Best of the Rest – The Weekly Roundup

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This past week has been highly entertaining for me and Tony.  We traveled down to the Patagonia region in Chile with absolutely no plans beyond the day ahead.  We thought by doing this, we would be travelling like true bad-ass nomads…

… Well, the joke is on us now!

Travelling without a plan to some places is perfectly doable, but down in Patagonia, we are learning the hard way that sometimes it is necessary to have a plan.

As our RTW trip progresses, we are learning first-hand lessons on how to travel efficiently. We also have picked up some helpful tips from our favorite travel bloggers.  Here were some great reads this week:

• Prior to leaving for my RTW, I was nominated to write my A to Z’s of Travel.  I had a really fun time coming up with my list – even with my limited travel experiences.  However, it’s pretty cool reading an A to Z list of a globe-trotting pro, such as Johnny Vagabond.
• Greece has always been at the top of my travel bucket list.  Reading Janice’s article on the Mani Peninsula in Greece just intensifies my desire to visit this stunning country.
• Tony and I plan to hike Machu Picchu in March and are currently researching tour groups to book with. One of the things I am most excited about for this trip is all the great photos that will come of it.  We bought a fancy camera to take amazing photos of our RTW journey but know little about photography.  Therefore, this article on How to Photograph Machu Picchu is a perfect read for us!
• In recent years, Mexico has gotten a terrible reputation in the travel world given the rampant drug activity and corruption in the country… However, this article may change your perspective on this controversial travel destination.
• This recipe for delicious Peanut Butter Blondies has little to do with travel, but since arriving down in Santiago, I have not found ANY peanut butter in the grocery stores.  This is incredibly disappointing to me, given my obsession for the snack back in the states… Consider it my liquid crack.  This article from the Brown Eyed Baker was food porn to me this week, which is why I have added it to The Weekly Roundup.
• I studied abroad in Barcelona in 2005 and had great memories of this unique city when reading Nathan’s tips for a fun weekend in Barcelona.  My list includes: La Boqueria Market (food), L’Ovella Negra for Sangria pitchers (bar), and all things Gaudi (sightseeing)!
• Shortly after arriving in Santiago, Tony and I realized how much cheaper it is to cook in your hostel as opposed to eating out.  The past week, we have had a blast cooking up easy, cheap, and healthy meals with the bare necessities in our hostel kitchens.  This article from Solo Travel on Bare Minimum Cooking offers some excellent tips for hungry backpackers on a budget.
• Andrea Wren shares some advice on how to be a good host if you are using services such as CrashPadder and CouchSurfing.  However, what does it take to be a good guest (even in hostels)?  Some things I have learned in the past couple of weeks are as follows: clean up after yourself in the shared living spaces, cook meals that are quick to make with minimal kitchen utensils (i.e. don’t be that guy hogging the kitchen), don’t take forever in the shared bathrooms (hot water does run out!), and be quiet early morning and late night!