If you’re visiting the UAE, whether it’s to go to Dubai or Abu Dhabi, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is absolutely worth your time. Especially because it’s free to visit. I went there as part of a semi-spontaneous trip to Dubai after leaving Romania. Because of this, I didn’t have a lot of room to…
I often find that the expectations in my head, brought about by anxiety and uncertainty, are far worse than reality. This applies in both travel and other facets of life. Granted, these situations aren’t always incredibly serious to begin with. I think some of the earliest examples of this in my life, and in the…
If you know Dubai, it shouldn’t surprise you to hear that the UAE is a very diverse region with people from all over the world. As a tourist, you might worry about your ability to get around in the country with regards to language. Luckily, the country’s diversity comes from language just as much as…
It’s October, so there’s no better time to talk about my visit to Bran Castle, the castle that “inspired” Dracula! While it never served as the home of Vlad the Impaler— the source of the stories of vampires and possible inspiration behind Dracula— it is still a very old castle with an important history. Bran…
Nestled amongst the forests in the Bucegi Mountains of Romania is Sinaia, a town named for the large monastery it was built around. This was one of my favorite destinations in Romania, probably in part because it reminds me of my hometown. It’s deep within a forest, and the town itself is also full of…
After my recent trip to Chișinău, Moldova, my travel buddy, Billy, and I returned to Bucharest. But unlike our way in, we didn’t do it by plane. We decided to take the Prietenia (Romanian for Friendship) Train instead. It was a great experience, and one I would highly recommend. But I would also recommend you…
Chișinau (pronounced Kee-shee-no) is the capital of Moldova, a small country situated in Eastern Europe between Ukraine and Romania known for its wine industry! I spent a day there in between my trips to Bucharest and Dubai. While I didn’t get to spend a ton of time there, I did enjoy it! Arrival in Chișinau…
After 6 weeks away from home, I’m overcome with a complete change in my perception of reality. It’s a strange feeling, returning from a trip like that. If you ever moved away for college, you’ve probably experienced something similar. It feels nearly impossible to describe to someone who hasn’t done it. But that won’t stop…
I’m finished with my time at Romania’s English Cool Camp, and it’s a tearful farewell. As I write this, I am on a 50-year-old Soviet train going from Chisinau, Moldova to Bucharest, Romania. Yesterday afternoon, I flew from Bucharest to Chisinau. This might seem weird, but it’s all part of the plan. Flights to Dubai…
We’ve finished the 4th of 5 weeks in Romania, and I’m starting to run out of new things to talk about. I’ve visited a lot of cool places during my time here, and met some awesome people, so I’ll talk about that! I plan on doing more in-depth dives into every place I visited, but…