Chris Backe's Blog, page 75

Review: the Sofia Alternative Tour

Arrive, receive a ‘survival kit’, and get on your way to discovering eight offbeat sites around Sofia. Ready for an adventure?

I’m always interested in tours that take you outside the usual sights, or experiences that make a game out of travel. The Sofia Alternative Tour sounded like a bit of both, so off we went!

Full disclosure: we received a complimentary version of the tour / experience; all opinions remain my own.

No spoilers, obviously.

The basic format is simple: get the survival kit,...

Our Top 10 Weirdest Places of 2017

We got to a lot of weird places in 2017. Presenting my top 10 from the year.

We’re back to the ‘slow travel’ lifestyle after capping off a road trip through the US and Canada, and spent the rest of 2017 in Europe. WIthout further ado…

#10 – Wolf’s Museum of Mystery – St. Augustine, FL

This attraction is not recommended for kids. If it were a movie, it would be rated PG-13 for blood, gore, gruesome scenes, dismembered body parts, and so on.

This ‘museum of mystery’ is one part shop, one part...

What NOT to buy the digital nomad in your life, and what to buy instead

I’ve seen plenty of other folks writing their ‘things travelers will love’ posts for the holiday season. Yes, I’ve even written one myself. There are some things you shouldn’t buy your traveler for one reason or another. I’ll explain why, then offer you another option.

A new computer

Wow – shots fired from the start! It’s one thing to offer them money towards a computer, but they really need to purchase this for themselves. Why? Unless you know them and what they need the computer for very we...

The Weirdly Wonderful Side of Brisbane

As I type this, it’s snowing in Sofia. Can you blame me for looking down under?

Credit: Nam Nyguen – https://flic.kr/p/4z5cQs

Call this a case of wanderlust — until I can make my way down there for myself, here are 12 places I’ve got my eye on.

No, I haven’t been to Australia yet. I’ve heard some great things about it from other travelers, and even helped to edit a book about Sydney in the past. Today, though, I’m looking at you, Brisbane — the sunny holiday-making spot of 2.4 million people...

8 Gifts For The Digital Nomad In Your Life (2017 version)

The digital nomads in your life are awesome people. They can be a little hard to buy for, though — after all, they’re trying to keep their luggage weight down. Presenting 8 items that are multi-purpose, easy to send their way, small / light, and incredibly useful for any digital nomad or always-on-the-move type.

Oh, and there’s nothing that’ll break the budget, either — everything on this list is under $100, and most items are under $50. Where possible, I’ve used pictures of my own gadgets in...

Where 30 Digital Nomads are Going in 2018

Digital nomads are going everywhere in 2018 — not just the hotspots.

So long as nomads have the internet, a place to work, and a place to call home, we can go anywhere in the world. So where are people going, and why? Much like I did in 2017, I’ve asked fellow nomads to answer four questions about where they’re going next:

Why this city? What’s your anticipated cost of living per month? (in US dollars) How long do you plan to be there? Any cautions / downsides to note?

Whether you’re p...

Destination: Balkan Rakia and Spirits Fest (Sofia, Bulgaria)

Gotta love festivals you hear about on the subway, although this definitely wasn’t aimed at tourists…

While you’ll see beer take up a lot more shelf space in grocery stores, rakia is Bulgaria’s national drink, and well-known by several names elsewhere in the Balkans. Whatever it’s called, it’s a fruit brandy of the 40% or higher ABV variety, and most commonly made from grapes or plums. It’s also potent stuff, so sip, don’t shoot.

Other fruits can be used, and some brands are aged in wooden...

December 2017 book reviews: gluten-free restaurants, Maya sites, and motorcycle adventures

Once a month, I put together the books I’ve read into a single review post. Alternatively, see plenty of previous book reviews over here, or see how I rate books.

Also, a quick disclaimer: review copies are typically provided for free, and links may be affiliate links. These reviews cover the version of the book I read, not necessarily the version that’s currently available. A newer or updated version may be available – check for yourself using the links below.

Gluten-Free Restaurants Around...

You Know Korea Is Your Home When… the compilation

I lived in South Korea from 2008 to 2013. After five years of life in Korea (and almost five years away from Korea), the country still has a special place in my heart. It’s where I got my start as a blogger. It’s where I caught the travel bug that I still have today. It’s where I met my now-wife, and where we traveled during weekend-long dates while getting to know each other.

From 2009 to 2012 I wrote several ‘You Know Korea Is Your Home When…’ types of posts — similar to the classic ‘You mi...

Is the iAMsterdam city card worth it? A review of Amsterdam’s city card

We tend to pass on most city cards for a few reasons:

They rarely work at the offbeat / lesser-traveled places we’re going The list of exceptions is long It takes a lot of time / traveling to make it worth the while They only give discounts as opposed to free admission (why pay twice?)

Based on my fellow blogger’s reviews of city cards in the past, we decided to give the iAmsterdam card a go.

Full disclosure: nope, not needed here. No one gave us anything for this post, and we paid full pr...