WR gets quite a lot of questions coming in from people looking to take some time out travelling from school or work, and as always we do our best to inspire and give sound advice; which could be why we’ve been mentioned by Best Universities as a Free and Useful Web Tool for Students Abroad. Their article covers everything from Government resources to sites that help you keep in touch, and WR is recommended in their Travel Guides section in the company of Lonely Planet, Frommers, Fodors and Rough Guides.
Updates from June, 2009
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Tool for Travelling Students
Kat
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And the Web 2.0 Winner is:
Kat
Big THANK YOU to everyone who voted for us in the TravelMole awards: the awards ceremony was held yesterday in Canada House, James, Al and I attending, and we were very happy to win the Web 2.0 category and take home a rather pointy glass trophy as well as the greater award: the kudos of wining. It was our users and contributors who all helped get us short listed (thanks again!) but the final decision was made by an expert panel, and it’s always nice to be appreciated, especially all Al’s work on the lovely new-look site design.
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Is all of Europe out?
Kat
Just in case you though the credit crunch has totally rained on your European travel parade, I’ve found some pockets of Europe where you won’t be held to ransom by the euro.
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Beat the Credit Crunch
Kat
We’re all looking for a break from the evils of the credit crunch - and a break to an exotic destination sounds fair… You may even be surprised to hear that there are some pretty good deals around at the moment. First check out some tips on how to travel for less, then an article about which countries have got favourable exchange rates at the moment, and finish off by weighing up the pros and cons of long haul versus short haul in the current climate… I can’t believe it either - but apparently the credit crunch does have a silver lining.
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Ski Kids
Kat
It’s so much easier to learn things when you’re a kid. It’s also less embarrassing. Especially if it’s learning something that can involve a lot of falling over. Which is why World Reviewer has put together the list of Top Ski Resorts for Families and the North American equivalent, Top Ski Resorts for Families Too (USA).
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Make a difference and volunteer
Kat
It’s been a real pleasure for me to put together the new category on Volunteering. I’ve been lucky enough to speak to a group of people who have had some really interesting experiences doing something for themselves while doing something for someone else. From Letitia Mckie’s story of he time spend with HIV orphans in South Africa to the vastly different stories about teaching English in Peru, Namibia and Micronesia, I think we have the beginnings of one of our most inspirational of categories, and I invite you to have a wander though it.
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Be Prepared
Kat
As scout masters and bank managers all over the world will tell you being prepared is as a smart lifestyle choice - and though we can’t see into the future we can definitely offer some sage suggestions for how to prepare for November. Recently nominated resident where-to-go-when expert Lara has kindly prepared us for the Best of November as well as finding out where to find the best November Festivals.
If you’re missing the sun already then my contribution to our calendar efforts is an article about where to bask in the heat of the suns rays in November.
We haven’t solved the credit crisis but at least we’re offering you the best places to escape it to…
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World Reviewer welcomes all adventurers
Kat
A big welcome to a woman who has been on some pretty big adventures, Ceris Borthwick. Her first recommendation for us was a trip overland between the UK and Cape Town. Definitely worth checking out if you’re sitting at your desk today dreaming of making the most from your time on the planet.
Can I go back on the road James?
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And the Shinto Spirits smile on me for my admiration for them.
Kat
If you go to Kyoto you’re potentially looking for traditional Japan. Geisha spotting, an invitation to a tea ceremony, admiring carefully-altered-to-perfection gardens, visiting the shrines and tasting all the detailed nuanced flavour of this ancient culture are the activities on the traveller’s agenda in Kyoto. Some of these things you can pre-arrange but some are pot luck and sometimes you need the gods to smile on you…
Which is what happened to me at the Yasaka Shrine. At the top of the main traffic street in Gion, Shijo dori, most tourists will be tempted by the bright red gate of this shrine by default because it’s right there and enter to find a shrine kept carefully lovely – it’s role in the important Gion Matsuri festival guarantees it’s gorgeous up keep. It’s main focus as a shrine is keeping people safe from illness, but it has other practical uses – namely as a wedding venue. And I was lucky enough to see two beautiful, traditional Shinto brides on their big day. In her heavy, heavily embroidered white kimono, with its long train, fan and head gear one bride was pleasant tempered-ly having her photo taken with her new husband, also dressed beautifully, and I was totally taken in an stared at here like she was some kind of exquisite artefact – which in a way she was. A thing of great beauty which totally distracted me from admiring the temple… But I’m sure it was lovely if this wonderful creature would choose it for her nuptials.May the Shinto spirits smile on her as they smiled on me when arranging that I come out the nearby Maruyama Park at just the right moment in the gentle Autumn rain.
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Shinkasen time travelling
Kat
Arriving in Kyoto from Tokyo is at first not much of a shift. The station is ultra modern and the sign-age points you in a thousand different directions, to the bus, the train, the shops, the coin lockers, the toilets the JR station, the Subway station, the rail line… You get the idea… But one you’re out of the station it is almost unbelievably different to the Tokyo I had just come from. Narrow houses, traditional style houses with bamboo shades and wood features line narrow streets running along beside twinkling canals and you can see the top of temples and shrines peeking over the top of the houses behind high gates. It doesn’t seem like a city in the same sense of the word, but a slower, gentle old town.
Walking beside the canal on the ‘Philosopher’s Walk’, named for the university philosophy lecturer who used to partake in this stroll every evening, it is peaceful. There may be tall buildings and traffic, but all I can see is those narrow houses on either side of the canal with it’s draping trees and fat, happy carp. Tea houses, and shops – some of them no doubt lures for tourists, but it’s out of season so the shop keepers are leisurely – and the tori gates which signify a shine is near, or a particularly nice tree or bridge are the landmarks.
I wander humble and peaceful as a cloud… when suddenly I see a man accompanied by a woman in one of the most beautiful kimonos I have ever seen. I could be on a film set for a film I’d love to be in. How lucky I feel at this small encounter – you can see that I’m getting into the tea ceremony ethos of making each moment its most lovely. I wonder if I can move here….P.S. TRAVEL TIPS: The new section of Kyoto station is a massive rabbit warren and it’s difficult to find the Subway - accept that you may have to follow the signs into what feels like an entirely different postcode… And try the vending machine coffee…As well as having a choice of hot or cold and it being about a quarter of the price of a cafe version they have very entertaining names.