The Best Christmas Markets in Barcelona: 2018 Guide

December 24, 2018 By Somto Ugwueze Leave a Comment

The 5 Most Enchanting Christmas Markets in Barcelona (2018)

This time of the year, cities and towns across Spain roll out their Christmas markets. They aren’t quite like the fairytale Christmas Markets you’ll find in Germany, but they still have a lot to offer. You’ll find elaborate nativity scenes and some quirky traditions unique to Catalunya. This post is about the best Christmas markets in Barcelona and how to plan your trip to Barcelona over the holidays.

The 7 Best Day Trips from Barcelona: From Roman Ruins To Sandy Beaches

December 22, 2018 By Somto Ugwueze 2 Comments

The Best Day Trips from Barcelona: 7 Destinations For Your Itinerary

Barcelona isn’t the only place worth visiting in Catalunya. If you’re looking for more destinations to add to your itinerary, here is a list of the 7 best day trips from Barcelona. These towns and cities are much less touristy than Barcelona so you can get a more authentic feel of what life is like in Catalunya. You’ll find everything from Roman ruins to sandy beaches (that are much better than those in Barcelona!) This is your complete guide to the best day trips from Barcelona.

A Self-Guided Gaudi Walking Tour of Barcelona with Map

November 28, 2018 By Somto Ugwueze Leave a Comment

Gaudi Walking Tour of Barcelona with Map

Antoni Gaudi, the iconic Catalan architect, built some of his greatest works in Barcelona. His modernist buildings are sprinkled around the city, and you view them through a free walking tour. This post shows you how to design your own self-guided Gaudi walking tour of Barcelona. You’ll also get a map with a route you can follow to see 6 Gaudi masterpieces in one day or over the course of a few days.

The 3 Best Berlin Christmas Markets To Visit This Year (2019)

November 8, 2018 By Somto Ugwueze 6 Comments

Discover Berlin’s Most Beautiful Christmas Markets (2019)

The months of November and December are a truly magical period to visit Germany. Christmas is a favorite holiday for the Germans so there are lots of festivities during those months. One of the top reasons to visit during the holiday season is to experience the beautiful Christmas markets. This post is about Berlin’s Christmas Markets, in particular. There are hundreds of Christmas markets throughout the city so it would be impossible to visit even half of them. That’s why I’m breaking down the best Christmas markets in Berlin based on my own experiences and a little bit of digging.

El Totumo Mud Volcano: 10 Tips To Survive Your Mud Bath

October 24, 2018 By Somto Ugwueze 5 Comments

10 Tips To Survive the El Totumo Mud Volcano in Colombia

The El Totumo Mud Volcano (Volcan de Lodo El Totumo) is surprisingly one of the most popular tourist attractions around Cartagena, Colombia. There are dozens of tour companies that take groups there for the famous mud bath. Just a one hour drive from Old Town Cartagena, the attraction is a thick pool of mud inside a man-made volcano in the middle of nowhere. Why would anyone want to take off their clothes and lounge in a 50 feet mud bath while being groped by random men? Well, that’s precisely what I did on my trip to Cartagena, afraid of missing out on a ‘unique’ experience. Visiting this volcano is among the top five dumbest decisions I’ve ever made. It almost cost me my life! I’m writing this post to warn anyone thinking about visiting El Totumo Mud Volcano about the risks. I also want to break down what to expect and how to stay safe if you still decide to go. Here are 10 things to know before you visit the El Totumo Mud Volcano.

The 5 Friendliest Countries in Europe for Black Travelers

October 20, 2018 By Somto Ugwueze 82 Comments

5 Black-Friendly European Countries You’ll Love

Traveling while black in Europe over the last seven years, I have experienced far more wow moments and fuzzy feelings than negatives experiences. I won’t to let incidents like being refused service at a tapas bar in Spain and getting stalked by a middle-aged man in Croatia taint the priceless moments I’ve had. Still, black tourists like myself unfortunately have to deal with unpleasant treatment on a continent that touts its progressiveness. But Europe is a vast place with plenty of black-friendly destinations where you can feel right at home. In this post, I’m going to share the 5 friendliest countries in Europe for black travelers. This list is based on my experiences as well as those of other avid black travelers.