Fuad loves to travel! A lot! Carrying a Bangladeshi passport means he needs a prior visa for visiting most of the countries. He got detained in many borders because of his nationality but; he didn’t give up - he set his foot to 44 countries. He believes, if he could travel the world despite all the odds, you can, too. Fuad is a Computer Engineer by profession, and author of a travelogue in Bangla. He currently lives in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Melbourne is one of the best cities in the world for food. That is not a controversial take – it is just what the city is. Forty-four countries later, I have eaten in a lot of places. Melbourne still surprised me. What makes it unusual is the range. In a single day you can have a bowl of Japanese curry for AUD 10 in the morning, walk past some of the most...
The first decision most visitors get wrong about Melbourne is not what to do – it is where to sleep. Pick the wrong area and you spend your entire trip on trams trying to get somewhere. Pick the right one and the city opens up immediately – everything is walkable or a short ride away, and you spend your time actually in Melbourne rather than commuting to...
Rome in March is mild but changeable, with daytime highs of about 14 to 17°C, cooler nights of around 5 to 8°C, a fair chance of showers, and far fewer crowds than in summer. The grass around the Forum and Palatine Hill turns green and fills with spring flowers, and the evenings stretch out once the clocks go forward at the end of the month. I spent two days walking...
Everything has a limit. You can put a boundary around most things in life. But the beauty of Nepal’s remotest corners? That has no limit at all. I had been telling myself for years that I wasn’t ready. Not fit enough. Not brave enough. Not free enough. And then, one day, photos of the Annapurna Base Camp trek appeared in my newsfeed — and something...
Venice in November is cool, damp and often foggy, with daytime highs around 12°C, far fewer crowds than summer, lower hotel prices and a real chance of acqua alta, the seasonal high water. There is no day-tripper access fee in November either. I spent two nights there in the second week of the month, and this guide covers visiting Venice in November: the weather...
Burano is a small island in the Venetian Lagoon, about 45 minutes from Venice on Vaporetto Line 12 from Fondamente Nove. It is free to visit, easy to reach without a tour, and famous for its colourful houses and handmade lace. Three to four hours is enough, and Murano is on the way, so the two islands fit into one day. I went in November after two foggy days in...
State Library Victoria, at 328 Swanston Street in Melbourne’s CBD, is free to enter and open 10am to 6pm every day except New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. No booking is needed. Go first to the La Trobe Reading Room under the dome, then find Ned Kelly’s armour in the Redmond Barry Reading Room and the restored Ian Potter...
Day trips from Melbourne don’t need a car. I had three to four days in Melbourne, staying in West Melbourne on the edge of the CBD, with no rental car and no driving licence. Most travel guides assume you have a car, so they make these trips sound harder than they are: the Great Ocean Road “isn’t really possible”, Phillip Island is “best...
The train arrived at Sreemangal past midnight. The platform was surprisingly alive for that hour. Travellers in winter jackets pulling bags off the train, vendors hovering at the edges with tea and snacks, the blue-green Sreemangal station sign glowing overhead. We had boarded in Dhaka after dinner, half-asleep before the train left the city, and woken here: the tea...
The best day trips from Ao Nang are the 4 Islands tour, a full day on Koh Phi Phi, and Railay Beach with Phra Nang Cave Beach, a 10 to 15 minute longtail ride to Railay West and a short walk across the peninsula. I did all three from a base in Ao Nang. If you have more days, the Hong Islands, Phang Nga Bay (James Bond Island), the Emerald Pool and hot springs, and...