TALLINN — Checking “out” the Baltics is more like it for the title of this piece, but I also mean that I’m checking off the Baltic countries from my bucket list. I am no longer encyclopedic smart (Google searches made me give up); and although I have a very good big picture of the world, my knowledge of geography is not very exact. 

I know that the Baltic states were part of the Soviet Union, but because I didn’t think I would visit them one day, I didn’t really care to memorize their positions on the map. Until I visited Finland—another checking off the bucket list story.

When I was in Helsinki, a Finnish guy I met suggested that I take a day cruise to Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia. For €50 (€20 for my ferry fare, plus €30 for my overnight cabin on the ship), I went and totally enjoyed myself in the medieval Old Town of Tallinn. 

Of course, I kicked myself for not doing my research. But while in Tallinn, I figured I could come back; and bus my way to Riga, the capital of Latvia, another Baltic state. Expanding my research, I found out that next to Latvia is Lithuania. Would I care to visit Lithuania?

Now, if I just visited the capital city of these countries, I could still say I checked the countries off my list, correct? And since Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are the only three Baltic countries, I also planned on Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. I am a completist that way. 

In fact, I visited Finland on this grand European trip because I thought doing so would complete my Scandinavian list. (I visited Denmark, Sweden and Norway seven years ago. But I just realized that they are the whole Scandinavian list! Finland is decidedly Nordic.)

If you are reading this far, you might enjoy some travel hacks—you know, “tipid” travel tips. Let me reward you:

1. FlixBus is affordable global bus travel. I don’t have unlimited money, but I have all the time in the world. So this works for me. From Helsinki to Tallinn, FlixBus can be as cheap as €32. From Tallinn to Riga, €14. From Riga to Vilnius, €13.
2. When traveling alone, consider hostels. Get a bed, dorm style. I’ve always loved the intimate international vibe of hostels. Confession: I like hotels when I’m traveling with family, or friends, or lovers; but hostel is my go-to when I’m backpacking and traveling alone. Great way to meet people. So, download the Booking.com, or Hostelworld, or Gotogate apps. (For reference, I got a hostel bed for €18 a night in Riga, and €14 a night in Vilnius.)
3. When traveling really alone, consider the “free” walking tours. Free in quotation marks because they’re not really free. At the very least, I always give a €10 tip. If I have a crush on the tour guide, I give €15; and invite him for coffee. Haha!
4. When traveling with a friend or family, just walk, explore and take a lot of photos. Get a free map. I usually get the map of the Hop-on-Hop-off bus tour to see where other tourists go. No need to visit all those places on the map. Just prioritize according to your group’s capacity to walk around.
5. If feeling lost in a new city, or really wanting to research, download the Visit A City app. It has served me well since my first 14-country tour of Europe in 2017. And yet again in my eight-country tour in 2021-22.

(Peter Solis Nery is a multi-awarded Filipino poet, fictionist, filmmaker and playwright who divides his time living in the Philippines and traveling around the world. He is a Palanca Awards Hall of Famer, and the first Filipino author invited to the Sharjah International Book Fair in the United Arab Emirates.)