This summer we planned to explore Sri Lanka. Suddenly the prices went up and we gave up on that idea. As soon as we booked some low-fare tickets to Edinburgh, Turkish Airlines started having a sale for Asian destinations. Since Scotland has been on Jure’s list for the longest time and I couldn’t really remember much for my first trip there (don’t blame me – the last Harry Potter book was published just a day before we departed), it seemed like the right choice.

Because we were traveling during the high-season, the prices are not as low as we would have wanted. This is why we tried to do our best to keep the costs down by occasionally using couchsurfing and also cooking our own food.

Below you can find information on how much the whole trip (10 full days) cost us. Please note that I first write down the price we paid together and then calculate how much it was per person.

Car and transport

Expenses per person: €179.13

Car expenses were quite low this time. We rented our car on the second day in the city centre (10 minutes away from where we were staying) and returned it 8 days later at the same spot. Read More

If you asked me to give you some good reasons for visiting Morocco as soon as possible, spending time in the desert and experiencing Berber tradition would be on the top of my list. For us, that was the highlight of our trip. I still smile at the thought of all the memories we made there and would gladly return in a heartbeat. To make your experience just as amazing, I wrote down a guide to glamping in Erg Chebbi desert (also known as Merzouga desert).

Getting there

We got there by car, but there are plenty of other options if you do not wish to do that. You could either hire a driver, take a bus (check Supratours for more information) or do a tour. Read More

Traveling with kids doesn’t have to be a one-way trip to the dark side. If you’re worried about an upcoming family vacation, try some of these ideas to reduce stress and the likelihood you’ll vow never to leave the house again until the kids have left for college.

Flying

Planning to take to the skies for a vacation with your kids? These tips make flying with kids as easy as walking around the block. For starters, book early flights and check in online. Mornings are usually quieter and airports less crowded. Planning a trans- or intercontinental flight? Opt for an overnight flight so everyone can sleep. Most airlines allow online check-ins up to 24 hours before your scheduled departure — do that to avoid standing in long lines. Read More

Madeira’s known as an island of eternal spring. Thanks to the warm ocean currents around the island, there are no extremes here. The temperature is almost stable all year round (around 20 °C), which means you can escape there even when most of Europe is white. Most popular months, however, are from April to September, when it’s a bit drier. It was no coincidence we chose the end of April for our trip – I had known years in advance I wanted to see as many flowers as possible in bloom (Madeira’s flora is pretty spectacular).

When we were booking flights to Madeira Island, we were asking ourselves for how long to go. As it turns out, 7 days were the perfect amount of time to do everything a first-timer should have seen and more. I think we got to truly experience the island but I’m still looking forward to returning there someday.

TIP: Always check the weather web cams before heading anywhere and then decide what you’re going to do that day.

The itinerary below is similar to the one we did but it’s improved. Ours was a bit “all over the place” and this is how I’d do the trip if I was doing it again.
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Recently I was sharing a Moroccan mint tea with my lovely friend from Austria, when the taste of it suddenly took me back to Chefchaouen, Morocco. A gorgeous blue-washed mountain village, situated in the Rif mountain range.

To that early Monday morning, when we were woken up by the loud call for the prayer. Read More