By FOMO Girl
Busabout are youth travel tour operators, which offer "freestyle" travel adventures through Europe to a predominately younger customer base, with the majority of their passengers in the 18-35 year old range. Established in 1998, this company's main goal is to provide a convenient mode of transportation throughout the most exciting cities in Europe, with the traveler ultimately being free to choose how long he or she stays in each location and what to see when there.

The Busabout Hop-On Hop-Off system does not offer a guided tour to specific attractions, but rather provides a bus service that runs from May to October, every other day. Travelers can simply book their travel days on which they wish to use the bus service one day ahead and need only board in one location and get off at the next preferred stop on their chosen itinerary and only visit those places that interest them. A guide is available on each bus trip to answer any questions travelers may have.

Each "Loop" offered by Busabout includes a specific set of stops, namely the main cities in most European countries popular with tourists such as France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Italy, and Spain. Trips are grouped into North, South, and West Loops that can be taken singularly or in combination with each other. It's also possible to embark upon some of Busabout's other special adventure tours from these cities.

Travelers must stay at each compulsory destination for a minimum of one night before they continue on their journey and two nights or more at each optional stop. They give customers the freedom to stay any odd number of nights at required stops and any even number of nights at those that are optional. If someone decides to stay on longer in a particular city, they can do so and just re-schedule his or her seat on the bus.

Vacationers have the liberty to stay wherever they wish. Many travelers choose to stay in various hostels, some of which are recommended by Busabout and even offer pick-up or drop-off service at them. These accommodations can be booked through the company's website and are all of a certain standard, clean, comfortable, and convenient.

At the start of a customer’s journey, Busabout gives every traveler a helpful travel guide with a comprehensive list of interesting places to see, things to do, and great places to eat in each destination city. These may include cultural or historical points of interest, walking tours, rafting, nightclubs, and much more. The on-board guides can also tell people more about these places and activities and make reservations for those who are interested.

Busabout has expanded its service in recent years to include more traditional tours, which they call Busabout Adventures and Busabout Eastern Europe Treks.  Busabout Adventures trips include activities like Sailing in Croatia and island hopping around the Greek Islands.  Busabout Eastern Europe Treks include iconic cities, stunning scenery and vibrant cultures throughout countries like Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey. 

Busabout is also one of the big European Festivals Tour Operators and they have some great trips for all the major festivals like the Munich Oktoberfest and the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, as well as some lesser known festivals like Las Fallas in Valencia.

Most people who travel with Busabout are younger friends, singles, and couples who enjoy the opportunity to meet new people who share a common purpose of wanting to explore another part of the world and with whom they can possibly make plans with while there. There are usually many Australians traveling on this network since they are more familiar with what this company is all about, but travelers of any nationality and age are certainly welcome.

People who have traveled with Busabout youth travel tour operators have plenty of positive things to say about their experience with them. They appreciate not only the freedom of choice this form of transport offers but also the friendly and helpful guides, useful printed information which provides lots of good ideas of the best things to see and do, frequent food and washroom stops, and even appropriate movie selections which are played while enroute to the destination cities.

FOMO Travel has heaps of advice on Busabout on their website.  They also have plenty of information on Busabout deals and special offers.

By FOMO Girl
Festivals Travel is increasing each year in many parts of the world. Travelling is considered a right of passage by many people from all walks of life. Nowadays people are travelling from one place to another with an aim of attending a certain event or festival. Festivities take place all around the year and they attract a huge attendance and audience. Some of the major international or globally recognized festivals are the Oktoberfest, Rio Carnival, Running of the Bulls, Mardi Gras and Hogmanay.

A festival is basically an event or an occasion where people from all parts of the world meet up with an aim of socializing and really getting into the festivities of the occasion. People go to great lengths to attend these major festivals and a lot of income and finances is set aside by people to cater for the expenses incurred during such expeditions.

When an event is not nearby, it is necessary if planning to attend to make travel arrangements to get to the event and quite often this needs to be booked well in advance.  For this reason, many companies have been established to help recreational travelers to reach their destinations. One of the most popular tour companies that specialise  in the youth travel, as well as festivals travel markets, is called Contiki. Contiki runs tours to many festivals around the world with utmost ease and generally at a fairly low cost.

Another well-known tour company that operates tours to the above festivals is G Adventures. G Adventures is another tour company that specialises in adventure travel, but they also operate shorter festival trips. Their personnel who are in charge of these tours are very professionals and have years' experience in their work.

TGW Travel Group, also known as Tours Gone Wild, is an alternative tour company that offers excellent and superb services to all its clients. This is a company that has vast experience in Brazil and they are definately the Brazil and Rio Carnival specialists. Busabout is another popular tour company that operates tours to most of these major events and festivals.  All these companies provide accommodation and transportation for the above mentioned festivals.

The Youth Travel market is mostly the group of people who are potential customers to the above listed companies.  However, these events also target other specific audiences such as families, couples or even children.  For special types of customers such as disabled persons, special amenities have to be provided in addition to the ones present in the normal travel packages.

The cost of travelling varies depending on the means of transport used. Use of air transport is considered the most expensive as compared to alternative means such as road and rail transport. Most tour companies give a wide range of options to their clients and customers on various means to move from one place to the other.

Festivals Travel will continue to grow and expand in the coming years with more and more people expected to attend these international festivities. As the customers for this service increase, so will the income from the above business.

FOMO Travel are the Festival and Events Travel specialists and they provide a wide array of information on the major festivals and events from across the globe.

By FOMO Girl
People who want to attend festivals travel to some of the most exotic places in the world. Many countries have annual celebrations that attract visitors from all around the globe. There is typically an abundance of mouth watering food and plenty to drink at these festivities. Most of them have parades that lure thousands of costumed revelers to the streets for dancing and singing to blaring music.

One of the most well known and popular festivals anywhere is Carnival, in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. In late February to early March each year, thousands of revelers from around the globe don costumes and join in the parades. This week long party is about people, dancing, and samba music. Everyone is there to have unlimited fun while experiencing this flamboyant affair.

TGW Travel Group customizes trip packages according to the preferences of its clients. They want to be sure that everyone is entertained day and night. Packages can include the costs for airfare, lodging, transportation, admission into nightclubs, and a consultation about all the best parties in the area. Spain, Brazil, and Argentina are also favorite destinations of their clients.

Another famous carnival that rivals the one in South America is the Carnevale in Venice, Italy. There are huge and grandly produced balls and parties. This gala is known for the extravagant and intricately designed masks everyone wears.

The United States celebrates its biggest carnival, Mardi Gras, on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday every year. It is held in New Orleans, Louisiana. Besides the infamous parade throughout the city and festivities on Bourbon Street, it is a great venue to overindulge on greasy foods and sweet alcoholic beverages.

Drinking is the favorite activity in Munich, Germany when it hosts its annual Oktoberfest. The steins overflow with local brews during the end of September and first week of October. Almost 7 million fans of Bavarian beer and food visit each year. The celebration that lasts for 16 days is the biggest of its kind in the world.  Busabout is a travel company who offers several affordable trips to the festivities in Munich. They have packages for the budget minded traveler that can include airfare along with accommodations within walking distance of the Beerfest.  They even provide breakfasts and give you a free drink on arrival.

Spain has many fun festivals that are very popular to attend. The most well known occurs every July, when the annual Running of the Bulls takes place in the streets of Pamplona. The excitement begins when the bulls are herded onto the streets to chase the young men who are brave or crazy enough to run with them. There are usually more than a dozen or more runners injured before the bulls finally enter the ring for the afternoon bullfights.

One of the two annual events that have attendees looking skyward is the Lantern Festival in Pingxi, Taiwan. The night sky is lit up from the glow of thousands of lanterns hovering above. The night of merriment takes place in February.  The other one takes place every October when people from all over travel to Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States for the biggest hot air balloon fiesta worldwide. It began in 1972 with only 13 balloons. Over the years its popularity forced officials to limit entries to 600. Other attractions include balloon related games and stunts.

People attending these and other festivals travel hundreds to thousands of miles each year. They come from all age groups, with the majority being young people aged 18-35 years old. The main point of going is to experience the different cultures and joining together to have a good time.

FOMO Travel are your festival travel specialists and they have an awesome section of their website dedicated to Festival and Events Travel.  You should check it out if you are considering attending one of these must-do festivals somewhere in the world.

By Abby Cassinia
Spain is a fabulous holiday destination and the fact that a few years back it was the second most visited country in the world after France gives you an indication of its popularity. Its mild climate, its sandy beaches, its entertainment hot spots, nightlife and festivals ensure Spain remains a sparkling gem in the tourism crown.

Of the many festivals in Spain, it is the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona that pricks my interest the most. Apparently anyone over 18 can jump right in and take part. You just have to understand the few simple rules and abide by them.

I love risk and a challenge and the thought of running in front of snorting, angry and frenzied bulls that have been let loose on a sectioned-off course spelled excitement and daring.  It is something that I've always watched on TV with deep fascination. This year I made sure that I had booked my turn for the Pamplona Running of the Bulls and July 6 to July 14 had been firmly circled on my calendar for me to get to the renowned San Fermin Festival.

There are bull run events in plenty of towns and cities across Spain, but it is the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona during the San Fermin Festival that is most famous around the world. I fortunately did my homework and discovered that during the Pamplona Bull Festival hotels in Pamplona can be expensive. As an alternative you can camp and there are companies that do Pamplona tours where they plan everything for you, including transport, tent and breakfast. I was booked into a hotel known as Gran Hotel La Perla which was a perfect choice for me simply because it had a balcony and looked down on the TTT, the very road where the bulls would come thundering by.  

The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona is a totally chaotic experience, some would say it is for the insane. I wanted to be insane just this once, envisioning the faces of friends and family back home when I relayed the events. One thing is for sure, my friend and I were intending to be part of the weeklong party and the ongoing flow of traditional sangria.

There is heaps to do in Pamplona during San Fermin and parties start during the day go on throughout the night. There are lots of trendy little bars and restaurants for you to catch a bite during the Pamplona San Fermin Festival but tapas is perfect for snacks to keep you going any time during the day and can be eaten hot or cold. Nobody can predict how events will turn out and this is the spice of the entire event. The running of the bulls takes place every day with each race lasting about three minutes and starts at 8am in the morning.  There is different sorts of parades going on all throughout the day and fireworks happen every night around 11pm.

When it finally came time for me to run with the bulls, well lets just say that I sort of chickened out!  However, I must say I was appalled to see people simply pounding over others who had tripped or fallen in front of them and opted to just be a spectator.  I mean people have died in these runs you know.  My friends and I stayed for the full seven days, which ended with everyone gathering at the City Hall and singing a song called “Pobre de Mi” or “Poor Me”, indicating that the San Fermin Festival was over for another year.

Pamplona is a great place to walk around and soak up the music, the people, and the atmosphere.  The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona should be on your bucket list if you, like me, want to be part of something that is utterly unique and above all, enormous fun.

by FOMO Girl
It has become the most internationally renowned festival in Spain, with over 1 million people attending each year between 6 and 14 July. It has been immortalized in literature by Ernest Hemingway and it is an explosive, passionate and occasionally gory festival that is an important element of Spanish heritage. 

It is of course, the festival of San Fermin in the city of Pamplona in Spain, although most people around the world refer to the event as the Pamplona Bull Run, or just simply Pamps. While its most famous event is the 'encierro', or the running of the bulls, this weeklong celebration involves many other traditional events and is held in honour of St Fermin, one of the patron saints of the area.

Every July hundreds of mad Spaniards and tourists run through the streets trying to get out of the way of these rampant bulls, down an 825-metre (0.51 mile) stretch of narrow streets of a section of the old town of Pamplona. The actual running of the bulls involves people running in front of six bulls and another six steers. Yes, you know the scene - you have seen it on the news every year.

The encierro is an experience even just for spectators and is a spectacle that is defined by the level of risk and the physical ability of the runners. The encierro is run each morning at 8am between 6 and 14 July and is one of the highlights of the entire San Fermin Festival.

At noon on 6 July the festival commences with the setting off a chupinazo, or firecracker, from a city hall balcony. There are literally tens-of-thousands of people celebrating the start of the festival around the city hall square.

On 7 July thousands of people accompany the 15th-century statue of Saint Fermin through the old part of Pamplona.

Each morning of the festival there is the parade of giants and big heads. These giants figures are amazingly more than 150 years old.

Between 7 and 14 July there is a bullfight at 6:30pm involving the six bulls that were driven to the bullring during the morning's Bull Run. While the bullring of the city is the fourth largest in the world, it is full every evening.

Every night a firework spectacle is held at the citadel park. Thousands of people watch the fireworks each night. It is best to get to the area early to get a good seat somewhere on the grass around the citadel.