We'd never heard of the San Juan festival until we arrived in A Coruña, where it's the biggest event of the year -- and then we got to experience it first-hand. It has roots in pagan solstice celebrations and summer cleansing rituals, and is celebrated all over Spain. In Alicante the modern celebration started in the 1920s and involves burning intricate structures created by local artists. In A Coruña, just one of these structures is burned, representing the major events that have happened in the city during the previous year. Read more at http://indietravelpodcast.com/spain/san-juan-festival-coruna/

Mongol Rally 2012 podcast: Pam is part of the only female-only team to compete. From Prague to Ulan Bator, it's the ultimate adventure. We discuss the trip, the planning, the fundraising, and the visas. Oh god, the visas! More at http://indietravelpodcast.com/mongolia/mongol-rally-podcast-2012

Visit Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with our KL travel guide. A bustling, muggy, shopping mecca, is a great place to start exploring Asia. http://indietravelpodcast.com/malaysia/travel-kuala-lumpur-malaysia/

How do you avoid fights on the road? How do you stay happy with each other, and ensure your trip is the best it can be? While there's a million and one ways each relationship is different, these tips can improve your trip. For more, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/travel/couples-sane-travel/ and http://artofcouplestravel.com

What are the best electronics to take travelling? Should you take your laptop on the road? How about an iPad? A Kindle? A DSLR camera? We explore the best electronics to carry with you, right down to our recommended brands and models. http://indietravelpodcast.com/travel-gear/best-electronics-travelling/ for more!

Why visit A Coruña, Spain? Why not! It's a beautiful city far in the north-west, with long white beaches and lots of cultural and foodie opportunities. We talk about how we (accidentally) ended up here, and what it's like. http://indietravelpodcast.com/spain/visit-corunna-spain/

Ready to head out on your first big trip? Learn how to prepare for your first trip, whether that's a summer in Europe or a RTW extravaganza. http://indietravelpodcast.com/preparation/prepare-first-big-trip/ We cover: Planning Packing Money Airports Arrival So that you can confiently go and have the time of your life.

This Salta podcast covers things to do, places to see, where to stay, how to get around in Salta, Argentina. Rounded out with good stories & nice pictures. For more, see: http://indietravelpodcast.com/south-america/argentina/salta/ or http://indietravelpodcast.com/argentina/salta-podcast/

We're back! The first podcast in almost two months recounts some stories and learnings from the Via de la Plata — the 1031km 'pilgrimage' walk we have just completed. Learn... * What is the Via de la Plata? * Our Stand-out moments on the Camino * Why we choose this to celebrate 10 years of marriage * Resources for the Camino de Santiago * How to prepare for the Camino * and for more, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/spain/via-de-la-plata-podcast/

Travel in your home country doesn't have to be a second-best option. Thousands of people visit your home area every year. Why shouldn't you be one of them? For more, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/travel/explore-backyard-travel-country/

The best places in Asia are hard to pin down, so this list comprises the places we've loved the most, and the places we're most fascinated by. Go travel... http://indietravelpodcast.com/thailand/best-places-asia/

Adventure, food and fun are all to be found in the Central American country of Belize... at least according to today's interviewees. We speak with Kristin Fuhrmann-Simmons and Lebawit Lily Girma about the time they've spent in what seems to be a marvelous country. http://indietravelpodcast.com/belize/adventure-food-fun/

How to buy travel insurance? Look online! But how do you find the best travel insurance? What do you look for? What questions should you ask? Find out! http://indietravelpodcast.com/insurance We're now on Soundcloud! Find the Indie Travel Podcast at http://soundcloud.com/indietravel

Carnival (or Carnaval) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is one of the world’s biggest parties. Joel Ward talks about learning to samba and enjoying the party. For more details, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/brazil/carnival-rio-de-janeiro/

When it comes to travel, cheap accommodation options can help you to save money, but great accommodation will help you to really enjoy your destination. You might be overwhelmed by suggestions of where to go and where to stay. I'm sure you'll have some idea of your dream destination -- but once you get there, where do you sleep? There are a multitude of accommodation options, and your choice will be influenced by both your budget and your inclination. For more see: http://indietravelpodcast.com/preparation/travel-accommodation-options/

Auckland, known as the "City of Sails" is New Zealand's largest city. It's surrounded by sea and is studded with volcanic mountains, and is a very pleasant place to live or visit -- it ranked third in the 2011 Worldwide Quality of Living Survey, up from previous years. This Auckland podcast covers: Layout Transport Accommodation Events Things to do For more information visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/oceania/new-zealand/

Is it safe to travel in Asia? It sure is! But there are risks to mitigate. We give you the low-down on the best health and safety advice for travel in Asia. http://indietravelpodcast.com/travel-safety/health-safety-asia-safe-travel-asia/ This first half of this podcast deals with health concerns, while the second looks at safety and security issues. See the new book at http://travelsafetybook.com/ for more in-depth coverage.

Looking at our highlights from 2011, we realise we have a lot to be thankful for. Most of all, thanks to you — the Indie Travel Podcast Community — for inspiring us, for funding us, for talking to us every day. If it wasn’t for you, Indie Travel Podcast would have died a long time ago. Instead, it’s growing. Listen to this podcast about our travel resolutions for 2012, and how 2011 went for Indie Travel Podcast.

Want to volunteer, but don't want to pay high "voluntourism" fees? This week we uncover a great opportunity to volunteer in Chile, with a government-backed project to put native- and proficient-English speakers into Chilean classrooms. You can travel Chile in 2012 without having to find more money than paying for the plane tickets. In this interview we speak with Dave Hanegraaff from PROGRAMA INGLÉS ABRE PUERTAS, or English Opens Doors -- he tells his story of volunteering in Chile, and also how you can get involved in 2012 and beyond. For more details, see http://indietravelpodcast.com/chile/volunteer-chile-english-opens-doors/

The Camino de Santiago is a famous pilgrimage walk. In this podcast, we discuss planning for the Camino Frances & Via de la Plata. In this podcast we first talk about the Passports with Purpose fundraiser which we're supporting, then planning for the Camino de Santiago -- and how you can do it too.

South America in four months? That's what we've just done! Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay -- we talk about it in this podcast. For more details head to http://indietravelpodcast.com/brazil/south-america-four-months/

We talk about some of our favourite visits to England; give some tips on how to save money as you travel around the country; and finish up with 10 things to do, from our England travel resources page. http://indietravelpodcast.com/europe/england/

With holiday travel season approaching, we talk about staying sane while travelling over the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year holiday time. Family can be stressful enough, but the huge numbers of people doing "vacation travel" over late November, December and early January definitely adds lots of stress to family events. And nobody needs more of that.

Looking for a volunteer experience with a difference? Take a look into Cloudhead.org if you're heading through Northern Argentina.

It's been some time since we've highlighted the best of the travel gear we are carrying. While there are thousands of new product releases each year, there's only so much stuff you can fit into a carry-on sized bag, so everything we carry is carefully considered in terms of both utility and weight. We cover: * Electronics * Clothing * Packs and bags * Equipment and other stuff * Things we don't carry We also have a new-look website at the same address: http://indietravelpodcast.com/ Please send in your feedback.

Paraguay travel advice from independent travellers who have just been. We cover visas, Ciudad del Este, Encarnacion, the Jesuit ruins and the capital of Paraguay, Asuncion. Our world fact book claims that Paraguay and Bolivia have a very similar GDP, but our experience of Paraguay was that it was much more affluent and faster-growing than its andean neighbour. There seems to be more indigent people living in Asuncion than the other cities we visited, and there are large areas of farmland that provide little more than sustenance living for its workers ... so maybe those stats are true. All in all, we felt very safe travelling in Paraguay, even when walking the streets in the late evening or on long bus trips. While we've heard reports of some scams, we encountered none at all. We never felt threatened, hassled or oversold because we were foreigners ... which was a nice contrast with our time in Bolivia. Paraguay's a great destination, with lots more to see. There are wonderful natural sites, an intriguing and accessible modern history, and is very well priced. I really don't know why more people don't visit, so plan to go soon before tourism really picks up.

We recently travelled from Buenos Aires, Argentina through Uruguay to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with Intrepid Travel. It was a fast and fun 17 days with lots of great stops along the way. In this podcast we break down the itinerary with our own comments and give the feedback we feel most important when considering this trip as part of the tour or independently. We visit: Argentina * Buenos Aires Uruguay * Colonia * Montevideo * An estancia * Salto Brazil * Foz Do Iguacu * Paraty * Ihla grande * Rio de Janeiro

We talk about some of the oldest -- and newest -- tricks in the book for travel scams, cons, and how you can safeguard against them. For more, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/travel-safety/travel-scams-cons/

Things to do in Kangaroo Island, South Australia ... Well know to many Aussies, this doesn't feature highly on international agendas ... perhaps because people don't know about it. For more (and photos!) visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/australia/things-to-do-kangaroo-island/

Uruguay is an excellent country to explore independently. The long-distance buses run frequently and are clean and comfortable, and there are lots of hotels and hostels to choose from throughout the country. That said, we recently travelled through on a tour and learnt a lot from that experience too. This travel podcast covers places to go in Uruguay was well as independent travel and intrepid tours through Uruguay.

What are the best ways to learn a language while you are travelling? What are the keys to success when learning a language? For more, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/ If you're learning a language to travel, your main goal will be communication … speaking! No matter how much you read or how many grammar activities you do, or how much vocabulary you understand … if you want to speak to people, you have to speak. We've been teaching English as a Second Language since 2003, and over the last two years have been learning Spanish. We've seen what works and what doesn't, and can recognise the same successes and failures in our own language learning. Here's the gist of what we've learned.

Trip planning for couples can be tricky, but we share everything you need to know to travel without fighting ... from dreaming to planning the trip. For more, see: http://indietravelpodcast.com/preparation/planning-couples-travel/ We talk about dreaming, creating a plan, and the four points to help you frame your next trip: 1. Time 2. Non-negociables. 3. Destinations. 4. Money

Best cities in Australia - Australia is a huge country, but most of the population and action are centred in its cities -- each with its distinct personality. We cover: Perth Adelaide Melbourne Sydney, and Brisbane For more, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/australia/best-cities-australia/ or http://indietravelpodcast.com/oceania/australia/

How do you choose the best flight? If you're travelling long-term, you'll probably need to book several. These notes help you choose the right flight. We discuss: 1. Price 2. Airline 3. Flight arrival/departure times 4. Extra benefits ...and our first few hours in Buenos Aires, Argentina. For more information, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/flights/choose-best-flight/

How to prepare for long-term travel ... on the third time around. Craig and Linda have had a few months at home, and show you how they prepare for another 18 months away. For more, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/travel/preparing-travel/ WITH: Bonus ending interview with the Social Media Syndicate Mongol Rally 2011 team from Prague, Czech Republic.

How to do La Tomatina 2011 - the world's biggest tomato fight in Valencia, Spain. This podcast looks at preparation and what you might expect to see and do on the day of La Tomatina, based on our experiences in 2010. For more visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/spain/how-to-la-tomatina-valencia/

We speak with Adventurists co-founder Tom Morgan about the start of the Mongol Rally and the other adventures to have come from it. Then, with Dave and Deb from the Planet D, who are participants in this years' rally as part of the Social Media Syndicate. http://indietravelpodcast.com/mongolia/mongol-rally-planning-tom-morgan-planetd/ for more.

Cheap things to do while you travel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia including Royal Palace, FCC club, Phnom Wat and cultural documentaries. For more, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/asia/cambodia/

The Rugby World Cup 2011 is coming to New Zealand. We talk transport, accommodation, parties and rundown the centres hosting world cup rugby games to help your travel planning. For more, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/new-zealand/rugby-world-cup-2011-podcast/

Travel photography podcast with Ralph Velasco, where we discuss composition time, shot lists, people and permission, and other travel photo advice. More at http://indietravelpodcast.com/photography/

The best cities in Europe to travel through, including unusual cities like Tallinn, Utrecht, Goteborg, Sofia and Vienna as well as London, Paris and Amsterdam. For more, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/travel/best-cities-europe-travel/

In this podcast we speak with Vera Marie Badertscher about the life and times of Quincy Tahoma, a 20th century Navajo artist. As we talk, we explore the Navajo nation and how visitors can see the influences and works of Tahoma as they travel in America's Southwest. For more information, visit: http://indietravelpodcast.com/usa/travel-navajo-nation-quincy-tahoma For Vera's book, visit: http://tahomablog.com

Wine tourism is one of the reasons we love to travel! We tell stories about our wine tasting adventures on five continents in this travel and wine podcast. In this podcast we tell stories from: Champagne, France Swan Valley and Margaret River, Australia Auckland, New Zealand Battambang, Cambodia Malta Savoie and the French Alps, France Neusiedl am See, Austria St Anna am Aigen, Austria Montevideo, Uruguay Gibbston Valley, New Zealand Ica, Peru Cafayate, Argentina and give some general wine-tasting tips. For shownotes, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/malta/wine-tasting-travel And all our wine week stories at http://indietravelpodcast.com/travel/wine-week-2011/

What is Couchsurfing, how to Couchsurf, and is couchsurfing safe ... Advice from years of couchsurfing, new friends and free accommodation around the world. For more, visit: http://indietravelpodcast.com/travel/how-to-couchsurfing/

Travel the Bay of Islands, Northland, New Zealand with things to do, where to stay and how to get there as an independent traveller. Spring, summer and autumn all offer plenty to the visitor, although the high season is definitely over the Christmas period: from December until early February. If you are visiting during winter, take a look at the things to do on a rainy day and the historic places ... Because most of the sports are right out. For more, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/new-zealand/bay-islands-do-stay-travel/

Would you consider driving a third of the way around the world with strangers for two months over some of the toughest terrain on the planet? Does this sound like torture to you? It might once you discover their music tastes. Even the most intrepid travelers may shun this idea, but for four over forty travel bloggers this is just another adventure in their already crazy year of travels. For more, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/mongolia/2011-mongol-rally-ultimate-summer-road-trip/

This is our biggest podcast ever, and cover all sorts of hints, tips and tricks for saving money and having a blast while you travel in Europe this Summer. Shownotes will soon appear on http://indietravelpodcast.com but it's a really late night! Enjoy the show.

No-one wants to imagine an earthquake or flood ruining their travels (or happening at all!) but travel safety advice can help you survive a natural disaster. Craig Bidois, today's guest from Fearfree.co.nz, has trained over 15,000 people in travel security, from soldiers in the Middle East to humanitarian workers in Africa. We speak with Craig about travel safety and surviving a natural disaster. For more, visit: http://indietravelpodcast.com/travel/travel-safety-natural-disaster/

Learn about teaching English in South Korea with Valerie & Griffin Stewart. They've been teaching in Korea for 18 months experiencing expat life, well-paid work and travel. Valerie has written a book about their findings: Coming to Korea: A Practical Guide For Getting An English Teaching Job in Korea And What To Expect. For more, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/south-korea/teach-english-south-korea/ For Valerie's book, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/links/comingtokorea

The best places to visit in South America, as chosen by Indie Travel Podcast hosts, Craig and Linda. Our favourite places and places we still want to visit in South America. For full shownotes, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/brazil/best-places-south-america/ For more about South America, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/south-america/ This episode focuses on Chile, Peru, Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia with notes on Paraguay, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil and mentions of Guyana, French Guyana and Suriname.

This New Zealand travel itinerary will help you plan a breakneck journey through many of New Zealand's highlights in just four weeks. For more, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/oceania/new-zealand Produced for #blog4nz. See http://facebook.com/blog4nz for more info.

Learn how to manage your miles and stop frequent flyer miles expiring in our interview with the experts at AwardWallet. Frequent Flyer Miles are becoming a hot topic of conversation as more young travellers look for ways to bankroll their RTW tickets without putting down cash. This week we speak with the crew from AwardWallet, who are currently tracking around 8,500,000,000 miles and rewards points. 8,500,000 miles sounds like a lot, but they estimate more than 10 trillion miles are currently sitting unused in people's frequent flyer accounts. Combined, that's an awful lot of travel. Learn more about how to manage, earn and stop your frequent flyer miles from expiring by visiting http://indietravelpodcast.com/. Further resources: http://indietravelpodcast.com/miles http://indietravelpodcast.com/travelhacking

We recently spent three weeks in Mui Ne, a beach town in Vietnam, about four to five hours in the bus from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). It's a lovely town although quite touristy, but worth a visit if you're in the area. For more information and links, please visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/vietnam/travel-mui-ne-vietnam/

After five years of full-time travel, hosts Craig and Linda Martin take a few minutes to reminisce and highlight some favourite moments from their travels. Highlights include: * Camino de Santiago, Spain * Perth, Australia * Istanbul, Bursa and Cappadocian cities, Turkey * Flitting around Europe - Austria and Czech Republic get a focus each * Couchsurfing in South America * Road-trips in New Zealand * Favourite natural attractions * Favourite man-made attractions For more, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/travel/five-years-fulltime-travel/ or listen to the podcast!

Travel photography is one of those things that can make or break your memories of a trip. And we're not talking about boring your friends and family to death once you get home. We're talking about how you take photos while you're on the road.

The Via Alpina hike runs over 5,000km through eight European countries. We speak with adventurer and author Brandon Davis about his experiences on the trail and slow travel in Europe.

In the last podcast we talked about how awesome South Australia is, but we ran out of time just talking about Adelaide and Kangaroo Island. And there's even more to the state than that! Northwest of Adelaide is the Eyre Peninsula, where you can swim with sharks or tuna, visit national parks, ancient caves and the Nullarbor Plain among other adventures. If you're looking for places called Eyre (perhaps you're a Charlotte Brontë fan?) Lake Eyre might be worth a visit. The lake is dry for most of the time but occasionally fills with water, especially after times of heavy rain in the north. The flooding in Queenstown this year and last has meant that the lake has had water in it for the last couple of years, and in 2008 we were lucky enough to see the lake for ourselves. If you don't have pilots as family members you can do a scenic flight from Coober Pedy, William Creek, Marree, Adelaide or even Brisbane, though it's a rather expensive day out. You could also choose a tour by 4x4 that takes you to the edge of the lake to see it from the ground. For more, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/

Let's be honest - South Australia isn't Australia's biggest drawcard. The states of New South Wales and Victoria host the biggest and most vibrant cities, Queensland has the Gold and Sunshine Coasts, and the Northern Territory has Uluru to draw people in. Even Western Australia has the advantage of being a short flight to many Asian cities, so is a popular stopover on the way to the eastern states. But South Australia is there in the middle, largely ignored by tourists to the country. That's okay though, they're the ones missing out! There's a lot to do in South Australia, and we're not just saying that because it's packed with wine regions. Adventure sports are on the rise, and there's plenty of opportunity to get up close and personal with the wildlife.

Some small travel items are essentials, others are luxuries. Choose the ones that will work for you. For more information, links and photos, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com.

We couldn't resist a little navel-gazing as 2010 finished up. In this podcast we relive our favourite moments in each country we spent time in this year. (There's no photos in this episode due to time constraints. Apologies!)

Round-the-world travel is nothing unusual for Kiwi, Dave Dean. He tells us about his travel in Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania. For more information, please see http://indietravelpodcast.com/travel/roundtheworld-travel-dave-dean/ Dave's website is: http://whatsdavedoing.com

London is, quite simply, an amazing city: a meltingpot of cultures and experiences. It’s the home of dozens of world-class galleries as well as boasting thousands of excellent restaurants, theatres, fashion houses and attractions. London is a sprawling metropolis that grew up along the banks of the River Thames, which weaves through the city like a serpent. The M25 motorway marks the outermost boundaries of the city, but most of the city's attractions are a lot more central. Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben are located on the northern bank of the river, with the London Eye and the aquarium just on the other side. A wander along Southbank will take you past a wide variety of theatres and galleries, and you’ll soon see the Tower of London (on the north side) and Tower Bridge. From Big Ben, Mayfair and Hyde Park are to the west, Regent's Park is to the northwest, the City of London is along the river to the east, and Greenwich (of Greenwich Mean Time fame) is to the southeast. For more, please visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/europe/england or http://indietravelpodcast.com/england/london-travel-guide/

Laos is a truly beautiful country, with high, mist-covered mountains dropping into steep river valleys. We were lucky to have a lightening-fast 10-day tour through Northern Thailand and Laos. And we loved it... We had no problems checking out of Thailand, and caught a small boat across the river to Laos. Border control there was hectic and badly organised but, although it took forever, we had no hassles. Every ATM in the country was out of operation for the first two days were were in Laos, so we were glad Dave had recommended we carry cash in from Thailand. For photos and video, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/laos/travel-laos-luang-prabang-vientiene

Travel can be stressful, physically, mentally and emotionally. You're constantly moving, and being exposed to new foods and diseases, which puts stress on your body. Your mind is being exercised as well, as you plan your trip and deal with challenges as they arrive - maybe you have to speak a new language, or alter your plans at the last minute. All of these stressors will have an impact on your emotional health, which is subject to its own problems - after all, you have to interact with people, which can be tough on your emotions. For more, visit

World travel as a way to cut down your debt? That's exactly what this family started doing a few years ago. We talk family travel, work and travel and debt reduction. When they set off, the plan was to work in Cairns, Australia and make the most of the amazing diving opportunities right next to their apartment. What they didn't realise was that having a "dependent" (a child, in non-government parlance) meant they couldn't get the work and holiday visas they were relying on. With no time to change their plans, they still went to Australia hoping to make something work. It was next to impossible, so they moved down to Auckland, New Zealand where they were quickly able to find work and -- although the diving didn't happen -- a lifestyle. Travelling from there the three of them found a workable pattern of travel and Baker put a pile of work into his personal finance blog, Man Vs Debt. The family proved it was possible to cut down their US consumer debt and travel the world with a child. To read more, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com

Travel Cambodia with us: we visit Phnom Penh, Battambang, Phnom Penh and cross borders on the way to and from Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok.

If you travel for any length of time, it's likely that at some point you'll encounter rain. Be prepared for it. A lightweight or heavy-duty jacket. If you're heading into summer, just pack a lightweight shell for emergencies. But if you'll be spending a winter or a rainy season somewhere, get a really good waterproof layer. Goretex is a good choice. Consider something that has a warm inner shell and a waterproof outer shell, then you can mix and match depending on the weather. An umbrella. Definitely not an essential, but if you plan on spending a lot of time in cities it might be worth carting one around. I like to be able to put it up and down without changing my clothes or carrying around a wet jacket (for some reason, a wet umbrella isn't as bad). We just have one between the two of us. For more, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com

Two subjects today: Denver, Colorado and community-centered tourism with Milan Doshi from the Queen Anne BnB located in the city. We talk about waste and ecological developments in hospitality then move on and get a great overview of things to see and do in the "mile high city".

Washing your clothes while travelling is something you'll have to do if you're travelling for more than a week. And even if you're travelling for a week, you can pack lighter if you're prepared to do a little bit of washing along the way. The most important thing to remember when travelling is to pack light. This means you need to take fewer clothes, but you should also consider what each item weighs, and how easy it will be to wash - and of course, since you will have fewer clothes with you, you'll need to wash what you do have more often. Avoid very heavy things like jeans and bulky jumpers, as they are hard to wash and even harder to dry. Leave the big towel at home and pack a sports or travel towel, which takes up a fraction of the space and dries quickly. If you're going somewhere cold, the trick is layering. Pack lightweight trousers and thermal underwear to put under them. Instead of one thick jumper, pack three thin ones - it'll weigh the same or less, you can rearrange them for a change of wardrobe, and they'll dry so much faster when you wash them. For more, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/

Scandinavia is a fantastic region of the world. We'd been wanting to spend time there for a while, and apart from a weekend in Helsinki in 2007, didn't manage to get there until earlier this year. Mostly, we'd been put off by prices - we'd heard that everything was expensive, especially accommodation, transport and alcohol, and this had been proven correct during our brief time in Finland. But thanks to eurail.com and couchsurfing.org, we managed to have a great time on a leaner budget than we'd expected. For more, and links to everything we talk about in this show, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/

Benny the Irish Polyglot isn't your typical crazy Irishman. He spends his time completing language missions and currently speaks eight languages. Learn how to learn a language with Benny. When he graduated from university with a degree in electronic engineering, he was fluent in only one language - English. He'd studied German at school, but didn't get anywhere with it, and after six months living in Spain was in a similar situation. But one day, he made a dramatic decision - he *really* decided to learn Spanish. He cut English out of his life as much as possible (he still had to work and talk to his parents) and spent the rest of the time speaking Spanish. It was the start of an epic journey. Benny learned that the big secret to learning a language is to speak the language from day one. Don't wait until you're "ready" - you'll never feel ready. But you can communicate immediately, using what you have. In Spain, he used his body and extrapolated new words from ones he knew and ones other people used. He learned that it's important to be confident and social. Just start talking to people with confidence and it will seem like you speak better than you actually can. To start, learn some phrases (Benny likes Lonely Planet phrasebooks) and leave the grammar to later - the point isn't to speak perfectly, it's to communicate. Break each task into small pieces and use creativity to help you learn - singing, for example, will help you remember phrases faster. It can be difficult to get around the problem of people wanting to practice their English by talking with you, but it's possible. Benny always helps them by explaining how they can improve their Enlgish (websites, couchsurfing etc.) but he explains it in their language - giving him more chance to speak his target language. Download Benny's book from http://indietravelpodcast.com/fluent

Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and the second most-visited city in the UK - and for good reason. Our Edinburgh travel guide features Edinburgh-based travel writer Andy Hayes.