Exploring Syria During War Times… (My 191st of 195 Country Visited)

“You’re traveling to Syria in mid-2019… Are you Crazy???” would I mostly hear when mentioning my intention to explore the country while working on my plan to visit every country of the world… The truth is, there are many more countries which I have been that are in a similar situation but have not received as much media coverage as Syria. Pretty much everybody even from a young age knows that terrible things that happened over there, and even at the time of writing, are still happening as the war is still ongoing. My researches prior to travel had given me enough assurance that I felt it was finally possible to go with enough guarantee of a secure experience with less risk. Overall it was a 5 day expedition from A-Wadi, Homs, Aleppo and Damascus. Being one of the first tourists in Syria since 2011, […]

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Exploring Bangui in Central African Republic – My 190th of 195 Country

“Welcome to the Country of Wars” was I told, by my taxi driver taking me from the International Airport to my Hotel downtown Bangui, Capital of Central African Republic. There was definitely something deep about what he said, as from my personal knowledge, this is all I knew about the country prior to coming! Probably this was a reason why I had taken so long to travel here, making it my 51st country visited in Africa, out of the 54 that make the African continent. He then gladly replied: “But finally peace is coming to us”! Among all the United Nations armoured Vehicles and soldiers I could see on the way to the hotel, this positive note was exactly what I needed to hear, as I was ready to begin exploring Bangui. At the time of writing, the government of Central African Republic had just […]

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Canadian Newspaper LaPresse Publishes my Travel Recommendations for 2019

Back in January, I was contacted by a Journalist from Canadian Newspaper LaPresse named Mrs Ballivy, concerning an article about experts recommendations for Canadian tourists to travel in 2019. Flattered by the trust and confidence giving by such a reputable newspaper, I accepted with pride! My recommendations appeared in two articles published by the newspaper, where out of my 9 recommendations, 3 were selected. You can find the link to these two articles, but I also thought I could share the remainder of my other recommendations with my loyal readers right here in this article. Two articles published by La Presse The two articles published by LaPresse were quite interesting and can be found in French at the following links. The first was published on the 12th February 2019 under the title Les destinations voyage de l’année where the authors kept Tallinn as my recommended […]

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What to do in 3 Days in Sibenik, Croatia – An Underrated city soon to be recognized internationally

Halfway between the two Damlatian Stars of Split and Zadar stands Sinebik, a well underated city that still attracts a quarter of the attention as the others. This also means it is a great time to visit Sibenik before it catches up on the higer prices on food and accomodation you will find in most popular cities. But this is likely to change very soon so I would hurry up to get there as soon as possible if I were you. The City Surounded by Forts Sibenik’s setup is beautiful and perfect for yachties. It is located inside a bay which is garded by many forts, and makes it ideal to dock stright off the peer or at the marina for it’s calm waters. But Sibenik’s definit highlight is it’s Cathedral, which earns the title of the biggest 100% stone built cathedral in the world! […]

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Visiting Zadar in Croatia – The New Dalmatian Coast Hot Spot

The third biggest city in Croatia and quickly developing as an alternative for Split as a holiday base, Zadar really surprised me and exceeded my expectations. Enjoying the same quality of the Dalmatian coast as its southern brothers, Zadar has plenty to offer for the seasonal tourist looking for sun, beach and culture. Trying to cash in on Tourism With Tourism in mind, Zadar is aiming big nowadays with its cruise port which can receive the biggest fleet of cruise ships in the Mediterranean. Many of the biggest cruise companies have chosen Zadar as a regular stop to explore the Adriatic sea route, along with Venice, Split and Dubrovnik, as it is strategically located as an easy stop to explore other beautiful cities in the region, such as Sibenik. With the advent of Cheap airlines now connecting Zadar directly to major European cities, its popularity […]

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Trogir, a Tiny UNESCO Marvel in Croatia

Overshadowed by its big sister Split just 10km away, Trogir is often just a simple day tour for tour groups arriving by bus for a quick 1 hour guided walk. But for me Trogir is much more than this, somewhat of a secret destination of mine and this year I decided to go directly to Trogir after flying into the country, preferring it to Split for its charming UNESCO recognized medieval old town. A Tiny Island that has a lot to offer Trogir is just a tiny island that can be walked around in less than 30 minutes. But doing so would ruin the experience that I adore in Trogir, which is to immerse myself in this small ancient town to feel Trogir, walk the curvy narrow streets at night, hearing the old churches ring their bells in the morning and absorb the feeling of […]

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Visiting Warsaw, Newly Rebuilt Capital of Poland

If there is one thing to admire about Warsaw, it is its tenacity to rebuild again and again after 98% of the city was destroyed during World War 2. The Germans had made it an objective to clean the whole city to the ground and not leave a single wall standing, piling the debris in a pyramid of ruins in the middle of the house to humiliate and punish the Varsovians for their uprising. And even under the Soviet rule and against communist philosophy, locals insisted to rebuild the old town exactly how it was historically, a massive project that is still ongoing over 80 years after the end of the war. Very inspiring to me… Rebuilding a Capital after 98% was destroyed post WW2 The majority of the construction has been concentrate on restoring the main part of the old town, which is pretty small […]

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World Map of the Friendliest Countries to Travel to… in the Eyes of a Man Who Visited Them All

This Article is part of my series about comparing every country in the world between each other, from the perspective of a man who has traveled all of them, 188/196 to be precise. After creating the most beautiful countries map, the best food in the world map or even the best quality price countries, this article focuses on the most friendly countries to travel to. It must be understood that the context here when I say “friendly to the traveler” is how welcoming a country is to visitors at first sight, and not necessarily about the population in general. I also tried to be objective in my way to rate them, even though it also reflects a little bit my personal experiences. As a traveler with an open mind, I do not care about religion or race, I am an observer of humans in general […]

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Dedicating a Few Days to Lodz in Poland

Not the typical city that will appear on travelers radar, Lodz is still worth a visit on an itinerary as its central location makes it logistically easy to include while traveling from Wroclaw to Warsaw or on the way north towards Gdansk. It doesn’t pack a lot to see compared to other polish cities, but I can expect its popularity will continue growing in the next few years. The “One Street” City of Poland As local people like to joke about it, if you get even one street away from Piotrkowska Street you are out of bounds. That is actually very close to the truth as Piotrkowska is definitely the highlight of Lodz and where most of the interesting sightseeing areas are located. If I ever come back to Lodz, I would try to find a hotel or apartment straight off the street and try not to go further, exception […]

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Crashing on the Lithuanian Coast in Palanga

Where else to spend a few days in the region during the peak tourist season of mid-July on the Baltic Sea? Palanga is known around the Baltic Countries to be one of the most festive and energetic Beach Resort of the three. And I had a few days to explore it thoroughly under the northern european sun! The Go-To Holiday destination for all Lithuanians After being in Klaipeda for a few days (and loving it), I was looking forward to see why everybody was telling me that nobody stays in town in the summer and go straight to Palanga. Even the Avis Car Rental had “reduced hours” to serve more time in Palanga. As soon as I arrived I understood. It was jammed packed of people enjoying its lively atmosphere and it looked much better than I expected. I imagined just another baltic coast resort, something […]

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