Tag Archives: travel tips

How to Pack Smart When Traveling

I traveled to 11 different places last year; I think it’s safe to say I have really learned how to pack smart and how to pack effectively when traveling to different places. Here are some tips and tricks for you to learn how to pack smart and effective.

Bag in a Bag
When I travel places, I am the type of person who likes to buy things and I want to buy the souvenirs and the chocolates like everybody else. But you definitely don’t want to just leave room in your suitcase for what you may or may not buy. So what I recommend is a bag packing a bag, this bag in the bag should be made of a thin material. So it’s easily collapsible and doesn’t take up much room. You can put it in the lining of your suitcase and zip it up and if you buy stuff you weren’t planning on or it’s bigger than you thought you have an extra bag you can use.

Packing Cubes
Packing cubes have been a game-changer for me. I’ve heard people talk about packing cubes for a long time but I felt it was unnecessary and I don’t need it. Last year when I traveled to Estonia and Sweden, I used some for the first time and I could pack two weeks’ worth of clothing in a carry-on sized suitcase and it’s because of the packing cubes.

Rolling
Another classic mistake most travelers do is folding their clothes. Folding takes up so much room in your suitcase and increases all your clothes. The best thing you can do is roll your clothes and put them in the packing cubes.

Dirty Clothes Bag
In order to keep things organized, clean, and smelling nice I recommend a dirty clothes bag and this doesn’t have to be a huge bag. That way when you are at your destination you have a spot to put your dirty underwear, your dirty socks, your muddy shoes, or whatever it is that you use, and it got really dirty. You just take the dirty clothes and put it in the dirty clothes bag so that way everything separated.

Color Coordinating
Color coordinating is the key factor in packing light and this is most important with shoes and coats. If you are going somewhere and you don’t have a lot of room in your bag, then you need to prioritize by color coordinating your outfits together. I tend to stick around colors like brown, black, white, and gray – all four of those colors tend to go well together. Obviously, you create your own color scheme if you are not as boring as I am.

Stuff Shoes
If you are running out of room in your suitcase and you have these little things that are taking up room like socks, underwear, jewelry – you can put them in your shoes. There’s a bunch of room in each pair of shoes that is not being used. I recommend that you use it with anything you have lying around your suitcase.

5 Coolest Things to Do in Morocco

Morocco is one of the loveliest countries in the world and a mixing pot of African, Arabian and European culture. The influx of these influences is due to the convenient location of this North African country in the coasts of Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Friends of mine who own Zone Garage Calgary made a trip across the ocean recently and helped me put together these amazing sites to see. If you’re planning to visit Morocco, you’ll surely have the time of your life so go ahead and include this list to your itinerary.

STROLL THE BLUE STREETS
Chefchaouen may be a little hard to pronounce but we’re pretty sure you have seen a photo or two of its famous blue streets. Its cobbled streets are lined with buildings of different shades of blue, and adding to this picturesque view is the blue outline of mountains peaking in between buildings. The blue color actually has a deeper spiritual meaning to it. The blue paint that is a mirror of the cloudless blue sky is a symbol of God’s sovereign power, and even if Muslim is predominant in the area, because of tradition, everyone is still painting fresh blue paint on their houses.

BATHE IN A MOROCCAN HAMMAM
What better way to immerse yourself in Moroccan culture than immersing the steamy waters of a hammam. A traditional hammam is a social activity for Moroccans with a chance to bathe and gossip which was a favorite pastime of the locals before. If you’re not comfortable in sharing a public bath, head to one of the more luxurious hammams to pamper and soothe your soul.

SHOP IN THE SOUKS OF MOROCCO
The chaotic but colorful world of urban souks are the best place to see the arts and crafts of locals. The labyrinth of a bazaar is a fun place to hone your haggling skills to buy a hand woven fabric, colorful carpets, or trinkets for a loved one back home. Your ultimate endurance will be put to the test with ingenious sales tactics, it’s quite exhausting but rewarding if you finally get the best deals for your chosen souvenirs.

DESERT SAFARI IN SAHARA DESERT

Erg Chubbi Dunes has got to be a world-famous one because it’s an actual site for Hollywood movies and is the best place to enjoy a 4×4 tour or a camel safari. In a sea of sand, you can enjoy the wonders of nature especially the rising and setting of the sun; it magnifies the ochre-ness of the desert into a surreal landscape. At night, the desert is the best place to just watch the sparkling diamonds in the sky because light pollution is less giving way to clearer and incessant glitter of constellations.

BE AMAZED BY THE RED SANDSTONE ARCH
Legzira Beach is home to the infamous red stone arch and its gorgeous red cliffs. There used to be two but one of them collapsed to the sea. Chill for a day at the beach and wait until sunset where everything just looks like a part of a postcard and the rocky cliffs shines a blazing red. This lazy surf town is also charming with its hillside cafes and foody stops.

Top 5 Travel Tips for India

India is one of my favorite countries, you can travel the entire country and you will always see something a little different – beaches, desert, mountain ranges, canals, and waterways. It has a population of 1.2 billion people and there are two main languages that are spoken in India. The first one is Hindi and the secondary language is English. However, there are actually 21 different languages in India and so it is very possible that even when Indians traverse their own country they may come across language barriers and have difficulty understanding each other.

Planning Your Trip to India

Obviously, the country is big and traveling it can take some time. One of my biggest tips is to always pad your travel days. I usually like to pad at least a day or a day and a half for my travel time and that’s because it allows everything from the actual duration of my trip to the possibility that the train or bus might break down in the process or it might arrive late. Unless, you can hire a driver, rent a car, or hop on a tour it’s highly unlikely that you will be able to keep to very tight schedules.

Getting Around

Long distance transportation options will be flight, railway, government bus or long-distance bus, hire a driver, rent-a-car, as well as take a tour. In terms of airline carriers, the popular ones are India air, Kingfisher, Jet Airways, Indigo, and SpiceJet. The airline carriers in India are pretty good and their price range from $30 to $80. The most common transportation a lot of travelers use is the railway system, and it is because it is consistent and convenient.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa_oncMhFOs

Communication

The internet situation in India is pretty good and their infrastructure isn’t so bad. The speeds are pretty quick and internet cafes in India are still very common. You will see many of them around and this is perfect for the tourist that doesn’t bring their laptop or a computer along with them. A lot of times, the computers there will be a little old-school, the internet might be a little slow, and you’ll pay per minute. They can also make copies there for anything you might need to print out your flights and stuff. If you want a quick speed, then the next option would be to get an Indian SIM with a data plan. Whenever I am in India, I always get an Indian SIM and that allows me to communicate and use the internet.

Health

This is important because people are always afraid of getting sick in India. India is known as a country that’s growing in medical tourism. You will always find doctors, pharmacies, as well as hospitals in big cities. They also are big in Ayurvedic medicine and they also practice arrogating medicine. Even though it’s all-natural, I wouldn’t underestimate the power of them because this is a practice that has gone on for hundreds of years.