How the Story of Otto Warmbier in North Korea Could Have Been Mine, Yours, or Anyone of Us Present at the Wrong Time…
I’m usually the one saying to people “don’t believe too much what you see on the news, it’s not what it seems over there”… While I do believe that most people are definitely too paranoid as a result of all the negative news about some countries on TV, it’s true that for some destinations, extra caution is required… I was in North Korea in December 2015, exactly one month before Otto went on the same trip, with the same tour company, at the same hotel I was. He basically booked the same tour as I did from a company called Young Pioneers, which is one of the few tour companies that are licensed to organize such tours in North Korea. There are about 20 of them, but they all redirecting people to one single government-run company in North Korea. On arrival, all tourists are joined together in one tour bus and escorted to the same hotel in the middle of an island in the middle […]
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Thank You So Much to Everybody for all the Support
It’s been an incredible Weekend with the publishing of the Article about my travels in “ Le Journal de Montreal” and “Le Journal de Quebec”, Canada’s second most read newspaper. Thanks to Antoine Lacroix for the great interview, reserving a whole page on Page 5 of the Sunday issue! I couldn’t expect a better result, and sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank everyone for all the wonderful support you have sent me! I received hundreds of messages, comments, likes even pokes from people from all over the country who has been inspired by my story. I never expected this article to have such a great impact, but trust me, this is really what keeps me going, I really feel I’m not alone in this adventure! Thanks again!
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World Ranking MAP of the Best Digital Nomad Destinations
So you finally decided to become a Digital Nomad! You’ve found that brilliant idea that will make you job independent, you just bought that brand new Macbook and you had the courage to quit your job that made you so unhappy for so many years. You’re all set! But one question remains… Where should you go? That’s an absolutely legitimate question if you ask me! And why should you ask me? Probably because I’ve been living in most of those countries that you see in green on that map, working as one of the first digital nomads out there over the past 2 decades. I’ve tested them, for the good, for the bad, so I’ve prepared this map to help you not make the same mistakes as I have. With the recent boom in Digital Nomad, many people leave home with very little knowledge of world politics and world economics, which plays a very important role in deciding where you should settle down. That math […]
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Top 3 Best Thailand Itineraries You Must Do On Your Next Trip
With over more than 10 visits to Thailand, I have pretty much visited most of the major destinations of the country, even though I’m sure I have much more to discover! I especially love the south of the country around Krabi, Koh Phi Phi, and the islands on the east coast of Koh Samui, Koh Phangnan and Koa Tao. That’s where I believe are the best destinations for those beach lovers looking to escape their frozen homeland during wintertime. For those coming to enjoy more of the fascinating Thai Culture, Bangkok is very rich in culture itself, but the highlight is definitely the north of the country, also be more appealing for nature lovers. Its main attraction will be the amazing city of Chiang Mai, where a large community of digital nomads has already formed over the past few years. The nature over there is just stunning; trekking, waterfalls and all those tourist activities (canopy, jungle walks, tiger kingdom, etc.)… you can find it all. […]
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Berlin: eclectic, underground, crazy…
You might have heard by now about Berlin’s reputation being a crazy city. I’ve been here a couple times, but this stay I made the effort to live it in the essence of what it stands for. I was here for the affiliate marketing conference AWE and out of my week here, I pretty much tried one or two different bar or club every night. The variety is impressive, for every taste, between rooftop bars to crazy eclectic small bars that have hidden underground sections only accessible from a small hole in a book shelve! The winner of all craziness venue was a place called Kater, a nightclub where the mixture of people and the way they dress makes you question what year it is today if we’re back in the 50s or warped through the 2100s. Overall we agreed with a friend of mine, Berlin is not by any means a beautiful city, it is plain, gray, lacking historical old quarters that are […]
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Why Thailand Should Be Top of Your List to Settle as a Digital Nomad
There was a recent boom of interest in Thailand for the past 15 years and it rapidly converted into the top five destinations for tourism worldwide. Actually, Bangkok is now ranked first in the most visited city in the world in 2016 passing stronghold tourist cities like New York, London, and even Paris. And being the main hub for tourists to reach its beautiful beaches, it’s no surprise it gained that rank. I love Thailand, it’s just an amazing country for so many reasons, especially for its amazingly well-preserved traditions and culture, the kindness of its people, the receptivity of the Thai people and their openness to the world, Its amazing food and its stunning tropical land and impressive beaches. These are just the main characteristics of what comes out of my mind as I write this article, but it expands way more than only this. And just as if it wasn’t enough, you get all this at a bargain! To my eyes and compared […]
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Prague: as Grandiose as Paris or Rome
I just finished a really nice 2 weeks in the Czech Republic. Seems like Prague has been forgotten for too long on the list of the most beautiful cities in the world where cities like Paris, London, Rome or New York take most of the attention. I think Prague is pretty much heel to heel with Paris in terms of being a Grandiose Capital! Gone are those years where Prague was just a gray communist city, it now proudly stands as what I believe one of the most impressive old towns in Europe! Tourism has also picked up quite a bit since last time I was here in 2006 with a couple friends. Its just as packed as Paris with tons of tourist buses and guided groups of 50 walking all over the place, making it hard to navigate normally in the streets. One recommendation I would suggest doing is to visit the city by night. On the first day of my week in the […]
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My Brazil “Top 5 lists” for Best Cities, Festivals, Friendliness, Nature and Beaches
My Top 5s To continue with my Brazil Serie, I have prepared another part where you will find quick favorites of mine in this incredible country. Overall the years I’ve spent in Brazil, I have visited most of the states of the country, have experienced most major events and seen most of the major cities all over the country. I can talk for hours about every place I visited in details because I really get passionate about it; my favorite cities, the best places for nature, my favorite places for beaches, etc… But people always end up asking me my top 5 favorite everything… So here it is, all cooked out for you to plan that next trip to the land of samba! Top 5 Favorite Cities 1. Rio de Janeiro 2. Natal 3. Salvador 4. Vitoria 5. Belo Horizonte Top 5 Favorite Nature 1. Lencois Maranhenses 2. Amazon River 3. Jericoacoara 4. Rio’s Landscape 5. Porto de Galinhas Canoa Quebrada, Ceara Top 5 […]
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Why you should never let fear of terrorism create limits in your travel plans
I was recently asked in an interview in the “Journal of Montreal” if terrorism ever made me scared to travel to some countries and deter my travel plan… After all, the latest London terrorist attack of June 3rd had just happened and my interviewer had just postponed unexpectedly our interview for his coverage of breaking news due to “priorities”, which is totally understandable. I actually get asked this all the time, which seems to worry many people. Just looking at the decline in the tourism industry after the Paris attacks last year, specially in the damage to the cruise ship industry and after every major terrorist attack in Europe, its easy to see that people are fast on the trigger to cancel their travel plans. I’m pretty sure tourism in London is going to be affected too. How many people are going to think “maybe I should just cancel my trip, it’s too dangerous out there, after all, it’s the second attack in 1 years, […]
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5 Best Travel Itineraries In Brazil for your Next Trip!
Brazil is my favorite country out of all the countries I’ve been in the world. Possibilities of itineraries are endless, as immense as Brazil is. If you’re looking to get the most out of the first visit of a week or two, I usually recommend to stick to the basics and travel around the state of Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro has so much to offer and usually represents the image of what Brazil is like for foreigners. But Brazil is very different in other states, this is why most first time visitors usually reference Rio as their favorite destination, as exotic as it is! Here is a list of my favorite ones. Itinerary one: Round tour around Rio de Janeiro State Start and finish in Rio. Rio deserves at least 3 to 4 days on its own, having so much to offer. I always recommend staying around the beach area, in Ipanema or Copacabana, I personally prefer straight in the middle, […]
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