Oaxaca City: the good and the bad I had last been in Oaxaca 8 years ago. I hadn’t loved the city on that last visit but had liked it enough to say “let’s go back and explore more”. So, on this trip, a 2-month trip though Mexico, we decided to stay a week in Oaxaca. After a previous week of “fast travel” through the states of Guanajuato, Aguascalientes and Zacatecas, we decided that we had to slow down and recharge our batteries. I’ll give you my honest thoughts on Oaxaca below.     Coming back after 8 years, the differences were evident. Oaxaca has changed tremendously. It has beco ..read more

The Rudest things that People do on planes, buses and trains… The actually “travelling” is the worst part of travel. It’s where you experience the worst of humanity. We just came back from a 10-day trip through the Costa del Sol. Lowlights: a drunk throwing up in the aisle of the bus, me getting in an argument with a Russian woman who thought it was her right to take up 3 seats on a crowded bus with her belongings, locals on another bus watching YouTube videos on their phone with the volume blasting. I remember as a child flying to Europe and Africa. Travel back then was an experience, people ..read more

The Top 5 Italy Travel Packages. Italy always brings us back. This is a country synonymous with history, culture, stunning landscapes, great food (and wine) and friendly people. This post covers the top 5 Italy travel packages, tours designed for travelers looking to discover the best of Italy. These travel packages cater to different tastes and preferences: whether it’s the first-timer looking to visit the grand highlights that Italy is known for, whether it’s discovering Tuscany and its wine and food, or to see the wonders of coastal Italy, the little-known treasures of Sicily or the beauty ..read more

18 Travel Dupes (that I recommend). I had never heard of the term “Travel Dupes” before this year. But anyone who’s read this blog knows I’ve always believed in avoiding highly-touristed destinations in favour of lesser-known ones. I actually hate the term “Dupes” (short for “duplicates”). For me it not about duplicating a destination. You can’t duplicate places like Venice, Prague or Dubrovnik. BUT you can substitute well-known and expensive destinations for less-discovered and cheaper destinations. You might even discover a lesser-known place that inspires you more than you ever thought pos ..read more

Why you should visit Zacatecas We were really impressed by Zacatecas. It was the place that impressed us most on our latest trip to Mexico. Why? It’s beautiful, possibly the most beautiful city in Mexico (it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site). It also has lots of great attractions which I’ll cover in this post. Have a look at our video. They’ll be a bit of an overlap with this post. But as you’ll see, I’ll go into much more detail in this written post.        A bit of history on Zacatecas Before the arrival of the Spanish, several tribes inhabited this region of Mexico. In the 152 ..read more

The Hidden Gems of Split (Croatia) We lived 18 months in Split and have visited the city countless times. We love this city. It is, in our opinion, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Located on the Dalmatian Coast, Split is a city that combines ancient history, a vibrant culture and incredible geography. Some of its highlights are famous. Diocletian’s Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a city palace that dominates the old town. Marjan Hill is a large park overlooking the city featuring fantastic views from its viewpoints. The Riva is the place to stroll and enjoy the vibrancy ..read more

Great Daytrips from Mexico City I often see posts on the internet suggesting day trips from Mexico City to places like San Miguel de Allende, Taxco, Las Grutas de Tolantongo or Morelia. While they’re all nice, unless you want to be travelling 6 or 7 hours and spending 3 or 4 hours visiting a place that deserves at least a full day or two, don’t do day trips to these faraway places. In this post I’ll give you easy Day Trip ideas from Mexico City with practical information on how to get there. Some of these places you’ve probably heard of before, others you might not have (s ..read more

The Best Places to Visit on Spain’s Costa del Sol There are a lot of posts out there waxing lyrically  about the beauty of the Costa del Sol and telling you all the places you have to visit. The truth is that there’s a lot of ugliness on the Costa del Sol. There are also a lot of ‘ho-hum’ places that, although nice enough, don’t warrant a flight to the south of Spain. In this post I’ll cover: the main towns of the Costa del Sol (all places we’ve personally been). I’ll give you my honest opinion on each. I’ll tell you which you should consider as a base in the region (and which are truly ..read more

Angry with Airbnb. Angry is the first word that comes to mind. But considering that we used to travel full-time and stayed in Airbnb apartments 300+ nights a year…and considering all the nice hosts we met along the way over the years, the most appropriate word is probably ‘disappointment’. ‘Sad’ would be another word. What set forth these emotions was a 2-month trip through Mexico where we stayed in 9 Airbnb apartments. All the Airbnb’s where we stayed were hosted by Superhosts (if that means anything anymore. I don’t think it does). Let me give you a summary of our stays to explain. Then I’ll ..read more

“What the Mexpat”. The Cultural differences you’ll face moving to Mexico I always like hearing stories of the different experiences foreigners have when moving to another country. Those stories are even more interesting when told by a Cultural Anthropologist, someone actually educated in the study of cultural variation among humans. Debbie is that Cultural Anthropologist, someone who studied Latin America and Mexican culture and then, years later, experienced that culture first-hand upon meeting a Mexican man and moving to Mexico. That was 10 years ago. She’s written a book entitled “What the ..read more