Libya! Once one of the richest country in Africa, thanks to endless supplies of oil. And like many other oil countries would agree, wherever there is oil, there is trouble. Nothing could be further from the truth in the troubled north-African nation, which has been embroiled in Civil wars since the Arab Spring 10 years prior. I had waited since 2011 to enter Libya, with small windows opening once in a while. I had never managed to enter, and every time I seemed ready to go, more bad news would strike the country once again, spiraling to never ending chaos. \ Some might already know that I am a big fan of north African countries. In fact, I often say that they are my favorite Arab countries, along with Lebanon. Knowing Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia all reserved the same kind of culture, hospitality and amazing […]
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Iron Macho Challenge – The “Iron Man of the Seas” – 400 km KiteSurfing Expedition across 3 Brazilian States
After a nice warm–up a month prior, KiteSurfing 350 km from Fortaleza to Camocim with the Lagartixa expedition, this was the ultimate challenge: KiteSurfing more than 400km from Jericoacoara (known as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world) to Atins in the desert of the Lençóis Maranhenses; an intense 5 day challenge in a true paradise on earth. A once in a lifetime journey which I will never forget… The Iron Macho kitesurfing trip As described in my previous post The “Marathon of the Seas” Expedition: KiteSurfing 350 km of Ocean Stretch Off the Brazilian Coast, I had previously taken part in an amazing KiteSurf expedition from Fortaleza to Camocim, surfing a total of 350km back in August 2020. The amount of hours spent on the oceans had been an incredibly good training for the ultimate adventure I had signed up for with […]
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The “Marathon of the Seas” Expedition: KiteSurfing 350 km of Ocean Stretch Off the Brazilian Coast
Just imagine for a second undertaking the challenge of traveling on the ocean on a surfboard for an average of 90 km per day for 4 days in a row, reaching some of the most beautiful scenery available in Brazil, sleeping in small fishing village to recharge your batteries before hitting the waves again and again for over 6 hours daily. This is what I’ve been signing in for on this incredible journey of downwinder KiteSurf trip that took me on an adventure of more than 350 km of surfing in August 2020. The prospect of such a challenge seemed overwhelming at first when a friend invited me to take part in Lagartixa kite trip, but it undoubtedly turned out one of the most amazing experience I have done in the past years! KiteSurf Downwinders The beauty of KiteSurfing lies in it’s astonishing freedom and […]
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One Day in Rio de Janeiro
Here’s a little snapshot I wanted to share where I am at the moment. Spending time home in quarantine isn’t easy. At least I have the beauty of the marvelous city of Rio de Janeiro to keep my morale up while I can’t continue traveling around the world. I decided to have a little fun today. I took pictures of the view from my window at different times to compare them together, to show how the beauty of this city changes through time. I am constantly blown away by Rio which never ceases to impress me year after year, every single day, every single hour. The pictures are taken from my Lagoa apartment rental I found to spend the quarantine, overlooking the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon. I took the first picture early in the morning at 7:00, where the sun wakes up from behind, lighting […]
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Spending New Year’s Eve in Havana
I had long wanted to go back to Cuba since I first visited the island back in 2002. At the time, it was the typical all-inclusive hotel in Cayo Coco in the middle of the island so I couldn’t really say I had the real Cuban experience. Nevertheless, I remember I had been stung by the joy of the people of Cuba and since I this year I had the opportunity to go back, I thought to myself it could be a good experience to spend New year’s Eve in the country. Havana the capital of joy If we can call Havana the Capital of rum we can also pro probably call it the capital of cigars, salsa and even fun-loving people too. For me time in the city, I rented a one-week apartment in the old town of Havana which was a great way […]
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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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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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Kaliningrad in Russia – In the Shadow of Konigsberg
Once a very important city in the Prussian empire and now an integral part of Russia, this little enclave to the baltic sea hold its share of history. Its strategic location between the Curonian spit was seen by several empires to be a must keep area, which explains why it is awkwardly separated from the Russian Mainland. A lot of Kaliningrad was lost during world war 2, which is sad because It was once considered one of Europe’s most beautiful cities. Even St-Petersburg is said to be built on the bases of Kaliningrad. The Missing Piece of the Baltic States It’s no secret that I consider the 3 Baltic States as one of my favorite parts of th world. And this is probably why Kaliningrad was so high on my list, as it shares the same attributes as its neighbors. With the Curonian spit north […]
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How to Find and Book the Best & Cheapest Accommodation for your Travels
As I keep saying all the time, traveling is not as expensive as people think. Even though accommodation is usually the most expensive chunk of money you will spend out of your daily budget, it will turn out as expensive as you want it to be. There are so many options out there nowadays that you can easily sleep under 30$ a day very comfortably. I’ve been in these types of accommodation non-stop for over 10 years now, which helped me visit 95% of the world’s countries, so I know what I’m talking about. In this article, I rounded up all the tips and tricks out there for you to see the options available and understand you can use them too! I also share valuable tips on how to save money on the biggest websites and how to use them. Hotel Rooms Cost: 20 to 50 USD Quality […]
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How to Find the Best Insurance for Your Travels
Travel Insurance is an essential and important part of travel expenses, yet some people will just ignore it thinking “problems only happen to others”. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Leaving on an international trip will require planning and traveling safely is crucial to keep a peace of mind in any event. I have always had travel insurance for pretty much 95% of all my 10+ years on the road, and do not regret it one minute! Most people are lost when dealing with insurance so I will clear things up in this article in details, covering essentially what you need to know to be prepared and see your options of insurance. Why do I consider myself a good resource to talk about insurance? Having been on the road for over 13 years now, and while visiting 188 out of the 196 countries of […]
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