Backpack
Network - Official Newsletter
General, July 2003
Volume 1, Edition 1
Dear Travellers,
Welcome to our first edition of the Backpackglobe.com
newsletter. Sorry for the delay sending this out, as
we were actually travelling ourselves! The first edition
will be a shorter version of what's to come bi-monthly
and will be a general newsletter trying to cater for
all your interests, which at present are quite wide-ranging.
If you want specific country information we are developing
sites for Italy, France and Spain and other countries
soon. You will need to signup to the individual newsletters
to get specific information on these countries. We hope
you will encourage your travelling friends to also join
up and get some useful tips.
In this edition we detail:
- new hostels and hostel news
- travelling tales and expeditions
- travel destinations
- helpful travel websites
- new jobs useful job links
- upcoming festivals
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NEW HOSTELS AND HOSTEL NEWS
Here are the latest hostel reviews from our site:
Pop Inn Hostel, Rome
by J ennifer, Samantha, Robert and Thomas
After seeing their amazing website, we decided that
we have to stay in this hostel and it turned out to
be the perfect decision. First of all the location is
unbeatable, as you are directly in the center and can
walk anywhere...if you are to lazy though, just cross
the street to reach the main train station where you
can catch all the buses as well as the metro. The hostel
itself was wonderful. Very clean and the rooms are decorated
very nice and colourful. You just feel like home. You
can come and go whenever you want and the staff is there
24 hours and helps you whenever you need any kind of
help... not like in other hostels where you feel like
kind of disturbing them if you ask them for something.
They provided us with everything we needed for a perfect
stay in Rome. They also have a common room with free
internet use where you can hang out chilling and meet
a bunch of other crazy travellers. We had so much fun
and enjoyed our stay a lot! Thank you to all of you
from the Pop Inn that you made us feel so welcome at
your place and guaranteed us a great time in Rome!!
We will come back for sure.
The Terramar, Palma de Mallorca
by Vanessa
I recently went to Palma for a weekend break to escape
the dull London weather and found a great place on the
net to stay and wanted to inform all you backpackers
/budget travellers like me out there, The Terramar!
It has only just opened and has been through somewhat
of a refurb, very clean, bright and spacious rooms.
Given that I was only there for the weekend I splashed
out on a 1-bed flatlet @ 80Euro per night, but with
my own ensuite, kitchenette/diner and lounge area it
was worth it (rooms do start from 25Euro per night or
15Euro if you want to share with othes). It was well
placed in town for shops, clubs, pubs & restaurants
and only a short (very easy) bus ride to the beach (which
is walkable but I was too lazy!). It also has a great
communial area with a baby grand piano, what a wizz,
and a large sun terrace that overlooks the harbour.
Very nice. Anyway if you are ever on the Island or Majorca
I would recommend you give this place a try. The Hostel
link is http://www.backpackspain.theterramar.com
Thanks for reading....
We welcome all accomodation reviews. To read or add
them go to these links:
Worldwide
Italy
France
Spain
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TRAVELLING TALES AND EXPEDITIONS
Bolivia Expedition
Francesco Magistrali, a fellow newsletter subscriber
and traveller from Italy, is undertaking an expedition
to Bolivia in August with a friend Paolo Maseroli. They
plan to do high altitude hiking through the Andes and
cross two salt deserts, meet isolated village groups
and accomplish the 600km journey in four weeks! We have
just put the latest update of his itinerary here.
To read his prior trip through Finland in 2001 click
here.
Australian Outback Driving
Experience
This day by day diary provides details of a 2 month
foray into the Australian outback including photographs,
tips, and hints for doing your own trip. Click here
for the full details.
If you have a recent tale (and pics) that you would
like to share with us please send it to editor@backpackglobe.com
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TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
Here's some ideas for travel destinations you may not
have considered:
Papua New Guinea
The "land of the unexpected" is not just about high
crime, malaria, car hijackings and razor wire. PNG has
some fantastic diving and snorkelling opportunities,
interesting markets, great shell jewellery, friendly
people and wholesome good food. If you don't do well
on spices and curries then the boiled, steamed vegetables
and meats will suit your stomach. Spend a few days in
and around Port Moresby (national gallery, Parliament
House, Loloata Island). From here you may consider the
Kokoda Trail (5-10 day hike), a flight up to the Highlands
for a look at the tribal sing sings, a visit to Madang
or Rabaul for beautiful islands and good reef viewing
opportunities, to the Trobiand Islands for the famous
yam festivals or the Milne Bay Province for beautiful
islands and coastal villages. The best time of year
to visit is generally June-September. The PNG tourism
site can give you more ideas - http://www.pngexperience.org.pg
Sri Lanka
This tear shaped isle of the bottom of India has all
the colour and life of the Pacific and the exoticness
of Asia. There's plenty to do for travellers of all
interests. For sea lovers there is coral and reefs south
of Colombo around Hikkaduwa and Unawatuna and excellent
surfing up in Arugam Bay. For wildlife buffs make sure
you visit Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage near Kegalle
where you can see over 60 elephants bathing, feeding
and working. There are also some great National Parks
including Yala East and West National Parks and Wirawila
Wewa Bird Sanctuary. If you like ruins there are the
ancient cities of Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura.
And for an escape into the quietness of the hill and
tea country take a winding bus or train trip up to Hatton,
Haputale or Bogawantallowa. The best time to visit is
generally December-February. For more information go
to the Sri Lankan tourism site - http://www.srilankatourism.org
Singapore
If you like eating then look no further than a visit
to Singapore. This tiny Asian country is an economic
powerhouse and the concrete, sophistication of the city
can be a bit overwhelming. But Singaporeans know how
to eat and there's fantastic variety. For Indian curries
and spices head into Little India, Arab Street has Muslim
and Arabic cuisine, Chinatown has wonderful cafes and
Chinese food. But the real key to fine dining are the
hawker markets. These are cheap roadside cafes that
were once mobile. You'll spot them for the plastic chairs,
families dining and food boards with pictures. It's
cheap, great and the quantity and quality of the food
is superb. If you time your visit for Chinese New Year
(end of January / beginning of February) you'll see
queues of people lining up for sweet meats. These are
available all year round but a specialty at this time
of the year. The best time to visit is generally December
- February. For more information on Singapore - http://www.stb.com.sg
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HELPFUL TRAVEL WEBSITES
We are pleased to do some shameless self promotion and
notify you of our new website that was launched in June:
BackpackItaly - http://www.backpackitaly.com
Check it out for useful details on moving around Italy.
In the next 2 months we hope to see these sites developed:
BackpackFrance - http://www.backpackfrance.com
BackpackSpain - http://www.backpackspain.com
Bugeurope.com
- excellent information on travelling in Europe, they
have also started an Asia/South Pacific section
Eurotrip.com -
information on travelling around Europe
Tripadvisor.com
- hotels and vacation packages, popular destinations
Travoholic.com
- hostel reviews, location reviews and much more from
around Europe
Backpackingeurope.com - excellent compilation of
European hostel reviews
Visitedplanet.com
- excellent collection of photographs from around the
world
Journeywoman.com
- news for travelling women
If you have found an excellent travel website send us
the link - editor@backpackglobe.com
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JOBS AND USEFUL JOB LINKS
Italian Hostel Job
The Antico Spedale del Bigallo is a hostel in a medieval
monastery just outside Florence. The hostel requires
staff through to the end of this year in temporary positions.
The hostel is normally open from April 1st until September
30. A house-keeper is required who is able to intervene
in the case of an emergency (i.e if someone is sick,
is noisy, arrives late etc) and must be available in
the hostel every day from 11pm till 7.30pm.
The position is not paid but the successful applicant
will receive free accommodation in a single room with
private bathroom and a breakfast buffet. When meals
are prepared for group reservations they will also receive
dinner. If the person does want to go out with friends
they must return by 11pm unless an agreement has been
reached in advance to return after this period. The
person would also be required to work about 30 hours
/ month at the reception of the hostel (from 6pm to
11pm). For this reception work they would be paid. The
housekeeper job is open until December 31, 2003. However
the reception work is only until September 30 and then
occasionally during winter when there are groups.
Please contact Ilse Vandekerkhove at the Antico Spedale
del Bigallo on the following email address - info@franchostel.it
South African Hostel Job
Nad from Crossways Beach Backpackers in Durban, South
Africa needs someone to take over his hostel. The asking
price is R 500,000 neg all included !! It includes 20
beds, pool, grany flat and much much more. Interested
parties are asked to contact Nad - tel. + 27 31 4666459
OFFICE or +27 72 1124413 CELL. The hostel website
is http://www.crosswaysbeach.co.za
Work Links
For work in Italy try "Wanted
in Rome" - a publication advertising jobs for expatriates,
many do not require any level of Italian and can include
cafe and bar work, nannying, or English tutoring.
TNT magazine
- advertises jobs mainly in the UK but occasionally
on the European mainland.
The EduFind ELT
Job Centre - for teaching English Abroad
Working Abroad
Volunteers for Peace
Teaching English as a
Foreign Language
Bulletin Boards
We regularly list new jobs on our bulletin boards. Check
out the link below for details or to add your own bulletin:
Worldwide
Italy
France
Spain
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UPCOMING FESTIVALS
Here are some selected highlights from around the world.
Contact us for any more details - editor@backpackglobe.com
For more details go to some of these links:
European Festivals
Festivals.com
Australia
Last week of July/1st week in August, World lizard racing
championships, Eulo Queensland. The championships are
held on the famous "Paroo Track" which you pass as you
enter the town. On the left-hand side of the track is
a plaque which commemorates the death of a cockroach
that was killed while racing a lizard. http://www.walkabout.com.au/locations/QLDEulo.shtml
August - Mareeba Multiculutral Festival is to be held
on Saturday August 23 at Arnold Park, Mareeba (north
Queensland). Entertainers from more than 39 cultures
will perform in perfect winter weather. http://www.ledanet.com.au/~mareebafestival/index.html#map
Birdsville Races - 5th and 6th September. Possibly one
of outback Australia's most famous races with the town's
population swelling from 100 to over 5000 the weekend
of the cup. Go to http://www.exploroz.com/Feature/BirdsvilleRaces/default.asp
Denmark
If you're heading to or in Denmark right now it's Jazz
festival season. From July 17, 2003 - July 20, 2003
in Maribo are four days of swinging jazz with international
and national performers in traditional jazz and swing.
The official website is http://www.maribojazz.dk
France
6-28 July (2002) France Tour de France - http://www.letour.fr/
August 02, 2003 - Toulouse
Violet Festival
India
July - Delhi's International Mango Festival, Talkatora
Stadium. (Delhi, India).
August 2nd Saturday - Nehru Cup Snake Boat Races, backwaters
at Alappuzha (Alleppey, Kerala India).
August/Sept - Ganesh
Chaturthi, 11 day Hindu festival, elephant-headed
god images immersed off Chowpatty Beach, Mumbai, and
Maharastra (India).
Italy
2nd July and August 16, The Palio - the famous horse
race in the Piazza del Campo is heating up with the
first Palio completed earlier this month. The official
website is http://www.comune.siena.it/contenuti/palio/palio_index.htm
July 19-20 - Third weekend Venice, Italy Festa del Redontore.
Includes fireworks and a procession over the bridge
to the Church of the Redeemer on Guidecca Island. http://www.veniceword.com/p2vetraditions.html#redentore
July 11-20 - the Umbria Jazz Festival will feature local
and international artists like Keith Jarrett, Van Morrison,
James Brown and Elvin Jones and popular Italian band
Funk Off - http://www.umbriajazz.com
Spain
July - Running of the Bulls, Pamplona. You've just missed
it (end July 14) but this is possibly one of Spain's
most colourful events. Schedule it for next year's holiday.
The 2003 program is online at the official website -
http://www.sanfermin.com/
Turkey
July - Kirkpimar Oiled Wrestling Competition, amateur
wrestling, 3 days (Edirne, Turkey)
July - International Istanbul Music Festival, world
class performers (Istanbul, Turkey)
United Kingdom
August bank holiday - Notting Hill Carnival, London,
England. Europe's largest street carnival. http://www.nhct.org.uk/
August 22-25, Colne, Lancashire, England - Great British
Rhythm and Blues Festival. http://www.bluesfestival.co.uk
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Hope you found our first edition of the newsletter interesting
and helpful. The next edition is due in September. Send
us your comments of what you would like to read - editor@backpackglobe.com
If you would like to unsubscribe from this newsletter
go to this url: For more information on travelling around
the globe check out our sites: http://www.backpackglobe.com
http://www.backpackitaly.com
http://www.backpackfrance.com
http://www.backpackspain.com
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