I often travel with cheap airlines, so optimizing my luggage is a constant concern. I certainly have no weakness for shoes or any other bulky stuff, but I frequently stay with friends or Couchsurfing hosts, for whom I always try to bring a gift. Also, I like bringing back goodies for my family and friends, things I cannot find back …
Lake Vištytis: natural wonders and border tourism
I discovered Vištytis in March while carrying out a project on borders. Everything was covered with snow and the little houses on the campsite by the lake seemed lonely and as though they were spending winter in hibernation. But I was interested in everything: the mysterious landscape, conversations with locals who speak both neighbour countries’ languages, and the legends about …
Heritage-chasing in Segovia
Having worked with Asian Studies over the past couple of years, I heard the argument that, when faced with a vast choice of European locations to visit, East Asian tourists take into account the UNESCO list of world heritage. So I was not surprised at all when I saw that many of our fellow passengers on the bus between Segovia′s …
Schengen (non-)borders: if you like it then you shouldn’t put a ring on it!
I′d like to share a link to a collection of photos from Europe′s ′peaceful borders′. Of course, let’s not forget that this comes at the expense of neighbors beyond Schengen area. But in any case, borderless life makes a huge difference. This was one thing I loved about living in Luxembourg – that there are no borders in any direction …
The town of closed doors, or how to have a better trip to Cartagena than I did
Nearly everyone I met in Spain praised the beauty of Cartagena. They said it was one of the most beautiful Spanish towns, with ancient history and freshness of a sea breeze. As I was planning my vacations in Murcia region, many travel websites directed me there. So Cartagena was certainly on my map. Perhaps only because of these high expectations …
Travel essentials for visiting religious places
Religious places around the world tend to be more demanding towards women, but travelers of both genders often struggle to pack appropriately, especially when traveling with cheap airlines. Last month I took the challenge of traveling with Wizzair small cabin bag only, although I knew that I’d be visiting many religious places.
All from my reporting trip to Thailand
In March I took part in Minority Rights Group training in Thailand. I posted my feedback on it . In this post, I’ll post all articles, blog posts and tweets associated with this trip. Reposted: My impressions from #Thailand – now on Planet News! http://t.co/lO9m6hKbr9 #reporting #karen #minorityrights — Daiva (@daiva_hadiva) May 1, 2015 All my blog entries on Thailand …
Lovely Lübeck and trippy Travemünde
What have you heard of Lübeck? I remember it featured in a computer game I used to love, where the task was to build successful Hansa cities and trade among them. Of course, having moved to Hamburg, I included Lübeck in my short-term bucket list. The city is less than two hours away from Hamburg, and a daily pass, which …
Hamburg ice cream and crowds
Like many people I know in Hamburg, I join all remotely interesting Facebook events if they pop up somewhere. Aside from being an idea for what to do with my free time, an ice cream market in Hamburg sounded like a great new experience, particularly because Germany is a great place to enjoy vegan and lactose-free versions of popular ice …
Egypt diaries: Luxor
We knew that an 11-hour bus ride would be quite a demanding adventure, but given the choice between jumping on a night bus and skipping the planned trip to Luxor, we chose the former. The train would have been a more convenient option, but a strike erupted in one of the railway towns, and workers would not allow trains to …