Dennis Kioko

Planning a Eurotrip can be daunting. First, that’s assuming that you have a Schengen visa, especially if you come from an African country. It is usually hard to get this visa, but the good thing is that once obtained, unless in unusual circumstances, a visa to one of the main European countries allows you to visit the rest - of course the UK is an exception.

Another good thing is that it is quite easy to travel across Europe. Again, once you cross into a Western Europe country, travel between the different countries is considered a local trip, meaning you do not need to have your passport stamped to cross from one country to another.

However, your passport may need to be presented for inspection at some crossings, and also on flights.


More important, you need to carry your passport when crossing from one country to another and it is also highly advised to carry your passport when travelling from one city to another, even in the same country.

Within a city, you do not need to car…

In Budapest, credit and debit cards are largely accepted,  especially in tourist areas, though there's also a significant number of business that only accept cash. 
It is however more advisable to pay in cash, especially if you're there for more than a day. When paying,  you will keep getting the question "cash or card"? 
If paying in credit or debit cards, you will notice your bill often comes with a "service fee" which is often an extra 10% of your bill. This is pretty high and adds up fast. 
To avoid overpaying, withdraw cash at an ATM and pay by it instead. 

Eating out in Oslo can be quite pricey, with a decent meal in a non-fancy place setting you back about $20 or in the range of 150 Norwegian Kronor.

If travelling on a budget, then you may need a few tips beyond McDonalds or Burger King.
You can try food trucks which tend to be less pricier.Supermarkets are a great choice if you're here for just a few days. For example, at Menu, you can get a variety of breads and sandwiches for breakfast from $10 or Nok 10, while lunch can be found in salads, lasagne pieces or pizza for about $5 to $7 (Nok 50 to Nok 70 or about 4 to 5 Euros) Oslo has many parks all over the city. In summer you can buy take out from the supermarket and enjoy your meal while also enjoying the park. A budget shouldn't keep you from enjoying Oslo.

Getting around Amsterdam on public transit is often described as "confusing" on different websites. This, though, is far from the case as we'll see shortly and is more in line with other European cities. 
For most travellers, you'll rarely be travelling outside the Amsterdam City zone. Simply put, anywhere covered by a GVB bus, tram or Metro is within the Amsterdam city zone. 
A single ticket costs €3.20 and is available on the bus and tram but can only be paid for by credit or debit card. The single ticket is also available at ticketing stations at train stations and at the Metro station and this machines take Euro coins. 

How long has it been since you heard the word “leap frog”?

It’s a term that grew in popularity as it was used to describe the outcome of the arrival and spread of the mobile phone in Sub-Saharan Africa.

For decades, “development” had appeared to stagnate in many of these countries, with slow-growing economies and little change in how people led their lives. In some instances, things appeared to have even gone into reverse gear.

But then, while the developed world was freaking about something called the Millennium Bug in 2000, mobile networks were coming up across the continent.

In the next decade, mobile phone usage would explode as many Africans were finally able to own phones for the first time ever. Previously, you had to lease a land line from a state-owned company and many of these had waiting lists several years long.

With mobile networks came SMS and USSD which innovative businesses took advantage of to create basic applications even within the limitations of these channels,…

About two years ago, I looked at how much rent Nairobians pay in different parts of the city.

I also looked at how much they pay in matatu fare, and their perception of the safety of their neighbourhoods.

Then, I found that 2 bedrooms were the most popular followed by 1 bedrooms and then 3 bedrooms.

This shows that family units are more preferred. There was a twist to my findings - 3 bedrooms were partly less popular because some potential tenants could not find any/or suitable units, hence settled for 2 bedrooms.

In the last two years, 11 more people responded to my survey, in addition to the 43 who had previously responded. This means that about 25 per cent more people have since given their input.

Let’s see how the new tenants compare to the old data.

Again, 2 bedrooms are the most popular with half the respondents leasing these, followed by 1 bedrooms at about a quarter of respondents. 4 bedrooms and a bedsitter with one toilet inside each have one respondent, which is not so…