2008 Living & Travel Arrangements - Questions & Comments

[EuroMetetron]

Okay, so it is about the time of the year where I need to start thinking more concretely about where I am going to live next year. I have already decided to leave Argentina this December (though I am definitely returning) and check out something new.

For a while Thailand was looking interesting, but the recent thread about the whole poker/jail thing has made me decide otherwise. Going to have to find something to fill that void.

Here is what my new (and likely to change since I just created them) plans for next year look like:

Jan 4th - May 2nd: Live in Sydney, Australia (probably Bondi Beach) while taking trips to New Zealand & possibly undecided parts of Asia.
May 3rd - May 10th: Party Poker Million VI Cruise from Istanbul, Turkey to Bari, Italy; Olympia/Katakolon, Greece; Izmir, Turkey; and Dubrovnik, Croatia before returning to Istanbul.
May 11th - 19th: Vacation in Istanbul, Turkey
May 20th - August 14th: Live in Barcelona, Spain while taking side trips to France, Portugal, & Italy.
August 15th - November 13th: Live in London, United Kingdom while taking a side trips to Ireland & the rest of Britain.
November 14th - December 1st: Visit Reykjavík, Iceland; Copenhagen, Denmark; & Oslo, Norway.
December 2nd - December 18th: Visit Eastern Europe (destinations unknown as of yet).
December 19th - Jan 6th: Return to the USA for Christmas.

I am going to break each of these parts down in the future and get into more detail about them and what sort of arrangements I have made and am looking for. I am going to start with London as I am here right now, but I'd appreciate comments about any part of this plan as I am sure things will change many times before I settle on something concrete. I took 10 minutes to make these plans so feel free to blow holes in them; I already notice that visiting the Nordic countries in winter is probably not a good idea, so I will be trying to find some way to rework that.

Here are some basic info on each place:

<u>Sydney, 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 haven't quite yet found anything specific that I'd like to rent but it appears that vacation rentals can be had for about AUS$1500-2000 per month ($1250-$1700 USD) in the beach cities for a 1-2 bedroom. I wouldn't mind finding a roommate here in the unlikely event I find something staying the same length as me, but I also would be okay with living alone.

Internet: Going to attempt to get the internet included with the apartment as that would probably be easiest. Anyone with knowledge of Wifi or mobile internet availability in Sydney, I'd very much appreciate you sharing with me.

Other: I am interested in taking surfing lessons here. I have found thi school in Bondi Beach which is where I think I want to live. They have an introductory 5 x 2 hr course for approx. $250 US including board and wet suit rental. They also have intermediate classes available as well as board/wetsuit sales. I am not sure how feasible it is, but I plan to buy a board/wetsuit (used board if possible) and sell it back when I leave. I've sent them an email asking about this, so we will see.

Budget: I figure $1,300 - $2,000 US per month will cover my rent, internet, and surfing equipment. I'm not sure of costs down there, but another $1,000-$2,000 per month should cover my food and entertainment. Definitely shouldn't go over $4,000 per month and it is possible I could live on as little as $2,5000 per month.


I'm running out of internet time here, so I need to get going. More later. Thanks for your comments.

[EuroMetetron]

<u>London, United Kingdom</u>

Visa: Tourist visa. 90 days stamped upon entry. Nothing required prior to arrival. I am staying 89 days in London, so no problems here.

Housing: I haven't looked into vacation rentals yet, but an option I am seriously considering is staying at the The Generator Hostel for 3 months. They have long-stay rates and I anticipate a month would cost about 300 GBP ($600 US), maybe less. That is certainly a very competitive rate and I don't necessarily mind the lack of privacy and shared bathrooms. It would certainly force me to get my ass out and about every day which is a good thing. And it includes free cereal, toast, and juice every morning [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] I'm open to other options, but don't know much about them, so feel free to chime in. On the off chance someone has a room to let, shoot me a PM.

Internet: This is where I am having a big problem. HELP! I'm not entirely sure what my best option is. The internet at the hostel is insanely expensive (about $3 per hour) for Wifi access. Given I probably use 40 hours of internet a week, this would not be fun and would cost about $500 per month for internet usage.

Another option is the T-Mobile wireless laptop card that theoretically works everywhere. It would cost $60 US per month, but requires a 12 month contract, so I'd be paying $700 for 3 months of access ($230 per month). I'm also not sure if I can get this as a non-UK resident. Is there a social security number equivalent in the UK that would enable them to know?

T-Mobile also has a hotspot plan that would be 20GBP but I know it is for UK residents only, so it becomes 40 GBP for 30 days ($80 per month). The problem is that none of the hot spots are incredibly convenient places to drag a laptop + 20 in. external monitor for 3-5 hours per day. I'm not so sure Starbucks would appreciate it and they aren't in general open very late so I'd still be stuck paying the hostel $3 per hour late at night in order to play. I know there must be a better option. In New York, for instance, I just used the FedEx kinko's which already had a laptop station that I could use and it was $40/month for the T-Mobile plan. The Kinko's was open 24 hours a day and it was entirely normal for me to be there late at night. I need something like this for the UK.

Any help with this would be greatly appreciated as I really don't want to pay $500/mo for internet. I already emailed the hostel asking for ideas, but I'm not counting on much as it appears that their internet is provided by an outside company.

Transportation: A monthly Travelcard costs 90 GBP ($180) for unlimited Tube, DLR, &amp; Bus travel in zones 1-2.

Budget: Rent, internet, and transportation shouldn't be more than $1,300 per month assuming I am getting completely raped on internet usage. If I can find something reasonable it should all come in at under $1,000 per month which seems like a good deal considering how expensive London is. Food/entertainment would probably cost $1,500-$2,000 per month depending upon frequency of going and eating out. $3,000 per month actually makes this on-par or cheaper than Sydney.

[Jim Kuhn]

[ QUOTE ]
Internet: This is where I am having a big problem. HELP! I'm not entirely sure what my best option is. The internet at the hostel is insanely expensive (about $3 per hour) for Wifi access. Given I probably use 40 hours of internet a week, this would not be fun and would cost about $500 per month for internet usage.

[/ QUOTE ]

I would suggest talking with the management at the hostel. If you are going to be there for a month offer them $100 for unlimited access. This would probably be close to paying their full bill for the month. They may accept or give you a counter offer. It would be worth a shot.

Thank you,

Jim Kuhn
Catfish4u
[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

[NewTeaBag]

PM wrt London stuffs.

I can't give you exact details, but I can certainly point you towards at least a few of my London poker m8s who could be extremely helpful.

[EuroMetetron]

[ QUOTE ]
PM wrt London stuffs.

I can't give you exact details, but I can certainly point you towards at least a few of my London poker m8s who could be extremely helpful.

[/ QUOTE ]

Did you send me a PM? If so, I never got it.

[EuroMetetron]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Internet: This is where I am having a big problem. HELP! I'm not entirely sure what my best option is. The internet at the hostel is insanely expensive (about $3 per hour) for Wifi access. Given I probably use 40 hours of internet a week, this would not be fun and would cost about $500 per month for internet usage.

[/ QUOTE ]

I would suggest talking with the management at the hostel. If you are going to be there for a month offer them $100 for unlimited access. This would probably be close to paying their full bill for the month. They may accept or give you a counter offer. It would be worth a shot.

Thank you,

Jim Kuhn
Catfish4u
[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

I sent them an email. No reply yet. I'm sure they'd do it except I don't know if their internet access is controlled by them or not.

[NewTeaBag]

No. My intention was for you to PM me with a contact email and then I could ut u intouch with the london folk

[rainonacongadrum]

Don't you think you're overreacting to the Thailand scare? This was a house game and there was a rat. If you're playing online it probably wouldn't be a problem. Aren't there still tons of players living there?

[EuroMetetron]

Thailand is temporarily back on the table, as is possibly Argentina. I'm not so keen on the idea of living in London the more I think about it. That city really isn't that great. Of all the cities I've visited so far, Paris is the only one that really appeals to me as a place to live the more I think about it.

Hopefully visiting Barcelona and/or Madrid in the next week will make me decide that I'd like to live in one of those cities.

So as it currently stands, I am probably going to be doing some reworking of the plans to include Argentina/Thailand as possible cities for the end of the year. What other places will be warm at that time of the year? I've come to realize that I HATE cold weather. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

Also, Vancouver is entering as an interesting possibility for somewhere to live, though I'm not entirely sure when or where it would fit in.

I've also decided that at least in Europe, I am likely going to try living in hostels while in those cities, depending on the availability and cost of renting an apartment; I'm a cheap bastard who hates burning money.

[EuroMetetron]

For Barcelona, I'm now pretty reasonably sure that I will be staying in a hostel for the 3 months I am there (assuming I choose Barcelona over Madrid or Sevilla). There are two options available as I see it:

Downtown Paraiso Hostel which has prices from 17 EUR ($23) per night in the high season or about 510 EUR / $700 US per month. Free wireless internet (so crucial) and a kitchen available to use (like I'd cook)! This isn't the hostel I am staying at when I am in Barcelona, but I am going to try to make a visit to it at some point to see if it will suffice. I am most concerned with finding a spot to plop down a laptop + 20" external monitor with sufficient plugs. This is going to be the biggest issue with any hostel I try to stay in. Also has a roof terrace.

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.

Edit: Bondi Beach has no good hostel options so I'll be getting an apartment in Australia.