2008 Living & Travel Arrangements - Questions & Comments

[LionelHutz00]

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Kabul Barcelona Hostel is the other possibility. This is where I am staying while I am in Barcelona during this trip. Also includes free wifi internet as well as free breakfast that is likely to not be the greatest thing ever. Has a rooftop sundeck. Not sure of the exact prices, but I think it will be more expensive than the other hostel though, so it is less appealing. They had an email link for info about apartments so I shot one off to them to see what I got back. Will update in the future.


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I stayed here for a few days this spring and I wouldn't recommend it for any extended period of time. It was pretty dirty, compared to other hostels. The free wifi only works in the lobby, not in your room. When I was there, the wifi wouldn't work ~half the times that I tried to use the internet. It is however in an amazing location and it has a fun atmosphere (bar in the lobby, happy hour, pool table, etc.) But I don't see why you wouldn't just try to sublet a room in an apartment for a few months.

[MicroBob]

EuroMet -

Cingular/ATT and Verizon are both advertising that they have coverage in major cities in Europe now.
I believe this includes stuff like Blackberries and Internet air-cards such as the Verizon-Wireless Broadband-Access which I have.

no idea whether the coverage there is very good or not or how much mor ethey charge in Europe.
But here in the U.S. the internet-speed is pretty good, certainly good enough for internet-poker accept when there is an occasional outage.
Coverage throughout the U.S. is rapidly expanding outside the major cities.
I now get the Broadband-access speed on Verizon in cities as small as Panama City Beach and Destin, FL.

Outside of the coverage area it still works as long as you have a cell-phone signal pretty much but that's more like dial-up speed.
Even that is good enough for internet-poker though.

So that whole Internet Air-Card thing might be worth looking into.
Even if you end up not using that much it might be nice to have just as a backup or in some hotels or airports that either don't have WiFi or charge $10/day for it.

[TheMetetron]

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What is your target budget for accommodation? Are you going to be staying in hostels and hotels mostly or what?

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$2,000 US / mo would be nice if doable. I'm going to be staying in apartments the whole time despite what may have been said earlier in this post.

[TheMetetron]

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Also can you or somebody else post a suitable monitor bag for toting around a 2001fp or two? I didn't know those existed until this post and most of the stuff I found on eBay /google was rather crappy. Budget not a concern, I want quality.

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I don't think they exist, but I found a bag that is the perfect size and I just added some padding to it. Can't check it, but it is perfect for carrying it on.

[TheMetetron]

Pretty much everything has to be a serviced or vacation rental. Not really another way to do it, which obviously adds to the price.


<u>Bondi Beach, Australia</u>

Visa: Tourist visa which was fairly easy to obtain online. Lasts for 12 months, but each entry is only good for 3 months. Unlimited entries. Basically, have to leave to New Zealand half way through and return to renew the visa. Not a problem at all.

Housing: I found a serviced apartment through this site for AU$2,230 (US$1840) per month. The apartment is about 1 km from the beach which is acceptable. It is smaller than what I have in Buenos Aires, but it will be fine.

Internet: The apartment complex has wifi available for AU$150 per month (US$125) which is obviously expensive, but what can you do.

Transportation: I can simply walk to Bondi Beach though I might buy some rollerblades to make trips that aren't for surfing quicker. Apparently I can take the bus to Sydney or to Bondi Junction (from where I can also take the metro to Sydney). Shouldn't be too hard and I won't be using it much as Bondi should be pretty walkable.

Other: I'll be taking some surfing lessons from Let's Go Surfing in Bondi Beach. The course I'll be taking is 5 classes for $250 US including board and wet suit rental. I'll be buying a board after that which I'll be selling back to them when I leave. I'll be buying a wetsuit as well which I'll be keeping.

Budget: $2,000 per month will cover my rent and internet. Another $2,000 per month should cover my food and entertainment. For now I'll be budgeting on US$4,000 a month while in Australia.

[ragip]

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For what you are thinking of paying in Barcelona over this period (3 months) you would be able to get a fairly fantastic sub-rental flat or AT LEAST a room in a sub-rental flat.
Check, for example, loquo.com to get a vague idea.
Hostel's are in general pretty nasty imo, but also LOTS of theft and I would not, if it were me, set up my computer etc there.
Also, if you are going to be in Barcelona in August, I assume you are going to go to the EPT kickoff starting August 28 at the Casino in Barcelona.
I have a close friend who can likely hook you up w/a flat - pm me if you'd like.

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I sent you a PM but the biggest problem with proper leases is that I am a tourist.

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nobody does proper leases here. you can get a room in an apartment near the center of the city with an internet connection and everything included for 350 euros.

[TheMetetron]

blueman,

You definitely raise valid points and I'll post a response when I get some more time to think this through. Thanks.