Blog - foXnoMad

Things Are Changing

by Anil Polat | Oct 7, 2021 | Site News | 0

For the past 10 years, I’ve written two posts a week on this site. Things are changing today though for foXnoMad. Starting from now, there’s only going to be one post a week, on Thursdays, guaranteed. Fewer days but more content, let me explain.

One Post A Week

10 years is a long time on the Internet and posting every Tuesday and Thursday for that long is a small personal accomplishment. Over that time though I started uploading two travel–tech videos to YouTube every week. (Subscribe and you could win $100.) The foXnoMad Podcast goes out every other Friday. I’ve also made time to occasionally write for other publications like WIRED and have developed 5 of the top 50 travel apps for iOS and Android.

I’m creating more content but not able to create more time (even if you do travel very fast). I’d also like to be able to share more of this content with you as well as have time for other projects.

Win $100

Yes, well I did mention a giveaway didn’t I? How about 2? To enter the first chance to win a $100 gift card to either Apple or Amazon, all you have to do is be subscribed to my YouTube channel. Want another chance to win a $100 gift card? Subscribe to the foXnoMad Podcast here and leave a review (one hopes it would be 5 stars and all feedback is welcome). There you go, you’re now entered. Keep an eye on both places.

New Schedule

Thursdays you’ll get one new article on how to travel smarter. Some Thursdays there may be two or three posts (or videos!) but one for sure. Occasionally there may be longer gaps when I’m working on different writing projects.

Announcements aside, we’re heading into tech season so buckle up, good luck in the giveaways and let me know if you have any thoughts or just hate change.

Comparing Slim Wallets: Ekster vs. Trove vs. Ridge

by Anil Polat | Sep 30, 2021 | Money, Pictures and Video | 0

Slim wallets are a trimmed down to the realities of carrying money in the modern world. They’re focused on cards mainly, with little space for cash or coins since fewer of us pay with physical currency these days. Although they are svelte, three of the biggest slim wallet manufacturers all do things a little different in their design.

That’s not to say one is better than the other but as you can see in the video above between Ekster, Trove, and Ridge, here’s how to decide which one might be best for you.

Slimness: Winner, Ridge Wallet

Ridge wallets are two pieces of metal with an elastic band that holds both sides together. The metal, which comes in aluminum, titanium, or gold, is highly durable while also fitting into the Ridge ethos of minimalism. Ridge wallets are perfect for people who carry mainly cards although they do have an optional money clip or cash strap for bills. There’s no place for coins and receipts or other odd papers.

Ridge Wallet for Men - Slim Minimalist Compact Wallet and Card...

Runner Up: Ekster Aluminum Wallet

The Aluminum Wallet [full review] has a slick trigger that displays your cards in paper fan fashion making them easily accessible. Ekster have also included a cash strap. Much like the Ridge, the Aluminum Wallet is slim; the major difference being its thickness is fixed, no matter how many cards you’re carrying.

Versatility: Winner, Ekster Parliament Wallet

The Parliament is almost a hybrid of a traditional fold wallet and a slim wallet. It’s got a fold, increasing the overall thickness but that gives you space for cards, cash, and receipts as well. You might be shopping for a wallet that’s trim but not excessively slim and the Parliament fits that niche well.

Runner Up: Trove Wallet

The Trove Wallet is a highly configurable design which three pockets based on an internal fold. You’ve got plenty of space for cards, as well as a small crease for cash or receipts, all in a slimmer form factor than the Parliament.

Price: Winner, Trove

The Trove line of wallets, including the Coin Caddy and Cash Strap, start at 30 British pounds (roughly $40). Compare that to the Ridge, which run around $125 and up, or the Ekster line in the $80 range. Trove are least expensive slim wallet option of the three by a considerable margin.

Which Is The One For You?

Depending on your needs or who you’re shopping for the Ridge is a higher-end wallet with a focus on minimalism. Ekster tend to make slim wallets for people who like the traditional feel and look of a folding wallet, whereas Trove is a creative take on slim wallets for people who want versatility in a small package.

You can watch the videos above to see more details about each of these slim wallets. If you’re new to slim wallets, no matter which one you go with, it will take a week or so to get used to one. After that you’ll wonder how you ever carried a bulky traditional wallet at all.

The Tech Gear And Gadgets I Travel Around The World With: September 2021

by Anil Polat | Sep 28, 2021 | Pictures and Video, Site News, Tech | 0

I travel with a lot more electronics than most so fortunately over the past year or two there’s been a narrowing gap between power and portability. Inside my Aer Travel Pack 2 there’s a mobile podcast studio, app development office, and video production house. All of the gear I travel with has a purpose and since I updated this list in 2017, the tech I carry has become a lot smaller.

Here’s all the tech I travel with, which might give you some ideas on durable, useful, or otherwise entertaining gear for your own travels.

Laptop: 16″ Macbook Pro: 2.3 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9, 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD, AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 8 GB

Recommended Laptop Cover: Incase Icon Sleeve
Mouse: Logitech MX Anywhere 2s, MX Anywhere 2s travel case, and Glorious Large Gaming Mousepad

logitech - MX Anywhere 2S Wireless Laser Mouse - Black

Webcam Stickers: EFF Laptop Camera Cover Set
2 External Hard Drives: Seagate 4TB Backup Plus [Video Review]
USB Hub (To Add More Ports): Hiearcool Docking Station

Camera Gear

Main Video Camera: Sony a7C with Tamron 17-28mm Lens

Sony Alpha 7C Full-Frame Compact Mirrorless Camera Kit - Silver...

SD Cards (2): SanDisk 128GB Extreme PRO UHS-I SDXC Memory Card
Camera Case: MegaGear MG091 Ultra Light Neoprene Camera Case
Lens Filters (67mm): K&F UV Filter, Gobe ND and Gobe Polarizer

Gobe 67mm ND1000 (10 Stop) ND Lens Filter

Action Camera: GoPro HERO9 Black

Tripod: Joby GorillaPod Focus with Joby Ballhead and Neewer Carbon Fiber tripod (66 inch). For locked off shots, I use the Samson MK-10 microphone stand.

NEEWER 66"/168cm Carbon Fiber Tripod for Camera with...

An Aputure MC for portable lighting.

Audio Equipment

On top of the Sony a7C, I’m using a Deity D3 Pro for recording audio.

Deity V-Mic D4 Duo Dual Capsule Cardioid Microphone Camera-Mount...

For podcasting, I use the Audio-Technica ART2100x-USB microphone.

Headphones: Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Earbuds

Bose QuietComfort Earphones, 2020 Model, Black

For sports, I use these extremely durable but inexpensive Anker Soundbuds Curve.

Phone (Daily Driver): iPhone 11 (128 GB)/(Product) Red

I also travel with a Nexus 5X, primarily because it’s stock Android and gets updates from Google before most other phones, making it ideal for testing development versions of my WiFox and DroneMate apps.

Drone

Drone: DJI Mavic Air 2

DJI Mini 2 Fly More Combo – Ultralight Foldable Drone, 3-Axis...

Recommended accessories: Flyt Path case for Mavic Air 2; Storage: SanDisk 64 GB Micro SDXC UHS-I card with adapter.

All of the electronics in this list, including the DJI Mavic drone, fit into one backpack, my Aer Travel Pack 2. I use two SwissGear Hanging Toiletry Kits to better organize and stack everything inside my backpack. These are the other bags and non-electronic gear I use.

Luggage: Osprey Packs Sojourn Wheeled Luggage, 60L

Daypack: Osprey Daylite

DJI Mini 2 Fly More Combo – Ultralight Foldable Drone, 3-Axis...

To keep track of my luggage and gear, I use Apple’s Airtags.

Apple AirTag 4 Pack

Portable Batteries: Anker PowerCore 13000.

Connectors, Converters, And Other Accessories

For reading books or when I need a larger, mobile screen in general, I use a 64 GB iPad Air 2020 protected by an Apple Smart Folio with an Apple Pencil 2.

Yootech Wireless Charger,10W Max Wireless Charging Pad Compatible...

YooTech Wireless Charging Pad – Inexpensive and small wireless charging pad.
OREI Safest World Travel Adapter – An all-in-one that covers my poor memory for most of the world’s outlets. Includes a 3 prong connection too for grounded plugs.
World Travel Adapter Plug Set – Being less bulky these adapters work well for outlets that can’t support much weight from a heavy charger.
ALFA Long Range Wi-Fi Adapter – Here’s why you might find one of these very useful, especially if you spend a lot of time online when traveling.
iKlear Cleaning Kit – This liquid is what Apple stores around the world use to keep our eager but greasy fingers from making display models an icky version of shiny. It also comes with two microfiber cloths.
Moleskine Classic Notebook 5 x 8.25 (Black) – An ancient but important technology for taking notes and outlining ideas.

If you’re curious, you can see the the gadgets in my backpack way back in 2012 and I keep an updated list the gear I travel with here.

The 4 Best Places To Eat In Thamel Kathmandu

by Anil Polat | Sep 16, 2021 | Advice, Food, Pictures and Video | 0

Thamel is Kathmandu’s backpacker district but that doesn’t mean this part of Nepal’s capital city doesn’t have some of the best food travelers can eat. Vibrant and full of local, some locally a hole in the wall, options, these are 4 places you should eat in Thamel.

1. Tibetan & Nepali Kitchen

There’s plenty of space inside but you might miss this family run business cooking up amazing thali (tasting of local curries), thenthuk (wide noodle soup), and of course momos. Tibetan & Nepali Kitchen is cozy inside with the kitchen in partial view and the food served on order with quick turnaround times.

2. Mo Mo Cave

You’ll have to walk through some construction and under a building with a questionable foundation but believe me, the momos at Mo Mo Cave are worth it. Momos take time here in this small family operation that makes the best momos, small, steamed or fried dumplings with vegetarian, chicken, or beef options. Eat here at least once when you’re in Thamel and it probably won’t be your last visit.

3. Himalayan Java

More on the beaten path, this small coffee chain is a little hipster with a lot of local love for good reason. The coffee at a place called Himalayan Java (as one would hope) is good with pastries to match, not to mention excellent free wifi. A nice place to relax, especially during the slower afternoon hours.

4. Yangling

Almost combining a little of the above, Yangling serves up hot Tibetan classics with some local favorites. Yangling’s crowded and the tables slightly messy from the meal someone had before you but the food is tasty, comforting, and served fairly quickly. Being on the edge of Thamel, depending on where you’re staying, Yangling is a longer (10-20 minute walk) but if thupka (thin noodle broth soup) makes you’re heart sing, it will carry your feet away.

More Food For You

A few other places worth mentioning are Black Olive Cafe for breakfast and if the weather is nice, a warm patio to get your day started. Speaking of morning, next to OR2K which has a large variety of Westernized vegan and vegetarian dishes, there’s a small coffee stand with no name. It’s right on the corner here and hard to miss on the ground but if you want freshly brewed local coffee with Thamel’s unique flavor, this coffee stand has your name on it.

How To Use Travel Blogs To Plan A Trip

by Anil Polat | Sep 14, 2021 | Advice, Food, Money, Train | 0

There are a lot of travel blogs on the Internet but as websites keep procreating, many independent sites get lost under search garbage. Travel blogs used to be a primary source of vacation planning until everyone and their weird relatives hopped on Facebook to scream at each other. Still, there are many independent creators focused on writing specific and personalized information about the places you want to go.

Here’s how to find and use travel blogs to plan a better trip than a bland web search can get you.

The Benefit Of Blogs

As clearly biased as this is going to sound, blogs are probably the most free places online. Generally independent from the pressures of algorithms (like YouTube), few worries of shadow banning, and not being like based, many blogs are run by people who inherently enjoy sharing information. Blogs typically live and die by Google search results and since competing with larger sites on common searches has become more difficult, crafty bloggers tend to get specific. Really specific, like the “the best way to get a taxi in Istanbul.”

Blogs are often updated more frequently than tent pole pages in mainstream media because there are a lot of travel bloggers, blogging about somewhere you want to go, at any given time.

Finding Good Travel Blogs

Sifting through abandoned blogs and sites made purely for search engine optimization (SEO) to find quality travel blogs isn’t too difficult. To find a site first, enter in the search term you’re looking for (e.g. “best places to eat in Moldova“) followed by “travel blog.” This sounds silly I know, but entering in “best places to eat in Moldova travel blog” will get you past Google’s generic recommendations and a bunch of bland TripAdvisor recommendations.

Ratings from those sites, short reviews written by anonymous people, and everything being 4.7 stars doesn’t actually give you useful travel advice. But by searching through travel blogs you get detailed articles such as solo female travel in Bangladesh by locals, expats like Turkey’s For Life, and travelers who’ve extensively explored a destination (how about Alaska).

It’s a good idea to look at the dates of posts to see how recent they are and check the latest posts to see how fresh a given blog is. A lot of blogs don’t add dates to posts because of a misguided understanding of SEO (please, stop doing that) so seeing how active a given blogger is on social media can help with your site freshness check.

How To Use Travel Blogs

Many travel blogs have information categorized by destination or country, mode of travel, or even cuisine. Depending on the site design, I recommend going to the “blog” or “about” pages. The blog page will usually show you recent topics and the about page will give you an idea about the person writing everything. Does the blogger travel like you, have the same interests when visiting a city… there’s a lot you can learn.

Some travel bloggers also run diverse tours and can be contacted with feedback – a lot of us are happy to help. Your question might even turn into an entire blog post about how to use travel blogs to plan your next trip.

Although they’re not as easy to find through a Google search (try DuckDuckGo anyone?), the blogosphere is thriving, independent, and full of useful advice and thoughtful creators. Once you find a blog or blogger that vibes with you and is especially helpful, make sure to sign up for their newsletter, YouTube, or other social channels to keep up in between trips and have a handy resource before the next one.

How To Cook Turkish Borek The Easy Way

by Anil Polat | Sep 9, 2021 | Food, Pictures and Video | 0

Turkish borek is a food you might be familiar with since there’s a version of it in most cultures. Dough with tasty things stuffed inside then cooked until the exterior is crispy and the insides soft. Creating borek is traditionally a time consuming task but switching from an oven to a stove top, you can prepare the dish within 15 minutes.

Once you’re ready, it’s only about an hour to cook this vegetarian Turkish dish. You can watch the entire process in this video (with my mom!) or read on.

What You’ll Need

There are some key ingredients like the phyllo dough, olive oil, and eggs (or egg substitute to make it a vegan Turkish recipe). In this recipe we’re using a classic spinach, onion, and tomato filling but you can get creative! Just keep the basic preparation steps in place and in proportion.

1 package 3-layer phyllo dough
7 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons black cumin seeds
1 onion
1 tomato
1 large bag of spinach
1 egg
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 cups water

Preparing The Filling

Start by chopping your onion, spinach, and tomatoes into bite-size pieces (i.e. not too fine). Pour 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a pot, toss your chopped spinach, tomatoes, and onion in, and set it to a low to medium heat until it simmers. While that’s cooking, in a separate bowl crack an egg, pour 2 cups of water, and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Whisk until it’s thoroughly mixed and let it sit while you move on to the next step.

Getting The Dough Ready

Using a tablespoon of olive oil, coat the bottom of a large pan. Take a tablespoon of cumin seeds and sprinkle them across the bottom. Then take your phyllo dough and cover the bottom in a layer or two. It doesn’t have to be uniform, which saves you a lot of time, just make sure the bottom layer especially isn’t too thin.

After the first layer of dough, pour some of the egg mixture and add your (now lightly cooked) filling. Then start tearing more dough and put it on time. Then, another layer of egg mix and filling, then dough.

Cooking The Borek

The final step is to pour the remaining mixture on top of the entire borek; this helps keep the dough soft while it’s cooking. Once that’s done, sprinkle another tablespoon of cumin seeds on top. Now, you can place the borek on the stove at medium heat. Cook until it’s lightly brown (approximately 30 minutes) on the bottom, then flip it over. Once both sides are light brown, it’s time to let the borek cool to room temperature and eat!

To add to this meal you can make mercimek koftesi (spicy lentil balls) or some of these lesser known classic Turkish foods. Afiyet olsun!

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