We are happy to launch our call for nominations for our 2nd NomadMania Travel Awards. We introduce two new Awards categories and decide to put a focus on two important groups in travelling community - Fixers and travellers from Low Passport Index countries.
Once again we decided to brighten a gloomy Sunday - November 27, 2022 - when the NomadMania Awards will be taking place. Sign up now!
Meanwhile, do not forget our Perth travel meet-up happening on August 26. For more details see our Meetings page.
For the earliest of birds among you, it is worth noting that there is a meet-up happening today in San Francisco, at 11.30AM local time. Maybe some of you can still make it!
Starting now, we will be publishing 4 traveller's interviews, which is two times more - so two times more travel stories! We will be publishing 2 new interviews in between our newsletters, so make sure to check our Interviews page every now or then.
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In the past month some tensions arose in the travelling community and we were put in the spotlight once again, not for good reasons. We are striving to be an apolitical community as we represent travellers, but our solidarity and decision to stand with Ukraine has brought us some unexpected and for us unwanted political discussions.
As you may recall, we announced that we do not support any travel to Russian Federation or Belarus for non-residents and that anyone doing so will get his NomadMania profile deleted. We went a step further and we now offer an option to save profile data with the possibility for this profile to be reactivated once the conflict is settled. We recently renounced the membership of some of our community members and this resulted in some strong push-back.
In order to stay true to what we do, which is supporting travel at all times, we have decided to put the final decision about this matter in your hands.
This is why NomadMania will be organising a referendum - the ultimate democracy tool when it is legitimate - on our website only. The referendum will take place from 1-10 September and anyone who logs in during this period will have to cast their vote either for one of the debated options or for the neutral side.
Please remember this and make sure that you log, read the argument and cast your vote. We will remind you about this in our next Newsletter.
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We are happy to introduce the 2nd NomadMania Travel Awards season - opening up for nominations, with the actual final evening taking place on November 27th at 15.30 GMT.
It was previously planned to have the second event with a gala dinner and announcements in a proper festive setting, but we find ourselves again in a virtual setting. Our main event director, Orest Zub, is Ukrainian and we don't feel right to organise such a flashy event while he is not fully safe in his own country.
You pre-register your interest online so that you can get precise information about the event when the time comes. Second, as of now, you are invited to submit your nominations through our online form which is available on our website for the next month.
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We are introducing 2 new categories which gives us 12 awards in total. You can see all categories and their description on our Awards page. Six award category recipients will be decided internally by our team; the remaining six are nominated and voted for by our community.
Everyone who registered by yesterday, 20 of August 2022 are welcome to nominate travellers for the Awards. The nominees don't have to be members of NomadMania.
Here are the categories that you can nominate people for:
MOST INTREPID TRAVELLER 2022
Awarded to any traveller – NomadMania member or not – whose travels in the last year have required considerable courage, risk-taking and craziness!
MOST POSITIVE TRAVELLER 2022
Awarded to any traveller – NomadMania member or not – whose positivity while travelling in the past year renders them a role-model of behaviour In the travel community.
PURPOSEFUL TRAVELLER 2022
Awarded to any traveller – NomadMania member or not – whose efforts to create community, help local communities and in general travel with a purpose in the past year render them much more than just a traveller.
BIGGEST DIGITAL NOMAD 2022
Awarded to any traveller – NomadMania member or not – whose overall contributions in the past year through digital platforms (their own blog, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook or other) make them a supreme online travel leader.
BIGGEST TRAVELLER 2022
Awarded to any traveller – NomadMania member or not – whose travels in the past year, in terms of both quantity (days on the road and number of trips) AND quality (difficulty and variety of destinations), render them a truly big traveller even by the standards of the NomadMania Community.
BIGGEST LPI (Low Passport Index) TRAVELLER 2022
Awarded to any traveller – NomadMania member or not – who doesn’t let the bureaucracy and passport/nationality issues stop them in travelling. To be eligible for this, travellers have to be from one of the countries that rank the lowest on the Henley Passport Index Ranking. The full list is available at the nominations page.
Nominations are now open until September 21st. Following a review of all received nominations, five finalists will be put to the vote in each of six categories by our community after October 20th. Only registered members who registered by October 1st with completed profiles will be able to vote, so make sure your profiles are up to date - and if you are not yet a NomadMania member, this is a last call to be eligible to vote!
For more detailed information about all the award categories, and to pre-register your interest in virtually attending our show on November 27th, go here.
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Communist Consumer Museum in Timișoara, Romania | Travel with Harry Mitsidis |
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In this video you get a virtual tour and a visit to the Communist Consumer Museum in Timișoara, Romania made by Harry Mitsidis.
This is a small place bursting with the remnants of a past life to explore seen from an angle of an avid traveller.
This video appeared first on our Patreon page. For a chance to see exclusive travel photos and videos, visit our Patreon and consider becoming our mentor!
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A star of our Community - Tony Giles |
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Tony received our ‘AGAINST ALL ODDS’ TRAVELLER 2021' last year, but he certainly needs no introduction. The man who has 'seen' more of the world than most of the people who can actually see. He is a blind solo traveller, author and public speaker.
He is also always so kind and keen to help. We encourage you to check out his new book: Seeing a Slice of Southern Africa My Way or simply visit his website to see how you can contribute and help, as he is always working on something new.
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Guinea - Iles de Los - M@P regions that you may not know |
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With the exception of the Bissagos Archipelago in Guinea Bissau, Western Africa doesn't really have lots of outlying islands - but Guinea's Iles de Los are an exception. Conveniently located a boat ride away from the capital Conakry, their name comes from Portuguese - the 'los' comes from the word 'idolos' which means idols.
The three islands are actually more touristy - as much as Guinea is touristy - than expected, with lodges and beach bars offering views of appealing sandy beaches. Life for the locals is simple of course but the big advantage is the safety and tranquility of the place, a world away from the chaos of Conakry. One of the more pleasant - and easier - M@P regions in Africa to explore!
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The Interview - François-Xavier Paradis-Garneau |
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François-Xavier is just the perfect candidate for our Intrepid travel award - he was the first known traveller (to us) to visit Afghanistan since the Taliban take over in August 2021. This was the perfect excuse for us to interview this Canadian traveller and to get to know him better. You are in for a treat as you join him on a race to discover the world before the golden days of travel are over, as he claims.
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Mazar-i-sharif, Afghanistan |
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François please introduce yourself. Where do you come from, where do you live now, what do you do in life…?
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My name is François-Xavier Paradis-Garneau and I'm from Canada. I was born in the province of Quebec, the French speaking part of the country, in 1999. I studied English linguistics at university from 2018 to 2021, the year of my graduation. I studied in that field because I wanted to go teach English abroad, specifically in China and the Middle East. Due to Covid restrictions I couldn't go to China after graduating like I had initially planned in 2018. I had savings from the pandemic working as a part time security guard. I decided to use my savings to go on a trip and I left Canada in September for an open-ended trip. I'm currently in Islamabad.
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With the food in a market of Guilin, China |
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Looking at the horizon in Gilgit, Pakistan |
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How do you find that your origins influence you as a traveller? Did being a Canadian help or otherwise influence your travels?
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Being a Canadian is a net positive for me since I have access to a lot of countries visa free/visa on arrival. Getting visas is also a lot easier as a Canadian compared to many other countries. I remember in 2018 I was backpacking in China and had been lucky to get a 10 year multi-entry 60 day visa while I met a lot of Europeans who hadn't had that visa opportunity. They were struggling to extend their single entry 30 day visas.
I was planning to go to Central Asia and had dismissed the thought of going to Uzbekistan because I'd heard of how difficult it was to get the Letter of Invitation. But then I met an Australian who told me that there had been a change in the visa policy and the visa process no longer required an LOI for certain nationalities including ours. I applied in the Uzbek embassy in Tajikistan and all I had to give was 50$. I came a few days letter to pick up the visa and I remember a Vietnamese lady being told that she had to provide an LOI. I felt very lucky.
On the negative side, some countries are more difficult for me to enter, most notoriously Iran. I would love to visit the country on my own but for the time being they won't take me unless I have a tour. I have already had two Iranian visa applications rejected! Overall Canada has a great reputation abroad and people are always happy to meet a Canadian.
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Hiking in Hunza valley, Pakistan |
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Khartoum, Sudan, with militia during the 2019 revolution |
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How did you start travelling and how did that love for travel develop over time?
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I used to travel as a child with my family, mostly in the USA. I fell in love with long road trips such as driving from Quebec to Florida with my family, looking outside the window at the changing landscape. I think that is where the travel bug got me.
I then started travelling by myself in 2017 when I went on a backpacking trip to Europe for 6 weeks. I was blown away. I met dozens of people who shared with me their travel tips to keep their budget low and travel long term, such as hitchhiking, couchsurfing etc. Some of them were extreme budget travelers who had been travelling for years, dumpster diving and sleeping outside.
Then I realised that my budget could be as low or as high as I wanted and that money was not an obstacle to my travels if I was willing to rough it out. Moreover I met people in Europe who shared their experiences of travelling outside the West and it intrigued me. Up until that point I had thought that travelling outside the West was extremely dangerous, difficult and near impossible unless on a tour group. But young people like me had been to India, Oman, Peru, etc.
That made me realise the whole world could be mine to visit if I wanted to and the next year I travelled alone to East and central Asia. I have always loved history, politics, anthropology and geography and travelling allows me to live out my passions by seeing places in real life instead of through the pages of a book.
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Tiger leaping gorge, China |
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Do you have any specific travel goals and if yes, what are they? What inspired you to have them?
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My main travel goal is to acquire a better understanding of the world. I'm quite a curious person and I want to learn more. Travelling allows me to meet the world's inhabitants and discover their religions, philosophies, etc.
Curiosity is the fuel that keeps me travelling. I find the human species fascinating and travelling allows me to see the full picture. For instance here in Pakistan (where I am writing this from) their family system is completely different from what I'm used at home. Coming here allows me to see my own culture from their perspective. I like to see things from different angles to have a well rounded view of humanity.
I'm also travelling to get some interesting stories that I will hopefully be able to share to my children and grandchildren one day around a campfire. For me my motto is "stories, not stamps".
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Climbing up to see Gheralta rock-hewn churches, Tigray province, Ethiopia |
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What are your biggest travel interests? How do you choose your next place to go?
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I love places that make me feel culturally disoriented. In essence, the less westernized I hear a country is, the more I will be drawn to it. The more different and exotic a country is compared to Canada, the better. That is why I loved China. I had a complete culture shock there and I enjoyed it.
My biggest travel interests are the people that I meet on the road (the locals). I love countries where locals are happy to meet foreigners and to discuss with them. I usually choose the next place I will go to based on a how friendly I've heard the locals are and how culturally interesting the place seems.
I prioritize places that have not totally fallen prey to globalization yet to see them while they are still interesting. Sooner than later everyone on Earth will watch Netflix, drink Coca-Cola and eat at McDonald's. That day will be the day I stop travelling. I feel like I'm living at the tail end of the golden era of travel. It's certainly a race against time.
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With two Tibetan kids in Litang, Tibetan ethnic area, China |
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Drinking mango juice in Khartoum, Sudan |
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You have been to 131 NomadMania regions and ‘only’ 34 UN countries. It seems like you really go in depth when travelling and exploring. Why is that? How do you feel travel should look like for you, ideally?
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First, while I respect country counters, I myself am not chasing a specific number of countries. I'm more interested in stories than in stamps. Therefore when visiting a place I don't feel the need to rush to tick off a world bucket list. I can take my time. And I usually like seeing a country as thoroughly as possible to really know the place in depth. It is the age old quality vs quantity debate. I prefer spending one long stretch of time in one country at the expense of not seeing other countries that I'm less interested in.
As for how travel should feel like, I think a good benchmark for me is if I meet someone from a country that I've visited and I can sustain a deep conversation about their country. If they seem impressed with my knowledge of their native land then I feel like I've done a good job exploring the country.
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Eating with locals in Mansehra, Pakistan |
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Tibetan temple Litang, China |
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What were some of the biggest surprises - good or bad, that you encountered on your travels so far?
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One big surprise I encountered is how friendly strangers can be if you simply approach them. In China I was on a bus from Guilin to Longji rice terraces. There was another man on the bus, which was otherwise empty. I approached him and greeted him. He did not speak English but we communicated through a phone translator. It turned out we were going to the same place. He ended up paying for my entrance fee at the national park and treating me with a dinner. He then gave me his number and told me to contact him when I would come to Chengdu. When I did, he lent me his apartment and went to sleep at his girlfriend's home for 4 days, to my bewilderment. I had never expected to be treated like this. He drove me around the city, showing me panda reserves, local restaurants, hot springs, and more. All of this would have never happened had I not first initiated contact with him.
The second biggest surprise I have encountered is that usually the worse the media portrayal and fear factor of a country is, the nicer its inhabitants are. Sudan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somaliland. Five years ago I had a negative view of these countries and thought the people there were hostile to western foreigners. In my experience it's been the opposite, they are desperate to give a good image of their country and will do everything they can to help you.
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Nimruz province, Afghanistan |
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Band-e-mir national park, Afghanistan |
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Can you tell us the story of how you ended up in Afghanistan in early 2022? How did you know it would be safe enough, given there was almost no information even in the circle of big and extreme travellers?
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I was exploring beautiful Pakistan in the fall of 2021. I entertained a thought of going to Afghanistan for the first time after learning that the 4 consulates in Pakistan were now led by the Taliban. I thought it would give more legitimacy to my visa if I got it from a Taliban controlled consulate. That reassured me.
I then read some blogs from travelers who had been to Afghanistan during the first Taliban government between 1996-2001. It gave me some inspiration. I got in touch with two Iranian photographers who had gone to Afghanistan under the new regime and had both been detained for many days. I knew that it would be a bumpy journey, especially for me as a westerner from a NATO country. I was fully expecting to be arrested at some point during my journey given what had happened to the Iranians.
At the same time I also got a very positive impression from the consul in Peshawar. He assured me that my visit was approved by him and that I was welcome to see the country. In the end I told myself that someone had to go there first to see how western travelers would be treated. There's only so much preparation you can do, at some point you must take a leap of faith, hope for the best, and go.
I was not so concerned about the Taliban harming me. They were now the government and no longer insurgents. I knew they were desperate to get international recognition. They no longer had any incentive to harm foreign tourists. My main concern was IS-K, the local Daesh affiliate.
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Good with locals in Kabul |
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Nimruz province, Afghanistan |
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Would you recommend Afghanistan to other travellers now that you’ve been? Would you consider it safe for women to go (in your own opinion and estimation)?
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It is possible to visit the country if you have a lot of time on your hands. Be prepared to be detained, questioned, and just have a lot of time wasted every day (especially in remote areas like Farah).
The new authorities are still not accustomed to foreign tourists. It will take some time before the country becomes easy and smooth to travel around.
Safety wise the situation can change very quickly. If you plan to go anywhere, always inquire with the locals about the safety of the road ahead. IS-K is still active, albeit weakened.
As for women travelers, I think it should be safe as long as they comply with the local rules. I have seen foreign female aid workers during my trip, so it should be possible for women to visit as well.
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Tank in Badghis province near Qala-e-naw, Afghanistan |
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You seem to have an interest in peculiar countries, not necessarily the easiest ones for travelling. What makes you go to Somalia and Afghanistan for example, rather than to Scandinavian countries (or any other more convenient country)?
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I find these countries more rewarding. To use a financial analogy, I get a better ''return on my investment'' by going there. Sure, these countries are more challenging to visit, from visas to logistics to language issues. But I always learn more from difficult countries.
Their culture is usually better preserved than easier countries, making them more unique and interesting . I also prefer to do the most difficult countries while I'm young and healthy. I will still be willing to visit Denmark when I'm 70 but I probably won't want to do harder countries at that age due to health hazards and other hassles.
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Sitting with the guy in Aksum Tigray région Ethiopia |
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How did your general view of the world change with travelling?
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I realized that humans everywhere on Earth are a lot nicer than what the media would make you think. The news is always negative and most people have a very fearful view of foreign lands. So did I before travelling. Nowadays, when I ask people in my hometown if they would ever think of going to Sudan, they tell me that it's a no-go area. They have never been there, their view is completely distorted by some soundbites from the news. But the truth is, most people in the world are extremely friendly and the bad guys who want to harm you are in the minority.
I no longer listen to advice about a place from someone who's never been there. You can only know a place once you've been there and you have ground information. Everything else is just hearsay and rumors. If I had listened to people's advice I would not have gone to Afghanistan in December of 2021 because every western traveler met in Pakistan told me it was impossible. Every country is possible if you have the right strategy and you can adapt (for instance dressing local, avoiding the worse areas, etc.) The world is much safer than what people think. No country is 100% dangerous. For instance some areas of Pakistan may be dangerous (e.g. Waziristan), but the country as a whole is safe.
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Hiking in Sarajevo, Bosnia |
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How well do you know your own country? What are some of the most underrated places in Canada?
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Unfortunately I don't know my own country well enough. I've mostly spent time visiting foreign countries. Travelers often take their own country for granted. I will have to spend more time exploring Canada. I think the Yukon and the Northwest Territories may be underrated. I'm planning to visit both at some point.
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Khartoum, Sudan - Dongola ruins in the back |
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We have a signature question that we ask all of our guests: if you could invite 4 people from any era to dinner, who would your guests be and why?
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I would probably invite Jesus, Socrates, Mohammed and the Buddha. That should make for an interesting conversation.
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Did you like reading this? |
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We thank François-Xavier for sharing his personal photos with us here at NomadMania.
We only send two emails a month and every time we share new features and NomadMania plans for future. Be the first to find out what's happening next.
Our next 'shorter' issue will be out on September 5th with another 'not alone' travellers' interview!
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