Quick travel guides for nomads
Johnny More-developed touristy Vietnam island, catering to fancier travelers and numerous family activities.
Phu Quoc island is much bigger (than Con Dao island), with more things to do. Hotels, parks, fancier housing, many more restaurants and bars, and also many more foreigners.
2 days is enough to get a taste and experience the island life, but I would do 4-7 days here to explore and chill more.
Popular scenic bay of Vietnam with big limestone rocks in clear turquoise waters. (UNESCO Heritage Site)
Probably most famous tourist photo of Vietnam. Majestic jungle rocks surrounded by blue-green water. Reality of your experience depends on what season you go, where you stay, what kind of boat tour, and what other activities you choose.
There are so many options that you get lost…and always wondering whether you’re doing Ha Long Bay the “correct way”. Experiences vary widely, some enjoying the landscapes and tour activities while others feel unimpressed or ripped off by overpriced tours.
1 day is enough to see the bay with giant rocks (most important thing). 2 days lets you enjoy Vietnam seaside life, eating out and walking around. Having more extra days allows for beach time, picturesque hiking, more water/outdoor activities, visit national parks, exploring small fishing villages on island. Busy areas are quite fun…lots of food, markets, cheap massages, and local life to check out.
Check weather before you go, since views are different and beaches not as enjoyable when cloudy/cold (even worse if raining). I went in January my first time and wouldn’t recommend that to anybody else. Other destinations like Ninh Binh can still look magical and peaceful in cold/cloudy weather whereas Ha Long Bay looks a little sad/boring. The best months of the year are like Oct-Dec because it’s still sunny but not too hot, not too many tourists, and not during wet/typhoon season.
Known as “Ha Long Bay on land”, northern countryside where you take rowboat tours down the river, passing lotus fields in between big rock mountains with birds (and occasionally endangered langur monkeys).
One of Vietnam’s top destinations (and my favorite tourist destination). Beautiful nature and relaxing peaceful vibes.
Beautiful, but not loud crazy crowded tourist vibes. A perfect escape from Vietnam’s noisier destinations. Although you can see Ninh Binh’s most popular highlights in a day tour, it’s a grave mistake not to put at least 2 nights here. It’s such a beautiful and spiritual escape from the rest of Vietnam’s noisier destinations.
I love that it’s actually real nature beauty. And IMO even more beautiful than Ha Long Bay, especially during bad weather (the clouds adding to the mysterious atmosphere whereas Ha Long Bay looks sad/dull with clouds). If you come during lotus bloom season (May-Jul), you’ll see all the lotus flowers in the water giving a colorful spring/summer look just like the yellow flowers photo you saw at the travel agencies. Regardless, Ninh Binh has magical beauty no matter the weather.
2 days for the minimum, 3 to really relax and recharge your soul. Also know that a place like this, it definitely affects where you stay. As different properties have vastly different views of Ninh Binh. Some feel like just a cute outdoor garden. Others have a massive view of the water, trees, and surrounding mountains…basically a mini Ninh Binh right in their back (or front) yard.
“City of lanterns”, cute charmy river town with lanterns all over yellow bamboo buildings and boats floating under the bridge.
I call it “The Venice of Vietnam”, very touristy but also fun because it’s distinct from everything else in Vietnam.
2 days would be perfect to see the lively water area by the bridge, eat at the night market and local restaurants overlooking the river. Extra days allows you to visit the My Son Sanctuary (ancient Hindu temples), relax on a beach…or spend more time in the beautiful cafes, restaurants, and bars by the water.
Asia’s beautiful, cheap, and less touristy destination. Compact, easy to get around, lots of fun and amazing places to explore.
Vietnam is rich in diversity of terrain and culture. Culturally and geographically, Vietnam is closest to Thailand (maybe more Laos but I haven’t been). But still distinctly different in many ways and most certainly a unique and worthwhile place to visit. Many people do fall in love with the place and settle down here…it’s been a popular spot for expats for decades.
It’s a small country with so many amazing and unique destinations. Many different types of terrain and landscapes. Rich in culture and authentic places where people don’t speak English yet (but the most recent government wants to have everyone speaking English very soon). The way many people get around is by motorbike (and most likely so will you), leading to a very fun and adventurous experience. Don’t worry if you don’t want to ride any motobikes.
People usually say November to March is the best time since it’s off-season and less busy, less hot. But I’d say avoid Dec to Jan as yes, it’s cooler and less hot…but still cloudy and places still look nice (but not like the travel agency photos). Also, the less touristy places feel kind of dead. I feel February or March is better. However late January is nice if you want to be there for Tet Festival (their new year’s). So perhaps late Jan to late Feb would be the best time range for first timers.
Vietnam highlights can be done in 2 weeks. 4 weeks or 1 month is probably the ideal time for you to see all the different areas and visit major attractions. Most people spend one month because Vietnam is cheap, easy, organized, and also the country is already shaped in a long vertical shape so you can easily enter from one end and exit the other.
Calm, relaxed island. A popular alternative to the busier more touristy Phu Quoc island.
Con Dao island (east of mainland) was historically remembered for where they put prisoners. But nowadays it’s consider the quieter, calmer, more nature, more locals and easy-going alternative to the busier resort-ey Phu Quoc island (west of mainland). You’ll see very few foreigners and non-Asian people.
I’d say 2 days is enough to see major things. Add more days if you want to do nothing. I personally recommend not going during December and January. It’s really dead and empty (unless you like that) and the weather might not be as nice. Going during the right seasons, you have more things to see…also more visibility in the water and nicer-looking water colors.
Vietnam’s main northern city…different and contrasting against Saigon (Vietnam’s main southern city).
Totally different culture from the South. As the saying goes, they don’t like each other. Different vibe, different accent, different food, and other cultural differences. Unlike Saigon’s totally busy, chaotic, fast-paced lifestyle…Hanoi is the northern version of that but slightly more relaxed, chill. Still plenty of job opportunities for locals while not being as crazy as the south. Also…the northern Vietnamese accent is considered the official accent, think of it as the “British accent of the Vietnamese”, and they take great pride of their way of speaking Vietnamese (while often mocking how southerners speak).
Foreigners also enjoy Hanoi’s perfect balance of busy and relaxed, along with its centralized proximity to Vietnam’s top tourist destinations (Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh, Sapa Valley, etc). Spread throughout Hanoi are some lakes, such as Hoan Kiem Lake and West Lake among various other parks where you can relax and slow down a bit. Likewise, the Old Quarters and Hoan Kiem Lake area also closes down car access, allowing people and street vendors to take over the roads…providing for a mini street festival vibe every weekend. Crossing the streets in Hanoi is nowhere near as scary as in HCMC.
2 days is enough to feel like you saw Hanoi (Old Quarters & surrounding highlights), but it’s really worth a couple extra days to enjoy the city life. You’ll easily find activities and places to go. I spent a week and could still have been here longer. It’s a popular expat place for a reason.
Vietnam’s busiest most crowded city, vibrant and choatic all over.
Most native Vietnamese people, Vietnam tourists, foreigners, and expats will all tell you to pass through HCM/Saigon quickly and head to North Vietnam (where there are many more beautiful places to see). Yet…it is HCM (or still commonly called “Saigon”) where you find the biggest Vietnamese city population and also foreigner/expat population. I consider Saigon “the Buenos Aires of Vietnam”.
Why?
Saigon is lively, vibrant, many things to do and see, many things open all day and all night. Sure, it’s not a beautiful beach city or mountain terrain, but it’s packed with fun and many things to do. I recommend spending at least 2 or 3 days.
Ho Chi Minh vs Hanoi
Things you should do to make sure a travel blogger/writer fits you.
Australia’s largest city and pretty much every visitor’s gateway to Australia.
Beautiful big city surrounded by bodies of water and lots of natural beauty. It’s a very big city with lots to do, and also more metropolitan (more ethnically and culturally diverse). Many people may prefer its more posh big-city vibe. But others (like myself) actually prefer a smaller, chiller, hip city like Melbourne…which feels more relaxed and not like you have to run across big distances to get places.
Between Australia’s biggest cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane)…Sydney is considered the better beach destination. But it’s still not comparable to Sydney’s best beach destinations. So you decide…if you really want the best beaches, or you want a mix of beach with city.
Sydney could easily fill a week of your time with activities but 3 days can be enough. 1st day in the CBD and harbour areas (Opera & Harbour bridge). 2nd day at the famous Bondi beach and hip Newtown area. 3rd day in the Blue Mountains.
Small-middle sized hip city in Australia.
In reality, it’s Australia’s 2nd largest city only behind Sydney. But the main central areas are quite compact. At least from the POV of someone from Los Angeles. It’s the classic city with tons of bars and restaurants and shops. And some gardens. Melbourne tends to run cooler than Sydney…which I loved! (Although some Sydney people like to say Melbourne has “shit weather”, but I personally prefer not being sun-roasted all the time.)
I think Melbourne is hipper, cooler, and also a better food scene than Sydney. It’s just more compact and easier to get around and get a feel for things. I imagine also a safer choice for cool restaurants opening up as their rent would be cheaper and there’s better traffic density…whereas Sydney might have more international acclaim but the land is more expensive and people are more spread out. I don’t know for certain, just my feeling about it.
Melbourne can be easily seen in 2 days. But you’ll want an extra day to feel the vibe. It’s a cool, hip place to be.
A small chill quiet beachside town, 115km (2hrs) north from Sydney.
Newcastle is one of those nice-to-live, maybe boring-to-visit kind of places. There isn’t so much to do and see. 1 day is probably enough to see all the highlights and even walk all over town. The usual vibe is beach or waterfront hangout during the day, and then some bar or restaurant at night. It’s similar to a small Italian town in that many places are closed during the day on weekdays.
Newcastle is around the 7th largest city in Australia (population of 500,000). So if this felt too small and uninspiring for you, keep that in mind when you think of visiting other cities. Newcastle is also undergoing lots of renovation and in a couple years will become more and more of a cool place to be.
Don’t be naive like I was. I purchased the unlimited plan and it was fast for only 2 days.
After that, it ran super slow or seemed like the data kept cutting out. I’m very frustrated with it. Completely unusable and certainly makes me realize the cheap price isn’t worth the hassle.
UPDATE on November 23, 2022:
Tips and recommendations for going to Bran Castle and general info about it.
Bran Castle, along with Transylvania region, is a massive tourist attraction in Romania. Just about anybody going to Bucharest or Romania will probably think of stopping by Brasov (cute town) in the Transylvania region and along with it Bran Castle (aka “Dracula Castle”) and Peles Castle.
Personally…unless you have A LOT of time to spend in Romania, I would absolutely skip this castle. It’s small, lame, not as pretty as Peles Castle…and not worth the time lost that you could have spent in a prettier and more eventful Brasov. I did a day trip to Brasov in late November and would have much rather spent the precious daylight hours walking around Brasov than wasting it getting to and back from Bran Castle. If you got only 3-4 days in Bucharest, and dedicating 1 day for Brasov (and half that day for Bran Castle)…I definitely wouldn’t do it. Spend that day in Brasov instead, or a mountain town somewhere, or go to Peles Castle if you definitely want to see any castle.
But if you insist…here’s how you get to Bran Castle!
Central eastern Europe’s most “Latin” country. Warm friendly attitudes, diverse terrain, meat-heavy foods.
I think visitors are drawn to Romania for different reasons. For some because they’re already hovering near the east, like in Hungary Poland Slovakia or Croatia…and they figure why not? Others because they want a cheap country. Some are curious about Transylvania and Dracula pop culture things. Others still because of other reasons.
I think you can travel through the main parts in 2 weeks. But to see actual Romanian things (like actual landscapes and not just touristy stuff), you need more like 3-4 weeks.
Big city, but Irish. So what do you want to see? Irish things or big city things?
I only spent a day here so I’m no expert. But I did see several things to make note of for next time. Dublin can be done properly in 2-4 days depending on what you want to see.
Chill gritty city in Central Eastern Europe. Something like Belgrade but with more Latin vibes.
The capital city of Romania…chill, mysterious, surrounded by Slavic countries but they are more Latin. Life here seems good, chill, happy, low-cost. It reminds me a lot of Belgrade. Similar dark-polluted buildings and warm people, cozy food. If you like Belgrade, Bucharest feels quite similar.
3 days is enough to see the highlights, add 1 or 2 more to visit other towns and mountain stuff.
Belgium is (for me) western Europe’s underrated destination country.
It’s no wonder many people like to talk down about Belgium. It’s not as pretty as France, not as modern as the Netherlands, not as distinct as Germany, nor classy as Switzerland, and doesn’t have cool beaches like Spain, Portugal, or Italy.
Some people think of Belgium as small, boring, uneventful, not beautiful or simply not as cool as its neighbors. And for this reason, it’s considered a highly-skippable place. But I think they’re flat out wrong.
You could definitely see all the main cities in a week. Some of them are easy afternoon trips, not even a full day’s worth of stuff IMO.
My favorite apps for learning a language.
I’ve now learned 2 languages to a functional level (Spanish & Portuguese), also playing with 2-3 more languages just for fun (French, Italian, Vietnamese). And have definitely tried many methods over the past 2 years.
Below are my favorite language-learning apps and why. 🙂
Poland’s #2 city, less charmy and more of a big city than Krakow.
Warsaw will forever exist as Krakow’s counterpart. Krakow feels like a giant charmy old town whereas Warsaw feels more like a big city (with an old town part). Krakow feels big yet cozy and fun to walk everywhere. Warsaw feels like a really long walkable street (scooter recommended).
Perhaps Krakow would have more unique touristy things but both have value and are enjoyable to stay. Warsaw can be a 2-day stay, more if you like to relax in this calm (but lively) city vibe.