https://rhiaro.co.uk/ @rhiaro@toot.cat

If you read and enjoy my travel posts through my website or Mastodon* and you are planning to travel to somewhere I've been and you can't afford an actual travel agent and you find travel planning too stressful or time consuming to fit into your life, I would be delighted to share advice.

My specialties are land and sea (not air) transit, especially long distance European buses, and finding vegan food. I'm happy to also help with general stuff to do, and even more in-depth help with planning and realistic budgeting if you want because I actually love wasting away hours and days researching travel stuff.

#rhiarofreetravelagent

*or a feed reader you built yourself or another decentralised service

https://rhiaro.co.uk/2019/07/mastodon-travel

I'm in Cologne Airport again. It's one of my favourite bus stations. Good signage for buses, seating, pretzels and coffee, power and wifi (mostly), and warm fuzzy memories of all the other hours I've spent here between unreasonably long bus rides. #travel https://rhiaro.co.uk/2020/01/cgn

Me: mentions being just off the nightbus on the first leg of my journey from Turkey to the UK

Colleague: but you're going to get on a plane eventually right?

Me: ..... a what?

#travel https://rhiaro.co.uk/2020/01/flight

Okay imma go be on a bus for a couple of days (literally), see you on the other side. #travel https://rhiaro.co.uk/2020/01/bus-days

Week in review: 6-12 Jan. Went to Ayvalik (TR) and Lesbos (GR) and back. #travel https://rhiaro.co.uk/2020/01/week-in-review-2

Posted 31 photos: My final days in Bursa. Museums and saying goodbye to unexpected and amazing new friends. #travel https://rhiaro.co.uk/2020/01/photos-bursa-3

Posted 123 photos: Up Uludag on Bursa's cable car; a stunning ~hour long ride, to a snowy ski resort #travel https://rhiaro.co.uk/2020/01/photos-uludag

Posted 17 photos: The Bursa 1326 Panorama Museum, which is a big dome painted on the inside with a scene of (I think) the founding of the city. It's surprisingly cool! Entry is 5tl (less than €1) and there's all kinds of interesting cultural stuff inside the building too. When I went in there was a traditional drum and dance performance happening.

I also wandered past the Ataturk House museum, and through Kulturpark and Merinos. #travel https://rhiaro.co.uk/2020/01/photos-bursa-2

Burns' Night and Chinese New Year are at the same time this year, and I'm gonna be in Scotland. This sets all my favourite food senses tingling. https://rhiaro.co.uk/2020/01/burns

At a cafe in Sofia, the biggest cat I've seen, possibly small tiger, has made herself at home on me. My legs are numb, and at one point she wrapped her arms around my waist under my hoodie and stuck her claws in. I guess I'm never leaving. Btw nothing makes me happier than this exact scenario. #cat #travel https://rhiaro.co.uk/2020/01/cat

Sofia is one of my favourite cities to do nothing in. I've only ever spent short stays here, and did a walking tour the first time for an overview. There's probably tons to do really but there's nothing obvious so it's easy to just chill out and rest in nice cafes. Which is what I need this weekend. (To start to recover from Turkey, Country of Lovely but Socially Demanding Extroverts.) #travel https://rhiaro.co.uk/2020/01/sofia

I hate how Turkish bus stations are such a hustle. Like you're surrounded by bus company reps all trying to talk you into taking their next bus to wherever. As if you've turned up to the bus station without having already decided where you're going and when. I mean occasionally, sure, but it can't be often enough to justify the amount of effort they put in. #travel https://rhiaro.co.uk/2020/01/bus-tr

Posted 39 photos: Return ferry to Ayvalik where the weather was beautiful again, a day of working with a sea view, a nice breakfast with my host, and a return bus to Bursa. #travel https://rhiaro.co.uk/2020/01/photos-ayvalik-2

Posted 44 photos: Took the ferry from Ayvalik to Lesbos to visit my hosts from a year ago! A lovely time, and I'm so grateful for random connections that turn into lasting friendships :) #travel https://rhiaro.co.uk/2020/01/photos-lesbos

Posted 61 photos: I missed the sea, so I bussed to Ayvalik and #couchsurfed. It was very windy. #travel https://rhiaro.co.uk/2020/01/photos-ayvalik

Week in review: 30 Dec - 5 Jan. Adventures with #couchsurfing friends, and got sick. #travel https://rhiaro.co.uk/2020/01/week-in-review

Posted 144 photos: New Year with my new #CouchSurfing friends, and later a village/lake outing, with spontaneous roasted chestnuts, lots of dogs and ducks. #travel https://rhiaro.co.uk/2020/01/photos-bursa

I started this year by having chips (fries) for breakfast, and I just feel like that's worth noting. https://rhiaro.co.uk/2020/01/started

Posted 90 photos: Photos from Uludag weekend, taken by Juli (or someone else with Juli's camera) #travel http://rhiaro.co.uk/2019/12/photos-uludag-juli

Posted 64 photos: Photos from Uludag weekend, taken by Mounaim. #travel https://rhiaro.co.uk/2019/12/photos-uludag-mounaim