Destination: Liverpool

If you have a couple days to spare, maybe a weekend on your tour of England I do recommend a stop in Liverpool. Luckily I had fairly nice weather which included a fair bit of sunshine. This allowed me to enjoy the outdoor aspects of this city.

The city itself is mostly walkable, that is if you want to see non-Beatles tourist attractions. The Albert Dock area is a particularly nice part of the city to take a stroll with a coffee in hand. There's a fairly new shopping area called Liverpool ONE. It has all the main shops from the high street. If you plan on checking this out I would recommend going in the evening as it is open later than other shops. This frees up your days to do other tourist attractions.

Liverpool Cathedral vs Metropolitan Cathedral

The better of the two is clearly Liverpool Cathedral. It's huge inside. HUGE. It's not one of my favourites from the outside but still worth a go. The Metropolitan on the other hand is one of the ugliest buildings ever. Seriously. UGLY. Go to check it out if you have time. My take on it is that it's supposed to be a modern church incorporating technology in service. It'd pass on the service though.

See:

• Tate Liverpool
• St. George's Hall
• World Museum Liverpool
• Maritime Museum
• International Museum of Slavery (inside the Maritime Museum)
  
• The Beatles Story

Beatles part of the city. Some people head to Liverpool for the sole purpose of exploring Beatles history. There's quite of few spots to check out most of which aren't in the main area of the city. The bus tours will take you there but you can also grab a map and take a public bus there yourself. There's childhood homes to see, the church where two of the band members met, strawberry fields, and of course Penny Lane! If you choose to do it on your own, it isn't hard or expensive as the public bus is cheap. If you can't find your way simply ask a local. They know you're a tourist and most a happy to help. When I was in front of Paul McCartney's childhood home a local offered to take a picture of me with the house.

I didn't go to the Beatles story myself as I found it rather expensive and I'm not a hardcore fan. I did go into the shop though which was fun so I assume the actual museum is great. Most of the items in the shop seemed overpriced but there's a lot of options for yourself or gifts. Enjoy!

Over-rated?

There's tons of articles out there about where to travel. I tend to click on articles I see about scamming tourists, touristy destinations, up and coming cities. I like to know what's going on in the travel world. Even if I'm not currently traveling, I will be in the future and I want to know what's out there. I came upon this article from Times Online The world's 5 most over-rate tourist sites. Take a look at the article and let me know what you think.

I found it ridiculous to suggest sites including Petra and Angkor are over-rated. I've never been to these places but they are both on my places to go list. Even if throngs of tourists head to these destinations every year -does that make it over-rated? I understand why the locals set up shops around these areas but I see it as taking advantage of the tourist market. It's actually smart to do that. Don't we see the same thing occur in every city around the world? How many tourist trap are around Times Square in NYC or in Leicester Square, London.

Despite the number of people traveling to see these "over-rated" destination, that doesn't diminish the historical significance or even the sheer beauty of it. Angkor looks absolutely breathtaking.

One part of the article I did enjoy was the list of alternatives provided in case a traveler would like to head off the beaten path.

Couchsurfing: Overview

Couchsurfing! Many of you have heard of CS'ing but what exactly is it? The basics are you stay at a stranger's home while you are travelling in their city. No money is required. Yes, you read correctly you do not pay your host. I often get asked that question by a newbie to CS'ing.

The other major question: "Is it safe?"
Whenever you travel you have to be safe. Whether you're staying at a hostel or a hotel, safety should be on your mind. It's important to be wise about who your host is. Use to 'Couch Search' tab to find a potential host. The filter options include gender, age range, and language. If you're a 19 year old single female traveler, it's understandable you may not want to surf with the 45 year old male host. When the Couch Search generates the potential host list for you, scroll through them to look for similarities between you and the host. Who knows what friendships can develop.

It is important to read the references! There may be quite a few references to read but they are there for a reason. These will help you understand what kind of CS experience you'll receive from your host. If the references all talk about great party nights, drinks and late sleeping then that host may not be for you. Or it could be perfect!

Logistics
As a surfer your schedule revolves around the hosts schedule. Many hosts will say on their profiles their work hours. Watch out or you may end up waking up at 6am with your host. I have been given spare keys by my hosts. This was the best situation as I could leave and arrive when I wanted to. It had a great situation in Wales where I went back to the host's place to make a hot lunch.

The best part of CS'ing for me is experience the city with your host. They live there so take advantage! Ask where their favourites are -the restaurants, shops, markets, bars, everything. If there's time they may show you around the city. Some of my hosts have been great tour guides with little tid bits of information and funny stories. If you've had a positive experience and want to do something for your host then go for it. Making them a meal is a popular choice among surfers, as is bringing them alcohol or cleaning their flat.

Remember Couchsurfing isn't about the money. You could end up spending more money on going out and partying with your host than you would have at a hostel. It's about the experience! If you have any questions please do ask.

www.couchsurfing.org

Ireland: Dublin

Seeing a country like Ireland is about the scenery, the countryside and natural beauty -am I right? Why head to Dublin then?

I say go for it! Every city has something to offer a traveler. There's the traditional sightseeing activities to check off your list:

-Trinity College & the Book of Kells
-Christ Church Cathedral
-Dublin Castle
-Guinness Storehouse
-Phoenix Park
-Old Jameson Distillery
-The National Gallery of Ireland

These are a few ideas on how to spend your time in the city. In a capital city such as Dublin, there's always something to do it's just if you choose to actually do them. Take a walk through Temple Bar both the day and night. Going out for breakfast in Temple Bar and you'll see pub owners hosing down the mess in front of the bar. There's a book market that happens on the weekend. Go check out some local authors as well as great international finds. Tired of the book you've been lugging around? Take your chance to pick up a new paperback.

About that breakfast, are you a vegetarian? I was disappointed and surprised by the menu in a breakfast joint. Where's my vegetarian option? With no selection I ordered a meat breakfast minus the meat.

Do one thing in Dublin though. Look up. Take a look at the clouds. Seriously. Tell me what you think of them. I've been told the clouds in Dublin are lower and it's an obvious difference. Do you think so?

Destination Anywhere

Gap Adventures

I have been looking into Gap Adventures for a while now. I haven't gone on one of their tours yet but have heard good feedback about them.


Traveling Solo
Group tours seem to be the best option when traveling solo. As a female traveler I would take a group tour of Asia, South America and North African countries like Egypt and Morocco.

Adventure and Off the Beaten Path
On a bus ride through the countryside in a foreign country where people speak little English can be challenging. Even knowing what bus stop to exit at can be a problem. This where I find tours helpful -just follow along.

This tour company is one that I've been looking at is all. They seem to have a lot of options in terms of travel style and activities. Hope to hop on one of these someday.

www.gapadventures.com