Travel Tips
halal travel guide for Muslim women to start travelling solo with confidence
Are Muslim girls allowed to travel solo?
How do you convince your parents or husband to let you travel solo?
Joining a travel groups vs arranging it yourself
Before your solo trip
During your solo trip
After your solo trip
the more I travelled around the world, I realised that the Muslim traveller is different and this post will tell you why:
Destination can be an issue
Halal Food while travelling
Alcohol Free Activities
Prayer times and locations
Keeping Fit Before and During Travel
As you know, travelling is a big part of my life and I absolutely love it. A big thing that I do while travelling is walking all over the new city I am visiting. I love to walk for HOURS just seeing places and documenting everything. I also enjoy outdoor activities like hiking and walking up trails. Unfortunately, on my last two trips to Portugal and Montenegro, I felt a little embarrassed because I could not keep up with everyone. I got really out of breath, tired and flustered. The same thing happened to me on a local country walk too when everyone was breezing through and I was half dead going up the hill. I didn't like feeling like that at all, so I decided I have to build up my stamina and my level of activity because I want to be able to do all of these things without my own body holding me back.
Although I want to be fit, but I have to confess, I have a love/hate relationship with the gym. Even with my inner motivation, I always have to spend a while to convince myself to go and workout. When the convincing works and I go, I always feel SO GOOD. I am trying to be more consistent with being active, but I am also trying to mix it up with some gym, outdoors activities and even cycling now! Additionally, I am trying to be aware of what I eat too. Saying that, I still eat cake and have lazy days, but it's all about balance!
In this post, I want to give you some reasons that can motivate your to stay fit (for travel's sake at least if anything), some possible ways for you to keep fit WHILE travelling and lastly some good gym related reads that you might find helpful too!
We all know the short answer to this, which is to stay healthy, but let's go a little more into the reasoning because when my head is convinced, my body usually follows:
Reason 1: You are preparing for your next adventure
A while back when I went on my Atlas Mountain adventure, I got tired after few minutes of climbing and I just dragged myself. I didn't get to enjoy it as much because I was so tired and my body was aching. I don't want the lack of my fitness and stamina stop me from enjoying physical activities on my travels. So, while I workout, I imagine endless hilly walks and fun hikes. That usually gets me going.
Reason 2: You are giving yourself a break
With the amount of blogging, photo editing and writing I do, I could easily spend my whole day and night in the same posture staring at my laptop. I am not even kidding, I will even eat at my laptop sometimes. Getting up to hit the gym or workout gives me a much needed break.
Reason 3: Better immunity for better travelling experiences
Working out builds your immunity and makes you stronger, which leads to better travelling experiences. Getting sick while travelling is the absolute worst.
Reason 4: More Energy for longer productivity
I don't know if you feel this too, but some days I wake up with such low energy levels. I noticed that working out increases my energy. I always feel so awake and alert after a workout, which is win win because I get to be productive for longer.
Reason 5: Great body
l mean hello? Who wouldn't want that and workout does help tone you up. Though a healthy diet is also needed.
If you have a gym or workout routine before you travel, try to keep some of it up when you are travelling. I have a few tips that you might find useful to stay fit when you are travelling:
Some of the hotels have gyms and it makes it so easy to stay fit by working out in the morning. Websites like Booking.com can even allow you to choose the "gym" feature while you are looking for a hotel. Unfortunately, most mid budget hotels and guest houses don't have that option. The other alternative is to bring the workout to your hotel room by either downloading workout apps or by just downloading a set of workout videos to have at hand offline. I find this really helpful because so many places don't have a wifi connection!
When I was in Lagos, Portugal earlier this year, I happened to find myself stuck for things to do because the weather was very rainy in April, so I found a near by Yoga class and it really lifted my spirit instantly and I want to keep this a habit if time allows when I visit a new city. The great thing is, you don't really need to pack anything up with. I had leggings and trainers anyway, so that was sufficient. You can pack a travel yoga mat if you are funny about these things as well and it shouldn't take that much space.
One of my first things that I do in a new city is a free city walk and I LOVE IT! That's at least two hours of walking and it's usually at the start of the day, so that's a good way to get some exercise in. Another idea is to go see a city from the top of hill or get up the stairs of an old building to the city scape like I did all over Prague. I think it's a good way to see the city and keep fit. There are so many tours that offer cycling around the city and that can also be a great option to burn some unneeded calories.
I get it food is amazing! I don't even disagree and when you are away on a holiday, I know it gets even more tempting to indulge. I hear this sentence a lot: "oh go on you are on holiday." The problem is that you pay for that moment when you are back from that holiday. Like my Portugal trip clothes from last summer don't even fit anymore. It must be the three Pastel De Natas a day. oops. I should have only one! It's good to try new things but there are common no nos like fried, overly creamy and sugary food. Don't say no to everything, but try to make it balanced. I like to actually have desserts in the morning because I know I will burn them during the day at least.
When I am travelling and having meals at restaurants, I don't always remember eating my greens and getting enough amount of veggies. I don't even make it restaurants and end up surviving on carb loaded street food! A good way to make sure your greens are topped up is to go to the grocery store and just grab some fresh vegetable and cut them up to snack on. If that's not possible, take some vitamins with you at least.
I find reading about fitness and food really useful especially to understand everything logically instead of guilt tripping ourselves all the time! Flat Belly Kitchen is one of the books I started reading on this subject and I found it really helpful because it talks about the sad reality of food and it does not talk about carbs like something evil. They tell you what is good and bad based on their own research then give you alternative. Another good food book is Women Code because it talks about food and hormones, which is something so many women overlook in their daily lives. Roar was my first fitness book that I read and I just love that it was written by a female athlete and it discusses a lot of women issues like working out during a period and the various stages of the cycle and how it affects the performance. It is a heavey read and packed up with research, so it takes time to digest, but it's a good one. The last book "Thiner Leaner Stronger" is the latest book I got and I am still making my way through it. A little skeptical because it was written by a man for women, but he gives a lot of good examples and steps in there.
I hope you found these tips useful and please comment any more tips you might have!
the more I travelled around the world, I realised that the Muslim traveller is different and this post will tell you why:
Destination can be an issue
Halal Food while travelling
Alcohol Free Activities
Prayer times and locations
Pin Me!
Last year, I wrote about the Canon vlogging camera I swear by and use for all my travels. Almost an exact year ago actually! I used my previous camera, Canon G7X, for two years and it is still functioning well, but my needs as a vlogger developed the more I created travel content and I felt that it was time to upgrade. Canon has released the EOS M50 in March and after reading about it and watching the available video reviews, I decided to go ahead and get it to improve my filming game.
Travel Vlogging Camera requirements:
Most of my videos are about my travels and explorations around the world, so I have a set of requirement that any camera of mine should have. These are my own personal choices that I feel help me with videos.
The Canon EOS M50 ticked all my boxes and I made the decision to get it and I can already see the difference and hoping that you can too! I know I sound like an advert, but when you spend nearly £700, you make sure you love that product already before investing!
Below are some unedited photo examples from the Canon EOS M50:
Added bonus of the EOS M50: The viewfinder!! Which means I don't always have to flip my screen and waste the battery life to take photos. Also I can switch up the lenses! I don't think I would any time soon, but planning on that for next year!
If you are planning to buy any of the mentioned products and my review has helped you, please consider buying them through my affiliate links below. These links will give me a little commission with no extra cost to you. This commission helps me maintain the blog and supports the content. Thank you for your support!
Over to you: what do you think of the Canon EOS M50? And what would you say a very important requirement to you in terms of travel vlogging?
Travel Photography and Videography Books:
Top reasons why you should attend at least one travel blogging conference or a summit, how to prepare yourself if you are coming to one or more and how to network with other bloggers and brands like a pro.
I wrote a book that I want to tell you about and I also want to tell you how you can do it too
How to write and an e-book?
Why do you need to write an e-book?
How to self publish a book?
What are the benefits of self publishing?
Happy (almost) Earth Day lovelies! On this awesome occasion, I just wanted to do a little post about how to give back to this beautiful Earth of ours to lessen our negative impact especially while traveling. This Earth belongs to all of us and it's a group effort to keep it better than how we came into it! It's our daily responsibility to be seriously cautious of our own action. As much as it is amazing to travel and explore the world, it is not always sustainable and sometimes we contribute to really negative problems without even thinking about it fully.
"Whoever brings dead land to life, that is, cultivates wasteland, for him is a reward therein." Prophet Mohammad
Before I start telling you about the ways to be sustainable, let's define the word:
Sustainability is "the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance"
In this post I will be sharing seven ways that help me travel more sustainably. In all honesty, I do not always follow all of these ways, but I do try my best to do so and to contribute positively to this planet. Additionally, sustainable travel is really good for budgets too!
I am guilty of taking a few planes a year when travelling and the fuel of those planes is the worst thing ever and I wish I could travel more by trains and buses. To relieve my conscious, I do two things: I pay a tiny amount to offset my journey's carbon footprints even Ryanair offers this option now and take public transports when I arrive to my destination. I know sometimes public transports takes a little longer, but it has its benefits; it's better for the environment, it's much cheaper than private transportation and it also helps you get to know the destination you are travelling to differently.
“You can't understand a city without using its public transportation system.” Erol Ozan
The train in Sri Lanka
If you can, plan your travels in groups. If you know that you will be in Europe in a specific time, maybe you can go to more than one destination at once. For example, on my last trip to Algarve in Portugal, I decided to prolong my trip to explore the whole area fully before returning back home instead of going to the same place more than once. I know this is a subject to flexible times, but it is worth the consideration.
Have you seen all the very sad photo from the plastic filled Indonesian beaches? Or have you seen the story abut the whale that died from eating 30 plastic bags? As you can see plastic is a gigantic problem and it makes me so mad. My life still includes plastic, but I am slowly trying to rid my life or minimise the usage of plastic. It is VERY difficult. Grocery shopping alone causes like a half bin of plastic wastage. There are a few little things to consider while travelling to use less plastic:
By the way if you do see plastic thrown on the beach or the road, try to take it to a recycling bin!
“Removing harmful things from the road is an act of charity (sadaqah).” (Prophet Mohammad - Authenticated by Al-Albani)
Adding to waste lands is something we all should consider and as women we have one monthly wastage, which is period products. Using pads and tampons is not only semi harmful to you, but it adds to the mountain of wastage in this world. I switched to using menstrual cups and yes it was very weird when I started and it took about three periods for my body to fully get used to it and I feel like it's the best thing I have done! Plus it makes my travels easier during my period times because I don't have to pack so many products and only my cup and reusable bottle of water to wash up!
This is still difficult to find in some countries, but it is a great option when applicable. It takes a little bit longer to search for the right eco friendly lodge or hotel, but they do exist. Having the word eco in the title is not enough, you have to look at how they are environmentally friendly and the efforts they are making for that claim to be true. Some options can be found on booking.com but with some more vigorous search.
I don't mean money or goods. I mean valuable business. Research your accommodation and your tour operators and make sure you are supporting small local businesses and local charities that work with communities. G adventures work with local businesses and organise home stays so that is a good option to start with if you had no idea where to start.
You can also purchase gifts from local artists and crafters to support their traditional craft or their artistic vision. This might be a little pricey, but it will make a difference to them and you. I was very pleased when I got a handmade brooch from Vilnius!
When you are travelling to a new destination, eat the locally grown seasonal produce because that encourages the country to grow its own produce and it supports local farmers. Additionally, it is usually cheaper and fresher and has much more nutritional values to eat based on seasons.
Eat The Seasons is a good website that tells you what grows when
Another cool way is to make use of lunch offers in different countries such as the Czech Republic. Most restaurants have a lunch offer, where they cook one special and serve it for a very affordable price. It's usually a good choice to go for since it has already been cooked and it will save you some money too!
Tropical Fruit of Madeira
Sustainability is not only about using less plastic, it is a wholesome way of living and caring for the planet. One thing some people forget is the beautiful animals we have on this Earth. I know some countries are known for some amazing animals. When I went to Sri Lanka, I really wanted to see the elephants for example, but you have to be extremely careful when it comes to seeing animals. Going to a nature reserve in the wild is your best bet. Zoos and other places where they hold animals in captivity are usually horrible for the poor animals. Even whale and dolphin watching can be dangerous for them so research a lot before you go ahead with this.
Another thing to consider when it comes to animals is buying them as trophies or being products that come from wild life. No one in this life needs an alligator bag, a fox fur scarf or ivory. If you want more infromation about wild animal products or news, the national geographic wild watch is a good source for it.
“Whoever kills a sparrow or anything bigger than that without a just cause, Allah will hold him accountable on the Day of Judgment.” Prophet Mohammad. Ps. "Just cause" in reference to food.
Photo from Unawatuna to Ude Wale National Park - Sri Lanka
I hope you find ways useful and I hope we all can implement them. If you have any more ideas please share them in the comments below!
halal travel guide for Muslim women to start travelling solo with confidence
Are Muslim girls allowed to travel solo?
How do you convince your parents or husband to let you travel solo?
Joining a travel groups vs arranging it yourself
Before your solo trip
During your solo trip
After your solo trip
the more I travelled around the world, I realised that the Muslim traveller is different and this post will tell you why:
Destination can be an issue
Halal Food while travelling
Alcohol Free Activities
Prayer times and locations
Documenting my travels is one of my favourite things of all times. It is the reason I started my blog in the first place! There are so many ways to document and record your trips. It is a good way to remind yourself of your precious memories and to share it with others to keep your family up to date if you are travelling for a long while. This post will give you a little insight on how I personally document my travels from writing to using other types of technology! I mainly use four ways to document my travel: writing, photography, videography and social media. Although I find the documenting and sharing a little overwhelming, it is really fun! Let tell me tell you more about each method.
Let's start with the oldest way of documentation: writing! Travel writing is about details and valuable infromation. You can write about your trip after it is over, or you can write an entry every night of your trip. I prefer the latter otherwise I wouldn't remember a lot of the small precious things that happened. You can list the activities you have done chronologically from the moment you woke up or you can start with your least favourite activities. I usually have a lot to say about my least favourite things and writing helps me blow out steam especially if I was angry about spending half a day in a museum I hated. When you are writing, it is not only about the information of the activity, it is about fully describing the situation to create a vibrant mental image. I often enjoy reading novels because I can imagine things with rich details the way I want. Unlike movies, where they just give you all the visuals on a platter.
After every place I visit, I make a few quick notes on my phone or notepad of highlights and add sentences that would remind me of full stories. I usually don't have time to write fully at night because I am likely exhausted from my full day out. So, I write it all with the help of my notes on the plane on my way back home. I love three hour plane journeys. I get so much done during that time! I type it all up on my little keyboard that I connect to my iPad because I don't love packing my laptop with me. Often, my written travel notes make it into a blog post, where I can refer my friends and family to my experience and advice if they want to find out more.
The most obvious thing to do when travelling is taking photos and it is a great fun. You know what is not fun? Editing over 5000 photos after a two-week trip. I have learnt my lesson after taking million photos in Iran. Yes I loved looking at everything, but that doesn't mean I had to take that many photos. I am much more selective with the photos I take right now. I usually like to take one photo showing the whole thing, a photo of small details I really liked and a photo of me with that monument. I got really upset after realising I had hardly any photos of me in those 5000 Iranian pictures. I love having a light camera with me on my travels that has a wifi connection within it, so I can share the photos instantly like the canon cameras below:
Read: How to take pictures of yourself when travelling solo
I was not always big on video. I actually refused to even take short clips of any of my trips until 2015! All my videos of that year either had dust marks in them or just a shaky unusable clips, but now that I got the hang of it. I love taking videos. I try to enjoy my trip as well, so I don't take a video of everything. I like to take an establishing shot of the place from the outside showing the scale and the surroundings then I take detail shots and close ups of what I feel is important. Editing video is even harder than photos and having over 200 clips from one day only is a complete pain to put together. It also helps to think of how you attend to put the video together that usually determines the amount I film. For example, if I only want to do a highlight video, like the one I did in Morocco, I would film much less than a daily travel vlog style like the ones I did in Sri Lanka. I put both below to give you some ideas:
A great way to document travels is to share it on social media and that actually helped me remember locations that I forgot to make a note of. When I am on a trip with a good wifi, I share two photos a day, one in the morning and another one in the evening. That way I can either share thoughts I am having about the destination or some useful facts. I like numbering the photos as well. Like Day 1 in Morocco etc. Ps. Don't share the hotel's location where you are staying until after you leave!
Read: How to stay safe when travelling
Sharing doesn't have to be only during the trip time, it can be after like Throw Back Thursday and Flashback Friday or even referred to a Lategram. It's your life and photos and you are free to do whatever you please really!
Over to you: how do you document your travels?
On Today's blog, I have invited Luisa Kearney from The Online Personal Stylist to share some of her fashion expertise on building a capsule wardrobe especially for the modestly dressed traveller. Her tips will help you pack smarter, lighter and with fashion in mind! Luisa will take it from here:
Deciding what to pack for your travels can be very difficult. Quite often you end up packing too much or you don’t pack the right items for the destination. There’s nothing worse than getting caught out and not having what you need when you’re far away from home. We’ve all been there – forced to suffer for the duration of our travels feeling uncomfortable because our clothing and footwear aren’t suitable for the climate we’ve visited. This is why building a capsule wardrobe for travel is an excellent solution to your packing problems.
It is a small collection of comfortable pieces that you can pack in your suitcase each time you travel to make everything so much easier.
We’re going to look at the basics of forming a capsule wardrobe and more importantly, how to create a modest capsule wardrobe. If you don’t like to show off too much skin or you plan to travel to countries where it is deemed disrespectful if you don’t cover up, this article will provide you with a valuable insight into what to wear for those situations.
The phrase “a wardrobe full of clothes but nothing to wear” is proof that you don’t need an endless choice of clothing items. You just need items that you will actually wear. The great thing about building a capsule wardrobe is that you can personalise it to suit your needs. Some people even decide to create several micro capsule collections – one for each different occasion. If your life is very varied and requires you to have appropriate outfits for different events then curating a specific collection of coordinating pieces can make it easier to look well put together at all times. You may choose to create a capsule collection for office wear, travel, summer fashion, winter, and for special occasions. The choice is endless but this method makes shopping and organising your clothing much easier and more cost-effective. So, if you were to put together a conservative-fashion capsule wardrobe for travelling, you must first decide on what you will need to include. If you don’t travel at all in the winter months then there is no point adding winter wear to your collection. If you travel all through the year then try to maintain a balanced number of items for each season. Ideally, you don’t want to have lots of clothing items just for the summer and then nothing to wear during the cooler months. Personally, I’d recommend trying to build 2-3 outfits for each season. A couple of pairs of trousers/bottoms, a couple of tops, 1-2 cardigans/jumpers and 1-2 pairs of shoes. Don’t forget that you can always mix and match garments from each season! Creating a really streamlined capsule wardrobe for all four seasons can only be done properly if you stick to a strict colour palette.
Putting together a collection of clothing, footwear and accessories especially for your travels will make packing and shopping for future travel clothes much simpler. The first and most important thing about putting together most types of capsule wardrobe is to decide on a colour palette. What colour theme are you going for? The biggest mistake that a lot of people make when trying to pack for their travels is mixing colours and patterns. Adding in the bright coloured, statement piece that you have just bought for your summer holidays can cause a bit of a headache if it doesn’t suit anything else you intent to pack. Adding “structure” to your travel packing sounds boring but it is the only to guarantee that your travel wardrobe is practical, comfortable and functional.
To start building your colour palette for your capsule wardrobe, you must take into account these 3 things:
1) Your natural skin tone type (this will determine which colours, patterns and tones will suit your skin tone).
2) Which seasons are you packing for? This may be a contributing factor in deciding which colours are best to pack.
3) How easy and stress-free do you want your capsule wardrobe to be? If the idea of colour coordinating your clothing makes you feel uneasy then stick to a minimalist colour palette.
As a professional stylist, I encourage my clients to explore different colours and tones that suit their natural complexions. However, if I was to put together a simple capsule wardrobe list to suit the majority, it would mainly consist of items in black, white, grey and beige – but mostly black and white. Yes, this is a very basic colour palette and if you were to work one-to-one with a professional or if you have a good idea of what colours suit you already, I am sure you would be able to come up with a much more complex blend of tones. Personally I’d recommend building a conservative capsule wardrobe using these tones:
These tones suit the majority of people and are the easiest to mix and match. Plus, these shades can be worn all through the year!
Finally, what do you add to your capsule wardrobe? What items should it contain? Well, for the conservative dresser here is a list of stylish but elegant options to include:
Bottoms: Black jeans, White jeans, Indigo jeans, Harem pants, Dungarees & Silk pyjama trousers
Tops: Long sleeve top, Vest top, T-shirt, Cardigan, Hooded jumper
Body Covers: Maxi dress, Kaftan, Jumpsuit
Accessories: Large shawl, Cross-body bag, Tote bag, Jewellery (your choice).
Footwear: Sandals, Trainers/pumps and Ankle boots.
Author:
ONLINE PERSONAL STYLIST was founded by Luisa Kearney, a professional fashion stylist and editor who is passionate about providing women with an education in fashion, style and the ability to curate luxury fashion (ethical and sustainable) whatever your budget. Through Online Personal Stylist’s fashion blog and paid online personal styling services, your perfectly styled wardrobe is just a click away! Online Personal Stylist supports cruelty-free fashion and cosmetics, as well as encouraging its audience to upcycle and reuse clothing they already own.
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Let's clarify one thing first. Mother's day in the UK is on the second Sunday of March. This year it's the 11th of March. The American Mother's day however is in May. The Arab one is a little confused and sometimes I see people celebrating in March and sometimes May. Since I moved to the UK, I just followed the UK celebrations. Since March is starting tomorrow, I thought this guide might be helpful. Although with the snow this week in London it's hard to think of Marche's Spring vibe. Regardless, you have about 11 days to get your mum a present she deserve!
This is for the mum that already goes travelling with her family &/or friends. She is the one who gets the ball rolling for trips. She is practical and loves the life of the adventure!
If your mum is unsure of travelling and needs some inspiration then refer to the second guide instead.
This mum is practical, adventurous and I feel like she would love a practical travel gift to aid her and make her time away from home as comfortable as possible!
with a light and easy to use camera!
I see a lot of senior couples on my travels using their IPads to take photos and it makes me so sad because the quality of those photos will be awful! A camera that is light with a big screen and easy to use will be perfect for your mum! I would recommend one of the Canon powershot Cameras for it's light weight, good quality and practicality.
with a bag! I am sure she already has one, but maybe she hasn't replaced it in a while. I love my Kipling duffle bag and tote, or you can look at more advanced backpacks or travel bags with a good packing system. Maybe even get an idea of the kind of bag she wants and get that!
Just like with the bag, she might already have a rain jacket, but it might be warn out! Some nice rain coats last for years and are fantastic for heavy rain days. The one I have been using for 5 years now is Karen Millen rain jacket. I listed a few seemingly good quality ones for you here:
If she loves travelling then she would love an experience whether a one that will pamper her like a classic afternoon tea and spa or one that will get her adventurous soul excited like a bushcraft course!
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I mean go big or go home right? If this is a special mother's day, you might want to consider booking her a trip. In 2015, when I went for my Iran art trip, I insisted that my mum comes with me. She really loved it and it was an amazing trip that we both really enjoyed. There are a few options for this one depending on the type of trip she would enjoy.
Read: Five Muslim Friendly Travel Retreats
Ps. This is not a sponsored post, but some of the links included are affiliate, which will give me a small commission if you purchase directly from them.
halal travel guide for Muslim women to start travelling solo with confidence
Are Muslim girls allowed to travel solo?
How do you convince your parents or husband to let you travel solo?
Joining a travel groups vs arranging it yourself
Before your solo trip
During your solo trip
After your solo trip