Travel Notes- Romania
Some details to help you plan
| Blog | Romania is a new destination on our list but preparations have been developing over many years. You might like to look through my blog and the site journal for impressions and stories. |
| Workshops | Small sewing kit- bring a small kit- needles and scissors. Our hosts love to check out your sewing kits and anything you made. |
| A suggested art materials list will be supplied for sketching tours. | |
| Food | Food is an integral part of culture and we are there to try it all. Generally, during group meals we choose a range of dishes to share and look for local specialties as we go. |
| In Romania they generally cook from scratch using fresh ingredients so keeping track of what goes into your dinner is easy enough. | |
| Vegetarian? The Romanian Orthodox Church has lots of fasting days, which are vegetarian so there are often some options on menus | |
| Vegan- little more challenging – they love butter and cheese | |
| Health | Drink only filtered or bottled water- never local supply, even for cleaning your teeth |
| Check yourself- Drink at least 2 litres of WATER per day. You will feel better for it and less likely to have a funny tummy. | |
| See your Doctor or a Travel Specialist Doctor before you leave home for travel advice | |
| Bring adequate medical supplies to cover your needs and the prescription to verify their use | |
| Menstrual needs- tampons not easy to find. Pads available | |
| Money | Notify your bank you are going OS and to expect activity in which ever country, possibly transit lounges on the way, too. Otherwise they might flag unusual activity and block your card. |
| Travel Cards can be good for security of your accounts CHECK before you leave that they actually work. A number of times guests have had issues. | |
| GOOD to have a backup card hidden in your suitcase, so that if primary card/s don’t work or get lost you have a fall-back card. | |
| ATM– easy to get cash | |
| Cash to exchange- good back up but not always easy to exchange at a good rate. Ask at hotel front desk. | |
| Credit Cards in the developing world few places have the facilities to process credit card transactions | |
| Credit Cards expect an additional fee to cover high processing fees of developing world banks. Not always but it happens | |
| Shopping | It happens, there are treasures to find 😊 It helps the local economy. |
| If there are things you know you might want, for example carpets do some research. How much would an item back home cost? It will give some starting point in your mind. | |
| Bargaining is the general way to make a transaction in a market not in workshops or shops. Not experienced? Google it and practice, generally most prices are negotiable in the market place. NGOs and Social enterprises are generally fixed price. | |
| Suitcase | Easier to start with a normal size suitcase and bring a soft bag to carry any extra stuff you acquire rather than a huge suitcase. |
| Weather | At this time of year is warm in the daytime but perhaps evenings and mornings can be cool; a cardigan and socks appreciated |
| Power | Power – 240 volts, you need European adaptor plugs. |
| Clothing | Lightweight layers of clothing are good. Light, loose layers work well with the climate. Generally, I find 3 or 4 outfits sufficient, there is always the opportunity to pick up things along the way. Pack a pair of socks and cardigan for the cool of the morning. |
| Leave your expensive jewellery at home | |
| Shoes | Sensible walking shoes such as sneakers or strapped on sandals are the best options. Surfaces are often rough, and you really want your footing stable so you can focus on all the wonderful things everywhere to look at! |
| Laundry | Any stop for 2 nights is a good time to send out laundry. |
| Fitness | We get on and off the minibus every day, multiple times |
| Bazaars, monuments and just about everywhere BEG to be explored. You need to be able to walk comfortably for an hour or two to explore. Expect some steps. | |
| Begging? | Begging is generally not to be encouraged. Giving gifts of pens and lollies to children is encouraging them to learn a begging mentality [if you like to give a gift to children, we can hand it onto a school]. |
| Life is difficult – a few coins to a very old person or a handicapped person is very kind. | |
| Tipping? | If you enjoy the commentary of a guide, a performancer, take a photo of someone posing in the street etc it is customary to give them a tip |
| Set something aside for our driver – he will take us safely and comfortably through the adventure of many roads. Have someone from the group organize a thank you at the end of the trip and give this tip directly to the driver. Think about the equivalent of a cup of coffee back home/per person/per day. | |
| Step lightly on our environment, be frugal in water use, turn off power switches, take rubbish with you where possible. Say NO to Plastic! Please bring a cloth carry bag. |
At Creative Arts Safaris Tours we offer fully escorted, small group tours. CAS focuses on textiles, arts and culture and yummy local cuisine.
On tour we like to get our hands dirty taking workshops, exploring locations and culture. We like to include lots of local experiences.
Our friendly groups are inclusive. They are companionable and well organized allowing a relaxed adventure, great for solo travellers.
They include pickup & drop to airport, accommodation, group travel, sightseeing, workshops, and most meals. Almost everything EXCEPT the shopping – that is your job. Help the local economy.