Chris Dyson's Travel Blog

With less than a couple of months to go until South America, I have been to the doctor to get various vaccines in preparation. In total I had 4 different vaccines, 3 of which where free on the British NHS and the 4th was a Yellow Fever vaccine which cost me £55. It lasts for life and is common in South America and central Africa spread through mosquito bites. Once the vaccine has been done, you are given a small certificate as evidence because some countries require to see it as part of the entry requirements at the border. Some free travel competitions to enter: Win A Pair Of Return Economy Flights To Miami Courtesy of Virgin Atlantic Answer - C) Statue of Liberty Closes - 15th December 2019 https://www.brightsun.co.uk/competition Win a 10-night holiday for two to Hawaii Answer - Family Closes - 16th December 2019 http://sharethealoha.co.uk/win.html Win a city break for two in Vienna Answer - On City Hall Square Closes - 22nd December 2019 https://www.wien.info/en/comp

With just a couple of months to go until South America I have started to finalise things for this trip. This will be the first time I have been to the continent and have decided to make an appointment for the Yellow Fever vaccine. Although it is mainly Brazil that it is most common (which I am not visiting on this occasion) I have decided to get it as a precaution for Chile, Bolivia, Peru and Colombia. A Google Earth animation preview of this tour can be found below: I have managed to order 2 out of the 4 currencies online as they are not common ones some of them were hard to get hold of before reaching the country. I have got my hands on some Chilean Pesos and Peruvian Sol and will need to pickup some local Bolivian currency when I get there. As for Colombia I am in the country less than 12 hours so I can just use my card at the airport to get some food before joining a city tour.  After this multi-country group tour is over it should take my total tally of visited countries

Panorama Glass Lodge stay for two in Iceland *Return flights for two from Europe to Reykjavik, Iceland. *3 nights accommodation at The Panorama Glass Lodge, Iceland. Enter Here - https://www.tedbaker.com/uk/win-with-Ted Competition closes on 21st October 2019. Canadian Rockies ski holiday to Banff & Lake Louise * 7-night trip for two people, departing on the 7th March 2020. *2 x return flights and transfers. Enter Here -  https://www.skiworld.co.uk/ski-deals/banff-competition Competition closes on 29th October 2019. Short break for two in Venice * Return flights from London to Venice for two adults. *A 2-night stay for two adults in Venice. *30-minute gondola ride for two adults. Enter Here -  https://www.specsavers.co.uk/prizes/venice Competition closes on 31st October 2019.

I was staying at a hostel around the corner from the drop off point after my tour finished, so I walked around there to quickly check-in because I had things to do and explore in New York. Once I was sorted and had a quick rest, I went to the High Line Park. The Park is a former train track that was converted into a park in 2009. High Line Park. I then walked to Times Square just as the sun was setting to see the famous billboard lights. It was very busy as it is obviously a very popular area. I then walked around the corner to the beautiful Grand Central Terminal. It certainly is very grand and big to look at on the inside. Times Square. My final destination of the day was to go up the Empire State building with my prepaid ticket that I bought online. I got to skip one of the entry lines but still had a very short wait for the elevator but no big deal. I took some photos and went to bed for the night as I was very tired. Up the Empire State Building at night

Our final group tour breakfast this morning opened at 06:30am, with the same usual early risers there first thing. The coach loaded just before 07:45am as we started the drive back north east to complete the tour. The mornings drive would be around 3 hours as we made our way once again to Pennsylvania. This time we would be spending an extended stop in Philadelphia where we can explore and have lunch at Reading Terminal Market. Before we got there we drove through Delaware for about 20 minutes in the early morning, to add to the count of states visited on this trip. Philadelphia City Hall. After lunch we had a 90 minute walking tour of the city, stopping at as many places that we could in the time we had available. At 13:30pm we made the final push as a group to get back to New York. Independence National Historical Park. We hit the usual traffic getting into New York from New Jersey but the tour concluded at 16:00pm and everybody said their goodbyes. A vide

Breakfast opened at 06:30am this morning which we had a voucher for, before loading everything onto the coach 1 hour later. Today we would be making the long drive to the nation's capital of Washington DC, where we would spend 2 nights. We drove for around 4 hours with a morning break before arriving at our quick 45 minute lunch stop. As we continued on through Pennsylvania, we were able to pass through an Amish community. We stopped here briefly to look at a farm with miniature horses before driving closer to our final destination for the day. Miniature horses. We continued on towards Washington DC passing through Baltimore, where we arrived around 5:30pm. Before check-in at the hotel we visited Arlington National Cemetery which has many gravestones of those who lost their lives in the many wars America had fought in. Arlington National Cemetery. Later in the evening we had a quick drive around to see a few of the memorials lit up at night. We finished

This afternoon we drove from Detroit, Michigan to Cleveland, Ohio for lunch and some free time to explore. Some of the group went to the rock and roll hall of fame museum to spend a couple of hours in there. I personally walked and explored the city itself for a few hours taking various photos and videos. We all met up again on the coach at 4:30pm before driving further towards Pittsburgh. Cleveland Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum. This would be our 3rd city of the day, arriving after a quick rest stop turnaround for some dinner. Upon arrival we took the Duquesne Incline Railway up the hill to get some nice photos of the city skyline, as the light started to fade. We then checked into the hotel after 9pm ending a long day. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A video of this day can be found below:

Breakfast this morning was at 7am in a diner just to the side of the hotel. We loaded the coach at 8am and we were back on the road again shortly after. Today we would heading back into the USA, to the city of Detroit, Michigan. We reached the Canadian/USA border just after 12:30pm and were processed as quick as possible. We then made our way for a late lunch as everybody was starting to get hungry. We ate at a restaurant chain called Cracker Barrel which I believe was good value for its portion size. Cracker Barrel sign seen while driving. In the afternoon we made the last leg of the journey to Detroit. We made 2 photo stops, one was at the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant property. The other was to see the Motown Museum from the outside. I spent the rest of the evening around the hotel, as it had so much going on there was no need to leave to find food. There was a whole wing attached to the hotel with various options to eat.   GM Renaissance Center in Detroit.

Today was the best breakfast of the tour to date as there was so much choice. We met in the lobby at 8am straight after breakfast and we set off towards Niagara-on-the-Lake . Our first stop of the day was at Pillitteri Estates Winery to see how some of the local ice wine is made. We walked around the grounds of Pillitteri and got shown the process of how it is made, before leaving just after 11am. Pillitteri Estates Winery. Next up was a chance to get some lunch in the town by the water. We would spend over an hour here looking out into the water, watching the various water activities going on. At 13:20pm we were back on the coach for a brief drive to Niagara whirlpool rapids. This was a great spot to get photos and the water was so clear. Niagara Whirlpool Rapids Viewpoint. We then drove around the corner for a once in a lifetime helicopter experience over all of Niagara Falls. This is one of the best things I have ever done and it is well worth the money. The

Today the breakfast was not included at the hotel but it was located 75 minutes away at Wheelers Maple Syrup Farm. We met in the lobby at 6:45am and at 7am we were on the road making our way there. We arrived at Wheelers Maple Farm at around 8:15am and enjoyed a typical Canadian Breakfast. We were then shown a demonstration on the process of how Maple Syrup is made. Finally a walk around the rest of the farm with some free time, before getting back on the coach at 10:30am. The delicious breakfast we were served. We then started making our way further east across the province of Ontario for today's lunch stop. The Big Apple was the name of the services where we had lunch, which was clearly very popular. The hour flew by and you can even watch them making the pies. We were back on the road towards Toronto just after 2pm. 'The Big Apple' services can't be missed as you drive past. We arrived and checked into the hotel in Toronto just before 4:30pm,

Breakfast opened very early again at 6am, but we didn't need to meet in the lobby until 8am so there was no rush to get up. Everybody had their luggage loaded and were ready on the coach by 8:15am, and we made our way to Montreal. We made a 30 minute rest stop along the way before arriving at the old part of Montreal at 11:45pm.   The Palais des Congrès (Convention Center) of Montreal.   We were given a 2 hour timeslot to get some lunch and explore the old city. I used a map to pretty much cover a full circle around everything there was to see. We met at the meeting point at 1:45pm before getting back on the coach heading towards the Province of Ontario. La Grande Roue de Montréal Ferris Wheel. We were making our way first to the hotel in Ottawa to check-in, before getting ready for an orientation tour in the evening. We met in the lobby after a brief rest at 17:30pm ready to explore. The Parliament of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario. The driving tour t

We met in the lobby at 8:45am after breakfast and we left on the coach to explore Quebec City. After a brief drive we met a local guide who would take us on a walking tour of the old town. We would see various spots along the way and it took a couple hours in total. Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. Straight after the tour we would get some free time for lunch before been given a meeting time for those wanting to join for an optional tour of Montmorency Falls. I personally was doing this excursion so I met the main group again at 1:15pm. The drive to Montmorency Falls took around 20 minutes, and once there I would say it took me around an hour to complete the hiking route taking many photos along the way. The falls are actually higher than Niagara Falls but not as powerful. Montmorency Falls. After completing the walk we met at 3:30pm in the visitors centre before transferring back to the centre of Quebec City. We then had a few more hours free time to walk th

Today was an early start with breakfast from 06:30am and preparing to load and go after meeting at 07:15am in the lobby. We would make our way to the state of New Hampshire where we would be visiting Flume Gorge, as an activity to do before crossing into Canada later in the day. Flume Gorge, New Hampshire. We would spend approximately 2 hours at Flume Gorge, walking and hiking around the trail. It is a self-guided trail which is around 2km total. We would then drive on to Littleton, New Hampshire for today's lunch stop. I grabbed a quick sandwich and then walked along the main street to see what else I could find. Littleton, New Hampshire. Just before 2pm we met back on the coach to drive through the state of Vermont, heading towards the border with Canada. The border crossing was a very quick process and we then continued the drive on to Quebec City, where we are staying for 2 nights. We drove directly from the border with a quick restroom stop, which took just

Today's breakfast opened at 06:30am but we weren't due to meet on the coach until 9am. This gave the group a chance to catch up on some rest after yesterdays long day. Everybody was on time meeting in the lobby and we departed into the centre of Boston hoping to miss the rush hour traffic. A memorial those who have lost their lives in war. We would see several sights by walking and using the coach to our advantage before taking a break for lunch at 12:30pm. We then had the option of free time or to meet up again with our guide for further exploration in the afternoon. I met at 13:30pm outside the Quincy Market, where most of the group would continue exploring together to see some of the other sights Boston has in the afternoon. Quincy Market. We would finish the day by using the metro to Harvard and walking the grounds of the university. We made our way back to the centre and was given some free time before meeting again for dinner at 18:15pm. This woul

The day started at 06:30am with a short walk around the corner to the meeting point in New York. It was a group of 27 plus a guide and driver so there was plenty of space on the coach. We departed New York and started to make our way to the next state of Connecticut. Leaving New York on the coach at 06:30am. We arrived around mid morning to enjoy a comfort stop with services from Mcdonalds, Subway & Dunkin' Donuts. After 30 minutes we made our way to Newport, Rhode Island. We would spend around 2 hours total here exploring by the water and grabbing some lunch, before we met back on the coach for 13:30pm. By the water in Newport, Rhode Island. Unfortunately this is where we encountered our first problem of the tour. Shortly after leaving Newport on the way to Boston we took a wrong turn. After trying to reverse back up we hit a pole which damaged the driver's window, and the coach was declared too dangerous to drive. It happened nearby to Eisenhowe

The first leg of my pre-tour journey was to leave the station just before 11:00am and make my way down to London by train. It was just 2 minutes late departing so no problems there. Once arriving into London I made my way onto the Underground, taking the Piccadilly Line to Heathrow Airport. There was a train already there as soon as I got to the bottom of the escalator so I didn't need to wait. Arriving at Heathrow Airport. Upon arrival at Heathrow, I made my way to bag drop area to offload my suitcase. That was everything completed with no delays as I made my through the final security area, and waited for my boarding gate to be displayed. Everything went to plan with with the boarding process and I was on my way to North America for the first time. We actually landed in Newark, New Jersey over 30 minutes ahead of schedule so I was able to make my way through the security areas a little earlier than expected. I then waited for my shared shuttle car to transfe

I am now just a couple of weeks away from travelling to North America for the first time. I will be flying to New York and heading in a anti-clockwise direction through Canada, before coming back into the USA. In total I will pass through over 10 cities in the North East region of North America over a 2 week period as a group, before exploring New York on my own on the final day. Tour Map. The outbound flight from the UK I managed to get one of the extra leg room seats, but on the return flight I was unable to as they were already taken. So hopefully I can get some sleep on the way back to make it go a little bit faster. As always while I am away I will be taking plenty of footage to create YouTube videos when I get home. I have already created the templates for the video thumbnails to save time, but I still need to find some music, which always seems to be one of the hardest parts about creating them. Another one of the challenges I am likely to face on this particular tour

Almost half way through the year and I have already started making plans for travels in 2020. To escape the British winter I will be travelling to South America to visit Chile, Bolivia and Peru. I also have an extended layover in Colombia should I wish to explore the capital of Bogotá too. I posted in the past about competitions for free travel holidays. This is a good website that has lots in one place. - https://travelscoop.co.uk/posts/competitions I have updated my list of previous travel videos on YouTube with my most recent trip to the Balkans, which can be found here. - https://chrisdyson16.blogspot.com/2019/01/all-my-travel-videos-from-2014-2018.html Looking to book a hotel anywhere in the world? Use the link below and you will receive 10% back after your stay. - https://www.booking.com/s/35_6/7d62e267 Sign up and stay with Airbnb using the link below for £25 in travel credit on a future booking. - https://www.airbnb.co.uk/c/chrisd12290   Until it's time to tra

The final full day of the tour started with breakfast at 07:00am and we departed the hotel just after 08:00am making our way back to Athens. After driving for several hours we made a lunch stop on the way back stopping at the beach town of Kamena Vourla. We would have well over an hour here as it was a late Easter weekend in Greece, before the final leg of the journey. Kamena Vourla, Greece The final drive together took us 2 hours and we said goodbye to the excellent driver for the final time. We had a couple of hours free time in the city or around the hotel before our farewell dinner which was scheduled for 19:00pm. I made plans to briefly explore Athens first thing in the morning however some things are closed due to Easter Sunday been 1 week later in Greece. It was the last morning before flying home so I went to breakfast early at 07:00am to make the most of the city. Unfortunately the Acropolis was closed on Easter Sunday so I walked around it and took some long distance

Breakfast opened at 06:30am this morning but we were not due to leave until 08:00am so there was plenty of time to get some food. We had a quick break around 10:00am to buy some snacks ready for a bit of a queue at the border as it was Easter weekend 1 week later in Greece. We also had lunch straight after the border crossing from Bulgaria because we were approaching 2 hours since we last used the toilets. The White Tower in Thessaloniki, Greece. We drove onto Thessaloniki , arriving for an driving orientation tour at 14:30. We checked into the hotel just after 15:00pm and the rest of the afternoon and evening was free for us to explore the city on our own. I quickly left my suitcase in my room and started to walk to some of the key sights. It only took me a couple of hours with a decent pace on my own, before getting something for dinner and returning to the hotel. A video of this day can be found below:

Today was a free day in Sofia, Bulgaria but I decided to join an optional tour in the morning. It was to visit Rila Monastery in the Bulgarian mountains and we met in the lobby at 08:30am. We were picked up by the same coach we had travelled several thousand kilometres on to this point. Rila Monastery. The drive to the monastery took around 2 hours and we were given a small guided tour when we got there, visiting some of the upstairs rooms that not everyone gets to see. We spent a couple of hours here and had an early lunch before heading back to Sofia. We hit some traffic on the way back returning to the hotel just after 14:30pm. The rest of the afternoon was free but I chose to rest in the hotel room. A video of this day can be found below:

Breakfast opened at 06:00am this morning with a load and go on the coach at 07:15am so there was no rush. We departed southbound towards the Serbian city of Niš which was scheduled for today's lunch stop. After a mid-morning break we arrived in Serbia's third biggest city around 11:00am. I walked over to the fortress and also checked out the newer side of the city centre. This was a good chance to use up any remaining Serbian coins if anybody had any left to get an early lunch. Nišava River next to Niš Fortress. After lunch we made our way towards the border with Bulgaria. We arrived at the border at 14:00pm and started the process of leaving Serbia and entering Bulgaria. Unfortunately another coach had just beaten us in the queue so it added a little bit of time. We successfully made our way to Sofia and met the local guide for a walking tour. After seeing the main sights on a 2 hour walk we checked in to the hotel. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia. Our dinner

Back on the road again today as we head south after a 06:30am breakfast, leaving the hotel around 07:15am. We set off driving towards the border with Serbia and arrived just before 10:00am. Usually going from an EU to non-EU country can be a slow process but we actually did it in under 1 hour. After making a final comfort stop we started the drive towards Novi Sad. View of Novi Sad from Petrovaradin Fortress. We arrived into Novi Sad and had just over an hour for a lunch stop. We walked into the old town for some exploration and then I split from the group to walk up to the fortress. We met back on the coach after 14:00pm and started to make our way to the capital of Serbia in Belgrade. We checked in to the hotel straight away and we were given the time of 17:00pm to meet in the lobby for the walking tour of the city. National Museum in Belgrade in Republic Square. The local guide met us in the lobby and took us on a 3 hour walking tour of the city. This concluded at the

Breakfast was once again at 06:30am but this time our departure time was set for 07:30am so it wasn't as much of a rush. We drove for a couple of hours and after a break mid-morning we arrived at Lake Balaton after noon. We would use this as our lunch stop for 1 hour by the lake. Lake Balaton. Driving onto Budapest arriving around 15:00pm, where we were met by a local guide for a driving tour of the city. The drive would take around 2.5 hours with stops for photos in between explanations of the various sights. After the driving tour we would meet in the hotel lobby at 18:00pm to make our way for the dinner reservation at a restaurant. The view of Budapest from Gellért Hill. After having an included 3 course meal we gathered outside and most of the group would make their way to an evening cruise on the River Danube. It would take 75 minutes total and we saw all the main sights lit up at night. By 22:30pm we made our back to the hotel via the metro. We looked forward to