A Few of Our Favorite Things

Top 5 Favorite Countries (in no specific order)

1. Italy

2. Vietnam

3. Australia

4. Colombia

5. USA

Favorite Hiking Areas:

1. Patagonia, Argentina

2. Poon Hill Trek, Nepal

3. Glacier National Park, USA

4. Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

Favorite US National Park: Glacier National Park

Favorite Food & Drink:

Best fresh market - Bordeaux, France

Pate & Egg (sandwich) - Hanoi, Vietnam

Cheapest beer - Hoi An, Vietnam ($0.15)

Favorite roadside snack - roasted sweet potato

Fruit Smoothie/Shake - Chiang Mai, Thailand & Saigon, Vietnam

Iced Laos coffee - street stall just outside of town in Luang Prabang

Coffee shake - Tommy's Cafe in Legian, Bali

Mie Goreng - Restaurant that we forget the name of in Legian, Bali

Coconut shake - Laos

Bun Bo Nam Bo - Hanoi, Vietnam

Vietnamese coffee, hot & iced - anywhere in Vietnam, drink it as often as possible!

Pizza - Portofino, Italy

Gnocchi - Antoinette's house (Sheryl's cousin) Valdastico, Italy

Tiramisu - Venice, Italy

Buttercake pastry - at Hardy's German Bakery, Phu Quoc, Vietnam

Best Burgers - Jim's Snackshack, Hoi An, Vietnam

Best yogurt - Greece

Best tomatoes - Greece

Most memorable meal - Crete, Greece

Fresh juice - Central Mercado, Sucre, Bolivia

Best chocolate - Belgium

Most memorable wine - Malbec at Bodega Pulmary, Mendoza, Argentina

Omelette - Juantxo's Taberna, San Sebastian, Spain

Capuccino - Italy, anywhere

Best cappuccino outside Italy - White Rabbit Coffee, Lakeside Pokhara, Nepal

Best beer - Belgium, Prague &Germany

Favorite sweet treat - Chimney Cake, Krakow, Poland

Best McDonalds - Katowice, Poland

Ceviche - Lima, Peru

Smoothest coffee - La Victoria Coffee, Columbia

Best steak - Buenos Aires, Argentina

Country Pancake - Bon Restaurant, Hoi An, Vietnam

Bread - France

Tastiest street foods:

"One Dollar, One Noodle" - Saigon, Vietnam

Pork sandwich - La Paz, Bolivia

Humita - La Paz, Bolivia

Nicest train - Eurostar, from London to Brussels

Nicest bus- CALA International, Mendoza, Argentina to Santiago, Chile

Nicest grocery store - Wong's, Lima, Peru

Best Airline - New Zealand Air

Favorite natural wonder - Salt Flats, Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

Favorite beach - Boracay, Philippines

Favorite sculpture / art - David, Florence, Italy

Best street art - Valparaiso, Chile

Nicest public restrooms - New Zealand

Best surfing - NSW, Australia

Tidbits

We paid for as much as possible with working capital, which is separate from what we have saved for the actual travel portion. Over the three months leading up to our last days of work we paid for the following: (to see prices for this check out the Country Cost link)

3 month Eurorail passes - we saved 15% because we traveled together, at all times

World Nomads travel insurance, for one-year each

One-way plane tickets to London

Backpacks

International SIM cards through OneSim, with $50 on both accounts

Lodging in London

International drivers licences

Shoes

Gadgets

Camera lens

Blog site

Random stuff: clothes, packing cubes, etc. Oh, and snacks. I like snacks. And believe me, you like me better when I have snacks.

Must haves, at all times:

Spritzer / antiseptic - natural essential oil concentration with glass spritzer refilled as needed. I use this to sanitize super nasty stuff and spritz if the train is a bit smelly, or to cleanse the air in a stale room

Hand sanitizer

Get detailed directions from Airbnb host...buzzer code? Walking directions, which metro, bus, etc. to take.

Bottle opener

Toilet paper (ALWAYS have toilet paper)

Coins for public toilets

Baby wipes

Small journal

Pens, at least 2

Handkerchiefs

Kleenex

Packable grocery bags

Head lamp

Light weight scarf - can be used to cover shoulders / knees

Get these Apps:

Maps.Me

WhatsApp

Google Translate

European Tidbits

We've put together a little list of helpful hints while traveling through Europe. Although we like to think ourselves experts and all knowing when it comes to travel, we really know nothing and basically make shit up. But, the following sounds like we know what we are talking about, so take what you want and leave the rest. Feel free to WhatsApp or e-mail or FB message us if you have any questions and we'll dazzle you with our intelligence.

Airbnb:

We stayed in two hostels - one in Amsterdam and one in Brussels. Otherwise hostels were always more expensive than Airbnb and often more than hotels. Here are some of the great perks of an Airbnb:

• You get to chose your filters: max price, amenities, language of the host, pets, etc.

• Cook here. Stock the fridge with delicious new foods and cook at home. Wake up and make your own coffee or tea.

• Do your own laundry - detergent is usually always provided (it's inexpensive if it isn't). If possible ask the host how to use the washer...or Youtube it. It's a bit confusing and there are a number of options to choose from. Hang your clothes to dry, even if it's a washer/dryer combo. They'll smell better and last longer. Most all places have drying racks or clotheslines.

• Write a review. You have 14 days from your departure date to review the host. The host also reviews you, so treat the place as if it's your own. If you are a slob, then treat the place as if you aren't a slob. This is important because hosts will read your reviews and can and will decline to rent to you.

• Some cities (Rome, Budapest, Venice, Florence and some others that we have since forgotten) have an additional city tax that you must pay to the host in cash. This was never more than $12 total.

• Get detailed directions from Airbnb host. They often ask where you will be coming from and will provide clear instructions but be sure to ask for details such as if there is a buzzer code, who to call if you are running late, etc.?

• Google directions, write them down or take picture and make sure wi-fi isn't necessary to access them if you don't have a data plan.

• If you are noise sensitive, don't book next to a church, cathedral or basilica, as they chime every 15-30 minutes, sometimes lengthy tunes.

Trains:

• Reservations are required in Spain even with a Eurail Global pass, but are very affordable. The trains, however are slow in Spain, so renting a car may be a more economical and efficient option.

• High season reservations are either required or strongly recommended throughout Europe

• Download the Eurail app, it's free and does not need wi-fi to operate

• Just because the Eurail app or website says reservations required, it's not always true. You will not need reservations on trains in Germany or Austria. We recommend talking with the reservation office at the train station to see if you need a reservation

• Not all train options are listed, EC, IC - also, don't be afraid to look into taking a bus, often discounted with your Eurail pass

• Traveling first class on trains is a great way to relax, read, nap and see Europe

• Many trains throughout Europe use the "hopper toilet" method. This comes in two options: 1. your waste and toilet paper falls straight through a tube, directly onto the track or 2. the toilet flushes and then sucks the waste out, presumably into a holding tank to be disposed of, properly, at a later time, or when full. Nope, it all just goes right onto the track. Even if you are in the main station. There is so much human excrement on the tracks throughout Europe that it has at times hindered rail staff from being able to get to sections that need to be fixed; rail staff have had health complications; tomatoes are now growing in the rich soil of human excrement. This legal practice is disgusting and archaic. Rail workers have been trying to get this changed for over a decade in Britain. This practice was and may very well still be in use by our very own Amtrak.

• Don't flush if you are at a station

• Travel with your own toilet paper

• Always have hand sanitizer handy

Eating Out:

• Most cities have a menu of the day option. This usually consists of three courses, a large first dish, a larger second dish, dessert and a glass of wine or soda. It's a lot of food at a great price.

• Water is very expensive at restaurants, even if you specify tap water, they will often bring bottled water and charge up to $5 for it. Soda is the next most expensive drink at restaurants, but still cheaper than water. Wine is usually your most affordable option.

Random Bits:

• Plumbing in Greece is ancient and can not handle the flushing of toilet paper. So please, be respectful and dispose of your used toilet paper in the appropriate bin. Often you will be asked to take your own garbage to the nearby dumpster.

• There are fountains throughout most cities with drinkable, cold water. Bring your water bottle, reuse it by refilling with city water. Water is safe to drink from the tap throughout Europe.

• While in Italy, drink your cappuccino or espresso standing up, you look like a local and will save money. Italians don’t drink cappuccino past 11:00a.m., it’s all espresso after that time.

Just for fun:

Most smokers: Germany and France

Tallest people: Prague

Most affordable grocery stores: Spain and Prague

Most affordable beer: Prague

Most confusing train track system: Czech Republic

Most frustrating metro ticket kiosk: Czech Republic

Best tasting beers: Belgium

Most delicious cuisine: Greek

Most affordable wine: Spain

Best chocolate: Belgium

Best bread: France

Best coffee: Italy

Best clothes: France, Italy, Germany

Most affordable postage: Croatia

Best farmer's market: Bordeaux

Fastest trains: France

Nicest trains: France

Most feces on sidewalks: France, Spain

Most English speaking natives: Prague, Poland

Most affordable cappuccino: Slovenia

Best sandwich: Basque omelette (San Sebastian)

Sheryl's Favorite Meal: Crete, family style meal in vineyard with Airbnb host and her family

Jason's Favorite Meal: red snapper in Naxos