Travel Videos for Planning and Inspiration

I watch a lot of YouTube videos, probably more than I would care to admit. Recently, with my backpacking obsession, I have been watching so many travel videos. Today, I figured I should make use of all the time that I have wasted spent watching these videos and share them with you!

One of my favorite travel YouTubers, Mollie Bylett, shares what she packs in her backpack and her tips. Once you've watched this video, check out her channel!

The Vagabrothers answer questions about Eurail passes and how they used theirs during their trip around Europe.

Another video by Mollie Bylett, this time with her tips from when she backpacked Thailand.

I love all of Essena Oneill's vlogs, especially from her time in India! After you've watched Part 1 here, head over to her channel for more!

-Gabi

My Favorite Travel Blogs

For me, travel blogs are the best and worst type of blogs. The best because I get to explore all parts of the world without even leaving my house, but the worst because they make me so insanely jealous. I have a few favorites that I'm sharing today.

1 // The Blonde Abroad

Fun female travel with guides and tips.

2 // Alex in Wanderland

Scuba diving, parties, and lots of Southeast Asia.

3 // Adventurous Kate

Solo travel for women anywhere.

4 // Travelettes

A community of bloggers exploring every city you can think of.

-Gabi

European Travel Inspiration

I have a new obsession with backpacking. The summer after I graduate, I just want to buy a Eurail pass and explore all of the places in Europe that I've been dreaming of for years. For almost a week, I've been browsing YouTube and Pinterest obsessively, finding all the places I want to visit. This week, I'm going to be sharing some resources I've found for backpacking Europe and beyond, including my favorite travel blogs, videos, and tips. Today, I'm going to be featuring a few destinations and guides to them for you to begin to (wander)lust over.

Explore Barcelona with the Blonde Abroad.

Jet off to Prague with No Money, Will Travel.

Wander through Vienna with the Everygirl.

Enjoy yourself in Copenhagen with Design*Sponge.

-Gabi

Caught My Eye

Details at the beautiful Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.

Another relaxed summer week of browsing my favorite blogs is over, but I found these things along the way!

1 // Do I live in Australia? No. Am I going to Australia anytime soon? No. Do I still want to know 29 places to go in Sydney with my squad? Obviously.

2 // This market in Florence looks like a dream. That pasta though.

3 // I've found two new favorite YouTube channels for some serious travel inspiration. (I'm also obsessed with backpacking now, but that's a story for another time.)

High on Life

Mollie Bylett

4 // A few London spots recommended by Prep in Your Step.

-Gabi

The Orangery Tearoom & Patisserie, Bahrain

Another one of my Bahrain favorites, The Orangery. It's on the grounds of the Palace Boutique Hotel and it is delicious. The first time I went, it was for brunch and I got the French toast (yum!). 

This time, I went for lunch and I got the honey roasted chicken (so flavorful and the rice that comes with it is perfect) and Kandy tea. For dessert, I recommend the berry cake! It's dense, light, and not one bit dry. I also like that the frosting is more like a whipped cream than a super sweet icing.

Definitely recommend a stop at the Orangery if you're in Bahrain!

-Gabi

Top Travel: Oman

The Sultanate of Oman is a country in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula which is a fast growing travel destination and an amazing place to visit. I visited Oman a few months ago and I was very impressed. I enjoyed it even more than I expected to!

One of the first things we did there, and my favorite, was the Wadi Shab. A wadi is pretty much a (mostly) dry riverbed that you can find all over Oman and other places in the Middle East. Wadi Shab and a few others in Oman are very popular places for tourists because they can be easily hiked and are great for a more active, fun thing to do when traveling. 

I didn't take my camera on the walk, because you come to a point where you have to swim and I didn't want to risk any damage, but I did find this great YouTube video, so that you can see what it's really like! 

We also went to the Bimmah Sink Hole, only about 15 minutes to drive there from Wadi Shab. You can see it in this video by Casey Neistat. I thought that was pretty cool, because I had never seen the video until the day when we went to the sinkhole, when I just stumbled upon it on his channel, having no idea he had been to Oman! 

It is the part when he jumps off the ledge into water (so scary), it's even higher up in real life than it looks!

While in Oman, we stayed at the Shangri-La's Barr al Jissah Resort for most of our time and it was gorgeous. (Also, the food was amazing!)

We did so many other things too, but these were some of the highlights!

-Gabi

Caught My Eye

Since I'm on summer break, I've had plenty of time to read my favorite blogs, shop, and watch (a lot of) Netflix. These are a few of the favorite things I've discovered:

1 // A guide to the best brunches in Brisbane.

2 // A fun summer reading list.

3 // What to do in Paris.

4 // Black and white striped shift dress. (Under $20!)

5 // Toners for Sensitive Skin.

6 // College preparation guide.

-Gabi