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.

The post What It’s Like Traveling In Mecca And Medina Saudi Arabia appeared first on foXnoMad.

Marriott hotels announced in 2024 that they would be partnering with Sonder and rebranding the apartment accommodation service as Sonder by Marriott Bonvoy. Then, abruptly at in November 2025, Marriott released a statement saying they were terminating their partnership with Sonder effective immediately and all guests staying at Sonder properties had to get out. Immediately.

So here’s what happened between Sonder and Marriott.

The Partnership That Wasn’t

Right after Marriott’s press release on November 9th, messages were sent to Sonder guests informing them they had to vacate their rooms. Some returned to their rooms to find their belongings in plastic bags left in hallways. It turns out, Sonder had not been paying Marriott for their end of the bargain (Marriott even used the term “default” in their press release) and filed for bankruptcy within 48 hours.

Their CEO, Janice Sears made it seem like Marriott was to blame for their Chapter 7 filing:

“We are devastated to reach a point where a liquidation is the only viable path forward,” said Janice Sears, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Sonder. “Unfortunately, our integration with Marriott International was substantially delayed due to unexpected challenges in aligning our technology frameworks, resulting in significant, unanticipated integration costs, as well as a sharp decline in revenue arising from Sonder’s participation in Marriott’s Bonvoy reservation system. These issues persisted and contributed to a substantial and material loss in working capital.”

Yikes. The blame game has begun but it’s hard to see how partnering with Marriott could have devastated Sonder so quickly. It’s more likely Sonder were already running on fumes and simply could hold out until the (expected) revenue boost from Marriott came.

Sonder No More

Filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy leading to liquidation means that Sonder won’t exist any more. All future reservations have been automatically canceled and if you want a refund, you’ll have to work with your bank to get a charge back. Marriott is helping customers who booked through their site but have said Sonder users are on their own.

It’s been a messy break up and a shame for travelers. Sonder offered spacious, apartment style alternatives to hotel rooms in major cities. I guess now we know that it was all too good to be true.

The post The Sonder-Marriott Hotels Divorce is Ugly appeared first on foXnoMad.

Saudi Arabia boasts some of the most luxurious hotels in the world and the country is expanding its accommodation sector rapidly. The buildings though are going up before the prices reach them in the lower atmosphere. In particular, Jeddah, a main hub along Saudi Arabia’s western coast is where you can find luxury hotels for reasonable rates.

You can watch the full tour in the video above before reading the summary below.

Voco Jeddah Gate

Located in a barren part of Jeddah, just outside of the current downtown, the Voco Gate is the largest luxury hotel in town. Eventually the area around the Voco Gate will become the center of business and commerce in Jeddah though right now it is an absolute bargain. You can find rooms for $150 a night that include a kitchen, washer-dryer combo, spacious rooms, and an incredible breakfast buffet.

Amenities Everywhere

From the pools – yes, plural, – to the multiple outdoor hot tubs, large gym the Voco Gate is spacious. All of the aforementioned areas are open to everyone but in line with Saudi cultural norms, there are also optional women’s only gyms, hot tubs, and pool as well indoors with privacy. There’s also a central lounge serving coffee and mocktails, a separate wedding area with groom and bridge preparation areas, multiple conference rooms, and large party halls.

Breakfast Open

The breakfast buffet at the Voco Gate might be the largest I’ve ever seen and even if you’re not staying at the Voco Gate, you can purchase a pass to experience it. There is local and international food, several stations with cooks serving up a variety of dishes on demand and more varieties of bread than you knew existed.

Overall, I would expect the rates at the Voco Gate in Jeddah to go up as the area around the hotel expands but for now if you’re visiting, don’t miss the best accommodation deal in town.

The post Where To Stay In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: Luxury Hotel Review appeared first on foXnoMad.

STLV Trek to Vegas is the world’s biggest Star Trek Convention on most years. It’s a sprawling event covering 5 days in Las Vegas and is a must-visit for any sci-fi fan (and certainly Trekkie). The scope of STLV, not to mention a trip to Las Vegas, means a lot of moving parts that can make it hard to wrap your head around what one actually does at a Star Trek convention.

You can watch the video above for your complete guide to STLV and read on for the highlights.

What Is STLV?

STLV one of the many fan conventions run by Creation Entertainment. It’s not a pure Star Trek convention (STLV does have guests and panels covering other fandoms) but is mostly about the show Gene Roddenberry created. STLV takes place every year in the early part of August and goes from Wednesday to Sunday at the Rio Hotel and Casino which has recently been acquired by Hyatt.

Planning Your STLV

The first step is to sign up for a World of Hyatt rewards program account if you don’t already have one. You can earn and use Hyatt points for booking at the Rio, but you can’t claim points after a stay (unlike most airline mileage programs). You’ll want to book a room at the Rio – which is off the strip and makes staying a other properties much less convenient – at the very latest in mid-May to ensure you can find a room to meet your needs.

• Once you’re at the hotel, you can sign up for a Rio Rewards card. That will not only let you earn points for any purchases at the hotel (minus your room) but Rio will send you free stay offers throughout the year. Using a Rio Rewards promotion you can often get at least one day of your booking before or after the convention for free.

The STLV tickets can be purchased as general admission or under a variety of tiers, each with perks of their own. For general admission, the busiest days are Saturday and Sunday so I recommend purchasing tickets at least a month in advance. Throughout the year around many United States Federal Holidays, Creation also runs sales on tickets. You can sign up through their website to get notified of any promotions.

• Personally I like to get to Rio the Sunday before STLV, plan some side trips like Area 51, and leave the Tuesday after the convention. (There’s an unofficial Star Trek pool party on the Monday after STLV which helps with recuperating after the long weekend.)

What’s STLV Like?

STLV is like a Star Trek buffet, you can pick and choose how you want to make your plate. There are panel interviews with actors, crew, and writers who will take audience questions, a packed vendor’s room full of merch, science talks, concerts, and more all happening often at once. You’ll need to pick and choose in between all the events and any photo ops or autographs signings you have scheduled.

• Photo ops are fun but if you want to interact a bit more with a given Trek personality, getting an autograph is the better way to go. You’ll pay for the autograph but many will take a selfie with you for free. Plus you get a few more moments to chat with the Trek actor, writer, or crew.

Money Saving Tips

An extra day before STLV gives you time to visit a nearby grocery store and buy snacks plus any alcohol you want. The Rio, like most Las Vegas resorts charges high markups for food and booze so going to a nearby grocery store can save you hundreds of dollars over an STLV. I’d also recommend bringing or buying a filtered water bottle so you can drink from the room faucet. The convention spaces all have free water available but having a bottle will cut down on waste.

Survimate 5-Stage 0.01μm Ultra-Filtration Filtered Water Bottle...

Buy on Amazon

No Cosplay Needed

You don’t have to dress up but if you want to, there’s no limit to how creative you can get. At STLV you can be a different character every day but just be sure to wear good walking shoes. The steps down the long Rio hallways add up quickly and be sure to pop down to the Masquerade Bar in the evenings where most everyone at STLV passes through at some point to unwind.

For any Star Trek fan, STLV is a convention to visit at least once. Creation does run other regional ST-Conventions in other U.S. cities also worth considering but for the biggest show for the best show, there’s no place like STLV Trek to Vegas.

The post Everything You Need To Know About Attending STLV: Las Vegas’ Star Trek Convention appeared first on foXnoMad.

Travel long enough and inevitably you’ll be doing some amount of laundry in your hotel room. Whether it’s to get a strain out of a shirt or to avoid paying for pricey hotel washing fees here’s the short, effective, and inexpensive way to clean your clothes.

You can watch the video above and then read on for the summary.

Get Scrubbing

The Scrubba is a specialized laundry bag designed for travel. A Scrubba is the size of a small backpack (think daypack) that can be folded into a small triangle. Once unfurled the Scrubba can hold several pair of socks with a few shirts but anything bulkier like jeans won’t fit.

Scrubba Wash Bag Portable Washing Machine - Lightweight Manual...

Buy on Amazon

In addition to the Scrubba you’ll want to pack some laundry detergent sheets as well. Toss in a few pieces of clothes into the Scrubba, the detergent sheet, then a few more clothes.

Arm & Hammer Power Sheets Laundry Detergent, Fresh Linen 50ct, up...

Buy on Amazon

Add water up to the line shown on the laundry bag, fold the top and then clip to close.

Rinse, Rest, Relax

As the name suggests, you’ll be scrubbing but not before letting out any excess air via the blue valve on the Scrubba. The label recommends scrubbing for 30 seconds to 3 minutes, longer for dirtier or stained clothes. At this point I deviate from Scrubba’s recommendations of rinsing immediately. I’ve found clothes tend to get cleaner (and smell a lot better) if I leave them in for a few hours. I’ll use the time to get a meal or sightsee as my clothes soak with the detergent sheet for a while longer.

Then you can start rinsing and dry on a balcony or over the shower rack or door. You can then use a dryer sheet to make all your suitcase contents smell nice and if you need to wash water resistant gear, do this instead.

The post Hotel Room Laundry Tips: Scrubba Review appeared first on foXnoMad.