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What It’s Like Traveling In Mecca And Medina Saudi Arabia

by Anil Polat | Mar 12, 2026 | Lodging, Travel | 0

The two holiest cities in Islam, Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia have long been restricted to outsiders. Some of that has changed in recent years in the case of Medina, but there are still some parts limited to outsiders. Saudi Arabia has strict restrictions preventing non-Muslims from entering Mecca and Medina’s holiest sites are also off limits.

To see inside both cities, you can watch this video from Mecca here and read below for more on both cities.

Traveling To Mecca

The entry point into Mecca is Jeddah for most people. It’s the closest major airport and from there you’ll take a high speed train, car, or taxi into Mecca.

There are checkpoints at the city limits that are casually manned depending on the time of the year. Around the season of the Hajj (the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca) there may be more but at other times of the year Mecca is fairly quiet.

There are plenty of hotel rooms to stay near the Great Mosque that are within walking distance and prices are competitive. While the main draw to Mecca are the holy sites, there are other places in the city that remind you it’s an urban center with all the modern elements. Plentiful places to eat, shopping, as well as tours that can take you around to the holy sites in the vicinity.

Visiting Medina

In 2021 the Saudi government opened Medina up to non-Muslims, with some exceptions. It’s best to check the latest rules from official sources but in general the city is accessible and only some holy sites have restrictions. Those include the Prophet’s Mosque and the Quba Mosque but if you want to see inside, you can watch the video below linked here.

In short, visitors have options in some of the holy sites and cities within Saudi Arabia. Traveling is comfortable, modern, and prices on par, if not a little less expensive than western Europe.

Do You Need A Guide To Visit Bhutan

by Anil Polat | Feb 26, 2026 | Advice | 0

Bhutan is a country landlocked in the Himalayas that’s one of the most extraordinary and expensive places to visit. There’s a (now reduced to) $100 a day fee to be in the country and a lack of flights that keeps the masses from visiting. Because of the logistics many people who do want to visit Bhutan, end up having difficulty finding reliable information about it.

You can watch the video above and read the summary below for the most common questions.

Yes, There Really Is A Fee

There’s a $100 a day Sustainability Development Fee (SDF) charged of all foreigners (except for a much reduced version for Indian citizens). You pay the SDF when you apply for the visa, which is around $60 on its own. (It has an infamous 500 error.) You can then book your flights and make the arrangements for a trip and I recommend you look for flights first. (Don’t book just yet.) Bhutan has only one international airport in Paro (here’s where to stay) with only two national carriers flying there – Bhutan Airlines and DrukAir.

There are only flights from a few countries in the region, like India and Thailand, so make sure to have a good idea of your route first as the journey may be longer than you initially anticipated.

A Guide Is Required

There is a lot of confusion about this requirement online and the video above goes in depth. Briefly though, yes, you do need a guide to visit Bhutan with you at all times. Enforcement varies but basically, to enter many of the major tourist sites and temples, a guide is required. You’ll need one to enter any parks too. It’s a requirement Bhutan has in place to protect tourists from the difficult terrain and unpredictable weather.

You can watch these videos to see how the guide requirement is put into practice at various locations. Although technically required, you’ll be able to grab dinner in town without a guide or go to a shop on your own with issues in most cases.

The Bhutanese Department of Tourism has a list of licensed guides though you may also want to hire a licensed driver as well. Sometimes those two overlap but in other cases, you’ll need to hire two people to get around the country.

The Cash Tricks Muggers Don’t Want You To Know About

by Anil Polat | Feb 19, 2026 | Money, Security | 0

In some parts of the world mugging and pickpocketing is a common, advanced art (like slash attacks). With most people unsuspecting, big cities like Paris, Rome, and London can become easy hunting grounds for thieves. All of their tricks have counters though that they do not want you to know about.

Here’s how to handle your cash to thwart even the best of pickpockets.

Diversify

A tactic so simple it’s amazing more people don’t do it – distribute your cash in multiple places. Use your wallet, other pocket, socks, or money belt so that all of your money is not in one place. That way if you get robbed, there are limited loses from a successful pickpocketing. Keep your smallest amounts easily accessible and the larger sums in harder to get places. Carry only what you need and don’t keep it all in one place.

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Use The Fold, Luke

Rather than keeping your cash in one big wad, break it up into folds of ones, fives, tens, and other denominations. This way, even if everything is in a single pocket, you can take only a small portion of it out. (Watch the video above to see this demonstrated.) Clever cash folds are another way to lessen the impact of any single, successful theft. Using folds also means you don’t have to take all of your cash out every time for each purchase, when you might only need a small amount. Pickpockets are watching so be careful not to display your valuables.

Decoy The Day Away

In some places it might be worth carrying a decoy wallet loaded with some decoy cards. You can find these sold at just a few dollars and they make a convincing piece of bait for a pickpocket or mugger. They’re effective for times you do have to hand over your purse or empty your pockets in a short time or when confronted. Keep a small amount of cash in your decoy and part with it quickly, knowing the real valuables are still with you.

What Happens When The TSA Steals From You?

by Anil Polat | Jan 29, 2026 | Security | 0

MAny travlers have a false sense of security when they enter an airport completely dropping common sense at the sliding doors. Hopefully that changes after you watch the video above where TSA agents were caught but only after stealing over $1,000 a day from the security line.

What You Can Do

The first step is to be aware that airport thefts can happen and you should be as cautious as you would at any public, crowded place. Pickpockets and other thieves also travel so don’t spread out your things at the gate or charging station without a high degree of awareness. Corrupt TSA agents are another threat because most people don’t suspect them. (Plus they police themselves.) To deal with the security line, you need to prepare.

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Advanced Security

Pack the things in your pockets, wallet, phone, watch, all deep inside of your carry on and do this before you get to the security line. That way the TSA agents won’t know what’s in your bags and it’s a lot more difficult for them to do a quick grab. Never leave your valuables, cash, wallet, or phone out in the open in a bin by itself.

Stuff a jacket on top of your things inside of your backpack and if you want to go an extra step, you can hide things in zippered pockets. Speaking of those, zip up your backpack as it goes through the security line.

Streamlining

In the video above you’ll see a process I call streamlining. This is basically black belt levels of travel preparation you can use to protect your valuables and even get through the security line faster than you have been. None of these strategies on their own will completely prevent theft but when combined, many you’re less likely to be a target. Stay with your things as you go through the security line, use your eyes, and hide what you want to protect.

What You Need To Know About Europe’s New Entry/Exit System (EES)

by Anil Polat | Jan 22, 2026 | Pictures and Video, Travel | 0

Europe has been rolling out an Electronic Entry/Exit System (EES) over the past few months that will affect many travelers who have been used to visa-free visits. The EES is fairly straightforward and the more you know about it ahead of time, the smoother things will go for you. Still, there will be delays so here’s what you need to prepare for.

You should watch the video above and then read below.

European Union But Really Schengen

To understand the EES you need to have a solid grasp of what the Schengen Area is. I’ve written in detail about the Schengen but in short, when you visit one of the 29 European countries you are only crossing a single border (as far as your passport is concerned). Those of you who have visa-free travel to the Schengen Area (any of these nations, including the United States) can stay 90 days within every 180 days. That’s not for a single country but the entire area.

What The EES Is

With the EES, you’ll now have to register you fingerprints, photo, and scan your passport upon entering Europe. The kiosks may also ask your reasons for visiting the Schengen Area and once you’re approved (on the spot) you’ll continue on. There will no longer be passport stamps – everything is recorded digitally – and for most people, you won’t meet a passport control officer.

There’s nothing you have to do ahead of time but expect delays as everyone gets used to (or shocked because they didn’t know) about the new system.

What’s The About?

Your bio-metric data will be stored by the EES for 3 years so on any subsequent visits all you’ll have to do is scan your passport and either fingerprint or face. The data is stored within in the European Union and you can request a copy of the data they have of yours. Going through the EES is mandatory for all visitors and is aimed to bolster security while also preventing people from overstaying their visa-free allowance.

Both The Ridge Tracker Card And AirTag Are Good For Lost, Not Stolen Wallets

by Anil Polat | Jan 15, 2026 | Security | 0

AirTags are Apple’s disc-shaped solution to lost keys, purses, pets, and wallets. The problem is their shape makes them too bulky to fit in a traditional wallet – let alone a slim one. That’s where Ridge’s Tracker Card comes in. The credit card shape, thickness, and weight make it perfect for slipping into a wallet but without the AirTag’s ultra-wide band chip are they any good?

You can see in the video above I put them to the test and learned they have a significant limitation.

The Stolen Wallet Test

I had two friends take my wallet – one with an AirTag and the other a Ridge Tracker Card to see if I could find either of them within 20 minutes. Both devices use Apple’s Find My network and should give you a notification when they leave your (phone’s) vicinity. Unfortunately, in both cases, it took over 10 minutes to get that notification. That cut my search time in half and while the Ridge Tracker Card did ping more often than the AirTag, the updates were minutes apart.

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Getting Lost

Yes, in both cases I was not able to track down my wallet. Both the Ridge Tracker Card and AirTag simply weren’t updating frequently enough – in a large and crowded part of a European capital city – so I would expect in less densely populated areas it would be even worse. My pickpockets were always one step (or three) ahead of me.

Of course in an actual pickpocketing, the thieves would likely ditch and AirTag immediately. A Ridge Tracker Card is less conspicuous so there’s a chance it wouldn’t get discarded quite as quickly. Still, the most likely scenario is someone stealing a wallet, walking a few blocks away somewhere quiet to unload the money and cards, and leave everything else behind.

Not All Is Lost

Both the Ridge Tracker Card and AirTag have a number of uses but these are not GPS devices. They don’t update frequently enough to actively track someone in most cases. For lost items though, they can be useful to get a location, be notified you left your wallet at home, or that a kind barista is safeguarding the wallet you forgot at the cafe.

Where time is critical, an AirTag and Ridge Tracker Card might just be a bit too slow for you to keep up with a crook.

About Anil Polat

Hi, I'm Anil. foXnoMad is where I combine travel and tech to help you travel smarter. I'm on a journey to every country in the world and you're invited to join the adventure! Read More