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Backpacking Benin
Benin was part two of my journey to the motherland, as I also discovered I have Beninese ancestry. After a week in Togo, I took a taxi to the border and walked across after going through customs, which was a pretty painless process. I spent a week in Benin, which I found to be a bit more lively than Togo. Below are my recommendations for any trip to Benin. Grand Popo A beach city about 15 minutes from the Togolese border. It’s a great place to relax and unwind; many residents from Cotonou come here on the weekends to escape the city life. Porto Novo Benin’s capital and second largest…
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Backpacking Togo
Years ago, I took an Ancestry DNA test and found out I have roots in Togo. Naturally, I began to do more research, which led to my trip here. After all, why not visit the motherland? Togo is a small French speaking (despite being colonized by Germany initially) nation in West Africa, which borders Benin, Burkina Faso, and Ghana. Not much is known about Togo, as it is often overshadowed by its neighbor, Ghana, but it’s definitely worth seeing if you’re in West Africa. What to see in Togo Lomé: Voodoo Market The capital and your starting point in the country if you arrive by air. The capital is pretty…
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Backpacking Tajikistan – Traveling the Pamir Highway
“Tajik-ah-what?” “Why? “Where is that?” These are the responses I received when I told my friends I was traveling to Tajikistan for vacation. To be fair, I couldn’t blame them. When most people hear a country end in “Stan,” they immediately begin to associate that place with war, terror, and lawlessness. Of course, that isn’t the case with every country ending in Stan, and I set out to show my friends the opposite, and check off one of my bucket list goals – backpack the Pamir Highway. The Pamir Highway is a road traversing the Pamir Mountains through Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan with a length of over 1,200 km. It…
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How to do Dubai in Two Days
The United Arab Emirates, more specifically Dubai, is becoming more and more common as a transit point between international flights, and travelers are taking advantage of this, often extending their stay. Dubai is jam-packed with adventure, enough to keep most entertained for a few days. Here’s how to make the most out of a short trip to Dubai. Day 1: Target places – Old Dubai, Dubai Mall, Museum of the Future & Burj Khalifa 48 hours isn’t a lot of time, so you’ll have to get the day started early. First stop is Old Dubai. Personally, seeing the older/more authentic side of a city is a must for me every…
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7 Day Jordan Itinerary
Jordan is arguably the Middle East’s best country to travel in and generally considered the safest. Jordan hosts some of the world’s most historical sites : the Dead Sea, Petra, and much more. You will need to plan at least four full days if you want to see all the main sites, but truthfully speaking, this would be entirely too exhausting. Ideally, you’ll want to dedicate seven days for Jordan. However, in order to make it work you will need to rent a car rather than relying on public transportation to get from city to city. Below, I’ll highlight the ideal seven-day itinerary for Jordan. Day 1: Arrive in Amman …
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Best Day Trips from Nairobi
Kenya is a country with it all; there are beaches, safaris, mountains, a thriving capital, 5-star accommodations, etc. Unlike most travelers visiting Kenya, I passed on the safari, as I was coming from Tanzania and just did one there. This left me scrambling to find non-safari related day trips to occupy my time while in Nairobi. Below, I’ll highlight my three favorite day trips from Nairobi. 1) Giraffe Centre Located just 20 kilometers from the city center is Giraffe Centre , a place where you can actually feed giraffes. I’ve been to many parks/zoos in my life, but never have I been able to feed a giraffe! Coming from a…
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How to Plan a Safari in Tanzania
Planning for a safari can be an overwhelming task, as there are many moving parts – accommodation, type of tour, number of days, route, etc. Sometimes, it can be hard to know where to start, which is why you’re reading this. There are two ways to do a safari in Tanzania – through a tour operator or by yourself; however, 99% of people opt for a tour, which I recommend. Tour guides handle all administrative tasks and most importantly, are knowledgeable about the landscape, animals, and culture. Now the hard part, selecting a tour! There are several tools you can use such as Trip Advisor, Viator, Safari Bookings, etc. After you…
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How to Spend a Week in Egypt
Egypt is Africa’s most visited country and after spending 9 days here, it is no surprise why. Egypt is easily accessible for most travelers and hosts so many historical sites that you’d think that the country was one large open-air museum. I decided to make the quick trip to Egypt from Sudan for the holidays, which was only a 2.5 hour flight from Khartoum. I spent 9 days here, but if you’re short on time you can definitely see all the major sites in less time; however, this will likely make your trip more costly, as you’ll be paying for domestic flights between cities to save time rather than taking trains…
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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…
