Travel Tips

I love Porto’s Ribeira for the way the neighborhood holds layers of time: faded azulejos, leaning façades, laundry lines, and small doorways that hint at whole lives inside. If you want to photograph tile details without the usual cruise-ship crowds, a focused two-hour walk—planned like a little mission—works brilliantly. Below I outline how I plan and execute a photo-led walk that prioritizes tiles, texture, and calm light so you can...

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I love building a day around taste and texture, and Roma–Condesa is one of those neighborhoods in Mexico City where each block offers something delicious, cheap, and joyfully unpretentious. If you want to do a budget-friendly full-day food crawl here without wasting time (or pesos) getting between places, the trick is to pair a simple metro/Metrobús route with a Centro de Ciudad card (Tarjeta CDMX), a couple of short EcoBici rides or walks,...

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I learned to haggle the hard way in Marrakech — not as a sport but as a survival skill when you’re trying to eat well, buy a rug that will fit through a European doorframe, and leave with your sense of humor intact. Over the years I’ve come to enjoy bartering in the souks as a dance more than a duel. It’s part market, part theatre, and at its best it’s an exchange that leaves both sides smiling. Here’s a compact, practical guide to...

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I learned early on that Paris’s métro is as much a local ritual as it is a transportation system. After a decade of mapping rooftops, markets and back alleys, I’ve tried nearly every pass and trick Paris offers. Below I share what I use and recommend for first-timers and return visitors who want to move fast, save money and avoid the most annoying queues and crushes at rush hour.Which pass should you buy? A quick orientationParis has a few...

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Walking into a Tokyo depachika—the basement food hall of a department store—is like stepping into an edible cathedral. The lights are bright, displays immaculate, and the air hums with the polite choreography of shoppers sampling, comparing and carrying away gifts. Over years of wandering these subterranean markets, I’ve learned how to shop smart: what to buy, when to go, how to taste without offending, and most importantly, how to avoid...

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When I head out for a city photo walk with nothing bigger than my compact mirrorless camera, I’m thinking less like a gearhead and more like a city wanderer: what will let me move fast, stay light, and notice small details without missing the light? Over the years I’ve learned to pack not for “everything that could happen” but for the rhythms of urban exploration — sudden markets, rooftop light, wet cobbles, and a good slice of street...

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