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Tag: Travel Guide

  • 7 Top Tips and Tricks for a long-haul flight you MUST know

    7 Top Tips and Tricks for a long-haul flight you MUST know

    Flying long haul can be scary, especially when you have never done this before. It’s such a different experience to flying locally. The plane is larger, you get food, and special amenities including a screen to watch movies, shows and play games! But where do you start and what’s the best tips and tricks for the flight?

    As some of you may know, we had an amazing trip to Thailand at the end of August ’24, and therefore had a long haul flight recently. We thought there is no better way to share our experience than to write a blog so you can see all the little tips to use as well.

    *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 🙂

    7 Top Tips and Tricks for long-haul flights

    So let’s dig in!

    1. 7 Top Tips and Tricks for long-haul flights
      1. Wear comfortable clothing
      2. Bring Snacks
      3. Small Carry on Bag
      4. Have your charger in your carry-on
      5. Get up and walk around
      6. Plan your flight
      7. Dietary requirements
    2. See our Long-Haul Experience!
    3. Find our Travel Essentials!

    Wear comfortable clothing

    Comfortable clothing is a NECESSITY when traveling on a long haul flight. A simple yet effective outfit like joggers and a baggy top would be perfect. The last thing you want to is constantly toss and turn trying to be comfortable. Or even worse – have to try change in one of those tiny bathrooms that you can barely go toilet. A hoodie would be prefect for this situation, a great multi-use item that can keep you warm but also act as a makeshift blanket or pillow if you need it.

    However, if you are looking to take a hoodie be aware that this is something you will need to carry on the duration of your trip. So if you don’t have space in your luggage for it, you might need to compromise.

    Bring Snacks

    Now, as budget travelers, we always look to find ways to cut down on costs but also to have the top experiences we can. So unless you want to spend £4 for a chocolate bar you wouldn’t normally choose when you are home, then make sure to be prepared. We look to bring our own foods to the airport to avoid the prices and this is the same for the flight. Usually we pack rolls/baguettes for the airport AND for the plane ride with some additional sweets/snacks. However, you can’t just pack your whole bag full of snacks and food otherwise you won’t have all the other important things for your trip. We would recommend bring a meal deal or a roll as a snack between meals, as well as some sweets of your choice.

    After all, you will be sitting for a large amount of time and likely to get bored, so hunger will strike.

    Small Carry on Bag

    Now this seems counter-intuitive as you’ve just been told to pack snacks and food alongside the important items in your bag. But you need your bag small enough to save yourself a lot of time and effort during the flight. Picture this, you pack your bag and it doesn’t fit under your seat. That’s fine, you just pop it in the overhead compartment and it’s out the way. Time to kick back and relax right?

    What if you want snacks?

    Or your phone runs out?

    Or you realise there’s something in your bag that you need? Like a toothbrush as after all, it is a long haul flight.

    It could be anything and you don’t want to keep jumping up and down to grab it as it will become annoying for you and your fellow travelers.

    So the solution?

    Find a bag that has good space but is also perfect to slide under your seat with still having a decent amount of leg room. This will allow for sure an easy grab for any unexpected issues or objects that you need to get from your bag.

    Have your charger in your carry-on

    If you never have been on a long haul flight before, then you may not know that the screens you have for entertainment also include a charging port and a headphone port for you. This is super important as you are likely to run out of charge on your device so make sure to pack your charger in a convenient spot.

    The last thing you want to do is realise it is right at the bottom of the bag and have to pull EVERYTHING out to just to reach it, or worse! Put your charger in the holder so you have no charger during the whole flight. No one wants that problem.

    Get up and walk around

    It’s very easy to just sit in your seat and sleep, eat and watch your way through the flight but your body won’t be happy after it. You are likely to be very achy or tired by the end of the flight or maybe even light headed. You have to think, there’s not many times in your life where you are sat down in the same position for longer than 8 or so hours. Yes, we have sleep but that is usually in a more comfortable position than you one you will be in during a flight. It is recommended to get up and stretch every 2 or so hours.

    However, we would recommend to not only do this, but walk up and back down the aisle once or twice to stretch your legs and get the blood flowing. This will help your body regulate and keep yourself from getting stiff.

    Remember, after a long haul flight you will likely have after affects from jet lag so the last thing you want to do is add to that by making your body achy and stiff.

    Plan your flight

    Now this isn’t planning it to the minute. You don’t have to schedule each activity during the flight and keep to time constraints. That isn’t what we are saying. However, you will have 8+ hours worth of travel time with not a lot to do. So, how can you fill this time?

    We would recommend to have multiple ideas of ways to keep you busy during this time. We have even seen people take Nintendo switch as a good activity which would definitely kill a few hours on the flight. However, you will soon get bored so what else is there to do. We would recommend having 2/3 other options on top of what they provide on the flight.

    They provide great entertainment with many new and classic films, popular TV Shows, and music and even some pretty cool games with who wants to be a millionaire and popular games like battleships being available. For us, a great way to enjoy the first 30/60 minutes is to scroll through to see what they have to offer and pick out a few films/shows you will want to watch during the flight. We also do this with the games, have a little scroll and find games that will occupy us during the flight.

    We would recommend to have a pack of cards, or a travel game to bring that is small as well as some games on your phone. But be sure that they are games that work offline as you won’t have any internet connection during the flight. Also include some sort of chilled activity like a book or E-book that you can read or a diary/journal that can occupy you.

    Having these vast options will give you the option to change when you are bored and not run out of things to do. And worse case, you can just go sleep for a few hours to kill time!

    Dietary requirements

    Now this may not be important to everyone, but if you have any allergens or dietary needs such as being vegetarian, then make sure to communicate this. This is done BEFORE your flight and is necessary to put the steps in place to avoid any problems during this flight.

    If you have an allergy with peanuts for example, it is a MUST to let them know beforehand. They will make an announcement during the flight that passengers are not to open any packets of peanuts during the flight. They will also make sure that the meals provided don’t include any peanuts. This will save any last minute conversations and problems during the flight.

    For dietary requirements, such as being veggie, they usually take your meal orders when you book so that they can allocate enough to bring on board before the flight. The last thing you would want is for meal time to come around and there are no veggie options available because you didn’t let them know ahead of time. They will have a list of all those who have requested dietary specific requirements which likely means you will get your meals before the rest of the passengers which is a little bonus if you are super hungry.

    These are super important to know so you don’t run into any problems during the flight and so you can enjoy your experience before heading off on your backpacking journey. These tips and trick will guide you through a smooth ride and allow you to make the most of your time in the sky.

    If you did enjoy this blog, do let us know below by liking, subscribing or leaving a comment, it would be much appreciated.

    As mentioned above, we are soon to be heading to Thailand so we will be using this tips ourselves! But also, look out for some amazing Thailand Vlogs, Blogs and much much more on our socials which is linked below.

    See our Long-Haul Experience!

    We recently uploaded our full travel vlog for our flight with Gulf Air to Thailand! So, if you want to see how a long-haul flight works out, then check out our vlog!

    Find our Travel Essentials!

    We have a full list of recommendations for any travels! Check out our:

    We also recommend using these when planning your next trip!

    • Trip.com – Find amazing flight deals, with over 2 million flight routes, and being one of the world’s leading online travel agencies.
    • 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!
    • 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!
    • Get Your Guide – Book unique (and common!) experiences and activities worldwide, including skip the line tickets to big attractions worldwide!
    • 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!
    • 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!

    We post weekly Youtube Videos now! Please check out our newest Vlog!

    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!

    Check out our Social Media’s below!

    Finally, share this post with your friends! Let’s build those travel plans and make memories!

    We post daily content of our travel experiences and also must know travel tips so be sure not to miss out on this!

    Thank you for reading this blog, and have a good day.

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  • Rabat Travel Guide – Morocco’s Capital

    Rabat Travel Guide – Morocco’s Capital

    Rabat Travel Guide

    Morocco is unique country located in the north west of Africa where the Mediterranean and Atlantic meet. The country is full of history and antique architecture that dates back thousands of years; and is a staple in the countries rich culture today. Rabat is one city that really encapsulates this!

    There’s many reasons to travel to this beautiful country including the beaches, activities, food and more! The city can be split into two parts- one side of the city is very much full of all the locals with small street and riad stays; and the other is very much city-like. Large architecture and government buildings, with high-end shopping malls and food spots.

    When visiting this beautiful city we spent a total of 3 days/2 nights here and probably would recommend an extra day just so you can experience more of the city and the exciting activities here!

    1. Rabat Travel Guide
      1. Activities in Rabat
        1. Kasbah Des Oudaias
        2. Hassan Tower
        3. Rabat Old Town
        4. Day at the beach
        5. Mausoleum of Mohammad V
        6. Mohammad VI Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art
        7. Explore the Ancient Chellah
      2. Places to stay in Rabat
        1. Riad El Bir
        2. Riad Lalatiy
        3. Riad Dar Rabiaa
      3. Moroccan E-Sim
    2. Rabat Travel Guide!
    3. Our favourite must-needed travel resources
      1. Where to Fly
      2. Where to Stay
      3. Where to Explore
      4. Where to get Connected
      5. Where to be Protected
    4. Our Top Traveller’s Essentials

    *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 🙂

    Rabat street photography by Ourtwostepstart
    Kasbah Des Oudaias, Rabat, Morocco by Ourtwostepstart
    Moroccan spices photo by Ourtwostepstart
    Street cat in a street book shop in Rabat!

    Activities in Rabat

    As the country is full of history, your trip HAS to include trips to historical spots which have stood for many centuries!

    Kasbah Des Oudaias

    This castle-like structure was build in the 12th century and was a form of defence from any unexpected ships visiting Rabat. The mosque boasted many cannons and a tall wall to fend off enemies, and created a scary operation for those who manned it.

    Within the walls is delicately placed streets where people used to live when the old King designed and erected the mosque. It’s a beautiful spot of history located perfectly by the waterfront offering some amazing views and is a popular spot to visit. Within the walls there were gardens created which offer a great place to soak up the places natural beauty and enjoy the warm weather in Rabat. The buildings inside have been maintained the best they can without removing the authentic history of when it was built them many years ago.

    Kasbah Des Oudaias | Ourtwostepstart

    Hassan Tower

    This amazing structure was build for in the 12th century which is famously unfinished (known as the unfinished mosque). The Mosque includes a scattering of tall pillars that are placed all around which was meant to hold a roof when the building was fully completed. Due to the King Passing, the mosque completion was stopped and left this mosque and what was the tallest minaret in the world halted for construction.

    The Minaret still stands tall today and can be admired from hundreds of feet away as it’s so large! When visiting new countries it’s always good to learn more about the history and this would be a great way to embrace Moroccan culture.

    Rabat Old Town

    The old town is a beautiful area of Rabat and is full of culture and locals enjoying food, selling their trade and socialising. The best thing to do is wander the tight streets and marvel at the amazing handcrafted products from locals. The streets are perfect to get lost in, and are surrounded by old fashioned Riad buildings that have been standing for centuries.

    This is the perfect place to grab a cheap lunch. You have choices of local wraps, pastries, pitas and more with some delicious sweet treats including an infinite selection of Baklava. The locals here are super friendly, and are happy to help guide you in the direction you are going or provide you with the best service.

    At the top of the old town is the local graveyard which must span at least a few Kilometres long and is full of gravestones. It’s a strange place to have a graveyard as it is only a stones throw from the beach but it provides a beautiful and harmonic spot to watch the sunset over the water with the graveyard visible.

    Day at the beach

    Being a coastal capital, it definitely has it’s choice of beaches. The beaches here are a mix between stony or sandy depending on how lucky you are, and is a beautiful way to spend the day. On the beach just across from the Kasbah Des Oudaias is a quaint sandy beach which isn’t too popular, but is perfect to relax at and watch the world go by.

    At this beach there are some great activities including jet skiing, surfing and some cool water sports which are offered on the beach front. On this beach there is also restaurant that is a great place to stop and grab some food. As you are on the Atlantic, the water isn’t quite as warm as you’d like so be preparred! Also, the walk to the beach is straight downhill so walking back up will be hilly.

    Mausoleum of Mohammad V

    This is the burial site of King Mohammad V who died in 1961 and the Mausoleum was build in his honour. This is a cultural site which is open for people to visit and marvel at the beauty of this structure. It is built out of many rare materials, and stands out with it’s white-like colour and perfectly carved patterns.

    Standing beside the mausoleum is a white pavilion with a green emerald-like roof. The site is a great place to learn about the culture of Morocco and see some the countries most important sites.

    Mohammad VI Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art

    This is the perfect spot for any art enthusiasts. Located in the heard of Rabat, is the modern and Contemporary Art which boasts many top artworks of African heritage. These include a selection of paintings and sculptures which will catch anyone’s eye.

    The building is rather large and will keep you occupied for at least a few hours.

    Explore the Ancient Chellah

    This is a must visit in Rabat and really is a timeless historical gem in Rabat. This area is a large part of the roman empire’s surge into north Africa where they set up an impressive home for themselves mirroring what home would look like in 1 BC in Europe. Around the 11th – 14th century, Marinid’s occupied the roman grounds and turned it into a necropolis for its people for their most elite members.

    The blend of ancient romans and the Marinid’s has created unique architecture and a place like no other in the world. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and occupies some luscious gardens which is calming. This is a great place to learn more about two civilisations who occupied these same grounds many centuries apart.

    Places to stay in Rabat

    There’s so many recommendations we could provide but we feel the best way to experience Moroccan culture is by booking a traditional Riad which is dotted throughout Rabat. With this, we would also recommend booking in person as it’s cheaper and Riad’s don’t tend to update their bookings online so even if you do they may not have room (happened to us).

    If you don’t feel comfortable booking in person and want the security of booking online, then we would recommend these stays below:

    Riad El Bir

    This is the hostel Riad we stayed in and is perfectly located in Rabat. You are a 10 minute walk to the beach and the Kasbah Des Oudaias while being perfectly on the old town where you can grab snacks and local foods in seconds!! The owner was super friendly and also provided free wifi for anyone staying. As with most Riad’s they offered free Moroccan tea whenever you would like.

    Unfortunately breakfast wasn’t provided but you were so close to food spots it definitely wasn’t a problem!

    Riad Lalatiy

    This is a top rated Hostel in the centre of the Medina and local to many things to do in Rabat. The Hostel has a shared kitchen if you would like to use it and free WIFI and a balcony to enjoy the busy medina! The rooms are spacious and provide a good place to rest before venturing out for another jam-packed day of activities.

    The cost of a room is £22 with a double bed allowing for 2 guests per room. This is a good price for the location and amenities you get with this stay!

    Riad Dar Rabiaa

    Alternatively, if you want to stay in a hotel, you can! This hotel is central in the Medina and comes with communal seating areas to enjoy and even an indoor swimming pool! So after a long day exploring the vibrant city you can come back and enjoy a dip to relax.

    The hotel costs £64 per room (each room is for 2 people) and even includes a hearty breakfast. This hotel is unique as it even offers food and room bundles with an option to stay with breakfast, lunch and dinner for £112 a night or just breakfast and dinner for £85 a night. The hotel is a perfect way to experience a traditional stay in a Riad but to have a good amount of privacy.

    Moroccan E-Sim

    When visiting Morocco, there’s no better way to keep up with your socials and stay connected than with Airalo. This is a budget Esim provider allowing you to choose your data packages as you travel and you can easily switch between countries on the go. It has an easy to use interface and provides top-ups when you are requiring them. Click here if you are looking to get an Esim today! Find the Morocco eSIM here!

    Rabat Travel Guide!

    We hope you enjoyed our insight into the beautiful cultural city of Rabat- and if you did be sure to like the post and subscribe for all things travel! Here there is so much to see and do that it will leave you satisfied and wanting to see more. It’s a cultural place to be amazed at with endless activities to enjoy. The food here is spectacular but food recommendations are tough due to it being predominantly street food that we ate.

    Please let us know if you would like to see any further details on our trip to Rabat or Morocco and we would love to know your thoughts on travelling the beautiful country.

    Be sure to check out our previous blogs on Morocco including Top things to avoid in Morocco and our day trip guide to Meknes and more!! Also, you can follow our travelling journey on our Social media’s which are provided below.

    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.

    Find our full packing list guide here.

    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!

    Check out our Social Media’s below!!!

    Finally, share this post with your friends! Let’s build those travel plans!

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  • Outpost Hostel Review: Beachfront Accommodation in El Nido

    Outpost Hostel Review: Beachfront Accommodation in El Nido

    Outpost Hostel, El Nido

    El Nido is a beautiful coastal location in Palawan which is surrounded by tranquil blue waters and paradisal islands. When researching the town there is so much to do, and therefore we decided to stay for 5 nights and searched for a busy Hostel that provided lovely views, and had good access to beach tours… that lead us to booking Outpost Hostel. You can see just how exciting Palawan is to travel in our guide here.

    We used HostelWorld and came across 2 main Hostels to choose from. The hostel we ended up choosing was Outpost Hostel, as it was directly on the beach and was known for good socialising to meet people. You can find a link to the hostel here.

    *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. Outpost Hostel, El Nido
    2. Our review of Outpost Hostel in El Nido
    3. Overall – 9.5/10
      1. Arrival – 7/10
      2. Rooms – 8/10
      3. Toilet & Showers – 9/10
      4. Communal/social Area – 9.5/10
      5. Trips – 10/10
      6. Location – 8/10
      7. Food (Taste) – 8.5/10, (Price) – 5/10
      8. Facilities
    4. Our experience at Outpost Hostel
      1. Would we recommend Outpost Hostel?
    5. Outpost, El Nido!
    6. Our favourite must-needed travel resources
      1. Where to Fly
      2. Where to Stay
      3. Where to Explore
      4. Where to get Connected
      5. Where to be Protected
    7. Our Top Traveller’s Essentials

    Our review of Outpost Hostel in El Nido

    Overall – 9.5/10

    Arrival – 7/10

    When arriving in El Nido, we were dropped off in a peculiar location on the side of a bend of a main road. From here we were directed from our driver to head down some side steps. This was reaffirmed as we saw overhead signs directing us onto the beach for the Outpost Hostel. Take a left across the beach for 2 minutes and you will end up at the steps of the Hostel.

    It’s a simple Hostel to find as you just have to follow the beach until you find the entrance. If you are arriving in the morning you may find an issue of the tide coming in and having to walk through the sea (maybe up to your knees), to get to the entrance so wear appropriate clothing.

    When you arrive you head past the bar to the desk which you are welcomed with happy staff who will help you with your bags and direct you to your room.

    Outpost Poster in the Hostel in El Nido, Philippines
    Philippines map in the accommodation.

    Rooms – 8/10

    There are many rooms to choose from including dorms ranging from 4 – 12 people, and the option for a private room. The dorms are very spacious and offer ample space for you to keep your belongings at the bottom of each bed. It’s important to note that the dorms are bunk beds, so you may require to stay at the top bunk which many people try to avoid. If it isn’t completely full at the hostel you are able to ask and they will put you in a bottom bunk if there are bottom bunks available.

    The bedding is clean and the rooms are well kept. Very simple but it’s all you can ask for from a hostel, and the beds are comfy. Unfortunately they don’t have any privacy in the rooms. Curtains are not provided to give privacy which some may prefer, however the beds do still feel isolated and hidden which is nice.

    Toilet & Showers – 9/10

    The toilets are very professional and communal to all the rooms in the Hostel. It’s one large area which has many cubicles that are checked regularly and kept to a really good standard. The decor is very modern, and all the surfaces are kept clean. The showers are located in the same area as the toilets and are within cubicles just like the toilets. The showers are powerful and warm which is a nice, and includes hooks for your towel and any clothes you look to change into.

    Communal/social Area – 9.5/10

    The communal area is the whole of the downstairs which consists of a reception, bar for drinks, and tables and chairs for food and general socialising. It’s a large space which can hold up to 50-75 people; perfect for social nights at the Hostel. In the day a lot of people spend their time at the tables eating breakfast/lunch and admiring the views, before heading out on their daily adventures. There are even sun loungers and deck chairs provided for anyone that wants to spend time soaking up the sun and relaxing with on the beautiful beach.

    Upstairs there is a quieter communal area which overlooks the beach and ocean which was a favourite space to eat breakfast and soak up the morning views. There’s an open space that has sofas for comfort, a space for books and music which is perfect to relax. It’s a less sociable area than downstairs and is often a space used to individual time.

    The Hostel offers an environment for both a quiet evening or a sociable one making it a great hostel no matter your situation.

    Sunset Views on the beach in El Nido, Philippines
    Morning breakfast view in El Nido, Philippines
    Photo of one of the communal areas at Outpost Hostel in El Nido, Philippines
    Breakfast with beach view in El Nido

    Trips – 10/10

    The trips are the true selling point for the hostel! They do trips everyday as they have 2 main island hopping tours. The locations are split into tours A,B,C & D. One Tour is A & C and the other is B & D. These tours are very similar, but also different at the same time. They consist of visiting different islands that is close to the town of El Nido, with different activities throughout the day.

    A stop off close to an island that is so tiny that you have to swim to… it has no beach and there is a viewpoint at the top. The island was no more than 20 metres by 20 metres but the island had enough height above sea level to provide a beautiful view overlooking the waters to admire the picturesque islands in the back.

    There were a few islands that were perfect for scuba diving, and offered the opportunity to find turtles. Although we didn’t manage to see any, there are popular locations that see many turtles in the wild. We were just unlucky. Some of these islands will offer drinks and snacks on the beach, and you are free to explore as you wish. If you don’t want to snorkel, you can explore down the coast or venture into the island further. Maybe plays some games with locals or other boat trip goers. Or just enjoy the view, sit back and relax on the beaches!

    One of the islands is remembered very fondly as we played a game of volleyball with some locals on a random island. They didn’t speak any English and there was no way to communicate, but all was needed was a volleyball. We split the teams up so we had some locals to make it fair and we played a game. It was one of the best experiences we have ever had! The best part of it was we played volleyball as the sun started to set! It was magical!

    Also on the tour there is lunch provided which consists of a large fresh fish that is cooked whole and so soft! The fish was beautiful, and there was also pork and chicken provided with rice and a handful of other options. There was also fruit provided which was super fresh! Watermelon and Pineapple is given and you can eat as much as you want. We enjoyed this on one of the many beaches on the beach. They brought a table to set up to plate all the food on! The other trip had a stop which had a beach hut built on the side with benches and a table so food was served here!

    Towards the end of each trip simple games were played with the whole boat, and losers would be served a shot of the rum provided by the hostel. Everyone was given a shot as mandatory to get people in the mood and was a great way to kill time between islands.

    When heading back and arriving back at the hostel, you were welcomed with an alcoholic beverage which was a lovely touch.

    One of the days we wanted to go to a beach roughly an hour away and one of the workers were happy to take us there in a minibus and charging us a small fee each to do so! We ended up getting 8 or so people to come with and made a full day of it with the staff enjoying the trip also! We visited a few beaches, played volleyball and ate local cuisines. The staff are very flexible and are happy to help with any bookings or plans you have when in El Nido so if you do have a question be sure to ask!

    Island Views on Palawan Tour from Outpost Hostel
    Island Views on Palawan Tour
    Island Views on Palawan Tour
    Island Views on Palawan Tour from Outpost Hostel
    Island Views on Boat Trip booked through Outpost hostel

    Location – 8/10

    The town of El Nido is only a 5 minute TukTuk away, and once you get back onto the main road there will be TukTuks waiting or they will stop to ask if you need taking somewhere. You could walk the distance as it isn’t far, but a TukTuk makes it easier! You should be able to get a TukTuk for 100/150 Filipino Peso (£1.50-£2.00). Make sure to barter and do not overpay! There isn’t much to do in the town but there are food spots, and is generally a nice town.

    Food (Taste) – 8.5/10, (Price) – 5/10

    The food at the hostel is super nice! They serve up local foods like Pork Sisig (our favourite) and Chicken Adobo- and it’s all freshly made and so flavourful. In the day they offer sandwiches and other snacks, which is a great bite to eat while chilling! There is a lot of variety with vegetarian options available also! When you order just let them know you where you are sitting and they will bring the food up to you!

    However, the price of the food is premium; and you can find local restaurants that offer their food at a much cheaper rate. In September 2022, the food in El Nido cost roughly 300 peso for dinner with the lunch being slightly cheaper. However, there is a local restaurant round the corner which offers some beautiful homemade dishes for roughly 100/150 Filipino Peso which is a lot more affordable and is only a 5 minute walk away.

    We would recommend looking for local restaurants to eating to keep spending down for your trip.

    Breakfast is included when booking a room and is one of the best meals for the day. They provide fresh fruit and beautiful options which will leave you very satisfied for your busy day ahead!

    Pork Sisig meal at Outpost Hostel
    Pork Sisig at Outpost Hostel

    Facilities

    The Hostel had an ATM on the top floor which was really convenient so you didn’t have to search for one and head into town.

    Our experience at Outpost Hostel

    Would we recommend Outpost Hostel?

    The Hostel was an amazing stay and one we would totally recommend when you are heading to El Nido! The customer service really is amazing, and they really do improve your experience. The food is lovely and the boat trips really help you to see the surrounding areas which you cannot afford to miss! The rooms are standard, but have the necessities needed– plus some well kept and modern showers and bathrooms! The evening is organised well to keep travellers busy with games, social activities and more! The hostel is one of the better ones we stayed in during our time in South East Asia, so don’t miss out! There’s no better view from a hostel balcony than a morning at Outpost, El Nido!

    Outpost, El Nido!

    Thank you for reading our review of the wonderful Outpost Hostel in El Nido, Philippines! If you are debating whether to book here we would totally recommend it and know you will not be missing out! Are you travelling Southeast Asia? Read our top 7 places to visit in Vietnam, an ultimate 2 week itinerary for North Thailand, and our top places to eat in Bali.

    Make sure to like the Blog post and let us know your views on staying at this amazing hostel!

    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.

    Find our full packing list guide here.

    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!

    Check out our Social Media’s below! We share our daily activities, all of our budget friendly travel tips, travel inspiration and more!

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  • Top Things to Do in Meknes, Morocco: Perfect Day Trip Itinerary

    Top Things to Do in Meknes, Morocco: Perfect Day Trip Itinerary

    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!

    Make sure to like this Blog if it helped and we hope you have an amazing time when visiting this beautiful country!

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  • Explore Stockholm: Your Ultimate Travel Guide to Sweden’s Capital

    Explore Stockholm: Your Ultimate Travel Guide to Sweden’s Capital

    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!

    Finally, share this post with your friends! Let’s build those travel plans!

  • Stockholm Itinerary: Ultimate Travel Guide to Sweden’s Capital

    Stockholm Itinerary: Ultimate Travel Guide to Sweden’s Capital

    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)!

    Louis Vuitton Building in Stockholm.
    Vegetable stall in Ostermalm Market
    Smash burgers in Stockholm
    Street photography on Stockholm
    Yellow brightly lit Tunnel Views

    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!

    Underground photography from T Centralen Station in Stockholm
    Blue Travel photography of Travel couple Ourtwostepstart
    T-Centralen Underground Photography
    Couple walking up the stairs of T-Centralen Station in Stockholm
    Couple's photography inside T-Centralen station in Stockholm, as part of one of Europes largest art galleries.

    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.

    Photo of Jack from Ourtwostepstart at the Fotografiska Museum.
    Photo of Aimee of Ourtwostepstart at the Fotografiska Museum in Stockholm
    Fotografiska Photobook souvenir
    View from the water-view restaurant of Fotografiska Museum, with two drinks to share
    Charcuterie board in Stockholm at the Fotografiska Museum

    We then found a banksy museum and nipped in to write and etch our name into the scribble wall. I mean why not!

    Our @ at the Banksy Exhibition in Stockholm

    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!

    Photo of Jack of Ourtwostepstart in a fort in Generator Hostel in Stockholm.

    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!

    Floral backdrop at Dirty Coco Cafe in Stockholm
    Kinder Bueno Crepes at Dirty Coco
    Floral backdrop in Swedish Cafe Dirty Coco

    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.

    Street photography in Stockholm
    Gamla Stan street photography
    Couples Photography in Galma Stan, Stockholm
    Photo of Ourtwostepstart in Gamla Stan, Sweden

    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.

    Changing of Guards in Stockholm, Swedish.

    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!

    Photography of Melanie Martinez on the Portals Tour
    Photo of Melanie Martinez in Stockholm as part of the Portals tour
    Melanie Martinez Portals tour concert photography
    Concert photography of Melanie Martinez at the Portals tour in Stockholm

    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.

    Dinner at Nordiska Kompaniet shopping centre
    Christmas decorations in Nordiska Kompaniet, Stockholm.
    Traditional Swedish meatballs at Nordiska Kompaniet

    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.

    Find our full packing list guide here.

    You can also follow our travelling journey on our Social Media’s below!

    Finally, share this post with your friends! Let’s build those travel plans!

    3 responses to “Stockholm Itinerary: Ultimate Travel Guide to Sweden’s Capital”

    1. The 5 Best Areas to See & Stay in Crete, Greece

      […] Looking for your next European adventure destination? Check out this ultimate guide to exploring Sweden's capital. […]

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    2. pathlesspair avatar
      pathlesspair

      What neighborhood would you recommend staying in for easy walking to the sites and cool cafes? We’re headed there in a couple of months. Thanks!

      pathlesspair.com

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      1. ourtwostepstart avatar
        ourtwostepstart

        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 😊

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