Driving over the mountains from LA to Las Vegas for the first time, or just Vegas as most people know it, you have no real idea of what you will find after 3 hours passing through 120 degree heat and a landscape that suggest the name ’Death Valley’is not inappropriate.
Sweeping over the final rise Vegas lies before you glinting in the sun and looking strangely smaller than you might have expected.
It’s the middle of the day and you have parked up and offloaded your bags and you have finally hit The Strip! The first thing you will note, well after walking a while, is that The Strip is long, very long and the hotels are big, and I mean big! You can walk from one end of The Strip to the other but it will take hours and you will bake. Fortunately they have a monorail which does the trip for you and from here you can hop on and hop off at points along the way and search out the incredible sites that gambling has financed.
The Bellagio fountains, the theme park on top of the 1,200 ft high Stratosphere, the Eiffel Tower (I was sure that is in Paris) and the New York skyline.
However it is only when you go inside these amazing cathedrals of gambling that you realize that whilst the New York may be the city that never sleeps Vegas is the city that has no idea what sleep is.
And each hotel is vast with acre upon acre of slot machines, roulette wheels and poker tables enticing you to come try your luck.
If you do ever manage to tear yourself away you will find the strip at night is awash with offerings of another type. Ladies of the night are always available should you wish to celebrate a big one or get some commiseration for a tough break. And these are the kinds of ladies that take care of themselves if you know what I mean (laser hair removal asian skin kind of take care of themselves…)
The background of light, people, noise, hussle and bussle will win you over in no time and before you know it you will be as crazy as the rest of us, crazy that is for Las Vegas!

There are a few ways to tackle European travel. The most popular for a student on a gap year is to go inter-railing and stay in a whole load of cheap hostels. This involves getting one ticket for an area of Europe - for example Spain, Italy and France – for a certain period of time, from a week to six months. This ticket then allows you to catch any train in any of these countries during this time. This is a style of travel which might not suit the older generation, as the main advantage of it is its flexibility: you can change your plans whenever you like, and end up in a small town in a different country on a whim, just because you met someone in a cafe who said it was worthwhile! The disadvantage of this style of travelling is that you can’t get everywhere by train. Europe has so many areas of stunning natural beauty - a nice, coastal campsite, or an obscure Alpine valley – many of which are only accessible by a fairly lengthy drive from the nearest town, or are perhaps serviced by one bus per day. So another favoured method of travel through Europe is by car or campervan, the classic road trip. This tends to suit travellers of all ages, and is more popular amongst those who enjoy the sights of rural Europe than those heading to the major cities. It’s the perfect method for campers, as the car or van provides an extra living space which can be very much appreciated when you’re striking your tent and packing away your possessions on a regular basis. It allows for more belongings on a long trip than you would be able to transport in a rucksack. The most important thing to remember when choosing your car is not to make it too attractive to thieves.

Italy, the name itself conjures images of Roman soldiers, Julius Caesar and all the other events that happened in history. Many things have been written about the history of Italy and the places of interest, but few have mentioned about the food culture of the Italians.

Most people around the world drink milk and coffee, but the Italians drink cappuccino, a mixture made out of coffee, milk and milk foam made with the most intense luxury kitchen accessories.

Abruzzo and Molise are those regions where you can find chillis. In Abruzzo, the chillis are known as diaoletti or the little devils. The chillis make the dishes so hot, that you would want to rub your tongue off. Here the locals drink a strong and spicy herbal liquor known as the Centrebe (Hundred Herbs). The main cuisine of Abruzzo and Molise are meat, vegetables and pasta. The pastas are often combined with lamb meat and eaten with great delight. A very popular dish is the arrosticini. This dish is made out of small pieces of castrated lamb, impaled on a wooden stick and roasted on coals.

Campania in Italy is another region which is renowned for producing high quality tomatoes, spring onions, peppers, oranges, lemons, artichokes and fennels. These fruits and vegetables have a flavor that is unique to the volcanic soil of the region. You can find seafood and fresh fish which come from the Gulf of Naples. The pastas of this region are made out of durum wheat.

Exceedingly valued here is the mozzarella, which is prepared out of the milk of the water buffalo. Some famous deserts that are found here are the pastiera (which is a kind of an Italian cake made out of ricotta cheese), sfogliatelle (a kind of pastry given the shape of shells or cones) and the rum dipped bada (a small yeast cake that has been saturated in rum and filled with whipped cream or pasty cream).

Of course, for those that are used to hotels, this can create quite an issue. People who want room service, private bathrooms and a fancy restaurant are probably not the type who would enjoy a backpacking holiday anyway, and definately shouldn’t book into hostels berlin. However, sometimes the lure of a hotel can be quite difficult to resist, but if you want the true backpacking experience, it is something you will have to do.

I remember when I said I was going round Europe to my friends. Many of them replied by saying “Have you not see ’Hostel’?”. I laughed, thinking it was a joke most of the time, but by the fifth or sixth time, I realised that many people think that hostelling is dangerous. I would like to dispel that myth.

Hostelling is safe (depending on where you go, just like a hotel) and a lot of fun. You are surrounded by like-minded travellers who are up for meeting new people. I met plenty of fantastic people on my travels, just by hanging out at the hostel on an evening or two. Sure, the rooms are more like dorms which you have to share with other people and sure, the toilets are communal, but that doesn’t make it bad. The rooms are clean, as are the showers and toilets, if you stay in reputable hostels. HI Hostels are found all over the world and are fantastic places to go.

Hostels are not only fun, but they are cheap as well, you can expect to pay at least half the price of a hotel for a room per night and sometimes even less than that! So if you are wanting to go on a backpacking holiday around Europe, or the States, then head to the hostels, you won’t regret it.

So final goodbyes, bye Shara thanks for all the help, look after Ben and of course good bye Johney!

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