Tag: experiences

An Announcement: The Trip of a Lifetime – 100Essential Travel Experiences

It’s been quiet on Travel Cake these past few months. Some of you have been asking me where I’ve been and what I’ve been up to. Well, I can tell you this much: I haven’t been slacking! I’ve moved from Ecuador to Belgium where I have been slaving away at a 9 to 5 desk […]

9 Day Trips you should Never Take

… Because they should be overnight trips! Day trips… convenient, efficient, and seemingly harmless. They let you cram a lot of sights into a short amount of time. But let’s be honest—some places deserve better than that. In my travels, I’ve come across too many spots that suffer under the weight of day-tripper tourism. You […]

5 Quirky things to do in Bogota, Colombia

Every time I spend a decent amount of time in a big city, I make it a mission to hunt down the quirky, funny, offbeat things that lie beyond the standard tourist trail. Since this was my second time in Bogotá, I’d already ticked off the usual “must-sees”—the Monserrate views, the Gold Museum, La Candelaria […]

Desert Oasis of your Dreams: Garmeh, Iran

For as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamed of visiting a real oasis. The sort of place you see in storybooks and old adventure films: a palm-fringed village with water gushing from an unlikely spring, crops growing against all odds, and silence so vast you could hear a sheep blink. A place where you […]

Wine Tasting in Corinth, Greece

When I think of “wine countries,” my mind immediately goes to France, South Africa, Chile, Australia, California…Greece doesn’t even come to mind. Strange, really—because back in antiquity, the Greeks were among the largest wine producers in the region. Their ancient techniques still form the foundation of modern wine culture today. Greek mythology and history are […]

2014 Travel Summary

I spent the last two days of 2014 in a haze, trying to beat jetlag and fatigue from the long transatlantic flight to South America. While the rest of the world was exchanging hugs and watching fireworks to ring in the new year, I was soundly asleep, cocooned in my warm bed. Despite the endless […]

Up close and personal with the Albanian Mountains in Valbona

Valbona: A Hidden Gem in the Albanian Alps The journey began in pitch darkness, on the side of a dirt road in northern Albania. I wasn’t alone—I had teamed up with a fellow traveller I’d met at a hostel. Our guesthouse owner in Shkoder had assured us that a bus would swing by to pick […]

A Greek Sunday Dinner: Cooking Lessons in Athens

The very first thought that sprang to mind when I decided to go to Greece was:“YES! Greek food!” I’ve always been a fan of Greek cuisine. Feta is one of my go-to cheeses, and moussaka happens to be my signature dish. When my friends and I can’t decide what or where to eat, a Greek […]