Tangier used to be an important gateway to Europe (or to Africa) and seems to have caught up on its lack of interest for travelers which traditionally valued more others cities in the country such as Marrakech, Fes, Tetouan or Essaouira. This was the case when I first came to Tanger back in 2003. The city was known for high crime and was not recommended by most book guides out there, considering it a port of arrival rather than a touristic destination. That was the case for me at the time, having spent only 2 days in the cities before rushing south to more “attractive” destinations. However, this year’s visit surprised me. 15 years later, the Medina definitely has been pumped up with restorations to make it more appealing to the touristic eye. Most of the highlights will be around the Medina (historic old town) so it won’t be necessary to venture too far. However the Medina is set up on a cliff, with the […]
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Anchoring in Madeira Island, Portugal
Madeira, this Portugues island in the Atlantic received a lot of attention when Cristiano Ronaldo, who was born on the island, came to fame. Its a popular stop for cruise ships and sailboats doing the crossing between Europe and the Americas all the way back to the 15th century due to its strategic location. And it is considered nowadays one of the most beautiful cities in Portugal! Its the second time I’ve been to Funchal the Capital of Madeira. Easy to visit on foot in a single afternoon, it’s a refreshing city that reminds colonial cities of the Canary Islands, but with a Portuguese flavor. when I come here I like to skip commercial streets and head straight to the old town (Zona Velha) and this is exactly what I did on this trip. I actually discovered through foursquare a very nice cafe, the most highly rated on the island is called Barreirinha Bar Cafe. Its located on an amazing viewpoint at the very end […]
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Hong Kong: The Great Asian Metropolis as a Hiking Destination
Hong Kong is a beast of a city! Every time I come here I am amazed how quickly it changes here and there every year, ever more into a megapolis of the future. Since it was handed back to China in 1997, it enjoyed the 7% plus growth that the mainland has had over the years. Being here just feels like everything is economically going well. Investment pours in, modern roads and bridges all around the island and none stop flow of Teslas Model S roaming its downtown streets. Thanks to its strategical location and history, hong kong really feels to me like the Capital of Asia. Financially, it definitely is, only rivaled by Singapore. But thanks to the Casino mecca of Macau next door, and Disney land Asia, without forgetting its great airport, its no wonder why it brings in so many tourists on a layover or on a holiday! I noticed a great amount of publicity advertising the “touristic Wonders” of Hong Kong […]
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The Canary Islands: What Every Island on Earth Should Look Like!
After a nice 4 months in south-east Asia where I had the chance to visit four countries while settling in their capitals to get some work done, it was time to hit the road again and like almost every year, I am back to Europe on time for Spring and the Summer Holiday! I’m pretty excited about many pans I have for the next months and since it’s still a little cold on the continent, I am starting my adventures in the Canary Islands off the coast of western Africa, more specifically on two of them: Tenerife and La Palma. I’ve visited many islands through my travels, actually I visited all of the islands countries of the world. Among them, many of the most popular islands still “under control” by European nations. I must say that contrary to what many people think, staying on an island is not always “paradise”. They look great on pictures, the palm trees, the golden beaches and the blue waters are […]
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4 Months in South-East Asia; The Most Comfortable Lifestyle in the World
I stopped counting how many times I went to South-East Asia ever since I first came, back in 2007. It’s been love at first sight, a tropical land full of culture and traditions, encrusted with a mix of people all so kind and respectful. There’s definitely something for everybody, from the partygoers to the virgin beaches seekers. I truly love south-east Asia and it has become one of my favorite place to hang out as a digital nomad, especially for the comfort it offers. After a rough ride throughout 2017 to countries in the middle east such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as my extended travels throughout 14 of the most notoriously dangerous countries of Africa (such as South Sudan, Somalia and the Congo DRC), it was a relief to finally arrive in that part of the world. I arrived just on time for December 2017 to attend some conferences I wanted to take part in Bangkok related to my work. Thailand is one of […]
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My Secret to Stay in Shape while Travelling Long-term? Eat Enough Protein
It’s not a secret that long-term traveling takes a toll on our bodies. People leaving on a 1-week holiday won’t see a big difference eating unhealthy for a week because it’s not enough time for the body to suffer from a radical change of eating out. But for long-term travelers, what I have observed for more than 10 years on the road is that women will gain weight, while men slightly lose weight. Girls have been complaining how unfair this is, but my reasoning about all this is pretty simple: The loss of weight in men is due to loss of muscle which causes a decrease in weight, compensating for the gain in weight caused by extra fats gained as much as women. Those who know me for long enough know that I have been health-minded all my life. And being on the road for more than 10 years has had me testing different diets and strategies to keep in the best shape as possible, all […]
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My Russia Top 5 Lists Best Cities, best Nature, Best food, Best festivals
As usual with my country review series, I present my top 5 of different aspects of Russia. Its a great way to start planning your itinerary by seeing the highlights of my trips. Top 5 Favorite Cities 1. Novosibirsk 2. Krasnoyarsk 3. Sochi 4. Vladivostok 5. Moscow Top 5 Most Beautiful Cities 1. St-Petersburg 2. Vladivostok 3. Sochi 4. Moscow 5. Samara Top 5 Best Nature 1. Siberian Forest 2. Black Sea Coast from Krasnodar to Sochi 3. Baikal Lake and Baikal Natural Reserve 4. Altai Mountains 5. The Far East around Vladivostok Top 5 Food & Drinks 1. Borsch 2. Shashlik 3. Russian Dumplings 4. Russian Pancakes 5. Russian Salad Top 5 St-Petersburg Attractions 1. Hermitage Museum 2. Peterhof Palace 3. White Palace 4. Canals 5. Chuch of the Saviour Top 5 Moscow Attractions 1. Red Square 2. St-Basil Cathedral 3. Moscow Metro 4. Kremlin 5. Bolshoi Theatre Pin to Pinterest Enjoyed this guide? Help others find it too! Share the following Pinterest pin […]
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3 Best Russian Itineraries You Must Do On Your Next Trip
Following my series about Russia, I describe in this article the best itineraries to be done in this vast countries, from my own experience and personal researchers while on the field, and while talking with other travelers. Itinerary 1: Moscow and around Many people will only have a week to dedicate to visiting a country. And in a country as big as Russia, that means traveling very little distances. Limiting a visit that short will constrain to focus on Moscow and St-Petersburg. This is the itinerary that I have personally done in 2010, arriving by plane in Moscow and leaving the country on the western border into Estonia. Moscow deserves 2 to 3 days to visit all of its highlights, including the Kremlin, the Red Square, and the St-Basil Cathedral. Moscow Subway is also a must, and can easily be taken to go around the city. From there, you can decide to concentrate on the Golden Ring, ancient cities close to Moscow that can be […]
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The Trans-Siberian Train: The Ultimate Russian Challenge
My most recent interest since 2013 has been to dig into the cultures of the ex Soviet Union when I moved to Moldova and Ukraine for the summer 2013. Having more than 144 million native speakers, and the seventh most spoken language worldwide and especially in the 18 ex-soviet nations, I knew it would be a very useful tool for my adventures. It was especially interesting to me since I wanted to travel through the 5 Central Asian “Stan” countries, as well as in the Caucasus. So I went ahead and started learning Russian grammar and practiced through my travels and finally made it with at fluent conversational level in Russian by now. I have been back living in Ukraine for several months during the war of 2014 and after the war, back in 2016. My goal in learning the language was primarily to help communicate with locals to make my travels more interesting, as it is the intermediary languages in all 18th ex-soviet countries […]
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Cities I’ve Been Map (188/195 Countries) – Update December 2017
Each year or so, I update my map with the app “Cities I’ve Been” app on Facebook, and have done so for the last 10 years. This was my way to track my way through the world when I was at the stage of going anywhere whenever I felt like it and wasn’t necessarily counting the countries I’ve been to. I’ve never really been a “Country Counter” until I was getting close to 150 and newspapers started asking for my current count, as well as I wanted to have a way to measure the distance I have traveled. As a world adventurer, my Travel Map is really what I am proud of, much more than my “countries Ive been” map. It is really not that really that hard anymore to travel the 196 countries as it once was with all the flights getting cheaper. There are more and more people reaching the count. There’s even an American girl who has done it in a year […]
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