Spain’s capital boasts expansive views, elegant aesthetics, and stunning architecture. Madrid is a city full of adventure and things to do, so let us help you plan your Spanish city trip itinerary!
*There are affiliate links in this post – they do not come at any extra cost to you, but just means we can earn commission to help us pursue this further 🙂
Our top list of things to do in Madrid!
Sip on cocktails at Salmon Guru, one of the best cocktail bars in the world.
Walk around the city’s oldest flea market, the Rastro.
See masterpieces at the Reina Sofia.
Spend hours in the Prado Museum.
See a live flamenco performance.
Eat a picnic in Buen Retiro Park.
Have the best chocolate covered churros from Chocolatería San Ginés .
Walk around the largest working royal Palace in Europe.
Take in the views of the second-century BC Egyptian temple.
Go on a traditional Spanish tapas food crawl!
Activity Recommendations
Reina Sofía – Comprising of over 21,000 works, this museum is home to Picasso’s masterpiece the Guernica. Explore the works of Dali and so many more in this multi-narrative museum that is a must visit! Find tickets here.
Prado Museum – Explore the largest range of Spanish artwork in the world at the Prado Museum. Admire the works by Rembrandt, Dürer, Titian, Murillo, Velázquez and Goya, as you take in this beautiful gallery. Find tickets here.
Flamenco Performance – Flamenco shows are a must see when visiting Spain, so treat your senses to a full flamenco performance at this package deal where you can see a show at a usually sold-out venue of the oldest tablao (flamenco venue) in Madrid, alongside a tapas dinner.
The Royal Palace – Discover the Royal Palace and Royal collections in this full guided tour, with chances to see the royal apartments and the royal gardens. This tour comes with a private guide, and headphones for your guided tour, and is the best way to learn about this history of the palace! Find tickets here.
Spanish Tapas Crawl – Experience the original tapas crawl as you visit four different food locations in a non-touristic area of Madrid. This includes 10-12 tapas dishes, one house drink per location, and a guide for your tapas crawl! Find it here.
Places to stay
Here are some of our recommendations for staying in Madrid
Budget Traveler :
2060 The Newton Hostel – Being in the amazing central location of the Tirso de Molina Plaza, this hostel is an amazing start for your Madrid adventure! Offering 8-12 bedroom dorms, this hostel starts from only £19 a night, which is SO good for a capital location! Find it here.
Mid Budget Traveler :
Bastardo Hostel – Priding themselves to not JUST be a hostel or place to stay, Bastardo Hostel is a great mid budget option, offering both dorm and private accommodation, to suit a variety of budgets. They have breakfast options, rooms with terraces and more! Find it here.
Luxury Traveler :
UMusic Hotel Madrid – This 5 star hotel is an amazing luxury travel option to create the most unforgettable Madrid trip! Boasting a sun terrace with pool, a restaurant, fitness centre and prime location, this is a hotel to remember! Starting from £250 a night, this is the hotel to build memories! Find it here.
Have you done any of these things?
Would you add anything else to this list? If you have been previously, what is your favourite thing to do? And if you haven’t been, what is your most idolised thing to do?
If you would like to support our own travel Journey, please check out all our other blogs, and subscribe to the newsletter where we are currently uploading daily blogs!
Vietnam is a stunning location that is rich in culture and beauty. The Vietnamese people are very proud of their countries heritage, and has some beautiful historic monuments that thousands of travellers visit each week.
The country has so much to do, there are mountains in the north, forests in the west, a stunning coastline on the east and little tropical Islands dotted about.
Out of the countries in South East Asia, it is not as popular as Thailand or Indonesia, but is just as beautiful. It’s a country that has months worth of places to visit, and some of the kindest people in the world; but a place not many take the time to discover.
In this list we have narrowed the activities and places to visit down to 7, so when you are backpacking Vietnam you can see the best things to do, and not miss out on seeing what the country has to offer! These are based on our personal experiences, and those we have met travelling that have given their views on Vietnam and the best things to do.
This list is the things we would recommend all travellers/backpackers to do when visiting Vietnam. These are ones that we couldn’t miss out on and will make your time one to remember!
*There are affiliate links in this post – they do not come at any extra cost to you, but just means we can earn commission to help us pursue this further 🙂
1. Hoi an
Hoi An is a small city located on the east side of Vietnam just south of Da Nang. This archipelago is a beautiful setting which we stumbled upon, filled with markets and a river that runs directly through the middle. This welcomes Vietnamese boats and boat rides in traditional circular boats down the river. Hear you can experience some of the countryside and learn more about the area!
Further in the city, they have the most stunning tradition to light lanterns on the river to create a beautiful view. It’s something that is unique and really sets a lovely tone in the city when you wander. You can actually create your own foldable lantern in this workshop here, which can collapse nicely to fit in your luggage home, for a stunning authentic souvenir home! In the city there are so many local shops that offer real leather products and jewellery which would be perfect to shop at!
They are some awesome food spots as well so make sure to take your time in this area, and we would recommend a 1 night stay to make the most of your time in Hoi An. You can enjoy a small group food tour around Hoi An with a guide to experience the best local foods here.
2. Ha Long Bay
This is known as one of the natural wonders of the world, and a place that is like no other on our planet. It’s located on the coast which is east of Hanoi and has over 1,600 islands to explore!
You can experience an overnight cruise which you stay on the boat and spend the night on the water in nature, such as this beautiful 5 star cruise here, or the day cruise to visit many islands, like this one here where you can see caves, go kayaking, swimming and more! During thie trip you will have opportunities to stop at the islands to explore. These includes the famous Titop island named after the Russian Cosmonaut that was the 2nd person to ever orbit the Earth.
Activities include kayaking in natural waters, wildlife watching (including wild monkeys) and cave exploring! There’s so much to see and do and the views are breath taking. We would definitely take the time to travel to Ha Long Bay and and experience the natural wonder!
However, there’s not much to do in Ha Long as it’s very quite and a lot of the city is closed so be prepared to keep yourself busy. We would only recommend 1/2 night max as you will run out of things to do in the city very quickly!
3. Ha Giang Loop
When travelling South East Asia, we wasn’t even aware of this as an activity and was only told during our first outing in the Philippines. We met a local traveller who had spend 6-12 months in Asia and said this is the BEST thing he has done so far while here.
The Ha Giang Loop is a small village in the north west region of Vietnam and is located just south of a hundreds of miles of open roads, peaks and tiny villages high up in the mountains. This is a largely undiscovered area which has seldom roads weaving in valley and alongside mountains.
As expected, it is home to some of the most amazing views we have EVER witnessed and really connects you back with nature.
If is recommended to book the Ha Giang Loop with hostels or activity companies, like this one, as it is safer and they have a set route. However, if you are adventurous you can hire your own motorbike and head into the mountains yourself! Please note that the region is vast and you could easily get lost so we would only recommend this if you are an avid bike rider and know the area well, or have planned this thoroughly.
When booking, you can choose anywhere between 2 – 4 days and they provide you with a full breakdown of everything you will do while completing the loop. No matter the length of time you will see breath-taking views, eat some amazing food deep into the mountains and visit isolated waterfalls.
Unfortunately we only did 2 days worth and loved every second of it! We would tell everyone that they need to do the 4 day Loop which will take you further into the mountains, go to the China border, visit cliffs and so much more!! It’s an experience that changed our outlook on our travels, and we have vowed to go back and complete the full loop in the future!
During the first day we started out early around 9 am and get to meet your personal rider (if you have chosen this). You can ride the bike yourself but we would only do this if you are a competent rider and know rode motorbikes confidently before. We opted for a driver to be safe!
It’s important to note that you will only take a small bag that is taken on the bike so pack light! You can rent protective gear for the ride which you should do! Normally you can get up to 60 km so falling off can be very dangerous. It’s cheap and could save your life if the worst was to happen. We would also recommend to take long sleeve clothing and long trousers so protect your legs. It can get warm on the back of the bike but it will protect you if you were to fall off.
During the rike, you will take a break every 1 – 1 1/2 hours to stretch your legs, nip toilet and eat some food and drink before heading off again! You will stop for lunch in a small town on Day one and have food included which is a buffet. The food is beautiful and a great place to fill yourself up and meet your fellow riders!
The place to stay is hidden in a small town and offers another buffet for dinner which includes the BEST food we have ever tasted… and this was veggie spring rolls. Drinks are available and you can dance the night away with music and get to know all the amazing people around you. It really is a great experience! The next day you leave early and head forward further into the mountains but we headed back another way and made stops at some beautiful locations where we took photos and met some amazing people. This included taking a break at a waterfall and going for a swim. Me and the rider took turns jumping off the rocks into the waterfall and even rock, paper, scissor to see who jumped first… (Jack won!!).
It was an out of this world experience and will definitely be the best thing you do in Vietnam! It’s just beautiful.
The Marble Mountains are located in Da Nang and is a great way to learn about the history of Vietnam, and explore cultural caves. The marble mountains include many steps which take you past sculptures, pagoda’s, religious caves, and old relic houses.
It would take roughly 3-4 hours to explore and offer some amazing views of the city and beach from above. You can climb all the way to the top and even stop off for a quick ice-cream as you recover for the humid weather. The marble mountains get the name by being made from marble which is shown through sculpture shops surrounding showing off their amazing work. A lot of the statues are taller than us and are perfectly created!
It’s such an amazing part of Vietnam to walk through and there really is no place like it. When leaving the mountain you can enter some souvenir shops that have small marble items you can purchase to remember this beautiful place by!
5. Cu Chi Caves
In Ho Chi Minh you can get a bus to the caves and learn more about the history of Vietnam. Vietnam were involved in a civil war between the 50s and 70s which saw many thousands of lives lost. During the war, the Vietnamese used tunnels as a way of hiding from the enemy and built a small tunnel civilisation which they would live in to survive.
This is now available to visit and go into to see how they lived and learn more about the war. During this, you will be able to see the tunnels they walked and lived in, how they hid the entrances and many traps that they would lay to kill any enemy and how it was used. Find a half-day tour here, with an informative guide straight from Ho Chi Minh City.
This really helps understand the war more and is a great way to spend half a day near Ho Chi Minh City.
6. Hanoi Tailored Clothing
Hanoi is a well known location for travellers to pick up tailored clothing to take home. There are so many tailored clothing shops and the quality of the maker and materials is amazing. They will show you different materials and designs to choose from and will let you design and create your own clothes and make it fit you perfectly.
Once you place your order, you then leave it with them for a few days so it is designed and put together before picking it up. A lot of people struggle with finding a suitable place to keep/pack the clothing once purchased but you can now get the clothes sent home which they will sort at an extra cost.
This is a rather expensive experience which can cost upwards of £100 – £200 as a minimum. You can easily spend close to £1,000 on tailored clothing but the clothes will last due the use of some top quality material and the expertise of the makers. For men it’s great to get a suit for home and for the ladies a dress that can remind you of your times in South East Asia.
7. Mui Ne
This is a place not many know about in Vietnam but definitely will be popular in the future! This hidden gem is a beautiful paradisal beach which is located next to sand dunes. These sand dunes are red, yellow and white so you can experience some amazing colours dependant on what part of Mui Ne you are.
This is a perfect spot to do sandboarding activities and hire quad bikes/dune buggies to ride across the sand and have the best time. Once you are tired after a long activity in the sun, there’s no better place to collapse and enjoy the crystal clear waters and soak up the sun with an ice-cream or a fresh coconut.
These sand dunes make you feel like you are in the Sahara Dessert and there is not any similar locations in South East Asia so make sure not to miss out on this!
Vietnam is a must visit spot!
Vietnam is an amazing country that is a must to explore for all travellers. There is so much to explore and learn whilst being here and it’s a place you are sure to make memories.
If you would like to support our own travel Journey, please check out all our other blogs, and subscribe to the newsletter where we are currently uploading daily blogs!
You can follow our Backpacking and travel journey through our Social Medias below:
Vietnam is a stunning location that is rich in culture and beauty. The Vietnamese people are very proud of their countries heritage, and has some beautiful historic monuments that thousands of travellers visit each week.
The country has so much to do, there are mountains in the north, forests in the west, a stunning coastline on the east and little tropical Islands dotted about.
Out of the countries in South East Asia, it is not as popular as Thailand or Indonesia, but is just as beautiful. It’s a country that has months worth of places to visit, and some of the kindest people in the world; but a place not many take the time to discover.
In this list we have narrowed the activities and places to visit down to 7, so when you are backpacking Vietnam you can see the best things to do, and not miss out on seeing what the country has to offer! These are based on our personal experiences, and those we have met travelling that have given their views on Vietnam and the best things to do.
This list is the things we would recommend all travellers/backpackers to do when visiting Vietnam. These are ones that we couldn’t miss out on and will make your time one to remember!
*There are affiliate links in this post – they do not come at any extra cost to you, but just means we can earn commission to help us pursue this further 🙂
1. Hoi an
Hoi An is a small city located on the east side of Vietnam just south of Da Nang. This archipelago is a beautiful setting which we stumbled upon, filled with markets and a river that runs directly through the middle. This welcomes Vietnamese boats and boat rides in traditional circular boats down the river. Hear you can experience some of the countryside and learn more about the area!
Further in the city, they have the most stunning tradition to light lanterns on the river to create a beautiful view. It’s something that is unique and really sets a lovely tone in the city when you wander. You can actually create your own foldable lantern in this workshop here, which can collapse nicely to fit in your luggage home, for a stunning authentic souvenir home! In the city there are so many local shops that offer real leather products and jewellery which would be perfect to shop at!
They are some awesome food spots as well so make sure to take your time in this area, and we would recommend a 1 night stay to make the most of your time in Hoi An. You can enjoy a small group food tour around Hoi An with a guide to experience the best local foods here.
2. Ha Long Bay
This is known as one of the natural wonders of the world, and a place that is like no other on our planet. It’s located on the coast which is east of Hanoi and has over 1,600 islands to explore!
You can experience an overnight cruise which you stay on the boat and spend the night on the water in nature, such as this beautiful 5 star cruise here, or the day cruise to visit many islands, like this one here where you can see caves, go kayaking, swimming and more! During thie trip you will have opportunities to stop at the islands to explore. These includes the famous Titop island named after the Russian Cosmonaut that was the 2nd person to ever orbit the Earth.
Activities include kayaking in natural waters, wildlife watching (including wild monkeys) and cave exploring! There’s so much to see and do and the views are breath taking. We would definitely take the time to travel to Ha Long Bay and and experience the natural wonder!
However, there’s not much to do in Ha Long as it’s very quite and a lot of the city is closed so be prepared to keep yourself busy. We would only recommend 1/2 night max as you will run out of things to do in the city very quickly!
3. Ha Giang Loop
When travelling South East Asia, we wasn’t even aware of this as an activity and was only told during our first outing in the Philippines. We met a local traveller who had spend 6-12 months in Asia and said this is the BEST thing he has done so far while here.
The Ha Giang Loop is a small village in the north west region of Vietnam and is located just south of a hundreds of miles of open roads, peaks and tiny villages high up in the mountains. This is a largely undiscovered area which has seldom roads weaving in valley and alongside mountains.
As expected, it is home to some of the most amazing views we have EVER witnessed and really connects you back with nature.
If is recommended to book the Ha Giang Loop with hostels or activity companies, like this one, as it is safer and they have a set route. However, if you are adventurous you can hire your own motorbike and head into the mountains yourself! Please note that the region is vast and you could easily get lost so we would only recommend this if you are an avid bike rider and know the area well, or have planned this thoroughly.
When booking, you can choose anywhere between 2 – 4 days and they provide you with a full breakdown of everything you will do while completing the loop. No matter the length of time you will see breath-taking views, eat some amazing food deep into the mountains and visit isolated waterfalls.
Unfortunately we only did 2 days worth and loved every second of it! We would tell everyone that they need to do the 4 day Loop which will take you further into the mountains, go to the China border, visit cliffs and so much more!! It’s an experience that changed our outlook on our travels, and we have vowed to go back and complete the full loop in the future!
During the first day we started out early around 9 am and get to meet your personal rider (if you have chosen this). You can ride the bike yourself but we would only do this if you are a competent rider and know rode motorbikes confidently before. We opted for a driver to be safe!
It’s important to note that you will only take a small bag that is taken on the bike so pack light! You can rent protective gear for the ride which you should do! Normally you can get up to 60 km so falling off can be very dangerous. It’s cheap and could save your life if the worst was to happen. We would also recommend to take long sleeve clothing and long trousers so protect your legs. It can get warm on the back of the bike but it will protect you if you were to fall off.
During the rike, you will take a break every 1 – 1 1/2 hours to stretch your legs, nip toilet and eat some food and drink before heading off again! You will stop for lunch in a small town on Day one and have food included which is a buffet. The food is beautiful and a great place to fill yourself up and meet your fellow riders!
The place to stay is hidden in a small town and offers another buffet for dinner which includes the BEST food we have ever tasted… and this was veggie spring rolls. Drinks are available and you can dance the night away with music and get to know all the amazing people around you. It really is a great experience! The next day you leave early and head forward further into the mountains but we headed back another way and made stops at some beautiful locations where we took photos and met some amazing people. This included taking a break at a waterfall and going for a swim. Me and the rider took turns jumping off the rocks into the waterfall and even rock, paper, scissor to see who jumped first… (Jack won!!).
It was an out of this world experience and will definitely be the best thing you do in Vietnam! It’s just beautiful.
The Marble Mountains are located in Da Nang and is a great way to learn about the history of Vietnam, and explore cultural caves. The marble mountains include many steps which take you past sculptures, pagoda’s, religious caves, and old relic houses.
It would take roughly 3-4 hours to explore and offer some amazing views of the city and beach from above. You can climb all the way to the top and even stop off for a quick ice-cream as you recover for the humid weather. The marble mountains get the name by being made from marble which is shown through sculpture shops surrounding showing off their amazing work. A lot of the statues are taller than us and are perfectly created!
It’s such an amazing part of Vietnam to walk through and there really is no place like it. When leaving the mountain you can enter some souvenir shops that have small marble items you can purchase to remember this beautiful place by!
5. Cu Chi Caves
In Ho Chi Minh you can get a bus to the caves and learn more about the history of Vietnam. Vietnam were involved in a civil war between the 50s and 70s which saw many thousands of lives lost. During the war, the Vietnamese used tunnels as a way of hiding from the enemy and built a small tunnel civilisation which they would live in to survive.
This is now available to visit and go into to see how they lived and learn more about the war. During this, you will be able to see the tunnels they walked and lived in, how they hid the entrances and many traps that they would lay to kill any enemy and how it was used. Find a half-day tour here, with an informative guide straight from Ho Chi Minh City.
This really helps understand the war more and is a great way to spend half a day near Ho Chi Minh City.
6. Hanoi Tailored Clothing
Hanoi is a well known location for travellers to pick up tailored clothing to take home. There are so many tailored clothing shops and the quality of the maker and materials is amazing. They will show you different materials and designs to choose from and will let you design and create your own clothes and make it fit you perfectly.
Once you place your order, you then leave it with them for a few days so it is designed and put together before picking it up. A lot of people struggle with finding a suitable place to keep/pack the clothing once purchased but you can now get the clothes sent home which they will sort at an extra cost.
This is a rather expensive experience which can cost upwards of £100 – £200 as a minimum. You can easily spend close to £1,000 on tailored clothing but the clothes will last due the use of some top quality material and the expertise of the makers. For men it’s great to get a suit for home and for the ladies a dress that can remind you of your times in South East Asia.
7. Mui Ne
This is a place not many know about in Vietnam but definitely will be popular in the future! This hidden gem is a beautiful paradisal beach which is located next to sand dunes. These sand dunes are red, yellow and white so you can experience some amazing colours dependant on what part of Mui Ne you are.
This is a perfect spot to do sandboarding activities and hire quad bikes/dune buggies to ride across the sand and have the best time. Once you are tired after a long activity in the sun, there’s no better place to collapse and enjoy the crystal clear waters and soak up the sun with an ice-cream or a fresh coconut.
These sand dunes make you feel like you are in the Sahara Dessert and there is not any similar locations in South East Asia so make sure not to miss out on this!
Vietnam is a must visit spot!
Vietnam is an amazing country that is a must to explore for all travellers. There is so much to explore and learn whilst being here and it’s a place you are sure to make memories.
If you would like to support our own travel Journey, please check out all our other blogs, and subscribe to the newsletter where we are currently uploading daily blogs!
You can follow our Backpacking and travel journey through our Social Medias below:
We understand your pain… you want to travel, but you don’t have the money? Or, you have SOME money, but don’t want your travels to stop?
As we are on our monetisation journey too, we wanted to share some of the ways we are trying to earn, alongside some top tips from other creators! We are SO excited to monetise our travels, and we are so excited to help others do the same!
Below we share some key ways to earn money while travelling, ready for your worldwide trips! These will include options for people with NO social media following, people with a following, and everyone inbetween!
*This post includes affiliate links – these do not cost you anything extra, but means we might earn a commission; this helps us to continue making content and chasing our dreams 🙂
Blogging
Like our page, many people have started their travel blogging journey! It isn’t necessarily a ‘get rich quick’ way of earning, and we aren’t yet to see big figures! However, within the first month we did make a few cents, which doesn’t sound a lot; but this was SO exciting for us! It shows that it is possible!
Part of the blogging experience does include some other monetisation links, like mentioned below, but implementing ads is one way your blog can directly earn money! We have the option to add in ads at certain places within a blog… Like we have put just below here!
These spaces can earn just by page views, and some are click-through earners! We would suggest starting the blog sooner rather than later, just because it does take time. Even if you have a decent social media following, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll transfer onto your blog.
Affiliate Links
Affiliate links are a game changer for SO many! As a travel content creator, you are likely to share recommendations naturally… So, why not try to earn from it? Affiliate links come at no extra cost to the customer, but means you can earn a commission based off of their purchase through your links!
We are using TravelPayouts, which has a wide range of travel based affiliate programs, such as HostelWorld, Booking.com, Airalo and more! It shows your commission stats on an easy to use table, with integrated tools and widgets that makes using affiliate links so easy! Find the link to TravelPayouts here.
They have some amazing commission bases, with some being over 50%! Some programs also have amazing cookie lifetimes (with some being 30/31 days), meaning if someone clicks the link, and purchases 10 days later, since its within your cookie lifetime you should earn commission based on that purchase! Some programs do have entry requirements, so it is beneficial to have some sort of social media following! We have been accepted onto quite a few programs when we had just hit over 2k followers, which isn’t massive compared to many travel content creators!
UGC
This seems like the new kid on the block! UGC has taken the online world by storm, and we do see why! UGC stands for User Generated Content, which in essence is creating adverts for businesses to use. These usually differ from sponsored posts, which we will explain more about below!
UGC very rarely requires a social media following, however, if you have numbers to back up your content it is always beneficial! We would also recommend posting to TikTok for your UGC journey, as in time you can apply to the TikTok shop creators program, which can earn you commission for marketing those TikTok products!
There is so much information on TikTok to find about UGC, and we would love to share more about this if it is of interest! Please let us know by either liking or commenting on this post if you would like a full guide into UGC!
Many people are earning hundreds, if not thousands monthly with UGC. It isn’t a ‘pyramid scheme’, as some people assume. It is just a new form of freelance services, You are making quality, relatable adverts for brands to use on social media, that is basically it!
Freelance jobs
UGC is of course a freelance career, however, if you have skills that are transferrable, then maybe look into freelancing! Some skills include graphic design, accounting, travel planning amongst many! You can post your services, or find gigs, on platforms such as Fiverr and Upwork! This allows you to be more flexible with what work you take on!
If you would however want a bit more security, there is a multitude of jobs that allow remote working. You would need to ensure your working hours align with the current time of where you are located, alongside making sure you have reliable wifi, and can meet your job requirements! Some jobs even prefer if you are willing to relocate due to offices sometimes being located across many countries and continents!
Travel Photography
We aren’t yet using this strategy, however this is something we are now starting to organise!
From tourism boards, to airlines, to general online websites, travel photography is used in a variety of places! It builds information into something appealing to the eye!
Think of it this way, you see a holiday to Spain being advertised. If it was just text, you likely won’t be interested. However, if this ad is coupled with beautiful photos of that location, with things to do/see, you are SO much more likely to be intrigued.
Travel photography can be monetised in a few ways.
You can find stock image websites to sell your photos, on websites like Alamy and Shutterstock. There is sometimes content requirements, such as needing certain file sizes and formats. This usually allows multiple people and businesses to buy your photos, with whatever rights you choose to set. This isn’t going to necessarily be a big earner straight away, but will compress and grow as you post more images over time.
Another way to monetise your travel photography is by selling them directly. We know some people who will contact tourism boards directly to offer their travel photography. Photographers will send over some watermarked (this is very important) images, such as a full portfolio, of the photos they are offering to sell, and this will allow the tourism board to pick and choose which images they wish to buy. This can lead to big sums of money, depending on what rights you give to them.
Sponsored Posts
This is one for people with a social media following! If you have a certain amount of followers, and/or a good engagement rate, this could be an avenue for you!
Many businesses see the importance of social media now, so will pay creators to use their product in the form of sponsored posts!
You see this across many platforms, with many successful YouTubers now having sponsored videos with ad deals, instagram/TikTok creators having dedicated posts to products or even hotels/trips!
There is a lot of potential within this route, once you get to a substantial follower count! Do not be disheartened if you aren’t at 10k+ followers, as we have seen some creators be gifted and paid to sponsor items at even a few thousand followers!
We will advise that following a specific niche may lead to more opportunities! From a brands perspective (let’s use lunchtime wraps as an example), would you rather sell to a broad audience of people who like food and food content (such as restaurants, foods to try etc), to a more direct audience who watch recipe ideas and foods to make at home, or to people who watch people who makes wraps as a large chunk of the content? Their marketing will likely be so much more beneficial if they are reaching their ideal customer directly!
How have you monetised your travels?
We hope these tips can help you in your own content creation journey! We would love to hear your journey, so please if you use our advice, let us know how it goes on our instagram @ourtwostepstart. We will happily answer any questions you have, and would love to hear your experiences!
If you did enjoy the Blog make sure to like and subscribe for future Blogs as we aim to upload roughly 5/7 a week!
Thank you for checking out our blog and be sure to see other blogs that we have made talking all things travel about Europe, Asia, Central America and everything in-between!
To follow our travelling journey, do visit our Social Media’s provided below to see where we are and where we will be going next!
Meknes is a rural town in the centre of Morocco that is very beautiful. It’s a location we didn’t know much about prior to being in Fes, but did some last minute research to find out that it’s a great place to visit for a day trip!
When visiting Meknes, we would definitely recommend to research the best way to get there from your start location! If you are in Fes, we would take the train as it is only a 40 minute ride to the Town. However, try to book the train tickets online, or get to the station early to guarantee a seat on the train as they can get full up rather quickly (we found this out the hard way)!
You can check out our full blog experience and thoughts on Meknes down below or by visiting our YouTube channel OurTwoStepStart.
How to spend a day in Meknes
Now you have set a day aside for Meknes, we would recommend you to book accommodation (either in person or online) with a local riad Hostel or homestay. This way you will have the authentic experience of staying in traditional housing and meet some of the locals. When visiting Meknes, we stayed in Dar Merzouga which had an amazingly friendly host and if you are in the area we would recommend staying here! Find it here.
Below we have highlighted the best activities you can enjoy when in Meknes so you don’t miss anything!
Visit the markets
Meknes is known for it’s local markets and is full of them! The markets can stretch for a good 45 minute walk; leaving you with endless opportunity to wander, look for souvenirs for home, or just check out some of the niche stalls! Some of the markets are specific to food or clothing for example, so you can choose the market that is right for you to get them most enjoyment!
When visiting a food market, be aware that it is a poorer country and they aren’t westernised with how they may treat animals. You are likely to see animal body parts such as Donkey hooves for sale or sheep’s head… or even live chickens being purchased and handled for meat. We would recommend for anyone who is bothered by this to avoid these specific areas where meat is sold as it can be graphic.
The markets however definitely offers an opportunity to get some good deals as you can negotiate a lower price for the goods that are on offer. Usually we would recommend to look at the price and find a realistic price you are comfortable and go from there! The locals are likely to take you up on your new price as long as it’s isn’t too low!
Bab El Masour
This is a monumental Gate that is located in the heart of Meknes just a stones throw from the mass markets. It is known to be one of the best structurally and architecturally gates across north Africa which stands out amongst the old Town. It was completed in the 1730s and build for the sultan’s son Moulay Abdallah.
It’s a great building which attracts crowds of visitors everyday and would be a great place to spend a few hours after wandering the local markets.
Try local food
As Meknes is a smaller Town, it doesn’t provide many westernised foods and sticks to the more traditional meals that Morocco has to offer. This is a great opportunity to find some local spots to taste authentic Moroccan Cuisine. Traditional food can be provided for dinner during you stay if you book with a Riad and is a great way to taste Morocco homecooked cuisine!
There will also be small independent stalls which will offer a variety of snacks/bites you can grab. The can be specific like pastries or desserts, or shops that offer a range of foods to try! You can even watch some of these make the foods to show it’s freshly made and that it’s a traditional Morocco taste as they cook it in front of you.
Street photography of locals
As it’s a more traditional and less touristy area, it’s a perfect place to set up and take some street photography of Meknes. It’s known to being a traditional Town so would be great to snap authentic Moroccan living. Places we would recommend for this would be down the tight streets of the Medina, in the busy markets as there’s so much going on, and outside the Bab El Mansour.
The Bab El Mansour is a monumental traditional structure which would be an awesome place to snap some photography. They have horse and cart outside with locals moving from place to place making it a great place to people watch!
The perfect day trip in Morocco
Meknes is a small Town that is full of life and has some beautiful parts we would recommend to visit! It’s the perfect 1-day trip into traditional Morocco and a great way to learn more about the countries culture and lifestyle.
We have also covered some of the most important things to know for travelling to Morocco, with key things to look out for! Find the blog here, which you should definitely check out to help you through your dream Moroccan Travels!
If you did enjoy this Blog and want to hear more on our past, present and future adventures please make sure to follow our Journey by subscribing to the Blog and check out our Social Media’ below!
Morocco is a stunning country located in North Africa, which is a popular location for avid travellers and European holiday makers alike. Due to its location, the country is rich in history, and provides a diverse experience when visiting. You are able to enjoy luscious resorts, snorkelling in the Mediterranean, but you also have east Morocco to visit the Sahara Dessert to ride camels, and watch the beautiful still stars at night.
There’s such opportunity in the country for visiting which makes it a popular spot for people when deciding where to go!
The country is a heavily Muslim country which does come with some reservations as it is different to non-muslin countries. As you are visiting these countries, it’s important to do your research beforehand and understand the culture before visiting.
Here we have provided things to watch out for and to not do when visiting Morocco!
*This post contains affiliate links, which we may earn from. This does not come at an additional cost, but helps us to pursue this dream 🙂
We have made a new video about this too!
Be careful of locals taking you places!
A lot of locals in busy areas will try to recommend you to visit certain places that are close. They usually do this to promote a family member’s shop, or restaurant, to boost sales; but has been known to be a ploy to lead you astray and some people have been mugged with this method. We would recommend having a plan in mind when visiting each place in Morocco.
When you are walking you have a specific destination in mind, whether it’s a restaurant you were recommended, or you are walking to a local Souk to see what they have to offer. This way you are unlikely to be pulled from your plan- and limits any issues further down the line.
Some of the locals will be very direct and intimidating with their requests so be sure to stay diligent. A trick that usually works is if you get the name of the place and say you’ll check it out later or mention you are meeting friends this way. Unfortunately it can seem rude denying them, and even sometimes ignoring their requests but it is a great way to move past them with any further problems.
Make sure to research the area and take the taxis that are designated for that area.
Each city will have a designated colour for their Petit Taxi Service. An example would be in Fez where all the Taxi’s would be red to symbolise they are a legitimate taxi service. These taxi’s are only limited to the city, and to move out of the city you would require other transport or a larger taxi which would accommodate.
These taxi’s are usually very cheap and easy to find across the city. The most we spent on a petit taxi ride was 20 Dihram which was a 20 minute ride through the city. These are the fastest and cheapest ways to move through cities to your desired location which is great for budget travellers.
During ramadan, keep your food and drink consumption subtle
When we travelled Morocco, it was during Ramadan which taught us a lot about their religion and their way of life. As non-Muslims, it was a normal day for us, where we would eat our 3 meals a day, buy large bottles of water and enjoy some well deserved snacks. However, during Ramadan, no Muslim is able to eat food from sunrise to sunset. So when you are out in the day you will see no food or water consumed by locals.
As this is due to a religious reason you don’t need to partake in this as the locals don’t expect you to. However, we would recommend that if you are in confined places such as on a train ride or in a busy area, that you limit your eating and drinking out of respect for all around you. If you are needing to eat or drink during the day in a busy area, we would recommend to do this subtly.
Confirming prices with locals before and not after! (Don’t just accept the first price)
As with most places in the north of Africa and across the world, you need to agree a price with the seller before and not after! This is can be used throughout Morocco, with exceptions being restaurants.
Whether its at a stall in a market, or grabbing a taxi, or even agreeing a price on tours, you can certainly work out a price that mutually benefits both parties. As with any negotiation, we would recommend finding a price you are willing to pay for the good or service, and drop your price below. It is likely the local will provide a counter offer in which you can settle around your desired price. Some locals will offer a ‘tourist price’ for you which some may not haggle.
Please do understand that you should not try to get the cheapest price necessarily as you are in a poor country, and the small amount to you is a lot larger for them.
In some instances you will come across a more than reasonable offer which requires no negotiation. Here it’s best to accept the price you are offered if you are happy with it!
Plan ahead with any transport you take! (train issues) – leave ample time for travel.
If you are visiting one area in Morocco, or have a trip booked through a company, then it’s not too important to book/plan ahead with transport as it’s all provided/not necessary. However, if you have to explore different locations like us then it’s good to do your research, and have a route planned out with transport included.
If you are moving from city to city it’s important to know what times you can get the transportation, and we would always recommend you sort this out as soon as possible. Unfortunately, we had to wait 2 hours in a smaller city missing 2 trains as they were both fully booked and we waited till closer to the time to book the tickets. As we missed the first train, we decided to find a shop to relax at and grab snacks before looking to purchase the tickets for the next train which led to this next train being fully booked aswell. We ended up having to get the following train which ran every hour. This really slowed down our travel day and is definitely one thing we would avoid doing in the future.
Watch out for kids being exploited to make money and beg from you.
In Morocco, a lot of families are working throughout the day to earn enough money to feed their families. While they are working, they can sometimes send their young children (between 5 – 12 y/o) out to beg and get money from tourists pretending to be homeless or hungry.
Even though they are really cute, and you want to give them some money it only goes to their parents. As they catch some gullible tourists with this, some parents are taking their children out of school to beg and earn money for their family. The best way to deal with this is to say no sorry and carry on walking. If they speak French only you can say désolé.
Avoid booking accommodation online where possible
Booking online is a more convenient and organised way to travel! We would normally recommend this to all travellers as it can eliminate any issues further down the line. However, there are some exceptions!
In Morocco, we ended up booking in person due to online difficulties. We arrived at the Riad around 7pm, and they didn’t have any shared dorms available which they did have on hostel world. We understood that people would book extra nights and it would not update on the website- so can cause confusion which makes it easier to book in person!
Because of this, we had to book a private room which on the website was £45 a night. As we were speaking with the host they provided a lower cost (as it’s cheaper in person) and also got a discount meaning we only spent £30 a night. Which isn’t too far from what we would pay if we were to stay in shared dorms. The only risk is that they would have no room but as we stayed in a quieter area we couldn’t see this being an issue!
Booking in person can make it almost 40% cheaper than online and can avoid issues like double booking with other travellers!
Don’t take a drone.
Drones have been completely banned in Morocco since 2015! The only available use is for companies who acquire a special permit. Private users are prohibited, and therefore could lead to hefty fines; or the drone to be taken and sometimes not returned.
Drones can be declared at the airport and they will hold them until your departure. If you are travelling Morocco and leaving via a different airport then you might need to change your flights. They will not ship or post your drone to the airport you depart, and will only drop the drone off in person!
After hearing stories, the best bet would be to either declare the drone (if you are departing from the same airport) and pay 201 Dirhams holding fee, or just leave your drone at home or with someone you trust while you are in the country. They have a strict no drone policy that they do monitor when leaving the country. They don’t monitor it when entering!
Make sure you know where ATMs are where you are staying.
Most places in Morocco take cash only. It is expected of you to pay cash, with some higher end restaurants allowing card. However, when we left the airport we only had a couple hundred dirhams to our name… and only just had enough to pay for our taxi into the city! There doesn’t seem to be many ATM’s which may lead to long walks to find them.
It’s always recommended to search the area in which you are going to see the local ATM’s and how close they are to where you are staying. We also found out that they can be sometimes unreliable and sometimes out of order so make sure to know where multiple are!
Brush up on your French from School
Morocco is a predominantly French speaking country, with many of the locals only knowing basic English if you are lucky. They only know broken English through previous interactions with travellers, and therefore knowing some French would be very handy.
There were situations where people would speak no English, and Aimee’s understanding of French and her little knowledge of speaking French from school helped! Even simple words like numbers and greetings can help massively when trying to understand and communicate with the locals!
Wear appropriate clothing.
As it is a Muslim country, most of the local adult women will wear religious headwear. This isn’t expected by travellers, but is respected if you are to cover up. It is a great way to immerse yourself in their culture, and understand more about their way of life.
However, we would recommend to cover your shoulders and ankles where possible.. definitely in less touristy areas as some locals aren’t used to seeing many tourists. Simple clothing like long t-shirts or shirts and a flowy dress or trousers for women. This is less so for men, as Muslim men aren’t expected to cover as much compared to women. During Ramadan, this would be recommended more so as it’s during a religious event.
Don’t miss out on the Moroccan Cuisine.
This is one thing we weren’t so aware of.. There is so much to try in Morocco, and it’s all delicious!! The food here is so fresh and flavourful, something we would recommend everyone to try and explore as you wont regret it!
They have some dishes that are very different to things you have tried before! One being the B’silla. This is a pastry dish filled with chicken, almost like a English Pie but includes some flavours you won’t expect. They garnish it with icing sugar and cinnamon which turns it from savoury to sweet. Surprisingly, the dish goes really well. Traditionally, they also fill it with pigeon!
Also, we would recommend to try their local Tajine, Harira, and a selection of Moroccan pastries! Don’t forget to wash it down with a sweet tea which is a must when visiting Morocco.
Want help planning your Moroccan adventure?
We now offer custom travel planning support! Experience the pinnacle of travel planning, ensuring your journey is luxurious, well-organized, and unforgettable! Find our Basic package, Standard package, and Luxury package, ready for your Morocco trip! We have made a blog post explaining these packages further here!
We post weekly Youtube Videos now! Please check out our newest Vlog!
Our favourite must-needed travel resources
Where to Fly
Trip.com – Find amazing flight deals, with over 2 million flight routes, and being one of the world’s leading online travel agencies.
Kiwi – Use Kiwi’s amazing service that is pioneering in the flight space! They use virtual interlining, which means they can provide seamless connecting flights into one single itinerary!
CheapOair – Being one of the fastest growing online travel companies in the US, CheapOair offers great flight deals, hotel rooms, rental cars and more!
Where to Stay
Booking.com – Offering over 28 million accommodations to book, we will always use booking.com! Having a rewards system built in, the more you book, the more perks you get!
HostelWorld – You cannot budget travel without hostel world! Having over 17,000 hostels, boasting over 13 million reviews, hostel world is one our of top websites for budget travel! They are now offering more ways to meet people abroad, with meet ups, group chats and more available!
Vrbo – Find stunning vacation rentals with Vrbo! Offering over 2 million paid listings in 190 countries, find memorable experiences with this accommodation service!
Where to Explore
Viator – A trip advisor company, viator offers over 300,000 experiences over 200 countries, including water sports, walking tours, boat trips, food tastes tours and more! Including activities for many budgets, check out Viator!
Eat With – Experience authentic travel experiences with locals worldwide! Use eat with to book unique and intimate dining experiences, such as dinner parties in big restaurants, big feasts with a local family, cooking classes with a local and more!
Get Your Guide – Book unique (and common too!) experiences and activities worldwide, including skip the line tickets to big attractions worldwide!
Where to get Connected
Airalo – With over one million people using Airalo, it is our go to eSIM provider for our worldwide trips! Having data packs from over 200 countries, find combined area packages and deals to suit your travel style and data needs!
Where to be Protected
ETKA – Every age from 3 to 85 can buy ETKA’s travel insurance, offering multilingual 24/7 chat support, and your insurance policy within 2-3 minutes!
Our Top Traveller’s Essentials
Backpack – Osprey Farpoint 40 – This backpack is a staple amongst many travellers! Being a lot cheaper than the luxury brands, this is a quality backpack from a well known brand. It boasts quality durability, is lightweight with a great framework and is a great option for most people! This backpack has a hip strap to help carry the bag, a breathable harness strap, and comes in multiple colours!
Compression Packing Cubes – Compression cubes are our favourite packing accessory! These cubes are similar to the normal packing cubes, but feature a compression zip, meaning you can compress your clothes down… this makes packing easier, limits the space you are using, and means more room for souvenirs etc!
Powerbank – Don’t lose power when travelling! It isn’t always guaranteed to find charging ports, so we would always suggest carrying a spare power bank, just incase you do run low on power when you need it!
Universal Travel Plug Adapter – Most backpackers/travellers visit multiple countries during one trip. And that means it isn’t guaranteed you will be using the same plug head during each place. A universal plug is great as it lets you switch between each plug head style all in one item! We love ours, it has USB slots meaning multiple items can be charged at once.
Thank you for reading about Things to Avoid in Morocco
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Morocco is a stunning country located in North Africa, which is a popular location for avid travellers and European holiday makers alike. Due to its location, the country is rich in history, and provides a diverse experience when visiting. You are able to enjoy luscious resorts, snorkelling in the Mediterranean, but you also have east Morocco to visit the Sahara Dessert to ride camels, and watch the beautiful still stars at night.
There’s such opportunity in the country for visiting which makes it a popular spot for people when deciding where to go!
The country is a heavily Muslim country which does come with some reservations as it is different to non-muslin countries. As you are visiting these countries, it’s important to do your research beforehand and understand the culture before visiting.
Here we have provided things to watch out for and to not do when visiting Morocco!
Be careful of locals taking you place!
A lot of locals in busy areas will try to recommend you to visit certain places that are close. They usually do this to promote a family member’s shop, or restaurant, to boost sales; but has been known to be a ploy to lead you astray and some people have been mugged with this method. We would recommend having a plan in mind when visiting each place in Morocco.
When you are walking you have a specific destination in mind, whether it’s a restaurant you were recommended, or you are walking to a local Souk to see what they have to offer. This way you are unlikely to be pulled from your plan- and limits any issues further down the line.
Some of the locals will be very direct and intimidating with their requests so be sure to stay diligent. A trick that usually works is if you get the name of the place and say you’ll check it out later or mention you are meeting friends this way. Unfortunately it can seem rude denying them, and even sometimes ignoring their requests but it is a great way to move past them with any further problems.
Make sure to research the area and take the taxis that are designated for that area.
Each city will have a designated colour for their Petit Taxi Service. An example would be in Fez where all the Taxi’s would be red to symbolise they are a legitimate taxi service. These taxi’s are only limited to the city, and to move out of the city you would require other transport or a larger taxi which would accommodate.
These taxi’s are usually very cheap and easy to find across the city. The most we spent on a petit taxi ride was 20 Dihram which was a 20 minute ride through the city. These are the fastest and cheapest ways to move through cities to your desired location which is great for budget travellers.
During ramadan, keep your food and drink consumption subtle
When we travelled Morocco, it was during Ramadan which taught us a lot about their religion and their way of life. As non-Muslims, it was a normal day for us, where we would eat our 3 meals a day, buy large bottles of water and enjoy some well deserved snacks. However, during Ramadan, no Muslim is able to eat food from sunrise to sunset. So when you are out in the day you will see no food or water consumed by locals.
As this is due to a religious reason you don’t need to partake in this as the locals don’t expect you to. However, we would recommend that if you are in confined places such as on a train ride or in a busy area, that you limit your eating and drinking out of respect for all around you. If you are needing to eat or drink during the day in a busy area, we would recommend to do this subtly.
Confirming prices with locals before and not after! (Don’t just accept the first price)
As with most places in the north of Africa and across the world, you need to agree a price with the seller before and not after! This is can be used throughout Morocco, with exceptions being restaurants.
Whether its at a stall in a market, or grabbing a taxi, or even agreeing a price on tours, you can certainly work out a price that mutually benefits both parties. As with any negotiation, we would recommend finding a price you are willing to pay for the good or service, and drop your price below. It is likely the local will provide a counter offer in which you can settle around your desired price. Some locals will offer a ‘tourist price’ for you which some may not haggle.
Please do understand that you should not try to get the cheapest price necessarily as you are in a poor country, and the small amount to you is a lot larger for them.
In some instances you will come across a more than reasonable offer which requires no negotiation. Here it’s best to accept the price you are offered if you are happy with it!
Plan ahead with any transport you take! (train issues) – leave ample time for travel.
If you are visiting one area in Morocco, or have a trip booked through a company, then it’s not too important to book/plan ahead with transport as it’s all provided/not necessary. However, if you have to explore different locations like us then it’s good to do your research, and have a route planned out with transport included.
If you are moving from city to city it’s important to know what times you can get the transportation, and we would always recommend you sort this out as soon as possible. Unfortunately, we had to wait 2 hours in a smaller city missing 2 trains as they were both fully booked and we waited till closer to the time to book the tickets. As we missed the first train, we decided to find a shop to relax at and grab snacks before looking to purchase the tickets for the next train which led to this next train being fully booked aswell. We ended up having to get the following train which ran every hour. This really slowed down our travel day and is definitely one thing we would avoid doing in the future.
Watch out for kids being exploited to make money and beg from you.
In Morocco, a lot of families are working throughout the day to earn enough money to feed their families. While they are working, they can sometimes send their young children (between 5 – 12 y/o) out to beg and get money from tourists pretending to be homeless or hungry.
Even though they are really cute, and you want to give them some money it only goes to their parents. As they catch some gullible tourists with this, some parents are taking their children out of school to beg and earn money for their family. The best way to deal with this is to say no sorry and carry on walking. If they speak French only you can say désolé.
Avoid booking accommodation online where possible
Booking online is a more convenient and organised way to travel! We would normally recommend this to all travellers as it can eliminate any issues further down the line. However, there are some exceptions!
In Morocco, we ended up booking in person due to online difficulties. We arrived at the Riad around 7pm, and they didn’t have any shared dorms available which they did have on hostel world. We understood that people would book extra nights and it would not update on the website- so can cause confusion which makes it easier to book in person!
Because of this, we had to book a private room which on the website was £45 a night. As we were speaking with the host they provided a lower cost (as it’s cheaper in person) and also got a discount meaning we only spent £30 a night. Which isn’t too far from what we would pay if we were to stay in shared dorms. The only risk is that they would have no room but as we stayed in a quieter area we couldn’t see this being an issue!
Booking in person can make it almost 40% cheaper than online and can avoid issues like double booking with other travellers!
Don’t take a drone.
Drones have been completely banned in Morocco since 2015! The only available use is for companies who acquire a special permit. Private users are prohibited, and therefore could lead to hefty fines; or the drone to be taken and sometimes not returned.
Drones can be declared at the airport and they will hold them until your departure. If you are travelling Morocco and leaving via a different airport then you might need to change your flights. They will not ship or post your drone to the airport you depart, and will only drop the drone off in person!
After hearing stories, the best bet would be to either declare the drone (if you are departing from the same airport) and pay 201 Dirhams holding fee, or just leave your drone at home or with someone you trust while you are in the country. They have a strict no drone policy that they do monitor when leaving the country. They don’t monitor it when entering!
Make sure you know where ATMs are where you are staying.
Most places in Morocco take cash only. It is expected of you to pay cash, with some higher end restaurants allowing card. However, when we left the airport we only had a couple hundred dirhams to our name… and only just had enough to pay for our taxi into the city! There doesn’t seem to be many ATM’s which may lead to long walks to find them.
It’s always recommended to search the area in which you are going to see the local ATM’s and how close they are to where you are staying. We also found out that they can be sometimes unreliable and sometimes out of order so make sure to know where multiple are!
Brush up on your French from School
Morocco is a predominantly French speaking country, with many of the locals only knowing basic English if you are lucky. They only know broken English through previous interactions with travellers, and therefore knowing some French would be very handy.
There were situations where people would speak no English, and Aimee’s understanding of French and her little knowledge of speaking French from school helped! Even simple words like numbers and greetings can help massively when trying to understand and communicate with the locals!
Wear appropriate clothing.
As it is a Muslim country, most of the local adult women will wear religious headwear. This isn’t expected by travellers, but is respected if you are to cover up. It is a great way to immerse yourself in their culture, and understand more about their way of life.
However, we would recommend to cover your shoulders and ankles where possible.. definitely in less touristy areas as some locals aren’t used to seeing many tourists. Simple clothing like long t-shirts or shirts and a flowy dress or trousers for women. This is less so for men, as Muslim men aren’t expected to cover as much compared to women. During Ramadan, this would be recommended more so as it’s during a religious event.
Don’t miss out on the Moroccan Cuisine.
This is one thing we weren’t so aware of.. There is so much to try in Morocco, and it’s all delicious!! The food here is so fresh and flavourful, something we would recommend everyone to try and explore as you wont regret it!
They have some dishes that are very different to things you have tried before! One being the B’silla. This is a pastry dish filled with chicken, almost like a English Pie but includes some flavours you won’t expect. They garnish it with icing sugar and cinnamon which turns it from savoury to sweet. Surprisingly, the dish goes really well. Traditionally, they also fill it with pigeon!
Also, we would recommend to try their local Tajine, Harira, and a selection of Moroccan pastries! Don’t forget to wash it down with a sweet tea which is a must when visiting Morocco.
Moroccan Travel is so Beautiful
Morocco is such a beautiful country full of colour, personality and history! There is so much to see and do but it definitely requires good planning to make the most of your trip!
These are our top tips when experiencing this stunning country, and we hope it helps you during your travels!
Do let us know how you get on and if you have any more Do’s or Dont’s for Morocco!!
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Sweden (or just Stockholm) hasn’t always been a place we both wanted to visit. Some people have recommended the capital Stockholm as a great short week trip, and one we should explore if we could find the time. But it’s never been on our radar and one we almost stumbled upon when booking. This is how we spent our trip, we hope we can inspire your own Stockholm trip!
The story goes…
Aimee has been a long-term fan of a quirky American singer called Melanie Martinez…
After much deliberation, we decided to take time out of our schedule to visit Stockholm…
We have finally made it to Sweden. Me and Aimee have been excited to visit for months!
*this post includes affiliate links, which means we can earn a commission- however, this doesn’t cost you any extra, and all opinions are genuine and our own 🙂
Day 1 in Stockholm:
After a long wait in the airport and a horrible flight (Jack with a flight migraine), we landed in the early hours and made our way to our hostel Generator Hostel.
We were both so tired so the only thing we could do was sleep.
Day 2 in Stockholm:
There’s no better feeling than crashing after a tiring day and getting a good night sleep in a totally new country… Let’s explore Stockholm!
We headed out to find a breakfast and stumbled across a quaint brunch place called STHLM Brunch Club. We shared a huuuge Cinnamon milkshake (with a cinnamon bun on top) after ordering a smoothie bowl with lots of fruit, and an avocado brekkie with poached eggs… and loads more! The best part by far was the homemade chilli jam. OH MYYY! Check it out below!
Off we went to explore city, wandering towards busy areas and stopping for a quick drink (coffee and smoothie) before setting off again.
The city has beautiful, big buildings- which light up the streets. It certainly is a place you can just stumble upon some really cool places. We found one of the best food halls and it has so much variety, that we couldn’t help but to wander!
After looking for lunch, and taking some time to people watch in the city, we settled at a really cool burger spot! We had smash-style Swedish burgers which didn’t disappoint, the crinkled fries are a must try at Bastard Burger (what an unusual name)!
After filling our bellies, and satisfying our appetites, we headed back to chill and get ready for the quiz night! The quiz night was awful if we are honest. It lasted 10 minutes and was hard to hear, be we didn’t let that stop us for the rest of the night.
We met up with someone from Milan who was lovely, and we have a few drinks (they were soooo expensive!!). One double cost £15… that’s more than London prices!! After things started to become quiet, we decided to venture out and see if there was any exciting events on.
We came across a seemingly boring pub which had no real attraction but once we entered there was a karaoke room which kept us entertained! Some song choices were questionable, but some allowed us to sing our heart out into the night before we decided to end the night around 1:45 am and trot back to the hostel before hitting the pillow.. HARD!
Day 3 in Stockholm:
After a longer than anticipated night, we woke up rather late and quickly got ready before leaving for midday. We made our way to the southern part of the city, but made sure to stop off at 7eleven on the way to grab much needed snacks for the day (this must be a key traveller shop).
It was then time to grab a proper meal as we stopped off at a Swedish cafe called Brön and Salt. Jack made his own salad of assortments while Aimee grabbed a colourful yogurt bowl.
We then wandered further before taking the subway further south to a photography museum. But before we got there, we did an ‘Aimee’ stop and took some photos of the artworks in the subway (something you should see)! All the subways are decorated differently, which is so unique!
The photography museum was a fun activity which we both enjoyed. We then headed to the top floor for a picturesque view and to share a charcuterie board and some really really strong (and expensive) spirits. The views of the archipelago was worth it, but the food was also so amazing! Find tickets to the photography museum here.
We then found a banksy museum and nipped in to write and etch our name into the scribble wall. I mean why not!
We wandered back across the water front to find a place for dinner and came across a small Indian shop where we ate till our hearts were content. We both had a Tikka Masala with Aimee’s being a mango flavour and mine garlic. The food was so amazing!
After spending some good time together at dinner, we headed back via the subway and grabbed some more much needed snacks on the way to our hostel. We were so tired, we decided to stay in the room, snacks in hand, and played quizzes, joked about and listened to music until midnight. Luckily we didn’t have any neighbours in our dorm so we were free to do as we like. We even made a fort… haha!
Day 4:
Today, Jack had a secret breakfast planned! We quickly left the hostel; barely finishing getting dressed and headed about a 15 minute walk into the centre. From the outside, it was full of construction works, but inside was like walking into a little girl’s fairy tale dream.
The walls were soaked in petals, a soft but standout pink colour that lit up the whole room. This place wasn’t small either, it had a long straight walkway with an L-like curve and seating all up one side.
There was literally no visible wall, it was all petals!
The design so was different and the food was perfect for our sweet tooth. It was filled with pancakes, waffles and more pancakes.. which were smothered in toppings, sauces- basically anything you could think of! You could make your own little slice of heaven.
We decided to share our meals so we could experience most of their food. We ate so much that our stomachs were full, and we couldn’t even look at another sugary delight.
We headed then out and found some local markets which we wandered through. Each market had different offerings.. some meat only, but some with beautiful colours of autumn with pumpkins and flowers! The area in which we found had many surrounding market. There were markets location inside buildings which spanned multiple floors, perfect for us to spend a few hours wandering and deciding where we could eat for lunch!
After leaving the markets we found Ahlens which was similar to UK Selfridges. Basically an expensive large shop full of luxury brands. This isn’t normally our way of spending our time but was nice to see the brands they had and to just generally wander around the centre of Stockholm!
As we walked, we started to get hungry so we were on the hunt for a perfect lunchtime spot. The weather wasn’t too enjoyable with odd spats of rain and gusts of wind but we came across a quaint Mexican restaurant in the heart of Stockholm called Tres! It was a beautiful stop for us to get food and was well priced compared to other local places.
As we entered we were taken to our table and were delighted to see that they were a pet friendly restaurant! One thing in Sweden to note is a lot of shops, public areas and restaurants in Sweden are dog friendly which is always a bonus! Aimee decided she wanted to enjoy some cocktails but they had such a good deal on it made sense to get 3… so she says!
We both opted for tacos, with Jack getting mixed meat tacos and Aimee getting Chicken Birria. As always we would try each others foods and they were both lovely, filled with sauces and gave a lovely authentic flavour of tacos! As we began to finish and get ready to pay the bill, we were welcomed by a couple who brought their young puppy with them who was trying to cause chaos but was super adorable! They sat in the booth next to us and we couldn’t help but watch the cute puppy.
We soon headed out and decided that we would wander further into the markets once more to see if we can find anything we haven’t already before heading back to the hostel and giving our feet a well deserved rest. For the evening, we once again visited the local Sushi place opposite our hostel as the food was AMAZING earlier in the week! We treated ourselves to their lovely food once more and we can’t recommend this place enough!
It is ran by a sweet lady who makes all the food in house! The restaurant/takeaway is called Bang Sushi so if you are ever in the area we would definitely say to check it out! The Sushi there was beautiful!!
Day 5:
We woke up bright and early to start the day as we had a lot planned! However, there was no plan for breakfast and as we usually do, we look for a new place to try! After searching online and seeing what’s local, we found Cafe Pascal which was a hotspot for their croissants!
The Cafe was full of people, so full it we had to wait for a seat. The food was lovely and it’s a great place to relax with a hot beverage. We swiftly moved on and headed to Gamla Stan which is the Old Town in Stockholm. We took the train as it was located roughly a 60 minute walk south of our hostel. Upon arriving at our final stop on the train, we had a 10 minute walk into Gamla Stan and it was totally different to the rest of Stockholm!
The Old Town was tight, dark streets which had vintage shops full of various offerings. The buildings either side where tall and made the streets seem even more narrow. Walking around the Old Town really made you feel like you went back in time 100s of years ago! The streets were beautiful and we decided to head to a busy spot in Gamla Stan which had the Nobel Prize Museum.
This was recommended to visit while in the Old Town but for us, it was underwhelming. It was cool learning about some of the amazing historical figures who really impacted us with their work, but in general was a very small building, which was very crowded inside and didn’t offer too much explanation with some works. For the price of roughly £15 each we wouldn’t recommend it and believe there are better ways to spend elsewhere in the city.
Outside the Nobel Prize Museum was a popular row of colourful houses which was a located on a market square. We took in the beauty of these buildings before heading off to explore more.
One thing we did do in Gamla Stan would be witnessing the change-over of the King’s Guard! This is something we stumbled upon as we were wandering around the streets and came across a large government building which had Guards standing outside. We spend a few minutes here admiring the building as it had some beautiful historical architecture but we then heard music coming from the distance.
As the clock was striking the hour, a marching band was announcing through fine rhythm and music that the king’s guards were changing over. It included an announcement from one of the guards before the new guards went on duty. This lasted roughly 30 minutes and created a crowd on onlookers.
Once we left we headed to look for some much needed lunch. There was an all you can eat Asian buffet which we found a few days prior and decided to head there! The buffet was awesome- it had a range of Asian foods to eat. As expected, Jack focussed on the Sushi as it’s his favourite, whilst Aimee enjoyed won tons and noodles! The food was so nice and it was reasonable for the quality of food and options available. Unfortunately, due to time constraints for a concert we had booked in the evening, we have to scurry out of there and head back to the train station towards the venue!
If you know anything about Aimee it’s that she LOVES Melanie Martinez! We had tickets to see her perform live in Stockholm and it was really the catalyst to why we decided to visit here in the first place.
It’s not really Jack’s type of music but in the end it was a decent concert. Aimee of course loved the experience and it was well worth seeing! The music was good, the professional dancers and performance was really good and the venue was amazing! A real experience going to a concert abroad and definitely one we would recommend for others to do!
The concert finished at 11pm which left us hungry and a 20 minute train ride from our stay! We hopped on the train and looked for a great place to stop for food to fill us up for our walk back to the hostel. We managed to find a burger joint which is seemingly popular in Sweden… Max Burger! The small burgers were really cheap and we decided to almost order the whole menu to fill our appitites. We gave our legs a rest and sat down to pig out with our meals, and the burgers were really good!
If you are looking for a good burger place in Sweden we would go here over the usual Burger King or McDonalds! We the waltzed back to our accommodation and went straight sleep as we seemed to be on our feet all day. We were definitely tired!
Day 6 in Stockholm:
This was our final day and we were gutted to be leaving Sweden! Went spent the morning back at the shopping centre looking to pick up some novelty souvenirs for family members, and stopped for breakfast. As we were still tired from the day before and knew we were travelling home today, we stayed local. Jack was still looking for his Swedish meatballs as it’s definitely a top dish for him!
We’d managed to find a canteen at the top floor of one of the shopping centres called Nordiska Kompaniet where Jack got his meatballs which he was so excited for! They did not disappoint!! The food was lovely and it was really a fitting way to end the holiday. Aimee try a fish stew which was rather rogue for Aimee but enjoyed it all the same and we just reminisced on the best parts of the trip.
We find that when we are towards the end of a holiday it’s always nice to look back at the experiences and activities that made it unforgettable! After an hour or so it was time to head off from the centre, and back to the airport for our evening flight ready to come back home. We had a safe flight and had such an amazing time in Stockholm!
Want to live this experience? Watch our Stockholm YouTube Vlog from our trip below!
Visiting Stockholm
We hope you enjoyed our personal experiences from Stockholm and would recommend visiting here if you like European cities and cool museums! There’s a lot of places to shop too so would be great as a friends getaway if you LOVE shopping! Are you planning on exploring Europe? Check out the best areas to stay in Crete, or a full guide to visiting Paris!
Thank you for checking out our blog and be sure to see other blogs that we have made talking all things travel about Europe, Asia, Central America and everything in-between!
If you enjoyed then make sure to subscribe for more blogs as we plan to post fresh content every other day and provide top quality travel tips!
Check out our latest YouTube Video!
Our favourite must-needed travel resources
Where to Fly
Trip.com – Find amazing flight deals, with over 2 million flight routes, and being one of the world’s leading online travel agencies.
Kiwi – Use Kiwi’s amazing service that is pioneering in the flight space! They use virtual interlining, which means they can provide seamless connecting flights into one single itinerary!
CheapOair – Being one of the fastest growing online travel companies in the US, CheapOair offers great flight deals, hotel rooms, rental cars and more!
Where to Stay
Booking.com – Offering over 28 million accommodations to book, we will always use booking.com! Having a rewards system built in, the more you book, the more perks you get!
HostelWorld – You cannot budget travel without hostel world! Having over 17,000 hostels, boasting over 13 million reviews, hostel world is one our of top websites for budget travel! They are now offering more ways to meet people abroad, with meet ups, group chats and more available!
Vrbo – Find stunning vacation rentals with Vrbo! Offering over 2 million paid listings in 190 countries, find memorable experiences with this accommodation service!
Where to Explore
Viator – A trip advisor company, viator offers over 300,000 experiences over 200 countries, including water sports, walking tours, boat trips, food tastes tours and more! Including activities for many budgets, check out Viator!
Eat With – Experience authentic travel experiences with locals worldwide! Use eat with to book unique and intimate dining experiences, such as dinner parties in big restaurants, big feasts with a local family, cooking classes with a local and more!
Get Your Guide – Book unique (and common too!) experiences and activities worldwide, including skip the line tickets to big attractions worldwide!
Where to get Connected
Airalo – With over one million people using Airalo, it is our go to eSIM provider for our worldwide trips! Having data packs from over 200 countries, find combined area packages and deals to suit your travel style and data needs!
Where to be Protected
ETKA – Every age from 3 to 85 can buy ETKA’s travel insurance, offering multilingual 24/7 chat support, and your insurance policy within 2-3 minutes!
Our Top Traveller’s Essentials
Backpack – Osprey Farpoint 40 – This backpack is a staple amongst many travellers! Being a lot cheaper than the luxury brands, this is a quality backpack from a well known brand. It boasts quality durability, is lightweight with a great framework and is a great option for most people! This backpack has a hip strap to help carry the bag, a breathable harness strap, and comes in multiple colours!
Compression Packing Cubes – Compression cubes are our favourite packing accessory! These cubes are similar to the normal packing cubes, but feature a compression zip, meaning you can compress your clothes down… this makes packing easier, limits the space you are using, and means more room for souvenirs etc!
Powerbank – Don’t lose power when travelling! It isn’t always guaranteed to find charging ports, so we would always suggest carrying a spare power bank, just incase you do run low on power when you need it!
Universal Travel Plug Adapter – Most backpackers/travellers visit multiple countries during one trip. And that means it isn’t guaranteed you will be using the same plug head during each place. A universal plug is great as it lets you switch between each plug head style all in one item! We love ours, it has USB slots meaning multiple items can be charged at once.
We would recommend Norrmalm area. Really anywhere just north of Gamla Stan as a central place. Most things should be a 30/45 minute walk max and we would totally recommend using their metro which is cheap and quick! Also they have cool patterns which are different at each station!😍 we stayed at Generator Hostel which was nice and we would recommend! You can find it here https://hostelworld.tp.st/YFFgFoC0 😊
Sweden hasn’t always been a place we both wanted to visit. Some people have recommended the capital Stockholm as a great short week trip and one we should explore if we could find the time. But it’s never been on our radar and one we almost stumbled upon when booking. This is how we spent our trip, we hope we can inspire your own Stockholm trip!
The story goes…
Aimee has been a long-term fan of a quirky American singer called Melanie Martinez…
After much deliberation, we decided to take time out of our schedule to visit Sweden…
We have finally made it to Sweden. Me and Aimee have been excited to visit for months!
*this post includes affiliate links, which means we can earn a commission- however, this doesn’t cost you any extra, and all opinions are genuine and our own 🙂
Day 1:
After a long wait in the airport and a horrible flight (Jack with a flight migraine), we landed in the early hours and made our way to our hostel Generator Hostel.
We were both so tired so the only thing we could do was sleep.
Day 2:
There’s no better feeling than crashing after a tiring day and getting a good night sleep in a totally new country… Let’s explore!
We headed out to find a breakfast and stumbled across a quaint brunch place called STHLM Brunch Club. We shared a huuuge Cinnamon milkshake (with a cinnamon bun on top) after ordering a smoothie bowl with lots of fruit, and an avocado brekkie with poached eggs… and loads more! The best part by far was the homemade chilli jam. OH MYYY! Check it out below!
Off we went to explore city, wandering towards busy areas and stopping for a quick drink (coffee and smoothie) before setting off again.
The city has beautiful, big buildings- which light up the streets. It certainly is a place you can just stumble upon some really cool places. We found one of the best food halls and it has so much variety, that we couldn’t help but to wander!
We then settled after looking for lunch, and took some time to people watch in the city. We had smash-style Swedish burgers which didn’t disappoint, the crinkled fries are a must try at Bastard Burger (what an unusual name)!
After filling our bellies, and satisfying our appetites, we headed back to chill and get ready for the quiz night! The quiz night was awful if we are honest. It lasted 10 minutes and was hard to hear, be we didn’t let that stop us for the rest of the night.
We met up with someone from Milan who was lovely, and we have a few drinks (they were soooo expensive!!). One double cost £15… that’s more than London prices!! After things started to become quiet, we decided to venture out and see if there was any exciting events on.
We came across a seemingly boring pub which had no real attraction but once we entered there was a karaoke room which kept us entertained! Some song choices were questionable, but some allowed us to sing our heart out into the night before we decided to end the night around 1:45 am and trot back to the hostel before hitting the pillow.. HARD!
Day 3:
After a longer than anticipated night, we woke up rather late and quickly got ready before leaving for midday. We made our way to the southern part of the city, but made sure to stop off at 7eleven on the way to grab much needed snacks for the day (this must be a key traveller shop).
It was then time to grab a proper meal as we stopped off at a Swedish cafe called Brön and Salt. Jack made his own salad of assortments while Aimee grabbed a colourful yogurt bowl.
We then wandered further before taking the subway further south to a photography museum. But before we got there, we did an ‘Aimee’ stop and took some photos of the artworks in the subway (something you should see)! All the subways are decorated differently, which is so unique!
The photography museum was a fun activity which we both enjoyed. We then headed to the top floor for a picturesque view and to share a charcuterie board and some really really strong (and expensive) spirits. The views of the archipelago was worth it, but the food was also so amazing! Find tickets to the photography museum here.
We then found a banksy museum and nipped in to write and etch our name into the scribble wall. I mean why not!
We wandered back across the water front to find a place for dinner and came across a small Indian shop where we ate till our hearts were content. We both had a Tikka Masala with Aimee’s being a mango flavour and mine garlic. The food was so amazing!
After spending some good time together at dinner, we headed back via the subway and grabbed some more much needed snacks on the way to our hostel. We were so tired, we decided to stay in the room, snacks in hand, and played quizzes, joked about and listened to music until midnight. Luckily we didn’t have any neighbours in our dorm so we were free to do as we like. We even made a fort… haha!
Day 4:
Today, Jack had a secret breakfast planned! We quickly left the hostel; barely finishing getting dressed and headed about a 15 minute walk into the centre. From the outside, it was full of construction works, but inside was like walking into a little girl’s fairy tale dream.
The walls were soaked in petals, a soft but standout pink colour that lit up the whole room. This place wasn’t small either, it had a long straight walkway with an L-like curve and seating all up one side.
There was literally no visible wall, it was all petals!
The design so was different and the food was perfect for our sweet tooth. It was filled with pancakes, waffles and more pancakes.. which were smothered in toppings, sauces- basically anything you could think of! You could make your own little slice of heaven.
We decided to share our meals so we could experience most of their food. We ate so much that our stomachs were full, and we couldn’t even look at another sugary delight.
We headed then out and found some local markets which we wandered through. Each market had different offerings.. some meat only, but some with beautiful colours of autumn with pumpkins and flowers! The area in which we found had many surrounding market. There were markets location inside buildings which spanned multiple floors, perfect for us to spend a few hours wandering and deciding where we could eat for lunch!
After leaving the markets we found Ahlens which was similar to UK Selfridges. Basically an expensive large shop full of luxury brands. This isn’t normally our way of spending our time but was nice to see the brands they had and to just generally wander around the centre of Stockholm!
As we walked, we started to get hungry so we were on the hunt for a perfect lunchtime spot. The weather wasn’t too enjoyable with odd spats of rain and gusts of wind but we came across a quaint Mexican restaurant in the heart of Stockholm called Tres! It was a beautiful stop for us to get food and was well priced compared to other local places.
As we entered we were taken to our table and were delighted to see that they were a pet friendly restaurant! One thing in Sweden to note is a lot of shops, public areas and restaurants in Sweden are dog friendly which is always a bonus! Aimee decided she wanted to enjoy some cocktails but they had such a good deal on it made sense to get 3… so she says!
We both opted for tacos, with Jack getting mixed meat tacos and Aimee getting Chicken Birria. As always we would try each others foods and they were both lovely, filled with sauces and gave a lovely authentic flavour of tacos! As we began to finish and get ready to pay the bill, we were welcomed by a couple who brought their young puppy with them who was trying to cause chaos but was super adorable! They sat in the booth next to us and we couldn’t help but watch the cute puppy.
We soon headed out and decided that we would wander further into the markets once more to see if we can find anything we haven’t already before heading back to the hostel and giving our feet a well deserved rest. For the evening, we once again visited the local Sushi place opposite our hostel as the food was AMAZING earlier in the week! We treated ourselves to their lovely food once more and we can’t recommend this place enough!
It is ran by a sweet lady who makes all the food in house! The restaurant/takeaway is called Bang Sushi so if you are ever in the area we would definitely say to check it out! The Sushi there was beautiful!!
Day 5
We woke up bright and early to start the day as we had a lot planned! However, there was no plan for breakfast and as we usually do, we look for a new place to try! After searching online and seeing what’s local, we found Cafe Pascal which was a hotspot for their croissants!
The Cafe was full of people, so full it we had to wait for a seat. The food was lovely and it’s a great place to relax with a hot beverage. We swiftly moved on and headed to Gamla Stan which is the Old Town in Stockholm. We took the train as it was located roughly a 60 minute walk south of our hostel. Upon arriving at our final stop on the train, we had a 10 minute walk into Gamla Stan and it was totally different to the rest of Stockholm!
The Old Town was tight, dark streets which had vintage shops full of various offerings. The buildings either side where tall and made the streets seem even more narrow. Walking around the Old Town really made you feel like you went back in time 100s of years ago! The streets were beautiful and we decided to head to a busy spot in Gamla Stan which had the Nobel Prize Museum.
This was recommended to visit while in the Old Town but for us, it was underwhelming. It was cool learning about some of the amazing historical figures who really impacted us with their work, but in general was a very small building, which was very crowded inside and didn’t offer too much explanation with some works. For the price of roughly £15 each we wouldn’t recommend it and believe there are better ways to spend elsewhere in the city.
Outside the Nobel Prize Museum was a popular row of colourful houses which was a located on a market square. We took in the beauty of these buildings before heading off to explore more.
One thing we did do in Gamla Stan would be witnessing the change-over of the King’s Guard! This is something we stumbled upon as we were wandering around the streets and came across a large government building which had Guards standing outside. We spend a few minutes here admiring the building as it had some beautiful historical architecture but we then heard music coming from the distance.
As the clock was striking the hour, a marching band was announcing through fine rhythm and music that the king’s guards were changing over. It included an announcement from one of the guards before the new guards went on duty. This lasted roughly 30 minutes and created a crowd on onlookers.
Once we left we headed to look for some much needed lunch. There was an all you can eat Asian buffet which we found a few days prior and decided to head there! The buffet was awesome- it had a range of Asian foods to eat. As expected, Jack focussed on the Sushi as it’s his favourite, whilst Aimee enjoyed won tons and noodles! The food was so nice and it was reasonable for the quality of food and options available. Unfortunately, due to time constraints for a concert we had booked in the evening, we have to scurry out of there and head back to the train station towards the venue!
If you know anything about Aimee it’s that she LOVES Melanie Martinez! We had tickets to see her perform live in Stockholm and it was really the catalyst to why we decided to visit here in the first place.
It’s not really Jack’s type of music but in the end it was a decent concert. Aimee of course loved the experience and it was well worth seeing! The music was good, the professional dancers and performance was really good and the venue was amazing! A real experience going to a concert abroad and definitely one we would recommend for others to do!
The concert finished at 11pm which left us hungry and a 20 minute train ride from our stay! We hopped on the train and looked for a great place to stop for food to fill us up for our walk back to the hostel. We managed to find a burger joint which is seemingly popular in Sweden… Max Burger! The small burgers were really cheap and we decided to almost order the whole menu to fill our appitites. We gave our legs a rest and sat down to pig out with our meals, and the burgers were really good!
If you are looking for a good burger place in Sweden we would go here over the usual Burger King or McDonalds! We the waltzed back to our accommodation and went straight sleep as we seemed to be on our feet all day. We were definitely tired!
Day 6:
This was our final day and we were gutted to be leaving Sweden! Went spent the morning back at the shopping centre looking to pick up some novelty souvenirs for family members, and stopped for breakfast. As we were still tired from the day before and knew we were travelling home today, we stayed local. Jack was still looking for his Swedish meatballs as it’s definitely a top dish for him!
We’d managed to find a canteen at the top floor of one of the shopping centres called Nordiska Kompaniet where Jack got his meatballs which he was so excited for! They did not disappoint!! The food was lovely and it was really a fitting way to end the holiday. Aimee try a fish stew which was rather rogue for Aimee but enjoyed it all the same and we just reminisced on the best parts of the trip.
We find that when we are towards the end of a holiday it’s always nice to look back at the experiences and activities that made it unforgettable! After an hour or so it was time to head off from the centre, and back to the airport for our evening flight ready to come back home. We had a safe flight and had such an amazing time in Stockholm!
Want to live this experience? Watch our YouTube Vlog from our trip below!
We hope you enjoyed our personal experiences from Stockholm and would recommend visiting here if you like European cities and cool museums! There’s a lot of places to shop too so would be great as a friends getaway if you LOVE shopping!
Thank you for checking out our blog and be sure to see other blogs that we have made talking all things travel about Europe, Asia, Central America and everything in-between!
If you enjoyed then make sure to subscribe for more blogs as we plan to post fresh content every other day and provide top quality travel tips!
You can also follow our travelling journey on our Social Media’s below!
Let’s be honest, that first time packing your backpack ready for travelling is both exciting and daunting- excited for what is to come, but overwhelmed with knowing what you need (and don’t need), especially if you are going for a longer period of time.
So, please read on to see our top tips on things to pack for your first backpacking trip! We always forget things, but having a list as a guide is always a great start!
We believe these are great things to pack, but everyone differs, and we are sure you will find your own packing style with time; some don’t like packing smaller amounts, and will opt for larger bags to take more, whereas some are just happy with a small bag and simplistic packing list.
*This post includes affiliate links, which means we can earn a commission- however, this doesn’t cost you any extra, and all opinions are genuine and our own 🙂
Bag options
A great start to packing is essentially what will hold it all! You may already have your bag, but if you don’t this is our small guide.
We prefer to backpack rather than bringing suitcases, and we also try to opt to handheld luggage rather than checked in bags. For us this keeps costs lower and makes the travel experience more enjoyable. The last thing you want to be doing is walking around with a heavy bag on your back on tiring yourself out!
There are many opinions online about what bags to use, what size, what brand etc, so here is our top list!
Osprey Farpoint 40 – This backpack is a staple amongst many travellers! Being a lot cheaper than the luxury brands, this is a quality backpack from a well known brand. It boasts quality durability, is lightweight with a great framework and is a great option for most people! This backpack has a hip strap to help carry the bag, a breathable harness strap, and comes in multiple colours! Check it out here.
Peak Design Travel Backpack – This backpack is more expensive, however many call this the best travel backpack they have owned! Featuring up to 45l of storage, is can be compressed down to a smaller 30l bag, making it suitable to be a handheld bag for most flights (check individual airline separately)! It features designated laptop space, hidden pockets, a waist/hip belt amongst many cool features! Check it out here.
Cabin Max Ryanair Bag – This budget friendly backpack is a great option for shorter trips! We understand many do not have the funds to buy expensive bags, so this option is a lot cheaper than many mainstream options. This bag fits the Ryanair measurement constraints for hand luggage so no need to pay for booked luggage! It comes in some really fun colours AND patterns, so you can really choose what fits your aesthetic most! There is also an option to get a bag with a built in handle, similar to suitcases, so is great for those unable to carry a bag all day! Check it out here.
How to pack
This probably sounds a strange title. However, travel packing can be a skill in itself! Especially for those longer trips for weeks/months+, you want to take the necessary items without using too much space.
Packing cubes are a necessity to us when we travel! There are a few types of packing accessories you can buy, so we will list some of our favourites below!
Normal Packing Cubes – Packing cubes are a great way to keep your stuff organised when packing for big trips! This set we found here included 11 different packing accessories, with 6 cubes, a shoe bag, underwear bag, toiletries bag, a laundry bag, toothbrush holder and a small items flat bag! It also comes in a few different colours.
Compression Packing Cubes – Compression cubes are our favourite packing accessory! These cubes are similar to the normal packing cubes, but feature a compression zip, meaning you can compress your clothes down… this makes packing easier, limits the space you are using, and means more room for souvenirs etc! We would recommend better quality ones like these ones here as cheaper ones can mean the zip breaks easier!
Toiletry Travel Pouch/Hanger – This isn’t necessarily an essential, but for many it is extremely helpful! This toiletry bag comes with a built in hanger, so when you get ready in your accommodation you can hang it up on the door, which can limit the chance of ruining your things! It can help make getting ready less stressful – no need for countertop space since everything can be arranged and stored in different compartments! Find it here.
Travel Essentials
There are some key items needed for travelling, that normally works out a lot easier (and sometimes cheaper) to sort prior to your trip! We are keeping in mind the budget traveller more so here, with some recommendations being suited to hostel-based accommodation.
Padlocks – Keeping a few padlocks are great for keeping your stuff safe when travelling. Most dorms come with locker space to keep your items safe, however barely any come with their own locking system. This is where your padlock comes in! It is also great to use one on the zips of your bag if this makes you feel safer. We have never been stolen from whilst travelling, but it is always best to stay on the safe side. Find some TSA approved padlocks here.
Carabiners – This is another small item that can come in handy! Carabiners are a great addition to keep, as when you are struggling for space, or you don’t want something held in your bag, you can attach your carabiner to your bag and hang an item outside your bag – i.e. your dirty hiking boots! Find some multicoloured ones here.
Universal Travel Plug Adapter – Most backpackers/travellers visit multiple countries during one trip. And that means it isn’t guaranteed you will be using the same plug head during each place. A universal plug is great as it lets you switch between each plug head style all in one item! We love ours, it has USB slots meaning multiple items can be charged at once. Find similar to ours here.
Ear Plugs – We know a part of dorms means you are open to hearing people snore (some people don’t mind, others really struggle), so ear plugs are great to overcome that! You might even want to shut off from people around you (and that’s okay)! We have recently seen a massive hype for loop ear plugs, due to offering multiple styles of ear plugs (for different noise levels). Find a cool one here.
Water Bottles – we are going to suggest two types here! The first is a filter water bottle – while travelling it can be difficult to find suitable drinking water. This filter system water bottle is meant to help eliminate any harmful bacteria that can come from regular drinking water. Read about it yourself here! Our second recommendation is a collapsable water bottle which can fold down to a very compact size – this is a great space-saving option, and one we have used ourselves! Find it here.
Portable Shower Head Filter – This won’t be for everyone, however in many Southeast Asian countries (guaranteed), tap water is extremely damaging to your hair and skin. People have reported of travelling Bali and experiencing hair loss and damage from the harsh shower water. You can now buy a filter to attach to the shower head that will help remove harsh chemical and will add in some extra vitamins. Find one here.
Basic Medical Kit – This is easily made from home! Check medication requirements for each country, but pack some basic painkillers, anti-diarrhoea medication, and anti constipations meds, electrolytes (especially for when you get a bad belly). Some plasters and basic medical supplies. We found a great starter kit here.
Head Phones – We also love to take headphones wherever we go! Sometimes you need time to yourself, or you just want to chill and catch up on some YouTube in your down time (please feel free to watch our videos here). We would recommend wireless options, just for ease of charging your phone and carrying your items. Find a great recommendation here.
Laundry essentials – If you are travelling for longer periods, you will need to wash your clothes! We found these through a friend of ours in Costa Rica, you can get laundry detergent sheets that simply go in the washing machine to clean your clothes! They are budget friendly, and can be found here. We would also recommend a separate laundry bag… you do not want smelly clothes mixed in with clean clothes (the smell can get bad). We have found a cute one here.
Bumbag / Pouch– We always love a bumbag to take all your daily necessities along, without needing to drag your big backpack out with you! We love flat ones, that can be easily hidden underneath your tshirt for day to day use. This one here is a great option, it comes in many colours and is discrete for travelling in busy places.
Spare Cards – We would always recommend to take multiple bank cards when travelling. Jack made this mistake… and lost his one travel card the day he left for Southeast Asia (luckily his friend had one he could use). We use revolut but there are many great travel cards!
Razors – There are many hair removal techniques, and you may be able to find what you need while away! To stay on the safe side, maybe take a few back up options. You can buy compact razors like the ones here, or maybe try taking an electronic razor if it’s not too heavy/bulky!
Sanitary items for women – For those who choose to have their periods while travelling, it isn’t always straight forward to buy sanitary towels and tampons. It can either be expensive, or just difficult to find! We would just recommend taking a decent supply for your trip, as they don’t take up too much room! There is the option of trying period underwear (not too sure how these will be for people with heavier periods), also many opt for the eco-friendly alternative of a moon cup, which can be found here.
Waterproof Playing Cards – Yes, we understand this may not be a necessity… but we all know how much a game of cards can be appreciated (especially on your travels). We have found a cool pack of WATERPROOF cards (they look cool too) which are great for any location and occasion, find them here.
Powerbank – Don’t lose power when travelling! It isn’t always guaranteed to find charging ports, so we would always suggest carrying a spare power bank, just incase you do run low on power when you need it! Jack really recommends this one here.
Travel Toothbrush – It’s always great to freshen up, so carry a compact toothbrush and paste so you always feel ready for the day ahead! Find a great one here.
What clothes to take
This will solely depend on the person. Jack likes to pack little, and isn’t majorly fashion focused… however, I myself (Aimee) love to take a few extra options to change up my outfits! Plus, we always try to get some really nice travel photos, and I want to look nice!
We do recommend to not take as much as you think you might need! A great tip we have seen before is put out what you think you need, then half it, and half that again! Apparently that is the right amount!
We won’t give a big list of what clothes to take as that does vary. But we suggest taking these on top of your essentials :
Swimsuits (at least one full costume for women)
At least 1x long top/trousers for places you need to cover
A shawl can be a great option as a cover up!
Sandles
Walking shoes
A proper hat for the sunny days
Sun glasses
A jumper/hoodie/cardigan for chilly nights
A rain mac for all weather and activities
Walking Shoes
We do suggest trying options on if you have never previously brought walking shoes! However, our recommendation for men’s walking shoes would be these Soloman walking boots, and for women’s we suggest checking out some of the Mountain Warehouse ranges like these ones here.
Sandals can also come in walking-approved formats (how fun)! We have seen a massive hype over Teva sandals, which Aimee will be buying some for our next trip! Find a nice pair here.
Apart from that, maybe take a pair of comfy trainers or flats to have a bit of variety!
Packing is different for everyone
Just like travelling is different for everyone, so is the packing! We have put this list together as a rough guide, however it will vary SO much trip to trip, person to person!
We hope this list will help you for your first backpacking trip!
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