Backpacking with a car
Posted by: charlottec | October 21, 2011 | No Comments
Driving a car in Europe
Posted by: charlottec | October 5, 2011 | No Comments
If you’re visiting from America, there are a few things to bear in mind about driving in Europe. Most cars have manual transmissions – so if you’re only used to driving an automatic, it might be worth asking if you can practice in a friend’s manual car before you set off. You can hire automatics in Europe, but they generally are more expensive, and, once you get the hang of using a manual transmission, it adds to the driving experience. Make sure you have an International Driver’s Permit as well as your normal driving licence. Also, read up about the road regulations for the countries you’ll be driving in.
Fuel prices are more expensive in Europe (including the UK) than the States, so be prepared for some jaw-dropping totals when you fill up the tank. One way to avoid such expense on fuel is to drive a hybrid car. Hybrids are more fuel-efficient as the engine is assisted by an electric motor. However, these can be more expensive to hire in the first place, so work out whether you’ll be doing enough miles to justify it.
If you’re concerned about the environmental impact of driving while travelling, make sure you’ve got people to share the car with – you can often meet other travellers who will want to journey with you for a few days or weeks at youth hostels. If possible, check out the car’s credentials to make sure that you’re driving one of the many low emission cars that are now available. In this way, you’ll keep the amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases that your trip produces to a minimum.
Greener travel by bike
Posted by: charlottec | September 26, 2011 | No Comments
One way to assuage your guilt is to not hire a car when you get to your destination. Instead you can make use of public transport – trains and buses – or maybe hike a bike instead. Cycling can be a great way to explore a new city – and many cities provide bikes for free, for residents and visitors alike.
If you don’t feel up to providing the pedal power, you could always hire a Segway. However, although these electrically-powered two-wheelers are good for the planet, you do run the risk of looking slightly silly riding around on one. A better option for your street cred might be to use an electric bicycle. In this way, you look like you’re riding a normal bike, but have the advantage of an electric motor which can either be used to help you up hills or provide all of the pedal power if you don’t feel like doing it yourself.
The biggest advantage of sightseeing on bike is that you can stop and start as often as you like. You also won’t have to worry about finding a parking space or having the right change to feed a parking meter.
Cycling may not be the most practical idea if you’ve got the family in tow, or if you’re going out into the wilderness, where 4×4 cars might be the better option, but for singletons or couples around town, touring around on a bike can be green and it can be fun, too.
Tent holidays are special
Posted by: charlottec | September 20, 2011 | No Comments
It’s actually surprising to most people who fly into the UK for the first time just how green the country is. Perhaps they have an image of Heathrow Airport as being in the middle of a concrete jungle, and that the whole of the country is one big road system.
In fact, Britain has some of the most outstanding scenery in Europe. Within easy reach of London you can be at the South Downs or the Cotswolds, and further afield in the south of the country visitors find rural delights in counties like Dorset, Devon and Cornwall.
Wales, aside from Swansea and Cardiff, is a land of mountains, valleys, rivers and beaches. And Scotland has Loch Ness, Loch Lomond and the likes of the Highlands, including the highest mountain in the country, Ben Nevis.
What better way could there be to explore the countryside of the British Isles than on a camping holiday? There are some wonderful natural trails to hike along, including the Pennine Way which has its southernmost point in the Peak District of Derbyshire.
There are other accommodation solutions, to be sure, including youth hostels and bed & breakfasts. But for many people, there is nothing that beats the satisfaction of erecting a tent for the night and settling down to sleep knowing that nature is so close.
As far as foreign visitors to Britain are concerned, some may be worried that they will not be able to fit camping gear into their luggage or that they will have to pay excess baggage if they bring their tents from home.
But actually there are many companies who will hire out tents for a night, a week or a month. And if you decide to buy a tent, you will have various options when it comes to the end of your trip.
You could advertise the product on an internet auction site, sell it to a shop that deals with secondhand camping gear, or arrange to ship it back to your home. If you won’t need it again for a while, and are not worried about it arriving back within a week or two, you’ll be able to find some cut-price ways of sending back all your camping gear.
Take the car, but drive it green
Posted by: charlottec | September 8, 2011 | No Comments
Old school thoughts about using up more petrol when you restart your engine are not relevant to today’s cars. For example, it’s more environmentally friendly to park the car and go into a store or restaurant than sitting at a drive-thru window, letting the car idle. Many hybrid cars in the UK now come with stop-start technology, where the engine automatically cuts out in a queue and restarts automatically when the brake pedal is released. It has the same effect as switching the engine off and on again in a conventional car.
Your style of driving can also have a huge effect on carbon dioxide emissions. Aggressive weaving in and out of traffic, or speeding up and then suddenly braking makes the engine work harder and produce more emissions.
Timing your trips is another way to be a greener driver. If you plan the journeys you need to make and fit errands like food shopping in alongside, then you’ll reduce the amount of separate trips you have to make. If your workplace offers flexible working hours, you could also start your day after the rush hour and finish later, so that you don’t have to spend more time on your commute stuck in traffic.
It used to be that 4×4 cars had the reputation as the worst gas-guzzlers on our roads, but now there are a number of models that are as fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly as other types of car.
Every step you take to reduce your fuel consumption represents a financial saving, but also has the bonus effect of reducing your car’s carbon dioxide emissons. Even though you still use the car, making a few simple adjustments to your driving routine and style can help protect the environment.
Hire a hybrid
Posted by: charlottec | August 30, 2011 | No Comments
The most logical choice for eco-friendly travellers is to take the train, bus or other forms of public transport when you’ve arrived in your destination country. But if you’re travelling with the family, this may not be the most cost-effective option. However, it’s now possible to hire a hybrid car from most rental agencies. In general, hybrid vehicles emit 80% less harmful pollutants and greenhouse gases than conventional cars, so you’ll be causing less pollution on your trip.
As well as putting far fewer carbon emissions into the atmosphere, driving a hybrid will save you money as you’ll have to fill up the tank less frequently. This is because hybrids have both a petrol or diesel engine and an electric motor to power them. The electric motor assists the engine during acceleration, meaning that less fuel needs to be burned.
It can also be an excellent way of trying out a hybrid vehicle if you’re thinking of changing your car at home. Rather than just going out for a test drive, you’ll get to experience driving a hybrid in all kinds of traffic conditions and distances, and really get a feel for if it’s the right kind of car for you. The best family car on the road today can provide not only flexible seating for the family and good boot space for your luggage, but it can also impact less on the environment.
So how do you know if you’re choosing a hybrid rental over a normal car? Most rental agencies highlight hybrids with an eco sticker, or label them green in some other way. And you can always ask if you’re in doubt.
Vegan meals on the move
Posted by: charlottec | August 23, 2011 | No Comments
Unless you have a plug-in coolbox, make sure you take items that won’t perish. It’s never worth relying on finding something when you get to a service station, as finding supplies of vegan food can never be guaranteed.
Favourite vegan travel foods include nut butter that you can dip fruit, crackers or pretzels in; houmous with crackers, granola or cereal bars, dried or fresh fruit and canned vegetables in single serve portions.
It’s also a wise idea to do some research on your destination’s supermarkets – do they carry the brands you’re used to, or is it best to bring your favourite ingredients with you? Also, check out the local restaurants so that you know whether you’ll be able to eat out while you’re there. If you’re not that well organised, then look out for restaurants with all you can eat buffets or salad bars – they often have plenty of options for vegans like salads, baked potatoes, pasta and cooked vegetables.
When you’ve got your vegan snacks and meals sorted out for the journey, it’s also worth thinking about the vehicle you’re travelling in. Is it the best choice for the environment or is it adding to the carbon dioxide emissions going into the atmosphere? When you’re next ready to change your car, you could consider switching to an alternative fuel car or hybrid car that has lower emissions and therefore a smaller impact on the environment.
With more low emission cars on the road, they’re becoming more affordable as the second-hand market opens up and it’s no longer always necessary to buy new.
Eating in Scotland
Posted by: charlottec | August 22, 2011 | No Comments
Having spent a short holiday in Glencoe this year I was lucky enough to sample the most superb venison served with a port and redcurrant sauce at a local restaurant. Venison also figured as a starter in the form of a terrine accompanied by a juniper chutney which looked equally tempting, although I had opted for the local smoked salmon. Check some online recipes to try and cook the delicacies at home as well. Fish and shellfish also featured on the menu but for that I was headed to the restaurant that had won Scottish Seafood Restaurant of the Year in 2011, conveniently located a few miles away on Loch Leven. Oysters, clams, langoustines, scallops, lobster, and crab were available hot or cold either individually or as part of a seafood platter. For those who are not shellfish eaters a separate menu was available with meat dishes and some vegetarian recipes.
A taste of Spain
Posted by: charlottec | August 22, 2011 | No Comments
Never again will you have to wrap that special bottle of olive oil carefully and cross your fingers as you pack it into your suitcase, hoping for a gentle baggage handler. A great selection of organic olive oils are available on the website as well as glass serving cruets. There are also some very tempting gourmet vinegars, including one from Pedro Ximenez, the famous wine grower.
If you have a penchant for chorizo and jamon (the delicious Spanish cured ham) then the website will have you salivating. Cheeses and other sausages such as morcilla (the black sausage from Burgos) and butifarra (a white sausage from Catalonia) are also on sale.
If you have tasted salt cod in Spain and wondered where on earth you could find it in the UK then this website is the answer. Frozen gilthead bream, turbot, prawns and squid are some of the other seafoods available. But you will also get all the ingredients you need for your favourite Spanish vegetarian recipes.
Anyone who would like to try their hand at having a tapas party for their friends need look no further. All the favourites that you have tried in Spain are available: pardon peppers, boquerones, artichoke hearts, croquettes, sliced lomo. You name it – you’ll find it here. Check some online recipes to find out how to prepare your food just like the Spanish do.
All in all I would say that this site is the next best thing to shopping in the best of the Spanish markets. If you are unable to get there this summer, start surfing!
If you have ever been on holiday in Spain and wished you had room in your suitcase to bring home some of the wonderful food that you have seen in the shops, then I suggest you have a little look on the internet. There you will find an online company selling everything you could ever have wished for and more. For the past 15 years the owners have been scouring Spain for the best ingredients to sell online to people from all sorts of places, from Europe to the States.
Never again will you have to wrap that special bottle of olive oil carefully and cross your fingers as you pack it into your suitcase, hoping for a gentle baggage handler. A great selection of organic olive oils are available on the website as well as glass serving cruets. There are also some very tempting gourmet vinegars, including one from Pedro Ximenez, the famous wine grower.
If you have a penchant for chorizo and jamon (the delicious Spanish cured ham) then the website will have you salivating. Cheeses and other sausages such as morcilla (the black sausage from Burgos) and butifarra (a white sausage from Catalonia) are also on sale.
If you have tasted salt cod in Spain and wondered where on earth you could find it in the UK then this website is the answer. Frozen gilthead bream, turbot, prawns and squid are some of the other seafoods available. But you will also get all the ingredients you need for your favourite Spanish vegetarian recipes.
Anyone who would like to try their hand at having a tapas party for their friends need look no further. All the favourites that you have tried in Spain are available: pardon peppers, boquerones, artichoke hearts, croquettes, sliced lomo. You name it – you’ll find it here. Check some online recipes to find out how to prepare your food just like the Spanish do.
All in all I would say that this site is the next best thing to shopping in the best of the Spanish markets. If you are unable to get there this summer, start surfing!
Camping in Paris
Posted by: charlottec | August 17, 2011 | No Comments
Whereas you may have thought you could only afford a couple of nights in Paris because of the hotel costs, why not look out for cheap tents for sale and have five nights or even a week under canvas? That way you can avoid sightseeing fatigue. By all means do the museums in the morning before it gets too hot but then head back to the campsite in the afternoon for a game of boules, a read under the trees or a walk by the river.
Staying longer also means that not only can you enjoy all that Paris has to offer but also take in a day at the chateaux of Versailles or Fontainebleau or, if your kids are twisting your arm, have a day at Eurodisney?
Kids won’t be short of things to keep them amused at the average French campsite. For instance the one at the Bois de Boulogne has a children’s playground, table tennis and a games room in case of poor weather. There is also a television room but unless your kids have remarkable French this may not be of much use.
Eating out in Paris is expensive too so why not take advantage of the onsite restaurant, pizzeria and snack bar or even the take away outlet? Alternatively shop at the market and have a wonderful French picnic for a fraction of the cost of a meal in the Centre of Paris.
Camping abroad
Posted by: charlottec | August 17, 2011 | No Comments
A quick search on the internet will show just how many campsites there are within easy travelling distance of all the major cultural centres. Although you can never take reviews on sites such as Tripadvisor at face value (accusations have been flying recently of skulduggery from rivals) it is nevertheless worth having a look to see what other campers have to say.
If you are one of these campers who feel the need to take half the house with you on your camping trip, then perhaps camping abroad is not for you. With budget airlines encouraging us by means of hefty charges for checked luggage to travel light, taking camping equipment can be pricy. However, even if you end up paying for an extra hold bag it will still work out more cheaply than staying in a hotel. When booking your flights it is worth checking prices for non-budget airlines. By the time you have forked out for checking in your luggage you may well find that BA for instance is not so expensive after all. Campers heading for France can of course take the ferry or tunnel and pack the car to the roof with all that they need.
Companies such as Keycamp offer tents which are already erected which makes packing easy. Being a four bedroomed affair they are ideal for families wanting to explore a foreign city but stay away from the hustle and bustle of urban life, and at a tent sale you might find a real bargain!
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