Backpacking & Accommodation @au | Transfercar Blog

Thing to do in NYC

post by: Jessica Festa

Need help planning your New York City itinerary? Look no further, as we’ve gathered some top Big Apple experiences featuring both well and lesser-known attractions. The following recommendations are provided by native New Yorker Jessica Festa, who also blogs regularly about NYC and beyond on her websites, Jessie on a Journey (http://jessieonajourney.com) and Epicure & Culture (http://epicureandculture.com). The following experiences will help you have a memorable trip while seeing the city from a local point of view.

Immerse Yourself In Nature

While New York City is technically a concrete jungle, you may be surprised just how many lush parks and gardens you can find in the city. The most famous is Central Park, encompassing 843 acres (3.41 square kilometers) of greenery and outdoor attractions. While you can come here to simply sun and stroll, the park is also home to bird watching at The Ramble, kayaking, theaters, a carousel, a zoo with indoor rainforest and endangered animal breeding programs, sculptures, an inspiring 4-acre Shakespeare Garden with quotes from the author and plants mentioned in his works, a castle, sports fields, free walking tours, bike rentals and loads of free events like concerts, yoga clinics, photo safaris and performances. In Brooklyn, notable greenspaces include Prospect Park — created by the same designers as Central Park and full of flora, fauna and activities — and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden with its loads of themed gardens, guided plant walks and educational family events.

Try Something New

There are so ways to do something quirky or novel in NYC. If you want to get active, hone your aerial acrobatics skills at the Trapeze School of New York (http://newyork.trapezeschool.com/) or head to Bryant Park for a free Petanque (http://www.bryantpark.org/things-to-do/petanque.html) lesson. If you’re a foodie, sign up for an excursion with Freegan Info (http://freegan.info/what-is-a-freegan/freegan-events-in-new-york/) to learn more about the culture of dumpster diving and salvaging wasted food. You can learn the art of sultry dance at The New York School of Burlesque (http://www.schoolofburlesque.com/), practice rock climbing at Brooklyn Boulders (http://www.brooklynboulders.com/), taking a cooking class at the Institute of Culinary Education (http://www.ice.edu/) and more. You may also want to check sites like CanaryHop (http://canaryhop.com/) and Vayable (https://www.vayable.com/) to see what kinds of unique experiences are being offered by locals.

Explore NYC, For Free!

There are a number of excellent tour companies in New York City offering insider knowledge and memorable experiences; however, for those on a budget FREE Tours By Foot (http://freetoursbyfoot.com/) offers complimentary walking, biking and bus excursions, typically lasting about two hours. While this list is by no means exhaustive — there are so many different tours offered — some suggestions include a “Subway Art Tour,” “2014-When We Were Idiots (A Comedy Walking Tour)” and “Ghosts Of Greenwich Village.” Every day of the week they offer about 10+ different excursions, so there’s always something to do. Just remember to tip your guide, as they only make what you give.

4. Eat Sweets

My favorite neighborhood for sweet treats is the West Village in Manhattan, home to an array of high-quality bakeries and chocolate-focused venues. While Sockerbit (http://sockerbit.com/) sells Swedish candies with unusual textures and flavor combinations, Molly’s Cupcakes (www.mollyscupcakes.com/) allows you to make your own cupcake or purchase one of their freshly-made treats in a whimsical space with swingset chairs and board games. At Sweet Revenge (http://www.sweetrevengenyc.com/) one can opt to pair decadent homemade cupcakes with wine and beer, at Popbar (http://www.pop-bar.com/) offers artisanal gelato on a stick dunked into gooey dips and coated with toppings, and Ayza Wine & Chocolate Bar (http://www.ayzanyc.com/) serves up delicious dessert pizzas and chocolate martinis.

Take In A Beautiful View

Along with popular sites like the Empire State Building and Top of The Rock, there are loads of lesser-known places to take in a beautiful view. Head to Upstairs at the Kimberly (http://upstairsnyc.com/) for innovative farm-to-fork tapas, craft cocktails and front-row views of the Chrysler Building. For a free view of the Statue of Liberty, nothing beats the Staten Island Ferry. Walking or cycling over the Williamsburg or Brooklyn Bridges offers water-enhanced skyline vistas, while the DSW Designer Show Warehouse in Union Square allows for a unique vantage point of the Empire State Building, Metropolitan Life Insurance Tower and the Fuerza Bruta Theater.

What’s your favorite thing to do in New York City? Please share in the comments below.

Fantasy Trip #1: Backpacking through Australia

The idea of backpacking through Australia is enough to get me saying: Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi! Oi! Oi!

But man, this country is big. Where do you even start when planning a trip through OZ? We’ve compiled some easy steps and if you listen to us, everything’s gonna be fair dinkum.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

First, if you’re not already there, buy a ticket. And then hand the rest over to us! There is no better way to see Australia on your own terms than by car but it can be expensive. With Transfercar, the fees are so low that you’ll be able to spend most of your damn heavy Aussie coins on things that matter, like beer and barbeque. Do you really want to spend your days on a cramped bus? Do you want to miss the breathtaking scenery by flying? No, you don’t. So man up! Or lady up and take your trip into your own hands by driving one of our cars!

Pack It Up

Australia is hot so tank tops, board shorts and flip flops can take you a long way. Pack for comfort and not style. You’re not a runway, sweetie and I don’t see a modelling contract so stock up on some light, easy drying comfy clothes. When you hit the big cities like Sydney and Melbs, you can trawl the multitude of shops and fix yourself up real pretty. Be sure to pack some essentials like a flashlight, first aid kit (there’s a lot of critters that bite over here!), a quick-dry towel, and a tough water bottle.

Money Talks

Make sure you’ve got enough money to take you through to the finish line. If you’re planning on backpacking for more than 3 months, look into getting a work visa or even do some woofing on farms. And I don’t mean barking.

Sleep is for Suckahs

But you want to be well rested in order to fight off all those crocodiles that’ll be hunting you down. I mean, so you can have an enjoyable trip… YHA or HI hostels are always the way to go. Camping is a possibility if you’re not fussed about all the wild animals, especially the poisonous ones. Hostels are great places to meet other like-minded travellers and, of course, to pick up hotties.

FOOOOOD

One of the best parts of travelling is the food. But, restaurants can be expensive so you might want to hit the grocery store instead. Cooking your own food is the best way to save money while backpacking and good hostels have well stocked kitchens with the frying pans and plates needed to make a good meal.

Wolf Creek

So, um, DON’T watch this movie before backpacking through Australia. Like seriously, don’t. But if do watch it and you get stuck in Wolf Creek, give us call and we’ll get you outta there pronto.

Where do you stay when you relocate with Transfercar?

People who drive with Transfercar come from all walks of life and relocate with us for a huge number of reasons. In our 2013 survey we asked you for stories from your relocations with us and found you liked staying at a number of places in a number of different ways…

Some of you decide to sleep on the go inside one of our camper-vans

“We used Melbourne cup weekend to have a minibreak to new zealand and transfered a camper from christchurch to auckland the weather was miserable but we had a great time and the camper was very cosy. Loved it” – Genine, New Zealand

Some stay with family

“We have only used Transfercar once, but it was a very enjoyable experience. We hired a small campervan to travel from Brisbane to Cairns. Stopping along the way at Gladstone, Airlie Beach, Home Hill and Innisfail. At each stop we caught up with friends or relatives. Once special point that made the trip memerable was the fact the campervan didn’t have a cd player. It only had a cassette player. We were able to call in at home before we left and find some of our old tapes to listen to on the trip. When we reached Cairns the drop off was very easy and we enjoyed the experience. We then stayed in Cairns for about another 10 days with relatives. I would recommend using Transfercar for any trip in Australia. It is a great way to get first hand knowledge on how big this country is.” – Brad, Australia

Other drivers like to visit exotic or interesting hotels

“We arrived in Auckland with a parcel we were carrying for someone there – he helped us get to the depot ( we didn’t know Auckland) then took us on a tour of part of Auckland – with full commentary before taking us straight to our hotel. Made us feel most welcome!” – Margaret, New Zealand

And beach-lovers visit their favourite sun & surf spots

“Drove from Melbourne to Sydney, camped at beaches along the way” – David, Australia

But some drivers are just ADVENTUROUS and go where the wind takes them!

“This is our typical holiday, book a flight to a destination and the wait and see where a transfercar will take us. Our last holiday we wen from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island and then back to Adelaide and all the way to Uluru. We love the adventure of not knowing exactly where we are going. It is like a holiday lottery. Love the service of transfercar a. We are 100% happy customers even though we had a slight hiccup at the end of our travels” – Kathy, Australia

So how do you sort out accommodation when you travel with Transfercar?
Let us know by emailing [email protected]
(yes Aussies, you’ll have to email a New Zealand address!)

Great Road Routes of Aus: The Great Ocean Road

If you’re on your way from Melbourne to Adelaide, or just up for a very special adventure, be sure to travel The Great Ocean Road! Why? Because it’s considered one of the most captivating road trip routes in the world…

Continue reading Great Road Routes of Aus: The Great Ocean Road

Fun things to do when camping in the rain

As winter creeps up on us, the sun shines a little less and the rain falls a little more. This is fine if you are snuggled up in a nice warm house, but what if you’re camping or in a campervan or motorhome? Not always so much fun, especially with children on board.

It’s not all that bad though, especially if you have a few winter ideas up your sleeve and some extra coins in your pocket from the savings of travelling in a free rental: Continue reading Fun things to do when camping in the rain

What do Transfercar’s free 2 berth 4WD campervans look like?

So our last blog explained the general layout of the free 2 berth high and low-top campervan rentals on Transfercar New Zealand and Australia. Now we look at the 2 berth 4WD campers that are often found travelling to, from and along the Australian outback.

Before we take a look, here are a couple of things to note:

Pretty much 90% of 2 berth campervans (4WDs or otherwise) will not support children under 8 years old or who are unable to legally sit in a belted seat by themselves.
Fuel consumption on four wheel drives can be higher than regular cars and campervans as many have 6 – 8 cylinder motors in them.
They are also pretty much all manual vehicles.

Category: Backpacking & Accommodation