Assalaam ‘alaikum!

For my travel photos on IG: @anthro0nfoot

Sharing with you resources that helped me with travel planning + inspiration:

Books: Amelie Le Renard’s Western Privilege (highly recommended to me but haven’t read it myself), Erik Ringmar’s History of International Relations: A Non-European Perspective, Erin Meyer’s The Culture Map, Jim Krane’s City of Gold, Michael Morton’s Keepers of the Golden Shore, Nicholas Ostler’s Empires of the Word, Tim Marshall’s Prisoners of Geography and The Power of Geography. For reviews, visit Goodreads and Scribd*. 

Show: Geography Now! UAE

Tourism sites: free walking tours in Abu Dhabi (self-guided, but temporarily unavailable as of October 2024) and Dubai, official tourism websites for Abu Dhabi, Dubai, the UAE

Travel planning sites: Airalo eSIM ($3 discount code: RAIZEL7816)*, Airbnb, Booking.com*, Skyscanner, World Nomads*

(*Note: It helps keep this site going every time you sign up or book from these links. I am a big fan and have been using these sites since 2015. If this blog helped you in any way, it doesn’t hurt to make your booking from these links. Thank you!)

P.S. My keys to sustainable travels: acknowledge that your trip might not go as planned | back up important files before and during travel | bring a portable multi-cooker, coffee/tea press, food containers, utensils, water bottle, water heater, and clothesline rope | bring extra medicines and prescription | bring souvenirs from home for friends you’ll meet along the way | get a local sim card | get travel insurance | have an extra card to be used only for emergencies | learn the language if you deem it necessary | listen to your gut | only bring stuff that you can carry on your own | it’s okay to get adventurous with food, but only go for what’s vouched as clean and safe | record and stay on top of your expenses | stay in accommodations where cooking is allowed | take public transportation | treat everyone and yourself with kindness and respect, as always | treat guidebooks as guides; don’t get boxed by them | visit local cafés, markets, and parks (if the weather and security situation permit) | walk as much as you can | wake up early | when faced with difficult decisions, ask yourself why ❤