Bookpacking’s Blog

 Romania; Brasov; Bran Castle

It seems that if the vampires don’t get you, the bears will. Romania is bear country, and as the snow falls we can only hope they’re all hibernating. We would be, if we had the choice. If you were watching A Place in the Sun the other week, you might have seen Brasov featured. A cottage in newly-developing Transylvania could be had for a paltry £12,000 and a couple of wannabe expats were checking it out.

The scene of a 1987 would-be revolution – prefiguring the later internal coup (and it was) that led to Caecescu’s execution in ‘89 – Brasov is only a couple of hours from Bucharest. It also has a ski field which recently topped a Post Office poll for value-for-money, and if Dracula Land ever takes off it’ll be number one on the global vampire tourist trail.

But before any property sharks relocate their real estate operation east – with a view to sucking the locals dry – they might want to think about the recession. Krakow is already experiencing a surplus of supply and a lack of demand in the tourist sector and one budget airline to cancel flights. When you have no money at all, even cheap is dear.

 England; Luton Airport

Budget airlines are steadily opening up the previously ignored east. Bad news for environmentalists, but good news for people in places like Sofia who want to pop down to the beach for the weekend. And who are we to deny people further east the pleasures we have so long taken for granted? Plus, sitting on the latest generation of Airbus, you can console yourself that flights are becoming ever more efficient.

And as these airlines run out of ‘new Barcelonas’ they’re carrying more and more business people and opening up trade links. After all, if we want people to come and fill the jobs we can’t/won’t take ourselves, then they’ve got to get here somehow?

Wizz Air has started a number of services from the UK to places like Timisoara in Romania, or Kiev in Ukraine. Ridiculously cheap seat sales – even artificially lower (how long can that last?) during the ‘downturn/recession/depression/crisis’ – have facilitated Bookpacking’s 2009 eastern odyssey.

Following in the footsteps of the ‘89 revolutions, we’re doing a tour to find out the state of the post-communist nation. We’ve been to the Czech and Slovak Republics; hung out in Hungary; snowboarded in Poland and stood at the famous Lenin shipyard gate; now Romania is calling. Sofia and Belgrade are on the itinerary too as we broaden our horizons.

Like most things in life, travel has its pros and cons. Yes, there’s an environmental price to pay. But maybe if we can find out a little more about ‘them’, and they can find out a little more ‘us’ – there’ll be a little more understanding in the world and that will pay a dividend?