Quick travel guides for nomads
Johnny REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE from travelling to over 45 countries, and various regions!
I freaken hate mosquitos. So I wrote a guide explaining all the tactics I had in dealing with them throughout my world travels. I got lots of got tips and tactics for you.
I’ve been to Europe numeorus times and numerous places. I’ve seen it all. Let’s run through the list. What makes them so bad, and how they get away with it.
France’s gastronomic capital, vibrant mix of metropolitan and hipster vibes. Lots of small dense streets, leading up to hills with skyline views across 2 rivers.
Lyon is somewhat the French equivalent of Lisbon. Very hilly with lots of narrow streets. Restaurants with outdoor seating on the sloped sidewalks. No matter where you are, you’re just a block away from a little neighborhood park with views overlooking the city.
I especially like that Lyon can be both posh or chill as you like. And at any given moment, you can escape the city chaos by turning the nearest corner into a quieter area. Rather than being stuck in a dense city center and having to walk 25 mins out to escape the chaos.
You could definitely run through everything within 2 days, but it’s so worth staying longer.
Spain’s most popular tourist city…beaches, parks, nightlife, interesting Moorish architecture & Gaudi buildings, vibrant city life.
Barcelona seems like a really big small city. Everything is walkable and charmy. Shops, bars, restaurants, on every corner. Every neighborhood can be cool if you know where to look. Having Spanish as the main language is super easy as well for the many people who already speak or have familiarity with Spanish. With its Catalan culture, language, architecture, lifestyle and identity…Barcelona is identified by the locals as being in Catalonia.
While it has great public transportation, the true lifestyle here walks past everything. You’ll naturally cross every aspect of the city by walking. Full of visual stimulation as you pass interesting buildings, parks, sights and sounds. All without being overwhelmed. Many things and many people, but also adequate space for it all.
3-5 days is the solid minimum. But you’ll easily fill a week without boredom.
SAR…vibrant crowded hilly city spread across many islands, with amazing fusion food influenced by both west and east culture. (Arguably world’s best foodie destination.)
First thing to know is Hong Kong is NOT mainland China…and for HK people, Hong Kong is NOT China! Get that into your head when talking to the locals. They are NOT Chinese, they are HongKongers or Hong Kongese. Different language, different history, different culture. As a tourist, you’ll find English is widely spoken in HK (much like Taiwan) and even at fluent level. You can almost stop and talk to anyone in the street.
Appearance-wise, Hong Kong really looks like a Chinese version of London, New York, and San Francisco all mixed together.
Yes, I think HK is the best foodie city in the world. I said it and I meant it with every ounce of my heart. This is due to the multicultural influence, and high standard for food, AND expectation. No doubt about it, Asians know how to eat and prepare food to a wider range of flavors than anybody else. Other countries might have good food but only when you pay a lot of money, or find the right restaurants, or they’re only good in a few dishes. But here…seems like tons of amazing restaurants are packed in every corner.
Known for tall beautiful city skyline (both day & night)
You could see the main tourist things and get a sense of Hong Kong within 3 days. But the city is really a nice enough vibe to sit out here for a week, a month, or a year. Don’t forget that Hong Kong Island is not the only place to see.
Both of these countries and lifestyles/cultures are similar in some ways, different in others.
Both are highly developed Asian countries with high standard of living. Also very Westernized or at least western-friendly and western-relatable cultures. Japanese culture has been known about for much longer in western countries but with the explosion of K-POP and korean food some decades ago, it seems more westerners have familiarity with Korea as well.
Let’s go over some comparisons…
Massive hilly main city of China with spicy food, lots of nature (near Chengdu/pandas), and very hot weather.
Chongqing, nearby the more popular Chengdu (panda tourist destination), is the biggest city you never heard of. 32 million people (officially China’s largest metropolitan area) when I went in summer 2024. For a foreigner, this city is known for its super hot weather, lots of nature (in the municipality), extremely spicy food (origin of Chinese hot pot), origin of Chinese foot massage, and lots of west China’s history and culture. Locals refer to it as the mountain city, or “hilly city with many layers”.
Most tourists and foreigners much prefer Chengdu over Chongqing. For being more tourist friendly, more unique things to see, also panda stuff, and that it’s far less crowded. There’s a sentiment that whatever tourist value Chongqing has, you could find it elsewhere in China already. And I agree with that. You should only pick Chongqing over Chengdu if you have a specific reason.
3 days is enough to feel the vibe, try spicy food, take mountain photos, and walk main busy tourist areas. 4-6 days if you actually want to visit the nearby nature destinations. But really, Chongqing is plenty massive to live here a year and not see everything.
China’s most international city. Most westerners and expats, English-friendly. Big, clean, quiet (seems all vehicles are electric), cleaner air, modern commercial hub, many business people here.
Despite recent complaints during covid lockdowns (2020-2021) about the government being too restrictive and killing the fun and business liberty, Shanghai is still a very nice place to live. Lifestyle here is very modern and trendy, in contrast to a more traditional or old-school lifestyle elsewhere in China. Whether that fits your taste is another matter altogether.
4-5 days would allow you to explore different areas and enjoy the metropolitan lifestyle.
Huge territory of various terrain, food, and intact culture thousands of years old.
China is a really great place to travel because:
Bottomline, China is such an underrated place to travel. There’s so much to see and do, much of it relatively untainted by western tourism and culture. You actually feel like you’re seeing a totally new place. And the price is quite cheap for such a developed country. It’s loads of fun and feels like a whole new continent rather than just one country. Many of the unique things you’d find in Japan or Korea would be eclipsed by far more variety in China.
You could get A LICK (not even a taste) of China within a week. Like at least 4 days per major city. I honestly feel you could be here a month and feel like you barely saw 2% of the highlights. You would almost have to be here at least 3 months or a year to feel like you comprehended it.
As a reference, I feel America could be comprehensively sampled within a month. Western Europe within 2-3 months. But China?? Again…that civilization has been around thousands of years and their country is so big…I really don’t know, 6-12 months?
Recent popular “cheaper” European tourist destination, known for beaches and mountains.
Most foreigners know Montenegro for its beaches. Other nearby Balkans know Montenegro for its mountains as well. I personally prefer it for the mountains. Perhaps Montenegro was a cheap alternative 10-20 years ago but its certainly caught up now. If you want cheap, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
Nonetheless, it’s still worth visiting if even just to see something new. The vibe is somewhat similar to Croatia and Serbia depending on where you go.
A week to see main sights. But 2 weeks is you really want to understand the beauty of its nature.
Fast-growing tiny mountain town famous for summer nature and winter ski getaways.
One of Montenegro’s best kept secrets. Small, cozy, friendly but vibrant and with many nature things to do. Highly recommended to have a car or else you’ll use expensive to get anywhere. Having locals to hangout would also be helpful since they’ll know many things well.
A weekend is a enough time but I stayed here 2 weeks and loved every second of it.
My favorite sites, and personal review of why I do or don’t like them!
This mobile data & VPN list is updated and absolutely working as of AUGUST 2024.
Like everyone else, I had to start thinking about a mobile data plan & VPN app on my first visit to China. As you know, China’s great firewall blocks many western apps and websites like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp/Telegram, Google, Yahoo, etc. (They just won’t work, won’t connect, nothing loads.) So you’ll need to learn how to use a VPN to access them.
It all sounds like a complicated and overly-technical task but I promise it’s not. By using a VPN service, your device automatically connects to another server (aka “proxy” or “proxy server”) in order to connect to the internet service you want. It all happens behind the scenes and will appear to you on your device as if everything is working.
I’ll go over several options ranging from simple to complex, free to paid, quick to slow, and working to non-working!
My review of Tello’s awesome $5/month service for a US phone number.
Origin of one of the most common languages, rich culture, architecture, known for nightlife and latin beach vibes.
In pop culture, we think of Spain for beaches, nightlife, tapas, and siesta. Most people don’t know it also has many big squares (like Italy’s piazzas), rich unique architecture (castles & moorish & Gaudi), and many inland destinations (not only beach stuff).
You could see Barcelona and Madrid in a week. Put 2 weeks and you can add in some popular spots in the picturesque southern Andalusia region. Or spend a month and you can comprehensively jump around all the main spots of north, center, and south…exploring both beachside and inland destinations, perhaps even one of the islands. Spain is rich in tourist destinations.
Popular sunny coastal country in Western Europe. Amazing food, architecture, culture, panoramic hilly views, and English-speaking latin country.
For decades, Portugal was one of Europe’s best kept secrets. A less-expensive country in Western Europe that had beaches and English speaking. You couldn’t have catered any better to travelers, expats, and nomads.
But then it blew up and got popular seemingly overnight. Everybody was buying property in Portugal that prices are totally jacked up now. Its capital, Lisbon, became one of if not THE top favorite expat/nomad locations in the world since about 2010. And I think in 2021 was the year that its popularity reached the brink. Housing became expensive and yet people still love Portugal.
If you’re going there today, it’s to enjoy the beauty and the hilly views and the beaches. (And for English-speakers, you can enjoy that the Portuguese speak amazing English compared to Spain or France.) Forget about the low-price thing.
1 week would be enough to see Lisbon, Porto, and mayyyybe a day trip to a nearby beach town. But Portugal truly deserves 2 weeks.
American big city in nature. Proud of its art, culture, and beautiful pacific northwest nature landscapes across the water.
Seattle is among the best “big nature cities” in the USA. It won’t compare to Honolulu (most people’s favorite), but it’s up there. Most of the all, the community is quite used to nature and doing outdoor activities. And I love that it’s REAL NATURE. Not like the casual nature, where it’s just beaches and sun. The pacific northwest has a whole range of weather and landscapes and not just one boring shade for the whole year. I love the mix.
You can see the important inner city things and perhaps even some surrounding areas within 3 days. But having an extra day or so would really give you time to relax and enjoy.
Western Japan’s biggest city. Smaller, lower-cost, more laidback, and friendlier than Tokyo.
Osaka was Japan’s former historic business center conveniently near Kyoto (Japan’s former political center), before both were consolidated and moved to Tokyo in the east of Japan. Today, Osaka is a cheaper (compared to Tokyo) but still very vibrant city. Lots of fun and nice place to live. It’s in the vincinity of many tourist-worthy sites but they’re kinda spread out so you can do some tourist things here, but not all unless you commit lots of time. Mainly, you’re here for a less-touristy vibrant city life.
2 days is enough to walk through the main sites. 3 would feel more comprehensive. 5 if you want to really lay back, and perhaps visit other nearby areas (such as Nara).
Beautiful foggy hilly American city surrounded by water, combining West coast sunny California hippie-artsy vibes with East coast charmy old Victorian architecture and vibrant street life.
You could easily call San Francisco “the New York of California”, or “west coast version of New York”. Because it really feels like a balanced mix of both. I also highly recommend San Francisco for European tourists because I know they’ll love it. Tighter, more compact, denser, good public transportation, and lots of action on the streets. Buildings are built right next to each other which feels more familiar to Europe. Everything is much more walkable, similar to New York. It’s definitely the most European-vibe big city on the West Coast.
You can see the main highlights in 3 days, and feel like you really immersed yourself in the vibe. 5-7 days would give you time to check out more areas, and yes they’re worth seeing!
Popular tourist destination for out of town Americans and foreigners to come gamble, party, get wild, and enjoy a weekend of “omg, can’t believe I did that” style of debauchery. But Vegas is more than just that.
The world-famous “sin city” Las Vegas is well known for inspiring famous phrases like “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” A pseudo-luxurious lifestyle of opulence, dressing up, eating out, and living an (affordable) fancy life for the weekend.
For grown-ups…Vegas offers many hotels, gambling, fine-dining, nightlife, shows, shopping, beautiful European-inspired architecture, water fountains and light shows, and decorative installations to fill your camera. It’s beautiful and caters well to adult entertainment.
For families and non-party animals…there are family-friendly activities, shows, mini-amusement parks, games, and also nearby national parks featuring beautiful desert landscapes.
You could certainly catch the general vibe of Las Vegas within a day, but spending the whole weekend would be nice to give you time to enjoy the hotels, walk the strip, gamble, drink, see a show, and eat at nice places. 3 days is good to do city and tourist things. With another day for hangover-recovery or enjoying nearby desert landscapes.