3 Ways To Celebrate The 4th of July Outside of the US

This is probably old news for expatriates and long-term travelers but if you’re on vacation or just set out on the road outside of the US, you don’t have to miss out on the 4th of July (Independence Day). There are 3 good ways to get in touch with Americans abroad who are celebrating the 4th of July and join in with them.

1. Call the US Embassy or Consulate

They will most certainly have a party or get together to celebrate. Where it’s possible, you might even get to see some fireworks, have drinks, food, and meet up with other travelers who might be from your hometown. If you happen to be far from an embassy or consulate you can still give them a call and they’ll let you know if there are any 4th of July meet ups or organized parties going on near you.

2. US Army Bases

It depends on where you are in the world and the nature of the base but generally if you give the embassy a call you can find out if there’s a 4th of July bash going on at a nearby army base (i.e. Germany, Turkey, Japan). If you do find one don’t forget to bring your US passport.

3. Find Expats

Groups of expatriates (US citizens living abroad) often organize 4th of July parties which are a good way to mix up your travel routine, meet new people, and add unique experiences to your trip. Start with some Google hacking and a search should yield some expat groups around you. Transitions Abroad has a good list of expatriate resources and Twitter is also an excellent resource. Do a search (’Find People’) and type “expat” and see is any of the results are close to you.

Two Other Good Options

• Have your own party or go out and celebrate like the locals do.
• Contact big US companies or charities close by who usually have parties for their employees.

Celebrating the 4th of July abroad is a good way for Americans to make a trip or vacation more memorable, especially if you party like the locals. I’d be interested to hear how you American expats will be celebrating the 4th of July this year and any tips you’d like to add. Much of this advice isn’t limited to the 4th of July or for American holidays for that matter – you can adapt them to your country and national holidays and celebrate wherever you are traveling.

[photos by: foxypar4, joshua_d]

How To Drink Raki Like A Turk

”The best accompaniment to Raki is good conversation.”

-Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

Raki, the unofficial national drink of Turkey is more than a glass of alcohol, it’s an experience in itself. There is an entire culture around this strong, anise-flavored liqueur that is very popular throughout Turkey. Visitors to Turkey often wonder what that milky stuff in narrow glasses is and leave without a taste.

If you’re heading to Turkey any time soon, savor the food, conversation, and drink raki like a Turk.

Ordering a ‘Kadeh’

Raki is served in a small narrow glass that is specifically used for the drink. The glass is half filled with raki and ice or water completes the rest. At restaurants you can let the waiter know how much for a stronger or weaker drink. The addition of water turns the drink a cloudy white, which is where the nickname “lion’s milk” comes from.

Melon and Feta Cheese

Raki is traditionally served as an aperitif, to be slowly enjoyed with several appetizers. The traditional raki meal varies and can include anything from kebabs to salads. The two essentials however are yellow melon and feta cheese.

Ice and Water

Don’t be surprised to see a bowl of ice on the table. You can plop a fresh one into your drink as needed and the water will help take the edge off of your stomach. It’s also common to see a raki glass filled with water sitting next to everyone’s raki – also to be sipped on.

Sip, Don’t Chug

Raki is a drink that is best savored and you want to sip and drink it slowly. Be prepared to eat for hours, if you’re eating out you’ll be served food and drink all night until you’re done. Don’t worry, you’ll still get drunk in time (it’s 90 proof) but you won’t get the most important thing out of the drink.

A Good Conversation

That’s what drinking raki is all about -  not so much the drink but the ambiance that is created around it. Have some raki with friends and spend hours of talking, laughing, reminiscing, and of course eating.

Raki is a has a strong anise flavor (much like Greek ouzo or French pastis) and you might be put off on your first taste, which will be easily forgotten as you finish up your first glass and get to a second.

Turkey Travel Planner has a good guide to ordering raki and more about the traditional ‘raki sofrasi‘. So, if you’ve got 48 hours in Istanbul spend an evening out and have a kadeh, some melon, more food, and of course, good conversation.

Written as part of Lifecruiser and Travel Experta’s drinks around the world series.

[photos by: colm.mcmullen, arteunporro, karstenkneese, stevendepolo, meg and rahul, Shutter Pea]

My Interview With Nomadic Matt About His eBook

Matt Kepnes writes the very successful travel blog Nomadic Matt and recently released an eBook, How to Make Money with Your Travel Blog. (Which I reviewed 2 weeks ago.) He recently took some time to answer a few questions about the book, his websites, and future goals.

How long did it take you to gross $3,000 a month?

About 8 months from when I started thinking about monetization.

How were you making ends meet before?

I was teaching English in Bangkok.

What’s your typical travel blogging work day like?

Write a blog, find advertisers, tweet, comment on forums, build links to my sites (about 4-5 hrs).

Any specific advice for travel bloggers with day jobs?

Spend all your free time on your websites. Once they start rolling, they are pretty self sustaining but there is a lot of upfront work. Better to get it out of the way all at once.

Do you think any travel blogger can take the advice in the book and replicate your success?

I do. All you need is motivation, patience, persistence. There are many travel bloggers out there who make money.

If you could offer one ‘most important’ piece of advice about making money with your travel blog, what would it be?

It takes time. Be patient and don’t give up.

In a ‘tweet’, why should someone buy your eBook?

“You get access to advertisers.”

What are your future goals with your websites?

I’d like them to make more money and, for NomadicMatt.com, I’d like to double the traffic by the end of the year.

Thanks Matt for taking the time to answer these questions which I’m sure a number of other travel bloggers have. Matt’s eBook, How to Make Money with Your Travel Blog is $27 and available for purchase from his website.

A Whimsical 48 Hours In St. Petersburg Part 2

One of the potential topics to post on your blog when you haven’t traveled in forever is an imaginary trip to a place you haven’t been yet. Priyank from Final Transit and I decided to exchange travelogues to two cities we haven’t been to, but the other has, and compare our perceptions and expectations with reality. You can read about his second day in Manila and later this month he’ll dissect my trip to St. Petersburg. Here is Part 1 of my imaginary trip.

After a disappointing day hanging out at the local museums and historical sights such as the Russian Academy of Arts, I decided to head back to the airport to catch some rest. At one time Russia was a cheap vacation destination but the high cost of everything makes Russia one of the former best places to travel on a weak dollar. Pulkovo airport was no different, not to mention fairly small so there was quite a bit of foot traffic around making it a bit harder to sleep.

The next morning, my last in the city, I visited St. Issac’s Cathedral, the largest in St. Petersburg and simply a remarkable piece of architecture. I am often fascinated and inspired by the level of detail and dedication people put into religious structures like the cathedral which reminded me of Akshardham Temple in New Delhi.

The city was beginning to open up – or at least my eyes were. St. Petersburg is a city that you’ll find a lot to do by yourself, it’s full of places to see, parks, and cafes. It’s best to take the city in slowly and that’s what I found even though I had such limited time there. Before I left though, I had to get a good taste of the city.

The Idiot Restaurant is a lively place that serves good vegetarian food at a reasonable price (reasonable for St. Petersburg, that is). The atmosphere is active and there the restaurant is filled with tourists and pepper flavored vodka.

What I’m Missing

While my imaginary trip to St. Petersburg ended as it was getting better, I don’t feel like I really was able to capture the essence of the city. Perhaps it’s the cold and a bit caused by being unfamiliar with it but I wasn’t able to crack the lifeblood of St Petersburg in my 48 hours.

Priyank will help shed some light on this next week, but my imaginary trip certainly warrents a trip back, both imaginary and real.

[photos by: Oleg Mirabo (first two pictures), Honza Soukup, pmorgan]

Save 50% On Your Power Bills For 6 Months To Pay For Your Next Trip

For those of you with power bills you can save 50% off each one for the next 6 months to pay for your next trip. Recently I made some easy changes around my home to do just that. In exchange for a few minutes per day and some comfort from time to time you can chop your electric bill in half and use that money to book a flight.

1. Turn Off Your Water Heater 19 Hours A Day

The typical water heater in the US is 52 gallons. To provide enough hot water for 2 people to shower you’ll only need to run it for 5 hours a day. It’s preferable to split those 5 hours into two times daily (morning and night) to keep the hot water flowing.

The simplest way is to turn the water heater on and off from the circuit breaker. The alternative is installing a hot water heater timer so it comes on and goes off automatically.

Trade Off: Varying time. You’ll need to plan on flipping the switch for around 2.5 hours twice a day and 45 minutes before running the dishwasher or laundry machine.

2. Turn Off The Dishwasher’s Heated Dry

Generating hot air to dry your dishes takes up a considerable amount of energy and money – cash that could be better spent getting you to Brazil for instance. You can hand dry the dishes or just open up the dishwasher door as soon as the wash cycle is over.

You can further your savings by not pre-washing and use less detergent for loads that aren’t as dirty, as recommended by dishwasher engineers.

Trade Off: A few minutes per load. Assuming you have to hand dry the dishes when you take them out.

3. Use A Clothes Line

As you can see from the trend so far, heating things is especially energy consuming. There is a nice natural process called evaporation that works just as well, expect that it takes a bit longer. Most of us imagine ropes and string all across a backyard or balcony but several companies make travel clothes lines that work just about anywhere indoors.

Trade Off: Time, heat…heat, time. The trade off is basically between the two.

4. Keep The Curtains Closed In The Summer, Open In Winter

It’s amazing how much money we spend on heating things, especially considering there is a huge ball of nuclear fusion called the Sun that will do much of it for us. Open your curtains during the winter and close them in the summer and forget about the air conditioning. Well, let’s leave the air conditioning off unless it gets above 30 degrees Celsius (~86 F).

Trade Off: Comfort. You’ll be a bit chilly in the winter and a bit hotter in the summer. Save enough on your electric bill and you can fly to the climate of your choice.

Squeeze A Bit More From Your Bill

There are a few more ways to really take a chunk out of your electric bill and pay for that next trip faster.

• Switch to a time-of-use plan – Call your electric company and see if you are paying the same rate for electricity around the clock. Time-of-use plans can save you lots if you run most of your appliances during ‘non-peak’ hours.
• Fill the freezer – The more you fill your freezer and fridge with food the less air is left for your refrigerator to cool.

There are other well-known ways to lowering your electric bill like changing your light bulbs to CFLs and turning off things like your computer when you’re not using them. I was able to cut my electric bill by more than 50% using these techniques and you should be able to get at least 1 extra plane ticket per year by doing the same. Make sure to keep a simple travel budget so the bill savings goes toward travel.

Your energy consciousness doesn’t have to stop at home though, there are 33 ways to green your travels once you hit the road.

[photos by: Kyle Slattery, emilyd10, Rosh PR]

Do You Want To Travel Around The World?

Are you itching to leave your day job and travel full time or have you already left, like Gary Arndt, Nomadic Matt, and many others?

Nomadic Matt’s eBook Teaches You: How To Make Money With Your Travel Blog

Nomadic Matt makes $3,000 a month with his travel websites. His eBook, How To Make Money With Your Travel Blog teaches you how he does it. The book is straightforward and informative for travel blogging beginners and veterans alike. I decided to review the  book for Matt and will send a copy to the first person to comment on this post.

Making money with your travel blog sounds like a great idea but few travelers understand how to leverage multiple sites (yes, you need more than one), search engine optimization (SEO), and how to get connected with their peers. How To Make Money With Your Travel Blog brings you from the ground up and leaves it up to you on how far you want to go.

The eBook is short, only about 30 pages, but is dense with information. You’ll learn how to create a travel blog with monetization in mind and for those of you with travel blogs, uncover some mistakes you’ve already made.

Many of the general ideas covered in the eBook may be old news to some of you, but the sections on SEO and increasing traffic offer more than generic advice. There are specific examples in each section that teach travel bloggers how to implement the key elements to creating a successful travel blogs and making money from them.

What makes the eBook How To Make Money With Your Travel Blog so compelling is that Matt is actually doing it and he spells it right out for you. The advice is sound and simple and attainable, provided you put in lots of work and don’t expect immediate results – two points Matt makes very clearly.

How To Make Money With Your Travel Blog is available for download for $27.

You can follow Matt’s blog at Nomadic Matt and his Twitter feed, @nomadicmatt. I’ve also posted advice on how to build a successful travel blog and keep your travel blog going for further reading.

A Whimsical 48 Hours In St. Petersburg, Russia

One of the potential topics to post on your blog when you haven’t traveled in forever is an imaginary trip to a place you haven’t been yet. Priyank from Final Transit and I decided to exchange travelogues to two cities we haven’t been to but the other has to compare our perceptions and expectations with reality. You can read his first 24 hours in Manila and later this month he’ll dissect my trip to St. Petersburg. Here is Part 2 of my imaginary trip.

St. Petersburg, Russia is a widespread city that has European flavor that still has a chilly wind even in the middle of June. Vibrant, with an air of distinction, getting around town isn’t easy and you’ll end up paying a lot for just about everything. Having only 48 hours in the city I’ve decided to forgo the cost of a hotel or hostel and sleep at the airport. Once I cleared customs my first stop was to the Russian Academy of Arts.

I was disappointed by the art gallery, not for the art but for the poor selection of a first stop. The most impressive part of the gallery, outside of the giant sphinx outside. The metro stops are far apart in the city so there is plenty of opportunity to look lost and confused, which you will in a city that feels like it’s getting by you.

While wondering around I made my way into a small shop (generally the worst looking restaurants have the best tasting food) and decided to pick up a local favorite, “blin“. A blend between a French crepe and Turkish borek, the soft dough can be stuffed with meat, potatoes, or sweeter items like jam. Looking out over the Neva River I hopped on the first ferry I could find to get to a more active part of town.

First Impressions

I’ve found St. Petersburg to be intimidating without being engaging. The city is active and while everyone appears busy it doesn’t seem that they wouldn’t mind a conversation. Historical towns can be tough to navigate and it’s easy to twist a 48 hour vacation into a history class and miss out on the culture right in front of you. Distinctly Russian, I can’t help but feel that St. Petersburg has a strong Western European influence which steals some of the mystique.

To find out more I’d have to dig deeper and skip the museums and get a taste of St. Petersburg, which oddly enough tastes like vodka.

[photos by: wili_hybrid, lisso, Jouni Lehti, edbrambley]

Quiet Ways To Beat Shady Taxi Drivers [Part 2 of 2]

Many of the quiet ways to beat shady taxi drivers I mentioned in Part 1 take place before you ever meet the driver. The hardest part of not getting ripped off by a dishonest cab driver is when you are actually sitting behind them. I once read that being silent hides your ignorance and the less you say the more you convey.

As long as you are conveying the right things you can get a strong message across that you won’t be hustled easily.

Be Cheap Not Stupid

Go with whatever ‘official’ taxis there are and don’t try to save by going in an unmarked vehicle or one that doesn’t feel right (as I almost did in India). In many parts of the world there are official or government cars. These official vehicles might be a bit more expensive but aside from fixed prices you’ll also be safer.

Lose The Sympathy

I can’t tell you how many sob stories I’ve heard from some drivers, in particular the older ones. They try to make you feel sorry for them in hopes that you’ll leave a big tip or be OK with a drive that’s an hour longer than it should be. Be heartless and convey it by not responding much. (Don’t engage in conversation!)

Scope The Meter

Just because a meter is off doesn’t mean that it doesn’t work. Ask the driver to turn it on and if there is a problem with it confirm the average price you researched before the ride. Based on your prior research if working meters are common don’t get in a cab without one.

Mind Your Manners

• Be Nice Without A Smile - It almost goes without saying but be polite. A smile might give you away as naive though because in many places it’s an international faux pas.
• Eyes Up and Speak Up - You won’t notice the 10 left turns a shady taxi driver has taken if your nose is buried in a guidebook and he or she certainly won’t stop it if you don’t say anything. Trust your gut and ask why the driver is taking a certain route or to speed up if you feel like you are being taken for a ride.
• Dan mentions that you should pay once you are outside of the taxi either through the driver’s window or face to face after unloading your luggage. That way the driver can’t hold you up in the cab if you refuse to pay the fare being asked. (Thanks for the tip Dan.)

Don’t Let Your Guard Down

I know I’ve made taking a taxi sound like a horrific experience but it never has to be. None of these quiet ways will work if you don’t stick with them. Like anyone else trying to scam or hustle you out of some money a shady taxi driver will work all of the angle he or she thinks will work. Stay quiet and be firm and learn to blend in. A few minutes of Googling, a straight face, and a tight lip will go a long way to keeping your fare fair.

[photos by: Who.is.Bill.Posters?, lumierefl]

Quiet Ways To Beat Shady Taxi Drivers [Part 1 of 2]

It’s easy to get scammed by shady taxi drivers who know that you are from out of town, may not know the local customs, and have extra cash to be cheated out of. Not all taxi drivers are going to cheat you but there are a few quiet ways to be your own travel insurance against it.

Being prepared is the best way to take away most of the leverage shady taxi drivers have to rip you off and you can outwit most without uttering a word.

Research The Local Customs

Taxi culture in Turkey is different than in South Africa than in Argentina, etc. It’s important to know the specifics. Otherwise you’ll just have to take the taxi driver’s word and expect that their actions are the norm. Spend a few minutes Google hacking your next trip the local tipping, meter, and baggage customs.

Know The Average Fare

There are a number of travel blogs that will tell you approximately how much it should cost you to get from the airport to your hostel, between major sites, and any other local hot spots. You don’t want to trust the taxi driver, the only thing you should rely on them is to drive. Find out everything else yourself before you get in the cab. Calculate international cab fares with World Taximeter, do a blog search, or get on Twitter and ask me, I’ll help you find out.

Be Vague About Where You’re Going

Start with the area of town you are going to and get more specific with your final destination as you get closer. It’s more difficult for a driver to wander around when you can see the signs to the part of town you want to go to.

Don’t Engage in Conversation

Almost universally taxi drivers will try to chat with you, especially if you look very foreign. While they might just be curious, the more you talk the more you give away about how clueless you are. I was once ripped off by a driver in a large city I had visited many times because I unwittingly gave away that I was unfamiliar with a part of town.

Have Correct Change

You should always have small bills on you whenever you travel separate from your larger ones. Your socks are a good place to hide your big denominations since opening a fat wallet with a bunch of bills just makes you a more tempting target. Besides, taxi drivers never have correct change, ever.

It’s All Quiet

Good body language and communicating non-verbally will help you bargain when you don’t know the local language. The more you research beforehand the more confident you’ll be directing traffic from the back seat. Tomorrow in Part 2 I’ll share a few ways to be firm, confident, and not get ripped off while being quiet at the same time.

[photos by: Who.is.Bill.Posters?, jk5854]

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