How traveling saved my life

Been wanting to share this for a while now. I was just reluctant to expose myself to the world. Everything I’m about to express and share is true. I want you all to know that I’m not a trust fund baby that travels the world. I’m really lucky to be where I’m at. A lot of it is thanks to you all!

**warning: I’m going let my heart out on this post**

As a kid, I wasn’t much of a shoe-in for being a productive member of society. In fact, I was anti-society. My future didn’t look too bright. It looked more orange behind bars with not a lot of sunlight. Let me dive in a little deeper.

When I was 8 years old, the police came into my home looking for me. A couple of friends and I messed up a person’s car we didn’t like. We left threatening mail into his mailbox saying, “we were going to destroy him next time he disrespects us.” We were young and didn’t really know better. Everybody around us was doing it. We thought messing up people’s cars was normal. By chance, the victim didn’t press any charges. So we never got any time. However, we got time out from our parents.

3 years into the future, I got in trouble again. This time, I was caught stealing iPods. (Hopefully, you all remember those.) I would steal them hoping to sell for a 100 percent profit. I was young and didn’t know any better. Wanted money and jobs were not hiring an eleven-year-old. For some reason, the victim did not press any charges. Since I gave back his iPod and accepted my mistake. That was twice, I almost got arrested at a young age.

San_Francisco_from_the_Marin_Headlands_in_March_2019 — San Francisco

Now, this is when travel really got introduced to my life. Majority of my family lives in the New York City Area. I kept getting in trouble in California. So, my dad made sure I would get out of that environment every Christmas and summer break. He would send me to New York City to learn more about my family roots. I got to see another world that not many people who looked like me ever did. It gave me a different outlook on life. I started seeing what was important and what wasn’t. This would help me so much in high school.

800px-New_York_City_at_night_HDR — new york

A common theme with my friends I grew up with, high school is what changed everything. Everybody that I was close with as a kid started joining gangs and selling drugs. They wanted to live that thug life and be respected by everybody in our city. That was what all they knew. Our city and neighborhood, they wanted to put it on the crime map. Friends that were closed to me wanted to cause me harm because of who I grew up with. I didn’t fall into this trap because I saw another world that was not this. I was no longer apart of this self-destructive mentality anymore because my horizons were expanded, due to travel. Some of my closest childhood friends, were targets of drive-bys. By some miracle, they are alive. If I didn’t see another world other than the streets when I was young, I probably would have ended up like a lot of the people I grew up with. Many are in jail or just dangerous to be around. I had a few people close to me that died due to gun violence. For these reasons, are why I’m so passionate about traveling. It literally has changed my mindset and saved my life.

In memory of a friend that taught me to never give up. You always had some joke to say. Thank you for teaching me how to be a good-hearted person. Rest in peace Frank Serafin. I will never get over the fact, I’m living my life and you are not.

I have been able to start legal businesses, travel to over 30 countries and learned to enjoy the moment. Once again, thank you for all your kind deeds that you never asked for anything in return.

November 13, 2019 78

Seeing the world’s biggest mall and fountain

After getting situated at my accommodation, it was time for me to go back to the Dubai mall. Im not much of a shopping person. I prefer to not spend extra money on items that won’t increase in value over time. I was going to the mall for sightseeing.

My Airbnb apartment photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Took the metro to the Dubai mall. It’s hard to miss because their is a stop on metro named after it. It was about three stops away from where I was staying. It’s funny, this city is almost built around this mall. I didn’t know that this mall is actually apart of the burj khalifa. It’s the base of the building. Makes sense, why it feels like this city is built around this mall.

Inside view of the Dubai mall photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Once at the mall, you are kind of overwhelmed at the size of it. It was about 4 floors of shopping. Walking around, you see almost every brand known to man. There’s even an aquarium in this mall! The emiratis are over the top. When they do something, they make sure it’s the best or the biggest.

Outside of the mall waiting for the fountain show photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

I was told by my local friend to watch the water show by the fountain. Yes, it’s the world’s biggest fountain. About two times bigger than the one in Las Vegas. The water show starts at 7pm and ends at 11pm. There is a show every 30 minutes from starting to closing.

The water show about to start photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

When I got there, it was between shows. Decided to eat at a Lebanese restaurant to make my grandma proud. All jokes aside, it was the closest restaurant with a view of the fountain. Couldn’t wait to see this show. This fountain was actually inspired by the Las Vegas fountain. The Emiratis made it a lot bigger, of course.

Biggest Water fountain in the world photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Once the water started, lights and the sounds of music were everywhere. It was definitely a sight to see. All this made me wonder about the situation in Yemen. There’s people dying because lack of water. Yet, here is UAE spending 100s gallons of water on entertainment. It kind of left a sour taste to my mouth.

Another shot of the water fountain photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Even with that distastefulness, I couldn’t wait to see what this city had more to offer. Can’t believe I was here. I needed to make the most out of my time while being here. My adventures in this Middle Eastern metropolitan were just starting.

Thank you so much for reading! Much love and safe travels everyone.

Check out our eBook “How to Travel for Dirt Cheap” by Hugo Morel for ways to make your dreams of traveling come true without breaking the bank. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M848M47?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420&fbclid=IwAR0_mRF-eE9tODIshljVr7CQ8h6vKT6hHn_8gZfJ94DySY1ylPO2Itu2Qe

September 14, 2019 34

Entering the smallest country in the world

Vatican city, the home base of the Catholic Church. A country of about 1000 people and the place where the Pope lives. Do not let the name confuse you, it’s actually a country.

Although, it’s not recognized by the United Nations as an actual country; Vatican city is self-governed. Besides speaking Italian, the Pope’s home is not apart of Italy nor Rome; even if it’s in the middle of Italy’s capital.

St. Peter’s square at sun rise taken by Hugo Morel

Entering this country feels more like an airport than immigration. You have to go through a metal detector. If someone acts up, they will have to deal with these guys.

The guards of Vatican City taken by Hugo Morel

To be honest, these guards I think are just for show. They aren’t really frightening nor to be taken seriously. Just look at those colors!

The entrance to Vatican City taken by Hugo Morel

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. Much love!! Have an awesome weekend and stay healthy! Next time we will be exploring more of Vatican city.

October 13, 2018 30

The Catacombs of Rome

When we think of Catacombs, we think of the one’s in Paris; however, Rome has a few as well. Although, they are not as dark as the ones in Paris, but they are still creepy.

Photo taken by Hugo Morel

As we were going down the steps, I truly had no idea what I was getting into. The further we went, the darker it got. I looked back and the image I saw, was something out of a horror painting.

A little history of Rome’s catacombs. The catacombs were built for the Christian and Jewish population. Since most of them were too poor to afford a proper grave, the ancient Romans just stuffed them in the catacombs. Also, the Romans back then did not believe in burying the dead. They preferred cremations.

Back to our story, the Catacombs were always at a cool temperature. As the group kept going, I somehow got lost. Being lost in a place like this was not a fun experience. You can sense something is always around the corner looking at you.

Every corner I turned, there were more graves with Latin written on them. My fight against anxiety was becoming a hopeless cause.

Eventually after running around in the dark for what felt like an hour, I found a tour guide. The guide looked at me twice, as if she was making sure I wasn’t some sprit haha. She lead me to the exit and there I found freedom from this nightmarish event.

Thank you for reading our post. Much love!! Safe travels and have an awesome weekend!

October 6, 2018 25

Florence, Italy

After a long overnight drive, we finally made it to Florence, Italy. It is the city of art and culture!

My first impression of the city was that there were a lot of naked bodies. The Italians really like the human body at its purest form. It was just awkward having a minor with you and they are asking, “what’s that horn hanging between his legs?” The only real response you can say is, “It’s nothing important child, let’s keep it moving.”

There was tons of art, as art is everywhere in this city. I am not passionate about the arts; however, there was someone with us who was and he pretty much informed us on everything.

Our volunteer tour guide told us that Florence was one of the centers of the Enlightenment movement in Europe. The art made during that time was mainly focused on religion and the human body.

When in Florence, make sure to check out the Florence cathedral. It’s hard to miss. It’s the building with the red dome. It’s truly a beautiful place inside and out.

Another site is the town hall. Our volunteer tour guide told us something about the flag on the building being amazing. Truth be told, everything he saw in Italy was amazing to him.

(All photos were taken by Hugo Morel)

Thanks for reading, next time we will be in Assisi, Italy.

July 21, 2018 37

Just wanted to say thank you

Hello everyone! Just wanted to say thank you for your support! We reached over 1340 followers!! Another awesome milestone accomplished! We have so much more content for you all that we can’t wait to share!! Places like Europe, Asia and Africa! Have a great weekend and stay safe!

July 20, 2018 6

This Jamaican hostel is “interesting”

*warning: the photos you will encounter on this post, will not be children friendly.

After getting settled in Kingston, my friend and I went around looking for a good place to eat jerk chicken. Ironically, it was not that easy. I noticed that there was a lot of curry chicken and curry products. I learned from a local that Jamaica has a strong community of East Indians, due to the English bring them for cheap labor.

Eventually, we found a place. The chicken taste like it was out of this world! Much better than the stuff you find in NYC. I never felt so fat before because within five minutes, I was fighting myself to not order three more plates.

The cool thing about the restaurant, it had a collection of old silver and gold coins. It made me truly feel like I was in the Caribbean.

We eventually went to the Bob Marley museum in Kingston, Jamaica. It was an interesting place. It made you see how the superstar lived. It was pretty cool but, they played a movie at the end and no lie, we all fell asleep during it. No disrespect to Mr Marley.

Before we end this, I just had to show you this hostel. This hostel had some Rasta statue of this horny old dude. Here you go!

Yes, it’s what you think it is.

This was the most memorable surprised ever, unfortunately.

Thank you for reading! Next time we will explore more of Kingston.

July 14, 2018 12

Genoa, Italy and the leaning tower of Pisa

After a crazy up hill drive with very narrow roadways, we made it to Genoa, Italy.

Although we were in the outskirts of the city, you can still feel the atmosphere. This part of Italy was a lot cooler in temperature.

The view was incredible and totally worth the drive. I have never seen such natural beauty. It made me feel like I was living in a painting.

In the photo above, you can see parts of the city.

I really enjoyed this part of Italy. I felt breathless from all the views. Don’t recommend coming here on a tour bus though. Since the roads are very narrow. If you are traveling in the mountains, bring a smaller car for safety reasons of course.

Oh yeah!!! By the way, the tower does lean in Pisa!

Next time we will go to Florence.

*All photos were taken by Hugo Morel.

July 10, 2018 3

Welcome to Jamrock!

How can it be Caribbean week without a post about Jamaica?

(Photo taken by Hugo morel)

It all started with my friend telling me that he was going to celebrate his birthday in Jamaica. Of course, how can anybody say no to being invited to Jamaica?

(Photo taken by Hugo morel)

The flight to Jamaica was so boring. It’s hard to let time pass when you are so excited. It was a four to five hour flight from NYC; however, it felt like 24 hours. I was sitting in my seat like a kid waiting to ask, “Are we there yet?”

(Photo taken by Hugo morel)

Once I arrived in Jamaica, I was surprised by all the smiles on the locals’ faces. Be careful when finding a taxi driver. Luckily, the taxis driver I got was honest. He told me the tips and inside information on the taxi system in Kingston. If you see a red license plate, that car has been registered by the government to be a taxi driver. Knowing this will help you from getting into unnecessary trouble.

(Photos taken by Hugo Morel)

I was truly blown away from the white sands and crystal blue waters. Jamaica was extremely hot. Taking a quick dip in the ocean was really the only way to refresh. There were no complaints here though.

Next time, we will visit the Bob Marley museum!

July 8, 2018 2

Prague, The city that took my breath away

Has something so beautiful ever made you lose your breath? Well to me, that is Prague. The most beautiful city in Europe.

It’s hard to explain walking in the streets of Prague. One minute, you accidentally walk into a sex shop and the other, you forget how to breathe. Very turn takes your breath away.

As we walked around the city, we stopped by Saint Vitus Cathedral. I have never been so excited to be in a church. It was so beautiful!

It’s times like these, remind why I love traveling. Culture is so interesting! It’s hard not to fall in love with this city.

We walked on the Charles Bridge. The scene was something else. This bridge felt very alive. It was a lot different from the bridges in america. The bridge seemed like it was made for walking.