Chronicles of a Wandering Music Fan
Akureyri is Iceland’s second-largest city, and despite the large population jump (~150,ooo in Reykjavik to ~20,000 in Akureyri), the town has quite a lot to offer. Though many of the nearby attractions and activities, such as whale watching or a visit to the Myvatn spa, can tend to be quite pricey, there are still plenty of things to do for travelers on a budget. [Read more…]
via Bæjarins Beztu’s Facebook Page
When you think of the “national food of Iceland”, you may be thinking of cod, skyr, or lamb…but you’d be wrong. Turns out, the ultimate Icelandic food is the pylsa, or hot dog.
Icelanders really, REALLY love hot dogs.
…and for good reason! Pylsur are fantastic and super cheap, maybe even the cheapest cooked food you can buy in Iceland. A pylsa comes with ketchup, raw onions, crispy onions, a sweet Icelandic mustard, and a remulade. You can make them at home (ingredients are widely available at grocery stores in Iceland…you may even want to bring some back with you for when the pylsa craving takes over at home. It will.), and they’re available at a lot of different places, but the very best hot dogs come from the famous Bæjarins Beztu stands, the most popular of which is right by the harbor, and conveniently located next to several downtown bars for optimal drunk munching. [Read more…]
Seljalandsfoss, on Iceland’s south coast.
Iceland is one of Europe’s newly-very-popular tourist destinations. Between airfare deals from their biggest airline, a recent addition as an EasyJet destination, and huge festivals like Iceland Airwaves drawing in foreigners by the thousands, there’s been a steady increase in backpackers and budget travelers visiting this beautiful volcanic rock.
As I embark today on a 2-month trip to Iceland (my third visit in two years…I think I might be kind of addicted), I’m again thinking about ways i can keep to my budget and save money in this rather expensive country. Here are a few of the easiest ways to save some serious kronur, and make the most of your time in this amazing place. [Read more…]
Switzerland has a lot to offer a traveler: It’s spectacularly beautiful (tons of mountains and lakes? Yes please!), easily accessible from its many bordering countries, and has ridiculously good chocolate. What more could you ask?
Unfortunately, Switzerland is incredibly expensive, which can deter a lot of budget travelers. Worry not! there are plenty of ways to save money, making a trip to Switzerland quite feasible for those traveling on a budget. [Read more…]
So you’re headed on a long trip and you want to make sure you have all of your important documents backed up and readily accessible. Do you buy a scanner? Spending over $100 just to have a copy of your passport on hand seems excessive. What about bringing your documents to a copy shop like Kinko’s? Possible, but inconvenient, and who wants to have their passport number available to more people than necessary? Or trip confirmations available to strangers?
As I am scanner-less, I’ve spent a lot of time looking for a good/secure solution to this problem. A friend recently directed me to TurboScan, which he had used for handouts from his university classes, and I was hooked! [Read more…]
Hostel traveling has a lot of benefits, with the low price and heightened sense of community being the most prominent. I much prefer hostels to hotels as a rule, but the more I stay, the more I realize that the same types of ‘bad neighbors’ seem to present themselves over and over again. The following are, in my experience, the nine worst and most common offenders, whose obnoxious behavior can detract from the generally positive experience of staying in a hostel. Don’t be these people! [Read more…]
1. Skip the Space Needle.
I know, I know, I’m telling you to skip the most iconic icon that has ever icon-ed in Seattle. By all means, when you go to Seattle Center to visit the Experience Music Project or to see a sweet laser show at the Pacific Science Center, definitely check out the Space Needle…from the outside. Otherwise, you are paying $18 to ride in an elevator, and that is just tooooo ridiculous.
Instead, try going to the Columbia Tower, where admission to the 73rd floor observation deck is a much more reasonable $12, with unlimited re-entry all day–perfect to come watch the sunset from one of the highest points in the city. The Columbia Center observation deck provides a 360-degree view of Seattle, and then your cityscape shots can include the Space Needle. [Read more…]
I’m Katy, a Seattleite quitting my normal life to pursue my two greatest passions: travel and music. I’m documenting my general travel adventures, as well as great record stores, labels, festivals, and music I find around the world.