Jack's Flight Club ✈️ Travel News & Inspiration |
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In case you somehow missed the news, today’s kind of a big day in international football—Euro 2024 has arrived!\xa0 This year hosted by Germany, matches are being shared out across all the major cities we know and love; Berlin, Munich, Hamburg (my second home), Stuttgart, Leipzig, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Dortmund… and Gelsenkirchen?\xa0 As home to one of Germany’s major teams, FC Schalke 04, the stadium can actually hold around 20% of the 260,000-strong city’s total population.\xa0 Although many won’t be particularly familiar with much else about Gelsenkirchen, it actually became well-known in the early 20th century as the “city of a thousand fires,” due to its thriving coal mining industry. That industrial history is still clear to see in Gelsenkirchen’s main attractions, withhikeable slag heap trails, and mining pits converted into adventure parks.\xa0 Regardless how the competition goes for Scotland(listen, we can all have hope), Gelsenkirchen has coloured me intrigued. |
Happy travels and safe landings, |
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Train Trips, Surfing, And Solo Travel In Sri Lanka
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| By Katy A seasoned budget traveller, Editor Katy has already been to over 50 countries, and is gradually checking off the rest of the world. When she can bear to leave her cats behind, that is. |
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At the beginning of the year, I started bugging the rest of the JFC team to write up all their memorable travel experiences as soon as they get home from an epic trip. We’re around halfway through the year now, and I’ve already gathered some absolutely phenomenal stories to share with you. I want to start off with Data Analyst Tara’s month-long solo trip to Sri Lanka back in February. Having been to Kerala in South India last year—and absolutelylovingit—she hoped to capture a similar magic: |
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“Sri Lanka piqued my interest, being geographically close and culturally similar in some respects. Plus there are all those the beautiful beaches, amazing food, the surfing on the coast, the beautiful train journeys…” |
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And as it turns out, Tara was not disappointed. She had plenty of fond memories to share about the island, so let’s break it down: |
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“All the Sri Lankans I met on my trip were extremely open and kind - I found it a really welcoming and safe-feeling place to travel solo.” |
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Not only does Time Out think Sri Lanka is a great place to travel solo, they’ve even gone so far as to name it theirno.1 destination for solo female travellersin 2024. You’ll likely find it hardnotto meet other solo travellers if you head there alone. Getting around safely is easy enough with public transport, though you’ll be reliant on somewhat unpredictable scheduling! As with anywhere, just keep your wits and your belongings about you, and you should have no problems. That said, renting a tuktuk or hiring a driver is also perfectly doable if you’d rather move to the beat of your own drum. In general, Sri Lankans are known for being incredibly friendly and welcoming. Although that only goes so far—make sure to brush up on yourlocal etiquetteto avoid any sticky situations. What you might think of as an innocent selfie with Buddha couldget you deported! |
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“The nature is amazing, everything is so lush and green with amazing birds and strange wildlife.” |
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The community over on Facebook definitely agrees, with several of the country’s national parks getting a shout-out. With the highest density of leopards anywhere in the world,Yala National Parkis the go-to for leopard spotting (pun intended), whileBundalais especially great for bird watching during the September–March migration season. JFC-er Karen recommends visiting theKosgoda Sea Turtle Conservation Project. It’s a great opportunity to see and learn about turtles, and support local conservation efforts while you’re at it. If you’ve got a week or more to spare during your trip, consider volunteering with them! As for the natural landscapes, there’s lush jungle practically everywhere you look, plus unusual rock formations and epic cliffs sprinkled across the island. Adam’s Peak is a jaw-dropping mountain in the heart of the Sri Lanka, and high on most visitors’ list of things to see. It is said that the footprint of Buddha, aka theSri Pada, is imprinted upon the rock near the summit. At over 2,000m high, most of which involves steep stairs, to say it’s astrenuous hikewould be an understatement.\xa0 About a four-hour drive to the east, you’ll encounterLittle Adam’s Peak, about half the size of its big brother, and an easier climb with some stunning views. World’s End is equally impressive—a steep 880-metre cliffwith astonishing views across Horton Plains. Although, if you have vertigo, be warned that there’s no hand-rail!\xa0 That all sound like a walk in the park? Then it’s the man-made and trulynausea-inducing Ambuluwawa Toweryou need.\xa0 |
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“The surfing spots were very fun, travelling on my own, it was a great way to meet people and get active first thing in the morning. The beaches were beautiful, I loved driving along to find secluded spots (for exampleSilent Beachon the south coast).” |
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When it comes to catching a wave, you can’t go wronganywhere on the south coast, from Colombo in the west, right round to Arugam Bay in the southeast. Beware, though—not all these beaches are ideal for a gentle swim or paddle, as the waves come thick and fast, especially from May–October.\xa0
The north of the island also has glorious, sandy shores, and they tend to come with the added bonus of fewer tourists. A visit to Trincomalee (akaTrinco) will offer up quiet beaches, great snorkelling, whale watching trips, beautiful Hindu temples, and a whole load of tasty seafood.\xa0
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“The coworking/co-living spots were great - Clics coworking in Hiriketya was my spot - I could have happily stayed there all year! There's a lot of people doing the digital nomad thing, so I was part of a community quickly.” |
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I was as surprised as most of you probably are to learn that Sri Lanka is a big destination for remote working. But why wouldn’t you want to have the option of splashing directly into the warm ocean after logging off for the day?\xa0 Cool surf towns like Weligama and Ahangama on the south coast have already developed the infrastructure needed to keep you connected. There’s no need to rely on dodgy café Wi-Fi, withseveral co-workingspaces to choose from, and no shortage of cute brunch spots and bars with live music for some chill time.\xa0 |
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“The food was fab! I was having dal and egg hoppers for breakfast every day and rice and curry for lunch and dinner. I also did a cooking class when I was in Ella which was phenomenal.” |
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As a fan of the champion of all breakfast foods (egg, obviously), but not a lover of drenching it in hollandaise sauce, elevating a humble egg to the next level often proves complicated for me during brunch. But no more! For crispy, coconuttybittara appaare here to save us.\xa0 In general, you can expect a lot of fish or meat curries in Sri Lanka, served alongside steamed rice, lentils, popadums, chutneys and pickled veg. And then there are those big, orangeking coconuts, which are just as good for a sweet snack as they are for cooling down a spicy sambal. Just make sure you don’t gotoofiery before a long day out in the jungle… If you like the idea of taking home a few new recipes, arranging a cookery class once you arrive in Sri Lanka will be easy-peasy, or you can book one in advance through Viator. But if you like the idea of food being the main focus of your trip, tour companies such as Intrepid offerfully curated culinary tripsaround the island. Don’t worry, they still make time to see the sights as well!\xa0 |
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“The train journeys were beautiful, I didn’t want to do the long journey from Kandy to Ella, so I got an early morning tuktuk to Demodara and took the train over the Nine Arch Bridge back to Ella - it was amazing!” |
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Theconsensus among the JFC Facebook communityis that the train between Kandy and Ella is not to be missed! Unsurprisingly, most have the same idea and tickets will often sell out in advance. The ever reliableMan in Seat 61has all the info on how you can grab some online before you go. All is not lost if you don’t plan ahead, though. JFC-er Katie managed to book last-minute spots on an early morning freight train, which made for a fantastic experience in its own right. As beautiful as it may be, like Tara mentions, that trip between Kandy and Ella is pretty long at around 6 hours. Demodara, on the other hand, is only 4 miles/6.5 km away from Ella, along the line crossing the spectacularNine Arch Bridge. Either follow Tara’s lead and hop on a train to/from Demodara, or make like the locals and walk theDemodara Loopto see it on foot. And now for Tara’s final Sri Lanka recommendation: visit Galle to witnesstraditional stilt fishing. There are few things as uniquely Sri Lankan as a group of fishermen on poles hovering a few metres above the water. What would you like to see featured in The Detour? No travel question is too big or small for our travel-obsessed team!\xa0\xa0 |
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Hi there Is Atlantic City a good alternative to Las Vegas or is there a better, cheaper alternative elsewhere? Best regards,
Paul |
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| Answered By Olivia Flight Finder Olivia is a San Diego native, splitting her time between there and Seattle. When she’s not at her local coffee shop writing about slow travel, you’ll find her hiking or road tripping along the West Coast. |
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Hi Paul. Great question! Atlantic City may sometimes be called the Vegas of the East, but there really isn’t much of a comparison. The Vegas Strip is massive and incredibly densely packed with casinos, shops, restaurants, bars, clubs, you name it. While Atlantic City has some of the same attractions, it lacks the energy and size of Vegas by a country mile. A few decades ago, AC was more vibrant. But if you ask most Jersey residents online, they’ll tell you that it’s gone downhill the past several years. Most agree that it’s a perfectly fine place to spend a weekend gambling if you live in the area, but it’s not worth traveling from out of state. It doesn’t hold a candle to Vegas, even if you lower your expectations along with your budget. Locals use words like “dangerous” and “depressing,” which aren’t ideal keywords for a fun vacation. |
Also, if you plan to fly, you might not actually save any money over Vegas — domestic routes into Sin City are cheap and frequent, whereas the AC airport is tiny, has very few direct routes, and is only serviced by Spirit Airlines. Not our perfect recipe for air travel! So unless you live within driving distance, or in one of the few departures that fly there (mostly cities in Florida), you’ll have a far easier (and cheaper) time getting to Vegas. Fun fact:Visit Vegas on a weekday, and you’ll see on-Strip hotel costs drop to low double-digits. And I meanlow— some of the less snazzy options like Excalibur, the Flamingo, and Planet Hollywood regularly drop below \\$30 a night. The lowest I’ve ever seen for a weeknight on the Strip is \\$11. So while the shows and attractions are expensive, youcando Vegas on a budget.\xa0 |
If you want an alternative that is less “\\$250 circus acts and constant chaos” and more “chill out at a casino for a few days,” maybe head a bit north of Vegas and take a look at Reno! It’s received some of the same complaints as Atlantic City but it has a bit more in the “pros” column, like an active airport, gorgeous surroundings (Lake Tahoe is just an hour away), and it even cracksUS News’ Top 50 Best Places to Live. I’ll be spending most of my fall there, so look out for Reno content later in the year. And if anyone wants some affordable, non-Strip ideas in Vegas, I havejust the article for that:-) |
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All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across the web this week. |
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