https://www.travelstorymaker.com/ Long-form travel guides and day-by-day trip itineraries, written and checked by Benoit Ga. en Fri, 28 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT 1440 https://www.travelstorymaker.com/blog/my-trip-in-cuba-7-days/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/blog/my-trip-in-cuba-7-days/ Havana, Viñales and Trinidad in a week: casas particulares, the cash situation nobody prepares you for, and why the shared taxi beats the tourist bus. Trip reports Cuba Americas Itinerary Sat, 15 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/blog/my-trip-in-dubai-10-days/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/blog/my-trip-in-dubai-10-days/ Ten days in Dubai without spending a fortune: the old city, the desert, a day in Abu Dhabi, and the two hours a day you simply cannot use. Trip reports Dubai Asia Itinerary Tue, 11 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/blog/my-trip-in-greece-5-days/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/blog/my-trip-in-greece-5-days/ Athens and Naxos in five days: the Acropolis at opening time, the ferry decision that saves the trip, and why Santorini is worth skipping. Trip reports Greece Europe Islands Itinerary Fri, 14 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/blog/my-trip-in-japan-20-days/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/blog/my-trip-in-japan-20-days/ Tokyo, the Alps, Kyoto, Hiroshima and back: twenty days by rail with a JR Pass, day by day, including whether the pass was actually worth it. Trip reports Japan Asia Itinerary Trains Mon, 17 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/blog/my-trip-in-lisbon-3-days/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/blog/my-trip-in-lisbon-3-days/ Three days in Lisbon done properly: tram 28 at the right hour, Belém in the morning, Sintra as a full day, and the hills nobody warns you about. Trip reports Portugal Europe City break Itinerary Sun, 09 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/blog/my-trip-in-moscow-5-days/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/blog/my-trip-in-moscow-5-days/ Five days in Moscow: the Kremlin, a metro system built as a palace, and a city whose scale takes two days to adjust to. Trip reports Moscow Europe Itinerary Mon, 10 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/blog/my-trip-in-slovenia-4-days/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/blog/my-trip-in-slovenia-4-days/ Ljubljana, Lake Bled, the Soča valley and Piran in four days - a country small enough to cross in three hours and green enough to justify every one of them. Trip reports Slovenia Europe Itinerary Wed, 12 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/blog/my-trip-in-spain-alicante-granada-seville/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/blog/my-trip-in-spain-alicante-granada-seville/ Eight days across Andalusia and the Levante by bus and train: the Alhambra ticket problem, the best three hours in Seville, and eating at the right hour. Trip reports Spain Europe Itinerary Thu, 13 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/blog/my-trip-in-thailand-20-days/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/blog/my-trip-in-thailand-20-days/ Twenty days from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and down to the Andaman coast: the day-by-day route, what each leg costs in time, and the three things worth changing. Trip reports Thailand Asia Itinerary Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/blog/my-trip-in-usa-roadtrip-10-days/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/blog/my-trip-in-usa-roadtrip-10-days/ Las Vegas to Zion, Bryce, Monument Valley, Antelope Canyon and the Grand Canyon: a 10-day loop with real driving times and the permit traps. Trip reports United States Americas Road trip Itinerary Sun, 16 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/crossing-a-continent-by-train/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/crossing-a-continent-by-train/ When rail genuinely beats flying, how sleeper trains actually work, what to book in advance, and the routes worth taking for their own sake. Travel guides Trains Slow travel Europe Asia Wed, 08 Apr 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/responsible-travel/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/responsible-travel/ Where tourist money actually goes, which choices measurably matter, why the animal experience is usually wrong, and how to spend locally. Travel guides Responsible travel Ethics Planning Wed, 12 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/see-the-northern-lights/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/see-the-northern-lights/ Latitude, season, moon phase, cloud cover and patience: how to plan an aurora trip that works, and what nobody tells you about the photographs. Travel guides Arctic Planning Norway Iceland Wed, 04 Mar 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/how-to-book-a-cheap-flight/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/how-to-book-a-cheap-flight/ When to book, which days are genuinely cheaper, why the "clear your cookies" advice is a myth, and the techniques that really cut a fare. Travel guides Flights Budget Planning Wed, 26 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/eat-where-locals-eat/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/eat-where-locals-eat/ Reliable signals for good food anywhere in the world, the rules that work in markets, and why the restaurant with the photo menu is telling you something. Travel guides Food Markets Practical Wed, 20 May 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/how-to-rent-a-car-while-traveling/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/how-to-rent-a-car-while-traveling/ The excess trap, why the fuel policy matters more than the daily rate, what an International Driving Permit is, and how to avoid a damage dispute. Travel guides Car rental Driving Budget Tue, 25 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/use-your-phone-while-traveling-abroad/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/use-your-phone-while-traveling-abroad/ eSIM, local SIM or roaming - which to choose and when, how to avoid a four-figure data bill, and the settings to change before you get on the plane. Travel guides Phones eSIM Practical Sun, 23 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/island-hopping/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/island-hopping/ How to build an island route that works: reading timetables, the one-way rule, what happens when the wind gets up, and why three islands beats six. Travel guides Islands Ferries Greece Philippines Wed, 15 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/jet-lag/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/jet-lag/ The body clock explained without the pseudoscience, a light-timing plan that genuinely shortens recovery, and the flight habits that make arrival easier. Travel guides Health Flying Planning Wed, 01 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/packing-light/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/packing-light/ A carry-on system that survives three weeks and four climates, why the wheels matter less than the weight, and the five items people always regret bringing. Travel guides Packing Planning Gear Wed, 06 May 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/travel-photographs/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/travel-photographs/ Fewer, better frames: light, foreground, people, and the discipline of the twenty-four exposure roll. Practical advice that works on a phone. Travel guides Photography Practical Wed, 29 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/tips-and-tricks-for-traveling/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/tips-and-tricks-for-traveling/ Forty practical habits collected from the road: before you go, at the airport, on arrival, and the ones you only learn by being caught out. Travel guides Practical Planning Habits Thu, 20 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/travelling-at-altitude/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/travelling-at-altitude/ What thin air does to you, why fitness does not protect you, the ascent rules that prevent most problems, and the symptoms that mean go down now. Travel guides Health Mountains Andes Himalaya Wed, 03 Jun 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/desert-travel/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/desert-travel/ Deserts are colder, emptier and more organised than people expect. How to plan the trip, what to carry, and why the night is the real surprise. Travel guides Desert Sahara Namibia Planning Wed, 17 Jun 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/where-to-stay-while-traveling/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/where-to-stay-while-traveling/ Hotels, guesthouses, hostels and apartments compared honestly: what each is good at, how to pick a neighbourhood, and the costly booking mistakes. Travel guides Accommodation Planning Budget Mon, 24 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/which-credit-card-to-use-abroad/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/which-credit-card-to-use-abroad/ Foreign transaction fees, the dynamic currency conversion trap, why you carry two cards on different networks, and what matters when choosing. Travel guides Money Cards Practical Sat, 22 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/which-travel-insurance-to-choose/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/which-travel-insurance-to-choose/ What travel insurance is actually for, the exclusions that catch people out, single-trip versus annual, and how to work out the cover level you need. Travel guides Insurance Health Planning Fri, 21 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/shoulder-season/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/shoulder-season/ Half the price, a third of the crowds, and weather that mostly behaves. How to work out the shoulder season for any destination - and when it is a bad idea. Travel guides Planning Budget Seasons Wed, 22 Apr 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/first-solo-trip/ https://www.travelstorymaker.com/guides/first-solo-trip/ Where to go, how long to book, what to do about eating alone, and the three-day rule nobody warns you about. A practical guide for a first trip on your own. Travel guides Planning Solo travel First trip Wed, 18 Mar 2026 09:00:00 GMT