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Our good friend Lana over at Nomaden Berlin has come up with some pretty good tips and tricks for visiting Berlin either before of after Oktoberfest, or Springfest (April 18th-May 7th). 

Oktoberfest in Munich is on millions of bucket lists around the world. Every year, approximately 6 million people descend on the Bavarian capital and merrily work their way through 7.7 million litres of Oktoberfest Beer. People come from far and wide, often travelling thousands of kilometres to attend the legendary 16-day festival. But why stop just at Munich? Especially when its edgy sister Berlin is just a cheap bus ride away. With its pulsating nightlife and one-of-a-kind culture, we can think of few better places than Berlin to hold your Oktoberfest pre-party.

Berlin nightlife

Since its inception over 200 years ago, Oktoberfest has revolved around celebrating and drinking beer. But before you don your Lederhosen and grab your beer stein, Berlin’s world-renowned nightclubs are sure to put you in the partying mood. The city really has something for everyone, from hardcore techno to chilled out reggae vibes. Being the epicentre of European nightlife, it can be difficult to know where to start, so here are a few of our favourites:

 

• Berghain – the Godfather of nightclubs. With an ultra-strict door policy, Berghain is perhaps the world’s most hallowed dancefloor. If you do get in, you’re guaranteed a night you’ll never forget.

• Wilde Renate & Kater Blau – these two venues are safe bets for a top-notch night. Playing primarily techno and house music, world-class DJs will keep you partying hour after hour.

• About Blank & OHM – these clubs are perfect for revellers who are looking for a slightly more hardcore techno scene.

• Yaam – the Young and African Arts Market is a beach club oasis serving up a perfect blend of street culture, music, food and arts.

• Club de Visionaere – riverside bar with a tremendous sun terrace. Be sure to check out their Sunday afternoon parties.

• Lido – a personal favourite of many live music lovers, Lido showcases some of the best bands the city has to offer. If you prefer live music to club nights, then Privatclub, Astra Kulturhaus and Festsaal Kreuzberg will also be right up your street.

 

Before arriving in Berlin, we recommend you check out Resident Advisor to see some of the events that are on during your stay.

Berlin by day

While Berlin is a nocturnal city for many party lovers, the city is a cultural haven by day. While the main tourist guides and blogs cover most of the obvious must-see sites (the Reichstag, the Brandburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial, the Victory Column, etc.), there are a number of alternative activities that can get you off the beaten tourist track:

• • The abandoned Spy Station in Gruenwald Forest. This place has got to be seen to be believed. While it may feel like you’ve entered a post-apocalyptic dystopia on arrival, you’ll soon be blown away by the incredible street art on display. Walk to the very top of the famous radomes and see spectacular views of Berlin and the surrounding area.
    

 

• Cycle around Tempelhofer Feld. Tempelhof is a former airport turned recreational nirvana in south-central Berlin. This vast public park is a popular meeting point for football players, kite flyers, BBQ’ing Berliners and everyone in between. Hire a bike (or anything else with wheels) and spend an afternoon flying down the main runway!
  

• The Soviet War Memorial in Treptow Park. Located in East Berlin, the Soviet War Memorial is often overlooked by tourists visiting Berlin. As well as a memorial for 80,000 Russian soldiers who died in WWII fighting to capture Berlin, it is also a cemetery for 7000 Russian soldiers. The immense statues are some of the finest you will see in Europe.
  

• Visit Mauerpark. On Sundays, Mauerpark is a hive of activity. Many of Berlin’s local bands showcase their music throughout the afternoon and there is a huge flea market if you fancy picking up a bargain during your stay. You can also give the mic a whirl yourself and belt out your favourite tune at the popular Bearpit Karaoke, an open-air karaoke party that draws in crowds of up to 2000 people.

 

The practical stuff

Whether you choose to visit Berlin before or after Oktoberfest, you can travel between the cities for as little as EUR 10. Flixbus put on approximately 50 buses between the two cities every single day and this is a much cheaper option than taking the Deutsche Bahn (train). You can also fly between Berlin’s Tegel Airport and Munich airport, with Easyjet, Lufthansa and Eurowings running a large number of daily flights.

Berlin is home to a wide-range of fantastic and sociable hostels. We recommend EastSeven Hostel or Heart of Gold hostel, both of which will guarantee you have a superb stay in Berlin. But finding accommodation at Oktoberfest can be much much trickier. With Munich hotels hiking their prices and an influx of people arriving in the city, Stoke Travel’s all-inclusive camping accommodation is by far the best value for money and most fun accommodation out there. For just EUR 60 a night, you get a pre-erected tent, sleeping bag and mattress as well as a hearty cooked breakfast and dinner. On top of this, you get access to some of the most raucous parties at the festival and an all-you-can-drink beer and sangria bar. Not bad if you ask me!

Fallen in love with Germany?

Fortunately, your German adventure doesn’t necessarily have to finish after Oktoberfest. Citizens of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan and Israel can apply for a Working Holiday Visa, which allows them to live and work in Germany for up to one year.

If you do fancy a longer-term stay in Germany, Nomaden Berlin can take care of all your relocation needs – the company is a Working Holiday package provider in Berlin, offering one-month city centre accommodation, German language courses, visa and admin support, job placement advice and event, tours and meetups throughout the year. With new opportunities for English speakers springing up in Berlin every day, now is the perfect time to spend a year in Europe’s coolest capital.

 

 

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Novice surfer, Peter Cooley, 26, has returned from a second stint at surf camp and is attempting to pass himself off as a big deal in the waves.

Cooley’s friend, Tom Jenkins, explains. “It started off innocent enough. He had a bit of a tan and his hair was lighter (we suspected he was squeezing lemon juice in it), but then he started wearing nothing but Hawaiian shirts, and this weird pukka shell necklace, so we knew he was trying to tell us something, you know? Then we were down the pub and some surfing came on the news, a contest in Hawaii or something, and the waves looked big and dangerous, and Pete starts calling the waves ‘sick’, talking about how he ‘misses getting pitted’ and how if he was there he would have ‘gotten shacked out of his mind’. I mean, I don’t know anything about surfing, but the guy’s surfed for two weeks total, max, in his entire life.”

It would appear that not only was Cooley trying to deceive his friends who had yet to surf with his talking up of his prowess, but it seemed like he’d almost believed it himself. “I mean, we love the guy so of course we called him on it,” continued Jenkins, “but he was sticking to his story. It’s like he really believed that he was capable of conquering the world’s most dangerous waves after a grand total of 20 hours learning the sport. At one point the news showed a particularly painful looking fall, and Pete started calling the guy a ‘kook’ and insisting that he would have ‘pig dogged’ his way through that wave. What even is a pig dog, I mean, to do with surfing?”

Cooley’s parents spoke of their son returning a stranger, a guy who spoke of having “saltwater in his veins” and who was found face down in the bathtub, only to be furious when his father pulled him out. “Petey said, ‘What are you doing Dad, you barney? I’m training to hold my breath for when the surf gets maxxed out,’ and in my bloody tub, no less!” said his mother, who was more confused than distraught.

We asked the younger Cooley about his newfound status as a shredlord and can confirm that it is worse than it previously anybody had anticipated. “Ah man, those kooks just don’t get it,” he complained. “Once you’ve been in the green room everything changes, bro. It’s like, you’re at one with nature, just standing there in mother nature’s womb, man. It’s so sick. I don’t feel myself anymore unless I’m near the ocean. I need to hear the roar of waves smashing on the sand to get to sleep and now I know that a bad day surfing is better than the best day working.

“My friends do drugs, but not me man, surfing is my drug and just thinking about it makes me off my face!”, he claims, in a terribly cringeworthy statement that will doubtlessly offer his parents a reason to feel releived.

We asked if that meant he’d be leaving his job and taking up surfing fulltime, but Cooley was ddismissive, because, “Ah, mt boss just made me shift supervisor, man, so it’s such a good opportunity for me, plus i’m making another $50 a month now, so that will go straight into my tube fund. He’s told me to stop asking customers how the waves were, because I guess we are eight hours from the nearest coastline and they probably just want to get a barbeque chicken and get out of here, but you never know. There’s nothing sicker than meeting a fellow surfer and chatting about the swell, you know?”

Staff at the surf camp refused to confirm Cooley’s skill level in the surf, saying only that he was a “good guy,” but admitting that he was also “a bit of a frother,” and sometimes that can be somewhat of a “bummer”.

Do you want to be a red-hot surfer but have maybe left your run a little late? Never fear, the Stoke Travel San Sebastian Surf Camp is great for all levels of surfer, so even first timers can get photographic proof that they are now masters of the waves.

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Germany’s Springfest, held in Munich ever April-May, offers young backpackers and students yet another opportunity to behave like complete pissheads without compromising their professional nor familial relationships.

The festival, held in the same showgrounds as Oktoberfest, features much of the same atmosphere and spectacle as its better-known cousin, just on a smaller scale. And while the festival isn’t yet on the radar of aspiring boozehounds world-wide, it soon will be with its offering of judgement free binge drinking sessions.

“I’d done Oktoberfest before and loved it – loved living like a tramp for a few days, with the sleeping in tents and going to sleep drunk and waking up without a hangover because you just keep drinking – so I was super happy to discover that there was another Munich beer festival that I could come and pretend to be destitute at,” explained Barry Collins, 29. “Thing is, I’m probably never going to properly be a bum. I have a good job, a solid safety net beneath me with friends and family and no history of mental illness. It’s nice for me to pretend to be a problem drinker for just a few days.”

Stoke Travel’s Toby Paramor admits that the company is trying to corner the sought after “temporarily destitute” travel market. “Not many operators out there really give their customers the chance to act out their fantasies of destitution, but we do. We offer travellers a €10 all-you-can-drink deal, meaning that there is no financial barrier to full-time intoxication. We don’t judge them when they want to have a beer before breakfast – heck, we even encourage it. Most of these guys have pretty good jobs and never really get the chance to wear the same clothes for five days straight. We offer them that experience and create an environment where it’s encouraged.”

Munich lord mayor, Andrew Blonk is grateful for the temporary injection of vagrancy that Stoke Travel brings to the Bavarian city. “We’re a pretty well-off city, one of the few places in Germany where the hard-working and serious German stereotypes really apply, so we don’t have many homeless people here. It’s nice that we can put on events like Springfest and Oktoberfest where mass consumption of alcohol is encouraged, and then Stoke Travel can fill them with young people who look like they’ve been living on the streets for years. It’s amazing! Sometimes they have odd shoes on, sometimes none at all, and I even once saw one of them pissing under a table! Can you believe it? The only people who are so brave with their bodily functions are the homeless, out of necessity, and Stoke Travel’s guests because they’re just out of control. And they don’t ask anybody for money, they bring their own and spend it on beer! It’s really a win-win situation.”

Paramor was open to how far guests could go in living out their hobo fantasies. “We’ve had people piss their pants, fall asleep on the toilet — one girl who was so drunk she thought she was the second-coming of Jesus, I mean, as far as tramp fantasies go we accommodate all of them. I like to think of Stoke Travel like Westworld, but in real life, kind of like Westworld is supposed to be real life in the show. You know Westworld, on HBO? Great show, you’ve just got to watch it. Anyway, Stoke Travel is like Westworld, but instead of allowing travellers to live out their cowboy fantasties, we give them the experience of being really down and out for a few days, just like they’ve hit rock bottom and everything’s falling apart, but their spirits are high. It’s really quite the thing, you should try it sometime. Everyone should try it – come and be homeless with us! Is that a new slogan? Stoke Travel – you’re never alone when you don’t have a home. Got a nice ring to it, no?”

Springfest is Oktoberfest’s little cousin, with the same beer, food and fun, just with less people. Come and join us for the temporarily alcoholic where you and your friends can sleep almost rough, get loaded on booze for almost every waking hour and smell pretty bad too! It’s a real hobo-themed hoot.

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Notorious cheapskate, Ben Mason, 26, has given his travel buddies cause for celebration as he’s finally found a travel deal that even he can throw his hard-earned cash behind.

Mason, reported to have been travelling with the boys for about three months now, has developed a habit of missing his round at bars and asking if his friends were “going to finish that kebab”; his travel companions are beginning to doubt if he even brought his wallet away with him.

“At first we didn’t really notice,” says out-of-pocket friend, James Jenkins, “but after three straight nights of Maso going to the bathroom when it was his turn to buy the beers, or just smokebombing all together before the bill came at restaurants, we knew it wasn’t just a coincidence. I mean, he’s always bringing four beers to houseparties and drinking 12, but I guess we all naively thought he’d be different on the road.”

But after a series of being unable to commit to travel plans, umming and ahhing and saying, “That’s a bit exxy, isn’t it?”, Mason has finally prised open the cobwebbed mythical wallet after being introduced to Stoke Travel’s Passport.

“Mate, it’s just too good to pass up,” remarked Mason, while eyeing off your correspondent’s half-drank bottle of water, “I reckon I’d be losing money if I didn’t sign up… you going to finish that, mate?”

The Stoke Travel Passport will allow Mason to travel to four different Stoke Travel trips, most of them being all-inclusive, for three nights at each, with over 20 trips to choose from. That gives him 12 nights across Europe’s biggest, best and wildest festivals and destinations for only €550.

“Yeah, you’re not wrong that it was difficult parting ways with 550 big ones, but I really want to do Bulls, La Tom and Occyfest, and also go out to Ibiza,” explained Mason, “So realistically I’d have to fork out for those – like I said, I’m saving money. It’s just that i’ll just have to be extra careful with the rest of my spending now.”

But his mates aren’t so sure. “Extra careful with his money? The bastard’s already tighter than a fish’s bum hole, how much more frugal can he get? I mean, I’m glad he’s committed to coming with us to Europe’s ‘big three’ festivals, with a side of Ibiza, but I’m not looking forward to the excuses he’ll have to forgetting his wallet when we’re out in Barcelona, or not having the right change to chip in for an Airbnb in Paris. Fuck me, he’s going to be unbearable.”

At the time of publication Mason was seen taking an old cup into Burger King, Amsterdam, to take advantage of their free refills. “Mate, i’ve got the worst desert mouth,” he offered, “had to get some fluids in, you know what I mean?”

But Maso’s pals had no sympathy for his cotton mouth plight. “Yeah, from puff-puffing but not passing our last joint,” added a clearly stoned friend, quite visibly at wit’s end, despite the high powered devil’s lettuce making its way through his brain.

Are you a notorious cheapskate? Are your friends tightarses? Are you pockets deepers than your arms are long? Then save money with the Stoke Travel Passport.

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Nos encanta ver chavales jóvenes surfear con tablón, ya que el longboard no es para viejos, si no que es para todo el mundo. Hay gente que le gusta el bodyboard, a otros surfear con shortboard y hay otra corriente de gente, que escogemos el longboard, porque nos gusta por encima de otros deportes de […]
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Y es que no es para menos, cuando CJ saca material nuevo todos estamos atentos porque sabemos que será bueno, muy bueno. En este vídeo podemos ver al milímetro lo que nos trasmite la palabra loggin, esos giros, esa manera de llegar al nose, simplemente espectacular: ”Further” de CJ Nelson, testando su nuevo modelo ”Guerrero” […]
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Sometimes here in Stoke Towers we receive article ideas from our workmates. These are usually intended to prevent us writing about sex and drugs too much, and often feature requests to promote upcoming trips. Sometimes, however, we will receive article ideas that seek to enlighten our audience and enrich their lives, impartings of knowledge that will make your life, especially your travelling life, the best it can be.

This is one of those articles.

Following a particularly boozy brainstorming session, some Stokies approached us with an idea to write an article about smokebombing – about how to escape from a social situation without the stigma of being a wimp, and free of the peer pressure that might convince you to reluctantly stay on. Some of the Stokies seem to love a good smokebomb and consider it an essential item in their partying arsenal.

And so, here is the official Stoke Travel guide to smokebombing…

Don’t do it.

Don’t bloody smokebomb! What would you ever want to leave a party for? There aren’t enough parties in this increasingly straightlaced world, why would you ever want to cut short the few opportunities we have to really let our hair down?

Stoke Travel is the party company! We offer €10 unlimited beer and sangria at pretty much every destination we go to; we make a point of taking travellers to Europe’s biggest and best parties, in epic numbers.

When you smokebomb you not only miss out on good times, but you also leave your friends worried about your whereabouts and wellbeing (although to be fair said worry normally lasts mere moments). Smokebombing is the wimps’ way out of a social situation and when it occurs the entire herd is weakened.

You should never, ever smokebomb, but we’re not in the business of just dishing out directives, we like to back them up with tangible advice and alternatives. So instead of smokebombing you can:

• Try something new. If you’re not enjoying a party, maybe mix it up. Try some shots, or go and dance with the hot dude by the pool table. Maybe go in for a tactical spew, or get some fresh air and then ruin it with a cigarette. Sometimes parties get stale, but it’s not the party’s fault, it’s yours. Like we always say, If you can’t find the party, you must be the party.
• Tell your friends that you’re leaving. Say your goodbyes and listen if they want you to stay. Maybe they’ll have persuasive arguments and convince you to stay, if they don’t then you can just simply say, I’m going home. That way you won’t burden your friends with being worried about where you’ve gone to.
• Go to a new party. Maybe the one you’re at sucks – sometimes when people who aren’t Stoke Travel throw parties, they throw parties that suck. Now, life’s too short for sucky parties, ain’t nobody got time for any of that, so change that shit up and find something that’s popping, and take your pals with you, because it’s important that you show your pals a good time.
• Keep on partying forever! This is the best alternative to smokebombing, just never doing it and instead try to keep the party going for as long as possible. Party all night and be the person who tries to convince leavers that they should stay. When you love the party you’ll never want to smokebomb!

And there you have it, Stoke Travel’s foolproof guide to smokebombing. We’ve all got friends who selfishly pull the pin on a night out, so make sure that they see this guide, and then we can all party together, forever, they’re never gunna bring us down!

Want to rage all summer long? Then the Stoke Travel Passport is for you. Four trips, 12 nights, across more than 20 destinations, only €550. Get on it.

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El otro día visitando el blog “Desde la Croa” de mi buen amigo Jesús Busto, me encontré con este interesante vídeo, no es mas que la historia de un joven indonesio Deni Firdaus, que vive y surfea una de las mejores derechas para el longboard, BATU KARAS, en Java. Es conocido como “BLACK BOY” por lo […]
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A crisis meeting has been held at the Rhode Island family home of Brian Wheeler, 22, after the outgoing young traveller recently quoted a hit song as the caption for an Instagram post of him partying.

Wheeler had been on Ibiza for a week staying with infamous party outfit, Stoke Travel. While his previous posts had depicted a more wholesome island experience – riding scooters and swimming in turquoise waters – the latest, of the young man grinning maniacally at the camera with eyes like dinner plates, has left his concerned family ill at ease.

The contentious quote is also the title of the song, I Took A Pill In Ibiza, by Mike Posner. It was initially recorded as a sarcastic, anti-drug folk tune, before being remixed by EDM bros SeeB and quickly became an anthem for what it once ridiculed. After the remix was released in 2016, it reached the number one spot in many countries, and has been rumoured to be used as a terrible code for young travellers to talk about their drug taking intentions without explicitly saying so.

“Well at first I was furious,” said Wheelers father, 46-year-old business executive Brian Senior, “but then Bri’s younger sister told us to, ‘Chill out’, her words, because apparently it’s just a song lyric. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with quoting songs, but this one just seems too literal, you know? He is actually in Ibiza, and look at his face! He looks like he just sniffed some piss, and I know from the early ‘90s that that’s a symptom of rolling on molly.”

Neighbour, and local sheriff’s deputy Peter Collins, weighs in. “Look, we’d normally give a good kid like Bri the benefit of the doubt – swim team, good college, has his whole life ahead of him, but that song was popular in 2016! I mean, what sort of a dork would still be quoting it now if he wasn’t literally stuffing his face full of whatever disco biscuits he can get his hand on? As far as i’m concerned it’s a clear-cut case of Bri getting fucked up on some class-A MDMA caps and bragging to the world about it – and now he’s been caught out.”

Stoke Travel Ibiza camp manager, Hamish (last name withheld) seemed to support deputy Collins’ hypothesis. “Haha, yeah, that song fucken sucks. But Bri, Bri’s a fucken legend, you should have seen him last night! He was cooked! I mean, the Ibiza sun is harsh, but Bri was completely fried if you know what I mean…”

When pressed on whether Stoke Travel condones the consumption of ecstacy tablets, Hamish was unequivocal. “Oh no, no way. We believe that the repetitive music can be enjoyed completely sober, and that it’s entirely feasible for travellers to party until 7am, on four hours sleep, for a week straight. Hmm? No, that wasn’t a wink, last night’s waters seem to have given me a mild stroke.”

The younger Wheeler was more circumspect in his account of what had transpired the night before. “I fucking love that song! I took a pill in Ibiza! Doo doo doo, wooooo! Man so good. You know, I’ve always wanted to be a journalist. What’s your name? You have a really nice face. I think I kind of love you, man. Ohhhhh I feel so gooood! This is the best! You wanna get high like me! Wait, let me sing it so I don’t get in trouble again. You don’t wanna be HIGH LIKE ME! Fuck, bro, I think you do.”

Stoke Travel will be in Ibiza for Spring Break, over Easter, and then all summer long from June until September. We definitely do not condone listening to that song, but of course you’re an adult and are capable of making your own decisions, regardless of how bad for your wellbeing they may be.

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