Is Kathmandu worth visiting for 4 days? Yep and here are 8 tips!

"Don't go to Kathmandu", they said. "Kathmandu is noisy, polluted and overwhelming".

Destination: Kathmandu
Travel Companion: Solo
Duration: 3.5 days

Thamel street - Kathmandu

People will never know what your current mood is, what you're aiming for and what kind of experience you're looking for out of your travels. If you want tourism, 5 star luxury, relaxation, then don't go to Kathmandu. But if you want to feel alive again... then do read my tips to make your time in Kathmandu well spent and efficient. It was definitely one of the best trips I have ever done.

Patan Square - Kathmandu

Istanbul too busy and loud? Escape in two hours to heaven!

Destination: Agva

Duration: 2 days
Budget: 300$

Istanbul is one of the culture-richest cities in the world, and for us Lebanese people, it's the perfect quick destination that requires no visa, direct flight, currently very affordable and a place that resonates with our own tradition and culture.

But!

Either you've already been there, or have more than a week and think it's too much for one city (which I agree with); so here's a solution I highly recommend because I did that last week and really enjoyed it:

"Rent a car and drive out of Istanbul for few hours."

Our ride!

9 tips to save money & have the best time in Santorini

Destination: Santorini
Travel Companions: Nancy, Lara, Patricia
Duration: 4 days
Budget: 1,400$ pp

Warning: Prepare for your eyes to hurt so badly from all the beauty that Santorini will shine upon you. Moreover, a distinguishing thing about Greek people is their hospitality and friendliness, best I have seen so far.

From Santorini with Lava - Fira Caldera View

Guidelines for traveling alone, Part 2: "How to make the best of your time"

Following the first part where I covered safety and comfort, today's post is going to be about how to plan your trip in a way that allows you to make the best of your time. This is also applicable for couples or a group of friends ;)

Taken in Budapest - June 2015

Guidelines for traveling alone, Part 1: "Safety and Comfort"

I've been traveling a lot for work in the past few years which allowed me to add in a weekend here and there around business trips, and evidently I'd be alone! The more I became comfortable with it, the more solo trips I did. It's definitely something I recommend you try few times in your life. It's such an interesting experience.

You can start with cities where you know one person there, makes it a bit easier to know you're going to have one person there that you can catchup with over coffee. With time, you can start moving into new territories such as having no one there and completely relying on yourself. This post is around Safety and Comfort, and you can also check Part 2 which is more around how to make the best of your time.

Here are some tips that could help you should you decide to travel on your own:

Top things to do in Budapest if you only have 3 days

Destination: Budapest
Travel Companion: Solo
Duration: 3 days

I was in Budapest (pronounced Budapesht) for 3 days, when I first got there, after about an hour of walking I thought to myself, why am I here for 3 days, there isn't much to do. On my 3rd hour of walking (and researching while walking), I realized that 3 days aren't enough at all, nonetheless still a good start and you will be able to cover quite a bit. I couldn't do everything I am recommending below, but I would've if I had the chance. Here are some recommendations (and some are not just specific to Budapest):

Feet photo with Budapest - Paez

Berlin, the city that I cannot describe but will always try to

Destination: Berlin
Travel Companions: Bechara, Marie, Paul
Duration: 5 days

It's quite difficult for me to recover after Berlin. This city has something magical to it, it's not the pretty city of Paris, the musical city of London, the party capital of Ibiza or the old city of Vienna. In fact, it's none of those and all of those. Almost every person who has been to Berlin answers the "what do you think of Berlin" question the same way:

It has character.

Feet photos with Berlin - Converse