Author: Bemused Backpacker

Backpacking, Budget travel & ecotourism

5 Free Things To Do In Venice.

Bemused Backpacker

Ah, Venice. The Romance, the history, the price tag. Venice will sweep you up very easily in it’s romantic grandeur, and invite you to get lost inside its winding streets, grand canals and faded architecture, but with many of the impressive must see sites charging an entrance fee a day or two here can really eat into your budget, especially if you succumb to the lures of the many restaurants along your wanders. So it is even more important that you enjoy the free things to do so you have some money left …

Backpacking, Budget travel & ecotourism

Ask A Nurse. 10 Of Your Most Common Travel Health Questions Answered.

Bemused Backpacker

As a qualified nurse I get asked tons of travel health related questions every day. Some of these questions are very specific to the individual and based on personal medical histories so cannot be answered in a general way, but a great many of them are very common and get asked on a frequent basis. So in the interests of sharing information and helping as many people as possible, this article is devoted to answering just ten of your most common travel health questions. So let’s get started. Do I really need travel insurance? Short answer? Yes…

Backpacking, Budget travel & ecotourism

Discovering Romania.

Bemused Backpacker

Piatra Neamt in Romania is eastern Europe’s tourism equivalent of an undiscovered star, ready and eager to shine on a global stage and just on the verge of being discovered. Follow my adventures in this hidden part of the world and discover just how awesome Romania really is. Neamt County is about as off the beaten track as you can get from any mainstream tourist trail and almost proudly bears its status as one of Europe’s unknown hidden gems, but with…

Backpacking, Budget travel & ecotourism

Win The Ultimate Gap Year Starter Kit From Craghoppers!

Bemused Backpacker

Wondering what to pack for your gap year? Want the very best kit for hostel hopping or jungle trekking? Then you need the ultimate gap year starter kit from Craghoppers! This exclusive collection of premier Craghoppers kit is everything any budding backpacker needs to get them started and make their around the world adventures that little bit easier. I’ve partnered up with the awesome team at Craghoppers to bring you one of the biggest and best competitions Bemused Backpacker has ever run! The ultimate gap year starter kit from Craghoppers consists of…

Backpacking, Budget travel & ecotourism

Climbing The Olympus Of Romania.

Bemused Backpacker

I got more than I bargained for when I began the mountain hike through the stunning Carpathian mountain range, but little did I know that I was walking in the footsteps of the gods too.  The Ceahlau National Park is an absolutely stunning region in Neamt County in Romania and is among some of the largest protected pristine forests in Europe. A part of the jagged Carpathian mountain  range and surrounded by numerous lakes and watercourses, the jagged limestone peaks are covered in a blanket of thick forest and culminates in the majestic Ceahlau mountain. Part of …

Backpacking, Budget travel & ecotourism

Keeping History Alive At The Tarpesti Ethnographic Museum.

Bemused Backpacker

Romania has a long and rich history and a colourful cultural tapestry that is not well known outside of the region, and these traditions are being kept alive at the small but impressive Nicolas Popa Ethnographic Museum in Tarpesti, Romania.  Following a long line of artisans, Nicolai Popa was something of a modern day Renaissance man, and was at various points in his life a …

Backpacking, Budget travel & ecotourism

Visiting The Dragos Voda Bison Reserve In Romania.

Bemused Backpacker

Given my love for animals and my passion for wildlife tourism, when I was given the chance to visit a Bison reserve in Romania I was eager to see how they balance their ethical responsibilities with the demands for tourism, and what I saw surprised me. I admit I didn’t know all that much about the many issues surrounding Bison conservation before I arrived here, beyond the fact that they are an at risk species of course, and given Romania’s general struggles with tourism infrastructure, I was …