I was recently talking with a foreign friend here in Portugal and she mentioned something that I had never actually thought about. In Portugal, people tend to be proud of their job. It doesn’t really matter what they do for a living, folks tend to do it with dignity and … more »
Lok Lok is not exclusively sold in the late hours of the night. But it is certainly after dark, following the closing hours of most other restaurants and street stalls, that this specialty of Penang shines bright! Georgetown, the colorful capital of the Malaysian island of Penang, is … more »
Among its many charms, Lisbon is a perfect city canvas for street art. If the cobblestone paths beneath your feet and the typical tiles decorating buildings’ facades weren’t enough of a visual treat, Lisbon is also home to an impressive ever-changing collection of public art. The “open-air museum” of Lisbon … more »
Nowadays, almost anything can be turned into a touristic experience. Traveling around the world, I’ve come across some pretty silly examples of this. Folks from rich countries paying to ride a bullock cart in the Cambodian countryside comes to mind, for example. But on the other end of the spectrum, … more »
When I was in China working as an English teacher, I decided to cycle around Iran. I finished my contract at the end of November, so I thought I might as well travel to Iran by land. The problem was, I’d be traveling in winter. I’m Portuguese so I knew … more »
Visiting the Demilitarized Zone (aka DMZ) between North and South Korea was quite a bizarre experience. Yet it was one of those bizarre experiences that I would certainly recommend to anyone traveling to Seoul and at all interested in local affairs. The so-called demilitarized zone happens to have more than … more »
As the year draws to an end, we like looking back at what were the articles that you found more inspiring and useful here on Backpack ME. We did the same last year, back in 2015 or even before that. This is a nice little way of also reliving travel … more »
We like using Instagram to share snippets from our travels as they happen. This year, we’ve embraced the platform even further and started sharing Insta Stories. If you’re not following Backpack ME on Instagram yet, please come join us and we’ll make sure to keep feeding your wanderlust! On our … more »
Last year, we started the tradition of doing a Christmas giveaway here on Backpack ME. It was a fairly simple affair and our reader Mara, from Texas, took home some cool gifts. This year, we thought that if we’re again going to spread some travel love in the shape of … more »
If it’s true that first impressions tend to last, my idea of Seoul would be one of futuristic looking cityscapes, locals adorned with modern accessories and an efficiency that only well planned contemporary cities manage to achieve. That is one of the obvious sides of Seoul, no doubt about that. … more »