Backpacking Basics: Booking & Staying In A Hostel (Even If You’re Not A Backpacker)
Whether it’s your first backpacking trip during a gap year or you’re a seasoned solo traveler - staying in a hostel is not just a way to save money while traveling but also an opportunity to meet people and get local
Visiting the Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest NP, Uganda
Here's a look back into my travel diaries: In 2012, I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit the gorillas in Africa. I once saw a monkey - Gorilla Trekking in Uganda I was not going to see the gorillas. I was not
Bed Bugs in My Hotel Room, Again! — Dealing With Bed Bugs While Traveling
After a bad streak of three run-ins with bed bugs within just a few months, I decided to assemble is a collection of things I learned about how to deal with these little suckers. They are masters of survival but human has
Five years — Traveling in times of fear
Today five years ago I was sitting in a restaurant in Timbuktu waiting for lunch while across the city in our hotel Martin was shot dead and Steve, Johan, and Sjaak were kidnapped by a gang associated with the aQIM
Four years
A year ago I said: I never want or write about this again. But a year has passed and, yes, there have been some good news, but two friends are still missing. So, I'll write about it again, even though
Travel & food stories: The Falafel Man
This is the story of the Falafel Man, a humble man selling the most delicious falafel I've ever tasted in a side street in Luxor. We arrived in Luxor on a cruise boat from Aswan. Our host there not only had
Two years and five days ago a man helped me make the perfect birthday present
We had barely known each other for a day when I realized I knew just the perfect birthday present for Gav. Sitting by a fire on a campsite in Tarifa we agreed that bringing a hammock on the trip around
Featured images: Casablancan architecture (on globalsiteplans.com)
What a beautiful tool Flickr is! A few weeks ago Sarah Essbai approached me about using some of the Casablanca pictures I had uploaded to Flickr for a blog post she was working on. Of course I said yes. And now
Travelling Sudan, pt. 5: …is a game of tennis
Yesterday I had found a little oasis in the Sahara desert: the Nubian Rest House in Karima. We get up before dawn to start our sightseeing program. Jerbel Barkal is right outside the hotel gate. As we walk around the mountain
Travelling Sudan, pt. 4: Heaven…
We spend the night at the family run Nile Hotel. For a little extra fee we even get a home-cooked diner. The next morning we find the flashy new Atbara bus station. After only 2 hours of waiting we get on