Blog - foXnoMad

Gustav II Adolf Statue In Gothenburg, Sweden

by | Sep 16, 2010 | | 14

gustav II adolf statue gothenburg sweden

I waited quite some time for this fellow sitting under the Gustav II Adolf Statue to move so I could get a clear shot, but after about 45 minutes he seemed as comfortable as ever. Looking at it now it though, he seems to fit beneath the bronze figure of the Swedish king who ushered in Sweden’s Golden Age during the early 1600s. The statue of Gustav II Adolf (also known as Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden) sits in the aptly named Gustav Adolf’s Torg (“Square”), since he founded the city of Gothenburg. (He’s actually supposed to be pointing to the exact spot he wanted the city built.)

Gustav Adolf turned Sweden into a world power in a very short and difficult time, especially considering since he started his reigned while the kingdom was mired in 3 wars. One of his first accomplishments was to make peace with Denmark, putting an end to the Kalmar War. You can visit the site of where the Treaty of Knared was signed (on January 20th, 1613) in that town of the same name 175 kilometers south of Gothenburg.

Located in Gustav Adolf’s Torg is Gothenburg’s City Hall, but the main attraction in the city seems to be shopping. Many people from nearby countries like Germany drive, or take day ferries in to take advantage of the cheaper Swedish prices. Beware however, if you’re carrying any currency other that Euros, Pounds, or Scandinavian krone varieties; the deals can hardly be considered bargains in the rather expensive city.

There are more of my pictures from Gothenburg, Sweden in my image gallery here.

Treaty Of Knared Stone Memorial In Sweden

by | Sep 16, 2010 | | 3

treaty of knared stone

This rather unremarkable stone monument in the tiny town of Knared, Sweden is where the Treaty Of Knared was signed on January 21, 1613. The treaty ended the Kalmar War between Denmark-Norway and Sweden and is said to have been signed on that center stone. Ending the Kalmar War was one of the first accomplishments of King Gustav II Adolf whose statue you can see 175 kilometers north of this memorial in Gothenburg, Sweden.

After taking a cheesy travel photo or two of yourself signing something on the stone, you can make your way up that path to the left in the picture and enjoy some great hiking paths.

Introducing foXnoMad’s New Logo

by | Sep 14, 2010 | | 32

I’m excited to reveal foXnoMad’s new logo today designed by my good friend Erickson Foster. Ever since I overhauled the old look of the site a little under two years ago I’ve been wanting to update the logo as well. I am happy to be able to share this one with you.

foxnomad logo

Those of you who might be in need of graphic design work can get in touch with Erickson directly via his profile page. Here’s a little more about him:

I’ve been in the creative world for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I would sit around most of the day and just draw random things until all my paper was gone! Anything that involves creativity very quickly grabs my attention… Music, architecture, fashion, you name it. I started Blakleif Creative unofficially in 2006 and am now putting many plans into building the service into more than just a “hobby” of mine.

Most of the services I’ve offered thus far have been all print media: book covers, brochures, logos, etc. I’m hoping, much sooner than later, I will be able to offer web, multimedia and some 3D work. My main goal is to offer very simple and elegant solutions to even the most complex challenges.

Other Updates To foXnoMad

I’ve finally gotten around to updating my About page which had grown a bit stale and out of date over the past 18 months or so. (Still need to change that picture though!) Additionally, I reorganized my posts and have made it easier to search through them by country. You’ll notice the main menu bar atop now includes the countries directory as well as a direct link to my travel videos.

live the backpacker life contestLive The Backpacker Life Contest

In case you missed it last week, I announced my Live The Backpacker Life Contest. I hope that you’ll consider creating your own travel video and entering to win a trip to most anywhere you want in the world. I’ll also be covering a week’s worth of hostel accommodations in addition to the airfare and can’t wait to see what your creative minds come up with.

overcoming the 7 major obstacles to traveling the worldUpcoming eBook Launch

Currently I’m working on my second eBook which will focus heavily on travel technology.

  • It will be the hacker handbook you’re looking for to become a traveling digital master anywhere on planet Earth.

I hope to have more information about it for you next week but until then you can check out my first eBook, Overcoming The 7 Major Obstacles To Traveling The World, which turns one year old this week.

End Of Guest Posting Hiatus (Almost)

I haven’t been guest posting in quite some time as I’ve been working on a number of other writing and computer projects. That hiatus will be coming to an end sometime in October so if you’re interested in a guest post from me, feel free to get in touch. If you’ve written a guest post for me especially, I’d be happy to return the favor. Of course, I’m always open to reviewing guest posts as well, preferably ones that are on a specific topic and help others travel smarter.

Keep in mind I don’t accept any guest posts with commercial links, links in the content (unless it goes back to a travel blog and is approved), or corporate guest posts.

My Personal Travels

As those of you subscribed to my bi-monthly newsletter already know, I’m settled in my new home base of Fethiye, Turkey for the next nine months. During that time I’ll be traveling around the Middle East, with Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon most likely in my immediate future. I’d love to hear any tips you might have on those places and do let me know if you’ll be in any of those countries over the next few months. It would be nice to meet you in person!

How Your Travels Change As You Age

by | Sep 10, 2010 | | 32

grandmother with granddaughterGetting older isn’t necessarily a slow march towards death for your travels but as you age how you travel tends to change. Physically and mentally, if you continue to travel you’ll tend to see a slow shift in many of these directions;  each of which can keep your trips, outlook, and self youthful over the ultimate journey.

You’ll Move Slower

I’m not talking about creaking knees (although that might happen as well) but rather the pace at which you travel. Younger travelers tend to want to “see more” and by doing so can often end up seeing less since they’re in constant motion. Being on the move is an important part of traveling (and the definition of it) but moving only takes you to and through places.

  • Checklists are fun but might not be as gratifying as the to-do list dwindles.
  • Seeing places with your eyes is a quick process but tasting foods, chatting with locals, and experiencing a culture is much more involved and requires time.

Perhaps consequently, the age of expatriation floats around the mid-30s and might reflect the trend of older travelers to stay much longer in a single destination.

Seeing More Similarities In People And Places

The more you travel to different places, the less intense the visual differences become and the more evident our human similarities come to be. The same phenomena also happens to the things we see – the monuments, historical sites, and beaches – while perhaps lovely and fascinating, are only as memorable as the experiences we connect with them.

santiago chile park

  • These sights may be architectural marvels in themselves, but it’s the human story behind them that binds our consciousness to the people and the land.

The same goes for those beautiful beaches in Boracay, Santa Cruz, or any number of the best tropical islands – after you see all of them, what makes each one stand out?

family travelIndependent And Family Travel

Statistics show that as travelers age they tend to do more of two things – travel independently and travel with their families (of those 11% travel with pets). Your meetings with other people may be more targeted (e.g. visiting friends) rather than a hostel lobby, or might start a decade of travels from a single solo trip by operating outside of what you previously thought possible.

stubborn donkeyAs you travel (and age) your confidence grows, along with a combined stubborn development of determination. Being less worried about “what will I do by myself” you’ll learn how to travel alone and make your plans reality no matter your situation.

Don’t think you can do it? Be inspired by a few of the many traveling families, solo travelers, digital nomads, female vagabonds…as you age you’ll realize how irrelevant age can be when it comes to traveling.

There is of course useful technology as well like travel social network TripSay, language social networks, location-based social networks, Twitter, Facebook, and many local travel blogs to help keep you connected and social worldwide.

Putting Up With Less

Bad tours, dirty hotel rooms, and hidden charges might be brushed off in your earlier years but as you get older the likelier you are to speak up. Your complaining repartee and prowess will enable you to work your way around luggage fees winning battles at the ticket counter like Sun Tzu.

Hopefully as you travel and age you’ll begin to see how many people don’t have same the opportunities to do what you are doing. Although you’ll put up with less, you’ll appreciate that you can travel and embrace it. Often that leads travelers to consider volunteering abroad. (Learn how to get started with The Underground Guide To International Volunteering.)

Change Will Inevitably Happen

How your travels change as you age will vary but change will definitely happen. For better or for worse, now that part is up to you. Keep the journey going and stop aging out of travel by making the most out of your last impressions. Continually challenge yourself to overcome the obstacles without neglecting to protect your body from the physical effects of traveling so globetrotting never gets old and neither do you at heart.

[photos by: cam knows (grandmother with granddaughter), Stv. (family travel), guiliomarziale (stubborn donkey), (R)DS (airport ticket counters)]

Kiel City Hall, Germany

by | Sep 9, 2010 | , | 0

kiel city hall germany

Kiel is a charming German city on the coast of the Baltic Sea. I was surprised to find Kiel so lively when I was there a few weeks ago to catch a ferry to Gothenburg, Sweden. Kiel is almost synonymous with maritime and the sea plays an important part of the local economy and entertainment. Countless freighters, ferries, and German Navy ships come and go from Kiel each day and the city also hosts the world’s largest annual sailing event (Kiel Week).

Kiel is one of those cities that has been a frequently missed opportunity for me, having been so close to it when I was in Germany over the winter. Perhaps it’s the dull name or its reputation as a shipping center that didn’t make it enticing enough but now it’s a city I hope to visit in depth one day. Also, much like Istanbul’s Hippodrome, Kiel has many parks and sections of the city blanketed with free wi-fi which is immediately endearing for many travelers.

You can skip through my pictures of Kiel, including the Kiel Opera House, and entice yourself to visit this German city roughly 90 kilometers (~50 miles) north of Hamburg.

Live The Backpacker Life (Most Anywhere In The World) Contest

by | Sep 7, 2010 | | 22

backpacker life contest

Suppose you could go anywhere in the world for a week to experience the backpacker lifestyle. Where would you go?

You can experience my traveling life for a week by entering the Live The Backpacker Life Contest with your best travel video guide before October 5th, 2010. I want to give you the chance to travel as I do – flexible, with a variety of choices, and on a budget – so I’ve set aside money for airfare and 6 nights of hostel accommodations for a taste of the backpacker life, where you want to.

travel videoHow To Enter

Put yourself in the position of travel blogger, Anthony Bourdain, or anthropologist and create a 3-5 minute video guide about a specific aspect of a given city that I haven’t yet written about. (You can check this list of the places I’ve covered or email me if you have any questions.)

  1. In addition to your video, you’ll need to submit a 400-600 word summary to be posted with it.
  2. Email your video and summary to anil(@)foxnomad.com with the subject line “Video Contest”.

Make sure the video is specific – it can be about a particular aspect of the local culture, a restaurant, or a guide of the best free attractions. Be creative but also specific.

plane taking offWhat You’ll Win

Ultimately, I want to get you to the destination you’ve been dying to see.

  • Airfare to most any destination up to $1,000. I’ll let you choose 3 cities based on your region and will send you there with the available budget.
  • Hostel accommodations for 6 nights.

You might be taking multi-city flights and will be staying in hostel dorms not because I’m cheap – but because it’s the way I travel and to give you a chance to experience it as well.

string on finger reminderRequirements And Important Dates

  • The deadline to enter is 0100 GMT October 5th, 2010 (that’s 5am US EST).
  • Finalist videos will be posted the week of October 12, 2010 and the public vote taken October 19-23, 2010.
  • The winner will be announced on foXnoMad Tuesday October 26, 2010.
  • You must be in the video, at least long enough to be recognizable.
  • By entering you’re giving me permission to post your video on foXnoMad, my YouTube page, and potentially my other travel blogs.
  • Incomplete entries (i.e. without summaries) or those not meeting the requirements won’t be accepted.

How The Winner Will Be Chosen

I’ll narrow down the entries to my 6 favorite and start posting finalists on Tuesday October 12, 2010.

  • The winner will be determined by 5 total votes – one by me, 3 other travel bloggers, and a public vote.
  • The public vote will be open from October 19-23, 2010.

The judges will remain anonymous until after the winner is announced on Tuesday October 26, 2010.

london libraryContest Details

Some more about the contest specifics.

  • Trip reservations must be made by Wednesday December 1, 2010 and are final. Winners must take their trip before April 15, 2011.
  • The winner can choose 3 destinations, in order of preference. One must be in-continent and I’ll do my best to get your first choice; flights will be booked on Star Alliance or oneworld airlines only.
  • Airfare is up to $1,000 and hostel accommodations up to $200 for 6 nights. You’ll get 3 hostels to choose from depending on the destination. All other costs (e.g. food) are your responsibility.
  • Travel costs are airfare only – any bus, taxi, or local transportation is the responsibility of the winner. Also, winners do not keep any money left over from the airfare or hostel budget.
  • You must be 18, have a valid passport, and take care of any visa requirements yourself.
  • Finally, you must have travel insurance for the duration of your trip.

Citizens of any nation may enter – good luck!

Why The Backpacker Life?

You’ve got a wide range of places to go to and visit as a budget traveler – whether you’ve done it before or want to try something new. Perhaps you’ve always wanted to explore the heights of Quito, see Istanbul’s Hippodrome, or just find out what a hostel is really like – now here’s your chance. I’m very fortunate to be able to travel full-time by blogging; so let’s reverse roles. Come up with your best travel video guide and earn yourself a backpacker trip with much of the world at your fingertips.

[photos by: ToddMorris (backpacker life contest), Aaron | Dan (travel video), Rainer Ebert (plane taking off), Deannster (string on finger reminder)]

About Anil Polat

foxnomad aboutHi, I'm Anil. foXnoMad is where I combine travel and tech to help you travel smarter. I'm on a journey to every country in the world and you're invited to join the adventure! Read More

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