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Best Day Trip From Stockholm
Stockholm is the city that 99% of travelers visit when coming to Sweden, and for good reason: it has the most to see and do. However, Stockholm can get old quickly; I felt that three days was more than enough to see everything it has to offer. With a few extra days remaining, I wanted to explore more of Sweden. I ended up visiting two places outside of Stockholm: Uppsala, which I found to be incredibly boring, and Sigtuna. Sigtuna is a charming, historic town located about 50 km (31 miles) northwest of Stockholm. Established in the late 10th century, it is Sweden’s oldest town, known for its well-preserved medieval…
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Day Trip to Copenhagen, Denmark
I had no plans to go Denmark during my trip to Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, but I made a last-minute decision to visit. After all, my goal is to hit every country on Earth and I was close enough. I took the earliest train (SJ train) from Stockholm and departed at 6:16 AM for the 5.5. To make the most of my day trip, I took a bus (Flixbus) back to Stockholm at 10:15 PM, which took about 9 hours. Is a day enough in Copenhagen? That depends on what type of traveler you are. Some people like to see everything a city has to offer, while others prefer to…
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The Most Beautiful Place in Norway
Norway was the second stop on my Nordic adventure, and I had high expectations coming in. Americans tend to romanticize Scandinavia and hold it in high regard compared to the rest of the world. As a child, I was led to believe that Norway was some sort of utopia—a place where crime and poverty didn’t exist and social benefits uplifted every citizen. I wanted to see this magical land for myself to find out if it was really as advertised. I spent a week in Norway and decided to explore three areas: Oslo, the Lofoten Islands, and Bergen. Oslo To be honest, I didn’t find Oslo all that exciting. There…
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A 7-Day Ring Road Adventure in Iceland: A Complete Travel Guide
Iceland has been one of my dream countries for years but timing and other logistics always seemed to get in the way. Iceland is one place everyone should try to visit in their lifetime, simply because there is no place like it.
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What to see in Armenia
Armenia was the final stop of my Caucasus tour. I took a mini bus from Tbilisi in the morning, which took five and a half hours (including immigration). Surprisingly, immigration went pretty smooth. Many Georgians warned me that Armenian immigration officials would press me about my travels in Azerbaijan once they saw the stamp in my passport. Fortunately, they didn’t ask me a single question, so it’s likely they didn’t see the stamp or just didn’t care. I spent 4 full days in Armenia, and despite the short amount of time, felt like I saw the major highlights. Armenia was the first country to official adopt Christianity as its state…
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Georgia : A Backpacker’s Paradise
Georgia was the second stop of my Caucasus tour and hands down my favorite country. Georgia has it all: city life, stunning landscapes, wineries, history, backpacking trails, you name it. I spent 7 days here, but honestly, I could’ve done two-weeks. Before coming to Georgia, you have to decide which route you want to take – the backpacking one, party life, historical tour, or a mix of all, especially if you’re limited on time. Here are my top recommendations for Georgia if you have a week or so to spare. 1) Kazbegi Kazbegi is a region located in north-eastern Georgia, which is roughly 3 hours from Tbilisi. Kazbegi is home…
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Azerbaijan in Four Days
Azerbaijan was the first stop of my two-week tour through the Caucasus region. I didn’t know much about the country aside from being an oil-rich nation, so I kept my expectations to a minimum. Looking back, I wish I spent a few more days here, as Azerbaijan ended up being a hidden gem, and Baku, the capital, is a super neat city with stunning architecture. The highlight of my trip was visiting the countryside, which doesn’t get talked about enough. If you’re in Azerbaijan for four days, here’s what I recommend. Day 1 : Day Tour in Baku Baku is obviously a must see, and its pretty walkable for the…
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Backpacking the Albanian Alps: Europe’s Hidden Gem
“Albania?!” That’s pretty much the response I got from my friends and family when I told them I’d be making my way through this Balkan nation. And I’ll admit, prior to my trip, I knew nothing about Albania; I had no preconceived notion about the country and had no idea what to expect. Why Albania? Well, I was in North Macedonia on vacation and saw Albania was just a few hours drive from the city I was in, so I figured I’d make my way through. Not to mention, Albania, along with North Macedonia, were two of the few countries that accepted American tourists during the Covid pandemic. After a…
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Backpacking through North Macedonia
Although my goal is to travel to each country on earth, I never could’ve imagined I’d be in North Macedonia this early in my journey. So, how did I end up here? Well, due to Covid, American citizens were severely limited from visiting much of the world, except North Macedonia and a few other countries. It didn’t take much to convince me to head over to the Balkans again, especially since my first experience in Bulgaria wasn’t too great. I decided to give the region another shot. You may be wondering, “What is there to even see or do in North Macedonia?” It obviously isn’t as jam packed as its…
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Traveling Through Minsk, Belarus
Belarus is one of the most mysterious countries in Europe. This former Soviet nation, which borders Russia and Ukraine, is often regarded as “Europe’s Last Dictatorship.” For the longest time, travel to Belarus was quite restricted, as visas were hard to obtain, but lately, things have opened up. Despite the relaxed visa policy, Belarus still falls short in attracting foreign tourists, especially compared to their European counterparts. In February, I had the opportunity to visit Belarus for a few days. One of the first things I noticed was the lack of tourists. In fact, I didn’t see a non-white person the entire time I was there. But strangely enough, nobody…
