A small university town set in the middle of the Estonian forest; this is how best I can describe Tartu! But who says university town says student life, and student life means a very active city full of Estonians students and international exchange students energizing the city with life and party! So Tartu definitely packs a lot for such a tiny place. A Small University Town Tartu has been the go-to university for Estonians for centuries, and its reputations has attracted international students from all over the world. The Erasmus exchange program in Europe has influenced a lot of new arrivals, but also Asians looking for a great education for a fraction of the cost. I came in the middle of the summer so there weren’t that many students yet. Instead, I arrived with 3 festival being hosted at the same time, filling the streets with fanfare bands from around Europe, as well as the Tartu Movie Festival. The city is very peaceful, being set on a […]
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Crashing on the Lithuanian Coast in Palanga
Where else to spend a few days in the region during the peak tourist season of mid-July on the Baltic Sea? Palanga is known around the Baltic Countries to be one of the most festive and energetic Beach Resort of the three. And I had a few days to explore it thoroughly under the northern european sun! The Go-To Holiday destination for all Lithuanians After being in Klaipeda for a few days (and loving it), I was looking forward to see why everybody was telling me that nobody stays in town in the summer and go straight to Palanga. Even the Avis Car Rental had “reduced hours” to serve more time in Palanga. As soon as I arrived I understood. It was jammed packed of people enjoying its lively atmosphere and it looked much better than I expected. I imagined just another baltic coast resort, something quiet like in between Jurmala in Latvia or Parnu in Estonia (which are respectively their liveliest beach resorts). But having […]
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The Insane Experience of Visiting a Soviet Era Nuclear Missile Silo in Lithuania
Lost in the forests of the Zemaitija National Park in Western Lithuania, a Soviet underground missile base was found after the fall of the Soviet Union. It used to house 22 meter long R12 Rockets with 3-meter nuclear warheads, ready to strike pretty much any target in Europe. This is the location where the missiles that departed to Cuba during the 1962 Cuban crisis were stored, and just the idea of being there to witness such a historic place was exciting to me! I had to go see it for myself. A dark piece of history of the 20th century After visiting Chernobyl 2 years back and loving the experience, I knew I had an interest for such things. Where else can you visit an abandoned nuclear missile silo that played an important role in world politics in the 20th century. So while in Klaipeda in western Lithuania, I had to go. I teamed up with an American friend and together we rented a car […]
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Visiting the Mouth of the Curonian Spit in Klaipeda, Lithuania
Set on a small stretch of coast on the Lithuanian Baltic coast, Klaipeda is truely set in an amazing location. The city is set directly on the Curonian spit which is a UNESCO protected area for its unique natural wonders. With a nice German flavor, this once important Prussian city is now Lithuania’s third largest city, yet keeping a distinctive town summer holiday feel. Its fame is only starting as cruise large cruise ships have included the Klaipeda onto their Northern Europe route along with Tallinn, Helsinki and Stocklholm. Visiting Klaipeda Klaipeda was actually called Memel in German times before it was renamed Klaipeda by the Lithuanians. The city was a nice surprise for me, as I didn’t expect such a beautiful little town since I hadn’t heard much from it in the past. It was peak summer season when I visited, but nevertheless, I was told that Lithuanians do not consider it exclusively a summer holiday destination as its beaches are a couple kilometers […]
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Visiting Krasnoyarsk, Siberian Nature at its Best
My last stop on this Siberian Month was Krasnoyarsk, the third largest city in Siberia and a highlight on my last trip 4 years ago. I had been curious to spend more time here and for the occasion, I rented a 10-day apartment in the center to be close to the action. Looking back at it, it was definitely a good move. The beauty of Krasnoyarsk is in its nature, with its parks all over the city and especially the Stolby national park just a few kilometers away. What I especially like about this city compared to other Russian cities is its compact center, situated between 2 rivers, appearing like an island. It helps to concentrate the points of interest in the center and not spreading over a large distance, making it a great pedestrian city. The riverfronts are covered in green parks and seemed to constantly fill up with couples enjoying its romantic atmosphere and kids feeding the ducks. And just as the city is preparing for […]
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FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia: A Complete Success
I had the chance this year to take part in my second FIFA World Cup, this time in Russia in June and July 2018. After having participated in the World cup in 2010 in South Africa with a couple friends from Brazil, I decided to buy a ticket for one game and enjoy a few weeks of football celebration with fans of the world in a country that I only ask to spend more time to visit. And this was a great occasion to get a 2 months Visa to visit areas I had wanted to visit for a while. My Travel Plan in Russia 2018 Actually, there was a plan around all this, and it wasn’t about football. Being Canadian, there is only one sport that I can have passion for: hockey. So as much as I want to like football, it won’t happen by just inventing passion. Also not having a team (Canada only participated once in any world cup, not winning even […]
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Visiting Novosibirsk, Capital of Siberia in Russia
The Siberian Capital and third largest city in Russia, Novosibirsk is, in my opinion, the real Russia. Friendly and modern, yet having a distinctive Siberian feel, this is a city where travelers will enjoy friendly people and nature to its fullest. It’s definitely not easy to reach but if you happen to be on a trans-Siberian train or an intercontinental flight on transit, make a 2 to 3 days stop to see what I mean. Visiting the Siberian Capital At the peak of the Fifa Russian world cup of 2018 and just after my final match I attended in Rostov-on-Don between Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, I escaped the center of the action and the noise to hide in the middle of Siberia to enjoy a month of Nature and peacefulness. That was my plan this year after 2 weeks of crazy world cup frenzy in Sochi and Rostov, to discover more in details what Siberia had to offer. I had come to Novosibirsk 4 years […]
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A Few Days in the Cossack Capital of Rostov-on-Don in Russia
Before 2018, I would have never thought about visiting Rostov-on-Don, as its name resonated too much with the problems of Donbass and Lugansk of Ukraine. But since I had a World Cup Ticket for the Uruguay-Saudi Arabia Game this year, I was kind of obligated to give it a try. And what a surprise! Rostov-on-Don is a Big and Lively city that definitely deserves its share of tourism! My experience in Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don is known to be the capital of the Cossacks, these ancient warriors who have defended the region over centuries. Even some special police units today have uniforms of Cossacks warriors which you could spot on your visit. I had the chance to be here during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, so the city was definitely pampered up to please the touristic eye. I was told by locals that the transformation took place over the past 3 years, with beautification projects all over the city for the ultimate event: its 4 games at the FIFA […]
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World Map of the Hardest Countries to Travel – in the Eyes of a Man Who Visited Them All
This map is part of my series about mapping different countries and comparing them with each other against different aspects, from the perspective of a person who has visited them all (188/196 to be precise). After creating the most beautiful countries map, the best food in the world map or even the best quality price countries, this map focuses on the easiest and hardest countries to travel to and to explore as a regular or a budget backpacker. This is a question that I often get from travelers and comparing them to each other will give you valuable information about what to expect. The Map of the Hardest Countries to Travel to So from dark red (the most difficult to travel) to dark green (the easiest to travel), here is the map in question. I provide details on my choices in the other sections below. The Top Tiers: The Easiest It’s not a secret that the easiest countries to travel should be around North America and Western […]
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How to Find and Book the Best & Cheapest Accommodation for your Travels
As I keep saying all the time, traveling is not as expensive as people think. Even though accommodation is usually the most expensive chunk of money you will spend out of your daily budget, it will turn out as expensive as you want it to be. There are so many options out there nowadays that you can easily sleep under 30$ a day very comfortably. I’ve been in these types of accommodation non-stop for over 10 years now, which helped me visit 95% of the world’s countries, so I know what I’m talking about. In this article, I rounded up all the tips and tricks out there for you to see the options available and understand you can use them too! I also share valuable tips on how to save money on the biggest websites and how to use them. Hotel Rooms Cost: 20 to 50 USD Quality / Price Factor: 4/5 Privacy factor:4/5 Adventure factor: 2/5 Security factor: 4/5 Ease of Use Factor: 5/5 My Overall Usage: […]
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