Featured Country: Serbia Yep: Serbia. And no, it's not a place to avoid. As Eastern Europe develops and as countries such as Serbia grow and rebuild, this region can appeal to travelers because most other people aren't going to go there. We don't know about you, but for us that can be a pretty good reason to check the place out. Eastern Europe is going to become more and more traveled and touristed over the next few years, so why not check it out before the big hotels come up and the package tours start in? Boots writer Karlien Van Houtte agrees; she's a self-proclaimed Serbia-phile who visited the country last year. Her frustration at not finding information on it, plus her experiences there, prompted her to write a travel guide on Serbia, as well as to provide a few tips for this newsletter. So you don't get frustrated if you're thinking of going there, here's some other info: Serbia is situated, along with the Republic of Montenegro, as a constituent part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Serbia is bordered by Bosnia & Hercegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Macedonia, Albania and Bulgaria. Major cities include the capital, Belgrade (where you'll fly into), as well as Novi Sad, Smederevo and Nis. Current population is estimated at around 10 million. The official language is Serbian, the official alphabet, Cyrillic. The climate is considered temperate, but only technically so; winters and summers are both extreme in terms of temperature and conditions, but spring and fall are generally considered quite nice. Outside the cities, there is scads of countryside. You can find your way to many rivers, such as the Danube, Sava and Tisa, or parks such as Djerdap National Park near the Romanian border. Northern Serbia is mostly flat, while the central and southern areas are mountainous. The highest point is Djeravica in the Prokletija range, at 2,656 m (8,714 feet). Dosh-wise, the official currency is the Yugoslav Dinar (YUN). Current exchange rates (approx.): US$1=YUN67 AU$1=YUN36 CA$1=YUN43 GB£1=YUN97 EU€1=YUN61 Well, those are a few nuts and bolts. Keep reading for more info on Serbia, as well as other travelers' experiences there. What's in this issue? Airfare Deals Featured Content Hostels Featured Message Board Thread Eurail Passes What Our Insiders Say Links & Resources Tell a Friend and/or What Do You Want? AIRFARE DEALS Brought to you by the BootsnAll TripPlanner Plan and book your round-the-world or multi-continental trip! By the way, we're not talking about air-hotel-and-car-rental stuff, but multi-destination air tickets, so packaged to help get you a better deal. Perhaps you don't like trains or buses; perhaps your schedule is tight; in any case, use BootsnAll's TripPlanner to build your itinerary, not only for getting to Europe, but for flying from country to country. Here are some examples we found: $2371 US New York City - London - Overland On Your Own - Belgrade - Athens - Mumbai (Bombay) - Bangkok - Sydney - San Francisco - New York City Or you can add a few more stops and really max it out: $3021 US New York City - London - Overland On Your Own - Belgrade - Athens - Cairo - Mumbai (Bombay) - Ahmedabad - Jaipur - Delhi - Agra - Khajuraho - Varanasi - Kathmandu - Calcutta - Yangon (Rangoon) - Bangkok - Kuala Lumpur - Sydney - Bangkok - Mumbai (Bombay) - Delhi - London - New York City $4438 US Sydney - Perth - Johannesburg - Cape Town - London - Malta - Damascus - Cairo - Athens - Belgrade - Overland On Your Own - Paris - New York City - Miami - Rio de Janeiro - Los Angeles - Papeete (Tahiti) - Rarotonga (Cook Is.) - Nadi (Fiji Is.) - Auckland - Sydney Now, log on to the TripPlanner and put together an itinerary of the places you want to see! More Specials & Deals The only thing better than flying to Europe, is getting a bloody good deal on the ticket. We work with other companies to bring you low, hard-to-beat round-trip fares, to help you fly not only to Europe, but to wherever you want to go: BootsnAll Farebeater Hotwire Cheap Ticket Links Back to top FEATURED CONTENT Not too many people have headed to Serbia, understandable given the turmoil of the past years. Things seem to be settling down a bit, and as a new government comes in, hopefully travelers will too – and they'll likely be writing about their experiences there. Serbia is a country that BootsnAll doesn't yet have much content on, but if you've been there or are about to go there, be sure to email us about writing up something on your trip. In the meantime, read up with this: Serbia Travel Guide - Like we said, Karlien van Houtte wanted other travelers to see what an amazing place Serbia is, as a destination, a culture and a nation. Here's her guide on where to go and what to see, as well as other resources to learn more. If you would like to submit an article on your travel experiences, check out our Writer's Guidelines, then send it along. Back to top HOSTELS Hostels are a great way to stay when you're traveling Europe. Staying in hostels when you travel not only helps your budget, it is a unique way to enhance your trip. Meet new people, have new experiences; with our Hostels section you can learn about hostels and book your bed online. Europe Hostels Visit the Hostel Section Back to top FEATURED MESSAGE BOARD THREAD Serbia On the Europe Discussions board, seraphim asks about her upcoming Serbia trip, then gives some pointers and observations from while she's there. Log in or register your handle, then jump into the discussion and throw down your two dinars on Serbia. Be sure to check out the other discussions on our boards as well: http://boards.BootsnAll.com/ Back to top EURAIL PASSES Brought to you by the BootsnAll RailSaver Plan and book European rail passes! Whenever you go to Serbia and anywhere else in Europe, one of the best ways to get around is to take the train, and one of the best ways to take the train is by getting a rail pass. You'll get to hang out with both locals and travelers, and will be able to sit back, relax and enjoy the countryside. The train is easily one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to see the whole of Serbia, or just a few places. Here's more about Eurail passes and why they're a good way to go. If you're ready to book rail passes for Serbia and/or Europe, buy your passes online with the BootsnAll Railsaver, and have a great trip! Back to top WHAT OUR INSIDERS SAY BootsnAll Insiders are a great source of information, and they can tell you what the guidebooks can't. Here's a few pointers: Karlien Van Houtte Serbia & Montenegro: Visas Citizens of the EU, the US, Canada and a bunch of other countries do not need a visa to go to Yugoslavia (or Serbia and Montenegro, as it's called now I believe) anymore. All you have to do is show up at the border and buy a tourist pass, which is valid for 30 days, for about 5 Euro. For more info click here. Belgrade, Serbia Belgrade may not be the greatest city in Europe for sightseeing (though there's plenty to see), or be especially pretty (except for Kalemegdan and Skadarlia), but IMHO it is one of the most interesting and fun cities in Europe. One aspect that makes it so is the history, from the Middle Ages to the 21 century, which is very visible throughout the city. Another is its vibrant, youthful, happening atmosphere. And there's also the fact that you just can't compare it to anywhere else. Citadels and Castles If you like old castles, you will certainly enjoy a visit to Serbia. There's the citadels of Novi Sad (Petrovardin), Belgrade (Kalemegdan) and Nis, as well as ruined medieval castles such as the ones at Smederevo and Golubac (both overlooking the Danube). Debra Brown Meet People & Get To Know the Locals Talk to people. Ask them lots of questions. Have coffee or a meal with the locals. Find out how they live. Enjoy their company. Having said that – don't go to non-public places alone with a stranger. Use your common sense. Be nice to your bartender and waitress. They will make sure you have a good time. Tip them well (most people don't). Ask them lots of questions, most of them are locals. Back to top LINKS & RESOURCES Use the following sites to learn more about Serbia, what it offers to travelers, and how to plan your trip. National Tourism Organisation of Serbia Pointers on places to check out, and other info helpful to travelers. Belgrade Hotels Your trip will most likely have you spending time in Belgrade, the capital and main city. The above link can help you learn about and arrange hotel accommodation before you get there. Serbian Government The official site of the Serbian government acknowledges that, well, yeah there are some challenges ahead, "to prove that which we feel as a nation and as citizens - that we are better than the country which we inherited from the previous regime and live in." CIA, The World Factbook: Yugoslavia The CIA maintains nuts-and-bolts info on every country in the world. If you want to know it, it's probably here. Serbia Post Keep up with the headlines and latest news with the Serbian newspaper online. Back to top WRITE AN ARTICLE If you have a story of your own that you would like to submit on Serbia, have a look at BootsnAll's Writer's Guidelines: http://writers.BootsnAll.com And then send it along. We're always looking for new content and new perspectives, and we hope to get yours soon. TELL A FRIEND If you feel that BootsnAll.com is a valuable resource, or that others might think so, please tell your friends about us. As many of you know, we respond personally to every email we receive in an ongoing effort to build a true traveller's community. Many have responded positively. If you have comments both positive and constructive, we would love to hear them. Tell us what we have done well and how we can improve. We would appreciate it greatly. Back to top