Trevi Fountain- photo courtesy of telegraph.co.uk 

Rome, also known as the eternal city, is a dynamic metropolis filled with remarkable ancient sights, delicious restaurants, bustling café’s, camera carrying tourists and a wide variety of places to stay. With hostels, guesthouses, and hotels tucked in almost every corner of this beautiful city, where you decide to stay depends on what kind of traveler you are. What type are you?

Tight budget single traveler

While accommodation in the eternal city is not cheap, especially in the spring and summer months, hostels in Rome are the best option for a traveler on a small budget. The first thing you need to do is throw out the misconception that only 20 year olds can stay at hostels. It is true that some places like Dreaming Rome are youth party hostels, but there are plenty of options like Mr. Rome that cater to all ages. You can also browse all hostels and guest houses in Rome. There are also a few hostels that cater to your sexual identity like the Nika Hostel or that are for females only. Whatever your affiliation or age group, you’ll be happy to know that most hostels are centrally located near Rome’s main train station, Termini. Hostels offer different room sizes so depending on your budget, you can spend a few Euros a day and sleep in a 12-18 people dorm or shell out a bit more cash to have a twin or a private room, all for less than you would pay at a hotel.

The best part about staying at any hostel is the atmosphere—travelers meet, explore together, and become friends over the course of their stay. If you are traveling alone and like being social then hostels are the way to go. Even if you are traveling with a partner, meet new friends over breakfast, it’s usually included in the price of your stay!

* Extra tip—don’t fall victim to stories you hear about getting robbed in hostels. Just be smart and keep the important stuff (passports, credit cards) with you at all times. If you want added security, bring a lock for your luggage so your valuables can stay secure while you go out and explore with your new friends.

Romantic Lovebirds   

A stay at a bed and breakfast/guesthouse is perfect for couples seeking a relaxing hideaway in lively Rome. Guesthouses like Maison de Julie and Serendipity Hostel are great options because they are located near Termini and offer a genuine Roman experience. Unlike large hotel chains, guesthouses are more intimate, generally more budget friendly and usually include a traditional breakfast and a quiet terrace to enjoy the evening sun. Additionally, guesthouses are an upgrade from the usual hostel because each room includes a private bathroom, no need to wait in line for the shower!

Family vacationer

If you are traveling with your spouse and a few kids, party hostels are definitely not the best option. Guesthouses like Rose Santamaria located in quiet but central Santamaria Maggiore may work well, but hotels that include sofa beds, junior suites, or are apartment style may be even better options. Hotels like Albergo del Senato combine an amazing location near the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain, with great amenities for children at a reasonable price. If your budget allows for a bit more luxury, the Palazzo Manfredi showcases stunning views of the Colosseum and comfortably accommodates a family of four. Craving a spontaneous night out without the children? Don’t worry, the Palazzo even offers a babysitting service.

Luxury Jetsetter

For travelers with no budget constraints, Rome offers plenty of lavish hotel options. Here is a list of all luxury hotels. You can find spectacular properties like the Prime Hotel Principe Torlonia in elegant Villa Borghese and the St. George Hotel near Vatican City which has amenities that include a bubbling Turkish bath. For you, the sky is the limit. We also have some special picks for you if you visit Rome at Easter.

Knowing your budget and needs as a traveler is most important when deciding what type of accommodation is right for you. Once you figure that out, you’ll be able to use the tools above to find the best place where to stay in Rome, the eternal city.

Monti neighborhood- image courtesy of Italianfoodtours.com

I’m always the last one to wake up at the hostel. It’s a beautiful day and the first thing I do is open up the window in my dorm. I let the late morning breeze seep in as I gaze out at the usual bumper-to-bumper traffic in front of the Pope’s former residence, San di Giovanni in Laterno. I am at the Nika Hostel in the Cello neighborhood located in the centro storico, or the historic center of Rome.

After getting ready, I walk downstairs to the tiny Café di Giacomo and enjoy a fresh pastry and cappuccino with a hostel worker.  We sit outside enjoying the sun, before I head off to explore the sites and neighborhoods of Rome.

I take a short walk on Via di San Giovanni in Laterno, a residential street that leads you directly to the awe-inspiring Colosseum.  It is midday and with the tourist rush in full swing, I linger and people watch as I search for a bite to eat.  The restaurants in this part of Cello are pricey, so instead I hop on the Metro to the Cavour stop and check out Monti, one of the hippest neighborhoods in Rome.

Monti is filled with narrow winding streets, young people and great restaurants. Spots like LaCarbonara make great homemade pasta or if a drink is what you crave, try out La Barrique for wine. After lunch, I get lost in the cobblestone streets, end up on Via Cavour and before I know it I find myself in the famous RomanForum.

After hours spent wandering around the excavated archeological sites, I start to get hungry again. I make a tourist move and pull out my map, only to see that the Tiber, the main waterway in Rome, is nearby. Why not check it out?

Walking along the Tiber is beautiful. There are bridges that cross from the side I’m on to the next. My curiosity is peaked, so I cross over and end up in Trastevere, one of Rome’s oldest neighborhoods. Trastevere is home to expats and bohemians alike. While there, I find a family owned trattoria and in broken Italian, ask the server to recommend a dish. This can be a smart move as many of the tastiest options are known only by locals and are never printed on the menu.

Along with dinner, I order a glass of the house wine and begin to feel the tiredness of a full day take over. I leisurely enjoy my delicious meal. While the thought of dessert at the restaurant is tempting, I know that gelato sounds even better. On my way home I stop by the Gelateria del Teatro ai Coronari, which honestly makes the best gelato I’ve ever had. 

With belly full and feet tired, I make my way back to the Nika Hostel for the night, knowing that I’ll explore even more the next day.

You can find a lot of lovely places to stay for any budget in Rome.

If you are someone who does a lot of traveling where you are sitting for extended periods of time such as traveling by car you may be a good candidate for leg cramps.  These can be quite painful and certainly could put a damper on your holiday.  If you take the time to arm yourself with some simple home remedies on how to treat bothersome ailments you will be glad you did.  I am sure you would rather be out enjoying the sites than laid up in your hotel room due to a leg cramp for example.  Below are some various home remedies for an assortment of ailments that could occur during holidays.  If for example you are visiting the lovely area of Tuscany, Italy you certainly do not want to spend your time laid up in bed in your hotel room missing out on the wonderful sights to be seen!  Prevention is the best medicine but if you do find yourself feeling a bit under the weather then hopefully some of our home remedies can help you get back to seeing the sights and enjoying your holiday to the the fullest.

Leg Cramp:

One thing none of us wants to experience is a leg cramp especially when on holiday; here are a few measures that can be used to stop a leg cramp from spoiling your holiday.

-  if  you are going to be sitting for long periods while traveling perhaps by car make sure to stop along the way and take time to stretch your legs this could help prevent you from a painful leg cramp.  Even when in a plane get up when it is safe to do so just to give your legs a stretch

-  apparently putting a bar of soap down by your feet between the sheets of your bed is a way that can prevent leg cramps; one thing all hotel rooms will offer is a bar of soap

-  avoid eating Bergamot oranges they are grown in France and Italy for commercial use

-  try and stay away from Earl Grey tea as it has Bergamot orange in it's ingredients which has been connected to leg cramps

Losing a few Pounds for Your Holiday:

We all want to look our best when we go on holiday which may involve losing a few pounds to do so.
Here is a few home remedies to help you shed those excess pounds.  You should keep using the remedy of your choice during your holidays as we all tend to over indulge when vacationing

-  Drink a cup of water with one-forth teaspoon of powdered black pepper, a teaspoon of honey, and 3 teaspoons of lime juice for 3 months before going on holiday

-  Eat freshly cut onions and tomatoes and lemon juice

-  have a glass of warm water, honey, and lemon juice every morning

-  Eat 10 fresh curry leafs in the early morning for 3-4 months

Sore Throat on Vacation:

Sometimes we may find that we are talking and shouting more perhaps for cabs or in nightclubs during our holidays so we may have to give our throats a little home remedy treatment.

-  Drink hot milk with honey at bedtime for immediate relief from sore throat

-  A teaspoon of honey will provide relief for a sore throat

-  Gargle every  hour with salt water or vinegar water

Avoid Stress on Holidays:

Sometimes when we are having so much fun on our holiday we can get stressed out by all the excitement but to help with this here are a few home remedies to keep you going so you can enjoy your holiday stress free!

-  There is various seeds that are highly beneficial in the treatment of stress such as pumpkin, sunflower, and alfalfa seeds

-  Chewing tulsi leafs through out the day can help in treating stress

Summary:

Whether you are on vacation or not you should always try and look after you health; but if you are not  well during your holiday it can make the difference between a great vacation to one that was miserable.  The great thing is if you take some home remedies for ailments you won't have to worry about getting prescriptions when you are in foreign lands.  These remedies are all natural products most of which you will be able to find at a local market.  Like I have said before it is better to be safe than sorry.  May you have a safe trip with no aches and pains accompanying you but instead joy and total satisfaction.




 Photo supplied by: Pinterest                                                                

                                                                                                       

 

Hotel room capacities might be scarce or hotels quickly booked out during the current strike of Lufthansa's pilot union. We have put together some tips to find an accommodation no matter where you got stranded.

Lufthansa on Strike, Source: Flickr, Jake VanderMolen

What’s the reason and the dimension of the strike?

Pilots are striking after negotiations about higher wages and improved retirement plans became stuck. In the consequence of the strike, about 3.800 flights have been cancelled. Beside Lufthansa, Germanwings as a subsidiary is impacted as well. The strike will last for three days starting April 2nd.

Travelers have been forewarned but not everyone has received the news. Especially if you are on an international flight or have a flight connection in Germany, you might have been impacted unexpectedly.

Lufthansa offers a list of all cancelled flights including further travel information on their website. The strike is actually lasting from the 2nd to the 4th of April 2014.

How to find a place to stay or a hotel room?

Camping beds and family areas for travelers are available inside the terminal at Frankfurt airport. It can be assumed that other airports in Germany also offer temporary accommodation facilities. But this cannot be a suitable 3-day-solution.

Our hotel search which you can find at the top might help you find a hotel room if you are looking for an accommodation. As the search includes all major booking platforms you still might find a hotel deal although a hotel is marked as booked out on another platform. You can also find hostels, apartments and b&bs.

Can I claim for strike compensation of my accommodation expenses?

Unfortunately the strike is due to “higher power” so that the passengers rights are limited.

Airlines are not obliged to pay compensation if they can prove that the cancellation is “caused by extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken”. A strike is likely to be an extraordinary circumstance.

However, you should contact your airline via phone or at the airport desk before you make your travel arrangements or hotel bookings as they might provide you other travel options. You should ask if they are eager to compensate your alternate travel expenses.

Tips to find hotels wherever you got stranded

Here are some direct links at Lufthansa’s travel hubs to make the hotel search easier for you:

• Frankfurt am Main:
  Hotels at Frankfurt Airport
  Hotels in Frankfurt's City Center
• Munich:
  Hotels at Munich Airport
  Hotels in Munich's City Centre
• Düsseldorf:
  Hotels at Düsseldorf Airport
  Hotels in Munich's city center

If you got stranded at another location, feel free to use our hotel search form on top. In case you are at the airport, just enter your city and the word “airport” into the form and you will find hotels which are next to where you are.

Hey, and don't be upset as you cannot change the impact of the strike. The best you can do is, just reschedule your travel plans, stay a bit longer, have a rest in a nice place and enjoy unexpectedly the additional time you have.

Let us know your travel experiences and how you found a solution by commenting below.