Split is a city on the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia, and it’s the second-largest city in the country after Zagreb. For my 2021 visit to Croatia, I bookended the trip with time in Zagreb and Split to compare the two. Split has a metropolitan population of about 346,000 people, so it’s not a huge place. […]
Notes on Rijeka – Croatia’s grand port city
Rijeka is the third-largest city in Croatia (behind Zagreb and Split) and the main seaport. Croatia is better known for its beach and island destinations, so Rijeka doesn’t figure high in tourism promotions. I had never heard of anything about Rijeka before going. My decision to go here was based purely on the fact that it […]
Notes on Zagreb – Croatia’s cool capital
Croatia is popular for its islands and beaches, so the inland capital of Zagreb doesn’t get as much consideration from European holidaymakers. After all, it’s just another European city. I first visited Zagreb in 2012, and I remarked on that trip that Zagreb was an underrated city. After nine years since my last visit, I […]
Flying with Singapore Airlines during the pandemic – SGN-SIN-MUC flight review
Flight: Singapore Airlines SQ 183 From: Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) To: Singapore (SIN) Flight: Singapore Airlines SQ 328 From: Singapore (SIN) To: Munich (MUC) It had been over 17 months since I had taken an international flight, which is the longest I’ve gone without an international flight since living the expat life in 1999. […]
Pham Viet Chanh – The coolest street in Saigon
Pham Viet Chanh Street and Ward 19 in Binh Thanh District has emerged to become one of the coolest neighbourhoods in Ho Chi Minh City. This up-and-coming area next to District 1 could be described as the Brooklyn of Saigon. Ward 19, Binh Thanh District, HCMC Travel readers would be familiar with the annual “best of” […]
Best new banks for travellers, expats, and nomads
A guide to new world of banking and finance – direct banks, international transfers, mobile wallets, crypto exchanges, and other online investing platforms I often grumble about the high fees associated with international banking when travelling abroad (especially with Australian banks), so I’ve been looking around at banking alternatives. Changing bank accounts is not something […]
Europe Rail News – The new newsletter for train travel in Europe
Introducing my latest project: Europe Rail News – the newsletter for train travel in Europe. The newsletter includes new routes, service updates, train travel tips, ticket deals, and features on European destinations by railway. Why start a Europe rail news site? Nomadic Notes is my online home to write about travel and digital nomad life. […]
Visiting every province in Vietnam
Having been based in Vietnam off and on for a number of years, I have been to most of the main tourist hot spots in that time. When the world went crazy in March 2020, I came back to Vietnam knowing that travel international travel was not going to get back to normal anytime soon. […]
Notes on Phu Quoc 2021- The tourism developments that have transformed this tropical island paradise
It had been six years since I was last in Phu Quoc, and things have changed fast there, even by Vietnam’s standards. The last time I visited I called it Southeast Asia’s next big thing. I was thinking in the context of it becoming a more known destination. The megaprojects that now dominate the island […]
Notes on Vung Tau: a weekend at the beach of Saigon
Vung Tau is a coastal city in the Southeast region of Vietnam, in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province. While Vung Tau is technically not the closest beach to Saigon, it’s the most accessible nicest beach to Saigon. Thus it is regarded as “the beach of Saigon”. [A Saigonesque skyline is growing on the Back Beach road […]
