This is the Tripbase Blog Tag. “The aim of this game is to unite travel bloggers in a joint endeavor – to create an amazing list of top travel recommendations across the globe to share with the entire online travel community.” – Katie from Tripbase.com
Without further adieu, here are my top 3 best kept travel secrets. I guess these won’t be secrets anymore.
Terrace View At The Hali Hotel, Istanbul
Travel Secret #1: Art of Cheap Accommodations
Everyone has their own travel style. It’s all about perspective. For me, lodging is minimal. I don’t need a Tempurpedic mattress and a flat screen TV. All I really need is a bed with no bed bugs and a bathroom that flushes. Lodging serves as a storage room where I can fall face flat on the pillow after a 15 hour foot exploration Sometimes I book rooms before I arrive. Sometimes I arrive homeless, which isn’t as scary as it sounds. It’s actually much cheaper.
- Arrive in person
- Tell the hotel/hostel half the number of days you’re actually staying. For example, if you’re traveling for 10 days, tell them 5.
- When a daily quote is given, ask then for lower rates for an extended stay. (That’s where the extra 5 days come in handy.)
- After they give you a quote for the extended stay, offer to pay in cash if they could lower the rates even more.
- Then show them your student ID and ask if they have student discounts. (This works better in youth hostels than in hotels.)
My 8-day trip to Istanbul was only $1270 – $640 for round-trip tickets and $630 for everything else. I spent less than $80 a day, including accommodation, food, entrance fees, transportation and souvenirs. I’d say it’s a pretty good deal for independent traveling.
Kaifeng, China: The beauty of traveling through China is that sometimes, I feel like I'm in two places at once - the past and the present.
Travel Secret #2: Kaifeng, China
In response to my impression at the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, Erica from Traveling Blissful commented, “I think many tourist sites are too hyped up and leave travelers feeling disappointed, wondering ‘What’s so great about this?’” Popular tourist attractions come with high expectations. The more I travel, the more I realize how exquisite the smaller, less discovered places are.
Kaifeng, China is a place was a place where I had no expectations. It was also a place that blew me away. It was here where I discovered Chinese Jews, people of Jewish descent living in China, and their fascinating history and community. It was also here, the view above, where I realized this: the beauty of traveling through China is that sometimes, I feel like I’m in two places at once – the past and the present.
A Snow Day On The Great Wall of China - Photo by Jabari Bell
Travel Secret #3: Climb The Great Wall When It Snows
Everyone knows that The Great Wall is impressive in length and in beauty. You’ll sweat buckets if you’re climbing it during the summer and you’ll be throwing elbows if you’re visiting during spring and fall. It’s harder to appreciate the context of it’s surrounding when The Great Wall is inundated with tourists and cameras. I’d recommend visiting in the winter, preferably when it snows. Why? Because…
- You’ll see The Great Wall frosted in snow.
- You’ll have The Great Wall all to yourself.
- You’ll see the rolling mountains and the vastness of the land that it sits on.
- You can build a snowman on The Great Wall of China!
- And because the snow makes it’s ridiculously fun to glide down the descending slopes.
Now, how many of you can say you’ve a snow day on The Great Wall of China?
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Now, I’d like to nominate these 5 amazing bloggers to share their top 3 travel secrets on their blog. Tag! You’re it!
- Emma, Aye & Jack at GotPassport
- Keith at VelvetEscape
- Carrie at MySeveralWorld
- Jennifer & David at ApproachGuides
- Talen at Thailand, Land of Smiles
You have same sense of travel as me! Thought I’ve never packed Vaseline, not...
Thanks! It was really nice to have The Great Wall almost entirely to myself. I'm so glad I went during December. I'm definitely going back to climb another part of the wall again sometime in the future.
Hi Monica! I like your #3 secret about gliding down the great wall's slope and build a snowman there! I do love it too when a place is not busy by tourists. I went to Canadian rockies off season (on May, a month or 2 before the high season) and it was so great to see the natural beauty without many people there.
Hey, I'm participating in this blogtag program too, Wandering Earl tagged me. Here if you want to see it:
http://www.vagabondquest.com/new-zealand/our-th...
Yea, climbing The Great Wall is really a workout. I went toward the end of December and was gasping for air most of the time. Cold air is thinner and contains less oxygen. Or maybe my cardio is just really bad. I'm pretty sure it's the latter. Lol
I'd have to agree with #3! I went to China in November, and besides our group of 7 (which was a tour offered by our hostel) there were maybe 10 or so other tourist. Stunning, empty, and at about 40F it was the perfect weather. We worked up a sweat, but didn't overheat.
Thanks! If you've graduated from college already then I hope you saved your school ID. It really comes in handy. Some sites/attractions I've visited in China also gave you an admission discount if you have a student ID.
Great tips! going to bookmark the hostel negotiation bit. Really need to work on my bargaining skills.
Yea, I was pretty surprised myself. I originally set my budget to $2,000 but I kept lowering it to challenge myself. It was kinda fun.
Thanks April! I haven’t traveled solo yet but one day I will work up the courage to. Thanks for visiting my blog. I’m glad you enjoy my posts. China is a great country to visit. It’s so vast and each place is so different. I’ve only scrapped the surface. I can’t wait to return to explore some more!
Hey, I just found your website on one of your blog comments and I read this specific blog. It must be cool traveling all by yourself. I admire your free spirit of adventure. I will keep reading your blogs. I plan to go to China soon. Love your ideas on cheap accommodation. Keep sharing your thoughts on travel, love your post!
What’s up all, I’m new to the forum and fair-minded wanted to roughly hey. hi leaning touch to recollect new pepole and share things with them
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Thanks for stopping by MJ. I’m planning to go visit the Great Wall again. I’ve only seen Badaling. It would be nice to check out the other parts of the Great Wall and have a comparison. Which part of the Great Wall did you climb?
Yay! I can’t wait to read your 3 best kept secrets. Please let me know when you visit China. I always get nostalgic when people write about places I’ve visited before. Makes me long to travel even more.
I’ve never traveled alone before. I guess I’m a little hesitant because I’m a girl but I should probably do a little more research on that. I know there are plenty of women in the travel community who have traveled solo.
Love your comment about the great wall in the snow – couldn’t agree more. It has a whole different feeling then.
Wonderful list of secrets and great advice! The photo of Kaifang is beautiful – that will be on our itinerary for our next trip to China. Also, thanks for nominating us in Tripbase.com’s game…we will post our cultural travel secrets soon!
Monica
What a great idea, I have always considered myself a seasoned traveller, but if I were asked to pass on tips well thats another matter.
Things that immediately spring to mind are:
Travel independently, avoid package stuff and consider just travelling alone.
Use local transport wherever possible-much more fun and revealing.
Try and learn a little of the local language before going.
Research, research, research using lots of different sources before you go.
No problem! It was my pleasure…:) Thanks for visiting Sophie!
The Great Wall during winter! Why have I never thought of that? Must be absolutely stunning. Thanks for the tip, Monica!
Hey Jack! I don’t think they’d let you bring skis up to the Great Wall but maybe if you wore shoes with less traction you can improvise. It was really fun gliding down the Great Wall though. Definitely recommend it.
Haha – were they selling Tsingtao beer? If you hike the Great Wall when it snows, you won’t have to carry water. You can just eat snow!
Nice ideas… makes me want to visit the Great Wall and ski down it
Interesting! Didn’t think about Great Wall while it snows. I did it during China’s summer hiking the 10k bit. Not many tourist really but MEGA hot. The main tourist spot I stayed away from since I heard it’s terrible and too touristy. Just every now and then during the hike someone’s selling beer along the wall and me question why I’d want beer after hiking for 3 hours of hiking while all I wanted was water lol. Great article!
Yea, I really like Lisa’s tip. Problem for me is that I want to go to every nook and cranny.
Terrific travel secrets! I especially agree with asking for lower rates when hotels or hostels give you a daily quote. I’ve found this to work for me very well in the past.
And, by the way, I love Lisa’s tips too. “Go somewhere that calls to your heart.” is one of the best suggestions I’ve read in a long time.
Hi Katie! Thanks for visiting my blog.
The Tripbase blog tag is such a great idea!
Great secrets Monica, thanks for sharing!
That photo of Kaifeng is like something out of a story book!
Hey Jason! Thanks for dropping by. I’d love to add you to my blogroll.
Love those tips! I definitely agree about packing light. Jeans, t-shirts and slip on’s are all I really need. But I get cranky when I don’t get enough sleep. I can’t help it. Lol.
Thanks for the encouragement Rebecca! I wish I could travel more often but a 9-7 doesn’t leave much room for anything else. I see that you’re a travel journalist. Any constructive criticism to offer?
Hey Natalie! Thanks for visiting my blog. Your post about the diversity in India is awesome. Very interesting.
Thanks for dropping by! I hope you stick around.
How’s it going?
I just found your site but I like it a lot. I have a travel blog as well. I want to build a site that is useful for anyone who is planning to take a vacation in the future.
I was wondering if we could do a link exchange to spread some traffic around. Please let me know.
Jason
ThatVACATIONfeeling.com
My Travel Secrets:
1.) Go somewhere that calls to your heart. Whether a big city, foreign lands, or a spot in your own community, if it speaks to your heart, it’s worth the journey.
2.) Don’t sleep late. Life is too short and vacation is even shorter. You can catch up on your sleep during the weekends when you get home. Hit the pavement early, miss the crowds, and have more time to explore.
3.)Pack light and wear comfortable shoes. It’s vacation or it’s an adventure. It is NOT a fashion show. You will always remember the sunset on the shore or the local you met in a pub. I swear you will not remember one outfit that you packed. If that is what you remember from a trip, then you are doing it all wrong!
Thanks for sharing. You know I love your blog!
LisaB
I *so* admire your adventurous spirit. Wish I had used more of mine at your age! Go, girl!!
interesting post and pics.
Very nice blog! Keep up the good blog!
I hope you can come visit my blog sometime.
http://bigworldcentral.wordpress.com/