This has been a busy week on BootsnAll! We’ve toured 12 of the less visited countries in the world, checked out the best ghost towns in Europe and talked lots about travel hacking and how to fly with kids without losing your mind (or theirs!)
Here’s what you may have missed:
12 of the Less Visited Countries
I’ve been to exactly NONE of these and I’m scratching my head as to why. I’ve definitely got to up my game and add a few of these to my plans for the near future. At the top of my list are North Korea and Madagascar. What about you?
“We travel to experience something different, to go places our friends haven’t been and regale them with our backpacking tales of far off countries when we get back, but these days everyone seems to be on the same trail. If you’re looking to get off the beaten track this year then maybe you should try one of these countries.”
8 Incredible Ghost Towns in Europe
No need to wait for Halloween to visit ghost towns, Europe has a number that are open year ’round. Of course you’ve heard about Pompeii and Chernobyl, but do you know the two in the UK, or the one in Norway? Check them out:
“By definition, a ghost town is an abandoned town or city. Some cities become ghost towns because the economic activity that supported them has failed; others are abandoned after natural or human-caused disasters such as earthquakes, floods, or war.
Ghost towns can be found all over the world, but some of them have become very famous. This is due either to being very well preserved or to the reasons which lead to their abandonment.”
Preparing Young Children to Fly
Traveling with young kids is the worst nightmare of new parents. The thought of being trapped on a plane with a kid having a stage four meltdown makes their palms sweat. The feeling of not knowing what to do to prevent that is common. The good news is, there ARE things you can do to prepare your kids to fly and to structure that stressful day for success. Read on:
“A travel day, for children, is one long exercise in new (and potentially frightening) experiences, with an extra helping of high expectations and a stressed out parent as the cherry on top. A wise older mother once said to me, “You can’t expect your kids to do, in public, what they will not do at home.” Those words changed my parenting life and restructured much of our family’s focus. So many of the things that frustrate us as parents, in public, are our own fault, because we haven’t spent the time at home introducing our children to the socially appropriate behaviors. Don’t blame your kid for that.”
Travel Hacking for Dummies
If you’re like me you know that you could be saving a lot of money travel hacking, and you feel like you should be doing it, but you’re overwhelmed by the mere thought of it. Let’s be honest, it feels confusing and the “game” always seems to be changing. What’s a traveler to do (besides pay full price for a ticket?) Pam MacNaughtan breaks it down for you:
“Many travelers become fanatical about travel hacking, but let’s face it, not everyone has (or can get) a credit card. So does this mean that travel hacking is only for those of a certain class or from a certain country?
In a word, no!
In essence, travel hacking is about finding deals and maximizing travel rewards. It’s stretching your travel dollars without sacrificing experiences. It also requires a little more thought and planning.”