I shouldn't... but I did

... I got a tattoo. Not really that bad, and luckily the parents seem to like it (they don't hate it!). I really just wanted to do something to mark going on my travels. Its obviously not something I'm going to forget in a hurry but I've wanted some ink for a long time and thought there would never be a better time! What dya reckon?!

anybody interested in discounts?

How useful are these discount cards? I was recommended the VIP Backpacker card by STA over other discount cards that were available and I'm struggling to make it work out. Hostel sites seem to be priced pretty much exactly the same on the VIPBackpackers site as on other sites such as Hostelbookers... has anybody found any genuinely excellent deals with these things? They can be used for trips, tours, transport and hostels so there has to be a way to get back the £12 (varies depending on card) fee?

new york, new york!

Quite scared now about setting off on the old travels; Do we have enough money? probably not... Are our plans thought out enough? Nope.. Luckily the excitement of seeing places like New York are throwing any doubts right out the window!

As Frank Sinatra said;

These little town blues, are melting away, Ill make a brand new start of it - in old new york

So what better place to begin our travels than the city that never sleeps?! One thing that has helped ease my over active mind is that we've began to book hostels in every city for our arrival nights, therefore helping to guarantee that we won't be sleeping on the streets.

We used a site called Hostel Bookers which allows you to search for hostels all around the world. The site allows user reviews of each hostel and seems to support quite a large community, helping you to choose a hostel safe in the knowledge that other people have used and, more often that not, enjoyed their facilities. The site only takes a 10% deposit with the balance being paid upon arrival. We used this site to book a stay in Amsterdam last year and it worked a treat.

The hostel we chose was the Broadway Hotel & Hostel (shown below) just off Broadway. If you're there in September... Let us know!