My List of Must See Things Do When in Austin

Austin is known for its incredible music, delicious restaurants and food trucks, excellent university, and vibrant tech scene. It’s a city on the move, where people who love the outdoors, warm weather, and succulent BBQ flock to live. And with its never-ending conferences and music and sports events, it’s one that attracts people from around the world. Austin is a weird little big city that I have yet to see someone not love.

I’ve been living here since May, and in the last couple of months since taking a break from my travels, I’ve buried myself in two things: writing and keeping active (OK, copious amounts of eating and drinking too).

Since you’ve already seen the writing (it’s all the previous blog posts), I want to share some of the favorite things I’ve done in this amazing city (for when you visit — come stay at my hostel, HK Austin, when you do!). I hope they’ll help you fall in love with it just a little more quickly.

Barton Springs

Barton Springs is a pool/creek that everyone flocks to in the warm summer months. Fed by a natural cold-water spring in Zilker Park (see below), the city-run Barton Springs Pool features manicured lawns that are great for lounging on and relaxing with your friends. The wide pool gives you plenty of room to float around and cool off, as the temperature can hit 100 degrees in the summer. The pool costs $3 to get into (for residents, but they never ask for proof), and while there’s lots of space around it, I often prefer to lounge on the creek itself. While the banks are rockier and there are fewer places to lounge, it’s free, it’s the same water, and you can drink and eat along it (something that is prohibited in the pool).

Zilker Park

Zilker Park is in the heart of South Austin and offers many different types of outdoor activities, such as hiking, biking, kayaking, jogging, and anything else you can do in a park. Barton Springs (see above) is here, and there’s a botanical garden and the ever-awesome outdoor Umlauf Sculpture Garden, centered on the artistic works of Charles Umlauf.

The Greenbelt

Located in south-central Austin, the Barton Creek Greenbelt contains 12 miles of gorgeous trails where you can bike, run, or walk. There are even beautiful limestone bluffs for rock climbing and,—when there’s enough water in the creek — several swimming holes to cool off in. If you are looking to get out and enjoy the nice weather, this is one of the best places to do it. It’s a favorite of everyone in the city and one of the best things about Austin!

Two-stepping

When in Rome…err, Austin, two-step! Country dancing is all over the city, with the White Horse being the most famous spot (if you go on Wednesday, they give free two-step lessons). The Broken Spoke is another popular place too.

Movie at the Alamo Drafthouse

The Alamo Drafthouse is a local institution with multiple locations, where you can watch a movie, drink beer, and order food. Besides showing mainstream movies, they also screen quirky movies and weird previews, host the local Rocky Horror event, and play many classic and cult films throughout the month. This place is more than just a theater, it’s a place for those who love and appreciate film.

LBJ Library

Lyndon B. Johnson was one of the most powerful US presidents of the 20^th century. A complex man, he helped push forward the Great Society, expanding civil rights and the social safety net, while at the same time expanding the war in Vietnam. His presidential library is in Austin, and while it’s not a “hot” thing to do, I highly recommend a visit to learn about one of the most colorful and controversial presidents the country has ever seen.

Rainey Street

This nightlife area is filled with old houses that have been converted into bars. Originally the “hipster” part of the city, it’s now mainstream and teems with people on the weekend. Personally, I hate coming here on the weekends: it’s too crowded and there are too many bachelor/ette parties. I find the scene a little too wild for me (though you may not). Instead, my favorite time to visit is for after-work drinks, when there is just the right amount of people to feel busy and exciting but not overwhelming. From Banger’s for Sunday brunch to Clive Bar, Half Step, and Bungalow for drinks, and Craft Bar for craft beer, Rainey is an eclectic and fun place to hang out — as long as you avoid the weekends.

First Thursday

One the first Thursday of every month, the South Congress Hotel hosts a huge event with musicians and an all-night happy hour. It’s one of the biggest nights of the month for young professionals and a wonderful a place to have fun, meet new people (Austinites are very friendly), and drink cheap. You don’t want to miss this if you’re in town. It’s one of my favorite monthly social activities.

Drink a cocktail

While beer and cheap drinks are still king here, there is a growing cocktail bar scene in the city. I’d personally rather drink a cocktail than be at a noisy bar. If you’re looking for the perfect cocktail, try Firehouse Lounge, Floppy Disk Repair Shop, Midnight Cowboy, Garage, Whistler’s (see above), and Weather Up (but only for happy hour, as their drinks are slightly overpriced).

Whistler’s

This bar on the east side of the city is one of the coolest in town, and when I’m in Austin, you’ll probably find me here (it’s also pretty close to my hostel). You’ll also find a robust whiskey selection, knowledgeable bartenders, a cool crowd, and a giant outdoor patio space. On the weekends, an upstairs mescal bar opens. Whistler’s also hosts one of the most famous food trucks in Austin, Thai Khun, which serves some of the city’s best Thai food (the khao man gai (chicken with rice) is spot on). This is a must-visit bar!

Music

Austin’s music scene is world-renowned, and there’s always some live music going on or a big musician in town. You’ll find a lot of music on Sixth Street and in the downtown area. Most of the bars host musicians. Stubb’s is a world-famous music venue downtown and hosts a lot of big-name musicians in its outdoor venue. Try to see a show there if you can!

Eating

Austin’s food scene is damn good (though it needs a few more ethnic places). From BBQ to American to organic to Mexican, you can’t go wrong here. Here are my some of favorite spots (a href=”http://ift.tt/29EyocH>longer list can be found here) that will help you put on 10 lbs. before you leave:

• Bar Chi (206 Colorado St., (512) 382-5557, www.barchiaustin.com) – Decent sushi but an unbelievably affordable happy hour (5-7pm each day). My friends and I come here because it satisfies the sushi craving on the cheap!
• Wu Cho (500 W. 5th St. #168, (512) 476-2469, wuchowaustin.com) – This is one of the best Chinese restaurants in Austin. It serves a very popular dim sum brunch on Sundays. Be sure to come early as it gets packed during dinnertime and Sunday brunch, and the wait for a table can be up to an hour.
• Launderette (2115 Holly St., (512) 382-1599, launderetteaustin.com) – Located in an old laundromat, this restaurant is one of the hottest spots in town and serves an amazing menu of Americana and seafood, as well as a decent selection of wine. Some of my favorite dishes include crab toast, burrata, okra, Brussels sprouts, and grilled octopus. If you’re coming for dinner, come early, as it fills up fast.
• Truluck’s (400 Colorado St., (512) 482-9000, trulucks.com) – This is my favorite steak restaurant because it’s one of the few places where you can also get fresh seafood (crab, oysters, lobster). It’s not cheap, but if you want an upscale steak house, try this.
• Péché (208 W. 4th St., (512) 494-4011, www.pecheaustin.com) – A New Orleans–inspired restaurant serving Bayou food, with a very friendly staff, tasty cocktails, and an extensive whiskey list.
• La Barbecue (1906 E. Cesar Chavez St., (512) 605-9696, www.labarbecue.com) – BBQ is a matter of perspective. A lot of people say Franklin’s is the best, but La Barbecue is #1 to me. It opens at 11am. Expect two-hour waits during lunchtime, so get here early.
• Veracruz (1704 E. Cesar Chavez St., (512) 981-1760, veracruztacos.com) – The best food truck in town (conveniently located across the street from my hostel). It makes wonderful breakfast tacos, and the migas was voted #1 in the country. There is never really a line, but service is slow.
• Torchy’s (multiple locations, http://ift.tt/28S1mtY) – World famous (and another spot where the president ate), this taco restaurant has multiple locations around town. It lives up to all the hype! The food here is pretty spicy. I’m a big fan of the fried avocado and “trailer park” tacos. Every location is always packed, so expect a wait, especially on the weekends.
• P. Terry’s (multiple locations, pterrys.com) – This is the best burger bar in town. It’s delicious and cheap (you can get a burger, fries, and a drink for $6 USD), with filling portions. This is one of my all-time favorite spots in Austin, and since it’s close to my house, I tend to eat here too often!
• Leaf (115 W. 6th St., (512) 474-5323, leafsalad.com) – This new lunchtime salad place is incredible (also the line is long). Its gigantic salad bar has anything and everything you could ever want to put in a salad. It’s one of my favorite places for a healthy meal in Austin.
• True Kitchen (222 West Ave. #HR100, (512) 777-2430, truefoodkitchen.com) – This new restaurant is incredibly popular with people after work. All its food is natural and organic. You’ll find healthy wraps, salad bowls, sandwiches, and fresh and flavorful seafood, as well as an incredible selection of wine and cocktails.
• Perla’s Seafood & Oyster Bar (1400 S. Congress Ave., (512) 291-7300, www.perlasaustin.com) – Some of the best seafood and oysters in town!
• Home Slice Pizza (1415 S Congress Ave., (512) 444-7437, http://ift.tt/14n3NxL) – Hands down the best pizza around!
• Clark’s Oyster Bar (1200 W. 6th St., (512) 297-2525, http://ift.tt/1GiCp4U) – Another awesome spot for seafood, with an incredible oyster happy hour from 3 to 7!

Whole Foods

Why visit Whole Foods? I mean, they have those everywhere, right? Well, this one is special. This is the original store — and it’s massive. Its salad bar goes on seemingly forever, there are very good restaurants in the store, the rooftop features patio seating, and musicians play on the weekends. It’s an amazing place that is also a popular spot for after-work drinks and Sunday brunches. Stop by at least once to get your fill (and enjoy the walk in beer fridge).

***

Austin is a perfect little city, offering visitors a plethora of activities to fill the 3-4 days most people spend here. It’s a city to live in. You don’t really sightsee here; you get active. You go out, hang out, and eat out. Skip most of the local museums, get outside, enjoy the food, the drinks, and the music, and get the most out of one of the best cities in the United States — and the place I call home!

Photo Credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

The post My List of Must See Things Do When in Austin appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

December 28, 2016 at 03:00PM

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Travel: The Ultimate Personal Development Tool

With the explosion of websites, podcasts, and conferences teaching you how to improve your life (this one being no exception), it’s clear many of want to become a better version of ourselves. We all want to be the person we imagine we could be if given just the right circumstances.

We want to learn more languages.

We want to be less awkward in social situations.

We want to eat better.

We want to read more.

We want to work out more.

We want to travel more.

We want to be more active.

We want to be more independent.

The list goes on and on!!

So often go through life without really thinking about where we are heading. One day turns into the next and all those things we desire to do and become seem to pile up while we look for the perfect day to start.

Over the last year, I’ve had my ups and downs and have been working hard to make changes to my life. It takes a lot of work to change. Even one or two changes to change your life requires concentrated effort and persistence. But to make a hundred changes? That is biting off more than you can chew. No one has the mental energy or time to do that.

That’s why most new year’s resolutions fail. We create a long list of things to accomplish in the new year but, in the end, most of us give up, overwhelmed by all we want to do.

So when people tell me all the ways the want to improve their lives, my advice to them is to travel for one simple reason:

Travel solves a plethora of self-improvement goals in one fell swoop.

Picture this: You’ve booked a flight to Kiev. You don’t speak Ukrainian or Russian. And, to top it off, you’re going alone. You land in Kiev. Now, you have to navigate signs in a different language, ask people who probably don’t speak your language well for directions (maybe pantomime and point at maps indicating where you want to go), get to your hostel, make friends in the dorm (no one wants to be alone), and get around and sightsee the city during your stay.

By the time you leave, you’ve learned how to communicate even when you don’t speak the language, figured out how to navigate an unknown place, learned to turn strangers into friends, learned how to be independent, and solved a slew of problems that came up as you made your way around a foreign country.

During one trip, you got better at communication, problem solving, languages, social situations, and improved your confidence in your ability to do new things and handle unexpected situations.

Why? Because you had to. You had no other choice.

And you didn’t even know you were doing it.

People always ask me about the moment I realized I “changed.” While there are moments in your life that ripple through the years, for me, there was no single instance that I can point to that turned me from a shy introvert who never traveled to someone able to plop down in any city, find my way, and turn strangers into friends. It was a process that happened slowly over time.

Before I set out on my first trip around the world, I had never really lived outside my state, hadn’t traveled much, had a small group of friends, and had only been in one relationship.

I was a nerdy introvert. While the old parts of me are still there (I’ll still gravitate towards my friends at a party rather than talk to someone I don’t know), it’s become a lot easier for me to talk to new people when there’s no one familiar around. While I still run through all the “what ifs” when I get on a plane to a new destination, when I land I hit the ground running (and wonder why I was ever worried in the first place).

Traveling forced me out of my routine. It helped me become independent, take more risks, be ok change, get better with people, learn more, and be more versatile.

Travel is not some panacea. The baggage you have comes with you on the road. There is no place far enough away to escape your problems. But what travel does is give you the space to be someone else and improve your life. It allows you to say “What would the new me do?” and then do it – without worrying that someone you know might notice. It puts you into situations that force you to better yourself. It won’t instantly solve your problems — only you can do that — but at least, on the road, you have a clean slate to try.

As the new year approaches and you create your list of resolutions, cross them all off, and just write one down: to travel alone more.

It is the ultimate way to become a better, more confident you.

The post Travel: The Ultimate Personal Development Tool appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

December 22, 2016 at 03:28PM

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How These Kids are Giving Back in Peru

Grape, Olive, Pig: Inside Spain’s Food Culture with Matt Goulding

Many moons ago, a friend e-mailed me and said “Hey, my buddy is starting a website. Can you give him some advice?” I hate those emails but, as a favor to my friend, I said yes. That guy, Nathan Thornbough, turned out to be really cool and we became good friends. But this article isn’t about Nathan, it’s about his partner Matt Goulding. Together, they started one of my favorite travel websites, Roads and Kingdoms. It’s one of the few websites I read daily. Last year, they partnered with Anthony Bourdain (They introduced me to him at an event last year and I babbled incoherently for a bit. It was highly embarrassing) and, as part of their partnership, they created a book, Rice Noodle Fish, about Japan. Now they have a new book called Grape Olive Pig about food in Spain.

In a long overdue interview, I sat down and talked to Matt about the intersection between food and travel – and where to find the best food in Spain (disclaimer: I did this for selfish reasons as I wanted to know for an upcoming trip I’m taking!):

Nomadic Matt: How did you became a traveling food writer?
Matt G.: Wanderlust was emblazoned in my DNA from the onset. My mom was a travel agent and my parents would take me and my three older brothers on some pretty staggering trips in our younger years: New Zealand, Fiji, Barbados, the Yucatan. Later, I thought cooking was going to be my ticket to see the world, so I studied and worked in the kitchen and wrote short stories on the side. I cooked wherever they’d have me—at an oyster house in North Carolina, fancy cafes in Los Angeles, on a fishing boat in Patagonia. But I saw pretty quickly that cooking required more patience and discipline than I had. I was writing bad fiction and cooking average food, which felt doubly frustrating. So I took of the toque and put away tortured prose and started to write about what I knew most: food and travel. It just so happens that the two go hand and hand, and that food became both the bridge and decoder ring for understanding the world at large.

I found out what a million writers before me already discovered—that writing about something I knew so intimately made a huge difference in the quality of my prose and the depth of my reporting. I started publishing longer, food-focused travel pieces in magazines and eventually landed a job as the food editor at Men’s Health.

That something new came along when I met Nathan Thornburgh. We connected in Mexico City at a sprawling temple of smoked meat and pulque on the outskirts of DF and hatched a plan to leave behind our cushy jobs and try something new. He wanted more food and culture in his life as a writer and editor; I wanted more politics and foreign correspondence.

We toiled in relative obscurity for the first year or two, but it turned out that one of our early readers was Anthony Bourdain. I’m still not entirely sure how he found us or what he saw in R&K, but when we approached him in 2013 with the idea of a book series dedicated to the great food cultures of the world, he gave us his full support. Eventually that support grew into a formal partnership, which, to put it lightly, changed the trajectory of Roads & Kingdoms substantially.

Your last book was about Japan. Why did you pick Spain this time?
I was passing through Barcelona six years ago, met a lovely Catalan girl in a bar, and never left. (At least, that’s the CliffsNotes’ version.) Since then, I’ve spent a lot of time eating my way across the country, falling deeper and deeper in love with Spain’s food culture. This book follows the same format and design as Rice, Noodle, Fish, but whereas the Japan book was about a newcomer experiencing the awesome power of Japanese food culture for the first time, Spain is more intimate, personal book, told from the perspective of someone with one foot inside and the other foot outside of the country.

What do you want people to get out of this book?
At the very minimum, I want to arouse in the reader an uncontrollable desire to travel to Spain. If someone reads the book and buys a plane ticket, then I am happy. But the easiest part of a travel writer’s job is to evoke wanderlust, just as the easiest part of a food writer’s job is to stir hunger. The more challenging part is to write a book that goes beyond food or travel—to give the reader a deeper understanding of Spain, its people, its ebbs and flows. I’m less interested in telling you where to go and what to eat than I am in giving you the tools and the context to understand what you see once you get here and begin to make your own discoveries. That means not just telling you where to eat a good cocido, Madrid’s famous garbanzo-and-meat stew, but explaining where it comes from and what it says about Spanish history and culture. I dedicate 8,000 words in the book to three sisters who hunt gooseneck barnacles along the coast of Galicia—not because you need to stop everything you’re doing and travel to northwest Spain to eat barnacles, but because theirs is a beautiful story that says a lot about Galicia and Spain in general. In the end, food is simply the lens through which I try to examine the DNA of this extraordinary country.


What makes Spanish cuisine so special?
Spanish cuisine has a certain split personality that I find deeply attractive: On one hand, you have modernist (what some people call “molecular”, to the annoyance of every Spanish chef I know) cuisine, that highly technical, whimsical, sophisticated style of cooking popularized at El Bulli in the 1990s and 2000s and carried on to this day by many ambitious, deeply-talented practitioners. It was this type of cooking that made Spain a serious food destination over the past decade. But really, it represents the tiniest fraction of Spain’s culinary greatness. At the heart of Spanish cuisine is an infallible formula: great ingredients + solid technique = good eating. The best Spanish food—a melting wedge of tortilla, a rosy slice of acorn-fed ham, a plate of sweet red shrimp bathed in garlic oil—is at its core very simple. But simple doesn’t mean easy. You have to take the time to buy the right ingredients and to treat them properly, and most Spanish cooks excel in both categories.

Is there really Spanish food, or a diverse set of food we really call Spanish food?
Spanish cuisine, like all great cuisines, is highly regionalized, but the homogenizing forces of modernity in general, and tourism in specific, threaten the diversity. These days you’ll find paella and sangria and patatas bravas in every corner of the country. But that just means as a traveler you need to be aware of where you are and make your food choices accordingly. Up in Galicia? Eat octopus and shellfish and gooseneck barnacles and wash it down with a crisp Albariño. When in Andaulsia, eat jamón and fried little fish and drink sherry. In the Basque Country, feast on thick-cut steaks and whole-grilled fish and a world of pintxos. The people who find Spanish food disappointing are the ones who order paella in Madrid and sangria in San Sebastian. Of course, there is a common language that unifies Spain’s cooking—high-quality olive oil, cured pork, an abiding love of seafood—but it expresses itself in very different ways as you move around the country.

I always tell people who come to Spain to first and foremost know where you are and eat and drink accordingly. Paella, for example, has a historical connection to Valencia and is at its very best in the region, but elsewhere, it’s often used to make a quick buck from tourists looking for a “typical” Spanish experience. (The worst-kept secret in Spain is that a huge percentage of paella is made industrially and sent out frozen across the country.) Instead, spend a bit of time learning about the great regional specialties of the country and seek them out aggressively. Grape, Olive, Pig tries to give the reader the type of detailed understanding of the Spanish culinary tapestry, so that he or she is equipped to eat as well as possible in every corner of the country. But even an hour or two of reading online will make your food experience exponentially better.

Why is Spain such a foodie culture? Food is life in Spain. How did that come about?
Spain thrives on the same foundational principles of all the great Mediterranean cuisines, where the forces of geography, climate, and history conspired to create not just a group of national recipes, but a pervasive food culture that informs all aspects life on the Iberian Peninsula. There’s a very important word in Spanish that I use to explain to visitors the beauty of Spanish food culture: sobremesa, which literally means “on top of the table” but actually refers to the period after a meal that Spaniards use to linger at the table. Long after the last courses have been cleared, after the coffee has come and gone, Spaniards remain firmly planted at the table, talking, arguing, laughing, enjoying an extra hour or two together. No waiter is hovering with the bill; people aren’t on their phones messaging their other friends. There may be a digestivo or a round of gin and tonics, but no one is there to get drunk. They’re there to be with each other—to debate policy, air out grievances, celebrate a loved one, and to generally bask in the warm glow of each other’s company. In Spain, food is the means, not the end.

Do you see the Spanish food scene changing into a more “quick eats” American style or is going to remain slow forever?
Spain is not immune to international food trends, including ones imported from the States. Burger joints have been sprouting like fungus across the country for the past five years and there appears to be no end in site. (Though I’m still waiting for a single great burger to break out from the sea of mediocrity.) Tacos are the new thing in the bigger cities and there is no doubt some other amorphous food fad waiting in the wings (bao?). But Spanish food has roots deep enough to withstand the existential threats that might topple a weaker food culture. When the burger lust dies out and the taco fervor fades away, there will still be a bar down the street serving tortilla and croquetas.

If someone was heading to Spain soon, where should they go eat?
You’ll find amazing food across the country, but if eating well is your primary mission, go north. I’d rent a car and work my way across the Atlantic Coast. Start in the Basque Country, hitting up the pintxos bars in San Sebastian and Bilbao and asadores (grill restaurants) in coastal and mountain villages. Stop in Cantabria for some of the world’s finest anchovies, then push into Asturias to feast at the region’s heroic cider houses. End the adventure on the coast of Galicia, the heart of Spain’s seafood culture, where the Atlantic’s treasures require little more than salt and a splash of olive oil.

What region of Spain has the most underrated food?
Asturias isn’t a region on most people’s radars, but the food is extraordinary. You have a deep culture of mar y montaña, surf and turf, thanks to the dramatic combination of rugged coastline and soaring peaks. You can be in a cider house in a mountain town eating cave-aged cheeses and fabada (a stew of fat white beans, chorizo, and blood sausage—the king of the Asturian kitchen) for lunch and in a seafood restaurant on the coast feasting on spider crabs and sea urchin before the sun sets. To write the Asturias chapter of the book, I spent a week with the chef José Andrés, born in a coal mining town in Asturias who went on to create one of the world’s greatest restaurant empires. José is a force of nature, and he unlocked the magic of that region in a way that keeps me coming back year after year.

Okay, final questions. We’re going to do a lightening round:

• #1 restaurant people need to go visit?
  Extebarri in the mountains of the Basque Country. Bittor Arguinzoniz is a grill god, and everything that comes out of his kitchen will haunt you for years to come.
  
• #1 thing visitors should avoid in Spain?
  Eating or drinking anything on La Rambla in Barcelona.
• Madrid or Barcelona?
  Barcelona, but I am far from objective. If I said Madrid, a few family members might disown me.
• La Tomatina: Drunk idiot fest or fun cultural experience?
  A little bit of both, but with each passing year, it slouches sadly towards the former.

You can find more about Matt at his website, Roads and Kingdoms, or just get the book, Grape Olive Pig (which was one of my favorites of 2016), and learn more about Spain!

WIN A COPY: I’m giving away TWO signed copies of the book. It’s signed by Matt AND Bourdain! How do you win? Just leave a comment sharing your favorite food experience on the road and we’ll randomly select a winner on Sunday!

The post Grape, Olive, Pig: Inside Spain’s Food Culture with Matt Goulding appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

December 15, 2016 at 03:43PM

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How to Know if the Travel Info You Find is Legit

A couple of years ago, I was in San Francisco and was invited by the folks at Google Travel to visit their campus, where we spent a lot of time geeking out over travel booking data and metrics. One of the stats that stood out for me was that most consumers spend over 40 hours researching their trip and look at over 20 sites!

When I started planning my first trip around the world in 2005, there weren’t all the online resources we have now. I remember there was blog on backpacking Europe (basically what some girl did on her study abroad), a couple of forums, and a few others here and there.

Today, we have the Google Trips app; 100,000+ blogs; countless forums, communities, and sharing-economy websites; and everything in between. You can find information for anywhere you want to go. No destination is too obscure.

But, in that sea of endless information, how do you know what is accurate and trustworthy?

Like you, I spend a lot of time researching destinations before I go: blog posts, books, trip reports, hostel reviews, etc., etc. I love digging deep into the places I’m traveling to. It makes the trip seem real and like I’m discovering some secret.

But since I’ve been looking up information online and working in the travel industry for years, I can spot the BS really easily.

And today I want to help you do the same. Here is how to tell if the information you’ve found is valid — or should be treated skeptically:

(Note: I’m going to break down my thoughts in extreme detail, but it actually doesn’t take that long to process all this. I’ll give you some perspective at the end. It’s not as long as you think!)

Factors to consider when reading about destinations

Sponsored content: When I first come across an article, I scroll to the bottom to see if the content is “sponsored.” Sponsored content is (a) when a blogger is given a trip or product in exchange for a review or mention (and payment) on that blogger’s website, and (b) content that is basically advertising or marketing material (think some “awesome” contest they are telling you about). While organized press trips have been happening in the travel business for decades (and I’ve done them), sponsored content is something different. Since there is an exchange of money, I feel like it’s marketing. (For reasons that tie together below). I will still read the article – and it still might be useful – but I definitely want to know if someone was paid to go to that destination or promote that content. After all, there is a natural human inclination to sugarcoat the negatives if we’ve been paid to write about a place or product.

When I see “Thanks for the free trip, (insert tourism board name). All opinions are my own” without explanation, I’m a further wary. What was free? What was paid for? Did they receive money? I want to know more. I tend to take the suggestions with a grain of salt unless I see clearly what was sponsored, in a statement like “Visit Islay provided the car and accommodation and also connected me to distilleries so I could get the behind-the-scenes tours for this article. Meals, flights, and transportation to and from the island — as well as all that whisky I bought — were at my own expense.” So I want the article to be clear on what was and wasn’t paid for – because that will directly impact some of the other important things to keep an eye.

Replicable experiences: If the writer is writing about an experience that I can’t do or a situation I can’t replicate, the advice isn’t useful to me as a reader – and I immediately move on. It’s great that someone got to do something cool like eat a 3 star Michelin restaurant or cook dinner with Bourdain — but how does that really help me experience the place? Those kind of articles make for fun stories but nothing more. When I’m researching a destination, I don’t want a fun story, I want a helpful story.

Detailed content: How detailed is the article? The more facts, figures, and other details they include, the more I know they know their stuff. For me, advice that is detailed, practical, and replicable is the best kind of advice. I look for blogs and content that gives me insight into a destination or product like I would expect from a guidebook or magazine. All these signals tell me “This website is quality and trustworthy content and I should use it to plan my trip.”

This is why whether or not the content is sponsored / branded / whatever term people use is so important to me because the more the writer is paying their own way and doing what I would do, it’s more likely to include the nitty gritty facts and figures that will be useful to me as I plan my trip.

Bigger picture: Moreover, I look at that content within the bigger picture of their website. If I come across an article and I like what I’m reading, sponsored or not, I click around the website a bit more. If this blogger tends to do the kind of activities I like to do, I think to myself, “OK, we have a similar travel style. This person’s advice is going to benefit me.”

If I look around a website and see they mostly pay their own way, have detailed content, and are in the trenches like the rest of us, I’m OK with the small amount of sponsored content I see because in my mind, it will be more fair and balanced than someone who does mostly paid trips.

Website appearance: What does their website look like? Does it look loved? Is the design from 1999, or does it look like someone keeps the site up to date? It’s like a restaurant. While looks don’t 100% correlate to quality food, you’re more likely to go “the food is probably good here” if the restaurant looks like it wasn’t like renovated during the Nixon years. For example, look at my site:

In 2008:

Now:

Which one would you trust more? (Exactly. The newer version.)

Are they too negative? There are so many factors that go into whether or not you like a destination: the people you meet, the weather, the ease in which you got around, whether someone in your dorm snored, and so much more! When I look at someone’s opinion on a place, I look to see if they are just ranting or are truly being fair. “This place was terrible and you should never go” is a rant that should be taken with a grain of salt. Read it, file it away, but mostly ignore it. Years ago, I went on a rant about Vietnam and swore I would never go back. Since then, I’ve grown as a writer and a person. I had to add a little blurb at the end of the article saying this was my experience but you should go and experience it yourself. That article stays up because it’s part of the site but I cringe when I read it. It’s not the type of article that gives an accurate picture of a place nor is it one you should use when you plan your trip. Avoid articles like that!

Timely content: Lastly, how old is the article? Has it been updated? Travel changes so rapidly that an article that was written five years ago and hasn’t been updated since is one I don’t value. The article and content must be from within the last two years.

Factors to consider when researching a company or making a booking:

Most reviews are negative: First, when it comes to using a company or booking website you don’t know, it’s important to remember one thing: the majority of reviews are most likely going to be negative. Consumers use review sites to complain not to praise. It’s almost always how some company screwed them over. While that is sometimes the case (no company is perfect 100% of the time — and it’s not just obscure companies; I’ve had friends have terrible times trying to get a refund from Expedia), most of the time it’s because someone didn’t read the fine print.

So that’s the most important thing to remember: consumer reviews always tilt negative in the travel space, so you shouldn’t be too worried if a company has too many negative reviews (the devil is in the details, not some star rating!).

Consider why a review is negative: When looking at consumer reviews, I look to see why these people are having a negative experience. For example, if many of the negative reviews for a tour company talk about how their guide didn’t know anything, I begin to think, “Maybe this tour company isn’t that good.” But if the negative reviews are mostly “THIS IS THE WORST COMPANY EVER BECAUSE MY HOTEL WAS ONLY 2 STARS AND I EXPECTED 5 STARS FOR THE $500 I PAID!” then I’ll ignore those specific negative reviews. To me, these kinds of reviews are just rants, not helpful.

Expert opinion: What do travel writers, magazines, and newspapers say about this company? Do they match the negative consumer reviews, or do they paint the company in a different light? If tour company X has tons of negative consumer reviews but the majority of professionals say it is good, I’ll go with the professional opinion. If there’s a disconnect between what consumers say and what the majority of experts say, I trust the experts.

Next, consider the following:

How often a reviewer posts: When looking at user-generated reviews, I want to see how often a user posts (most sites show you). If someone posts just once and writes a scathing review, chances are they are trying to vent because they didn’t get what they want.

Beware too-positive reviews: People don’t like to hurt other people’s feelings, so on a lot of the sharing-economy sites, people sugarcoat their reviews, because these hosts or guides aren’t a faceless corporation. If some guy gave you a tour or if you stayed in someone’s house and it sucked, you’ll feel bad leaving a very negative review because you met that person and formed a (fleeting) relationship with them.

Beware a lack of details: This is how I ended up in an Airbnb that was directly above a bar. Everyone said “it was noisy,” but NYC is noisy, so I just assumed that is what they meant. Since that horrible incident, I only trust reviews that are specific, details, and clear on what was good and what was bad. “I had a great time” or “This place was so so” doesn’t tell you anything and those reviews should be ignored.

Beware paid placements: Next, make sure the top reviews aren’t paid placements. The majority of booking sites allow companies to pay extra for higher or top “recommended” placement. All those top results? Usually paid to be there. So do what I do: ignore the top recommended properties, sort by price, and then figure out where to book!

Pictures: Finally, when I look at booking sites, I also like to see what pictures people who have stayed there have posted. Of course having a professional photographer take a picture vs. someone taking a picture with their phone are two very different things, but I like to at least get a sense of what the room looks like in a real-world setting.

****

In the end, none of these points make or break my planning. I take all of these factors into account. I look at everything and see what the complete picture looks like. I look for patterns and averages. That is something you can’t really fake. Trust the average.

This might sound like it takes a lot of work, but it’s really just a long, drawn-out written version of what I keep in mind as I research. In reality, it only takes a few minutes, but by looking at all these factors, I rarely end up at a place I don’t like, using a company that screws me, or getting inaccurate and unhelpful information!

The post How to Know if the Travel Info You Find is Legit appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

December 12, 2016 at 03:50PM

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Why Being Broke is the Best Time to Travel

When you don’t have much money, travel seems only a nice fantasy. When you have debts, loans, or a crummy job; sleep on your friend’s couch; or can barely afford McDonalds, it seems that traveling is a pipe dream that will probably never come true, something you’re going to have to put off until you have money.

But I don’t think that’s the case! I think being broke is the best reason to start traveling.

When you have the fewest options is when you really you have the most options. When you’re at the bottom, you have little lose but everything to gain.

As Janis Joplin said, freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.

When you don’t have any money or a great job, there’s little downside to picking up, saying goodbye, and going off to travel. You’ll ride out the storm, maybe find something you really love, and gain life experience and those soft interpersonal skills that employers today find valuable!

The world is full of opportunities (and jobs), so if you’ve exhausted those in your area, why not try a new one? If you’re willing to go out and grab life by the horns, you’ll find plenty of opportunities out there to earn money, travel, and find what you love.

Open yourself up to new possibilities and experiences. Don’t suffer in that crummy job that barely pays the bills. Move somewhere. Pick up and start over. It’s what our ancestors used to do. They moved to where the opportunity was and they thrived because of it. Where would we be if they didn’t constantly try to seek a better life but instead sat and watched Netflix?

I know picking up and leaving when you’re struggling can seem scary. We often leave a situation only when we are the most secure. When you’re struggling, your thoughts are more likely to be “if I can just get ahead a little, then I’ll be ready to go.”

However, there’s no perfect time to travel. There’s no right moment. If you’re in a bad situation, find opportunities and go try them. Which is scarier: failing and coming back to exactly where you started or continuing down a path that will probably drag you down for the rest of your life?

Unless you seize the moment, that temp job you’re in just until you find something new is more likely to be the job you still have years from now.

If you’re in a place you don’t like, are working a job you hate, or have debt, there’s no better time to say fuck it, move overseas, find work, and travel. Or volunteer with the Peace Corps, work on a farm, train dogs, or start a blog. My friend Mark Manson started his blog when he was sleeping on his friend’s couch counting pennies to afford McDonald’s because he figured what else did he have to lose?! (He’s now a New York Times best-selling author!)

One of my favorite scenes in one of my favorite movies, Up in the Air, is when George Clooney’s character fires J. K. Simmons’ character Bob. Bob is obviously upset — he has kids (one with asthma) and he feels like a failure. Instead of being sympathetic, George Clooney tells him he is a failure and reads Bob’s résumé: he went to the French culinary institute to study cooking and worked a fancy French restaurant. To quote:

“I see guys who work at the same company for their entire lives, guys exactly like you. They clock in, they clock out, and they never have a moment of happiness. You have an opportunity here, Bob. This is a rebirth. If not for you, do it for your children.”

What George is telling Bob is that now he has a chance to follow his dreams: to work with food instead of a job that saps his soul — because he has nothing left to lose.

If you were faced with such an opportunity to change — to use a setback or constrained circumstances to instead actually do something different — would you take it?

It’s super hard to go against the current. Life gets away from us as the days tick by. But eventually one must say, “not today, not anymore.”

Use the Internet (you can find a lot of work online via websites like Gumroad, UpWork, or Craigslist) and open yourself up to the world and all the jobs and opportunities in it.

There are ways to earn extra money via sharing-economy websites like Uber, Lyft, EatWith, TaskRabbit, and a plethora of other random side jobs from the sites listed in the previous paragraph to pad your wallet. (Bonus: you can do before and after you’re overseas!!!).

Once you find yourself overseas, you can get a working holiday visa, use job boards and local expat stomping grounds to find jobs, or take freelance work via a website like Upwork.

If I was broke, young, or in a job I didn’t like, I would first try to teach English overseas. You don’t need to be a teacher to do this — just a native English speaker (though having a degree will help if you want a better-paying job). There are a ton of schools out there that even pay for your flight to and from the country.

If I wasn’t a native English speaker, I would use websites like iTalki and teach people my language! You get paid to be someone’s language partner. There’s nothing like getting paid to have a conversation in the language you speak every day. These sites are hugely popular — and you don’t need to be a teacher.

Find something that moves you forward — even if it’s only a little bit. Then take the next step. Then the next. Then another.

Maybe along the way, you may find yourself with a new passion or in a new situation where you happen to feel at home.

But while you’re trying something new, you’ll at least be able to pay off some of your debt, have some cool adventures, and gain some life experience.

The world can be your oyster if you truly grab it! Whether you make minimum wage, are wheelchair bound, have to work on boats, or come from a developing country, you can make it happen. When you expand your worldview, you increase your possibilities.

Don’t make excuses as to why you can’t — find all the ways you can.

Stretch yourself. Piece a few things together. Use the web. Break out of your immediate circle.

The world can be your oyster if you let it.

What do you have to lose?

The post Why Being Broke is the Best Time to Travel appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

December 05, 2016 at 03:38PM

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Searching for the Perfect Dram on Islay

Whisky and I got off to a rocky start. The first time I tried it was in college. It tasted like rocket fuel. I only drank it when I had no other options — and drowned what little I poured into my glass under a ton of Coke.

Then I met my friend Dan, whose home collection of various Scotches and whiskies rivaled any bar I knew. He and Choun, the manager of Rye House in NYC, slowly walked me through the world of whisky. From sweet to smoky to heavy to peaty, I got to taste everything.

I went from whisky hater to whisky lover, and soon I learned that there was nothing I liked more than the smoky, peaty whiskies that come from the Scottish island of Islay. I came to love their campfire smell and strong bite at the end.

Last month, I finally had the chance to visit Islay with Sean (the fourth whisky musketeer). Located off the west coast of Scotland, Islay is a large island battered by the sea, wind, and rain. (The weather is so bad and planes can’t land often enough that the island’s carrier FlyBe’s nickname is “FlyMaybe.”)

As my whisky-loving friend Sean and I flew onto the island, I gazed out my window in glee. I was finally in the whisky drinker’s promised land and it looked beautiful. Through the cloud cover, I could see a vast green island, with rocky shores, endless farms, grazing sheep, and rolling hills dotted with diminutive stone houses. The land looked pastoral and untamed. It’s hard to imagine that so much of the world’s whisky originates here.

Whisky has a long history on Islay. It’s been made there since the 16^th century — first in backyards and then, starting in the 19^th century, in big distilleries. Over the years, whisky from the island came to be considered a specialty and was used to flavor a lot of other blends on the mainland. It wasn’t until the early 2000s that Islay whisky became world famous. It produces mostly single malt Scotch, which means they only use one type of grain (barley).

Sean and I visited seven of the eight distilleries on the island (sorry, Coal Ila, see you next time!). We began our first day at Bowmore (Sean’s favorite), famous for its mildly peaty whiskies. Bowmore was founded in 1779 and is one of the oldest and largest distilleries on the island, producing 1.5 million liters per year. Located on the shores of Loch Indaal in the town that bears it, the white painted buildings behind the walls of Bowmore made it seem less a factory and more like a housing complex. (All but one of the distilleries are located near the water because it was easier to get supplies in and out of the bays rather than overland.)

During our tour, we focused a lot on the production of whisky, learning the ins and outs of how it is made. It’s a simple process: first, you take barley, soak it for 2-3 days in warm water, and then spread it on the floor of the malting house, turning it regularly to maintain a constant temperature. These days, only Bowmore and Laphroaig do their own maltings, though they produce only a fraction of what they need (used to make the tourists happy, I suspect); most of the malt and smoking process — for all the distilleries on the island — is done at a big plant in Port Ellen or on the mainland.

After the malting, the barley is then smoked in peat, an earthy fuel from the bogs that cover the island. It is this process that gives the whisky the flavor that has made Islay famous. After that it is fermented, distilled, and then put in casks, where it ages.

In Scotland, most distilleries reuse American bourbon or Spanish sherry casks (some use French oak, but that’s very rare). By law, Scotch whisky has to be made in non-virgin oak — they can’t make their own barrels. It’s not Scotch if it’s made any other way! It’s in these casks that the flavors of the whisky mix with the wood to become what they are. The longer the alcohol stays in, the smoother and mellower it becomes. (So if you like a real smoky, peaty whisky, get a young one!) Unlike wine, which continues to change with age, once the whisky is out of the barrel, it’s done maturing.

The highlight of our trip to Bowmore was when the attendant let us bottle our own whisky right from the cask! Let me introduce you to the Nomadic Rebel:

After Bowmore (and a quick walk around town), we went to Bunnahabhain. Located at the very far end of the island, its remote location provided the opportunity for the most scenic drive of the trip: across the island and then down a tiny road, with the sea and mountains of the nearby island of Jura to your right and farmland to your left.

Looking like an old industrial factory with long warehouses on a rocky shore, Bunnahabhain does most of its production off the island. After a short, very underwhelming tour, our guide took us for a tasting, where he leapt out of his shell and gave us an animated history of the whiskies we were trying. (Overall, this was my least favorite distillery I visited, although I loved their products.)

Our second day, we visited the three most famous distilleries on the island: Laphroaig, Ardbeg, and Lagavulin.

Laphroaig sits on a beautiful, wide, and rocky inlet that opens up to the sea. The smell of salt and sea fills the air, fighting for control over the peat smell of the distillery. Laphroaig’s distillery is considered one of the most beautiful, with its small historic buildings, its name in giant letters placed on the outside wall that faces the bay, and a number of viewing points of the bay, where you can sit out and enjoy a dram or three. The highlight here was seeing the malting process in progress, as well as the peat fire and smoke as it filled the kiln.

At Ardbeg, we had lunch before joining our tour guide, Paul. “You’ve probably seen a bunch of these now, huh? I’ll just show you what makes Ardbeg different and we’ll just drink,” he said as he grabbed two bottles for the tour. “In case you get thirsty!” he added slyly. (We got thirsty!)

Paul gave us a quick tour of the facilities, highlighting their old mash tanks and distilling process, which produces alcohol at 62-75% alcohol by volume (ABV). Afterward, we toured the grounds, marveling at the old casks and original buildings still in use, before setting back to the main house. Ardbeg is set back from the road and seems to take up a city block with its large white warehouses. Back at the tasting room, Paul let us sample many of Ardbeg’s famous brands, as well as some special distillery-only blends found nowhere else, never seeming to care that we kept slipping in requests for the harder-to-find good stuff.

We talked with Paul for a long time. Like most people we met, he had grown up on the island, moved away, and come back. “City life was too busy for me,” he said. Like most of his friends, he got a job at a distillery. Unlike most of his friends, though, he actually liked whisky. A surprisingly large number of the young people we talked to weren’t really keen on Scotch (“it’s what my grandfather drinks”), but Paul was a big fan and knew his way around the spirit.

After wishing Paul goodbye, we stumbled out of Ardbeg and strolled toward our final stop of the day, Lagavulin. With plenty of time before our tour, we walked slowly down the path between them, awed at all the cows and sheep on the rocky verdant hills that rolled across the island, then caught a few minutes’ snooze on one of the benches that line the way. Walking this path from distillery to distillery is something I can’t recommend enough.

On our final day, Sean and I visited Bruichladdich and Kilchoman. Starting early at Bruichladdich (which had been shut for decades before two private investors and reopened in 2000), our guide Jenn gave us the grand tour and history of the place. The grounds are mostly white industrial buildings in a small compound, though upon arriving we were struck by the cobblestone courtyard (parking lot). It was a beautiful entranceway that harked back to days of old. She set seven different types of whisky in front of us, though I had to drink most of Sean’s too because he was driving.

At Kilchoman, the visit becomes a blur, after having drunk so much at Bruichladdich. Our tour moved quickly through the distillery, then we tried a few of the brands. I don’t remember which ones, as I mostly turned them down since I didn’t want to be too drunk too early!

After a quick lunch and final dram before I hugged Sean goodbye, I boarded the ferry back to Glasgow and promptly fell asleep in a happy, whisky-induced haze with a giant smile on my face. I had been to my alcoholic promised land and it was everything I had imagined it to be. From the friendly people with their small-town charm to the beautiful landscape, distilleries, and sea air, Islay was an island of dreams, one I definitely want to return to.

(Though next time I’ll spend more time outdoors appreciating the scenery and hiking off all that whisky!)

Logistics

If you’re going to go to Islay, you can get there by a twice-daily plane from Glasgow with FlyBe or via the ferry/bus combo from Glasgow.

For meals, I liked Yan’s Kitchen, Lochindaal (best seafood on the island), the café at Ardbeg, Bridgend Hotel, and The Harbour Inn.

Accommodations consist mostly of cute little farmhouses turned B&Bs. There’s also an HI hostel on the island.

Recommended Whiskies

• Bowmore 13 – Nice, smoky taste with a strong finish. One of my favorites.
• Bowmore 18 (sherry cask) – Smooth, fruity flavor.
• Bowmore 25 (wine cask) – Smooth, with a peaty finish.
• Laphroaig 21 – Smooth, light on the palette.
• Laphroaig Cask Strength 16 Year – Really strong, very flavorful. Packs a punch.
• Ardbeg Supernova – Very strong with good, peaty finish.
• Lagavulin Double Matured Distiller’s Edition – Delicious!
• Lagavulin 8 – Very strong smoky and peaty flavor. Tastes like a campfire. One of my favorites.
• Lagavulin 18 – Smooth, with a more subtle flavoring.
• Bruichladdich 1989 – Smooth, with a subtle sweet flavor.
• Bruichladdich 2003 – Really strong, powerful flavor.
• Kilchoman Machir Bay – Great smooth Scotch, with a subtle peaty finish.

Note: Visit Islay provided the car and accommodation for Sean and I, and they also connected me to distilleries so I could get the behind-the-scenes tours for this article. Meals, flights, and transportation to and from the island — as well as all that whisky I bought — were at my own expense. 

The post Searching for the Perfect Dram on Islay appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

December 01, 2016 at 05:02PM

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