The Gamer Traveler

Hello Gamer Traveller!

I just caught your show on the DLI podcast, and I heard that you'll soon be coming to the Benelux region on vacation with the family.

I'm a Canadian expat gamer that's been living in Noord-Holland for a few years, so I thought I might give you a few ideas about family- and gamer-friendly places you might consider (if your trip isn't planned down to the last detail already)

Drielandenpunt (Three Lands Point, http://www.drielandenpunt.nl/) is the point where Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands meet. The country's biggest hedge maze is there, and I've heard it's quite cool (I haven't managed to get my gf to go yet).

This is close to the city of Maastricht, which is quite 'quaint', and has a lot of the dark-ages city walls still running through the city centre. We went to the VVV (http://www.vvvmaastricht.nl/index2.php3) in the centre of town and got a city tour map pretty cheap which took us on a nice walking toor that alternated between old towers and shopping streets.

If you're in Noord Holland, you might want to stay at, or at least take a look at, the hostel in Heemskerk. (http://www.stayokay.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Herbergen.showHomeHB&id=21&lng=2). This is an old castle converted into rooms for budget travellers. It also has a zip line running from an upper room to the ground below! I've considered getting married there and using the zip line as my walk down the aisle :-)

Anyway, have fun, and I look forward to hearing your report on whatever it was that you chose to see.

Ben

Ben, thanks a lot for your suggestions. We had thought about going to Maastricht, but due to time considerations it had to be cut from this trip.

I will be staying in Amsterdam and visiting a few of the nearby towns to the south. If I manage to head over to Noord Holland, I'll see if I can check out Hostel Heemskerk cause it sounds fun!

Have fun and thanks for the comments. Next time leave your email, though, so I can contact you directly. :)

Hi Daniel,

I tried sending email to daniel@highmoonmedia.com and got an undeliverable...

If you're staying in A'dam while in the Netherlands, and visiting some of the nearby towns, I'm assuming you have a car available. This is a tiny country, so everything within this province (Noord-Holland) is within a less-than-an-hour car ride. Just watch out for rush hour.

I've been living in A'dam for over a year, but due to the construction on my house, I haven't seen much of it yet in terms of cool touristy stuff. I could tell you where the games stores are though :-) If you have any specific questions, I'd do my best to help out.

I'm sure you've got it all planned out, what with the travel agency. I look forward to hearing about it!

Ben
benkolls@hotmail.com