On the road again...

Ok, not quite on the road again, but on the planning again...

Happy New Year travelers!  I wish you all good health, prosperity, and lots of opportunities to travel in 2013!

My travel year is off to a promising start after finding a $800 deal on Iceland Air for Toronto to Helsinki in May.  I'm very excited to plan another rat race-type trip through Northern Europe this time.  It's not the type of trip that would appeal to everyone, it's hardly relaxing for starters ;) but after taking a leisurely trip to the great cities of Russia last year and looking back on my wacky trip through parts of Italy and Central Europe in 2011, I would have to say that I enjoyed my treks in 2011 much more (even if it did mean stumbling off a train in Salzburg at 4am and showering with no hot water for 2 nights in Prague in October).  It's not the type of trip that's for the faint of heart, nor faint of knee/foot (both of which are slowly degenerating for me) so I gotta do more of this kind of traveling while I still can!

Destinations I've got my eye on are all the capital cities (I don't really know why I favour capital cities, I do understand that they're not always the finest the country has to offer... I mean, I do hail from Canada after all and I do my best to avoid Ottawa), which include: Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga (I guess Latvia isn't Northern Europe but I'm going anyway), Stockholm, Oslo, and Copenhagen.  So if anyone's been and has suggestions, please send them my way.  I'm really not that well-knowledged in any of these countries (though I am expecting lots of Ikea furniture and people singing ABBA and Ace of Base in Sweden ;)), other than the caviar is well-priced and plentiful.

There's always much to consider when traveling, and even more so when you're moving around a lot.  The obvious stuff like "how many days should I stay in each city?" to the ridiculous-sounding-until-you've-made-the-wrong-choice... ie. do I bring my smallest 2 wheel wheelie bag or slightly larger (won't fit in cabin) 4 wheel hardcase?  Smaller bag is harder to pack but will save me $$ on checked luggage if I wind up taking a flight on RyanAir or Easy Jet.  Hardcase holds more and 4 wheels are much easier to fly through train stations and other smooth-paved streets but if I have to walk uphill on cobblestone I will be screwed!  I think many of my fellow travelers (and even I) have said before, people "backpack" through Europe for a reason, because so much of it is not luggage friendly.  Sadly my back and knee doesn't let me do that, so I weigh out suitcase options.

First to get acquainted with the cities though.  That's usually the first thing I do.  Gives me a feel for how many days I want to spend in each.  Also once I've seen a few maps, I can determine location of airport/central train station/bus terminal to decide my mode of travel between each.  Cost and timing also play a part, but it gets things rolling.  Travel guides are in my near future, but for some of the stops (ie. Riga) where I only plan to be there for a day or two, I'm going to Tripadvisor for all the basics and as a launchpad for all my online research.  I really do enjoy that site.

With that I'll leave you to your own travel bookings.  Maybe other deals can be had on Iceland Air, for nearby travel Porter's had some good deals for New York City, I'll be dropping in for a few days in March myself.  I got return flights for $200, it was hard to resist.  Plus a reservation at the Seafarer's International House offering lower rates for $140/night for a double private room (as in 2 twin beds, perfect for my needs), I'll let you guys know how the place is.  The location is definitely right though, minutes from Union Square (my home away from home) on the border of Gramercy and the East Village.

Happy trails ;)