How to pack lightly for a long trip

(This post contains affiliate links, for more information read this  privacy policy ) After three and a half years in The Netherlands, I felt like now I have seen enough to compare this small European country with its neighbour, Germany. Now even though both countries have a lot of similarities and the languages are related, there are still a couple of differences, that I am going to point out in this post. Of course, these won’t include obvious differences like location, language, history etc. but rather differences related to transportation, food habits or payments. I’d like to say upfront that these are things that I have noticed so if you disagree with anything in this list then this is totally fine. Of course, regions in both countries differ so not everything will apply to each part of both countries. Contents 1 Differences in Payments in the Netherlands and Germany 1.1 1. Bank Cards Acceptance 1.2 2. Grocery Store Payments 1.3 3. Use of ...

It was the spring of 2008 when the city of love – Paris beckoned me with its charms as I set out to plan a holiday for myself. Folks around were me aghast that I would spend so much on airfare and not visit a few more countries in Europe. But I was stuck on visiting only Paris and planned 8 days in the city which at the end of the trip I felt had been too little. I photographed so many gorgeous places while in Paris, clicked pictures of Paris France streets to soak it all in.  So presenting beautiful Postcard Pictures Paris for your inspiration.  Don’t miss my Paris 3-day Itinerary! My funda of a trip to anyplace is to peruse it in every color and aspect; not merely touch the highlighted touristic spots. So my plan was to walk along the Seine river, laze in the many garden spots, sip coffee/house wine on the street side cafes and simply watch the Parisian cityscape while daydreaming. I treat my holidays as lazy days and not tasks that have a fixed agenda with a start to finish t...

Outdated Ok so I have been lagging on the updates. I am in Krakow now and it has been non stop fun. So glad I came this way. Anyway, I will update about the great times I had in Scotland and Poland on my next stop. Off to Budapest tonight. Shaun

Copenhagen-it So I decided on a whim to go to Copenhagen. You know, just to Copenhagen-it. This was largely fueled by the fact that LegoLand is in Denmark. I read this in my guide book on the way to Gutenberg and my eyes lit up. Unfortunately it does not open till summer but I thought “Denmark has to be bad ass if it has LegoLand!” I was also swayed by the fact that I had no place to sleep in Oslo. When I arrived in Copenhagen I quickly found that I was in the same situation. Long weekend in Denmark makes it tough on Shaun. I was lucky to find a bed as the city was flooded with drunken Danish‘s…mmmm….Danish’s…. Anyway, I packed a lot into my short stay thanks to a wicked bike share program. It works like getting a shopping cart at a grocery store, you put a coin in and get a bike. There are 110 bike share stands around the city so you just ride around and then drop it off and get your coin back when you want to see something on foot. When y...

Viking definitely knows its way around a river voyage, with more than 70 ships currently navigating the world’s waterways – including seven new ones recently added to the fleet. These Scandinavian-designed, 190-passenger ships promise to get cruisers closer to destinations around the world, via an array of itineraries that offer more time in port and more overnight stays. “Once you take a Viking river cruise, you’ll always want to take another,” say Virtuoso husband-and-wife advisor team David and Carol Porter. Here, a quick look at what passengers can expect from Viking’s newest additions. During the official naming ceremonies for the Viking Einar and Viking Sigrun ships in Basel, Switzerland, the ships’ Godmothers broke a bottle of celebratory Aquavit across each bow.   Plenty of Room to Spread Out Viking Longships embody functional luxury at its best, with onboard comforts styled with a nod to the line’s Norwegian heritage. Virtuoso travel advisor and Godmother to the Vi...