Your backpacking travel planner

If you are looking for a holiday destination in Europe that offers visitors a variety of great natural landscapes including truly beautiful natural coastline and warm temperate waters, then there are surely fewer places better to take a vacation than Dalaman in Turkey. This area which is to be found in the South West of the country is sandwiched between the mountainous areas and the beautiful ocean and has great beaches and coastal views in natural abundance, and for this reason proves a great draw for tourists around the world. The area is also popular for its sporting facilities and archaeological sites which are of some interest to tourists.

If you want to explore the coast further and without restriction why not take advantage of the widely available car hire Dalaman Airport? Whether you choose to stay in the more upmarket hotel accommodation or prefer to save money and enjoy the great outdoors by camping out under the stars in the back drop of this picturesque natural coastline, you’re sure to want to take advantage of cheap car hire Turkey to make the most of your visit to this region.

If you’ve been traveling around Europe with a heavy rucksack and the stresses, strains, heavy drinking and lack of sleep of you backpacking holiday are getting all too much, even the hardiest backpacker has to take some time out to relax and enjoy a bit of down time. For me this usually meant simply getting out in the sunshine and enjoying a bit of a swim - and I found there were few better places to enjoy such activities as in the beautiful crystal clear waters of the Adriatic that lap the walls of the Croatian city’s old town.

There are many different companies offering snorkeling and diving trips in and around the city of Dubrovnik – and you can readily hire all the snorkel gear you will need if you don’t already have it stashed away in your backpack. You can shop around for the best prices as the large amount of competition seems to make the locals more open to negotiation. I found that taking a dip in the warm and clear waters of the Adriatic was a really great way to relax after partying hard in the many bars of the Old Town or in the Lapad district of Dubrovnik the night before. You’ll find that there’s some great natural wildlife and fish to see – and it’s a great way to spend a sunny afternoon.

When you’ve had you’re fill of snorkeling its time to relax and do a bit of sunbathing on the many rocky outcrops of the Dalmatian coast near the city of Dubrovnik. If you’re lucky you’ll be able to find a more secluded area to the north of the old town – as the old town area tends to be rather crowded with holidaymakers and visitors from the many cruise liners. Remember to pick up some sun block, a pair of shades and one of the many quality beach towels on sale from either the old town square or the many little shops around the beach areas before you set yourself up for the late afternoon and evening of sunbathing.

If you are looking to find out the best holiday destination to visit in Portugal then you can surely look no further than the Algarve. The Algarve region of Portugal offers fantastic sun spots for young people, older couples or families alike - and is easily accessed by thousands of visitors from across the world each year via the popular Faro airport. Indeed, Faro airport was reportedly visited by over 5.5 million people in the year of 2008 alone, making it the second most frequented airport in the country of Portugal.


If you are looking to get around the Algarve region at your own speed and need a greater degree of freedom from your holiday experience, then cheap car hire Faro Airport is available in order to allow you to explore the surrounding Algarve region at your own leisure. Cheap car hire Portugal can allow you to travel to numerous fantastic locations in the Algarve at your own pace.
The beautiful beaches that adorn Portugal’s South West coast are truly to die for - with many natural sun spots for you to visit and enjoy. It is also very popular with golfers who come to enjoy the fine quality golf courses in the Algarve region and soak up some fantastic summer sun. For reasons such as this it is therefore not surprising that the Algarve region of the country is long established as the most popular holiday destination for tourists visiting the country both from Europe and further affield.

The island of Majorca has for many years now, proven to be one of the most popular and frequently visited holiday destinations in Spain for holidaymakers from the UK and other countries in Western Europe. Situated in the beautiful crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean, Majorca is the largest of the Balearic Islands and has always had a great deal to offer visitors of all types. Indeed, whether you are looking to soak up some summer sunshine and relax on the beach or by the swimming pool with your family or children, or are alternatively looking for a wilder and booze filled party holiday with the lads, Majorca holidays have always offered affordable and fun packed times for its visitors of all types and demographics. From the UK it is very easily accessible by plane - with flight times in the region of two to two and a half hours. There are also many great package holidays to Majorca available at fantastically low prices these days so a holiday in the sun wont cost you an arm and a leg either. The towns on the island are famous for their great nightlife and restaurants, and during the day there are many great activities for all the family such as water parks and beautiful sandy beaches. If you are looking for a great holiday this summer why not check out a holiday for you and your family or friends now!

And here are some more of Mallorca's most stunning beaches (my favorites anyway), where you can soak up some sun, work on that tan, and have a wade in the calm sea; continued from part 1 (below):

* CALA TORTA – a beach beloved by locals and expats and popular with travellers on driving holidays, Cala Torta is reached by a winding road through a national park; turn-off just out of Artà on the road to Capdepera. Although the road was recently sealed, there’s still a very rocky, dirt section near the end. There’s a small beach bar and lifesavers, but no toilets, so watch where you step when walking over the sand dunes!

* CALA MONDRAGO – in the south near Santanyi, these two adjoining sandy coves boast perhaps the clearest water of any of Mallorca’s beaches; while the first one gets crowded, the second cove is quieter.

* CALA D'OR - you'll find one of Mallorca's prettiest beaches, with aquamarine water that looks especially lovely in the late afternoon, just in front of the hotel of the same name. Surrounded by low cliffs and white Ibiza-style houses belonging to affluent Spaniards from Barcelona and Madrid, aside from hotel guests, it's pretty much local-owners and wealthy holiday-makers. This is a beach that's worth checking into the hotel for.

* CALA SANT VICENÇ – several coves surrounded by rocky sandstone cliffs where the local teens like to lay their towels on the rocky ledges, flirt, and dive from the rocks. Far from unspoilt though, and the characterless town is comprised of little more than hotels and holiday houses. Don’t stay here, do a day trip instead.

* PORTO CRISTO – this fine beach has one of the loveliest settings, in a bay embraced by low cliffs, and on a day when the sea is sparkling diamonds, and kids are diving off the swimming pontoons, it can seem like one of the most stunning beaches in the world. This is a touristy town, though, with the road running along the beach lined with takeaway food places, generic restaurants, and souvenir shops. There are far worse places to spend a holiday on Mallorca though.

What have I left out? What are your favourite Mallorcan beaches?

As we travelled around Mallorca over the last (gulp) six weeks (a long time to spend on the one island), we spent a lot of time visiting Mallorca's beaches - although sadly not spreading our towels out on them. Rather, Terry was photographing them, and I was checking them out for an update of a guidebook - so every visit was a hit and run. I admit that I may well be out of touch when it comes to inflatable beach toys, but I was astonished to see the variety of blow-up beds, lounges, tubes and toys, some especially whacky, like this double tube being carried by these guys in the picture. I wondered if floating about on this thing together was something they found to be lots of fun (they looked a bit too old to me), or whether a silly inflatable was simply a cool beach accessory. Nothing quite says 'summer holiday' like carrying one of these under your arm as you traipse along the sand.

As we've spent a long time living in the Gulf we've seen a lot of kooky round- abouts. Al Ain in the UAE probably wins the prize for kitschiest with its giant coffee pots but Mallorca follows pretty close behind with some of the most surprising roundabouts around. One I like features a traditional stone wall and wooden fence of the kind you typically find leading to fincas in the countryside here, but the most bizarre one must be this roundabout boasting a big deckchair at Can Picafort, a busy resort town on the northeast coast where tourists moved around on family-sized pedal-vehicles on the main road and they have eateries named Pizzeria Hamburg and Taverna Bavaria. Apt? Had any experience with kitschy roundabouts? Where is the most bizarre one you've seen? Or simply the most memorable?

We've been on the road again in Mallorca, so much so that I can now say we have well and truly crisscrossed this island - by car, foot and bike. There aren't too many cities, towns, resorts and villages we haven't visited over the last five weeks and they include a lot we wished we'd never been and don't ever need to return again, as well as some we would have liked more time exploring and would happily revisit one day. But while Mallorca is a magnet for beachlovers (most of those 11 million tourists visiting each year and the almost-20% of the population of expats are here for the sun, sea and sand) we've found the interior far more alluring. Some of the beaches are certainly attractive - especially the snug horseshoe coves with aquamarine waters protected by craggy cliffs - but unfortunately unsightly hotels have been allowed to develop around many of the best stretches of sand, spoiling their natural beauty. By contrast, the rural areas remain as they have for decades - if not centuries. Stone farmhouses and sprawling fincas with ramshackle windmills dot the landscape, their gardens luxuriant with wild cacti, oleander, bougainvillea and palm trees. Often surrounded by olive groves, citrus orchards, and golden fields dotted with haystacks, they're a delight to drive or cycle through, and even better to expore on foot - although not during summer. In Mallorca, you can give me one of these bucolic landscapes to explore over a crowded beach to lie on any day.

Calabria is the southern Italian region that is the toe of Italy's boot. Not only is it Europe's best value destination but it has more going for it than you'd guess from the little coverage it receives in the travel press. Having just crisscrossed Calabria to research a guidebook, these are the reasons I think you need to visit:
1. Tropea: stroll the cobblestone streets of Calabria's most sophisticated seaside town in the evening and you'd be forgiven for thinking you're in a little version of Rome, for around every corner is an excellent trattoria or enoteca ran by a food-loving family. Dramatically set on a rocky headland, its elegant pastel painted palazzi are perched atop cliffs skirted by two of the region's most alluring sandy beaches. The crystal clear aquamarine waters are especially enticing when viewed from the pretty piazzas above, and the Santa Maria dell'Isola convent, pictured, is simply stunning.
2. Calabrian cuisine: not only is it spicy, tasty and rustic, it relies heavily on fresh seafood, especially swordfish, cod, squid and sea urchin, and makes splendid use of local staples like red onions, aubergines and porcini mushrooms when in season. But it's the spicy flavors we loved best, the fantastic salamis, peperoncino (peppers) and the local specialty, fiery 'nduja, a spicy pork salami paste - our favorite! (See the Bleeding Espresso blog for Calabrian food tips and recipes.)
3. Aspromonte National Park: some guidebooks suggest avoiding this breathtakingly beautiful area, which it's said is the heartland of the Calabrian mafia, however, locals love these mountains for hiking and driving and guides will happily take you on treks. If you're too scared to get out of the car then simply enjoy a low-key cruise along the lovely winding road as it snakes through thick forests of birch, fir and pine trees that frequently come together to form a shaded canopy overhead. We loved the route from Melito di Porto Salvo via Chorio and Bagaladi to Gamberie where you can take a left down the coast to Reggio Calabria; make a detour to mighty Montalto at 1955 metres.
4. Scilla: another sublime seaside resort with a charming upper town, with a castle and churches, dramatically perched on a headland high above the ocean, and atmospheric lower towns either side, one boasting old buildings jutting into the sea with al fresco restaurants sitting over the water and a port that's fascinating to visit when the fishing boats come in, while the other side has a wide sandy beach with superb seafood restaurants and lidos that are popular with Italians in summer.
5. Morano Calabro: Calabria seems to have more hilltop towns than the whole of Italy. These atmospheric medieval villages sprawl across hills and spill down mountains, and even though there's little to actually see or do, sometimes it's enough to simply gaze at their beauty from a good vantage point (see the pic of Morano that accompanies yesterday's post). The more adventurous and energetic can explore the steep narrow streets, but be prepared for both stares from locals (some villages, Morano included, are not used to foreigners) and disappointment (often the view is better from a distance). In my opinion, Morano is the most impressive of dozens of similar towns.
More to come on Calabria...