Europe : Blogentry
The Backpacker
Travel reality versus your dream
Ben Groundwater What looks great in the movies can turn out to be quite unpleasant in reality.
The Backpacker
Ten cities you will love at first sight
The Backpacker Some cities take a while to reveal their charms - but these are the ones I loved as soon as I arrived.
The Backpacker
Best job in the world? Or worst?
The Backpacker Beautiful islands, warm weather ... and 30 drunk and hungover tourists.
The Backpacker
The perfect traveller moment
The Backpacker You can spend forever on the tourist trail and always feel like you're being fed artificial experiences.
Travellers' Check
Three hours late? You must compensate
Clive Dorman Airline passengers in Europe get the best deal in the world on compensation.
The Backpacker
Ruining the coolest city in the world
The Backpacker I didn't know it at the time, but I've come to see that I probably did chip something out of the greatness of a city I love.
Travellers' Check
When full-service airlines go budget
Travellers' Check Even 'full-service' airlines may soon be charging you for checked luggage and food, if British Airways is anything to go by.
The Backpacker
The world's top 10 best small towns
The Backpacker The world's greatest city? Who cares? Bigger isn't always better - here are some the world's best bite-sized destinations...
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When an attraction is so bad it's good
The Backpacker Some of my most memorable museum visits have been to the spectacularly bad, rather than the spectacularly good.
The Backpacker
The best bar in the world
The Backpacker If only I could remember where it was, or what it was called.
The Backpacker
London's hottest restaurant leaves me cold
The Backpacker London's hottest restaurant doesn't take bookings, just like every other hot restaurant around the world.
The Backpacker
Am I too old for this?
The Backpacker Tuesday night boozing? Instant noodles? Dorm rooms? Maybe I'm too old for this backpacker caper ...
The Backpacker
Travelling without moving
The Backpacker Rather than bother with all that hassle of trains and planes, you pick one destination and stay there.
The Backpacker
The scary cities that aren't so scary
The Backpacker Forget the bad reputations - some "dangerous" cities aren't dangerous at all.
The Backpacker
The best and worst thing in the world
The Backpacker It's wonderful, and it might almost single-handedly be bringing down the eurozone.
The Backpacker
Ultra-cool city invaded by the ultra-dorky
The Backpacker Forget being cool, forget fitting in. Especially in a city where no one knows your name.
Travellers' Check
The great Aussie airfare rip-off
Travellers' Check Why do we pay so much more to fly out of Australia than passengers coming the other way?
The Backpacker
The country where everything works
The Backpacker While waiting for a train that didn't turn up, I had the chance to think about how things work – or rather, in Australia, how they don't work.
The Backpacker
You want disturbing? This is disturbing
The Backpacker This Jewish cemetery in Warsaw is as shocking and moving as Dachau or Auschwitz.
Does travelling make you grow up? Or the opposite?
The Backpacker Travel is supposed to help you mature. But, for me, it might be having the opposite effect.
