With the recent increase in security in Colombia due to agreements between the Colombian Government and the long-term Guerilla named FARC, tourism in the country has enjoyed a decent increase in popularity. Also made famous by the Medellin Cartel leader Pablo Escobar in many films and T.V. Series, Medellin stands as the highlight of most people’s itinerary, together with Cartagena. Many people started asking me lately for tips about this beautiful country and where they should go while visiting. I have mentioned many times that my favorite country in South America was Brazil, but in the past few years, I have had a preference for Colombia and having stayed there several times, it is one of my top destinations for a great living place as a Digital Nomad. The Quality /Price ratio is super high in Colombia! You get an amazing lifestyle with great infrastructure and accommodation choice, at a very low cost. Transportation on the ground is very cheap too, with choices of taxis […]
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World Map of The Most Beautiful Countries, Through The Eyes of a Man Who Visited Them All
This is part of my series about maps of the world where I compare each country I have visited in different categories. The point of this analysis is that after having visited almost all the countries (173/196) I believe I have finally acquired the experience and the credibility to be able to put them side by side and give an honest comparison. Of course, many of them are personal views following my personal tastes and is only a generalization. But since I get so many questions all the time about “what is my favorite country, for this, for that, for everything… “ I decided to represent my results graphically for people to get a better understanding of my opinion. The world is truly a marvelous place! And humans are truly an amazing species! It is pretty incredible what human intelligence and creativity have been able to do in different places in the world, under different climates, different geography, and different beliefs. This creativity has resulted […]
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My Thailand “Top 5 lists” for Best Cities, Festivals, Friendliness, Nature and Beaches
Very few countries have as much to offer than Thailand in terms of activities and fun factor for your holiday. Adding to the fact that it is still a very cheap country, it is no wonder it ranks as my number one “Quality/Price” destination in the world. Nowadays, the country has adapted to satisfy the whole range of tourism, from backpackers to luxury tourism and is now one of the best places for digital nomads to head first to settle in their new life. I know many of them which never made it further than Thailand itself. Through my 10+ visits to Thailand, I have accumulated a lot of experience and knowledge about this wonderful country and continue to highly recommend it to anyone asking me for a nice place to spend their holiday. Many people usually just ask me my top 5s list… so to make it easy I have prepared my top 5 list of everything. Top 5 Favorite Cities • Koh Samui […]
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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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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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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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