Originally posted by : Lizz

Photo Credit: Aliza Scharf, UMBC

The people you meet while travelling have just as much place in your memory as the things/sites you see.So…who is the weirdest/most unique/craziest/interpret this how you want person you met on your travels?

When I was in Odesa, they at the hostel told me about this 33 year old Japanese man who after he left they discovered a pic of this naked woman in the safe he was using.

Then later that day some other people who were coming from Chisinau via Transdnister had also just traveled with him. I got to hear all the hype about him. Talks in his sleep, got 200 euro taken off him by the Transdnister border guards, all sorts of strange things. Didn’t think I’d ever meet the guy.

Well a few days later I went back to Lviv and the hostel owner told me a Japanese man had booked and the name sounded familiar. A few hours later he arrived. Yes granted he was a little strange but all and all a good guy. He didn’t speak much English and he spent most of his time on his laptop taling to himself but we did convince him to go to the Lychachiv cemetary with us. Very organized, had one of those huge timetable books.

Last I know he was headed to Krakow, so if anyone has met this guy let me know. He’s a legend!

In Lviv a guy who had 3 passports (Irish, British, USA) claimed he had…

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Photo Credit: Osraí

I think everyone is guilty, at one point or another, of talking about their dreams and not taking swift action to make it happen.

TravelPUNK.com has been urging people for over 6 years to just “pull the trigger” and make your travel dreams happen.

Sadly, most people, no matter how much inspiration and motivation they get from things they watch, read, or the people around them, will never take action.

There will always be something that will get in their way. Things that they create, subconsciously, that will allow them to make more excuses as to why they should continue to procrastinate on their travel dreams.

You create your own reality.

Push yourself to make it happen! You won’t regret it.

Here’s an inspirational post from a new member of our community, Bedtimeonthemoon. This was posted yesterday!

Ahh I booked it!

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Congratulations for finally doing it, Bedtimeonthemoon! You’re an inspiration to all of us!

Of course, we wish you an absolutely awesome life-altering trip!

Originally posty by Magnifico

image credit: Triciaward 

So of all the fun cultural exploits to be had on my trip, a personal favourite was purchasing a wineskin (a fine 1-liter marked “Las Tres Z.Z.Z. Pamplona) while in San Sebastian. The day I bought it, I had it filled with a fine 5-euro bottle of Rioja (you’ll never find a good five-dollar bottle of wine in the states, I’ll wager; this stuff was unbelievable) for our day-trip to Pamplona.

That night, I get back without having had a decent chance to take a rip from the ’skin. I’m at a local bar/pub/cafe, and when I say local, I mean it was really for locals, when a friend reminds me of the skin.

So I take it out, hold it at arm’s length, and take one gigantic draw of some of the best wine I’ve ever tasted. A couple of passersby see me do this and laugh and applaud. This gets us all riled up to be hte cool, culturally open guys we are, taking drinks with the skin held out as far as possible.

Now, it goes without saying that guys are stupid, and that American high school guys in a country with a drinking age that was rarely enforced (and already lower than our own ages) are bound to be stupid. I’d had a fair bit to drink that night already. So I raise my arms, pose like the almighty Dionysius that I am, stretching my arms out for all they’re worth, and squeeze the skin with the grip of a young boy confident that his hubris will be repaid in full by the amazing accomplishment of being able to swallow liquid.

It goes everywhere except my mouth.My shirt was messed up, my contacts hurt like hell, I felt icky all over, and everybody who saw seemed to be laughing. Moral of the story: make sure you’ve got enough wine left in there to get a stream instead of a spray. Or maybe the moral of the story is that the Basques rule. In either case, hubris sucks.

Roughly this time next year I’m heading to Europe (obviously ). I think I have the basics of everything covered, except for this whole Eurail concept, like a lot of people seem to be having.

My trip will last five to maybe six months, and I know the Eurail connects to almost every country save for a whole ten or so.

Now would the wise thing to do, is get the Global Pass connecting twenty countries unlimited for three months and then a two-month pass after that? Or go about it a different way? Like flying to some places or bussing it like previously stated in different topics?

Then you have the BritRail which covers all if not most of Britain right? On top of that, for countries like the Ukraine, Slovakia, Belarus and Russia, what is the best/cheapest way to get around? Do they have some sort of train system as well?

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This is a 12 part series on Backpacking Europe for all you aspiring & seasoned backpackers and student travelers.

12. Travel Insurance.

Imagine traveling overseas and go reach for your passport and realize that it is missing. In reality, it was most likely stolen.

This happens to thousands of travelers each and every year.

Or, you wake up one morning sick as a dog, in excruciating pain, and need to see a doctor- yesterday!

Good thing you bought travel insurance because in both instances, your travel insurance will help you.

Let’s look at it another way. Would you drive your car around your own city without insurance (even if it wasn’t a law)?

Would you drive to work, school, or just around town hanging out with your friends without car insurance? It’s not like you don’t know where you’re going.

We do it, not only just because it’s the law, but because we feel safe. It gives us peace of mind.

Likewise, why would you travel to foreign countries that you are unfamiliar with, where you most likely are not fluent in the language and or culture, without protecting yourself?

Accidents happen, especially when you least expect them.

According to an article from iVillage, the top 9 reasons to buy travel insurance are-

1. Your flight has been cancelled.?
2. Your bags are lost and your medication is in it. You need to have an emergency prescription filled. ?
3. Your passport and wallet are stolen, and you need emergency cash and a replacement passport. ?
4. You’re involved in an accident and adequate medical treatment is not available. You need medical evacuation.
5. You need to cancel your trip due to illness. ?
6. Your cruise line, airline or tour operator goes bankrupt. You need your non-refundable expenses covered and to get to your destination. ?
7. You have a medical emergency in a foreign country. ?
8. A terrorist incident occurs in the city where you’re planning to visit and you want to cancel your trip.
9. A hurricane forces you to evacuate your resort, hotel or cruise
Original source- http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/17519580/page/3/

Imagine heading over to Pamplona, Spain on your backpacking trip, to take part in the annual Running of the Bulls festivities, made popular by Ernest Hemingway.

Your adrenaline is pumping and you run through the century old streets with all of your might, trying to make it to the stadium before the bulls do and trying to stay out of the path of destruction that the bulls create each year.

You may reach the finish line perfectly fine, without a scratch. However, many travelers in the past were not so lucky.

* WARNING! PICTURE MAY MAKE YOU CRINGE.

Take a look at where on of the bull’s horns ended up.

Hopefully this was the worst of it and that the guy is still able to walk fine these days.

I hope this traveler was also smart enough to have purchased travel insurance before he left for his trip!

Do you think he thought that he was going to get into a unimaginable accident as he was packing for his trip?

Do you think he ever imagined that he would end up in such a horrific situation, most likely unable to finish his travel itinerary and not only needing medical treatment, but perhaps medical evacuation?

Imagine if he didn’t have travel insurance.

Not only can the medical treatment for this type of injury can break your travel budget, but it can even cause your parents to take a 2nd mortgage. That is no joke!

Buying travel insurance should be factored into your trip just as you would factor in a Eurail Pass and booking your hostels online ahead of time before your trip.

Don’t spend too much time asking people IF you should buy travel insurance. Nobody knows the future, so their opinion is worthless.

The question really is, what type of coverage should you buy and where to buy travel insurance.

Make sure you read the coverage of the policy thoroughly before you purchase travel insurance.

Where to buy travel insurance?

If you currently have health insurance, call your insurance company and see if they cover you overseas on your travels.

If they do, then your coverage may be limited overseas compared to what they will cover on your home turf.

They will most likely cover only health insurance and will not cover anything travel related (stolen wallets, purses & passports, canceled flights, loss of baggage, etc…see list above), so you must get something in addition to your current health insurance to cover you butt.

To get proper travel insurance, you must purchase it from an insurance provider who specializes in travel insurance.

TravelPUNK is partnered with two of the top travel insurance providers World Nomads and AIG Travel Guard.

We highly recommend both companies as they are leaders in the travel insurance industry, have been covering travelers for many years, and are world renowned for their coverage.

Get a FREE quote from World Nomads.

Get a FREE quote from Travel Guard.

Be smart, protect yourself and buy travel insurance. It will give you peace of mind, that is certain.

And just like car insurance… pray that you won’t have to use it.

This is a nice video shot on a Eurail train called the Bernina Express that travels from Switzerland to Italy.

The narrator is speaking dutch, so if you can’t understand it, don’t worry about it.

The important thing is to look at the magnificent views that you’ll get when you travel by Eurail.

This video should help you “pull the trigger” and buy a Eurail Pass!

Here are important Eurail links once again-

RailEurope has helped both U.S. and Canadian travelers see more of Europe for the past 75 years.

Canadian travelers can check out their selection of rail passes in Canadian dollars, for more flexibility and savings.Click here

If you are a first time traveler to Europe, you can read about the the importance of backpacking Europe with a Eurail pass here.

More information on Eurail passes can be found here.

A recent report out on Absinthe that inquiring minds would like to know…

Charles Q. ChoiSpecial to LiveScienceLiveScience.com
An analysis of century-old bottles of absinthe - the kind once quaffed by the likes of van Gogh and Picasso to enhance their creativity - may end the controversy over what ingredient caused the green liqueur’s supposed mind-altering effects.

The scientists are set to detail their findings in the May 14 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Original article posted here

More on Absinthe
10 Known and Not So Well Known Facts of Absinthe
Absinthe, Wormwood, The Green Fairy

This video will give you a glimpse of what a Eurail train looks like inside. Notice the dining car, the restroom, the 1st and 2nd class seats, the luggage racks above the seats, and the views!

Click to play video!

You MUST get a Eurail pass and enhance your trip 1,000 percent!

RailEurope has helped both U.S. and Canadian travelers see more of Europe for the past 75 years.

Canadian travelers can check out their selection of rail passes in Canadian dollars, for more flexibility and savings.Click here

If you are a first time traveler to Europe, you can read about the the importance of backpacking Europe with a Eurail pass here.

And only when you’re actually on the road backpacking Europe, will you realize that traveling by train is really the way Europeans do it.Don’t reinvent the wheel.More information on Eurail passes can be found here.