Author - Chris

Sometimes you will see travelers with their nose inside a Lonely Planet while they are on a trip reading every little bit they can rather than just being out experiencing the city. On the other hand some travelers fly completely by the seat of their pants and can’t find accommodations when they arrive somewhere and have no clue what there is to see in the city. Obviously there is error in both positions of how to use a guide book that will most certainly affect the time those visitors have in a foreign location. This blog is going to talk a little bit about how to use your guide book as a tool while still soaking in the experience of the new place you are in.

Get the Basics

Having been a traveler myself I can say that it is a daunting feeling having almost no knowledge of a city when you arrive. The first thing that needs to be done when you get to a new city is to at least plan a place you are going to stay. These days most people usually find a place and book it on line. A guide book can help you choose by giving impartial advice as to what hostel or hotel will suit your budget and needs. Importantly too, guide books usually give you instructions and maps how to get to the accommodations you have chosen. Without these crucial pieces of information you will feel completely disoriented when arriving.

Study before you get there, enjoy while you are there

A good tip is to spend time while in transit studying the place you will be visiting. This can be a great opportunity to read over interesting things you can see in the city you are visiting and finding out fun things that you can do. If you are a planner you may even start organizing your time as to how you will fill it. With that said, spend time getting acquainted with the place so that when you are there the guide book can just become a quick reference to direct you to the things that you want to do. What is to be avoided is doing research on the place while there instead of experiencing it as you probably only have a limited time frame.

Leave Room to Explore

Looking through the guide book will definitely highlight a few great things to do, but don’t let it dictate everything. Once you have arrived in a city a lot of options for things to do will appear that you never even read about. What I am saying is any plan you may have concocted from your guide book needs to leave room for spontaneity and flexibility. Stay flexible and be sure to spend time just getting lost on the streets of the city.

Mexico City is so often an untapped spring when it comes to enjoying a varied and unique holiday. There is much culture to soak in the city that showcases both Hispanic culture as well as Mexico City’s historic roots to the ancient Aztecs. Days wandering Mexico City will be certain to give its visitors a healthy taste of Mexico’s Aztec and Spanish origins. A day could be spent at Teotihuacan exploring ancient Aztec ruins and the next in the Cathedrals and Castles brought over by the Spanish empire. A few more of the different things you can see while visiting the capital of Mexico City include:

Teotihuacan

Carretera MAxico Teotihuacan Km. 46 |

Around an hour drive from Mexico City Teotihuacan has one of the world’s best preserved Aztec cities complete with fantastic pyramids. The most popular of the buildings found in Teotihuacan is the Palace of the Plumed Butterfly, which not surprisingly pays homage to the butter fly, with columns designed in their likeness. At the heart of this ancient city is the Pyramid of the Sun. Be warned however that Teotihuacan can be crowded and some tourists complain that not enough site information is given while looking around. Still, this is a monument to a civilization gone by that really needs to be seen.

Metropolitan Cathedral

Plaza de la Constitución s/n, Colonia Centro | Mexico City 06010, Mexico

The Metropolitan Cathedral is Mexico’s national cathedral and a stunning display of gothic architecture. The Cathedral was built between 1573 and 1813 after the Spanish defeated the Aztecs and conquered Tenochtitlán. Standing in the ancient Aztec prescient, site of many of the Aztec’s religious rituals, the cathedral helped bring Catholicism to Mexico City. Many observers say that this cathedral stands shoulder to shoulder with the most opulent cathedrals in Europe. Highlights of the Cathedral include a system of underground catacombs, 14 chapels, 5 naves and many paintings by the famed Spanish artist Bartolomé Esteban Murillo.

National Palace

Avenida Pino Suarez, Corregidora esquina Guatemala | Mexico City 06060

A massive ornate building containing several gardens, murals and fountains the national palace also holds the federal executive branch of the Mexican government. Situated next to Mexico City’s most well known square El Zocalo the national palace also includes some fantastic historical paintings by artists Diego Rivera that depict different stages of Mexican History. Admission to the palace is free, but you must have some form of identification to receive admittance.

Cape Town is a city that is noted for its cosmopolitan delights, the iconic table mountain, and several nearby natural reserves. With all these varied things to do and see it can’t be that surprising that Cape Town, compared to the rest of Africa, is really expensive. With that said the crafty traveler finds a way to make it to cool locations like Cape Town and still manage to see things and have fun. The following blog is going to discuss how you can spend time in Cape Town without totally obliterating your travel budget.

When to Visit

The time that you come to Cape Town can have a large impact on the cost of your visit. In December and January, the South African summer, you will pay a premium for flights and hotels. A note for booking flights when coming to Cape Town always try to book your flight in the middle of the week as it will generally save you some money over flying on the weekend.

Where to Stay

The best that can be done for paid accommodations in Cape Town is to stay on Long Street which is full of different backpacker hostels. Located in a handy central location, also having a good array of bars and restaurants, Long Street will make an ideal location for exploring the city. Of course if you really want to save money, you could also explore options for doing couch surfing in Cape Town.

Where to Eat

If you really want to save on food you should probably buy some food and cook it inside of the hostel. Now of course when you are in a new city this is not always possible as you need to be on the streets exploring too. A few places along Long Street that can service your basic eating needs include: Arnolds, for a breakfast fry up, and Rafiki’s which does epic sized burgers and fries.

Walk the streets and hang out on the beaches

People travel the world over to enjoy the great beaches of South Africa and the great thing for the low budget traveler is that they are free. Be sure to check out nearby beaches such as Sea Point and Bantry Bay. Also, you can save money by just walking around areas of town and seeing how the locals are living. A good suggestion of where to go to do this includes the always bustling St George Mall and the Sea Point Promenade which has great views over the waters near Cape Town.