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Africa

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Africa Travel Planning

2018.03.18

AFRICA VISA INFORMATION The following information is based on U.S. citizenship… If you’re from a country other than the U.S., view visa details HERE! If you’re from the U.S. and want more information...

#TRAVELTIPS✈ If you're in Fez, a must- see is the leather tanneries! They are ridiculously smelly, so the workers give you mint leaves to sniff while you're taking pictures because they know the smell is unbearable for tourists... ⠀ Fun fact! Here's a list of the ingredients they use to produce different colors in the leathers: Red » poppy Orange » henna Yellow » saffron Green » mint Blue » indigo Purple » (mix) Pink » rosemary Brown » cedar wood Black » mascara ⠀ But before you go, be prepared for EXTREME pushiness from the sales guys. Some tourists go in not knowing this and get bullied into paying a lot of money they didn't want to (or need to). Familiarize yourself with the basics before setting off to the tanneries in Fez! ⠀ Read more about this, and how to find the tanneries, on ℍ𝕠𝕝𝕖𝕊𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕤.𝕔𝕠𝕞 (& search "Fez" for more info)
It's snowing again here in Norway! And Hell just froze over! (quite literally)
#TRAVELTIPS✈ The color of Lake Louise is unreal! If you happen to go to this magical place, definitely do the small hike up the hill to the tea house (and another small lake)! ⠀ Lake Agnes Tea House was built in 1901 as a shelter for hikers and began serving tea in 1905. Regardless of the history, it's a great hike with awesome views, and a nice little hangout spot at the end -- I love hikes that conclude with drinks! =) ⠀ More pictures of Lake Louise, pictures of the tea house, the hike, and alternative options to the top other than hiking are on my website! ⠀ Link in bio... Or go to ℍ𝕠𝕝𝕖𝕊𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕤.𝕔𝕠𝕞 and search "Tea House"
#TRAVELTIPS✈ Even if it's chilly outside, wear sunscreen! ⠀ Picture taken deep in Denali National Park (Alaska) under the Midnight Sun. The sun was literally up even after midnight, and I didn't even think to put sunscreen on because it was chilly outside and, I really NEVER burn! But you can see in the picture how burned my nose and forehead are! Haha ⠀ Also remember: sun reflecting off snow is SUPER strong! The worst burn I've ever had was while snowboarding in shorts, because I didn't feel hot at all! So crazy... ⠀ How/When did you get the worst burn you've ever had? Was it in the cold??
If you're planning an Italian getaway, it's good to know about "COPERTO" -- when you sit in a restaurant for a meal or a drink, your bill will have sales tax AND "coperto," which is essentially a table tax for sitting at the table (a charge for using the tablecloth, napkin, silverware, etc.) Generally, the coperto is anywhere between €1 to €5 (depending on the popularity of the restaurant). ⠀ This was super weird for me because, as an American, I'm totally not used to it... But Italians think nothing of it (just like Americans don't even think twice about tipping). By the way, tipping in Europe is nice, and expected with good service, but not as much as in the US...
Fun little hike above Kotor -- one of my favorite cities in Montenegro! If you're planning to visit Montenegro, then Kotor is a must (even if you just stay in the city center and not hike the mountains). By the way, at the top of this mountain is a bar with cold beer -- best hike of the trip! Haha!
PNW 💙 From when I used to live out of my car, and roam free, where ever the wind blew me ....
#TRAVELTIPS✈ 🇮🇹 Italy ⠀ If you're near Naples and have already been to Pompeii (or just want to avoid those crowds), check out Herculaneum! It's actually closer to Naples and has just as much history and story as Pompeii. ⠀ Both were burried in the ash and lava flow from the erruption of Mount Vesuvius and have very similar artifacts to see. However, unlike Pompeii, the heavy blanket of lava that covered Herculaneum carbonized and preserved wood and other organic-based materials such as roofs, beds, doors, food, etc. Seeing how people lived so long ago, and being able to walk through the town, was really amazing. ⠀ Picture: The holes you see in the counter near me were to hold pots of different temperatures to cook food (or to keep it cold). This was actually the first "fast food" places where people would grab something on their way to work... So cool! ⠀ Sidenote: This was the last time I ever saw my favorite hat! RIP hat =(
Right now, this stone has a routine, a job, a boss... But this stone's heart was made for traveling, continuously rolling, and gathering no moss.