Expedia Coupons & Skateboarding Around the World
Do you love to skateboard? Ever thought of going on a tour of various places around the world that are skateboard-friendly or skateboard-famous? Travel can be really fun when you combine it with one of your favourite hobbies, but it can also be very expensive. So we’ve found you some great travel deals to help you out, as well as some tips on skateboarding in various countries.
Flights and hotels can be really expensive, but with a little internet savvy and planning ahead you can get some great deals. Did you even know that Expedia has coupon codes? They do, not just for specific destinations, but also a lot of general purpose ones that give you a lot of flexibility in terms of where you’d like to travel. Take a look:
Planning ahead can save you some money too, generally booking farther in advance will get you a better price than when there are just a few seats left. Granted, you can take a chance on last minute seat sales, but there is no guarantee that one will come up.
Not all countries are skate-friendly, and even those claim to be are only relatively so. This guide will help you maneuver the international skateboarding scene to avoid getting yourself into trouble, or worse, while exploring the world on four wheels.
Being that the sport was born and developed here, the U.S. is pretty lenient when it comes to skating, though the rules vary from city to city. Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco have earned the country three spots in the top ten best cities to skate in, according to Transworld, and Portland is right up there, as well.
Many cities, counties, and states have rules in place to treat skateboarders like pedestrians. In other words, you can do whatever you want as long as you don't disturb anyone or break any laws (like jaywalking). Other cities ban all skateboarding from public places or sidewalks.
Nevertheless, there is a rich tapestry of skateparks throughout the nation. Just hop on Google Maps, type in skate park, and you should be within a stone's throw of one, even in much of the rural U.S. (the Midwest possibly excepted). However, there are still a lot of locales that outlaw skateboarding outright, and even where it is legal, you will occasionally run into the overzealous security guard, righteous citizen, or cop who feels the need to ruin a good time. Also, watch your ass on private property, as with any activity.
Skateboarding is relatively new to China, arriving on the scene in the mid-1980s, so there isn't a ton of infrastructure for the sport, but there are a number of skate parks in Shanghai (YuanShen, Jinqiao, and Iconx Indoor Skateparks, just to name a few). Beijing and Shenzhen are also fairly skate-friendly, with skateboarding clubs, ideal structures throughout the cities for trick skating, and relative tolerance of the sport across the board.
However, rural China offers few to no opportunities for skating, with little infrastructure in general, though if you can find an appropriate location, chances are no one will interfere unless it's a government or military building--stay away from those.
Since Europe (and Scandanavia) are pretty bike and alternative-transportation friendly, you shouldn't run into too much trouble making your way around town in many of the major urban areas throughout the continent. There are often bike paths, and motorists are used to looking out for people on wheels; just make sure you watch out for pedestrians.
Many private and public property maintenance professionals also employ the use of grind stoppers, just as in the U.S. Nevertheless, you should be able to find plenty of places to skate, including some epic skate parks, in this fairly tolerant region.
The general rule applies in Africa and South and Central America, as it does elsewhere, that major cities offer skateboarding opportunities while more rural areas lack the consistent, intact infrastructure required for cruising. In the Middle East, you will want to steer clear of military activity (in general) and reach out to the local skate community to find out where to go.
Wherever you are, if you get creative, you can often find opportunities, such as recently abandoned properties. You can also search for groups, like the Uganda Skateboard Union, and you never know where you will run into a totally epic skate park like the Black Pearl Skatepark in the Cayman Islands.
Despite perceptions that Cuba has a highly restrictive culture, it appears to be fairly skateboarder-friendly. While there are not a ton of resources for skaters in the island nation, there are also few, if any, laws against the activity, where the sport has existed for the past three decades.
In fact, there is a U.S. NGO currently working to promote skateboarding in Cuba called Cuba Skate, helping to bring skateboarding equipment and create infrastructure in the country.
But, even without help from the U.S. local Cubans have been grinding rails and doing kickflips around public squares and even shooting their own skate videos.
If you like traveling, but you just can't leave your favorite hobby behind, fear not. There are plenty of skateboarding opportunities around the world. However, as is always the case with travel, be sensitive to the local culture and make sure you aren't breaking any regional laws or regulations before you try to pop-shuvit,wherever you may be.