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

Tai Dam Village in Thailand: The “People Without a Country”

Among the lush valleys and undulating hills of Loei province lies the Tai Dam village in Chiang Khan, Thailand. Named for the black robes worn by both men and women, the Tai Dam — known as “Black Thai” in English — are an indigenous Vietnamese tribe that were scattered by war. Today, their descendents practise time-honoured traditions in their new home in Northern Thailand.

3 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

7 Simple Tips To Be a More Responsible Traveller

Responsible travel means making environmentally, socio-culturally and economically aware travel choices. Knowing how to plan a responsible travel trip can seem like an absolute mission though, especially if there’s not a lot of time to read and research or you’re not sure where to start.

If you bring up the topic of responsible travel, more often than not people wrinkle their nose or shrug it off. Over time I’ve learned that this isn’t because they don’t care about the environment, wildlife and local people, it’s because it’s hard to know what choices are best.

6 mins read

Teaching in China (and Why I Hate Air Pollution): An Interview with Teacher Mitch

Teaching in China is something I’ve always been curious about. Before Luke and I accepted our teaching jobs in Taiwan, we’d also been made an offer from a school in China. At the time we simply chose the opportunity that came up first, but that’s always left me wondering what teaching in China would actually be like.

8 mins read
Travel in Macedonia - Bitola

Bitola in Macedonia (and My Big Travel Mistake)

Bitola wasn’t really part of our Macedonia travel plan. Actually, we didn’t really have a proper plan, which is what caused the mess in the first place.

After arriving in Skopje and working our socks off to catch up on freelance work, we jumped straight on a bus to Lake Ohrid – which is known as the place to go for travellers in Macedonia. We had four beautiful days in Ohrid, wiling away hours around the lake and exploring monasteries.

Then it was time to move on, except we had nowhere to go.

 

8 mins read
Slow Travel Instagram Accounts to Follow

11 Slow Travellers to Follow on Instagram

Looking for slow travellers to follow on Instagram? These slow travellers are all about experiencing local culture, getting their hands dirty out in the wild and taking it slow on the road. These slow travel bloggers and photographers have Instagram accounts that make you want to get out there in the world and experience local culture for yourself.

8 mins read

Lake Ohrid in Macedonia: A Beautiful Slow Weekend

Lake Ohrid is truly the jewel in Macedonia’s crown.

When we first made it past the town centre and scaled up the hillside through the old town, we looked out in wonderment over the lake and distant mountains. Lake Ohrid isn’t just any lake, this UNESCO World Heritage site is one of Europe’s oldest and deepest lakes. It is beautiful.

6 mins read
Skiing in Mavrovo, Macedonia

Skiing in Mavrovo, Macedonia: Everything You Need To Know

Mavrovo is Macedonia’s oldest national park. It’s an exceptional beauty, a small village around a large lake surrounded by snow-capped mountains – and it’s home to the Zare Lazareski ski resort.

We hadn’t initially planned to go skiing in Macedonia – since we’d already been skiing in Bansko and Charlie didn’t take to it all that well. But there’s not much going on during winter in Macedonia apart from skiing and I love it, so she put on a brave face and we took to the slopes in Mavrovo.

7 mins read