Updates to Indie occur 2 to 4 times per month. The previous deployment was 6 June 2013.

We launche a version of RTW 30 just for Families on June 17th. Check out this free online course.

Here’s how they calculate their cost index:

The TripAdvisor TripIndex Cities is based on the cost of a couple staying one night in a four-star hotel, cocktails, a two-course dinner with a bottle of wine, and return taxi fare of 3.2 kilometres each way.

The Cheapest City they list was Sofia, Bulgaria at $153 bucks for the experience listed above.

Lists like this, build up how expensive it could be to travel the world. TripAdvisor – perhaps the most well known travel specific online entity, has tremendous reach and influence, so I when I see stuff like this, I think of my neighborhood friends from Chicago – seeing this and thinking – “How can I travel (like Keener does) – around the world with prices like that on a per night basis. He must be RICH!”. (Not true pals – there are other ways! – see below)

Well – most humans can’t afford that for more than a few nights per year

So – with this article fresh in mind, have a look at our series of articles and Jodi curated list, of how much it costs per day in particular countries/region to travel “indie style”.

How we choose our Per Day Budgets
We choose the per day budget number based on personal boots on the ground experience and research. It’s not a bare-bones budget, but not extravagant either. The suggested budget per article will allow you to sleep and eat comfortably and take part in most activities you wish.

Here is an assortment of Budget pieces for Indie minded Travelers to get your started:

Asia
Cambodia on $25 Per Day
Vietnam on $30 Per Day
Nha Trang, Vietnam on $25 Per Day
Malaysia on $10 Per Day
Myanmar/Burma on $45 Per Day
South Korea on $30 Per Day

Central America
Guatemala on $25 Per Day
Panama for $30 Per Day

Europe
Czech Republic on $25 Per Day
Portugal for $50 Per Day
Bosnia for $45 Per Day

Africa
Malawi for $25 Per Day

North America
Canada for $60 Per Day
Cuba on $75 Per Day

Friend of BootsnAll (FOB) Jodi of Legal Nomads curated a nice list of budget pieces for many parts of the world that relate and are aligned with our articles above.

So are you a TripAdvisor Style traveler? Or a BootsnAll Style Traveler? If you are BootsnAll style – register to be a member of our Indie Travel Community.

Though frustrating at the time, travel mishaps often result in great stories and lessons learned, so they’re rarely all bad.

Yesterday, we discussed travel mishaps while on the road, and we got some great stories, tips, advice, and insight. Check out the recap below if you weren’t able to join us.

And remember, we’re on Twitter every single Wednesday, 3:30 EST, to talk about RTW travel. Come join us!

]]> http://www.bootsnall.com/blog/travel-mishaps-rtwchat-on-twitter.html/feed 0 http://www.bootsnall.com/blog/indie-release-6-june-2013.html http://www.bootsnall.com/blog/indie-release-6-june-2013.html#comments Thu, 06 Jun 2013 17:39:12 +0000 Sean Keener http://www.bootsnall.com/?p=4348 Summary:
- Flight Availability picking options now for routes with 5 stops or more (was 6)
- fix for bug related to incorrect airport showing for the ‘flight not found’ error message when using by land segments
- Added Facebook og:image tag for Indie. The BootsnAll logo
- Now showing actual airlines instead of “Major Carrier” on special fares. (Yeah – this was a pain for us as well)

Updates to Indie occur 2 to 4 times per month. The previous deployment was 24 May 2013.

We are launching a version of RTW 30 just for Families on June 17th. Check out this free online course.

Check out the recap below, as there are tons of great tips and advice for how to use social media to enhance your travels. And be sure to check out the answers to question 10, as we gave travelers the opportunity to share some of their favorite pictures, blog posts, and resources to help travelers.

]]> http://www.bootsnall.com/blog/travel-and-social-media-rtwchat-on-twitter.html/feed 0 http://www.bootsnall.com/blog/is-it-safe-to-travel-to-istanbul.html http://www.bootsnall.com/blog/is-it-safe-to-travel-to-istanbul.html#comments Wed, 05 Jun 2013 12:10:48 +0000 Cristina http://www.bootsnall.com/?p=4335 With the (usual) media coverage on any civil unrest going on in this world, you probably heard by now about the situation in Istanbul, Turkey.

In short, protests in Istanbul broke out on May 27, 2013 when people gathered in Taksim Gezi Park to protest against the authorities wanting to turn the park into a shopping mall. Police quickly took action, and the scene escalated from there.

The situation has been going on for days, leaving more than 100 people injured.

As a result, the travelers are starting to ask whether or not they should visit Istanbul (now or later in the year).

Should you visit Istanbul?

As long as you stay away from the Taksim Square, Gezi Park, and the streets leading to them, you should be fine (Istanbul is a huge city; if you’re staying in a different part of it, chances are you won’t see any unrest at all). Needless to say, if you’ve already booked accommodations in that area, it’s best to cancel and look for a place to stay in a quieter area.

The historical city area (including Topkapi Palace) is not a problem to visit. But of course, be extra careful at all times; avoid the affected streets and rely on your instincts.

While not trying to downplay the situation (as it is a serious one), keep in mind how the media tends to sensationalize everything. It’s also smart to check out reports and social media outlets from  travelers on the ground in Istanbul right now.

Karen from the UK states, “My daughter’s in Istanbul at the moment. Judging by her FB entries, she’s having a perfectly normal tourist time! Official advice seems to be to exercise common sense and steer clear of demonstrations but there is no particular problem for tourists.”

Is Istanbul the only city affected?

According to the travel warning on the US Embassy website for Turkey, protests have occurred in other cities, too, including Ankara and Izmir.

From our research, we think smart common sense indie travelers will be just fine in Istanbul and Turkey. Just like most of the 70+ million people that live there.

The official advice is NOT to cancel your plans, but to be aware of what’s going on, listen to the local news stations, and follow the local authorities’ instructions.

From personal experience

I have visited Athens, Greece, in March 2012 while there were still problems with riots in the city. Taking the very same advice as above, I made sure to avoid Syntagma Square (the area where the protesters gathered) – which wasn’t that hard because police closed the streets leading to it, anyway – and I took a longer route to get to the hotel (which was close to Monastiraki Square, about 2 km from Syntagma Square). For the remaining 4 days while I was in Athens, it was quiet in the Syntagma area.

This happened to me 10 years ago in Australia as well. I didn’t learn! I’ll blame it on my infant twins and 6 months of sleep deprivation.

I asked the lady from Delta if I can bribe someone. She said, “No.”

Oh well – lesson learned again – time to embrace change!

Yesterday on #RTWChat, we talked about food while traveling. We were also fortunate enough to have Kelsey Timmerman, author of the book Where Am I Eating?, join us for a video interview during #RTWChat. He had some amazing stories to tell about where our food actually comes from, and it is a highly entertaining and informative interview, so check it out!

If you missed the chat itself, read the recap below to see what you missed. Warning: you may not want to read the recap on an empty stomach).

]]> http://www.bootsnall.com/blog/food-and-travel-rtwchat-on-twitter.html/feed 2 http://www.bootsnall.com/blog/indie-release-24-may-2013-flight-picker-updates.html http://www.bootsnall.com/blog/indie-release-24-may-2013-flight-picker-updates.html#comments Sun, 26 May 2013 20:03:30 +0000 Sean Keener http://www.bootsnall.com/?p=4323 Summary:
- Removed the “edit” link on the flight picker for routes of 5 stops or less
- Added more options on the Flight Picker – We were trimming results for the flight picker, we stopped.

Updates to Indie occur 2 to 4 times per month. The previous deployment was 23 May 2013.

The World’s 1st and online airfare engine for Around the World upto 25 leg routes with instant pricing, no rules and online booking, Indie – released an updated version of the software today.

Summary:
- Flight picker on the flight-selector.php page has an improved flight availability picker
- bugs squashed
- Major Carriers are replaced with the actual name of the Airline (YEAH!)

Here is a link to a video for a look at the updates.

Updates to Indie occur 2 to 4 times per month. The previous deployment was 14 May 2013.