R.L. Stedman's Blog, page 21
August 12, 2013
A Book Review
Reading on Location
Because I'm a bookaholic I have to have something to read, whereever I go. And, personally, I think travel is much improved by reading a book set in the location I'm visiting. The best experience I had with this was when I read Dune in the Sinai - strange, given that Dune is set on another planet, but there you go.
image from Science Fiction Lit But I'm not going to the Sinai, I'm going to Europe. So here's my first book review:
Title: Reading on Location
Author(s): Luisa Moncada and Scala Quin
Review: This is a great way to read around the world, with a comprehensive lists of books to chose from. When movies have been made, they are also noted. It's small and easy to navigate, clear and well-written
HOWEVER:
it's print, so it goes out of date quicklyit's not available on kindle which is crazy, given that duh, it will be read by travellers.it doesn't cover smaller towns/villages. For example, I'm going to Nijmegen, in Holland, one of Holland's oldest cities with, I'm sure, a longstanding literary tradition. But there's nothing listed for Nijmegen
So if you want something for a really specific region, best use google.
Or try these blogs:
Reading the WorldA Year of Reading the World
image from Beatties Book Blog
Because I'm a bookaholic I have to have something to read, whereever I go. And, personally, I think travel is much improved by reading a book set in the location I'm visiting. The best experience I had with this was when I read Dune in the Sinai - strange, given that Dune is set on another planet, but there you go.
image from Science Fiction Lit But I'm not going to the Sinai, I'm going to Europe. So here's my first book review:Title: Reading on Location
Author(s): Luisa Moncada and Scala Quin
Review: This is a great way to read around the world, with a comprehensive lists of books to chose from. When movies have been made, they are also noted. It's small and easy to navigate, clear and well-written
HOWEVER:
it's print, so it goes out of date quicklyit's not available on kindle which is crazy, given that duh, it will be read by travellers.it doesn't cover smaller towns/villages. For example, I'm going to Nijmegen, in Holland, one of Holland's oldest cities with, I'm sure, a longstanding literary tradition. But there's nothing listed for Nijmegen
So if you want something for a really specific region, best use google.
Or try these blogs:
Reading the WorldA Year of Reading the World
image from Beatties Book Blog
Reading on Location - A book reviewBecause I'm a bookahol...
Reading on Location - A book review
Because I'm a bookaholic I have to have something to read, whereever I go. And, personally, I think travel is much improved by reading a book set in the location I'm visiting. The best experience I had with this was when I read Dune in the Sinai - strange, given that Dune is set on another planet, but there you go.
image from Science Fiction Lit But I'm not going to the Sinai, I'm going to Europe. So here's my first book review:
Title: Reading on Location
Author(s): Luisa Moncada and Scala Quin
Review: This is a great way to read around the world, with a comprehensive lists of books to chose from. When movies have been made, they are also noted. It's small and easy to navigate, clear and well-written
HOWEVER:
it's print, so it goes out of date quicklyit's not available on kindle which is crazy, given that duh, it will be read by travellers.it doesn't cover smaller towns/villages. For example, I'm going to Nijmegen, in Holland, one of Holland's oldest cities with, I'm sure, a longstanding literary tradition. But there's nothing listed for Nijmegen
So if you want something for a really specific region, best use google.
Or try these blogs:
Reading the WorldA Year of Reading the World
image from Beatties Book Blog
Because I'm a bookaholic I have to have something to read, whereever I go. And, personally, I think travel is much improved by reading a book set in the location I'm visiting. The best experience I had with this was when I read Dune in the Sinai - strange, given that Dune is set on another planet, but there you go.
image from Science Fiction Lit But I'm not going to the Sinai, I'm going to Europe. So here's my first book review:Title: Reading on Location
Author(s): Luisa Moncada and Scala Quin
Review: This is a great way to read around the world, with a comprehensive lists of books to chose from. When movies have been made, they are also noted. It's small and easy to navigate, clear and well-written
HOWEVER:
it's print, so it goes out of date quicklyit's not available on kindle which is crazy, given that duh, it will be read by travellers.it doesn't cover smaller towns/villages. For example, I'm going to Nijmegen, in Holland, one of Holland's oldest cities with, I'm sure, a longstanding literary tradition. But there's nothing listed for Nijmegen
So if you want something for a really specific region, best use google.
Or try these blogs:
Reading the WorldA Year of Reading the World
image from Beatties Book BlogBook Review image from Science Fiction Lit ...
Book Review
image from Science Fiction Lit Because I'm a bookaholic I have to have something to read, whereever I go. And, personally, I think travel is much improved by reading a book set in the location I'm visiting.
The best experience I had with this was when I read Dune in the Sinai - strange, given that Dune is set on another planet, but there you go.
But I'm not going to the Sinai, I'm going to Europe. So here's my first book review:
Title: Reading on Location
Author(s): Luisa Moncada and Scala Quin
Review: This is a great way to read around the world, with a comprehensive lists of books to chose from. When movies have been made, they are also noted. It's small and easy to navigate, clear and well-written
HOWEVER:
it's print, so it goes out of date quicklyit's not available on kindle which is crazy, given that duh, it will be read by travellers.it doesn't cover smaller towns/villages. For example, I'm going to Nijmegen, in Holland, one of Holland's oldest cities with, I'm sure, a longstanding literary tradition. But there's nothing listed for Nijmegen
So if you want something for a really specific region, best use google.
Or try these blogs:
Reading the WorldA Year of Reading the World
image from Beatties Book Blog
image from Science Fiction Lit Because I'm a bookaholic I have to have something to read, whereever I go. And, personally, I think travel is much improved by reading a book set in the location I'm visiting.The best experience I had with this was when I read Dune in the Sinai - strange, given that Dune is set on another planet, but there you go.
But I'm not going to the Sinai, I'm going to Europe. So here's my first book review:
Title: Reading on Location
Author(s): Luisa Moncada and Scala Quin
Review: This is a great way to read around the world, with a comprehensive lists of books to chose from. When movies have been made, they are also noted. It's small and easy to navigate, clear and well-written
HOWEVER:
it's print, so it goes out of date quicklyit's not available on kindle which is crazy, given that duh, it will be read by travellers.it doesn't cover smaller towns/villages. For example, I'm going to Nijmegen, in Holland, one of Holland's oldest cities with, I'm sure, a longstanding literary tradition. But there's nothing listed for Nijmegen
So if you want something for a really specific region, best use google.
Or try these blogs:
Reading the WorldA Year of Reading the World
image from Beatties Book BlogBudgets and Itineraries
Budgets aren't always Boring
So you know where you want to go? You've read the guidebooks, the internet, talked to friends, watched movies. You know how many days/weeks/months you'll be away for. You've talked to the kid's schools, made sure they're ok with an extended absence. (What would you do, you wonder, if they're not?)
And then you check the prices.
Then you pour yourself a drink, tell yourself: 'its a once in a life-time experience', 'they'll remember it for ever', 'if we're going all the way to Europe we do have to be there for a while'.
Once you recover from the shock, you'll probably find its much cheaper to
self cater andbook it yourself.Here's some tips for controlling and managing a budget while away.
Tip One: draw up an itinerary in advance
- set up an account with TripIt and
- follow instructions on TripIt website.
It took me about 2 hours but then... voila: everything is at the tip of a button. The app will export to your calendar (Note: this is a bit problematic). Check you're not double booked anywhere, or that you don't have a bed for a night (teenagers won't be impressed at sleeping under a bridge.)
Tip Two: set up a spreadsheet with the following headings:
Accommodation priceAccom paidAccom to payThis way you can keep track of any reimbursements you are owed for damage deposits.
We've done the same with Attractions and Transport (car-hire, train tickets)
Set the spreadsheet to calculate the totals of each booking. That way you can track how much you've spent, and how much you still have to pay when you arrive
So you know where you want to go? You've read the guidebooks, the internet, talked to friends, watched movies. You know how many days/weeks/months you'll be away for. You've talked to the kid's schools, made sure they're ok with an extended absence. (What would you do, you wonder, if they're not?)
And then you check the prices.
Then you pour yourself a drink, tell yourself: 'its a once in a life-time experience', 'they'll remember it for ever', 'if we're going all the way to Europe we do have to be there for a while'.
Once you recover from the shock, you'll probably find its much cheaper to
self cater andbook it yourself.Here's some tips for controlling and managing a budget while away.
Tip One: draw up an itinerary in advance
- set up an account with TripIt and
- follow instructions on TripIt website.
It took me about 2 hours but then... voila: everything is at the tip of a button. The app will export to your calendar (Note: this is a bit problematic). Check you're not double booked anywhere, or that you don't have a bed for a night (teenagers won't be impressed at sleeping under a bridge.)
Tip Two: set up a spreadsheet with the following headings:
Accommodation priceAccom paidAccom to payThis way you can keep track of any reimbursements you are owed for damage deposits.
We've done the same with Attractions and Transport (car-hire, train tickets)
Set the spreadsheet to calculate the totals of each booking. That way you can track how much you've spent, and how much you still have to pay when you arrive
Budgets aren't always BoringSo you know where you want to...
Budgets aren't always Boring
So you know where you want to go? You've read the guidebooks, the internet, talked to friends, watched movies. You know how many days/weeks/months you'll be away for. You've talked to the kid's schools, made sure they're ok with an extended absence. (What would you do, you wonder, if they're not?)
And then you check the prices.
Then you pour yourself a drink, tell yourself: 'its a once in a life-time experience', 'they'll remember it for ever', 'if we're going all the way to Europe we do have to be there for a while'.
Once you recover from the shock, you'll probably find its much cheaper to
self cater andbook it yourself.Here's some tips for controlling and managing a budget while away.
Tip One: draw up an itinerary in advance
- set up an account with TripIt and
- follow instructions on TripIt website.
It took me about 2 hours but then... voila: everything is at the tip of a button. The app will export to your calendar (Note: this is a bit problematic). Check you're not double booked anywhere, or that you don't have a bed for a night (teenagers won't be impressed at sleeping under a bridge.)
Tip Two: set up a spreadsheet with the following headings:
Accommodation priceAccom paidAccom to payThis way you can keep track of any reimbursements you are owed for damage deposits.
We've done the same with Attractions and Transport (car-hire, train tickets)
Set the spreadsheet to calculate the totals of each booking. That way you can track how much you've spent, and how much you still have to pay when you arrive
So you know where you want to go? You've read the guidebooks, the internet, talked to friends, watched movies. You know how many days/weeks/months you'll be away for. You've talked to the kid's schools, made sure they're ok with an extended absence. (What would you do, you wonder, if they're not?)
And then you check the prices.
Then you pour yourself a drink, tell yourself: 'its a once in a life-time experience', 'they'll remember it for ever', 'if we're going all the way to Europe we do have to be there for a while'.
Once you recover from the shock, you'll probably find its much cheaper to
self cater andbook it yourself.Here's some tips for controlling and managing a budget while away.
Tip One: draw up an itinerary in advance
- set up an account with TripIt and
- follow instructions on TripIt website.
It took me about 2 hours but then... voila: everything is at the tip of a button. The app will export to your calendar (Note: this is a bit problematic). Check you're not double booked anywhere, or that you don't have a bed for a night (teenagers won't be impressed at sleeping under a bridge.)
Tip Two: set up a spreadsheet with the following headings:
Accommodation priceAccom paidAccom to payThis way you can keep track of any reimbursements you are owed for damage deposits.
We've done the same with Attractions and Transport (car-hire, train tickets)
Set the spreadsheet to calculate the totals of each booking. That way you can track how much you've spent, and how much you still have to pay when you arrive
Day One - Boring BudgetsSo you know where you want to go?...
Day One - Boring Budgets
So you know where you want to go? You've read the guidebooks, the internet, talked to friends, watched movies. You know how many days/weeks/months you'll be away for. You've talked to the kid's schools, made sure they're ok with an extended absence. (What would you do, you wonder, if they're not?)
And then you check the prices.
Then you pour yourself a drink, tell yourself: 'its a once in a life-time experience', 'they'll remember it for ever', 'if we're going all the way to Europe we do have to be there for a while'.
Once you recover from the shock, you'll probably find its much cheaper to
self cater andbook it yourself.Here's some tips for controlling and managing a budget while away.
Tip One: draw up an itinerary in advance
- set up an account with TripIt and
- follow instructions on TripIt website.
It took me about 2 hours but then... voila: everything is at the tip of a button. The app will export to your calendar (Note: this is a bit problematic). Check you're not double booked anywhere, or that you don't have a bed for a night (teenagers won't be impressed at sleeping under a bridge.)
Tip Two: set up a spreadsheet with the following headings:
Accommodation priceAccom paidAccom to payThis way you can keep track of any reimbursements you are owed for damage deposits.
We've done the same with Attractions and Transport (car-hire, train tickets)
Set the spreadsheet to calculate the totals of each booking.
In the next post I'll talk about the tips we've discovered...thus far.
So you know where you want to go? You've read the guidebooks, the internet, talked to friends, watched movies. You know how many days/weeks/months you'll be away for. You've talked to the kid's schools, made sure they're ok with an extended absence. (What would you do, you wonder, if they're not?)
And then you check the prices.
Then you pour yourself a drink, tell yourself: 'its a once in a life-time experience', 'they'll remember it for ever', 'if we're going all the way to Europe we do have to be there for a while'.
Once you recover from the shock, you'll probably find its much cheaper to
self cater andbook it yourself.Here's some tips for controlling and managing a budget while away.
Tip One: draw up an itinerary in advance
- set up an account with TripIt and
- follow instructions on TripIt website.
It took me about 2 hours but then... voila: everything is at the tip of a button. The app will export to your calendar (Note: this is a bit problematic). Check you're not double booked anywhere, or that you don't have a bed for a night (teenagers won't be impressed at sleeping under a bridge.)
Tip Two: set up a spreadsheet with the following headings:
Accommodation priceAccom paidAccom to payThis way you can keep track of any reimbursements you are owed for damage deposits.
We've done the same with Attractions and Transport (car-hire, train tickets)
Set the spreadsheet to calculate the totals of each booking.
In the next post I'll talk about the tips we've discovered...thus far.
