Author: Charlie Marchant

Vegetarian Cafés for Healthy Eaters in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

Lake Atitlan is a bit of a mecca for vegans and vegetarians travelling in Guatemala. I’m a self-confessed healthy eater. It doesn’t matter where I am in the world, I want to eat fresh veggies and good grains all the time. Being vegetarian in Lake Atitlan is amazing because you can find healthy and delicious vegetarian food everywhere from San Pedro La Laguna to Panajachel.

In this guide, I cover cafés in San Pedro La Laguna, San Marcos, Jaibalito and Panajachel that vegetarians in Lake Atitlan will love. I was excited to find that each of the towns around Lake Atitlan had some cafés with healthy, organic and veggie options to keep my belly full. Here are the most delicious of the healthy cafés I came across while travelling vegetarian in Lake Atitlan.

6 mins read

Swimming with Whale Sharks in Isla Holbox | Is It Sustainable?

Swimming with whale sharks in Isla Holbox was the most incredible but intimidating experience. You can’t even begin to imagine just what jumping into the water with the world’s biggest fish will feel like until you get there.

Ask me five years ago and I would’ve told you there was absolutely no way I would be getting in the water anywhere near a shark – no matter what kind of shark. Fast-forward to now, I had my feet in flippers dangling over the edge of a boat above a pod of huge whale sharks.

9 mins read

Vegetarian in Merida, Mexico (+ Vegetarian Restaurants Map)

Travelling as a vegetarian in Merida? The biggest city in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula is brimming with vegan and vegetarian-friendly restaurants and street food.

After some less than impressive vegetarian food when we were backpacking in Valladolid, we were relieved to arrive in the city of Merida in Mexico. Travelling vegetarian in Merida was an absolute pleasure. Merida is full of excellent vegan, vegetarian and veg-friendly restaurants, as well as vegetarian street food.

11 mins read

Should Backpackers in Mexico Go To Valladolid?

Valladolid isn’t on the travel route for many backpackers in Mexico’s Yucatan – but maybe it should be. We hadn’t planned to go to Valladolid either, but after we’d headed through the beach towns of Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum, we were ready to go inland to explore some of the Mayan ruins and local towns before our month of house sitting in Merida.

After looking at Google Maps, Valladolid was the obvious next destination. We didn’t have high hopes for the city because we knew it would be a small place and we hadn’t heard anyone else talking about it. As it turned out, that was exactly why we liked it so much! Valladolid has an authentic and local feel to it.

11 mins read
Lonely Planet - Mexico travel checklist

Mexico Travel Checklist

Planning your trip to Mexico? This Mexico travel checklist covers all the essentials, from getting your VISA and vaccinations sorted right down to remembering to pack your pants.

Mexico has several different climate zones, as well as beaches, mountains, deserts, jungles and cities. Not to mention that on the very same day we’ve experienced intense heat (bikinis and sunscreen at the ready!) and torrential rain that flooded the streets (hello rain coats!)

If you’re going to be backpacking in Mexico and travelling between different areas, you’re going to need to be well-prepared and well packed. Trying to decide what to pack for Mexico can be a bit overwhelming, right?

13 mins read

They Eat Tacos in Mexico and Other Things I Learned This Week

Mexico has proved to us that no matter how much you travel, there’s always more to learn. After 3 years of travelling together, including a year living abroad, as well as running a travel blog, Luke and I had come to think of ourselves as reasonably experienced travellers. Well, our first week in Mexico has shown us that no matter how experienced you are, you always have more to learn.

7 mins read

Urban and Jungle at 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin

25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin – an urban jungle hotel that breaks the boundary between the concrete streets of West Berlin and the lush green zoological park. For lovers of both city streets and the green outdoors like me, the 25hours Hotel is an impressive mix.

5 mins read
Best Travel Backpack from Charlie on Travel's Eco-Friendly Travel Packing List

Berlin Green Travel Guide

Our Berlin green travel guide, for travellers who want to experience eco-friendly and sustainable Berlin.

When we arrived in Berlin, the first thing we saw was abandoned buildings and graffiti everywhere. This wasn’t the green metropolis I had been imagining and expecting at all. Then I realised, I had barely scratched the surface.

Berlin is a city that’s constantly being reconstructed, redesigned and re-purposed. You won’t meet a Berliner who doesn’t say: “You should’ve seen Berlin one year ago – it’s changed so much.” We heard that phrase over and over from different Berliners.

8 mins read
How Much Does It Cost to Travel in Bulgaria?

How Much Does It Cost to Travel in Bulgaria on a Budget? [Infographic]

Looking for cheap travel destinations in Europe for a winter break? Let me tell you how much it costs to travel in Bulgaria.

We booked our flights and set off on our winter adventure to Bulgaria after learning that there’s good skiing for bargain prices and that the cost to travel in Bulgaria is low. We weren’t disappointed by Bulgaria and travelling on a budget — even while skiing — was very doable. I have to be honest though and say that although the cost to travel in Bulgaria was good, it was even cheaper to travel in Macedonia.

6 mins read
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia

Sofia, Bulgaria – Travel Guide

Sofia was our first stop in Bulgaria. We’d planned on just passing through on our way to go skiing in Bansko, but as we slowly started to discover more and more historic sights and vegan restaurants, we slowed down.

Sofia isn’t a city like London, Paris or Rome though. It’s history is a cultural mesh of Eastern and Western influence. Churches, mosques and Soviet buildings all share the same small space of the city.

5 mins read