5 European Hotspots for Budget Backpackers

Being a backpacker on a budget is always a challenge. Your very limited supply of clothes smell like a mixture of damp and whatever you ate last (which was probably some unidentifiable meat stuffed in a pitta bread); you haven't had a decent night sleep since you left home due to the fact that you've been sharing a room with 15 other people every night (4 of whom snore like a train) and all the fun touristy stuff is way out of your budget so you have to make to do with people watching or walking aimlessly (fun for a day or two, less fun after six weeks). After coming up against these problems more times that I care to think about in a whole array of supposed "backpacker hotspots" I decided to make my own list of where to go along with a few bits and bobs you can do without declaring bankruptcy before you've even got to the airport.

The view of Prague from the bell tower

General Advice:
- Use sites like hostelworld and hostelbookers to compare accommodation, take all the reviews with a pinch of salt. If it's cheap it's not going to be 5 star luxury, get over it.
- Make your own food. Restaurants are a nice luxury but they will seriously eat into your budget. If your hostel doesn't have a kitchen by some bread and cheese and make a sandwich.
- Avoid tourist traps like all inclusive tours. These sound amazing: transport, lunch, personal guide and entry; but can be done for half the price if you use your initiative and do it yourself.
- Find local hotspots. These are usually a little way away from the town centre or any sort of tourist attraction (like a river, castle, zoo etc). These will be a lot cheaper and will have authentic national food.
- Happy hours are your best friend and they are EVERYWHERE you just need to ask around a bit.

1. Budapest, Hungary

Hands down one of the best cities in the world. The food is so cheap you feel like you're stealing and there's a party every night on every street. Take a wander around Buda Castle (free), check out their incredible national museum (very cheap) and explore the covered food market (free - unless you buy something, obviously). I highly recommend eating you body weight in authentic Hungarian goulash while you're there and sampling Langos, the most delicious heart attack you'll ever have. For a cheap bed you won't actually end up sleeping in check out the Retox Party Hostel.

The River Danube at sunset in Budapest

2. Prague, Czech Republic

Beautiful and bursting with culture, need I say more? Well I will anyway. Pick up one of the maps with ready-made walking routes on them and get gone. These routes take you past every single site of note in the entire city and they are entirely free. For about a quid you can climb the tower in the town square and bear witness to some breath taking views. Or you can stand in the square and wait until the clocks strike the hour for a cute, if not slightly creepy, surprise. If you want to get blind drunk and party hard, Prague is the place to go. Cheap, mind-blowingly good beer and a plethora of affordable drunk food awaits you

3. Tallinn, Estonia

Less well-known as a back packing hotspot but in no way inferior, Tallinn is a tiny medieval gem at the heart of the Baltic region. Free walking tours go every day from the tourist information centre, behind the town hall and are well worth the energy expenditure. Elk soup and meat pies can be bought for €1 a-piece from Draakon, a tiny stylised eatery tucked away under then bell tower. Alternatively indulge in the biggest pancakes know to man at Kompressor for a measly €4, have one around noon and you'll be sorted for food for the rest of the day. From abandoned soviet prisons to quirky karaoke bars, Tallinn definitely has enough fun to keep even the most intrepid traveller happy.

Tallin's town hall

4. Gijòn, Spain

Overlooked in favour of its pricier southern counterparts, Gijon offers backpackers the chance to see the best of the west without breaking the bank. Try some of the local beverages such as calimocho - a staple for the youths in the neighbouring Basque country, and Asturian cider, a non-carbonated, natural, fresh cider - it's somewhat of an acquired taste but well worth trying! Get pints of vodka coke poured with a 1:1 ratio for under a fiver and stuff yourself silly on all the free tapas that comes with the drinks! Spend the daytime lying on the beach (for free), soaking up the rays and praying your hangover goes before you hit the bars again that night.

5. Split, Croatia

Croatia is essentially the cheaper version of Greece and Italy. Gorgeous beaches, perfect weather and tons of cheap fresh seafood. The entire town centre of Split is formed of tiny marble streets lined with boutiques which run through and around the Diocletian Palace. The Palace dates back to the 4th Century and can be explored mostly for free (there are charges to visit the cellar and the tower). Once you're all palace-ed out go for a stroll along the coast line or hop on a boat and visit one of the neighbouring islands like Hvar or Vis. If you like corn on the cob and cold cuts you can eat for virtually nothing by shopping at the local supermarkets.

View from a restaurant balcony in Split

Hopefully this list is some help for those looking for some alternatives to Amsterdam, Paris and Venice. Europe is beautiful but you don't need to double your student debt to find that out!

5 Things You Can Do For Free In Singapore

If you are backpacking around Southeast Asia then Singapore should definitely be on your to do list. You've just spent several weeks eating dubious food, being harassed by tuk-tuk drivers and riding buses that had definitely seen better days. Suddenly you're surrounded by shiny skyscrapers and fast-walking businessmen shouting into their blackberry wifi headsets and you realise you're no longer in Cambodia. For most westerners Singapore is a welcome break from the chaos of less developed countries where they can indulge in some health and safety regulations and actual roads with lane discipline! However, you're now used to spending about $2 on a decent meal and about $5 on a hostel. In Singapore, $2 won't even get you a glimpse at the menu in a proper restaurant and most of the hawker stalls will charge you at least $2.50 for a meal and that will be very basic (but still probably delicious). As for a room, you're looking at about $25 just for a bed in a cramped dorm that smells of feet and is about 4000 miles from the actual centre of Singapore. So you have to splash out a bit to eat and you have to splash out on your accommodation and now your credit card has shrivelled up in protest leaving you with a grand total of $0 to spend on activities. For this reason I have scoured the city and found you 5 things you can do for free to make the most of your time in Singapore.

Get Lost in Little India

This vibrant section of the city is the perfect place to wander around for a couple of hours with your head in the clouds. Take in the colours and the smells while you reminisce over your journey so far or ruminate on the nature of existence. As you glide through the streets lined with fresh fruit stalls and quaint street cafés emitting spicy and exotic aromas, appreciate the fact that even amid the hustle and bustle of the power city that is Singapore, there is still place for these traditional districts where women still dress in dazzling jewellery and saris and where the sense of community is still so strong.

Striking colours in Little India

Explore Chinatown

If you've just spent hours wandering around Little India you might be loath to then do exactly the same in its oriental cousin down the road. However, I cannot stress the difference between the two areas enough! Little India and Chinatown are different enough to make you believe that you are in a different city. "But every city has a Chinatown" I hear you cry, so what makes this one special? Well for starters it is surrounded by skyscrapers and business hubs which make a nice juxtaposition with the hawker stalls and hanging lanterns. Most importantly, though, it is probably the cheapest place in the whole city to grab a bowl of chicken rice!

A wok-ful of delights!

Chinatown by night

Visit Kampong Glam

A beautiful mosque just off a dual carriageway. Stroll down the leafy boulevard lined with cafés and take in the view of the mosque standing majestically at the end of the street. The combination of decorative paving and palm trees give a truly magical feel to this little part of the city. If you haven't thought ahead to cover up before you get to the mosque then fear not, they provide gorgeous full length robes in a very stylish powder blue to visitors free of charge. Read up on Islam once you're inside and take a peek at local muslims going about their prayer routine. Make sure you clean your feet before entering! The inside of the mosque is pretty underwhelming compared to the outside in terms of beauty and splendour so don't feel too disappointed once you're inside. Have a glance around and then come back out and take some photos.

Cover up or you have to wear this...

Pretty gorgeous

Window Shopping on Orchard Road

Orchard Road is most definitely a shopping experience unlike any other and no matter how small your budget may be, you can always afford to window shop. Boasting 22 malls and 6 department stores, this road is right up there with 5th Avenue, Oxford Street and Rodeo Drive and is a haven for hardcore shopaholics. Girls, go and lust over the jewellery and luxury boutiques that mix super-cute Japanese twee with all-American block colour staples to create stand out pieces that are both fierce and unique. Boys, rock on over to the many world class suit makers and take a lot at what they have on offer. You'll find everything from ice-cool black suits to slick gold numbers. Don't actually buy a suit (unless you happen to be a millionaire), instead get a feel for what would suit you, maybe even get measured up and try some on. Really get an idea of what are the current trends in the fashion world (maybe sneak a photo of two if you can do it without getting caught) then head over to Vietnam and get it tailor made for you for about 1/100th of the price! Cheeky? Yes, very, but when it comes to economising, everything goes.

But one of the many, many malls on offer

Watch the Laser show at Marina Bay

So it gets to evening and you've spent about 8 hours on your feet wandering around Singapore in a heat that is less than gentle and now you're ready to collapse. Perfect. Let your legs give way on the steps of the plaza at Marina Bay and watch the laser show outside Marina Bay Sands. Lots of flashing lights accompanied by some emotive music, what's not to love! You can even get that obligatory photo with the Merlion while you're there. Happy days. Just try not to get too jealous of all the expats eating in the painfully expensive restaurants along the strip by the waterfront which you will probably pass on your way there. The food may be top notch, but the bill will turn your stomach.

Major lasers