My 15 Unforgettable Travel Memories of 2018 – Highs and Lows

All I can say is wow! What a year it was. 2018 was such an active and incredible year for me. This year was all about adventure and exploring new countries. All together 9 weeks, 13 flights, 3 continents, 7 countries, 5 islands, 11 cities, countless villages. Thousands of photos. 33 blog posts. Feelings of all sorts. Happy smiles, crocodile tears, excitement, disappointments. I have encountered them all.

The memories I made and everything I got to discover in 2018 were truly amazing and I am so thankful to have gotten the opportunity to travel so much. Now looking back, maybe even a bit too much as there was too little down time at home. That said I would love to share with you my most unforgettable travel memories – highs and lows – of 2018.

Prettiest scenery: Bali’s volcano shooting ash at sunset

I will remember this scenery forever. Sweeping bays of Amed, black volcanic sand and the most beautiful sunsets with Bali’s active volcano Mount Agung in the background. No tv needed for entertainment when nature

Travel Budget: Two Days in Doha, Qatar

Travelling is so inspiring and so much fun but it can be expensive, too. To find out exactly how much I spend on my travels I recently started to keep track on all my travel expenses using the TrabeePocket app. For this post I broke down my exact costs for my 48-hour stopover in Doha. I hope this will also help you plan your budget for your visit to Doha, the capital of Qatar. Before travelling to Doha I had absolutely no clue how expensive the city would be and how much I would be spending. I did not have a set budget for the weekend (like I never do), I just went with

25 Photos to Inspire You to Visit Doha, Qatar

My recent visit to Doha, the capital of Qatar, was my very first touch to the Middle East. I spent a lovely weekend in this super hot desert city that is evolving at a rapid pace. I was particularly blown away by Doha’s intriguing architecture, which is a combination of traditional, modern and futuristic. What I also found interesting and strange is the fact that camels live right in the heart of the city and that they were pretty much the only living creatures that were out and about during the day. Apart from the camels Doha was like an empty ghost town with no soul in sight. This is due to its super hot desert climate and the city comes alive as the sun goes down.

A picture is worth a thousand words, so I created a photo gallery including the most inspiring photos of Doha to turn on your wanderlust! The following photos perfectly sum up my weekend in Doha.

Fanar Islamic Cultural Center, Doha

Doha cityscape

10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Travelling to Doha, Qatar

No matter where you go, respecting local customs and laws is essential. Before you head to Qatar, there are a few things you should know before your first trip to Doha. For that reason, I have put together some practical tips I wish I knew before travelling to Doha. Knowing the following 10 things will help you make a seamless stay in Doha.

1. Extreme temperatures in Doha

Doha is hot as heck, especially during the summer months when temperatures are routinely around 50°C. During my visit in June temperatures were up at 43-47°C and not one

Free Souq Waqif Walking Tour, Doha, Qatar

On my first evening in Doha, I did a free Souq Waqif walking tour seeing all the highlights of the bazaar area. The tour was organised by my hotel Souq Waqif Boutique Hotels and all guests staying in any of their 9 boutique hotels in Souq Waqif are welcome to join in.Souq Waqif (“standing market”) is a lively bazaar area right off Doha’s seaside promenade Corniche. Souq Waqif is a combination of traditional and modern, and it is one of the most culturally rich places in Doha. Walking around in the maze of narrow alleyways takes you on an authentic journey back in time and you get to feel what

48-hour Stopover in Doha – What to See and Do in Doha, Qatar

On my recent trip to Indonesia, I flew Qatar Airways via Doha and took the chance to book a stopover in Doha with no extra cost. I am always up for new adventures in a new country. Furthermore, I used the Qatar Airways stopover programme for a free 5-star hotel stay (I actually stayed 2 nights for a nominal booking fee, more information on this at the end of this post).Doha, the capital of Qatar, is a relatively compact city and can easily be seen in two days. I stayed in Doha for 48 hours and managed to cover Doha’s most interesting attractions. Public transport is literally non-existent in Doha so to get from one place to another I mostly used

How to Book a Free Doha Stopover with a Complimentary 5-Star Hotel when Flying Qatar Airways

If you decide to fly Qatar Airways I can warmly recommend a stopover in Doha for a couple of days to explore the city. Thanks to Qatar’s recent policy improvements for transit passengers, right now Doha is perhaps a more attractive stopover destination than ever before.Recently Qatar introduced visa-free entry for citizens of 80 countries, Finland being one of them. To complement this, Qatar Airways and Qatar Tourism Authority introduced a stopover programme called +Qatar. This offers all Qatar Airways ticketed passengers transiting Doha for more than 12 hours a possibility to take advantage of a complimentary hotel stay

Airline Review: Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways, which was voted the world’s best airline in 2017 by travellers in the Skytrax World Airline Awards, started operating from my hometown Helsinki, Finland to Doha, Qatar 18 months ago. Ever since there has been a lot of buzz about the airline and finally I had the pleasure of flying Qatar Airways to Indonesia with a 48-hour stopover in Doha.Currently Qatar Airways operates two daily flights from Helsinki to Doha Hamad International Airport. A direct flight from Helsinki to Doha takes around 6 hours. This means that Doha makes a great gateway especially to South East Asia,