Inspiration for Independent Travelers

and for all of us who like to work abroad

Where to?

Nepal: Everest Base Camp Trek

What Are the 3 Hardest Days on Everest Base Camp Trek?

Do you want to know what are the 3 hardest days on Everest Base Camp trek? I hope you do understand this is a highly subjective matter. In this...

Training for Everest Base Camp Trek

Would you like to do the Everest Base Camp Trek but you don't know how to prepare for it? You've come to the right place. I completed the EBC Trek...

Everest Base Camp Trek Cost

The average Everest Base Camp trek cost ranges between $2,000 and $4,000, depending on your chosen route, travel agent, lodging type and group size....

Everest Base Camp Trek Food Guide

Food choices on the Everest Base Camp Trek include pasta, noodles, soups, omelets, fried eggs, pancakes, potatoes, momos, pizza, and the traditional...

Everest Base Camp Trek April – May 2022

After several days of research and about six months of preparations, in May 2022 I embarked on a journey to do the Everest Base Camp Trek....

What to Pack for Everest Base Camp Trek

When I published the first article about my Everest Base Camp trek adventure this May, I promised some follow-up articles in regard to the cost of...

All Nepal Articles

Portugal: Algarve, Lisbon, Sintra

Lisbon Aquarium – Oceanario de Lisboa, Best Thing To See on a Rainy Day

What to do in Lisbon on a rainy day? I had this issue during my December trip to Lisbon. The initial solution was to go shopping. Fortunately, the...

Palaces of Sintra, Portugal: A Perfect Day Trip from Lisbon

If Lisbon is on your bucket list, chances are you already know how the palaces of Sintra look. Pena Palace is surely a memorable one, with its...

Basic Portuguese Phrases for Travel

Learning a few basic Portuguese phrases for travel can take you a long way when it comes to interacting with locals and making the most out of your...

Belem District, Lisbon: Torre de Bélem, Museums & Other Landmarks

Belém is part of Lisbon, Portugal. The fact that Belem district is not in the city center doesn't make it less beautiful. Besides, this westernmost...

Where To Stay in Lisbon: Best Areas & Neighborhoods

Where to stay in Lisbon? Central are and surrounding neighborhoods are best for first time visitors. Such neighborhoods include Rossio, Baixa,...

Santuario de Cristo Rei, the Jesus Statue in Lisbon, Portugal

Santuario de Cristo Rei is one of the most prominent monuments in Lisbon. Located in the Tagus Estuary, on the southern river banks, in Alameda,...

Pastel de Nata Cooking Class near Lisbon

Local food is always a good reason to travel the world. When it comes to Portugal, one of the stars of the local cuisine is the bite-sized egg...

Lisbon Metro System: Map, Cards, Fares and Directions

This Lisbon metro system guide will help you navigate the city using nothing but this underground public transport. The subway system, known as...

Miradouros de Lisboa: Where To Watch Sunsets in Lisbon for Free

Miradouros is a generic term for viewpoints on top of the hills. The best way to enjoy scenic sunsets in Lisbon is to seek for the nearest miradouro...

Rossio Square: A Tourist Guide to Praça Dom Pedro IV in Lisbon

Rossio Square is the place you're going to cross at least twice a day regardless of your Lisbon itineraries. Even though the official name of this...

Thank You in Portuguese

Learning how to say thank you in Portuguese is one of the best ways to put a smile on everyone's face in Algarve, Lisbon, Porto or in any other...

Carmo Convent: Why Visit Lisbon’s Convento do Carmo Ruins?

As you stand in Rossio Square and you look toward the hill where Castelo de Sao Jorge is, you may notice a beautiful ruin that stands out from the...

4 Days in Lisbon: Itineraries for First Time Visitors

Spending 4 days in Lisbon isn't enough to visit all beautiful nooks and crannies of this city on the European shores of the Atlantic Ocean....

10 Reasons Why You Should Visit Óbidos, Portugal

Portugal is one of the countries I've had the privilege to live in for a while. I loved my life in the Algarve, and I'd go back there any time. This...

A Detailed Travel Guide To Algarve, Portugal

Algarve, Portugal, is arguably the best beach vacation destination in Europe. If you leave aside Greece and the islands, there aren't too many...

Sagres, Portugal, the Westernmost Side of the Algarve

Sagres Portugal is totally different than many other resorts in the Algarve. The majestic cliffs, the strong winds, the waves of the ocean and the...

The Moorish Castle of Silves, Portugal

Silves is a city in the Algarve region of Portugal. It is located in the southern part of the country, along the Atlantic coast. The city has a rich...

Pera, Portugal – Beautiful Beaches & Scenic Natural Reserve

Pera is one of the quiet villages in Algarve, Portugal, where time unfolds at a slower pace, allowing you to enjoy life, relax, and forget about the...

All Portugal Articles

Italy: Rome, Milan, Bergamo, Como

What Are the Good and Bad Neighborhoods of Milan, Italy?

Milan is one of the most vibrant cities in Italy, renowned for its impressive architecture and for its thriving fashion scene. Like many other...

Rome Walking Tours Self Guided – Sightseeing without the Crowds

Rome has a well-deserved reputation of being overpacked with tourists. While this is true for most tourist objectives such as Fontana di Trevi, The...

Crypta Balbi – A Glimpse into the Layered Urban Evolution of Rome

Crypta Balbi is part of Museo Nationale Romano, together with Palazzo Altemps,The Baths of Diocletian and Palazzo Massimo alle Terme. When you buy...

Castel Sant’ Angelo in Rome – Hadrian’s Tomb, Repurposed

Do you remember my article about the coffin that tells stories (The Ludovisi Battle sarcophagus)? Here's now a full tomb that also tells stories,...

Ostia Beach (Lido di Ostia) – A Beach as Close to Rome as You’ll Ever Find

If you are in Rome during summer and you want to visit Rome's ancient harbor, Ostia Antica, consider taking your bathing suit and your flip flops...

Ostia Antica, Best Day Trip from Rome – Why Visit & How To Do It

Ostia Antica is one of Italy's landmarks that deserve to be on anyone's travel bucket list. It is the port city of old Rome, once bustling with...

All Italy Articles

Romania

Skiing in Romania – Poiana Brasov

Have you ever considered skiing in Romania rather than in the Swiss or French Alps? The Carpathians mountains are high enough to get covered in snow...

The Medical Spa in Europe You Won’t Forget Too Soon – Bali Spa Cornu

If you need to find a medical spa in Europe and you happen to have Romania on your bucket list, you'll like the idea I'm going to share here. But...

How to Visit Peles Castle in Sinaia, Romania

If I were to tell you that Peles Castle in Sinaia, Romania, is one of the first buildings to feature central heating and air conditioning in the...

One Day Trip from Bucharest: the Bison Reserve in Vama Buzaului, Mud and Waterfalls

If you ever decide to visit Romania, chances are you're going to land to Bucharest, as this is where most flights arrive. While the city is cool,...

Muddy Volcanoes in Berca, Romania: How To Visit the Mud Volcanoes in Buzău County

How would you like to take photos of you on another planet? We may have to wait a little until space travel becomes mainstream, but I've managed to...

From Emotion to Meaning and Return. A Cultural Trip Through Oltenia

The growling of what sounded like a bear made me stop and listen carefully for a few seconds. I looked around me. The forest was young, there wasn't...

All Articles about Romania

Greece (Hellas)

6 Off-the-Beaten-Path Greek Islands You Should Visit in 2023

The beauty of the Greek islands is well known. The dazzling azure blues, the white sand-fringed bays and the breathtaking cliff-top views have long...

Day Trips from Athens that Will Make You Want To Return to Greece

After two days of exploring Athens with its Acropolis, Lycabettus Hill, Plaka, Syntagma, the Archeology Museum and the many ruins of ancient...

Things To Do in Athens, Greece, in Two Days

There are so many things to do in Athens, Greece, that you won't be able to cover everything in one day. Athens is a wealth of culture and...

How To Find the Best 5 Chania Beaches

The most popular tourist destinations are famous for something. Meteora, in Greece, for instance, is well-known for its monasteries built on top of...

Jumping Insect – Grasshopper Just Before the Big Leap

How to Feed 100 Hungry Seagulls: One at a Time

All Greece Articles

Türkiye Travel Articles

Best Beaches in Kusadasi

Turkish resorts are well-known for their excellent services and laid back atmosphere. I've fallen in love with the Turkish way of welcoming tourists...

Unusual Things To Do in Bodrum

The most unusual things to do in Bodrum are the ones you won't find in any Turkey travel guides or in my other Turkey articles. Booking a beach...

Samara Hotel Bodrum Review

Samara Hotel Bodrum was one of my most pleasant post-pandemic travel surprises. This five-star, private beach, ultra all inclusive hotel is an...

How To Visit the Ancient Cities of Ephesus & Troy in Turkey

Turkey is one of the most surprising countries in the world. Not only is it a realm of contrasts, where the rich meets the poor, and the new meets...

Best Things To See in Istanbul: A 3-Day Itinerary

What if one told you that you only had 3 days in Istanbul? How would you do your planning to see as much as possible? Would you take several guided...

What Do James Bond, Assasin’s Creed and The Otoman Empire Have in Common?

Istanbul is such a great place to visit! Located at the confluence of two continents, it offers the best of both worlds in terms of culture and...

Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey

Hagia Sophia is a beautiful but sad museum. It went through a series of transformations which you can read about in David Lansing's article about...

Istiklal Street – The Busiest Street in Istanbul

How many millions of tourists pass on Istiklal street each month? Before the pandemic, this was one of the busiest avenues of Istanbul. İstiklal...

Kayakoy Ghost Town. When Going Home Means Leaving Your Village

The Kayakoy ghost town is one of the saddest places in Turkey, and maybe in the whole world. This ghost town in Turkey is the result of a post-war...

Saklikent Gorge, Fethiye, Turkey, The Place Where Time Stops

Out of all places I’ve visited, two have the magic power to stop the time. One is Mount Olympus in Greece. The other one is Saklikent Gorge in...

The Blue Lagoon Turkey & More Cool Things to Do in Oludeniz

It’s strange how we get attached to things in our lives. We also get attached to places we visit. This happened to me with the Blue Lagoon Turkey,...

All Türkiye Posts

Morocco

Jardin Majorelle Marrakech – Beautiful in Blue

Before getting to Marrakech this spring, I've never heard about Jardin Majorelle, blue Majorelle, or anything else related to the home of Yves Saint...

The Saadian Tombs in the Kasbah of Marrakech

As weird as it may seem, I enjoy visiting graveyards. While planning my trip and researching the best things to see in Marrakech, I came across the...