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Where to Stay in Brunei: Best Areas + Hotels
Figuring out where to stay in Brunei is actually a little more important than it might seem at first. Bandar Seri Begawan doesn’t have a huge selection of hotels, and the best area really depends on whether you want to be close to the main sights, near restaurants and shopping, or stay somewhere more resort-like. When I visited Brunei, I stayed at The Capital Residence Suites in Bandar Seri Begawan, which gave me a really convenient base for exploring the city. In this guide, I’ll break down the best areas to stay in Brunei, where I stayed myself, and a few other hotel options depending on your budget and the…
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My Favorite Day Trips from Riga: 6 Best Places to Visit Beyond the City
I’ve been to Riga three times, and I’ve spent more than two months in the city altogether. Two of those stays were while I was working as a flight attendant and based in Riga for about a month at a time, so I had plenty of opportunities to explore beyond the city itself. If you’re looking for the best day trips from Riga, these are the six places I’d actually consider. They range from easy trips like Jūrmala to longer excursions across the border, so how much time you have and what you want to see will make a big difference. My Favorite Day Trips from Riga: Quick Answer If…
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The 14 Best Things to Do in Riga + 2 Things I Would Skip 2026
I’ve been to Riga three times, and I’ve spent more than two months there altogether. My first visit was as a backpacker traveling through the Baltics, while my other two stays were completely different — I was working as a flight attendant and based in Riga for about a month each time. That gave me a very different experience of the city than simply visiting for a weekend and ticking off the main attractions. I’ve had time to explore Riga properly, come back to places more than once, and see what I actually enjoyed versus what I wouldn’t bother making time for again. So this isn’t meant to be a…
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The 4 Best Hostels in Nice, France
Nice is not exactly the cheapest destination in France, so staying in a hostel can make a big difference to your budget. I’ve stayed in Nice myself at Hostel Ozz Nice while traveling around the French Riviera, so that’s the hostel on this list I can personally speak about. I’ve also included three other hostels worth comparing depending on your budget, location, and the type of stay you’re looking for. Location matters quite a lot in Nice, especially if you’re planning to use the city as a base for exploring places like Monaco, Menton, Antibes, or Cannes by train. Best Hostels in Nice: Quick Picks If you don’t want to…
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The 5 Best Hostels in Bocas del Toro, Panama
I spent time in Bocas del Toro while traveling through Central America with a friend. This time, I didn’t actually stay in a hostel — we found a cheap private room at Hostal Hansi, which made more sense for the two of us. I normally stay in hostels when I’m traveling solo, so I still wanted to include the hostel options I would personally compare if I were visiting Bocas del Toro alone. In this guide, I’m sharing 5 hostels in Bocas del Toro worth looking at depending on whether you want something social, somewhere right on the water, or simply a cheaper place to stay. Best Hostels in Bocas…
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The 4 Best Hostels in Kochi, India
I spent 3 months living in Kochi, India. What was supposed to be a quick 3–4 day trip ended up with me staying until my visa finally forced me to leave. As someone who has been traveling for 10+ years and has now visited 62 countries, I’ve managed to travel this much by keeping things on a budget, and hostels have been a huge part of that. In this guide, I’ll share the 4 best hostels in Kochi, including the one I stayed at during my time there and the others I’d recommend to anyone visiting the city. Best Hostels in Kochi: Quick Picks I wrote this post to help…
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Where to Stay in Riga: My Top Areas and Hotels in 2026
I’ve been to Riga three times, and I’ve stayed long enough that I’ve experienced the city as more than just a tourist passing through. My first visit was as a backpacker traveling through the Baltics, and the other two were completely different — I was working as a flight attendant and based in Riga for about a month each time. So if you’re trying to figure out where to stay in Riga, I’m not basing this on a weekend visit or just looking at a map. I’ve spent more than two months in the city altogether, stayed in different parts of the Riga area, used the buses, walked around constantly,…
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How Many Days in Riga Do You Really Need? (2026)
I’ve been to Riga three times. Not three weekend trips — more than two months total, including two separate stints where I was based there for about a month at a time, working as a flight attendant. So when someone asks how many days in Riga they actually need, I’m not guessing based on one quick visit. I’ve had Riga as a backpacker passing through, and I’ve had it as somewhere I actually lived for a while. That makes a difference here. How many days in Riga you need depends on what kind of trip you’re planning. If you just want to explore Riga itself, you don’t need a huge…
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The Best Time to Visit Riga (And What Three Stays Taught Me) 2026
I’ve been to Riga three times, and none of them were a quick weekend trip. The first time was during my first solo backpacking trip around Europe, when I traveled through 13 countries in three months. I’d met a group of Portuguese people in Slovakia doing Erasmus in Poland, ran into them again in Poland, and ended up traveling with them through Poland and all three Baltic countries by bus. We came into Riga from Lithuania and I stayed at Cinnamon Sally Backpackers Hostel. The other two times were different. I was working as a flight attendant, based in Riga for about a month each time. That’s not visiting a…
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Is Riga Safe for Solo Female Travelers? My Experience After Spending Months There
I’ve visited Riga three times, and I’ve spent more than two months there altogether. My first visit was during my first solo backpacking trip around Europe, when I traveled through 13 countries in three months. I later returned twice while working as a flight attendant, when I was based in Riga for about a month each time. That means I’ve experienced Riga in a few very different ways — as a solo backpacker passing through and as someone who had weeks to actually live there and get to know the city. In this guide, I’ll share my personal experience of is Riga safe for solo female travelers, including how I…


























