For my attempt to visit Yemen, I planned to go through the border with Oman. This meant flying to Salalah, but when I heard that there was a new Kempinski property in Muscat I had to stop by and check it out! The hotel is located in the Al Mouj development, a high end private … Continue reading Experience: Kempinski Hotel Muscat
The sleepy capital of Tajikistan has few quality hotels. Fortunately Hyatt has opened a property in the heart of the city. With a long road trip ahead, my friends and I were looking for a place to relax and unwind before the arduous journey. This five star property is in a tranquil area of the … Continue reading Experience: Hyatt Regency Dushanbe
Saudi Arabia is notoriously difficult to get a visa for. Here’s my experience and some information and tips on how to secure a visa to visit the reclusive country. Firstly you may think, I’ll apply for a tourist visa. Good luck. They don’t exist (at least anymore). I remember approaching an embassy in Cameroon and … Continue reading How to get a visa for Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has long been in my sights as a unique and difficult country to visit, especially as a non-muslim. Having only heard stories of the mysterious country I had no idea what to expect. The first challenge was gaining access aka getting a visa. As Saudi Arabia does not have tourist visas, the only … Continue reading A Week In Saudi Arabia
Visiting Iraq for the first time was a daunting concept. I heard the safer area was Kurdistan, so I headed to its capital Erbil. After some further research I found not only did the city have plenty of hotels, but also ultra luxurious ones. Divan, a luxury Turkish chain, was quick to reply and organized … Continue reading Experience: Divan Erbil, Iraq
Time to tackle country 189, Iraq. Though this sounds daunting, Iraq has a little secret called Kurdistan. Like Somaliland in Somolia, Kurdistan is a self governed state within a state. Internationally it is recognized as a part of Iraq but for all intents and purposes it is a separate country. As much as I’d like … Continue reading Peaceful Iraq Egypt Revisited
It’s that time of the year again! A time to look back and reflect on our experiences. In 2016 I visited 21 new countries mostly in the Pacific and Central Asia. This is due to the fact that as I am reaching my last ten countries, they are becoming increasingly difficult to visit for various … Continue reading Top Five Countries of 2016
I’m back on the road, destination Norway! November will be a cold time to travel to Scandinavia, but country 186 is waiting! I’m expecting plenty of snow and low temperatures, hence the trip name Winter Wonderland. Reaching Norway means I will be on my last 10 countries. I’m really excited and so grateful to share … Continue reading Winter Wonderland
Planning and starting a Stanstastic Tour through the “stans”! The “stans” have been on my list for awhile now and I finally am about to undertake a tricky trip to Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and finally Pakistan. If all goes well I would have explore some of the great sights of seven new … Continue reading Stantastic Tour
A review of my top ten hotels experienced in 2015! Click on the available link for the review! Hotels sometimes can make or ruin an experience in a new country. Along with my 2015 favorite new countries, I also had some incredible hotel stays that I will remember for years to come. Here is my … Continue reading Top Ten Hotels of 2015