When you travel in the Middle East you get used to Mosques. Islam is the main religion and there are Mosques everywhere. However, Christians, Jews and Buddhists also reside in these parts of course. But a Christian Quarter in Iraq? Yes – in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, often referred to as Iraqi Kurdistan. While Read more about Backpacking in Ainkawa: A Christian Suburb of Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq[…]
“I’ve seen all the disciples and all the wannabes. No-one wants to be themselves these days” – Jon Bon Jovi. “In a land of fakes and small time petty thieves, must be the wrong place” – Tim Wheeler. “What position should I wear? Cop an attitude? (You faker)” – Michael Stipe. I don’t do many Read more about Random Rant: Fake Travel Blogs[…]
It’s a long time since I wrote anything about Belarus (even though I once wrote a chapter for a book on my trip there). And as it’s yet to feature on my Friday’s Featured Food series, I thought it was time to recollect that day I tried Belarussian Porridge in the drab city of Bobruisk. Read more about Friday’s Featured Food: Belarussian Porridge in Bobruisk, Belarus🇧🇾[…]
In life, at least where I come from we all have a “local”. “Down the loke”, “down the wins”, “see you in the local” are all phrases we use to describe that one pub or bar where we feel at home. We know the staff, we know the customers, it’s our local. Most of my Read more about Thirsty Thursdays: The Windsor Bar Bangor, Northern Ireland (My Local Pub)☘️🔴✋[…]
It’s been quite a crazy year for me but not just travel, the amount of side projects I’ve been involved with. In the past year, I’ve worked with the BBC, Vadovia (iPad app), Asia Rooms, Wanderlust and the County Down Spectator (newspaper in my hometown). But a recent highlight was the time I took part Read more about Working Wednesdays: Travel Podcast in front of a room full of backpackers in Yerevan, Armenia[…]
Learning to drive is something I recommend for any would be travellers. Sure, it’s not cheap and it’s not easy to learn when you’re a teenager, but it will stand you in good stead for when you get older and travel. These days I admit I rarely use my driving licence, yet I carry it Read more about Tuesday’s Travel Essentials: A Driving Licence[…]
As you travel through endless unknown towns and cities, you end up getting “off the backpacker trail”. This only serves to make you a more raw and real traveller in my opinion, as you gain more and more local friends and go weeks without seeing a foreigner, or fellow backpacker. A few years back in Read more about Monday’s Money Saving Tips: Ask the Locals What Price Things Are[…]
Time for yet another cool world travellers interview. This time it’s Rob and Lina who run the website Erohisms. Who are you? Rob and Lina, one of the coolest, curliest-haired, and cooking-crazy married couples around! Rob is an entrepreneur and software engineer. I’m a communications and branding specialist, as well as a writer, which is Read more about World Travellers: Rob and Lina from Erohisms[…]
I’ve been asked a few times about staying safe when you travel and it’s definitely something I need and want to write more about. I’ve written some articles about this before including mostly health safety and also personal safety in South America. But I haven’t really delved into which specific countries I have found the Read more about The 5 Safest Countries I Have Backpacked In[…]
I’ve crossed the Hong Kong – Macao – China borders over 20 times now, and have already covered a few of those crossing on here. I aim to make these border crossings seem easy and smooth, which they normally are. On my most recent trip to China, I crossed overland from Lok Ma Chau to Read more about World Borders: How to Get from Lok Ma Chau to Shenzhen (Hong Kong to China Border)[…]