Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Fujairah—How to Visit as a Non-Muslim

This article contains both a story of how we managed to visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Fujairah (as non-Muslims) as well as actionable tips. We visited on Wednesday the 7th of April, 2021. To skip forward to the how-to, click here. Contents1 UAE Mosques that Allow Non-Muslim Visitors2 An Evening Visit to Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque2.1 A Stunning Vista2.2 Employee of the Month3 Online Research into Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque4 A Guided Tour of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque4.1 Dressing for + Taxi to + Entering Fujairah Mosque4.2 On Tour with Aisha4.3 Many, Many Domes4.4 The Main Prayer Hall4.5Continue reading

Publications

Here's some of the publications I've written for other websites, with little excerpts of what I've written about solo female hitchhiking, traveling to other cultures and working from anywhere. In English Buenos Aires Travel Guide for Digital Nomads eBook with Digital Nomads Guides, a company I cofounded "Argentina’s capital city has been compared to some of the most famous European cities, but its true value lies in the differences to other metropoles. Buenos Aires is one of the most visited cities on the South American continent as part of the backpacker’s gringo-trail and a safe choice among recent retirees willing to travel to Latin America. There’s plenty of culture and history to fill your days sightseeing and listening to tour guides. This guide is not about any of that; other guides do that a lot better."   Camping Spots that make you wonder why we ever sleep indoors on FeatheryTravels.com owned by Katie Featherstone "This country in South America is a land of extremes. From… Read more >

Four Days in the Aosta Valley (Italy)

Between two catsits in Geneva, Switzerland, and The Hague, the Netherlands, we took the bus from Geneva to Aosta in Italy. Aosta is the capital of the autonomous Aosta Valley region, which is bilingual (Italian and French). From the 30th of May till the 3rd of June, we spent four incredible days in the Aosta Valley. We used the city of Aosta as a base for day trips to the surrounding villages. Contents1 Plotting Our Trip + Bus Ride from Geneva to Aosta2 But First, Pizza + Gnocchi3 Taking the Bus to Cogne + Hiking to Lillaz Waterfalls4 Cogne toContinue reading

How to Get a SIM Card in Bishkek, or Anywhere in Kyrgyzstan

When traveling to Kyrgyzstan, it’s a great idea to not save on the wrong end and pick up a SIM card. We did that at the Manas International Airport in Bishkek on arrival. Mobile data is very cheap in Kyrgyzstan. Here’s how to get a SIM card in Bishkek without making the mistakes we made. FYI, the country code for Kyrgyzstan is +996 Contents1 Which Kyrgyz Telecom Company Should I Choose?2 Buying a SIM Card in Bishkek: Manas International Airport3 We Bought the Wrong Package4 Topping Up the Balance at a Machine5 Kyrgyzstan SIM Card FAQ5.1 Is buying a SIMContinue reading

Take It Slow: 20000 Kilometers Hitched in South America

Over the past few months, I’ve been trying to get a better insight into how long my hitchhiking trips have been. It has also inspired me to take a look at the current leg of my three-year trip and tadaaa! it turns out I was about to cross the 20000 kilometers hitched mark in South America alone. That’s actually pretty slow! To clarify for non-metric people: that’s 12427 miles by thumb and foot overland. Why do I care? I don’t. Other people seem to care, though, and keeping some statistics can be fun. Other people asking stuff is the main reason IContinue reading

Canary Islands, beware of the Hitchhiker

Just five days until I hit up Las Palmas in the Canary Islands! I can’t wait to wear summer clothes again and walk in flip flops or barefoot. Wow, I’ll miss the beautiful autumn colors here in my hometown though! Such wow… I hitchhiked to my hometown again today to see more family and friends. Jonas and I have taken the train from Maastricht to my small train station Hollansche Rading. There’s no bus, so we hitchhiked from the roundabout to my mom’s house. This was Jonas’ first time hitchhiking. I think he liked it 😍 I’ll also need to startContinue reading

FAQ

When talking about hitchhiking - whether in the car or in a bar - I get asked many of the same questions. In the beginning days, I had already compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions[note]Short for FAQ, if you’re not familiar with the term.[/note] in my dear old notebook. Since some of you might want to ask the same thing, I decided to copy these questions and more here for your benefit. Most of the answers are valid for both hitchhiking and traveling solo (as a woman). Q. Aren’t you scared when hitchhiking? A. No. You can’t be scared. I truly believe that fear can be smelled of you, so a potential creep would know they have an advantage. My personal experience is that the times I was scared, bad shit would ensue. Q. So, do you often flash your tits to get a ride? A. Never. Not that anyone would be impressed. Q. How do you fund your trips/what’s… Read more >

Norway

Norway is a country I've already visited. During my semester abroad in Aarhus, Denmark, I visited on two occasions. My first visit was in October well before the sun disappeared from the horizon. I flew to Oslo, took the train to Bergen, then returned by train and flew to Honningsvåg via Kirkenes. During my layover in Kirkenes, I did my first solo hitch into town and back. I loved seeing all the signs in Russian since Russian has always been one of my target languages along with Spanish. I returned to Oslo via the same flight route and then hitchhiked the ferry from Larvik to Hirtshals in Denmark. That is why my experiences solo traveling in Norway are so fundamental to my development as a hitchhiker and a traveler. [booking location="Norway" address="Oslo, Norway"] A few weeks later in November, I rather spontaneously returned. This time, I hitchhiked from Kiruna in Sweden to Narvik in Norway via the Riksgränsen border. As… Read more >

They Told Me I Could Be Anything…

I think it’s time to hop on the bandwagon of inspirational quotes on pictures. My first attempt is the “they told me I could be anything” meme-format. It’s to expand the blog and do silly shit to go viral on the internet. I’m not sure if it’s working. I took this photo when I was hitchhiking in Iran from Lar to the great city of Shiraz. The Farsi hitchhiking sign says ‘Shiraz’. No thumb. Because anyone who’s read Iran’s HitchWiki knows that a thumb means something similar to a middle finger in the west. Now let’s post this picture toContinue reading