Top tipper: Alison/ AliD
Been there is all about the people, so each week we will be introducing you to some of our more prolific tipsters. Alison is from Lancaster but her travels have taken her far afield - especially during a year she spent traversing the globe. Read Alison's travel tips here
Read about our other tippers by clicking here
We would like to meet you too, so if you would like to share your travel experiences with the Been there community, email us on been.there@guardian.co.uk
How old are you? 41
Where is your hometown? Lancaster
What's your travel history? I have never lived abroad but I spent the year of 06/07 travelling. I prefer local hostels so that you can get a sense of a place and meet the locals. Having said that, the nameless, faceless hotels with a huge bath and room service are a real treat after days of travelling!
A lot of your tips come from South America - is that a place you went to for any particular reason? Can you tell us a little bit about your travels there? I went travelling for a year with my partner on 06/07, we did a round the world trip and went to South America as a natural follow on from a love of Spain, speaking a little Spanish and not wanting to visit northern America on that particular trip. The thing that really struck me was the serenity of the locals, particularly in Peru and Ecuador and how proud they are of their indigenous communities. This was particularly startling having visited Australia and New Zealand and found a totally different reception to their indigenous communities.
If you had to sum up your travelling style in three words what would you say? Adventurous, safe, inquisitive
Where are you planning to go to next and why? Hoping to go to Cuba, because we were unable to get into Cuba on our world trip and want to go to experience the country before it changes too much which I think it will over the next five years. I have never yet visited a communist country and am fascinated by its history. Love the music. I'll be steering well clear of the all inclusive Thompson holidays side of the island though.
Where is your favourite view? Sailing across from the mainland to Islay on a clear day looking towards the paps of Jura. (Hebrides)
Do you feel like your life has been enhanced through travelling? My life has definately been enhanced. I think travelling opens your eyes to the reality of the world in which we live. Our existence is only a microcosm of what is actually happening worldwide and how people live. I am enriched, saddened, enlivened, humbled and more by experiences I have had and people I have met as I have travelled. I have met with nothing but kindness and helpfulness by the local people I have interacted with.
I don't go with certain expectations and indeed don't always do the thing that you 'should' do. On a recent trip to Italy I did not visit Pompeii but instead spent a fantastic afternoon hearing all about the life of the local restaurant owner whose father and grandfather had had a beach hut on the site for years before him.
I have always known that I was an activist when it came to learning and I have found that my world history and geography is greatly enhanced by my travelling.
Describe a weekend day in your hometown. Leisurely breakfast with the papers and some real coffee, finally put some clothes on, head off for a walk in the trough of bowland, back to warm in front of the real fire with my book and then off out to a friends dinner party for food, wine and usually some silliness!
Can you tell us about your best moment travelling? My most recent was a night in my lovely VW campervan (Vita) just before I had to sell her on a sunny August evening. Headed off to the Lake District and found a very unofficial spot to camp by the side of Windermere. We were the only van there, had a little beach area to ourselves where we had a BBQ, lit tons of candles, ate and drank as we watched the sun go down and just spent a delightful evening listening to the sounds of the lake and the wildlife, for free, only an hour away from home. Bliss!
Ipod or book? Book
Most essential item? Pegless washing line
Luxury? A bath
Read about our other tippers by clicking here
We would like to meet you too, so if you would like to share your travel experiences with the Been there community, email us on been.there@guardian.co.uk
How old are you? 41
Where is your hometown? Lancaster
What's your travel history? I have never lived abroad but I spent the year of 06/07 travelling. I prefer local hostels so that you can get a sense of a place and meet the locals. Having said that, the nameless, faceless hotels with a huge bath and room service are a real treat after days of travelling!
A lot of your tips come from South America - is that a place you went to for any particular reason? Can you tell us a little bit about your travels there? I went travelling for a year with my partner on 06/07, we did a round the world trip and went to South America as a natural follow on from a love of Spain, speaking a little Spanish and not wanting to visit northern America on that particular trip. The thing that really struck me was the serenity of the locals, particularly in Peru and Ecuador and how proud they are of their indigenous communities. This was particularly startling having visited Australia and New Zealand and found a totally different reception to their indigenous communities.
If you had to sum up your travelling style in three words what would you say? Adventurous, safe, inquisitive
Where are you planning to go to next and why? Hoping to go to Cuba, because we were unable to get into Cuba on our world trip and want to go to experience the country before it changes too much which I think it will over the next five years. I have never yet visited a communist country and am fascinated by its history. Love the music. I'll be steering well clear of the all inclusive Thompson holidays side of the island though.
Where is your favourite view? Sailing across from the mainland to Islay on a clear day looking towards the paps of Jura. (Hebrides)
Do you feel like your life has been enhanced through travelling? My life has definately been enhanced. I think travelling opens your eyes to the reality of the world in which we live. Our existence is only a microcosm of what is actually happening worldwide and how people live. I am enriched, saddened, enlivened, humbled and more by experiences I have had and people I have met as I have travelled. I have met with nothing but kindness and helpfulness by the local people I have interacted with.
I don't go with certain expectations and indeed don't always do the thing that you 'should' do. On a recent trip to Italy I did not visit Pompeii but instead spent a fantastic afternoon hearing all about the life of the local restaurant owner whose father and grandfather had had a beach hut on the site for years before him.
I have always known that I was an activist when it came to learning and I have found that my world history and geography is greatly enhanced by my travelling.
Describe a weekend day in your hometown. Leisurely breakfast with the papers and some real coffee, finally put some clothes on, head off for a walk in the trough of bowland, back to warm in front of the real fire with my book and then off out to a friends dinner party for food, wine and usually some silliness!
Can you tell us about your best moment travelling? My most recent was a night in my lovely VW campervan (Vita) just before I had to sell her on a sunny August evening. Headed off to the Lake District and found a very unofficial spot to camp by the side of Windermere. We were the only van there, had a little beach area to ourselves where we had a BBQ, lit tons of candles, ate and drank as we watched the sun go down and just spent a delightful evening listening to the sounds of the lake and the wildlife, for free, only an hour away from home. Bliss!
Ipod or book? Book
Most essential item? Pegless washing line
Luxury? A bath