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Dubai fascinates me. The sky is literally the limit with all the luxury in the world, its new high-rise buildings and Western-style mega malls. Whatever you want to do or buy, you’ll probably be able to find it in Dubai. But for me, the city has no soul. Everything is...
Dubai fascinates me. The sky is literally the limit with all the luxury in the world, its new high-rise buildings and Western-style mega malls. Whatever you want to do or buy, you’ll probably be able to find it in Dubai. But for me, the city has no soul. Everything is new, mostly built after the seventies, and seems to be aimed at spending as much money as possible. If you’re looking to find some history or culture, you’ll have to look hard. I did find some though. Al Bastakiya is one of the oldest neighbourhoods (1890’s) in the city with narrow, labyrinthine streets, art galleries, museums and cafés. It’s a nice contrast to all the skyscrapers. Unfortunately...
OTHER DESTINATIONS
For a weekend getaway in the Netherlands, Maastricht is one of my favorite destinations. Nowhere else in the Netherlands do I feel so much like I’m on vacation, and I want to spontaneously start speaking to people in another language. I'm also a big fan of beautiful...
A city trip to Taipei might not be the most obvious destination given the time it takes for most of us to get there. But if you're planning to spend more time in Taiwan, then visiting Taipei will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of your trip. I begin and end my...
If you still need a reason to travel to Taiwan... the food is fantastic! The charming street food stalls on every corner, the amazing night markets, the strong influences from both Chinese and Japanese cuisine, and of course, authentic Taiwanese food. In this Taipei...
Taiwan is an amazing country to visit. It is quite modern, so you don’t have to worry much about getting from A to B or finding places to sleep. However, for many of us it’s a country on the other side of the world with from time to time its own ‘instructions’. Are...
Taiwan is one of those destinations where you really feel that you're traveling. I don't speak the language, you won't run into Western tourists all the time, there's delicious food on every street corner, and it has the most stunning nature. I have 2,5 weeks to...
A few minutes before arriving in Tallinn, the pilot informs us about the weather. Cloudy, windy, and snowy. Not what I would typically call holiday weather. But I decided to visit Tallinn in winter because of the snow, so this announcement actually makes me smile. And...
It’s been 30 minutes since we left our car and anything that reminds us of our hectic city life behind. Carrying a backpack that hasn’t been used in years. And pulling a folding wagon filled with food and drinks for the coming days. Any doubts about whether it’s still...
I'm not sure how long I'll be able to keep this up, but for now I'm trying to avoid trips that require getting on an airplane. Which means that if I do want to travel abroad, I look for places just across the border. So when I received an invite to visit Essen and...
I'd been planning to visit Amersfoort for a while now. With its historic city centre, great restaurants and shops, and plenty of things to see, Amersfoort is the perfect destination for a day trip when you're visiting the Netherlands. This beautiful city is super...
The first time I visited Hotel des Indes was to celebrate my grandmother's 90th birthday. Despite having lived in The Hague her entire life, it also happened to be her first time to see the hotel from the inside. Hotel des Indes is a landmark in The Hague. Everyone...
Travel plans may have turned into vouchers for (hopefully) next year, but that doesn't mean that we won't be traveling at all. It will just be a bit closer to home. Starting with: Dordrecht, a perfect day trip from Amsterdam or Rotterdam. If I'm being honest, there...
Today, in addition to sharing some (definitely not all) of the 'The Hague hotspots' you should check out when visiting The Hague, I'll also be sharing these and more tips on a new app that gives you an easy way to collect, remember and share all the places you love....
There are many places in the world I'd like to go back to some day. But with Cape Town, it wasn't a matter of wanting, but knowing that this was going to be a first of many visits. This is my kind of city, I love it! And because I'm totally convinced that there will...
I'm spending two weeks in Chiang Mai. With all the stories I'd heard about digital nomads choosing this city as their base in Thailand I figured there must be enough to do and see to keep me busy for two weeks. After the first two days I'm wondering if maybe I was...
I don't particularly like celebrating my own birthday. But I do love celebrating other people's birthdays! Unfortunately, many of my friends go through the same phase of not wanting to be reminded that they're getting older and prefer not to make a big deal out of it....
Where can you go in November that doesn't require too much traveling but is still warm and sunny? According to many 'Best places to go in November' lists that I find online, I should visit Seville in Spain. Unfortunately even a minimum chance of rain still means it...
As I cross the street from Oslo's Central Station I’m looking up to this impressive building that’s been here for a hundred years. This was once the headquarters of the Norwegian America Line ('Amerikalinjen'), a cruise ship company taking passengers to the United...
It's not the first time I'm visiting Oslo, the capital of Norway. I've been here once before with my family when I was a teenager. Which, let's be honest, is a really long time ago. I remember seeing an old Viking ship, eating lots of waffles and trying cheese with a...
I have booked my flight. The next question is: where to stay in Chicago? As much as I like hotels, I always find this extra difficult when I visit a city for the first time. After all, you don't want to end up in a bad neighborhood, or be too far away from all the...
I know, writing about where to eat in Bangkok (or Thailand) and not mentioning street food is kind of unacceptable. But with so many stories already out there about where to find the best street food, what Thai food you must try, etc.... I thought I'd focus on another...
Tourists and digital nomads have clearly discovered Chiang Mai, Thailand’s second city. Mostly known for the over 300 Buddhist temples, these days you’ll be just as impressed by the number of hotels, restaurants and trendy coffee shops. They’re everywhere. Finding a...
Why do I keep forgetting how long it takes to change the design of your website?! Anyway, that's what I've been working on these past weeks. And the reason why it's been a while since I shared my last post here. But I'm mostly done now (it's never really done, now is...
It's my first time in Chicago. In a week I'll be starting a new job and even though I didn't know that when I started planning several months ago, the timing is now kind of perfect. Traveling 'in between jobs' always gives me that extra sense of freedom where I don't...
Only a few days before my trip to Chicago I traded in my beloved Nikon D750 for the new Nikon Z6 full-frame mirrorless camera. There was nothing wrong with my D750 which I've used for the past four and half years. For quite some time I wasn't even sure if I wanted to...
Whether you're visiting Thailand to lie on a tropical beach or explore the hipster coffee scene in Chiang Mai, your first stop is probably going to be Bangkok. I'm not using Bangkok simply as a jump-off point to visit the rest of the country. It's my first time in...
I’m currently in Bath (the city, not the tub) where I’ll be ringing in the new year. It’s the last day of the year. The final blog post of 2018. Time to make travel plans for 2019 and look back at the beautiful places we visited this year. I didn’t travel as much as...
If my previous post didn't convince you to visit Maastricht, then this one should do it. Because in addition to being super charming, Maastricht is also a great city for shopping and eating. So in this post, I'm sharing my favorite cafés and restaurants in Maastricht...
Maastricht is the most southern city in the Netherlands. So southern that it actually takes me longer to get here than Antwerp or Brussels in Belgium. But I love visiting Maastricht. It's a beautiful, historic city and so different from other Dutch cities that it...
I love keeping a journal when I travel. I want to remember every moment, every detail. The good, the bad and the ugly. One way to do this is taking photos, but they will only tell so much. Looking at a photo of a trip I made a few years ago will certainly bring back...
If you've never been to Africa, South Africa is the perfect place to start. It has it all: incredible landscapes, wild animals, a delicious (both modern and traditional) food scene, and let's not forget the vineyards and wine. In general, it's also more modern than...