Hoi An is a charming Vietnamese town located approximately 850 km north of Ho Chi Minh City. It’s well preserved and the architecture reflects the history of a former port city, with a mix of French colonial buildings, Chinese shophouses, temples and the iconic Japanese Bridge. Walk along the river, pass the mustard yellow buildings with the Chinese lanterns hanging from the roofs and visit the local market. This is my favorite place in Vietnam so far. How to get to Hoi An Hoi An is easily accessible. It doesn’t have a train stop but it’s easy to get there by bus, car or plane. I chose to fly from…

Bhutan is a small Himalayan country, bordering Tibet in the north and India in south. Bhutan was closed off for tourists until 1971 but due to the desire of increasing revenue and promote their unique culture and traditions they decided to welcome the outside world. The first tourists didn’t arrive until 1974 with 287 visitors. The numbers of tourists have just increased ever since and I understand why. However, not just anyone can apply for a visa, get on a plane and explore the country. The country has decided on the strategy “low volume, high quality” when in comes to tourism. Even though they are open to foreigners, they are…

If you’re on your way to Bagan but want to make a stop in Mandalay for 24 hours, this is my recommendation for you: Mingun Pagoda Mingun – My favorite place in the Mandalay area Start the day by taking the ferry from Mingun Jetty. Remember to bring your passport for this! If you want to beat the tourist crowd and try to get the stunning Hsinbyume Pagoda all to yourself, hurry down and do the Mingun pagoda and the bell on your way back. The Hsinbyume Pagoda is truly majestic. My favorite pagoda in Mandalay! Hsinbyume Pagoda U Bein Bridge Arriving back in Mandalay, use Grab for transportation down to…

Planning my trip to Minsk, I really didn’t know what to expect, but since rather unknows cities intrigues me I decided that I had to visit the capitol of the so-called “Europe’s last dictatorship”. I must admit, I had the perception of Minsk as a grey, cold post-Soviet capital, but I was pleasantly surprised. It’s such a neat and beautiful city. One of the reasons why I decided to visit Minsk at this point, was the introduction of the visa-free period for many nationalities. Belarus is certainly not a big tourist destination, I hardly saw any tourists but that might change, as a result of the new visa procedure. Tips:…

While doing my research on Minsk, I quickly realized that a day trip visiting the castles nearby was a must and choosing to travel by public transportation would make the trip even more of an experience. Traveling by car will save you time, you can even fit it all the three castles nearby, but I highly recommend traveling by train and bus. We tried both. It’s a fun experience traveling in a country where you not only don’t understand the language, you don’t even understand the alphabet. We chose to take the train to Haradzieja, then a bus from Haradzieja to Nesvizh. The train ride was nothing like I’ve ever…

I didn’t have high expectation to Ohrid, or to North Macedonia itself. I just love to travel, so no matter what the outcome is, to me it’s an adventure either way. But let me tell you about Ohrid, my favorite place in North Macedonia. My first meet with Ohrid was walking in from the Park Plaza Golden View hotel. The town was gorgeous! I loved getting closer and closer, cause I realized it was going to be much better than I expected. The town itself reminds me a lot about Old Town Dubrovnik, Croatia, only more and bigger. What I found so charming was the narrow, cobblestoned streets, the red…

I decided to go by fast boat from Chetumal, Mexico to Caye Caulker. The boat stops in San Pedro for about an hour, for Belizean immigration and customs process. Just arriving in San Pedro, made me way excited. I knew I was going to love this part of my trip.  The colorful houses, the crystal-clear water, the chill vibe.  This is me in my happy place. Out and about, exploring the beautiful places on earth. After passing Belizean immigration and customs we boarded the boat again and heading to Caye Caulker. I was smiling the entire trip, I was so excited! Stepping off the boat, onto the dock in Caye…