Traveler Stories — page 22

Alfred Donny Guide
September 23, 2026
Mistakes I made during the trip

Mistakes I made during the trip

Mistakes I made during the trip After each trip, I realize one simple thing: most of all, I learn not from good moments, but from my own mistakes. Moreover, most of them could have been avoided if I had at least thought a little in advance. Mistake #1. The route is too dense The most common mistake is to try to see absolutely everything. I marked dozens of places on the map in advance, made up an approximate route, and was sure that everything would work out. It didn't work out. At some point, I no longer looked at the city, but simply moved between the points. I arrived, took a photo, looked at my watch, and ran on again. As a result, I almost didn't remember some of the places. Now I try to choose a few really interesting places for the day, and leave free time between them. If there's something interesting along the way, great. If you just want to sit in a cafe and look at people, that's great too. Error #2. I trusted the navigator too much. One day, the map showed me that it was only a twenty-minute walk to the right place. Twenty minutes later, I found myself roughly where I was before, only very tired. I forgot that the map shows the distance, but it doesn't always explain how convenient it is to walk it. Now, before walking, I look not only at the route, but also at the area itself. Sometimes ten minutes by taxi is much more reasonable than forty minutes on foot in the heat. Mistake number 3. I didn't leave any time left This applies to transportation. Several times, I planned everything almost minute by minute. If the train was supposed to arrive at 2:20 p.m., in my plan, the next part of the route would start at 2:35 p.m. It only sounds beautiful on paper. In practice, a delay in transport, a queue, or an accidentally closed entrance is enough, and the entire ideal plan begins to crumble. Now I always leave a reserve. It's better to arrive a little earlier and have a quiet coffee than to run around the airport with a backpack and mentally promise myself that I'll be smarter next time. Mistake number 4. I took too many things Before a trip, it always seems to me that I will definitely need everything. Three pairs of shoes. Clothes for different occasions. Some things will "suddenly come in handy." As a result, half of the suitcase returns home completely untouched. After several trips, I realized that if a thing is needed only in a very hypothetical situation, it can most likely be left at home. Mistake number 5. I took too many pictures Perhaps the strangest mistake. I was on my way to see a new place, but sometimes I found myself standing with my phone in front of my face and trying to take the perfect shot. And then I realized that I hadn't really looked at the place itself. Now I try to just stand and watch first, and only then I take out my phone. Photos are necessary, but they should not become the main purpose of the trip. And the main mistake Probably, my main mistake is constant haste. I kept thinking that I had to catch something, see it, and take a picture. It wasn't until near the end of the trip that I realized I wasn't particularly late for anything. Traveling is not a competition. Sometimes the best moment of the day is not on the list of attractions at all. It can be a random cafe, a conversation with a stranger, a small street that you turned into just out of curiosity, or an ordinary sunset that caught you without a phone in your hands. Now I try to leave room for such accidents in the route. Because they are the ones who most often turn an ordinary trip into a story that you want to tell later.

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richword Expert
September 23, 2026
Which apps have been useful to me on my journey?

Which apps have been useful to me on my journey?

I used to be quite skeptical about travel apps. It seemed that the card, hotel reservation and translator were enough, and everything else could be solved on the spot. Then I went on trips several times where the Internet suddenly disappeared, the navigator sent me somewhere wrong, and the desired address turned out to be written in a language I don't understand at all. After that, my phone gradually turned into a full-fledged travel kit. Now, before the trip, I check several applications in advance and try to set them up at home. Not because I want to look at the screen all the time, but on the contrary - to spend as little time on the phone as possible while traveling. Maps and navigation The first thing I install before any trip is the maps app. I usually use Google Maps, and for some trips I additionally download offline maps. Offline mode is generally one of the most useful things for me. One day I found myself in a small town where the mobile Internet was so bad that the map loaded at about the same speed as a tree grows. It's good that the desired area was saved in advance. The maps also turned out to be useful not only for finding attractions. I often look at where supermarkets, pharmacies, cafes, bus stops and public toilets are located. The last point is especially appreciated after a few hours of walking. Translator Translator is an application that I used to open only as a last resort. Now I use it all the time. It's especially convenient when you can just take a picture of the menu, signboard, or instructions and get a translation. It's much faster than trying to type an unfamiliar word manually. But the most interesting thing happens not in restaurants, but during regular communication. Sometimes it's enough to show a person a translation on the screen to solve a problem that could turn into a ten-minute pantomime without a phone. At the same time, I try to download the required language in advance. When traveling, the Internet has an unpleasant habit of disappearing exactly when it is needed most. Booking of accommodation The hotel booking app is also always at hand. I like the opportunity to quickly open the address, view the booking conditions and show the driver exactly where to go. In addition, I save a screenshot of the booking. It seems like a small thing until you find yourself at the reception desk with a dead phone and start explaining to the hotel employee that the room is indeed booked, just that the confirmation is somewhere "in the cloud" for some reason. Airline's App After a few trips, I stopped considering it useless. An electronic boarding pass, flight information, exit number, and departure time changes are all much more convenient to keep in one place. This is especially useful when the flight is delayed. Instead of looking for information on the scoreboard every ten minutes, you can just check your phone. However, I still sometimes keep a paper copy of important documents. Apparently, after a certain amount of traveling, you begin to realize that technology is fine until it suddenly decides not to work. Taxi and transportation The taxi app greatly simplifies life in an unfamiliar city. There is no need to explain to the driver with gestures where to go and try to understand the local fares. Besides, I like to see the approximate cost of the trip in advance. This helps you at least roughly understand how much it will cost to move around the city. If I use public transport, I download the application of the local metro or transport system in advance. Sometimes it shows routes much better than regular maps. Currency Converter At first glance, it seems that a currency converter is not particularly needed. Then you go into the store, see the price in the local currency, and start mentally multiplying, dividing, and rounding. After five minutes, you don't know if this lunch is really inexpensive or if you've just spent half your budget on a drink. So now I just open the converter and check. The note-taking app But this app is often underestimated. I'm creating one note with the hotel's address, booking number, departure time, important phone numbers, and a small list of places I want to visit. I can also write down the name of a cafe I like or the address of a store I happened to see on a walk. As a result, you don't have to remember later: "Where did I see this? It seems to be somewhere near that square..." And the main thing is not to turn traveling into working with a smartphone. With all this, I try not to install twenty apps for every occasion. Maps, translator, reservations, transportation, airline, currency converter, and notes are enough for most trips. Because apps should help you travel, not replace the journey itself. It doesn't make much sense to come to another country and spend half the day staring at a screen. Sometimes it's better to close the card, put the phone in your pocket and just go where the street leads. That's when most of the time there are places that weren't on my original itinerary at all.

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richword Expert
September 23, 2026
What should I take with me on a trip for a week?

What should I take with me on a trip for a week?

What am I taking with me on a trip for a week I used to pack my suitcase before every trip, as if I was going to emigrate instead of for a week. I took three pairs of shoes, clothes for all occasions, and half the bathroom, and for some reason I always managed to forget something I really needed. One day I returned from a trip with half the things that I hadn't taken out of my suitcase at all. But I had to buy a phone charger at the airport. After that, I decided to conduct an experiment: to assemble the next week's trip as intelligently as possible - only what I really use. And it turned out that there are much fewer things needed than it seems. Clothes: the main thing is not to take too much The first rule I've learned for myself is not to take clothes for every day . If I'm traveling for a week, I don't need seven T-shirts, seven pairs of socks, and seven sets of clothes at all. I usually take 4-5 T-shirts, a pair of shorts or light trousers, one more versatile pair of trousers, several sets of underwear and socks. If the trip assumes cool weather, I add a light sweatshirt or jacket. I also make sure to take something in which I can go out properly in the evening. Not because I'm going to go to a restaurant every day, but because one day there's bound to be a situation where you want to go out for dinner after the beach, and you look like you've just come from a desert tour. I try to limit shoes to two pairs: comfortable sneakers and something light. If I take the third pair, I almost always regret it later, because it takes up half the suitcase and lies there idle for most of the trip. The first-aid kit that I underestimated before I had another problem with the first aid kit for a long time.: I either didn't take anything at all, or I put so much in there, as if I were going to open my own medical center. Now I'm taking a small set of the most necessary things: remedies that may be useful to me personally, patches, antiseptic, painkillers and medications that I take regularly. Plus, something for stomach problems - after several trips, I realized that the local cuisine can sometimes surprise more than any attraction. I put sunscreen on separately if I go to a place where there is a lot of sun. I used to consider it something optional, until one day I spent the whole next day in my room, because I decided the day before that "an hour in the sun wouldn't do anything." Did. Electronics This is where I try to control myself especially strongly. The phone number is clear. Charging is the same. I almost always take a powerbank, especially if I plan to walk and take pictures a lot. I also have a small universal socket adapter that has been living in a travel bag for a long time. I only take my laptop when I'm really going to use it. If the trip is an ordinary tourist trip, then most often I leave him at home. After all, I'm going to see a new city, not continue to sit in front of the screen. I'm taking headphones too. Sometimes a long flight or bus ride becomes much more enjoyable if you can turn on the music and just look out the window. Documents and things that you remember too late My passport and money are obvious, but I try to keep my documents in more than one place. I keep a copy of my passport and basic travel information on my phone so that I don't run out of information in case of an unpleasant situation. Before departure, I check the insurance, reservations, tickets and the address of the accommodation. All this takes a few minutes, but it's much more pleasant to check your documents at home than to try to figure out at the airport why the booking confirmation letter suddenly disappeared just when it was needed. I also take a small backpack for daily walks. It holds water, a phone, a power bank, documents, sunglasses and some small things. What am I not taking now? It's probably even more important. I stopped taking clothes "just in case," huge bottles of cosmetics, several books that I don't read anyway, extra shoes, and all sorts of things that could theoretically be useful. Because after a week of traveling, a simple thing almost always turns out: if I really need some small change, it can most likely be bought on the spot. But for some reason I have to carry all this on myself for seven days. Now, before closing the suitcase, I ask myself one question: "Am I sure I'm going to use this?" If the answer is "well, maybe," the item usually stays at home. And the more I travel, the more I like this approach. A good suitcase for a week-long trip is not one that can barely be closed. This is the one that, after packing, you can safely pick up with one hand and not feel that you accidentally packed your whole house there along with your things.

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Anna Explorer
Japan · September 23, 2026
My first trip to Japan

My first trip to Japan

After a couple of days of vacation, I was standing at Tokyo airport with my suitcase in one hand and my phone in the other, and I was already beginning to suspect that everything was not going according to plan. Japan greeted me not with sakura trees, Mount Fuji, or even some ancient temple, but with an automaton who spoke to me very enthusiastically in Japanese. I stared at him for a few seconds, then at the screen, then back at the machine, and finally decided that it was better to postpone the first contact with Japanese civilization for later. The first thing that surprised me was the silence Perhaps what struck me most in the first few hours was how peaceful Japan is, even where there are a lot of people around. There are dozens of passengers in the subway, everyone is going somewhere, someone is reading, someone is looking at the phone, someone even manages to get some sleep, but there is no usual feeling of fuss and noise. At first, I couldn't get used to it and kept catching myself thinking that now someone would definitely start talking loudly on the phone, sort things out, or at least tell a friend how his day had been. But nothing like that happened. After a few trips, I learned to keep quiet myself, although at first I did it more out of fear that I would accidentally violate some Japanese law on silence. And then I realized that I really like it: I can just sit by the window, look at the city and take my time. Japanese trains are a separate art form. The first time I saw a Japanese train, I just stood there for a while, looking at it. It was so clean, tidy and somehow incredibly organized that I even felt a little embarrassed to go in there with my suitcase. It seemed like an employee was about to appear and politely say: – Sorry, your suitcase is not aesthetic enough. But no one stopped me, and I went inside safely. The most amazing thing started later, when I looked at the scoreboard for the first time and realized that the train really arrived when it was written. Not """in about ten minutes," not ""it should be now," not "something is delayed," but exactly when promised. I looked at the clock, then at the train, and thought: How do they even do this? After several trips, Japanese precision became so familiar to me that I even began to miss it even before I left the country. A transition that looks like a scene from a movie And then, for the first time, I found myself at a Japanese pedestrian crossing, and it was a sight that I will definitely not forget. The light turned green, and suddenly people came from all sides. They were moving at the same time, calmly and completely confidently, and in the first seconds I was trying to figure out exactly where I needed to go so as not to end up in the middle of this human stream. At first, I carefully chose the direction myself, then I realized that I completely did not understand where my right was, where my left was, and why the person in front of me was going exactly where I was going to go a second ago. In the end, I just followed the crowd and decided that this was also part of the Japanese experience. Automatons that know more than me But I really fell in love with Japanese vending machines, because it seems that in this country a vending machine can do almost anything. A drink, please. Coffee, of course. The ticket is no problem. Something completely incomprehensible, the name of which I can't even read, is also welcome, but first try to figure out which button to press. One day, I stood in front of a ticket vending machine for quite a long time and tried to figure out what was required of me. There were hieroglyphs on the screen, some numbers and buttons next to it, and I felt like a person who had accidentally been put at the control panel of a spaceship. I pressed one button, the machine said something, after which I pressed another, and he said something again with an expression as if he was starting to lose patience. In the end, I bought a ticket, although I only found out the destination later. The most interesting thing is that I wasn't even sure who defeated whom in this situation – I was an automaton or an automaton was me. Meeting with advanced technology After a long walk, I returned to the hotel completely happy, very tired and dreaming only of a warm bath and a comfortable bed. I dropped my things, took off my shoes, and finally went into the bathroom, where a new encounter with Japanese technology awaited me. There were so many buttons on the control panel that I felt like a pilot of a small airplane. I pressed one and the water turned on, pressed the second and some kind of indicator light came on, and after the third, a completely unexpected sound came from the wall. I froze and just stood in the middle of the bathroom for a few seconds, trying to figure out exactly what I had just done. At that moment, it seemed to me that the Japanese bathroom had decided to test how well I was able to stay calm in a stressful situation. In the end, everything ended well, but after that incident, I began to treat each button with great respect and first read the instructions several times before pressing anything. I also came to Japan for the food. Of course, it's impossible to come to Japan and not taste the local cuisine, so one of the first days I went to a small cafe and opened the menu with great interest. The menu was great. And completely Japanese. I looked at it in much the same way as I would at the instructions for a spaceship, so I decided to use the most reliable tourist method – to choose a dish based on a photo. Everything looked very appetizing in the picture, and I confidently showed the waiter the right position. When the order arrived, I looked at the plate, then at the photo on the menu and realized that there was a slight difference between them. However, the taste turned out to be so good that after five minutes I didn't really care what I ordered. This is probably one of the main secrets of Japanese cuisine: even if you don't fully understand what lies in front of you, there's a good chance you'll like it anyway. It was the little things that surprised me in Japan Of course, I expected to see temples, neon streets, skyscrapers, sakura trees and everything that is usually imagined when thinking about Japan. But most of all, I was surprised by completely ordinary things that cannot be found in the tourist list of attractions. I was struck by the cleanliness of the streets, the tranquility of the people, their respect for other people's space and how neatly everyday life is arranged. I liked just walking down the street and noticing details that I probably wouldn't even have noticed at home. It was especially surprising how easily completely different eras get along here: next to an ultramodern building there may be a small old temple, and behind a noisy street with neon signs, suddenly there is a quiet alley with a tiny restaurant where several people are quietly having dinner at the counter. I went to Japan with the feeling that I would get to the country of the future, but I found myself in a country where the future somehow miraculously lives quite peacefully next to the past. And I realized the most important thing before I left. When it was time to leave, I caught myself thinking unexpectedly: I didn't want to say that I had already "seen Japan." Because it's impossible to see Japan in one trip. You can see Tokyo, taste sushi, ride a high-speed train, get lost near a station, get into a temple, select the right button in a vending machine several times, and even experience a small domestic disaster in a hotel bathroom, but the feeling of the country will still remain much more than all this. I wanted to walk through the same streets again, go to a small cafe again, get on the train again and look out the window, find myself again among the huge stream of people at the intersection and just watch how this amazing daily life works. I came to Japan with a question.: "What's so special about it?" And she was already leaving with a completely different one.: "When can I come back here?" And yes, next time I'll know exactly which button to press in a Japanese bathroom. Probably.

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Svetlana Discoverer
Thailand · September 23, 2026
What you need to know before your first trip to Thailand

What you need to know before your first trip to Thailand

The thought that Thailand is always warm bothered me. I knew that sooner or later I would go to this country. My dream came true, but the expectations were not met the first time. Before the trip, I knew that the sea was warming up to +27 °C and above, and it seemed to me that the rest was not important. I am sharing tips after 3 trips to Tai that I would like to read before the trip. The first thing that greets you is the heat I like walking in the clouds while flying on an airplane. I felt comfortable, but there was no trace of comfort on the streets of Bangkok. Literally 5 minutes later, I was sweating profusely and felt like a wet dumpling. The hair has become unrealistically porous. Moreover, according to the forecast it was only about +32, but in fact +39. "So what," I thought at first. "We have such temperatures in summer too, even more." No. It doesn't happen, because here you come out of an air-conditioned room and immediately get the feeling that someone has covered you with an incredibly warm blanket. Comfortable clothes are not a recommendation, but practically a matter of survival. And you don't have to take half of your wardrobe with you "just in case." In Thailand, you'll still wear about the same thing: a light T-shirt or a white shirt, shorts, comfortable shoes, and something that you can quickly throw on at the temple. Because temples are a separate story. You can't come to a temple like you can to a beach I knew that, of course. I found out almost immediately that my shorts and T-shirt are great for breakfast, walking, and even boat trips, but they are completely unsuitable for some temples. And here I am standing at the entrance, looking at the sign, looking at myself, the sign is looking at me. We both understand that it's better to have a light shirt or cape in your backpack before traveling. And clothes that cover your shoulders and knees, especially if you're going to visit temples. You also often need to take off your shoes before entering. By the way, this is very convenient until you discover that you arrived in Thailand in shoes that cannot be removed quickly. You stand like this in front of the temple, unlace it, while a small queue of people forms behind you, who have already managed to take off their shoes in order to gain enlightenment and, it seems, start a new life. Don't try to eat all Thai on the first day. This is where I showed real courage. I saw a small outdoor cafe, it smelled like something incredible. I'm asking: "Is it spicy?" They answered me: – No (No spicy). I believed it, and that was my first mistake, because "not spicy" in Thailand is a very philosophical concept. After 5 minutes, I was sitting with a red face, trying to smile and pretend that everything was fine with me. I washed everything down with water, which, of course, did not help at all. But then I realized the main thing: if you don't eat spicy food, talk about it several times and as convincingly as possible. And it is better to learn the phrase mai phet – "not sharp". Although you know, sometimes even after that you can still have a pepper. Water is always with you. Not "if you get thirsty," but always. You can leave the hotel for 10 minutes and come back looking like you just ran a marathon. A bottle of water in a backpack quickly becomes the main travel accessory. Also, I wouldn't experiment with tap water. It's easier to buy bottled water for drinking. But the shops here are a separate joy. Especially the 7-Eleven. If this is your first time in Thailand and you still don't know what to do in the evening, just go to the nearest 7-Eleven. I'm serious. Sometimes it seems that any life problem can be solved there. Except, perhaps, the problem of "where did the money go after two days in Bangkok". It's better not to argue with a taxi In Bangkok, I first tried to deal with taxis as if they were negotiations at an international summit. –How much?" - 500 baht. – No, it's expensive. – 400. — no. – 300. - OK. And then, after driving for a couple of minutes, I realized that it was possible to call a car through the app and not participate in this performance at all. So install the taxi app in advance and use it whenever it's more convenient. And if you take a regular taxi, make sure that the driver turns on the meter, if this is provided for the trip. And don't be surprised by traffic jams, believe me, Bangkok knows how to stand. Very beautiful and very long. Sometimes you sit in the car, look at the skyscrapers, listen to the air conditioner and think, "Well, at least I'm not late." But no, then you remember that you have a tour in 20 minutes. At such moments, I begin to involuntarily philosophize about life. And then the sea appears And this is where Thailand finally captivates. After Bangkok, you arrive on an island or by the sea, go outside in the morning and realize why you came all this way in the first place. The sea, palm trees, boats, the smell of fruits, warm air. It seems like you were going to get up early and go out, and then you sit on the terrace with coffee. You look at the sea and decide: "I'm not going anywhere today. I've been traveling enough." After an hour, you go anyway, because Thailand is too beautiful to stay in a hotel. But don't try to see the whole of Thailand in one trip. This is probably my main conclusion after the first trip. Bangkok is one mood, Phuket is another, Koh Samui is a third, the north of the country is generally a separate story. And if you try to cram all this into one week, you won't get a trip, but a suitcase packing competition. Today is the temple. Tomorrow is the island. Flight the day after tomorrow. Then the suitcase again. Then the transfer. Then you sit on the beach and don't remember where you are at all. It's better to choose a few places and leave some time just to live. Because the most interesting thing in Thailand often happens not when you go to point number 7 of your route, but when you take a wrong turn. And one last thing Don't expect Thailand to look like a postcard every minute. There will be heat, traffic jams, and strange smells. Be prepared to encounter insects that look like they have undergone military training. There will be food that you will not be able to identify even after explaining, there will be rain that starts suddenly and ends just as suddenly. And there will definitely come a moment when you just stop in the middle of the street, look around and think.: "Wow. I'm really in Thailand." It's worth going on a trip for this moment. The first trip to Thailand is not so much about the ideal route, but about how you first try to control everything, and then gradually realize that it is much more pleasant to just live here according to circumstances.

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richword Expert
Indonesia · September 23, 2026
Bali Sunset

Bali Sunset

I specially arrived at the beach in advance so that I could find a good place before sunset. As a result, I just sat on the sand for about twenty minutes and watched as people gradually gathered by the water. Someone was taking pictures, someone was talking, children were running along the shore, and the locals were quietly going about their business. When the sun began to sink to the horizon, everything around became somehow unrealistically calm. The water reflected orange light, the waves rolled onto the shore one after another, and the palm trees against the sky turned almost into silhouettes. I took some photos, but then I put my phone away. Sometimes you don't want to photograph a place, but just remember it as you saw it for the first time. Bali Sunset Probably, it is for the sake of such evenings that it is worth sometimes traveling far from home.

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Alfred Donny Guide
UAE · September 23, 2026
24 hours in Dubai - part two

24 hours in Dubai - part two

It doesn't matter anymore After two o'clock in the afternoon, I began the stage of the journey, which I usually call "it doesn't matter now." When you realize that there's not much time left, and you haven't seen half of the city yet, planning stops making sense. You can either accept it and go to the airport calmly, or start making decisions that will seem completely insane to you in a few hours. I chose the second option. Therefore, instead of calmly continuing to walk around Dubai, I decided to go to the desert. Desert The logic was ironclad: if you only have one day in the city, you definitely need to be in a place where the city is not visible at all. Perhaps a normal person in such a situation would have chosen the nearest beach or restaurant, but I left normality somewhere near the airport exit. After all, I only came to Dubai for a day, which meant I had to use those days as illogically as possible. Where the city ends The journey took some time. The skyscrapers gradually remained behind, and then disappeared completely. Empty spaces, sand, and sparse trees began to flash by the window. I looked at all this and thought about how strangely Dubai is arranged: until recently, I was standing near the Burj Khalifa among glass towers, shopping malls and thousands of people, and now there is practically nothing around. Just the desert. And for some reason it made me feel calm. Something is happening in the city all the time: cars are driving, people are in a hurry, screens are showing something, buildings are competing with each other in height. Nothing was happening here at all. You could just look out the window and not try to get somewhere else. A desert instead of skyscrapers On the spot, we were offered a ride through the dunes. Of course, I agreed, because the phrase "I only have 24 hours in Dubai" for some reason automatically turns an ordinary person into a person who is ready for anything. The car climbed onto a sand dune, stopped for a second at the very top, and then abruptly went down. At that moment, I realized that I had two pieces of news. A good one is really a lot of fun. The bad news is that I just voluntarily paid to be rolled around the desert for a few minutes like laundry in a washing machine. But when it was over, I was laughing along with the others. Apparently, a person has an amazing ability to quickly forget about fear if everything is beautiful and no one has yet managed to tell you how much it costs to repair a car. The sunset that I didn't want to photograph By evening, the heat began to gradually recede, and we stopped among the dunes. For the first time all day, I saw a real sunset – without the skyscrapers, advertising screens, and people who are sure to be in the frame right when you're about to take a photo. It was just that the sun was slowly sinking behind the sand. I took out my phone, took a few pictures, and put it away almost immediately. Because sometimes photography only gets in the way. You start thinking about how to set up the camera, where to take it from, and then where to put it all, and you completely forget that you actually came here to watch. I sat down right on the sand and was just silent for a while. I managed to see more contrasts in one day than I sometimes get to see in a week: skyscrapers in the morning, old neighborhoods and a bay in the afternoon, and now a desert. And there was still the Dubai evening ahead. The city wakes up in the evening When we returned to the city, it was already about eight o'clock in the evening, and Dubai seemed to have been turned on again. During the day, I was constantly looking for shade, but now the streets were filled with people, restaurants opened terraces, cars streamed along the roads, and skyscrapers lit up with thousands of windows. I went to the Dubai Marina and decided to just walk around aimlessly. After such a day, it was pointless to try to complete another item from the list. If I kept running from one landmark to another, after a few hours I wouldn't remember where I was. Marina turned out to be completely different from the city I saw in the morning. People were walking along the water, someone was sitting in a cafe, yachts were slowly passing along the canal, and high-rise buildings were reflected in the water. For a second, it even seemed to me that I was not looking at the real city, but at the scenery. But then a guy walked by with a bag of food, the kids ran after him, someone was swearing on the phone, and a woman at the next table was trying to take pictures of dinner. And I thought again that it is precisely such ordinary moments that for some reason make the place real. Abu Dhabi in the evening Finally, you can take your time I sat down to dinner and for the first time all day I looked at my watch without alarm. There were still a few hours left, but I didn't want to rush anywhere else. I realized that it is impossible to "see Dubai" in a day. You can only get to know it a little bit – to see it huge and small, modern and old, noisy and almost empty. And, probably, this turned out to be the main discovery of this trip. In the morning, I tried to create the perfect route and constantly thought about how many places I hadn't seen yet. By evening, it didn't matter at all how many ticks there were in front of the attractions. It was already interesting for me to just sit, look at the water and watch the people. Last meeting with Burj Khalifa With a few hours left before the plane, I decided to take another trip to the Burj Khalifa. This time – without a goal, without a list and without the desire to do something. Just to say goodbye to the city. In the morning, she seemed huge and a little unreal to me. Now I looked at her in a completely different way. There was already a whole day behind one building, dozens of kilometers of roads, old streets, a drive along the bay, a market, a desert and an evening walk. I realized that this is why travel cannot be measured by the number of sights seen. You can come to a city for a week and not feel anything, or you can spend one day there and take the whole story with you. What's left after 24 hours I came to Dubai with a very simple task – to see as much as possible in one day. As a result, I didn't see everything I had planned, got lost several times, overheated, tired, spent more money than I had intended, and at some point I stopped realizing what time it was. But perhaps that's why the trip was memorable. During these 24 hours, Dubai has managed to seem to me like a city of the future, an old trading port, a huge tourist area, a desert and just an ordinary city where people go to work, have dinner, walk and hurry about their business. And when I finally boarded the plane, I caught myself thinking that now I want to go back. Just not for 24 hours anymore. Abu Dhabi from an airplane

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Alfred Donny Guide
UAE · September 21, 2026
24 hours in Dubai - Part one

24 hours in Dubai - Part one

I ended up in Dubai for 24 hours. ​"How much time do I have?" – About a day. "In Dubai?" - Yes. – Well, then I'm lost. Because spending a day in Dubai and not going anywhere is like being in the fridge and deciding that you're going to eat buckwheat exclusively today. The plane arrived early in the morning. I left the airport with a backpack, a phone, and the completely idiotic belief that it was possible to see the city in 24 hours. I didn't know then that Dubai was a city that looked on the map as if all the interesting places were literally in neighboring blocks, but in reality there might be several kilometers of road, an interchange, another interchange, and, apparently, an interchange that was built specifically to You've never been able to get to the previous one. But I didn't have much time, so I decided not to talk about the scale of the city and went straight to the Burj Khalifa. Burj Khalifa ​The first time I saw her was from the car and at first I thought, "Well, tall and tall." But as it got closer, that feeling quickly disappeared. The photos do not convey the size of this structure at all: in the picture you see a skyscraper, but in real life you stand next to it and realize that someone seems to have forgotten to reduce the building before placing it in the real world. I tried to take a normal photo for about five minutes, but each time it turned out the same thing: either the tower was in the frame, or my feet were in the frame. She just couldn't fit the whole thing. At some point, I put my phone away and decided that sometimes it's better to just look through my eyes, rather than trying to immediately turn everything I see into a photo. However, I couldn't enjoy the walk for a long time – it was so hot outside that after a few minutes I began to perceive any shadow as a potential place for permanent residence. Burj Khalifa The walk I overestimated ​On the map, the next point looked very close. The navigator cheerfully informed me: "15 minutes on foot," and I, as a person who is clearly not familiar enough with the climate of Dubai, decided to take a walk. For the first ten minutes, I felt like a real traveler. Five minutes later, I started looking for the nearest air-conditioned room. After about twenty minutes, I began to treat cars with a whole new respect, and after a few minutes I realized that humanity had not spent so much effort on inventing air conditioners in vain. In the end, I hailed a taxi, got in, and when the cold air blew over me, I felt about the same emotions as a man who had just been rescued from the desert. Old Dubai ​It was after that that I found myself in Old Dubai, and the most interesting thing happened here. Until that moment, I was looking at the Dubai that is usually shown on the Internet: glass towers, huge shopping malls, expensive cars, perfectly clean streets and the feeling that the whole city is wiped every morning with a special napkin. And then I turned into small streets, and the scenery seemed to have changed. Narrow aisles, small shops, the smell of spices, old buildings, vendors who are calmly talking to customers, someone is in a hurry somewhere, someone is sitting at the store and just watching what is happening. There was no sense of a giant city of the future that was constantly trying to impress you with its scale. And it was here that I became really interested for the first time. Because I began to realize that Dubai is not just about what it has built over the past decades. It has another side, which is easy to overlook if you spend the entire journey between skyscrapers and shopping malls. Boat across the bay ​There was a bay nearby, and I saw small boats. I didn't have any special plans, so I just boarded one of them. The boat started moving, and after a few minutes I found myself in the middle of the water, looking at two completely different cities at the same time: on the one hand, there were old buildings and small marinas, on the other, modern Dubai was gradually growing, and somewhere far above it all, the Burj Khalifa still towered. Boat across the bay I was sitting there thinking about how strangely first impressions work. In the morning, it seemed to me that Dubai is a city of skyscrapers, where everything should be huge and expensive. And now I was sailing on a small boat along the old bay, and I realized that this simple moment might be more memorable to me than half the places I came here for. That's probably the point of traveling: the most memorable things don't always turn out to be the ones you've marked on the map in advance. Market ​After the boat, I decided to just go wherever I wanted. This is generally my favorite way to travel, because when you have every hour scheduled, you constantly think about the next point, and when there is no route, you can accidentally turn into an alley and discover a place you didn't know anything about. That's how I ended up on the market. I literally went to look, and after a few minutes they offered me sweets, showed me spices and told me something about the goods. At some point, I found myself talking to the seller, even though five minutes ago I wasn't going to buy anything here at all. Of course, I ended up buying something. It is still difficult to explain what exactly it is. When friends ask: – And why did you need it? I answer: — I don't know. And, perhaps, this is the most honest answer that can be given to the question of half of the things bought during travel. 14:00 ​When I finally looked at my watch, it was already two o'clock in the afternoon. And that's when it got a little unsettling. I had less than half a day left, and the list of things I wanted to see hadn't decreased much. The desert, the sea, Dubai at night, the Marina, the observation deck – and about twenty-seven other places that a normal person would never try to cram into one day. I opened the map, looked at the distances, closed the map, opened it again, and even for a second hoped that the distances had somehow decreased during this time. They have not decreased. And then I decided to do what any reasonable person would do in such a situation. Go to the desert. Because if you have ten hours left in Dubai, it's obvious that you need to get even further away from Dubai. It was from that moment on that my relatively calm one-day itinerary finally stopped being calm. But this is already in the second part.

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Gilyana Guide
France · September 19, 2026
7 days in Paris: my route around the city

7 days in Paris: my route around the city

When I was planning a week in Paris, everything looked perfect in my head: coffee and a croissant in the morning, museums and walks in the afternoon, and a glass of wine in the evening with a view of the Eiffel Tower. Of course, reality quickly made its adjustments. But my experience has shown more than once that expectations and reality are not the same thing. During the week, I managed to get lost, get wet in the rain, come to the closed door of the restaurant and choose the wrong subway line several times. But it seems that it is precisely because of these small failures that I remember Paris as the present. Day 1. Exploring Paris and the first failure On the first day, I decided not to overload the sights. I left my suitcase, left the hotel, and just went for a walk. The first point of the route was the Seine embankment. From there, I walked to Notre Dame, looked at the Isle de la Cité, and then headed towards the Latin Quarter. And it was here that the first failure occurred. After the trip, I naturally got hungry, and instead of choosing a normal cafe, I sat down in the first place near the tourist street. As a result, I got an expensive, but cold and tasteless omelet. But in the evening I bought a baguette, cheese and fruit and had a simple dinner. It turned out much tastier and much more Parisian than my expensive lunch. Day 2. Louvre, Tuileries and 20,000 steps The Louvre Museum was scheduled for the second day. I naively thought that I would spend two or three hours there. As a result, I came out almost five hours later with the feeling that my brain was no longer able to perceive art. After leaving the Louvre, I walked through the Tuileries Garden to the Place de la Concorde, and then decided to walk to the Arc de Triomphe. It turned out to be a mistake))) By the evening, the phone showed more than 20 thousand steps, my legs officially refused to cooperate, and the new shoes, of course, rubbed my heel. I had to find a pharmacy and buy patches. The romance of Paris at that time looked something like this: I was sitting on a bench, taping my leg and eating chocolate from the nearest supermarket. When the lights on the Champs-Elysees came on in the evening, the good mood finally returned. Day 3. Montmartre and the rain that "should not have been" I completely reserved the third day for Montmartre. In the morning I went up to the Sacré Coeur Basilica, looked at the city from above and went to wander through the small streets. It was the Paris I had imagined before the trip: old houses, small cafes, artists, stairs, balconies, and random beautiful courtyards. And then it started to rain. The umbrella was left in the room, of course, because it was sunny in the morning. 10 minutes later, I was already standing under the tiny awning of the store, along with several other equally optimistic people. As a result, I bought the most tourist umbrella in Paris, which broke down two days later. After the rain, I still made it to the Place des Tertres, and in the evening I found a small bistro away from the busiest streets. I ordered onion soup and decided that wet jeans could be considered part of the French experience. Day 4. Eiffel Tower and the Subway War The fourth day is the Eiffel Tower. I specially came in the morning to see her without the evening crowd. Then I walked along the Champ de Mars, reached the Trocadero and sat for a long time with coffee, just looking at the tower. After lunch, I decided to take the subway to another area. And this is where my personal war with Parisian transport began. It turns out that I got on the wrong side, and noticed it after a few stops, got off, moved to another platform, then for some reason I got the wrong direction again. At one point, my route on my phone looked like I had specifically decided to explore underground Paris. The trip, which was supposed to take twenty minutes, stretched for almost an hour. But in the evening I returned to the Eiffel Tower. When the lights turned on, all my transportation misery instantly ceased to matter. Day 5. Croissants, Mare and a closed cafe On the fifth day, I decided to arrange the most peaceful morning for myself. I found a bakery, bought a fresh croissant and coffee, and went for a walk around the Marais. I really liked this area: here you can walk for hours without a specific purpose, go into small shops, look at the windows and periodically stop for coffee. The main gastronomic point of the day was supposed to be the cafe, which I had saved at home. I specially set the route so that I could be next to him for lunch. Came. Closed. It turned out that the establishment was not working that day. Of course, it did not occur to me to check the schedule in advance. In the end, I bought a sandwich and ate it on the first bench I saw. And suddenly it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable dinners of the entire trip: the usual Parisian life is around, someone is walking the dog, someone is reading, someone is in a hurry to work. No specially created atmosphere, just a city. Day 6. Versailles and the fatigue of beauty On the sixth day, I decided to get out of the center and go to Versailles. The palace is really impressive, but by this point I had already realized an important thing: even beauty can get tired. After the halls, paintings, gold, and endless photographs, I went out into the gardens and realized that what I most wanted was not cultural experiences, but just to sit down. Of course, I also forgot to have a proper breakfast before the trip. That's why I looked around Versailles for about half of it with one thought: "Where can I eat here?" There were no plans for the evening. I returned to Paris, went to the supermarket, bought ready-made food and had dinner in my room. And you know what? After six days of restaurants and cafes, this dinner seemed almost perfect. Day 7. Paris without a plan I purposely left the last day empty. No tickets. No mandatory museums. There is no timetable by the minute. I went out to the Seine again, bought coffee, went to several bookstores, walked the streets for a long time and returned to places that I liked in the early days. And that's when I realized that my best day in Paris turned out to be a day without a route. During the week, I saw the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Montmartre, Notre Dame, the Marais, Versailles and dozens of beautiful streets. But for some reason I remember not only them. I remember the broken umbrella. Patches after 20 thousand steps. A closed cafe, for which I walked half the city. A trip in the wrong direction by subway. Dinner from the supermarket and that unfortunate omelet on the first day. That's probably how travel should be. Because the ideal route can be saved in notes. And the real trip starts exactly at the moment when something doesn't go according to plan.

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#paris#iqvel#France#Versailles#Louvre
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