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29 July 2010

#210 Give yourself a trip for chump change

There is one drawback to # 210 And it is quite big... A course in self-defense may be worth it before you start courchsurfing

There is one drawback to # 210 And it is quite big... A course in self-defense may be worth it before you start courchsurfing

Alexander Kandiloros continues his posts on the 365 things you can do. After telling us about Jianzi it’s time to learn how travel almost for free. And next week there’s his Regina Spektor story.

I was planning my 25th birthday party and needed obscene amounts of alcohol for the party. All the people with cars bailed, so I ended up taking the bus to Germany with two empty suitcases. Had a friend in Berlin so I took the opportunity to visit her instead of going straight back. How lucky I was for staying. A completely crazy, unexpected weekend of abandoned U.S. bases, reconnaissance and gay bars in the old factories followed. I got a much-needed slap in the back of the head that opened my eyes to that there is much more out there than what I saw every day. You need that kind of knock sometimes. Otherwise, you forget.

Book the cheapest Ryanair-weekend trip as far ahead as possible. Choose a place you've never been to. Preferably book really late at night so it’s half forgotten the day after. Once the date is approaching and the trip reminds you of its existence via SMS it’ll be like receiving a gift from yourself, using some type of time travel. Bratislava in August 2011, Wroclaw, one spring weekend April 2012, or perhaps a bit of Frankfurt, Glasgow, or London in the autumn. These flights are a penny each plus tax.

Bonus1 - Cheap hostels http://www.hostels.com/

Bonus2 - Free and more exciting homes http://www.couchsurfing.com/

Required time: 
1 week or more
Cost: 
More than €50
Cons: 
You can end up in the home of a weirdo. You could end up enjoying the place so much that you don’t like Sweden in the same way anymore.
Pros: 
You experience something new. You get perspective. Despite booking far ahead, it’s still rad and spontaneous. You could meet new wonderful people, or maybe find a new place to settle down in.
Taggar: Ryan Air, pittance, frankfurt, couch surfing, cheap, Bratislava, berlin, alexander kandiloros, 365 things
20 March 2010

#79 Organize spontaneous football

Mix a bunch of friends, ten euros each, and you got spontaneous football

Mix a bunch of friends, ten euros each, and you got spontaneous football

Today’s guest blogger is named Anton Berg, who is heard on Swedish Radio on such shows as P3 Documentary, Radiosporten and Fråga Barnen. He has recently started work again after having been on maternity leave with his child Albin, who is 15 months old. His dream job is still Lego engineer at Legoland and Anton is really looking forward to when Albin is old enough to play with real LEGO.

Last spring, I received an SMS from a friend who asked me if I wanted to play with his team.

"Of course!" I replied. "In what?"

It turned out to be about football, something that I'm not great at, but because it involved beer and hot dog grilling, I thought it sounded great. Some enterprising friends' friends asked a total of eight people to organize their own seven man team. Each contributed ten euro, and since we were around 60 people, we had a full day of brilliant sunshine with football, beer, hot dogs and nice chilling. Afterwards we were all incredibly pleased and surprised. Could you still have this much fun for so long for ten euro in the 21st century?

We agreed that organization was key. An effort must be made; a little work invested to get a full day of fun. But the effort makes it all better. And if you do it as smart as these guys and delegate early on, each person has a very small amount of responsibility and it becomes a piece of cake.

Required time: 
The time it takes to call your six best friends. Then the rest solves itself. The actual football can take anywhere from one hour to full day. Bet on the latter.
Cost: 
10 euro. At first, you or your friend's richest friend will have to spend the full amount for all the teams, but team coaches will brings his team's entry fee so that you / your friend is quickly reimbursed.
Cons: 
The organizing may take some time depending on how messy your friends are. Spending the initial 60x10 euro can be expensive. It is heavy to carry hot dogs and beer, so make sure to include an extra pair of strong arms.
Pros: 
It's Cheap and fun. A half serious sporting activity. Exercise and laughter. A sunny day with your best friends who all are doing something they love. A mood boost which also gives you the chance to meet friends of friends who probably are just as nice as you are.
Taggar: soccer, group activity, fun, cheap, Anton Berg