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2017 Year-End Thoughts
As the year comes near to its end, I look back to everything that happened in 2017 and the best memory is my trip to Central Europe and Israel. This reminded me of how it first came as an idea. Two years ago, I started thinking of travelling to Europe. No concrete plans, no target dates. All I had in mind back then was “one day, I’m going to do it”. I started reading about schengen visa application, reading about train travel in Europe, checking-out hostels, reading blog posts, estimating the budget, and checking fares for flights going to Europe. I learned that there’s a chance to book a…
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25 Days in Central Europe: Hows and Whys
You can find here questions we received from friends regarding our trip to central Europe.
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How We Stayed Connected in Europe for Just 1 Euro a Day
Our trip in central Europe lasted 25 days and covered Germany, Croatia, Hungary, Czech Republic, and Austria. Visiting this much countries meant we had to cross borders multiple times. Thankfully, there wasn’t any need for border control when moving between schengen states. The only non-schengen country we visited was Croatia. The other concern when vacationing in multiple countries nowadays is staying connected. The choices to address this will normally be between a prepaid sim card and a pocket wifi. We chose the former since there’s just two of us and it eliminates the need to think about pick-up, return, and deposit. We were fortunate because the European Union abolished roaming…
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My October Love Affair with Israel (A Two-Week Vacation)
According to Passport Index, the Philippines has a Visa-Free Score (VFS) of 61 as of October 2017. This means that Philippine passport holders can visit 61 countries/territories either visa-free or with visa-on-arrival, one of which is Israel. Passport Index’s consideration is comprised of “193 United Nations member countries and 6 territories (ROC Taiwan, Macao (SAR China), Hong Kong (SAR China), Kosovo, Palestinian Territory and the Vatican) for a total of 199”. Coming from the Philippines – a country that is comprised mostly of Catholics, a visit to Israel can be considered fortunate. When you say Israel, most Filipinos will think “pilgrimage”. Who wouldn’t want to visit the Holy Land?? And…
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Sleeper Train from Budapest to Prague
After exploring Hungary, our next destination was Czech Republic! We took a sleeper train from Budapest to the city of a hundred spires. We believe saving one night on accommodation is a good deal so we booked a night train which takes 10 hours and 34 minutes of travel, leaving Budapest Keleti at 20:05 and arriving in Prague hl.n at 06:39. The cheapest early-bird rate, called SparNight, for the sleeper train is 59 euro per person in a 2-bed private compartment. I booked our tickets 11 weeks ahead and got it for 69 euro per pax. Out of curiosity, I tried searching for a 2-bed private compartment again…
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Booking Budapest-Prague Sleeper Train Using Hungarian Railways Website
Igal and I took the sleeper train from Budapest, Hungary to Prague, Czech Republic. If you’ve decided to travel the same way between these two cities/countries, below is a guide on booking a private compartment for 2 people using the Hungarian Railways Website. 1. Go to https://www.mavcsoport.hu/en 2. Fill-up the search fields with the following details: FROM: Budapest Keleti TO: Praha hl.n. DATE: <your trip date> 3. Unless you are entitled to a discount, retain FULL FARE in the drop down option then click the Search button 4. In the outward journey Select sleeping car Select own compartment Select 2 in number of passengers Input date of birth and gender…
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Modes of transportation from Zagreb to Budapest
After days exploring beautiful roads and towns around Croatia in a motorbike, Igal and I headed to Budapest, Hungary. The following are the various options that I’ve found during my research on ways to transfer from Zagreb to Budapest. Train There are two train trips in a day from Zagreb to Budapest. I found the details on these trips from Mark Smith’s seat61 page. The morning train departs Zagreb at 10:03 and arrives in Budapest Keleti at 16:14. Afternoon train departs Zagreb at 15:36 and arrives in Budapest Keleti at 22:14. The afternoon train has a restaurant car while the morning train doesn’t. Tickets cannot be booked online and…
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Schengen Visa Requirements
This post provides further details on the documents I prepared for my Schengen visa application at the Czech Embassy Manila in June 2017. I started preparing the requirements even before booking my appointment at VISAPOINT. I started reserving accommodation once I’ve finalized the cities I wanted to visit and the movement between cities/countries. For me, the document that took up much time preparing was the trip itinerary because of the details that went into it. I had to research on each city’s points of interest, entrance fees, transportation costs, average meal cost, etc. Application Form with Photograph This is a sample completed application form that is posted at a…
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Applying for a Short-Term Schengen Visa at the Czech Republic Embassy in Manila
Before picking the Czech Republic Embassy for your Schengen Visa application, you have to make sure first that you are applying at the correct embassy. You can submit you visa application at the Czech Republic Embassy only if your trip meets one of these three: Your destination is just one country which is the Czech Republic; You’re visiting multiple countries and the longest stay will be at the Czech Republic; You’re visiting multiple countries with equal length of stay and Czech Republic is your point of entry (ie., the first country you’ll visit) The earliest you can apply for a Schengen visa is three months before the start of…
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Philippine Credit Cards and Foreign Transactions
Not all cards were created equal. Do you sometimes make transactions using your credit card that is charged in a foreign currency? Do you have more than one credit card? Have you compared the difference in rates on foreign transaction fee for each bank? I don’t usually shop online, and there were only a few times that I used my credit card to purchase an item that is in foreign currency (whether online or on a trip abroad). I was planning a trip last year when I read a travel tip of using a credit card which charges the smallest foreign transaction fee possible. I’ve been traveling abroad for a…
my life. my travels. my thoughts.
