Travel guides

Planning a trip? Maybe one that’s a little bit out-of-the-ordinary? The guides here are full of important details and practical information, all based on our first-hand experience traveling in countries where things don’t always work out the way you expect.

Brazzaville to Kinshasa border Congo river
Democratic Republic of Congo

Crossing the Congo river from Brazzaville to Kinshasa

The Congo river separates the two closest capital cities in the world: Brazzaville and Kinshasa. You can cross the river border in a ‘canot rapide’ – boats that make the trip from one city to the other in about fifteen minutes. Too easy? Don’t worry. There are plenty of obstacles in store, thanks to infamous levels of corruption. Still, crossing this mighty river from one Congo to the next has been pretty high on our ‘to do’ list for a while. And here’s how it went.

October 10, 2024
Malaysia to Indonesia ferry
Indonesia

How to travel by ferry from Malaysia to Indonesia (Sumatra)

You can of course fly from Kuala Lumpur to Sumatra’s capital city Medan in less than two hours. But if, like us, you’d vastly prefer a lengthy overland excursion instead, you can travel from one country to the other on a combination of public transport offerings by land and sea. Crossing by ferry between Malaysia and Indonesia is easy, it’s just time consuming: it took us a bit under three days to get from KL to Medan. Here’s how.

July 2, 2024
Thailand to Malaysia border
Malaysia

How to travel from Thailand to Malaysia by road

You can of course fly from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur in no time. But if, like us, you’d vastly prefer a lengthy overland excursion instead, you can travel from one country to the other on public transport. Travelling by road between Thailand and Malaysia is easy, it’s just a bit more time consuming. Here’s how to do it.

July 2, 2024
Mongolia roadtrip steppe
Mongolia

Self-driving roadtrip in Mongolia: itinerary and planning

Self-driving and wild camping in Mongolia definitely makes for one of the world’s ultimate roadtrips. Thinking about taking it on? In this post I’ve outlined our 16 day self-driving itinerary, and I’ve provided information to help you plan your own ultimate roadtrip.

July 2, 2024
Khavsgul lake roadtripping Mongolia
China

How to cross the border from China to Mongolia

This post is based on our experience crossing the border from Erenhot (China) to Zamiin-Uud (Mongolia) in May 2024. There are two typical ways to do this border-crossing. You can take the Trans-Siberian train from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar. Or, you can string the journey together with a bus on one side of the border, and then a train. So, if you ever wondered how to cross the border between China and Mongolia by road, then read on.

June 9, 2024
Forbidden city Beijing
China

Getting a visa for China in Kathmandu

Getting a Chinese visa outside your home country can be a bit of a gamble. But, you can get it at the Chinese Visa Application Service Center in Kathmandu. This post is about our experience getting a tourist visa for China in Kathmandu, in April 2024.

June 9, 2024
Brazzaville to Kinshasa border Congo river
Democratic Republic of Congo

Crossing the Congo river from Brazzaville to Kinshasa

The Congo river separates the two closest capital cities in the world: Brazzaville and Kinshasa. You can cross the river border in a ‘canot rapide’ – boats that make the trip from one city to the other in about fifteen minutes. Too easy? Don’t worry. There are plenty of obstacles in store, thanks to infamous levels of corruption. Still, crossing this mighty river from one Congo to the next has been pretty high on our ‘to do’ list for a while. And here’s how it went.

Read More »
October 10, 2024
Malaysia to Indonesia ferry
Indonesia

How to travel by ferry from Malaysia to Indonesia (Sumatra)

You can of course fly from Kuala Lumpur to Sumatra’s capital city Medan in less than two hours. But if, like us, you’d vastly prefer a lengthy overland excursion instead, you can travel from one country to the other on a combination of public transport offerings by land and sea. Crossing by ferry between Malaysia and Indonesia is easy, it’s just time consuming: it took us a bit under three days to get from KL to Medan. Here’s how.

Read More »
July 2, 2024
Thailand to Malaysia border
Malaysia

How to travel from Thailand to Malaysia by road

You can of course fly from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur in no time. But if, like us, you’d vastly prefer a lengthy overland excursion instead, you can travel from one country to the other on public transport. Travelling by road between Thailand and Malaysia is easy, it’s just a bit more time consuming. Here’s how to do it.

Read More »
July 2, 2024
Mongolia roadtrip steppe
Mongolia

Self-driving roadtrip in Mongolia: itinerary and planning

Self-driving and wild camping in Mongolia definitely makes for one of the world’s ultimate roadtrips. Thinking about taking it on? In this post I’ve outlined our 16 day self-driving itinerary, and I’ve provided information to help you plan your own ultimate roadtrip.

Read More »
July 2, 2024
Khavsgul lake roadtripping Mongolia
China

How to cross the border from China to Mongolia

This post is based on our experience crossing the border from Erenhot (China) to Zamiin-Uud (Mongolia) in May 2024. There are two typical ways to do this border-crossing. You can take the Trans-Siberian train from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar. Or, you can string the journey together with a bus on one side of the border, and then a train. So, if you ever wondered how to cross the border between China and Mongolia by road, then read on.

Read More »
June 9, 2024
Forbidden city Beijing
China

Getting a visa for China in Kathmandu

Getting a Chinese visa outside your home country can be a bit of a gamble. But, you can get it at the Chinese Visa Application Service Center in Kathmandu. This post is about our experience getting a tourist visa for China in Kathmandu, in April 2024.

Read More »
June 9, 2024