Reading suggestions

I’ve noticed more and more people planning their trips down to the last detail, mapping out day-by-day what they’re going to do and asking for technical advice for their 4x4 routes. That’s not my style of traveling at all—I mostly rely on the unpredictability of public transport (and the weather) and the people I meet along the way... The tips I share below come from real-time experiences, the kind of chance encounters that make unplanned trips special, and the strong connections you build when you take your time without knowing what tomorrow will bring.

So on the agenda today: Marakele.

Back in 2009, I spent a day there, and since then... I’ve tried several times to go back.

The park isn’t very big—nowhere near as lush as Kruger—but it has a lot going for it.

After our amazing experience in the Lofoten Islands in the summer of 2023, I suggested to Jean Marie another trek I’d been wanting to do for a long time: the Skye Trail.

A few photos of this stunning island and he was sold and ready to go.

When you tell your friends and family about your wild urge to escape to the other side of the planet to mingle with the Mongols, it usually comes with a bunch of questionable jokes and terrible puns. For this new adventure, it’s a different destination but the same old story—this time, we’re visiting the "Puglians." Wheels up for Puglia right now!

VoyageForum is celebrating its 1-year reopening anniversary with MyAtlas! Thanks for this amazing year—you’ve come back with unforgettable adventures shared on VoyageForum, swapped tips, and dreamed up future trips... So why not bring them to life in a new way?

So I’m gonna try to pick up posting travel journals again, starting with destinations where there aren’t many recent stories. I’ll kick things off with our 2-week trip exploring the western part of Cuba. Our itinerary, covered in a 1954 classic American car with our driver Yoan, who spoke excellent French.

Hi everyone!

That was about all the Spanish I could say before we left... Luckily, Tom, 15 and in high school, gets by really well! And Caroline did a year of Duolingo before we left... Anyway, after 55 days in the American West three years ago, it’s Mexico’s turn for this second long trip.

Hi everyone,

We traveled to Norway in the summer of 2025, from July 17th to 29th, to visit Senja Island and the Lofoten archipelago with a rental car. The main theme of these twelve days was clearly hiking, along with a few visits and experiences, and nights spent in a tent or in the car (which made it possible).

Ah, Iceland and us—it’s a long story, or rather, a long wait... The first time we considered going was already 7-8 years ago, after reading travel journals describing breathtaking landscapes, countless active or dormant volcanoes, glaciers, and endless waterfalls with extraordinary flows.

I especially love these spontaneous trips, and our stay in Cape Verde is one of those because it was only in early April that we decided on this getaway—even though it had been catching our eye for a while, since we’re mountain lovers.

The cocktail recipe: endless beaches, a dazzling palette of colors, some breathtaking hikes, and excellent cuisine...

For the tasting, follow along in the pages of this travel journal! 😉

For years, travel forums embodied the spirit of mutual aid on the web. Travelers voluntarily shared their experiences, great tips, and hidden spots. This collective generosity seemed endless.

Type “Kerala 15-day trip” into a search engine, or ask an AI for recommendations. Here’s what you’ll get: “Day 1: Cochin. Day 3: Munnar. Day 6: Thekkady. Day 9: Backwaters. Day 11: Beach.” Munnar, Periyar, Alleppey, Marari... Exotic names lined up like on a TV travel show. Buses drop you off, photos follow one after another, and the backwaters suffocate under engines and waste.

MyAtlas promo: 15% off your travel photo book!

You’ve explored the world, captured landscapes, and lived unforgettable moments... What if now was the perfect time to bring them to life on paper?

Travel is, above all, a story of encounters. Those that inspire us, guide us, and make us dream. That’s why we’re happy to announce a partnership between Petit Futé and VoyageForum—two worlds that share the same passion: travel as lived and told by those who truly set off.

While planning a trip to the LOFOTEN for summer 2023 using the excellent guide *"Randonner aux Lofoten"*, we discovered this trek.

Sure, it’s rated as difficult, but it lets you cross the LOFOTEN on foot from north to south in 11 stages, covering 160 km and 9,193 m of elevation gain (or the reverse, of course).

So, it’s a multi-day hike, with wild camping, and no need to rent a car. Awesome...

And here we are at the end of September 2024. Another trip focused on arches—I never get tired of them. Every time I check one off my list, another gets added. Often it's a photo I've seen online or in the NABS (Natural Arches and Bridges Association) magazine, which I'm a member of. I also scour the WAD (World Arches Database) and make a list of arches I want to visit. Fewer and fewer "viewpoints" now—I've done all the most famous ones, and unless the sky is amazing, the photos start to look the same. Since my goal is still photography, in addition to hiking.

Hi there,

First attempt at a travel journal for me and first post after 7 years away from this forum. 😮 I went to La Palma island for 15 days in September 2025. After visiting Lanzarote in February, I was looking for a different and greener island. Well, I wasn’t disappointed. 😎

Over-the-top skyscrapers? You’ll get the idea when you see the photo illustrating this travel journal—though it might change as the trip goes on.

The sheer number of markets is what makes them larger-than-life, not necessarily their size (though Chatuchak is a beast!). Day markets, night markets, floating markets, fresh produce markets, fish markets, meat markets, spice markets, fabric markets… and even amulet markets. For luck, good fortune, protection.

What makes Bologna unique are its porticoes, which have been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2021: 62 km of arcades along the buildings that let you walk sheltered from the sun or rain. Back in 1288, the municipality required houses to include private porticoes for public use. In the city center, you can stroll under 38 miles of porticoes in various styles, some more ornate than others, with a dominant palette of red tones.

So Kate and I spent a week in Istanbul. For her, who had already visited, it was a return; for me, a discovery.

As we’ve now made a habit of, I write the texts and she posts her photos. We hope this illustrated story, crafted together, will revive beautiful memories for those who know the city and inspire others to discover it.

We did the Langtang trek (hike) from September 10th to 17th, with the first and last days being the trip from Kathmandu and back—so 6 days of actual walking. It’s a fairly well-known trek but definitely not as famous or crowded as the Annapurna or Everest ones, which is why we chose it.

After a few requests like "are you going to write a travel journal" and especially the renewed pleasure from reading other travelers' travel journals about Japan or elsewhere on this forum or others, I've decided to share my 4th installment in the Land of the Rising Sun here.

Hi everyone, In mid-July 2025, we were lucky enough to spend about ten days in Bulgaria. We did a 10-day road trip exploring this beautiful and underrated Balkan country!

As mentioned in the title, a travel journal focused on St. Lucia and iSimangaliso ("this place is miraculous" = Zulu translation) over various stays spanning about twenty years.

This journal recounts a trip to Rajasthan that’s already over a year old and that I’m only now getting around to writing up. The summer of 2024 marked my return to India—my tenth trip—after six long years away since my last solo wanderings in Tamil Nadu back in 2018 (the journal for which is published on this site).

Why not play to win your next vacation?

We’re offering a little game (okay, fine, it’s not a walk in the park—you’ll have to do some digging!) with DirecTravel: the prize is 5 nights for one person at the Nilaya Experience guesthouse, in the heart of Kerala, India.

Hey fellow travelers,

This isn’t meant to be a full-on travel journal—just a little springtime dip into the Moroccan coast (and maybe a bit more if we hit it off). For our 3rd trip to this country, we set off for 8 days in early June 2025, confident we’d be greeted by non-stop sunshine...

I’ve been waiting nearly 15 years for this day!! I travel a lot, but this one—this is MY TRIP🙂 It kept getting postponed because... I wanted to do this trip with the right person... because I have a Turkish stamp in my passport and apparently that means they won’t issue a visa... because of COVID... and then because... Then China rolls out a 30-day visa exemption, and boom—it’s go time!

New life downloading in progress for three weeks! And for that, Flo and I launched a public tender... A public tender? What's the connection with a travel journal?