Bagan is synonymous with magic. This small community in Myanmar was once the capital of a mighty kingdom. Between the 11th and 13th centuries, over 10,000 pagodas, temples, and monasteries were built. Today, some 2,200 structures remain, the greatest concentration of religious sites in the world. It is an absolutely essential stop for all travelers in Myanmar and you'll never regret adding an extra day or two onto your Bagan itinerary. 

Since our visit in 2013, the travel industry has grown exponentially in Bagan, with hostels, hotels, and guesthouses springing up seemingly overnight. Eager for my readers to have the best possible experience in Bagan, I asked my fellow travel writers to weigh in. Here you'll find their reviews of different properties - from $20 to $200 + a night - to help you make the best possible decision based on your travel style. It's time to pack your bags!

You’ll find everything you need for a fantastic meal in Bagan from French, English, Italian, Indian, Thai, Japanese, and - of course! - Burmese cuisine (you have to try the tea leaf salad)!  You will find most of the restaurants in Nyaung U, a few in New Bagan and just couple in Old Bagan. Here are my picks for the top restaurants for each region of Bagan. So hop on your e-bike and get ready to explore Bagan and the cuisine.

The amazing capital of Hungary, Budapest is an enchanting city and a great hub for your Central-Eastern European explorations. Whether you have a couple of days or couple of hours on your hands to explore, setting out on a do-it-yourself Budapest self guided walking tour is a rewarding experience and the perfect way to get your bearings. (By the way, in case you made your way here looking for info on a free walking tour, Budapest has a lot of them. You can see some valuable reviews here

Budapest literally speaks the tale of two cities: Buda and Pest. The city-center is rather compact, making it ideal for walking,  and great public transportation makes it easy to get to places further away. This self-guided tour focuses mostly on Pest and starts in Elizabeth Square (which is easily reachable via Deak F. Ter metro stop). (It's also just a short walk from Ryan and Vanessa's beloved hotel, Hotel Moments Budapest. If you want to know where to stay in Budapest, you'll want to read their review here!)

​Travel writer Emma Higgins went on a journey through the UK and Ireland for the whole of 2015. Emma travelled around her native land from the Hebrides in Scotland to the far corners of Cornwall, the west coast of Ireland and eastern England. Her book, A Year in the UK & Ireland, which is out now, is a collection of twenty long-form stories about her voyage, with beautiful accompanying photography aimed to inspire you to see the British Isles from a new perspective.

We sat down with Emma to talk about her incredible adventure!

Have you ever seen a news report about a ferry that tragically capsizes, unable to bear the burden of its oversized load of passengers and parcels? Thankfully, I've never faced a travel crisis that dangerous but I did have a moment of genuine fear and intense claustrophobia in the most unlikely of boating destinations: Venice!

We emerged from the train station and approached the water bus 'stations' with enthusiasm and confidence. Not only would we ride to our hotel in comfort, we'd also have a classic Venetian sightseeing experience for a fraction of the price of a gondola! Brilliant plan, right?

​Alas, our brilliant plan wasn't as unique as we imagined - everyone else had the exact same idea! It was peak time (early afternoon) in peak season (a weekend in August) - and  those boats were PACKED. We let the first water bus pass, alarmed by the amount of passengers bursting its seams, certain the next boat would be better.​ Ha!