How to Choose the Best Gear and What to Pack for your Travels

Packing the perfect gear for traveling is such big subject with travelers that I had to bring up a post about my personal tips and tricks I learned while on the road all those years to reach all the countries in the world. The general consensus is that most people bring way too much than they really need… Most interrogations are always the same: What type of Luggage should you leave with? what size? Rolling suitcases vs backpack vs hybrid? Carry-on only or check-in luggage? What are the essential things to bring?  In this article, I will go through all the options available in details to clear out any doubts you may have and get you ready for your next trip.  In This Article…1 My Personal Evolution through the Years2 What types of luggage should you use?3 Size does matter – The 2 Dimension Rules.4 My Current Setup: Minimalism5 Should you bring a daypack?6 Traveling with expensive gear7 Toiletries8 Layering concept9 What Cloth do I bring?10 […]

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3 Days in North Ossetia – Visiting Vladikavkaz

I knew very little about Ossetia and Ossetians before coming here, except for what international media has been talking about in the past 15 years, which can be summarized as conflicts and unrest. But it turns out they have a very interesting past and history around the Caucasus. This time around my journey brought me from Georgia through the Caucasus mountains to reach North Ossetia, the big brother of South Ossetia which received a lot of media attention in the past years. In This Article…1 The Difficult Past of Ossetia2 Visiting Vladikavkaz3 3 days itinerary of Vladikavkaz4 Top 10 things to do in Vladikavkaz5 Top 5 Restaurants in Vladikavkaz6 Top 5 Cafes in Vladikavkaz7 Ossetia in Pictures8 Pin to Pinterest The Difficult Past of Ossetia The past few years haven’t been easy for their cousins in the south Ossetian part of Georgia, which resulted in a bloody war that Russia supported and resulted in a unilateral declaration of independence of the South Ossetian Republic that […]

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Super Pin! Great post - planning tips - How to Choose Your Ideal Travel Destinations #travel #traveling #budgettravel #traveldestinations #travelblogers #traveltips #travelplanning #backpacking #backpackers #globetrotter #cheapflights

How to Choose Your Ideal Travel Destinations

You might have a travel list completely full of travel destinations and places to go, or you might be overwhelmed by the abundance of choice and struggle to make up your mind. In any case, there is a simple process I have developed over my 10+ years on the road to chose my next destinations. Some people frankly don’t plan enough and let themselves go with the flow, which is perfectly fine sometimes. But in my case, I spend a lot of time planning reading and I cannot recommend enough researching on candidate destinations and synchronizing with the best times to go to every part of the world. Doing your homework beforehand you will definitely thank yourself later by enjoying being at the right place at the right time! In This Article…1 How Much Time do you Have2 How Much Money do you Have3 Weather and Seasons Worldwide4 Local Events and Activities5 Planning for Each City6 What About your Next Trip?7 Share Pin to Pinterest […]

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Visiting Georgia: A Paradise for Mountains, Culture, History and Wine Lovers

While it was hidden behind the soviet curtains, very little was known about Georgia,  being mostly a destination reserved for other other Soviet countries. But since the fall of the Soviet Union and since its government has taken western-aligned politics, Georgia has risen to fame, and its success is just barely starting. It’s pretty easy for a country to gain popularity as a tourist destination when you already have it all… Georgia is one of those countries that impresses me every time I come! On my first visit 5 years ago, I described it as the smallest country with the widest range of scenery a country can hold. Think mountains, beaches, valleys all in one place. Add to this a culture-packed country and thousands of years of history and you have a recipe for success! On top of this, Georgian people are known to be warm compared to other ex-soviet nations which help to get accustomized easily for first-time visitors expecting western style courtesy. In This Article…1 A […]

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How to Save Money For Your Travels

Questions about Saving Money to fund our travels is always a big one I get often. Actually, it can be divided into several topics such as how to fund a short trip, how to fund your life on the road for long-term travels or even how to fund sustainable traveling making money while you travel. I cover this in other articles but for now, I want to concentrate on how to save money to start traveling. This is always one of the first that comes to peoples mind and I am covering in this article all the necessary steps I could think of to help you get your finances straight and ready for your dream trip. One important thing to note is that you won’t need as much money as you think. Remember that traveling is about discovering new places and living new experiences, not about staying in every expensive 5-star resorts. Travelers like me have developed habits and strategies to travel on low budgets, […]

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Naxos: What To Do in the Biggest Island of the Cyclades

My next stop on this Greece trip was Naxos, the largest of the Cyclades islands where I settled in a nice little apartment in Hora the Capital. The city is similar to those of Mykonos or Paros as it is filled with white and blue little streets everywhere. However, Hora is built on a little hill where its streets lead all the way to a Venetian era castle. Much cheaper than the other islands around like Mykonos, Santorini, and Paros, it felt like a relief for the wallet as even restaurants on the main sea strip were reasonably priced, as well as accommodation that can be found for under 20 euros. To my eyes, Naxos is nice but doesn’t pack the quality and mindblowing aspect of the other Cyclades islands. What can be found on Naxos can be found in better somewhere else in the Cyclades. Hence, I wouldn’t call Naxos a “must visit destination” on a holiday in Greece, yet travelers will converge to […]

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Visiting Paros in Greece: One of My Favorite Island in the World

The title of this article was chosen carefully. I wrote “island” as the capital, Paraika, isn’t anything that special. And “one of my favorite”, because Bora Bora or Tuvalu would take the crown, as “nothing can be greater than paradise”. But as far as the whole island goes, this is very close to perfection! Too many travelers make the mistake to rent a place in Paraika and stay there their whole stay. The best option on Paros is to rent a vehicle at arrival (there are hundreds of companies and many will fish you down at disembarkation of your ferry) and stay at various locations on the way. This island is incredible! I could imagine myself staying here and build one of those little White and Blue house around Naousa and live happy forever. For me, Paros is the perfect example of the “white and blue” towns of the Cyclades, much more than on other islands like Syros, Mykonos or Naxos. The closest comparison I can […]

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Top Things To Do in Syros – a 2 to 3 days Itinerary in a Greek Paradise

This year in Greece I wanted to try something different, a bit off the beaten track so I chose an island in the Cyclades which was not the usual stop for most travelers. Usually, tourists chose the usual 5 to 10 islands such as Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes, Crete, or Ios for example. That was risky, because being there in springtime, it could end up being very quiet and most things shut down. But I happen to arrive on Labor day weekend, so I arrived in Syros with all the Athenians leaving the Capital to reach one of their favorite islands. Syros is in fact one of the smallest of the Cyclades, but has the biggest population of all, making it the capital of the Cyclades. I haven’t found much information online about Syros but the little I found stated a little paradise which is unspoiled by international tourists, mostly frequented by Greeks. And what a surprise. This place is stunning! The Capital, Ermoupoli is a […]

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Visiting Piraeus: Unfairly Eclipsed Under the Fame of Athens

Piraeus is like a Porsche standing next to an F1… It wouldn’t stand a chance! Athens is such a behemoth of a city that anything placed next to it would be eclipsed into the shade… and this is a shame because Piraeus would be a great city to spend a few days in when in Athens! Instead, it is considered a little neighborhood that very few tourists will make it to. Or in most cases, it is single arrival/departure port to the Greek Islands. I really enjoyed Piraeus, especially the area around Mikrolimano, this small marina packed with stylish cafes and restaurants overlooking the yachts in the marina. This port has a lot of history in itself when it was made the official port for the Athens fleet back 500 B.C. Just walking around the area you can see archeological searches being done in the middle of busy streets (see photo below). There’s a nice little beach south of Mikrolimano where you can enjoy a swim with […]

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Athens On & Off the Beaten Track – 3 Days City Guide

Athens is this city where you can spend endless time exploring every corner of every street and you will always find something interesting. It’s just incredible how much a single city can hold, its a playground for history lovers, having literally layers over layers of civilizations stacked on top of each other, dating back more over 5000 years ago. On top of this, Greek people happen to have an extremely refined sense of design and their creativity gave birth to tons of stylish restaurants, cafes and bars spread around the city. These places are focused more on the experience rather than only consumption. I’ve been to Athens several times,  and usually the first visit to Athens is the same for everybody: Visit the same most important sights: the Acropolis, the Parthenon, at least 3 museums and enjoying the streets of  Plaka in the center. All of that is time-consuming and takes 3 to 4 days which is about what most people have in one visit. But […]

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