The reason for travelling is not to arrive somewhere but to be on the way. Goethe, a german poet, found these words about 200 years ago. And they are still true, even though nowadays there are lots more possibilities to travel around your country, Europe and the whole world.

 

The decision to travel to a certain country means that you have reasons for travelling there. Maybe it’s just enjoying the sun and the warm sea. Maybe it is for reasons that you want to get to know the country, its culture, its people and their language. Travel broadens the mind – so search for information about your holiday destination and its culture before you start. There are lots of books (e.g. lonely planet is a good one) and web pages where you can find good information.

 

You will agree, that for you travelling should be as cheap as possible. Well, yes, there are possibilities to travel in a cheap way: cheap flight companies that offer flights from Finland to southern Europe for really low money, cheap boat trips from Finland to the Baltic states, people who offer you a lift by car for a small amount of money.

And there are cheap ways to get accommodation as well: It does not have to be a five-star hotel. Nearly every city has a youth hostel or a low priced hostel. And for those of you who are eager for making some experiences with people living in the country you are travelling to, there is Couchsurfing or Hospitalityclub. The idea of those two online networks is to offer a place to sleep for free to other network members who are travelling to your town. If you are travelling to another town you will be welcome to stay at another member’s place for free as well. It is a good thing to get in contact with original people and it will give you an even better impression of the place than living in a hotel only with other tourists from all over the world. 

 

Besides thinking about discovering the whole world, travelling can also mean to think about your ecological footprint. Thinking about responsibility for nature, environment and for cultural issues should be a part of planning a trip. Travelling by aeroplane means to emit a huge amount of carbon dioxide. Supporting a hotel that is built in a nature reserve means to support destruction of nature. Not to be aware of special cultural issues might be an assault to origin people who live in that culture. Think before you travel!

 

 

Lonely planet      www.lonelyplanet.com

 

Travelling by bus through Finland:    www.matkahuolto.fi

Travelling by train through Finland:   www.vr.fi

Searching for low priced lifts by car through Finland www.kimppa.net

Cheap flights with Air Baltic www.airbaltic.com

Cheap flights with Blue1  www.blue1.com

Cheap flights from Tampere to Europe   www.ryanair.com

Searching for cheap flights all over the world  www.swoodoo.de (in German)

 

Searching for hostels all over the world:  www.hostelworld.com

Couchsurfing network  www.couchsurfing.org

Hospitalityclub network www.hospitalityclub.org

 

Ecological Footstep www.footprintnetwork.org/