sebbo on tour - around the world

Escape the grey and cool autumn days in Germany for a few days of surf and chill in the Moroccan sun? ALWAYS :) After I found cheap Ryanair tickets, I packed my bag light (best and cheapest way to travel with Ryanair is hand luggage only) and took of for Marrakech. Since 30+ degrees and infinite sunshine were awaiting me, this was enough for eight days in Morocco: I just made my flight from Frankfurt Hahn, after the bus drivers missed fruitless attempt to avoid a traffic jam by taking a de-tour through rural areas. Thanks to few crowds and kinda fast procedures at the tiny airport, I safely arrived to Marrakech. Marrakech Menara Airport and the lavish and luxuriant palaces with huge pools that I could catch sight of from the plane, gave the impression of a prosperous and rich country. The airport was even rated as 4th most beautiful in the world lately... Given the fact, that the airport was renovated and renewed in just a few months time for the United Nations climate

For some reason Bosnia and particularly Sarajevo was the place I was most curious about in the balkan region. Maybe memories of what I heard about the Bosnian war in my childhood, maybe the little I knew about it but few stories... First realization when we arrived in Bosnia was that Euros are widely accepted, almost as common as the Bosnian Convertible Marka (based on the former German Mark). Secondly, we noticed the coexistence of Islam and Christianity - mosques and churches are located right next to each other.  Due to the conditions of ever winding roads and long distances, we decided to focus on two destinations - Mostar and Sarajevo including surroundings - and whatever immediate interest we draw to places on the way. Thus, we took a half day to explore Trebinje, its old town and ancient Arslanagić bridge. When arriving to Mostar we had some trouble to find our guesthouse: in Bosnia guesthouse means a private room in or next to a locals flat/apartment, so the

The first barrier was crossing the boarder from Croatia; fortunately we skipped most of the traffic jam by taking a little de-tour through a forest and mountain sideroad that ends right in front of the boarder. But after leaving Croatia there was a long queue again for entering Montenegro. We moved meter for meter, but it took ages.. Mostly because they checked for an international car insurance that many tourists did not seem to have. Again a few tips im travelling Montenegro upfront  Get an international car insurance if travelling by car (they carefully check at the boarder) The local currency is Euro (even though they are not a member of EU) Learn a few Montenegrian words (locals are very appreciated) When we first stopped to take some cash, we were quite surprised that Montenegro uses Euro as a currency. We learned that despite being not in the EU, they import all Euros and use it as a currency, but don't print or issue themselves. Prices seemed to be a bit cheaper

Let me tell you the story of our "travel fail" to Croatia: never underestimate peak season if you want to travel like a backpacker.. Three tips for travelling Croatia upfront Try to avoid peak season for a more flexible and cheap travel (most place were booked or just not affordable) Try to avoid July/August in case you want to do anything but lying at the beach (38-40 degrees are quite limiting) Bring or buy sea shoes (beaches are rocky and full of sea urchins), a mat to lay upon and a sun umbrella (as you will need shade) Bring Euros since many hostels/hotels charge in Euros and use conversion rates to their benefit Instead of carefully planning ahead we wanted to travel a bit more flexible and spontaneous - like a backpacker. Hence, we rented a car (already the price should have made us suspicious - double compared to September) and did not book any accommodation but the first night before we left. After visiting the amazing Plitvice National Park with all its fresh w

Since I had played with the thought of cycling alongside Rhine river for a while already, the bank holiday last week and the arrival of spring lead to a four day bike trip, just by myself: Destination was Cologne where my youngest sister is living, about 230km from Frankfurt if you always follow the turns of first Main and then Rhine river. I packed my bags (borrowed saddlebags from a colleague), a tent and sleeping bag and hopped on my bike. I was happy to have four days on my own with no plans made except for the final destination. I could decide everything free and spontaneously: where to go and when, where to take breaks and where to camp.  The first day I rode the first 30km next to the Main river to Mainz. Lots of green fields, trees and gravel ways, at least after I had passed the industrial areas West of Frankfurt. It took some time to get used to riding a bike with the bags, I rode much slower than I expected. After Mainz I hit the Rhine, my buddy for the next 200km ;) 

It is being said that travelling educates. They say travel widens your horizon and knowledge, it broadens your mind.  But not all experiences during travels are necessarily pleasant; some might be just unpleasant, some even frightening and some very bad. On the other hand side, (especially) those experiences will also have the aforementioned effect(s). And the least you will end up with is always a (good) story and a unique perspective. This post is about those stories.  The more I travelled the more I became aware that things do not always go quite as you planned or as you wished for - as is valid for life in general ;) And I am not only talking about regularl rip-offs (for transportation, tours, food or accommodation) or loosing something here and there. Those are to be expected, annoying but not much more. I am talking about nasty accidents, sicknesses, robberies, etc. Let me share a few of mine... Food poisoning in Thailand Rumour has it that 70% of tourists to Thailan