[Psst, most of these are great ideas for dates!]

1. Go on vacation to a new city with your boyfriend/girlfriend, walk separate ways and try to find each other by the end of the evening (without using your phone!).

2. Organize a surprise trip for a loved one. The only information you need to provide them is the date and time, where to meet and what to bring (200 g of blackberries and a screwdriver, for example). Here’s a detailed plan how to organize a surprise trip for a friend for less than 30 minutes.

3. Show up at the airport with hand luggage only. Buy a cheap ticket for a flight leaving in the next few hours and spend the weekend there.

4. Visit all the cities and villages whose names start with the initial of your first name. You can limit yourself to just one county/state or dream big and challenge yourself to a whole country!

5. Build yourself a raft and sail as far as possible on it.

6. Think of a place that you would never go. Like, never ever. Now go there.

7. Walk around the city until you find a particularly beautiful or somewhat strange house. Jot down its address and send the owners a kind postcard.

8. Pretend to be a tourist in your own city. Speak to people only in a foreign language. Even if you meet friends, don’t break the game.

9. If a friend can’t join you on a trip, print his/her head in real size, add a tiny body below and shoot a photo story of this friend ‘traveling’ with you.

10. Organize a completely free trip. The longer, the better. [some ideas how to travel for free without feeling like a tramp]

***

Inspired by the book “203 Travel Challenges. Travel the World. Discover Your Inner Self”.

Pin it for later:

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1. The official name of Greece is the Hellenic Republic. It has been the official name of the country since the abolition of the monarchy in 1973. Greeks refer to themselves as Hellenes and to their country as Hellas. The name Greece is of Roman origin because, according to the theory, when the Romans conquered Greece the first people they met were the western Greek tribe of Graeci.

2. The contemporary idea of Santa Claus developed from the 4^th-century Greek Saint Nicholas who was a bishop of Myra (nowadays Demre, Turkey) famous for his secret gift-giving.

3. Retirement homes are not common in Greece since grandparents normally live with their children.

4. Only about 170 out of the more than 2,000 Greek islands are inhabited.

Donousa Island in the Cyclades, Greece, has a population of only 167 people (2011)

5. Name days are big celebrations in Greece, sometimes even bigger than birthdays. A name day is the day dedicated to the saint one is named after. Since the Greek Orthodox Church has dedicated every day of the year to the memory of one (or sometimes more) saint, almost every day in Greece is cause for celebration.

6. Greek is the oldest written language that is still in existence.

7. The first nude scene in European cinema history was in the Greek movie Daphnis and Chloe in 1931. The movie is based on the work of the Greek novelist Longus, who lived in the 2^nd century AD.

8. There are olive trees in Greece that date back to the 13^th century and are still producing olives. Greece is the third most prolific olive exporter in the world, and olive trees are an inseparable part of its culture – from the symbolism they had in ancient Greece (winners at the Olympic games were crowned with olive branches) to their big role in Greek cuisine.

9. Tourists in Greece (more than 20 million yearly) outnumber the country’s population (approximately 11 million) by almost double. Tourism plays a big part in the Greek economy and contributes about 20% of its GDP.

10. There are more than 10,000 traditional Greek dances coming from the different regions of Greece.

11. Greece is one of the sunniest countries in the world. There are normally more than 250 sunny days in the year.

12. Greece is the country with the most archaeological museums in the world – over 100. Some of the ‘must-visits’ are the Acropolis Museum, the National Archaeological Museum and the Archaeological Museum of  Delphi.

National Archaeological Museum in Athens, Greece

13. The Greeks revolutionized the art of sculpture. Greek artists were the first to begin creating statues that showed movement and emotions.

14. The turquoise blue of many Greek roofs, doors, and church domes – especially on the Cyclades Islands – is believed to keep evil spirits away.

15. According to Greeks, if you sneeze it means that someone is talking about you. You can actually work out who it is by asking someone to tell you a three-digit number. Add each one together and count down the alphabet. The letter on which that number falls is the initial of that person’s first name. By whispering skordo (which means ‘garlic’) you can ensure that they only say good things.

16. The saying “taking the bull by its horns” comes from the Greek mythical figure of Hercules, who saved Crete from a raging bull by seizing its horns.

17. In Greece, it is considered an offense to wave your hand with the palm facing out.

I would add something from me – a nice place for your summer vacancy – Keramoti beach.

Pin this article for later, because you never know when you will need a good fun fact about Greece:

Read more: 13 quotes about Greece that explain why everyone loves it.

The post 17 fun facts about Greece to know before you visit it appeared first on 203Challenges.

#1 The Italian wolf is Italy’s national animal. The animal plays a huge role in Italian culture; according to legend, Romulus and Remus – who founded Rome in 753 BC – were raised by a she-wolf.

#2 Italy is home to the only active volcanoes in Europe – Etna, Vesuvius and Stromboli.

Mount Etna – the biggest and most active volcano in Italy– Wikipedia

#3 Jewish people would often hide in Italy’s ancient catacombs while they were being persecuted during WWII.

#4 There is a free 24-hour red wine fountain in central Italy. It was built in 2016 by a local winery in the village of Caldari di Ortona. It is “not for people to get drunk, but a gesture to the town”.

#5 It is illegal to die in the town of Falciano del Massico in Campania in South Italy. This law has been in place since 2012. The reason? The cemetery is full…

#6 Italy is home to the biggest number of UNESCO World Heritage sites in the world. There are over 50 to be exact, including the aforementioned Mount Etna.

The city of Verona – one of Italy’s many UNESCO World Heritage Sites – Kimmo Räisänen / Flickr

#7 Italians believe that the number 17 is bad luck. That explains why some buildings in Italy don’t have a 17th floor. This superstition comes from the Roman numeral for 17: XVII. That’s because these letters are an anagram of VIXI, which in Latin means “I have lived” or “My life is over”.

#8 Italy is home to the oldest continually operating university in Europe. The University of Bologna was founded in 1088 and remains to this day one of the most prestigious universities in Europe.

The University of Bologna – the oldest in mainland Europe – Wikipedia

#9 500,000 Italians visit exorcists yearly. The Roman Catholic Church is training a new generation of exorcists due to the high demand.

#10 The island Poveglia in northern Italy is one of the most haunted places in the world. In the 18th century, the island was used as a quarantine zone for people who had fallen ill with the plague. Two centuries, later the buildings on the island were converted into an asylum for the mentally ill. Nowadays, public access is not permitted to the abandoned island, which is often listed among the most haunted places in the world.

After this list, you probably got into the mood to visit the country. Don’t hesitate to look for vacation rentals in Italy with cozycozy and enjoy your stay!

Pin this list now so it can be your secret weapon next time you are explaining why Italy is so great:

Read more:

5 things that make you happy in Italy

5 unique little towns in Italy for true explorers

22 honest travel tips for Italy

10 fun facts about Milan

All articles dedicated to Italy

The post 10 fun facts about Italy appeared first on 203Challenges.

Here are a few more fun facts about the Eiffel Tower to give you a glimpse into some of its secrets.

1. The Eiffel Tower was erected for the World’s Fair in 1889. At the time the buildings of Paris were mostly low, meaning you could see the tower from almost everywhere in the city. Many Parisians, however, weren’t excited about this opportunity, finding the tower ‘useless and monstrous’. Much of the science and art society of Paris, including Alexandre Dumas and Guy de Maupassant, joined the ‘Committee of Three Hundred’ (one member for every meter of the height of the tower) protesting against its ‘ugliness’ and imagining that it would fall over and destroy the most emblematic buildings of the French capital. Maupassant, strangely enough, allegedly had lunch at the restaurant at the base of the tower every day. Why? It was the only place in Paris where he could enjoy a tower-free landscape.

2. It took two years, two months and five days to build the Eiffel Tower.

3. The tower was meant to last for 20 years and then be dismantled. However, it was left standing mainly because of the scientific research taking place there, especially the first radio transmissions broadcast from the antenna at its top.

4. The radio antenna at the top was used to intercept German spy messages during World War II.

5. After sunset, 20,000 lights twinkle from the tower for five minutes, every hour on the hour. It’s one of the most magical sights you can see in Paris.

6. The Eiffel Tower was the tallest building in the world until 1930, when the Chrysler Building in New York was finished.

7. Gustave Eiffel built himself a secret apartment under the peak of the Eiffel Tower. It remained secret for a very short time, after which he received numerous offers to rent it out for as short a period of time as one night – all of which he firmly declined. He gathered regularly with fellow scientists in the apartment over a drink, or to conduct a new experiment in the small laboratory attached to it. You can now visit the apartment, almost untouched, where the wax figures of Eiffel and his daughter welcome a wax sculpture of American scientist Thomas Edison.

8. Since its inauguration, the Eiffel Tower has been repainted 18 times. It has changed its color several times, being red, yellow and brown in the past. During every repainting, 15 tons of eroded paint are removed, while 60 tons of new paint are applied.

9. The elevators of the Eiffel Tower are greased every day. With beef fat.

10. The lines at the Eiffel Tower are as notorious as the tower is famous. There are, however, a few ways to skip them and magically find yourself far ahead of the crowds.

• You can buy tickets for the tower up to two moths in advance from its official website here.
• You can book a table at one of the restaurants located in the tower – 58 Tour Eiffel or Le Jules Verne. A lunch or dinner with a view will cost between 45 and 230 euro per dish.
• You can climb the stairs – 330 to reach the first level, 670 to the second. From there, you will wait just a few minutes for the elevator to the top. The stairway ticket costs only 7 euros.

11. Le Jules Verne restaurant plays host to an average of two marriage proposals per day.

The post 11 facts about the Eiffel Tower you probably didn’t know appeared first on 203Challenges.

Trips come and go, memories fade with time and at some point, years after you return, you end up remembering only pieces of what was once the adventure of a lifetime.

Keeping a travel blog or a travel diary is a great way to preserve memories from your trips. But if you don’t have the time or energy to write your experiences down every day, we have an alternative suggestion to help you remember the awesome places you’ve been. Namely…

…the travel song!

If you think about it, there are songs from your youth that, when you hear them nowadays, still trigger vivid memories of certain people or events. Scientists haven’t yet discovered how or why this happens, but most agree that the phenomenon is real. We want you to take advantage of it when you travel.

Two ways to change your trips with a travel song

First option: start every trip with the same song. Find your travel anthem, a song that is really special to you. It could be the song you used to listen to when you traveled with your family as a child, or the tune you and your friends played on repeat during your first trip as teenagers. Teach yourself to associate the song with travel by listening to it when – and only when – you start a trip.

Second option: compile a themed travel playlist for every destination you visit. Make a list of your favorite songs of the moment, then combine them with some local music you discover on the way. These can be the songs you hear blaring on the radio as you travel, or some old school local classics – whatever you associate most with the place. Save your playlists on YouTube or Spotify, naming them after your destination. Then, every time you want to cast your mind back to Florence, for example, all you need to do is crank out your “Florence epic trip 2017” playlist and let the memories come flooding back.

Why does it work?

“The songs we love become woven into a neural tapestry entwined with the people, seasons, and locations throughout our lifespan,” an article in Psychology Today explains. It seems that a song triggers the areas of the brain connected to motor skills, emotions, and creativity. Some scientists believe music has therapeutic and medical uses, such as helping Alzheimer patients restore memories.

“What seems to happen is that a piece of familiar music serves as a soundtrack for a mental movie that starts playing in our head. It calls back memories of a particular person or place, and you might all of a sudden see that person’s face in your mind’s eye,” Petr Janata, associate professor of psychology at UC Davis’ Center for Mind and Brain, said.

So what’s your travel song? Do you take care of your mental health? Do you use the service of a psychologist or the music is enough? 

The post The one music habit that will change the way you travel appeared first on 203Challenges.

2. Do only what you love. Don’t waste your time exploring somebody else’s dream destinations.

3. If something goes wrong, don’t get angry too quickly. Maybe something better is coming along instead.

4. Big expectations are the greatest obstacle to appreciating what you have.

5. Be present here and now. Don’t overthink yesterday or obsess about tomorrow. (Click here for more on mindful travel)

6. Instead of souvenirs, collect experiences, friends and beautiful memories.

7. Accept that not everything is made to be comfortable or to suit you.

8. What you think is ‘wrong’ might be normal here. Everything ‘normal’ has its geographical borders.

9. Don’t stick strictly to the plan – allow yourself the occasional detour. (Get inspired with Spontaneous travel – 9 steps to enjoy an unplanned trip)

10. Accept acts of hospitality. If someone in the street invites you to have a coffee, take the opportunity to get to know them. That’s how the best stories (and friendships) begin.

The post 10 simple ways to boost your happiness on the road appeared first on 203Challenges.

Have you ever heard one of those tall tales about an extremely lucky purchase? You know, like the guy who bought a second-hand painting that turned out to be a Van Gogh original, or the yokels who were tricked into buying a bad plot of land only to discover oil reserves underneath? In fact, one of the best lucky investment stories in history is far from an urban legend.

This story happened exactly 150 years ago – at 4 in the morning on March 30, 1867. After a night of heated negotiations, US Secretary of State William Seward and the Russian Minister Attaché signed the treaty for the purchase of Alaska. The US got its future largest and wealthiest state for $7.2 million, or $4.74 per square kilometer. At this price, my country (Bulgaria) would cost about $521,000. Even if we apply the inflation rate and calculate the amount in today’s money, it seems far too modest – no more than $123 million for 1.5 million square kilometers of land.

© Lina Kirilova

Nowadays, the scale of the purchase seems beyond belief. The most shocking thing is that Russia not only agreed to this but initiated the arrangement. Why? Well, at the time Russia was caught between two wars. This meant the country was suffering extreme financial problems and had no strength or resources to defend Alaska. From the Russian perspective, the Last Frontier itself was a wilderness, valuable only for seal hunting.

© Lina Kirilova

Many years went by before the United States appreciated the significance of the purchase of Alaska. First, gold was found in the Yukon, then oil, gas and other minerals. The expansive wilderness turned out to be a real treasure!

© Lina Kirilova

Today, Alaska’s GDP (gross domestic product) is about $49 billion a year – as much as my country’s (Bulgaria’s GDP for 2016 was $50 billion). Unfortunately, William Seward didn’t live to receive praise for his future vision – in his lifetime, American society and the press criticized his “pointless spending of public money”. The purchase, along with the new territory, was unfairly named “Seward’s Folly” after the misunderstood visionary.

© Lina Kirilova

Here are some fun facts about Alaska that will make you want to head north straight away:

1. Alaska is the biggest state in the United States. It is twice as large as its next rival, Texas, and is also larger than the combined area of the 22 smallest US states. Three Californias, 12 New York states, or 470 Rhode Islands could fit into Alaska. If Alaska were a country, it would be the 20th largest in the world!

2. Of the 20 highest peaks in the United States, 17 are in Alaska. Alaska is also home to North America’s highest peak, Denali, which rises to 6 190 m (20 310 ft). The name of the peak comes from the native Athabascan language and means “The Great One”.

3. Alaska or “Aleyska” is the Aleut word for “great land”.

4. Alaska is also the widest state of all. It spreads across both the eastern and western hemispheres. What’s more, it boasts the northernmost (Point Barrow), easternmost (Pochnoi Point on Semisopochnoi Island in the Aleutians) and westernmost (Amatignak Island in the Aleutians) points in the United States.

5. It’s the only state in the US to have coastlines on three different seas (the Arctic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea).

6. There are more active glaciers and ice fields in Alaska than in the rest of the inhabited world. Five per cent of the state is covered by glaciers.

7. The Aurora Borealis (also known as the Northern Lights) can be seen an average of 243 days a year in Fairbanks, Alaska.

8. John Muir (also known as “John of the Mountains”) fell in love with the wild, unknown and unexplored territory of Alaska. He made several trips to The Vast Land in the late 1800s and recorded his experiences and reflections in Travels in Alaska – a book he was still working on at the time of his death in 1914. To this day, Muir’s words ring true:

“To the lover of wilderness, Alaska is one of the most wonderful countries in the world”.

The post Visit Alaska, a jewel from the imperial bargain bin! appeared first on 203Challenges.

***

My biggest guilty pleasure when traveling is looking for the most popular local ice cream shop. Since I have such a big sweet tooth, I love hearing recommendations and trying original ice cream everywhere I go! One of my most recent samples: Little Man Ice Cream in Denver.

Dani from Wanderlust on a Budget

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I can’t count just how many miles we may have traveled over the years to see our favourite artists and bands unknown.  It’s led to adventures as diverse as visiting Tammy Wynette’s trailer (all gilded and crystal) to the gig-fest that was our dream roadtrip from Nashville to Clarksdale and Memphis.  But perhaps the crowning moment was stepping out late one night in Ghent, Belgium to find a tribute to one of my favourite artists:  Iggy Pop.  In person-sized letters, propped idly against a historic wall, Ghent was inviting us to  Search and Destroy.

Bernadette from A Packed Life

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Don’t get me wrong, I’m the most shameless tightass you’ll ever encounter on the road. Of course I will eat from dumpsters. Indeed I will hitchhike, even if it’s -43°C and snowing outside. And yes, now that you mention it I DO in fact own a pair of boxer shorts that I found hanging off a road sign in Serbia. But show me a good café latte in a country that traditionally serves mud in a cup and I will invite you to TAKE ALL MY MONEY. No matter how desperate I get, I can never quite silence the Melbourne coffee wanker in me, which is why I will always enjoy that double shot skinny soy orange mocha latte, even when I’m covered in dirt and dressed in a potato sack.

Nick from The Tragic Traveller 

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Mine is bread! I love trying new types of bread around the world. I probably carb load too much but it makes me so happy!

Rowena from A Nomad on the Loose

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I am so guilty of making travel days so much easier with using airport lounges. Airport lounges completely make layovers so much better with free wifi, free food, free booze, and sometimes even free showers. Thankfully my credit card offers free airport lounge access in more than 950 airports around the world. No matter if you are off on a honeymoon in Aruba or a weekend getaway it gets the trip started off on the right foot.

Hannah from Getting Stamped

***

So, what’s your travel guilty pleasure?

The post 17 travel bloggers share their guilty pleasures on the road appeared first on 203Challenges.

Even if you are one of those people who sees problems as opportunities and are happy to dance your way along the bumpy road of life, you might want to read our ideas for alleviating some of the most common troubles everyone encounters on the road. You already know that traveling is not supposed to be comfortable, but you can at least make things a bit easier for yourself.

Read our list of common travel-related problems to find some unexpected, crazy or thoughtful solutions. Click on a statement that is true for you and see what we suggest.

You hate bugs.

Your suitcase is so heavy that you can barely haul it.

You hate crowded tourist destinations.

You can’t travel at the moment (and you think you’re gonna die!).

You need some wise advice to get your life in order.

You love to break the law.

You feel sooo bad after a long flight.

You want to plan a grand adventure but you don’t know how.

You want to plan a mini-adventure but you don’t know how.

You want to hitchhike but you don’t know how.

Traveling solo doesn’t sound good to you.

Traveling isn’t making you happy.

You love pasta but you’re afraid you’ll get fat.

You wish you were braver.

You’re stuck in your hometown for the weekend.

Your trips have been lacking inspiration recently.

You hate camping.

You are often ill.

You have a dream and you want it to come true.

You want to travel for free but don’t know how.

You can’t stop traveling.

You are in the mountains and you are bored.

It’s summer and you are bored.

It’s winter and you are bored.

You want to spend the night in an extraordinary place but you don’t know where.

The post 25 common travel problems and their unexpected solutions appeared first on 203Challenges.

Even if you are slim and skinny as a beanpole, you may wish to skip breakfast on the day you plan to visit the narrowest street in Prague.

Its width of a mere 50 cm (1.6 ft) is the reason why even a traffic light has been installed to regulate the flow of people. To find it, you should head to the Charles Bridge and Kafka Museum and make sure to look carefully to your sides, because you may miss it if you don’t know what to look for.

How to get to the narrowest street in Prague – see its location on the map:

Not exactly a street, in fact…

Further research has revealed that the street is not actually a real street, but in fact one of the last fire brigade passes left in Prague. The traffic lights were installed for fun and thanks to coverage from a few publications on the internet, it turned into a tourist attraction. At the bottom of the lane, you get a view of the Charles Bridge and there’s a small restaurant (with, as it seems from its reviews, a very dubious reputation and an owner spoiling for a fight).

The other narrowest streets you can walk in Europe

The struggle for the “Narrowest Street in the World” title has been bitter, although the numbers can’t be argued with. Here are a few other tiny lanes around Europe that have turned into tourist attractions:

Spreuerhofstraße in the Old Town of Reutlingen, Germany. At its narrowest point it is only 31 cm (12.2 in) wide. This is, in fact, the world’s narrowest street according to the Guinness World Records. 

Strada Sforii in Brasov, Romania is 109 cm (42.9 in) at its narrowest point. 

Parliament Street in Exeter, England is 64 cm (25 in) wide at its narrowest part.

>>> Read the full article: The narrowest streets in Europe to squeeze through

The post The narrowest street in Prague has its own traffic lights appeared first on 203Challenges.