Category Archives: Travel

Using Wise Cards in the USA: How to Avoid ATM Fees

How to get fee-free ATM withdrawals in the USA with a Wise card.

Travelling abroad can be a fun experience, but nobody likes to be ripped off, especially when it comes to accessing your funds. For many, using a Wise card (formerly Transferwise) has become a convenient solution for managing finances across borders.

However, one persistent challenge faced by users is finding ATMs (cash machines) in the USA where they can withdraw cash without incurring hefty fees. Most US banks impose charges ranging from $2 to $4 for withdrawals made with cards outside their network.… Click here to continue reading this article

Review: Diddly Squat Farm Shop. Clarkson’s Farm. What to Expect.

If you want to visit Clarkson’s Farm, aka Diddly Squat Farm Shop, we were there a few days ago so can give you the inside skinny together with a few thoughts.

Regular readers know that we’re big fans of Jeremy Clarkson and occasionally republish the odd article of his here on the site.

Many only know him from Top Gear, Grand Tour, or Clarkson’s Farm, but in fact, he cut his teeth as a writer. He writes for the Sunday Times, The Sun and has written many books (many of which are just his newspaper articles republished together – but still worth reading twice).… Click here to continue reading this article

Review of Baia Azul Hotel Funchal Portugal

Baia Azul Hotel Funchal: This Isn’t a Four Star. This Is a Penny-Pinching Three Star. Read My Cheat Sheet to Get Ahead.

Tripadvisor refused this review so it’s here instead.

The guiding principle behind the running of this complete hotel is economy and economising. It is clearly drilled into the staff at every level and you will feel it with anything you try to do here. Anybody who has ever watched the film “Carry on Camping” with the old man at the Gate who wants a pound for everything extra will understand how this hotel is run – see here:

For example, when you are checking in they will ask you if you want to use the safe in your room.… Click here to continue reading this article

Ocean Hotel, Saltdean, Brighton

Along with the Lido to the south, the Ocean Hotel (sometimes known as the Grand Ocean Hotel) is another fine example of thirties seaside architecture in the south coast village of Saltdean.

Indeed, it was constructed by the developers responsible for the Lido and much of the actual village, the saltdean Estate Company, formed by speculator Charles Neville in 1924.

The Ocean Hotel was acquired by Butlins and opened its doors for business in May of 1953 after an extensive refurbishment. Six months of hard work had gone into restoring the near-derelict building to its former glory.… Click here to continue reading this article

Embassy Court, Brighton

Embassy Court is one of the most striking buildings on the seafront at Brighton and Hove, although the reasons for this have differed over the years.

When built in 1935, the building contrasted sharply with the more sedate and ornamental architecture of King’s Road; but by the 1990s, the structure drew comment because of its terribly run down nature.

The building made the local press after chunks of render and windows fell from the building onto the street below, and it appeared until recently that it may suffer the same ignominious fate met by the West Pier sat opposite it, which finally succumbed to the elements (and arsonists) in early 2004.… Click here to continue reading this article

De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea

The De La Warr Pavilion was erected between 1934 and 1935 in the otherwise sleepy seaside town of Bexhill-on-Sea, following a competition held by the mayor, Earl De La Warr. He sought a design for a new leisure complex for the town, and this was to be the winning entry.

The design was by Eric Mendelsohn and Serge Chermayeff, both celebrated designers of the modern movement. It was truly a stunning design, with a welded steel frame and cantilevered staircases, and even today it is considered to be one of the most significant modern movement building in the United Kingdom.… Click here to continue reading this article

Bishopstone Railway Station, Seaford

Nowadays, Bishopstone railway station is almost forgotten, an unstaffed halt and the last stop on the Lewes – Seaford railway line. The whole site has an air of neglect about it; it is easy to forget that it was part of a plan to bring the railway network of south east England firmly into the 20th century.

Before 1923, the railway lines of Great Britain were owned by numerous different companies, a situation that was to change that year with the grouping of the companies. Four new companies were formed, the one responsible for lines in the south of England being the Southern Railway.… Click here to continue reading this article

The Reality About Estonia

I have been visiting Estonia for many years. Since the late 90’s.

I have a house there and (now) a Russian-speaking wife.

I think I have a unique perspective that locals don’t have.

A bloke recently asked me:

What did you like/prefer then? (in pre-EU Estonia) Apart from being one of few foreigners in the country at the time.

Here is my reply:

There were always more foreigners around than you might think, but still relatively few.

I first went in 98 in pre-EU days, and went quite often with bits of business and later with dating.… Click here to continue reading this article

The Realities of Expat Living in Moscow 2016

The main thing about living anywhere in the world is your attitude.

How easily you can adapt to living outside your “comfort” zone, to how willing you are in accepting a new reality.

There are advantages and disadvantages to living anywhere. I think this goes without saying, but I obviously have to say it to put things into perspective for some.

I have often said that you cannot compare Russia to the established Western world. One has emerged from 75 years of Communism, not to mention a whole host of tragic historical and cultural norms, to a meshing of free market policies and a new world order in the 21st century.… Click here to continue reading this article

Russian Ukrainian Adventures Forum Newsletter – Summer 2015

Russian Ukrainian Adventures Forum Newsletter – Summer 2015.

Hello,

It has been over a year since we sent out a newsletter, so we thought one was long overdue.

We would like to bring you up-to-date on the changes at RUA the last year.

The Forum Has Changed Direction a Little to Include More Travel, Culture, News and Politics.

The site was stuck in what is a dying and declining niche. When the site first started back in the mid naughties, it was firmly aimed at what some termed the “mail-order bride” niche.… Click here to continue reading this article

Russian Diplomats Being Quietly Expelled from the UK.

The UK government appears to be quietly in the process of removing Russian diplomats from the UK.

The method they are using to do this is by not renewing or issuing new visas to staff at the Russian embassies in London and Edinburgh.

Diplomatic staff, under international law, are able to bypass the normal visa process, and should be issued with automatic visas without delay or hassle. This is how it works all over the world.

The press secretary in the Russian Embassy in London today decided to go public with the dirty tricks campaign by the UK government.… Click here to continue reading this article

Russia Should Abolish Visas for the EU, America and the Developed World. Top Russian Official Agrees.

If Western sanctions against Russia are to continue, Russia is in a unique position to take advantage of the situation by relaxing visa rules and welcoming tourists.

Right now, you can get almost twice as many roubles for your money as you could a year ago. This makes Russia cheaper to visit than it ever was.

However, the current onerous requirements and unnecessary bureaucracy to obtain a visa to Russia has been holding Russian tourism back for many years. The current visa system is inconsistent, inconvenient, and puts many people off travelling to Russia.… Click here to continue reading this article

Russia Considering Overdue Changes to the Current Visa System

Russia Considering Overdue Changes to the Current Visa System

Oleg Safonov, the head of Russia’s Federal Tourism Agency, has proposed simplifying the visa regime for foreign tourists coming to Russia.

The current onerous requirements and unnecessary bureaucracy in place to obtain a visa to Russia has been holding Russian tourism back for many years. Safonov’s proposal includes electronic visas, visas on arrival and simplification of the registration process.

Travellers to Russia will very much welcome the moves, if implemented. The current visa system is inconsistent, inconvenient and puts many people off travelling to Russia.… Click here to continue reading this article

Why is the Western Media so Biased Against Russia?

The British media and especially the BBC are anti-Russian.

The language they use is always purposely misleading. The Russian point of view is never considered. The western media on the whole start from an assumed point that Russia is always in the wrong, always the aggressor, and every item reported is in the same vein. British media is like a mouthpiece for America.

The BBC even has its own propoganda channel in Russian: http://www.bbc.co.uk/russian/

Take turning the gas off to Ukraine: That has always been framed as nasty Russia spitefully turning the gas off on poor little helpless Ukraine.… Click here to continue reading this article

Russian Ukrainian Adventures Newsletter – Summer 2014.

Russian Ukrainian Adventures Newsletter – Summer 2014.

Hello Member,

It has been a while since we sent out a newsletter, several years in fact. So we thought one was long overdue.

We would like to bring you up-to-date on the happenings at RUA in recent months.

The Forum Continues To Go From Strength to Strength!

The forum has been rather busy in recent months. We remain not only the busiest Russian women information discussion forum on the net by far, but we are also now the largest by a sizeable margin, and have been for some time.… Click here to continue reading this article

2013 Musings from Togliatti, Russia: Samara Airport Again!

Leaving Russia. KUF Samara Airport Again!

When leaving Russia, I always aim to arrive at the airport an hour before I would in the west in order that the inefficiency I have come to expect can move at its own speed and I might actually make the plane. So I arrived almost three hours before the flight was due to leave.

They X-ray your baggage on the way into the terminal building, and then again at security. The queue for the second level of security had already filled the main terminal building.… Click here to continue reading this article

2013 Musings from Togliatti, Russia: Cost of Living, Money and Finances

Note: Values are in £ Sterling. There are 100 pence (p) in £1. Those who think in Dollars must multiply by 1.5 to get a Dollar figure. Thus, £100 is $150, 30p is 45c, etc. You get the idea…

My wife is fond of telling me “people” earn £200 a month in Russia. I don’t know why she says this, as I never met anyone I supposed was on £200 a month for a long, long time. I since pointed out that she hasn’t lived there full time since 2005 and things may have changed.… Click here to continue reading this article

2013 Musings from Togliatti, Russia: Restaurants & Eating Out.

Eating Out in Togliatti.

When you visit a place, you don’t really want to start cooking do you? So restaurants are going to feature. However, in my experience, this is something Russia hasn’t quite got to grips with yet.

We went in two places that had been previously OK that now have insect issues. One had beetle type things creeping around the corners, and the other some insect ran out of the menu at me as I opened it. The staff apologised and explained that the place next door had just been fumigated and all the insects had ran away into their restaurant. … Click here to continue reading this article

2013 Musings from Togliatti: Taxis and getting around in Russia.

The general theme of this small series of articles is to show how a provincial town in central Russia is slowly modernising over the years. I first went there in 2005, which gives me a good point of comparison when visiting in 2013 to observe changes.

Today I am going to discuss taxis and getting around.

Getting around.

When I first went to Togliatti, when you wanted a taxi, you just stood by the road with your hand out and someone would stop. Negotiate a price before you get in and job done.… Click here to continue reading this article

2013 Musings from Togliatti: Russia is Changing.

I have just returned from a visit to Togliatti, so I thought I would make a few notes about the changes I see in this lesser visited part of Russia as an occasional visitor.

Readers may wish to comment, disagree, discuss, ask questions or whatever.

First impressions after a three year absence.

Usually when you get on the road, you get the gargling paraffin taste in your throat that is the pollution. It is normally so bad that I need some antibiotics after a few days to quell my swollen throat.… Click here to continue reading this article