Nitpicker’s travel journal: do travelers really need an AI assistant for surviving road toll complexity in EU?

highway traffic moving slowly on a highway in Italian Riviera

A long, but exciting and entertaining road trip took us across Europe from Estonia to southern France in October. All eight countries that were along our route are members of European Union. Thanks to EU, we didn’t have to worry about phenomenal roaming charges for our mobile phone communications, or … Read >

Scammers have discovered a way to steal travelers’ money by exploiting Booking.com online service

Screen capture of online hotel booking service.

I must admit that this scam is clever. It doesn’t, however, mean that a party of the scam – hotel reservation service Booking.com – shouldn’t do something to prevent it. Here is how the scam works, and if there is anything you can … Read >

Spanish Mediterranean city of Valencia named as the European Green Capital 2024

turia park, valencia, spain
Turia Park in Valencia.

Since 2008, the European Union has annually awarded Green Capital recognitions to cities that are leaders in environmentally friendly urban living development. Cities with more than 100 000 inhabitants compete for the Green Capital title and towns with 20 000-100 000 residents may try to win … Read >

Pretty medieval town of Colmars (almost) in the middle of nowhere in the French Alps

colmars, French Alps. photo ari hakkarainen.

Traveling in Europe often comes with surprises, especially in countries with rich history and varying landscape. Recently, our mission was to explore the high Alps in France (which we did, and it was a breathtaking experience), but little did we know that we would stumble upon a medieval town in … Read >

Is Portugal driving campervans and motorhomes out of the country?

no parking sign in sagres, algarve, portugal
Night parking forbidden in Sagres, southwest coast of Portugal.

Portugal is a popular southern European travel destination for many reasons: its glorious beaches and historic cities attract tourists for short visits, while digital nomads, pensioners and remote workers like to stay for months especially during the winter in the country. … Read >

Algarve, Portugal campaigns for campervans and motorhomes to stay in designated areas

sunset in Sagres, Portugal
Sunset in Sagres.

The south coast of Portugal, Algarve, is a popular winter escape destination for northern and central Europeans. Many fly to Faro, the only airport of the province, but many visitors also drive their campervans and motorhomes to the south coast. There is a wide range of camping … Read >