Nomadic Matt's Travel Site

How to Build a Travel Blog

2009-11-08T13:03:58Z

After I released my ebook on how to make money with your travel blog, I was deluged with many questions about how to actually make a blog. How do I do this with Wordpress? Where can I find information on coding? What are some good plugins? How do I self host? Should I self host? Where can I find a good theme? And so forth.

There were so many questions that I decided it was best to put all my web and Wordpress knowledge into another ebook. While I happily answer all the questions in my inbox, it sometimes becomes a time consuming process that can last hours. It’s much easier for people to get everything they need from this ebook than playing email tag with me.

Who is this book for?
Let’s be very clear here- this book is only for beginners. If you have a working knowledge of Wordpress, understand how to use your CSS and PHP code, or know HTML, this ebook won’t add anything new to your knowledge. This book is here to help beginners understand Wordpress and blog creation so that, I hope, more people will create their own travel blog and share their own travel stories and photos while away. The book doesn’t go into real depth involving CSS, PHP, HTML. It’s not meant to. So what does this book do then?

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This book includes information on:
Buy your own domain name: In this section, you’ll learn how to pick a domain name, where to buy one, information on good hosting companies, and what server packages to get.

How to Set Up Wordpress- How to install Wordpress into your server, important files and folders to know about, and how to create your admin information.
How to use a FTP server- While using an FTP process is not necessary, good web owners tend to use these systems to upload and download server files as well as manage files and folders on their system. This section gives an overview on how to download, install, and navigate an FTP service.
How to install plugins- There are thousands of Wordpress plugins out there. I list a handle of the basic ones that every good travel blog should have to help with everything from spam to RSS to social media. Additionally, I show you how to install them using an FTP system as well as Worpdress’ auto-install feature.
How to find and install Wordpress themes- Here you can learn about the three main types of themes: free, premium, and custom as well as which one might be right for you and where to find themes. Additionally, installing via FTP and the Wordpress auto-install is also covered.
Tweaking your Wordpress theme- How to change some of the default settings to better optimize your site for search engines, readers, and visual appeal.
Understating your CSS and theme code- Wordpress is so easy Homer Simpson could use it. That being said if you want to know how to manipulate your theme, change it around, or do some more advanced things with it, you’ll need to actually know what all that code means. This section gives an overview of definitions and meanings behind the code in your theme as well some basic HTML tips.
Online Web Resources- I’m no Wordpress expert. Just a guy with more knowledge than others. The resources listed here will help you answer in depth CSS, PHP, and Wordpress questions.

Pricing
I want everyone in the world to have a travel blog. I’m not out to fun my travels with this and I offer no secrets that can’t be found elsewhere on the internet. There are thousands of websites that can help you create a Wordpress blog. This book is just meant to bring it all together to cut down your learning curve. (Luckily, there are no images of my first website out there….ekk was that ugly!)

You can get this ebook FREE when you purchase my other ebook on how to make money with your travel blog. Two ebooks, same great price. That way, if you are a super beginner, you can learn the whole process of blog creation and monetization. If you just want to start a blog or not yet ready to monetize your blog and do the extra work, you can purchase this book for $4 dollars. You can click here to buy the book:

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Why four dollars?
Like I said, this book is really an addition to my previous and all the information can be found online. My other ebook gives away a lot of information as well as access to a private advertiser network, so of course there is a price for that. (A man needs to eat). This ebook simply puts it all together, let’s you avoid my mistakes, and sharply reduces the learning curve. I want everyone to have a travel blog. The four dollars is simply you saying “Matt, thanks for all the hard work. Have a beer.” (Because a man needs to drink) And, really, isn’t all this great content worth at least one drink?

I hope you all enjoy this ebook. My previous one got a lot of great reviews and not one unsatisfied customer. I hope that that will happen again with this one. I’m always looking for new travel blogs to read so maybe this will inspire some of your to help add to my RSS reader!

Happy Blog Creation,
Matt

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©Nomadic Matt's Travel Site. Learn to have your blog pay for your travels!

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Why Americans STILL Don’t Travel Overseas

2009-11-05T13:04:55Z

Last year, I wrote an article about why Americans don’t travel overseas. It still ranks as my most popular post, sparking both agreement and controversy. In an 800 word post that could take up a novel, I tried to explain why Americans don’t travel overseas. Many people agreed, many people didn’t. No matter what we all agreed that Americans should travel more.

The current percentage of Americans that own a passport is now around 21% up from 15% years ago. Unfortunately, this common statistic that is hard to back up as the state department doesn’t really keep records. Yet the number of Americans who traveled overseas has decreased overall since 2006. (Source: OTTI) So why did we all go get passports? Because we are now required to have passports for travel to Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. In fact, Mexico travel is up while European travel is down. Americans didn’t find a new sense of adventure. They still not traveling overseas. And the reasons remain the same.

Are Geography and Cost really relevant?
Many people countered my argument by saying that geography and cost were big factors but if cost and geography played a role in determining where you traveled, no one would ever travel. Yet New Zealand is the middle of nowhere and how many more Kiwis do you meet traveling than Americans? How many more Aussies? Poverty is poverty. No matter where you are in the world, if you don’t have money, you don’t travel. But is it that much more expensive to fly from America? Nope! A flight from LAX to BKK is $787 dollars. A flight from London to BKK is $654. A flight from Sydney to BKK is $794. Americans bear no extra cost burden relative to the rest of the world.

And the geography argument? Well, I’ll get to that in one second.

Fear, Awareness, and Priorities
The reasons why Americans don’t travel overseas can be mostly explained by one thing: cultural ignorance. Many people in the previous post assumed I meant Americans were stupid. I wasn’t implying that. Americans are ignorant in that they don’t know about the world. We all have seen the Jay walking clips and the skits on TV where Americans can’t name foreign leaders or countries. Moreover, as education budgets continue to get slashed, humanity courses are usually the first to go meaning people learn very little world history. In some states, the whole world has to be explained in one year. Additionally, surveys news devoted only 10.3% to foreign overage in 2008 (source) while oddly, 13% went to some polygamy case in Texas. Americans are simply not told about the world or clamoring to know about it.

And why should they be? Politicians and media paint the world as a scary place, filled with crime, hate, terrorists. Bill O’Reilly, a man who clearly has never been to Amsterdam, has called that city a cesspool. (Twice!) My mother constantly tells me when I go anywhere in the world to “be careful” as if the world is big scary place. Many of my old co-workers do the same. We are constantly told that there is great anti-Americanism in the world- wherever you go, people will dislike you. (A fallacy that is rarely disproven in media). Moreover, America’s hegemony since WW2 has ensured that we have been the dominant force in the world. Despite the rise of China, Brazil, and India, our politicians tell us everything in America is the best (yet #38 in healthcare). Countries will always do what we want. America is the leader. We are the city upon a hill. An when you are the best, why go to “godforsaken” countries where they hate you for being American and might rob you?

And this is why geography does play a role in why Americans don’t travel. It’s not that America’s size makes travel prohibitive, its size is important because people feel there is no reason to leave. We don’t need to travel to “big scary places” when we have deserts, tropical islands, mountains, endless summer, wilderness, snow, and more. Every landscape can be found within America’s large borders. You can have everything you want here. A friend from Iowa once joined me in Thailand. When she told her co-workers about it, their response was “Thailand? Where is that? Why would you go there? If you want a beach, go to Florida.”

Lastly, travel is often viewed as a sign of weakness. Americans typically get about two weeks of travel per year. Overseas, the average is about 4-5 weeks, not including sick leave. So time is a major factor. It makes more sense to fly to Australia for 3 weeks than it does for 1. But there is more too it than that. Travel is not a priority here. In the trade off between time and money, Americans choose work and money. While I was home, there was a story on TV how there is a growing trend to take only ONE week of vacation. Two consecutive weeks is considered too many. It’s a sign that your work isn’t important, you aren’t a team player, or you are lazy. Workers are made to feel guilty about leaving their co-workers and responsibilities behind. And ,in this tough job market, no one wants to seem less than 110% committed.

Why the majority of Americans don’t travel abroad is a complex issue that is more cultural than anything else. Geography and cost are minor issues when compared with the importance we give work and isolation. As I said last year, and have expanded upon here, Americans don’t travel because we are simply uninformed about the world and told that we don’t need to be- it’s scary out there, go to Florida with your one week instead.

Change?
Last year, I had said I had seen signs of hope that this will change. Younger people are more engaged and more interested in the world. The internet has made people more at ease meeting people around the world. But the cultural forces pushing against them are strong. A weak economy, a weak dollar, and a weakening US have seemed to make America more isolationist. I don’t know the future. But I do know that right now, Americans still aren’t traveling overseas. And that won’t change any time soon.

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The Weekly Photo: A Warped Chicago Skyline

2009-11-04T15:46:12Z

The Chicago skyline (and me) as seen through the famous Chicago Bean

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There is No Such Thing as “Must See”

2009-11-02T16:55:05Z

I have a slight confession to make. I don’t like Berlin. Everyone raves about how great it is so going in I had high expectations. It was a “must see” people said. But I don’t know if it was the weather, the architecture, or the people but I didn’t see what all the fuss was about. While I had fun with people from the hostel, overall, I could do without Berlin.

When most people found out about this, they were shocked. “How could I not like Berlin? It was so great.” they said. But not everyone is going to like the same place. There are many cities I don’t like. And, anyone who has read my about me page knows I despise Vietnam.

All this made me think about a larger point. We always hear about the “must see” destinations in the world- places no sane person can miss. Who would want skip Angkor Wat, Paris, the Great Barrier Reef, The Killing Fields, or Auschwitz?

I skipped the Killings Fields and every concentration camp in Europe. I’m just not interested. Why see a bunch of old buildings and fields where lots of people were murdered? It’s why I have no interest in the D-day beaches. For me, I’d rather go into a museum and read the story because that is what is really interesting to me.

Years ago when I first started traveling, I chastised a guy in Cambodia for skipping Angkor Wat. “How could you miss it? You need to at least see it even if only for a day.” I said. But, looking back, I see that he didn’t need to go. Travel isn’t about checking off some list of world sites- it is about exploring the world, learning about yourself and other cultures, and seeing what interests you. Yes, we should all move out of our comfort zone, push ourselves, and try new things. I have tried sea snails in France (they are really good- taste like friend clams) and tried to (slightly) get over my fear of heights.

But take me to a concentration camp and I’m just going to be bored.

Pushing yourself to do new things is one thing, seeing things because someone told you it is a “must see” is another. There are no must see destinations in the world, only things everyone thinks are must see. I’m still guilty of doing this too. I love Paris and am shocked when people don’t but, when I take a moment to think, I see that I’m just forcing my opinions on them like people who tell me I need to see the Killing Fields do to me.

And what is “must see” anyways? A place so amazing that everyone should go to. But we all know no two people will like the same thing and travel destinations don’t escape this rule. When I saw Stonehenge, I was disappointed. It was just a bunch of stones to me. Salisbury impressed me more. But Stonehenge is must see so everyone must like it right? Not at all. Moreover, the Louvre was also disappointing. I like impressionism art- the Louvre is mostly ancient sculptures and Renaissance paintings. I can only see so many paintings of Jesus and Mary before I get bored. I probably won’t ever go back to the Louvre but I’ll visit the impressionist Musee D’Orsay over and over again.

Must see is only what we think it to be. People all over the world are always guilty of telling people what is a must see. We can’t expect everyone to like what we like. Sure, there are great places to see but I don’t believe there is anything that is a must see. I make lots of recommendations but those are just my opinions. Doesn’t mean it is right- it is just right for me. Will someone else enjoy Berlin or Vietnam? Of course. I can just talk about my experience.

But the next time anyone tells you are crazy for missing some “must see” destination or attraction, ask them if they would go to something they didn’t like. Chances are they will say no. Then you can just tell them:

“Exactly! That is why I’m not going to that place.”

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Announcing October’s Contest Winners

2009-11-01T14:25:22Z

At the beginning of October, I ran a contest giving away a free iPod touch to the affiliate that sold the most ebooks. I also gave away three free nights at a hostel for one lucky RSS subscriber. I learned a lot during this contest about running a contest. It was a good learning lesson that I will apply in the future to make the much more successful. But, without further ado, the winners are:

Nora Dunn from The Professional Hobo sold the most ebooks and is the lucky winner of a brand new iTouch.

I didn’t reach my goal of 400 books sold so no one won the secondary prizes.

The winner of the three nights at a hostel was Dan from Dan’s Adventure. Dan hasn’t yet said when or where he is going but where ever that is, it is on me!

Thanks everyone for participating. I have some good contests coming after the first of the year that will involve far more juicer prizes.

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The Weekly Photo: Stockholm

2009-11-01T13:02:45Z

The Bridge to the Modern Museum. Stockholm, Sweden

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Munich is Better than Berlin

2009-11-01T21:39:59Z

After being less than thrilled with Berlin, I had low expectations for Munich. I only knew a few things about the city: Oktoberfest is there, Hitler had his beer hall putsch there, and it has a famous (and overrated) clock. I mean everyone has heard of Munich but I really knew nothing about it. But I hadn’t been thrilled with Germany thus far and I wondered if Munich would disappoint me too.

It didn’t. I loved Munich. Munich was what Berlin wasn’t- it was beautiful, had a city center, great parks, delicious food, and friendlier people. I spent four days in Munich and I can see why so many people love the city when Oktoberfest isn’t there. I don’t I would enjoy 100,000 drunk people in tents would be a good time and all that drinking would take away from the beauty Munich has to offer.

Munich was my time to decompress after many late nights in Berlin. A late booking put me in a hostel that also doubled as a hotel for large groups of pre-pubescent teens. Large groups of Scottish kids roamed around and were eventually followed by large groups of Spanish kids. I don’t really like kids so was a bit annoying trying to do work with kids screaming all around.

Luckily, across the street was a beer hall. The hotel staff wrote down some Bavarian dishes for me to try and I ventured across to see what a Bavarian beer hall actually looks like. Let me tell you- it’s nuts! Long tables of people squeezed together with big steins of beer eating ridiculously heart clogging food. Squeezing in between some people, I dug into a really good beer and some dishes that were sure to pack on the pounds. Their names escape me right now but they were really delicious. I was pleasantly surprised by Bavarian food.

Munich has a lot of out beauty in it and roaming around the city was a nice change from the industrial Berlin. One day, on the way to the Bavarian History Museum, I unknowingly walked past the English Gardens (very beautiful). One of the best things about wandering around is that you never know what you’ll see. In the gardens, I had stumbled across some surfers. Now, apparently these guys are quite well known but I had no idea they existed. It was an amazing thing to see- a bunch of surfer riding the waves of a river as it barreled out from under a bridge. Snow had just fallen in the mountains, melting into the city and making this river quite the site to see. My iPhone came in handy and I was able to get this video:

I’m glad I saw them because the Bavarian Museum was a complete waste of time. Luckily, on Sunday, it is only 1 euro to enter so I don’t feel too cheated. There was no story or anything- just simply a bunch of old relics and artifacts. And, while the suits of armor were slightly interesting, for me museums are about learning a place’s story and here there was none. I was out in 15 minutes. I much preferred the Residence instead. This is the old palace for Bavarian Princes where you also get to see the crown jewels too. The palace is not as lavish as Versailles- it is actually quite austere but the marble around the palace is beautiful.

The most interesting part of my visit was the rock concert. Originally, I was going to Couchsurf but it didn’t work out. However, the host and I did meet for a night out on the town. Her, her friends, and me went to a big multi-artist concert on Saturday night. I had no idea what the bands were saying (I don’t speak German) but the vibe was great, and trying to speak broken English with the locals was pretty amusing. As was learning bad German words.

Munich was an interesting place to visit. It lacks the industrial feel Berlin has, it is a big more cozy, the parks are prettier, and the Bavarian beer hall environment is a lot of fun. Moreover, the food, while a bit hearty, is delicious. Munich is a big stop on the backpacker trail but, in case you aren’t on that, take some time out to see Munich.

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Eurail Passes: Do the Numbers Add Up?

2009-11-01T23:25:10Z

Despite all my European travel, I’ve never really been able to say I’ve “railed” across the continent. I am usually so scattered in my plans that I take a few trains and lots of planes. I end up in Venice and decide Amsterdam is fun and then decide meeting my friends in Barcelona sounds like a great idea. My plans are never consistent enough for trains. This time around I really wanted to experience what it was like to take the trains, see the countryside, and figure out if a Eurail pass was really a cheap option. I get a lot of questions about it and, while I have some knowledge of the pass, I don’t have first hand experience. It time was to get that experience.

So, I emailed Rail Europe and asked “Would it be possible to get a pass for an article on Eurail passes?” Surprisingly, they said yes. I actually didn’t think they would. I would have purchased one regardless but I’ll turn down a freebie of something I would have used anyways. So with my free pass in hand, I was off to ride the rails like any good budget traveler.

What did I find? A Eurail pass is great value if 1) you use ALL your segments and b) you are traveling great distances. To begin, here is a breakdown of costs with and without a Eurail pass for all my trips:

113131.20

	With Eurail	Without Eurail (1st class)	Without Eurail (2nd class)
Valencia->Barcelona	6.75	67.50	41.10
Barcelona->Madrid	12	164.40	110
Bordeaux->Paris	6	106	68.50
Paris->Brussels	8	108	80
Brussels->Brugge	0	19.90	12.90
Brugge->Den Bosch	0	52.40	23
Den Bosch->Rotterdam	0	19.90	13.90
Rotterdam->Den Haag	0	7.50	4.40
Den Haag->Amsterdam	0	17.20	10.10
Stockholm->Goteberg	10	73	45
Goteberg->Copenhagen	8	37.75	50
Copenhagen->Berlin	3	205	130
Berlin->Munich	5	183
Munich->Vienna	5	79.40
Total	70.75	1192.50	781.30

Note: All these prices are in Euros. I convert them into dollars based on the average exchange rate of $1= €0.67. The first column is the reservation fee I paid. Moreover, these train prices are based on what was told me at the time I booked a ticket. Different trains might be a little more or a little less. All trains are roughly in the same price range though. Prices change frequently and you might not get the prices as I did.

The pass clearly saved me money. But there are very important things to note: First, what type of pass you get will greatly affect how much you save. There are a lot of different passes two main passes most travelers use are the 1st class and 2nd youth (for those under 26) global flexi passes. A two month 15 day 2nd class ticket costs $774, with a value of $51.60 per trip. A 1st class adult ticket costs $1,190.00, with a value of $79 per trip.These passes let you travel all over Europe and give 10 or 15 trips in a one or two month period. Consecutive day passes can be bought for up to 3 months but aren’t really that good of a deal if you aren’t traveling every other day since everyday you don’t use on them is a lost day.

Did I Save Money?
The value of my travels would have cost $1,294 for the reservation fess and the pass. The cost without the Eurail pass would have been $1,767. For a second class ticket, assuming the same reservation fees, I would have spent $878 whereas the trip would have cost $1,157 without the pass.

Hundreds of dollars were saved.

But…

I saved money because I took long inter-country trains. I mentioned the value of each trip because looking back at some of my travels, some train rides cost below the value of a Eurail trip. Many trains I took cost a lot of money and in these cases, the Eurail saved me money. But for short trips, using one of my Eurail trips would actually cost me money. If you are just taking short trips around Europe then a Eurail pass is a losing venture. However, if you only take it across vast distances or on overnight trains, you’ll save.

Conclusion
I wasn’t a believer in these passes before but after seeing how the numbers add up, I think Eurail passes can be a great way for budget travelers to save money if used correctly. Even in an age of Ryanair, Eurail tickets make a lot of budgetary sense. Just make sure you know how many trips you take and for how long. If you miscalculate cost and distance, the pass could end up costing you more than it is worth. If used properly though, Eurail you will save hundreds. And in Europe, that extra money can be a lifesaver.

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Eating in Belgium

2009-10-26T15:18:58Z

Belgium isn’t considered a big tourist destination. In fact, I bet most people couldn’t even locate it on a map or name another city in it besides Brussels. But, mention Belgium, and most people will be able to at least tell that the beer is good, the chocolate amazing, the waffles delicious, and the frites amazing. Despite its small size, Belgium holds its own in the culinary world and, while the food may not be the healthiest in the world to, it is certainly the delicious:

Beer
Belgium is probably most famous for its beer. It has been brewing beer since the Middle Ages and there are approximately 125 breweries in the country. These 125 breweries produce about 800 standard beers. When special one-off beers are included, the total number of Belgian beers jumps to about 8,700! Belgium is clearly for beer lovers.

One of the most famous beers here is the Trappist beers. These are beers brewed in a Trappist monastery where the monks a role in its production and policies and the profits from the sale must be used to support the monastery. Only seven monasteries currently meet these qualifications, six of which are in Belgium and one in the Netherlands.

Another main beer is Lambic beer, a wheat beer brewed in the southwest of Brussels by spontaneous fermentation. Lambic’s fermentation is produced by exposure to the wild yeasts and bacteria in the air. This is the type of beer brewed in Brussels’ only remaining brewery. These beers can be aged for up to three years! I found it very dry, acidic and sour. An acquired taste maybe?

Chocolate
Belgium chocolate is supposed to be the best in the world. I’m not a chocolate expert but I do know that I almost ate all the free samples at the Chocolate museum. Belgian chocolate has a high quality of ingredients and producers strongly adherence to Old World manufacturing techniques. When the EU allowed manufacturers to use a percentage of vegetable oil in chocolate productions, Belgiums balked- only 100% cocoa butter for them!

Belgian chocolate itself has been popular since the 18th century, but increased its popularity during the 20th century when prices dropped and it became more affordable. The most popular variety here are chocolate pralines that can be filled with a variety of flavored creams, alcohol, fruit or more chocolate. You’ll find a chocolate store on every corner in Belgium. The expensive stores Like Neuhaus and Godiva are worth the money.

Waffles
Belgian waffles, those large, light, and thick waffles, are famous worldwide. However, the Belgium waffle is really the Brussels waffle. Most waffles in Belgium (indeed in most of the low countries) are large and flat. It was introduced by Maurice Vermersch in the ’60s. Originally called Brussels waffles, Vermersch decided to change the name upon observing the poor geographical skills of Americans. Belgian waffles were popularized in the United States during the 1964 New York World’s Fair.

While in Belgium, I noticed the majority of “waffle shops” had the popularized version closest to the tourist areas where in the local areas there was more of a mix and more often sold as a pastry instead of a breakfast food. I’m too used to eating it for breakfast though. For me, they are best served with lots of powered sugar, strawberries, and maple syrup. However, you cna get hem with bananas, ice cream, chocolate, nutella- whatever your heart desires.

Frites
Frites, or french fries, is an on the go specialty in many parts of Europe. In Belgium, it is an art. Everywhere you go you see a frite seller and locals walking around with a cone of frites and some mayo. (Probably walking to burn off the calories!) Everyone claims to know the best frite place in “insert town name here”. I found the ones in the center of Brussels and Brugge to be average. A friend did take me to a place called “Maison Antione” in Place Jordan. I thought they were very good and the long lines seemed a testament to that. I mean any place that gets you to wait 30 minutes for fries must be good. And when you eat the frites, make sure you eat them with mayo. It’s delicious.

Belgium may be small but it packs a powerful culinary punch. There’s nothing better than sitting outside on a nice day with a cone of frites in one hand and hearty Belgium beer in the other. None of the food will ever be considered “healthy” but it will always be considered mouth watering delicious.

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Off the Beaten Track in Amsterdam

2009-10-22T17:05:34Z

When people think of Amsterdam, they usually think of three things: coffeeshops, red lights, and canals. And, for most travelers, that is all they will ever see. Young travelers tend to frequent the coffeeshops or wander the red light district while older travelers take bike tours, canal trips, and frequent the museums. Then, after three or four days, they move on to their next destination.

I fell in love with Amsterdam in 2006 and have been back to the city five times since then. Each time I get to explore more of the city and realize just how much it has to offer. It always saddens me when I hear other travelers talk about what they did because it’s always the same, and, yesterday in Berlin, a traveler said he hated the city because it was all coffeeshops and red lights. I told him he hadn’t seen the city and gave him a list of things to do next time.

After frequently the city so much, I find myself always do something off the beaten track. I’ve keep ticking off the list of things to do and finding ones I never knew existed. Amsterdam has much to offer travelers. When you have grown sick of coffeeshops, stoned backpackers, creepy old guys in the Red Light district, and crowds at the Van Gogh museum, visit some of these quieter and more local places:

The Amsterdam History Museum

Though not exactly off the beaten path, this museum surprisingly sees few people yet it does a great job of telling the history of the city. The museum is fairly big so budget a few hours for it.

The Jewish History Museum

Located near Waterlooplein, this museum has an excellent section on World War 2, the Holocaust, and how the Dutch dealt with the guilt of the mass deportations after the war.

The Tulip Museum

Located in a room inside a tulip shop, this little place does an interesting job of telling the history of Tulips in Holland and the infamous Tulip craze. Best of all: you’ll never find a crowd.

The Jordaan

I’m always amazed at how few tourists visit Jordaan since it is right next to the city center. This former working class district is now a maze of cafes, little shops, and restaurants. During the summer time, it is a popular spot for people to go to eat. I absolutely love wandering around here.

FOAM

The photography museum houses wonderful pictures and sees few crowds despite being in the main part of the city. It’s a must for any photography lover. I really enjoyed all the black and white photographs and the outdoor garden.

The Houseboat Museum

Not much of a museum but this decorated houseboat is gives you an interesting glimpse into what living on the canals are like. I walked away with one impression of life on the canals: a bit cramped.

Oost

The area east of the city has an amazing park, a zoo, and lots of good Muslim eateries. Wandering around here, you’d be hard pressed to find more than a hand full of tourists, most of whom are probably lost.

Rembrandt Park

Not to be confused with Rembrandtplein in the city center, this park west of the city is a good place to wander. The area around it is pretty working class and a bit more modern- a good contrast to the historic center. You’ll know you are there when signs suddenly stop being printed in English.

And while you are in Amsterdam I recommend staying at The Flying Pig Hostel, my second favorite hostel in Europe (Kabul in Barcelona is still #1 for me). I’ve stayed their for 3 times now and, this time, thanks to IKangaroo, I got a few free nights of accommodation. The Pig is a Amsterdam institution. It may not be the cheapest hostel in the city but their are no push button showers, the pillows are comfy, and, because if its reputation, it is always full. I always met a lot of people while I am there and the staff (backpackers who simply didn’t leave) are very social. I’ve stayed in 3 different hostels in Amsterdam but I always go to the Pig- it lives up to the reputation. (Note: I would recommend this place even if they didn’t give me three out of 10 nights free. Like I said, I’ve stayed there before and I’ll stay there again.)

Amsterdam has so much to offer that pigeonholing it as a place of hookers, marijuana, and a canal tour is a crime against humanity. The city has so much to offer, it’s an architectural wonder, and the locals are super friendly. When you visit, get out of the tourist city center, see the hidden gems and local neighborhoods, and find out that Amsterdam is everything you didn’t think it would be.

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