Destinations Archives - Bren on The Road

How To Get A Suriname E-Visa (Don’t Do What I Did!)

I’m travelling to Suriname for a tournament. I’m flying from Singapore, so I need to overnight in Amsterdam. It’s alright, Amsterdam isn’t so bad. I land in Amsterdam Schiphol and get my shuttle to the airport hotel. It’s freezing cold. Middle of winter. No way I’m going outside. I hate cold. I order a burger …

Destinations, Maldives

One Night (And Morning) In Malé

After my week in Fulhadhoo I had to stay a night in Malé before my flight home. That was perfect, because how could I come to the Maldives without exploring the capital! Despite Maldives being a tourist hot spot, there wasn’t actually many places to stay on Malé which was strange. I ended up staying …

Destinations, Maldives

How To Spend A Week On Beautiful Fulhadhoo

How did I end up spending a week on Fulhadhoo? I’ll be honest – I used ChatGPT. I was in Maldives for a visa-run, and I simply asked – “I want to live in a beachfront room for a week. I’m also a triathlete and want to take long runs on empty roads, and do …

Destinations, Maldives

A Quick Glimpse At Hulhumale

I booked my first night in The Maldives in Hulhumale without even knowing it. When I landed at Malé Airport I had just assumed Malé was Malé. Apparently not! At the taxi stand outside first thing he asked me was Hulhumale? or Malé? I didn’t know there was a difference. And I looked at the …

Destinations, Malaysia

Visiting Kuala Lumpur’s Most Luxurious Theatre

I don’t get to visit the movies often anymore. My last trip was about two years ago in Dubai, where I visited their luxury theatre. It cost me an obscene amount of money (I think $200?) and it was only after leaving that I thought it might make a good blog post! Unfortunately I didn’t take any …

Destinations, Vietnam

Training, Racing and Eating In Hanoi

After playing two tournaments in small-town Vietnam, the plan for Hanoi was to eat a lot of food, explore the city and find a good coach to train with. I found a great Airbnb right by the French Quarter, a short walk from Hoàn Kiem Lake. One thing I wasn’t prepared for was the weather. …

Destinations, Vietnam

My First Trip To Vietnam

It’s taken me a long time to get to Vietnam. Since it’s an all-time favourite on the backpacker trail, most assume I’ve ticked this one off already. Somehow it’s escaped me all these years. I finally got the chance to visit, as Vietnam hosted two international tournaments – the perfect excuse for me to make …

Destinations, Nigeria

What’s Nigeria Like?

The final spot on my West Africa tour after Ghana and Cameroon was the fan favourite Nigeria! Despite hearing a lot about Nigeria over the years I wasn’t sure what to expect. It’s supposed to have one of the biggest and fastest growing economies in Africa, but also one of the most complained about countries …