Hi, I’m João! Welcome to my blog, where I share my travel experiences and adventures in off-the-beaten-track travel destinations.

You may notice that the primary intention of this blog is to encourage and motivate other travelers to discover exciting and unknown places around the world.

Exotic itineraries and ideas to inspire independent travelers. Are you ready to think outside the box for your next adventure?

I own an Adventure Tour Operator & DMC specializing in group tours and private trips to adventure destinations worldwide, and you will probably find me somewhere between a Marrakech desert tour, an expedition to Afghanistan or Egypt, or even leading a group tour travel to Iraq.

Best travel blog about exciting journeys into more than 145 UN+ countries across Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, North to South America, and Oceania. Traveling since 1999.

The most remarkable aspect of traveling is witnessing all life elements come together in a foreshortened timeline. It’s as if we are simultaneously time-traveling through our past and future. Secured by its focal present, collectively combining all lessons into our own being at each point in time and in each present moment.

2001 – Solo backpacking and hitchhiking travel around Central and Eastern Europe in countries such as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland.

2003 – Solo backpacking trip around Eastern Europe and the Balkan countries such as FYR of Macedonia, State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, and Poland.

2003 – Solo hitchhiking trip from Portugal to Senegal. Flying back home on a fish cargo plane departing from Mauritania.

2004 – 13000km/8077mi car overland expedition from Portugal to Senegal and Gambia via Spain, Morocco, and Mauritania. Held for 2 days by the Moroccan forces on the wall near Gueltat Zemmur separating Morocco and the Polisario-controlled areas (Free Zone, nominally Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic).

2004 – Solo backpacking travel in Central Asia around Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Evacuated out of Tashkent due to suicide bombers strike. I flew to Iran, where I stayed to practice local Kung-Fu To’a. Overland to Turkey by bus.

2005 – One-month – 5000km/3100mi winter solo road trip in Russia with temperatures around -33ºC/-27F.

2007 – Two-week – 2900km/1800mi road trip in Cuba exploring the island countryside and less famous destinations.

2008 – Backpacking in Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Palestine.

2008 – 4000km/2500mi banger rally with a 1986 Moskvitch 2140 from Hungary to Armenia right after the Russian-Georgian War.

2008 – Solo hitchhiking and adventure trip in Mali – West Africa, crossing all the way to the famous city of Timbuktu.

2009 – 4X4 overland expedition in the Mauritanian Sahara Desert along with the land mine areas of the railway between Nouadhibou and Choum.

2009 – Solo backpacking around Eastern Europe around Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, and Transnistria, a country that doesn’t exist.

2009 – Solo hitchhiking and driving around northern Iraq.

2011 – Celebrating the independence days of the newly born African country, being the first traveler crossing the land border to travel to South Sudan.

2011 – Hitching from South Sudan to Uganda via the Democratic Republic of Congo, I was rescued in the jungle by the Moroccan UN peacekeeper forces after being surrounded by a mob holding machetes. Furthermore, on the trip, I got hospitalized after contracting Malaria.

2011 – 3000km/1860mi road trip in Oman.

2012 – 6500km/4000mi banger rally from Hungary to Kyrgyzstan while participating in the Central Asia Rally.

2012 – Solo driving in northern Afghanistan to visit Mazar-I-Sharif, Baghlan, Kholm, and the infamous Taliban-friendly city of Kunduz.

2012 – 1-month backpacking trip around Iran.

2013/2014 – 18-month travel around the world.

2013 – Backpacking across the Guianas, through Guyana, Suriname, and French Guyana in South America.

2013 – Amazon river by boat » 550 hours in Brazil, Peru & Ecuador.

2014 – Four-month – 13350km/8300mi road trip in South America from Quito in Ecuador to Ushuaia in Argentina.

2014 – Two-week Antarctica expedition crossing the 66º at the Antarctic Circle.

2014 – Backpacking across all of Central America from Panama to Mexico.

2014 – Joining a political thematic tour to visit North Korea.

2015 – Solo backpacking trip to visit Tunisia in two weeks.

2015 – One-month – 9000km/5600mi road trip in southern Africa, crossing Zimbabwe, South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Zambia, Botswana, and Namibia.

2015 – Climbing an active volcano in Cape Verde Archipelago.

2016 – Exploring Baghdad, Najaf, Karbala, and Basra, a few amazing places to visit in Iraq.

2017 – Egypt to Sudan by Boat » 19 hours from Aswan to Wadi Halfa.

2017/2018 – One-Year – 38000km/23600mi van life journey across Central Asia and the Middle East in countries such as Kyrgyzstan, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Iran, crossing the Pamir Highway, etc…

2018 – Visiting Mosul in Iraq, six months after its liberation from terrorist groups.

2018 – Exploring the Hadhramaut Region in Yemen.

2018 – 2-week solo Saudi Arabia road trip.

2020 – Exploring Syria and crossing the M5 highway of death through Idbil Province during Russian airstrikes and live tank shelling on Nairad Axix in Idlib.