer day trip but a beautiful ride. You will hug the Ottawa river all the way down the coast. If you are in the mood for something a little more challenging, head up into Gatineau Park.

 

Ottawa Canada

 

Know Where the Free Attractions Are

Luckily, many of the attractions in Ottawa are either free or have certain times when they are free to the public. For example, Parliament Hill is open for free tours every day. If you are interested in finding out more about the government of Canada, you should definitely swing by here. The tours can change or reschedule due to events happening in the government but there is no reason why you should not be able to have a look around at some point.

Many of the museums in Ottawa are paid admission but they also run certain nights where it is free to enter. On Thursdays between 5 and 8 PM, you can enter the National Gallery of Canada, the Canadian Museum of History, and the Canadian War Museum for free. These are just some of the places you can get into if you know where to look.

 

Eat How the Locals Eat

There are plenty of restaurants in Ottawa which cater to tourists but these places may be on the pricier side because of this. Never be afraid to eat how the locals want to eat! One great way to save some money is to book accommodation which is self-catering. This might be out in the suburbs, meaning it would be cheaper anyway, and then it would also have access to a local supermarket or two.

Here you can pick up all the food you could want for much less than what a restaurant might offer. You can even attempt to make some of Canada’s national dishes for yourself this way, in the comfort of your rented accommodation. The DIY attitude can also extend to lunches. Why spend a fortune on lunch in a fancy restaurant when you can just as easily pick up a picnic to have in one of Ottawa’s many beautiful parks? Small changes like this are bound to save you money in the long term; money which you can easily spend on another part of your holiday.

 

Grab Some Yoga on Parliament Hill

Had a flight which has put a crick in your neck? Been travelling for weeks on end and just need a moment to relax? You should check out the yoga on Parliament Hill. This is a free session run on Wednesdays which allows the population of Ottawa to come out and have a stretch. It is not unknown for the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to also pop out with his yoga mat every now and then. I did not know about it at first until I was inside the Parliament building and noticed people practicing yoga below on the grass. So cool, right?

These sessions are completely free and are sponsored by the Canadian brand Lululemon. If you feel the need to let go and stretch out your muscles a little then you should definitely consider stopping by one of these sessions in the sun.

 

Head Over in Winter

The temperatures might drop but Ottawa comes alive in winter. The Rideau Canal completely freezes over and turns into the world’s largest outdoor skating rink at a staggering 7.8km! It could form the perfect way for you to get around the city if you are visiting in winter. Skate rentals are everywhere up and down the length of the canal so you can always grab a pair.

In February, Winterlude comes to Ottawa. This is a special festival which is all about the beauty and majesty of winter. With three weeks of frozen fun, the city might not be the cheapest to visit but you don’t want to miss out. Consider staying in one of the nearby towns and hopping into Ottawa on the local commuter transport so you can enjoy everything Winterlude has to offer without breaking the bank. These are just two of the events on offer in Ottawa over winter, proving it is as fun to visit as it is in summer.

 

Know You Can’t Do Anything

Unless you are in Ottawa for a short-term residency, there is no way you would be able to do everything the city has to offer. Even then, unless you go through one full year you will miss out on either the summer or winter activities this amazing place can provide. We think it is therefore important that you take the time to work out which of the attractions in Ottawa sound the most appealing to you.

You can always return to the city (it certainly isn’t going anywhere) which will allow you to explore more and more each time. Decide what is most important for you to see and make sure that you do that each trip. Ottawa might be a capital city but that doesn’t mean that you have to blow your budget each and every time you visit.

 

 



TIP: Here’s 34 interesting facts about Ottawa I learned there when I visited. Ottawa is full of surprises!

TIP 2: You might know that I was born in Slovakia, in Central Europe. You have no idea how surprised I was to see that Canada and Slovakia are similar in so many ways. What do I mean? Have a read 😉