Coach – Page 2 – SteveWhittythoughts1965

February 24, 2013

Checklist – Vienna & Budapest

It is now 10 days to go before my trip to Vienna and Budapest. Now is the time to start preparing so not to leave anything to the last-minute. So this is my checklist.

Get my rucksack out of the cupboard. I am sure that it will need airing before I use it. I can also check for any holes that may have appeared. I have had my rucksack for 13 years. It has served me well.
Old Faithful Rucksack.
Check the contents of my first aid kit to make sure that everything is still in date and replace where necessary.
Transfer money to my travel cards. This will be done during the week to ensure there are funds for the trip.
Purchase some Euro’s. I will be travelling to Vienna by coach. I will need some refreshments along the journey.
Pack the rucksack. I am aiming to do this the weekend before I travel. I do not want to leave this to the last-minute. It is going to be an early start on the day of travel and I do not want to spend the time last-minute packing. You always end up forgetting something.
Get some sleep before I set off. As I have already mentioned I will be setting off early. I finish work at 17:00 and it takes me about 90 minutes to get home. The aim is to have two or three hours sleep. Must remember to set the alarm.
Ensure all gadgets are fully charged. This includes back-up batteries. It is going to be a long journey so I need to keep myself amused.
Ensure all tickets, passports and other documentation is packed. I tend to double-check, even triple check. The last thing I want to notice at Birmingham Coach Station is I have forgotten my passport.
Arrange taxi to coach station. Being a Wednesday morning this should not be a problem but I will have to book it early to be on the safe side.
Finally, if the above has been ticked off then sit back relax and enjoy the trip.

Until the next post, stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

January 6, 2013

Five Lessons I’ve Learnt From My Travels

Like anything in life, we are always learning. This is true of travel. Although I have always enjoyed travelling it has only been the last couple of years that I have managed to take it seriously.

The first lesson I have learnt is planning. I have mentioned in a previous post the importance of planning your trip. Planning for your trip is also a useful skill that I have managed to transfer to my everyday life. Good planning allows me to stay in control.

The second lesson is to be flexible in my travels. Sometimes all the best laid plans can go away from you. Whether it being something going wrong or an unexpected invite. If you get too inflexible you can miss out on experiences that can suddenly appear in front of you.

The third lesson I have learnt is to rest. Most of the time I travel by coach which means long journey times. By the time I arrive at my destination I am feeling very tired. The best thing to do is just lie down and enjoy a quick nap. This was a lesson I learnt the hard way while I was in Vienna. I allowed myself to be talked into going and exploring the city straight after arriving into the city. I ended up feeling unwell for the rest of the trip.

The fourth lesson is to be open to strangers. By nature I am a shy person who has in the past suffered from confidence issues. I travel solo so it is essential that I overcome the barrier. There is always something that you can talk about. The people who I have met have been great and this has allowed me to enjoy my travels more.

The final lesson I have learnt is to enjoy my travels. Being able to travel to different places is a privilege and one that is sadly not open to everybody. My grandfather told me if I ever stop enjoying doing anything then you should stop altogether.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

November 23, 2012

Where next?

I have spent the last couple of week deciding on my travel plans for 2013. As a renowned procrastinator this has been a difficult task. Financially I am in the best of health but this ok because travelling on a budget adds to the sense of adventure. I also take advantage of the perks that available to me. I work for a coach company in the UK so there are some ways that it helps me to travel more.

Due to the work commitments I cannot travel as much as I would like. I only get so many days holiday in a year. However, I do not like spending time off work at home. It feels just a waste of my time. Some where do I travel next? The one decision I have made is that I will be sticking to Europe. As I was told by a Canadian in Prague that I was so lucky to have so many places that I can reach within a day. This is true, I must also admit that there are many places in Europe that I have yet to visit.

So I am pleased to announce that my first trip of 2013 will be to Vienna and Budapest. I visited Vienna in 2011 but I was laid low by food poisoning which meant that I did not get to see much of the city. Better luck this time I hope. On my travels in September I was given so many good reports about Budapest. If I had planned that trip better I could have included Budapest in the itinerary. However, I am looking forward to seeing what the city offers.

Now I hit the procrastinator stage of my planning. I am not sure what other trips I am going to plan for. Initially I was going to plump for a trip in June and one in September like this year. However, I am thinking more about a longer trip of over three weeks in September. This will all depend on whether I can get that amount of time away from work. If I do then I am looking to complete a circle of the Balkans starting and finishing in Zagreb. If not, then it will be back to the drawing board.

By publishing my plans it commits me to carry them out. I will also ensure that I will travel to London and other cities in the UK and report back to you.

Until the next post, stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

November 9, 2012

Prague & Bratislava – Day 13, 22/09/2012

So this is it, I am going home today. I did not have time to wallow in self-pity. There was too much to do even though my coach doe s not leave until 5pm. First, I had to get the supplies for the journey home. In total I will be travelling for nearly twenty-four hours. There was a Tesco’s near the hostel. So I brought enough baguettes, crisps, cake and iced tea to last me for that time. I wish that I had brought my clubcard as the extra would have come in useful.

Back at the hostel the procedure of packing everything began. Not only ensuring my belongings were packed but now I had to find room to fit the food in the small backpack. Now it weighs a ton. I had to check out of the hostel by 10am so I decided to have a final walk around Prague. The sun was out and I spent the time taking in all the sights. There was a big bicycle parade taking place in Wenceslas Square.

I also needed to purchase a souvenir of my trip. What should I buy? I did not want another t-shirt. Then it hit me I saw a giant cup, just the thing to enjoy a cup of tea. My colleagues at work will be impressed.

Once purchased I slowly made my way back to the hostel. I just chilled out until the inevitable time when I had to leave. So with rucksack weighing heavy on my back I left for the metro station. The journey to the coach station always seems the quickest yet the time waiting for the coach is always the longest. I found a seat at the back of the coach. As I pulled out of the coach station I could only think about the last thirteen days. They had been enjoyable and I cannot wait to plan my travels for 2013.

Until the next post, stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

October 12, 2012

Prague & Bratislava – Day 7, 16/09/2012

More than half way through my trip and I am off to Bratislava. This is the first time that I have travelled between countries on my travels. It all adds to the adventure.

Maybe I spent too long in Prague but now I feel ready to move on. The whole process of boarding the coach was painless enough. No need to check-in, showed my ticket to the driver. Also got a free bottle of water for the trip. I have never been treated like that before.

I arrived in Bratislava at around 5pm. What a culture shock compared to Prague. It was like chalk and cheese. Trolley buses were running past the bus station. It was as though I had been transported back to old communist Czechoslovakia.

It was a short trolleybus ride to the hostel. Again the comparison was chalk to cheese. Hostel Blues is a proper hostel with a kitchen, bar and chill out zone. More importantly it in the middle of the city. So after finding my bed I decided to go out for a walk. To be honest my time in Prague had caught up with me and I did not want to go far. So after a quick bite to eat and a drink I called it an early night.