Backpacking in Paris

Everybody dreams to have that dreamy, fancy travel. We think of fancy and grand hotel rooms with the perfect room service. We imagine a hassle-free, booked transportation that would take us from one point to another and around the city. We imagine front-row seats, VIP passes, and other perks. Who wouldn't love that?

But then, having this all fancy travel is also twice as costly. Just think of how much all those would cost! It would surely cost you a fortune and even more. So, we usually scrap that mentality out and just think that maybe... all we need is a simple travel. Maybe someday we can achieve that dream travel or maybe it would just stay as a dream.

That's why these days (and even way before) backpacking has been a great and ideal way to travel. It's cheaper and it's faster. everything would be worth it if you really know how to look for a good time.

There are a lot of key factors to consider if you are a backpacker. It's not easy, but certainly it's not impossible. But compared to the all-pampered-up kind of travel, backpacking requires work - and a lot of it.

For one, you need to look for the a convenient mode of transportation that isn't too expensive. As long as public transportation (trains, railways, buses) are available, this wouldn't be a problem. Maybe a bit on getting a train ticket or something, but the rest should go smoothly.

Another factor (and probably this is key) is your accommodation. There are a lot of available accommodations in Paris that you could stay even just for a night. For example, there are these vacation rentals in Saint Germain (a part in Paris) that is affordable enough and with good service. This accommodation in Paris Saint Germain is just one of the many examples of best place to rest for backpackers.

Although transportation and accommodation are the two most important parts of travelling, it is also important to know where to dine, where to shop (in case it's badly needed), and where to find the top tourists spots in the place. In that way, you can fully enjoy your travel. Have a map or (if you have the gadget) mark them through your GPS device - like pinning a map.

Other than that, the little things should also be taken into consideration. If you're travelling from outside Paris, you need to check with the agency or the immigration office regarding the legalities of your travel. Also, check your credit and debit cards if you can access it from other countries so that you'll have a hassle-free travel.

Say Goodbye to Travel Headaches by Booking Ahead

Going on travels could be pretty hectic and be lots of headache. Traveling requires a lot of work, attention, details, and (of course) expenses. But we’re not here to talk and blab about discouraging you to travel – no, we won’t. We love for you to travel, of course. It’s just that we want to let you see the truth in traveling and hoping that we could give a remedy to it.

So when you travel, there are really a lot of things to consider. Accommodation, airplane tickets, train tickets, dining, travel route, transportation, etc. There are literally A LOT of them. But you could always deal with them one at a time, making sure that none of them gets forgotten or taken for granted.

True to almost everything, the first thing to always do is make a list. Make a list of everything you need and you need to take care of. Also take note of the budget at hand. It would always be best to plan for your travel a year ahead. Yes, yes, maybe a year is too much… but it’s the safest timeline you could have. Aside from booking earlier, you could also budget and save more when you plan ahead.

Booking everything you need in advance is really important and money savvy too. You could easily find discounts and promos if you book ahead. Take airline tickets, for example. They have these promo fares all year round… but look at the dates! The flight dates are always months (and even a year) later than the sale period. So take advantage of that. Book a flight and take the latest date so that you’ll have more time to deal and book with other things you need.

So let’s say you have booked your flight already… and let’s say you booked it 9-12 months earlier from your expected travel date. The next thing to book is your accommodation. Do you like it cheap? Do you like it to be nearest to the airport or your favorite tourist spot? Do you like it to be the best in the city? Search. Ask. There are lots of sources of information. And when you made a decision, make sure to book them earlier too. A lot of these accommodations really give discounts to those who book early.

Flights and accommodations are the most important and basic things to book. But don’t forget, you still need other things. Maybe train tickets or renting a car. You can always ask your chosen accommodation or chosen airlines if they have such services or if they could book one for you.

So you see? There really is a lot of preparation required for a travel. To make it easy for you… and that is if you’re traveling around Paris, we found some perfect vacation rentals in Paris. Why don't you take a look at this Paris vacation rentals in Louvre? You can also check out other great and affordable Paris apartments in Louvre too.

Eiffel's Beauty

One of the most undeniable beauty in Paris is the all-famous Eiffel Tower. With it's height, you can never say you didn't notice it.The beauty of the Eiffel Tower stands tall in the middle of Paris... the beauty which stands in a breathtaking view both by day and by night.

The Eiffel, named after its designer and engineer Gustav Eiffel, was built in 1889 and is the tallest building in Paris. It stands 1,063 ft. tall and is one of the tallest buildings in the world together with the Chrysler Building and the Millau Viaduct.

The past years, Eiffel Tower has been one of the most visited structures in the world. Visitors come and swarm the place any time of the year just to have a taste of what it feels to be on a tall tower overseeing among the world. But it's not just the view that's in there.

The tower consists of 3 levels. The 1st and 2nd levels are filled with restaurants where people can enjoy great food. The first 2 levels can be accessed through stairs or lift. If your feet is brave enough to take on 300 steps, then go up the tower that way to make your visit a bit more accomplishing and worthwhile. But if health and age (and probably laziness) constricts you to do so, then you can always take the lift. The 3rd level, however, is only accessed by riding the lift.

These are just a few of interesting facts about the Eiffel Tower. We'll fill you more of these facts below. But before we part with some brain-boosting information, let it be known that you can book your trip and visit to the Eiffel Tower earlier. To make sure everything would be fine and perfect on your trip, book your Paris accommodation earlier. Book your nearbyEiffel tower apartments and Paris accommodation with Lodjee. Just access theseParis apartments - Eiffel Studio with Lodjee.com.

And as promised, here are your facts. Enjoy!

• The Eiffel Tower is 119 years old as of 2008.
• The Eiffel Tower uses 7.5 kilowatt hours of electricty anuually. Much of this electricity is consumed by The Eiffel Tower at Night where a gold light illuminates Paris.
• Gustave Eiffel and Cie. They assissted the development, designed and constructed the Eiffel Tower.
• It is located in Paris, France on the Champ de Mars beside the Seine River that flows through Paris.
• 48º 51' 32" North
  002º 17' 45" East
• Stephen Sauvestre was the main architect in charge of the Eiffel Tower. There were around 50 other engineers, 100 iron workers and 121 construction workers working on construction of the Eiffel Tower.
• It is made of 2.5 million rivets, 15,000 pieces of iron and 40 tons of paint. The main component of the Eiffel tower is iron.
• One person died from constructing the Eiffel Tower.
• The Eiffel Tower is coated with a dark brown paint.
• The Eiffel tower weighs approximately 10,000 tons, 7.3 thousand of them being the metal.
• The Eiffel Tower does have paint. It is recoated every 7 years. In late 2008, the Eiffel Tower will have been painted 19 times.
• Approximately 6.8 million people visit the Eiffel Tower every year. It is estimated that over a quarter of a billion people have view the Eiffel Tower in its long history.

Oh the lovely Museums!

On our previous blog, we talked about the history of Paris’ name. Now it’s time for another blog we hopefully could pick some knowledge on. And since May is one of the festive months of the season, we bring you information on one of Paris’ upcoming events this May.

This coming May 11, 2011 (that’s a Saturday, by the way… oh yeah!), Paris would have this event that would surely entice those who are such huge fans of the art. It’s PARIS MUSEUM NIGHT and everyone’s invited to witness such a wonderful event.

The Paris Museum Night it part of the Global Museum Night event. This event is about Paris’ museums being opened to the public free of charge. Also, people can come in even at a later time. They’re taking out the charges and allowing entry late night – that only happens on Museum Night. What’s best about this Museum Night is that people can witness beautiful lightings and illuminations all over the city.

Nearly 200 museums are going to participate on this event (including major museums) so if you want to be a part of this, get yourself prepared for along but fun-filled days. Make sure to strategize and plan your visit very well. This is just one night so you might want to really take advantage of the no-charge museum entrance.

Here’s also our two-cents for this event. Try to visit the museums during hours where they are less dense with people. People usually visit these museums before and/or after usual dinner time. So if you want to take advantage of that, try to have an early or late dinner instead.

Also, try to plan your museum visits strategically. Most public utility vehicles would be swamped by people after the entire event so you might want to plan to make your last museum visit to the one that’s nearest to your hotel or apartment in Paris. And since a lot of people are anticipating this much awaited event, make sure to book them earlier, too.

For more details about this event, see info below:

Paris Museum Night 2011 Practical Details

When: Saturday, May 14th, 2011

Where: 192 museums and galleries in Paris, including the Musée du Louvre, Musée d'Orsay,Centre Georges Pompidou/Museum of Modern Art,Carnavalet Museum, Rodin Museum, City of Science and Industry (great for younger enthusiasts), and National Archives.

Find a museum, gallery or monument event:Learn more about the Paris Museum Night 2011 program and highlights by referring to this document at the official event website (in English).

Cost: Free entry for all