Meandering Nomad partners with Hostel World

We are excited to announce a partnership with our friends at Hostel World. Hostelworld.com is the world’s number one hostel booking website. Hostel World offers over 30,000 different hostels and budget accommodation properties worldwide in over 180 countries. We have used Hostel World in the past to great success for our own bookings, blogging, and travel guides for you. Not only does Hostel World have an extensive catalog of participating properties but the community they have formed provides valid feedback on each location so you know what to expect when booking. During COVID-19 they took travelers’ concerns to heart and coordinated with their property owners to thin out big dormitory rooms to ensure adequate spacing between guests. You can learn more about their pandemic response efforts here. They are also socially responsible when it comes to over-tourism which is a big concern for us here at Meandering Nomad. We always strive to push for the sustainable option when we travel and we always suggest you do the same with yours. You can learn more about their over-tourism efforts here. Lastly, they serve an international community with customer service agents available in 19 different languages. As we strive to cater to a global audience, ensuring the demands of an international community is important to us. Because of these key positives, and more, meandering nomad partners with hostel world.

In transparency, now that Meandering Nomad partners with hostel world you will begin seeing a few of their advertisement banners sprinkled on the website and within blogs. Their properties have already been featured in our travel guides. We strongly suggest hostel’s as a go-to option for budget travel and have always suggested using a dependable hostel resource like Hostel World. If you would like to book your own travel using one of our personally crafted travel guides please visit our travel store or our Fiverr store to order, today!

Meandering Nomad Travel Guide Packages Are Ready for Quick Order!

Meandering Nomad just received an influx of orders for a host of exotic travel destinations! Customization is always included in our Meandering Nomad Travel Guide Packages, but these fresh orders give us a starting template for 25 great new locations. These templates help us more efficiently craft travel plans and itineraries for you; for locations that we had yet to add to our inventory. Please check out of our store and contact us with any questions you might have when purchasing some of your own custom Meandering Nomad Travel Guide Packages! The locations are as follows by region:

New Blog Locations Meandering Nomad
Buy your own Custom Travel Guide & Itinerary

North America:
Niagara Falls, NY
Havana and Trinidad, Cuba
Mexico City, Mexico

South America:
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Europe:
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Barcelona, Spain
Granada, Spain
London, England
Lucerne, Switzerland
Paris, France
Porto, Portugal
Prague, Czech Republic
Rome, Italy
Venice, Italy
Zurich, Switzerland

Asia:
The Kingdom of Bahrain
Baku, Azerbaijan
Doha, Qatar
Krabi, Thailand
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kyoto, Japan
Nur Sultan and Almaty, Kazakhstan
Singapore

Oceana:
New Zealand
Sydney, Australia

Vacation Itinerary
Rome Pin Map
  • eight21studios
  • eight21studios
  • eight21studios
  • eight21studios
  • tower eight21studios

Now all premium packages come with custom art by eight21studios.com

Taco’s, Tequila, and Pyramid’s in Mexico City

In 1521 Mexico City was founded by the Aztec’s. The city is built on top of a lake, Lago de Texcoco. The technique of filling the lake in with soil to build a civilization is worth marvel, much like the much more ancient pyramids just outside of town. Teotihuacán, the city that erected these pyramid’s in Mexico City, was abandoned long before the Aztecs constructed the beginnings of todays Mexico City. It is unknown who inhabited this ancient city but it still stands as one of the most significant remnants of a great Mesoamerican civilization. A civilization that experts believe was at its peak between 1-500 CE with a population of 125,000 souls.

taco
tequila

Today, Mexico City has nearly 9 million inhabitants within its limits making it the largest city in the Western hemisphere. It is a vibrant, chaotic place and Meandering only scratched the surface. Seeing the finer points of a city this magnitude is nearly impossible but Meandering Nomad was up to the challenge! With an itinerary jam packed with excitement (plenty of social distancing too) we were able to find fascinating taco‘s, tequila, and pyramid’s in Mexico City!

  • The taco’s and more came from El Cardinal – Historic Center of Mexico City. Try the rich mole negro chicken, juicy el pastor tacos, and rich hot coco!
  • The tequila was served up by the fine people at Hilton Mexico City Reforma. When having tequila ask them for their home made sangrita and sip together.
  • The Pyramids of the Sun and Moon are in the UNESCO city of Teotihuacan. Budget 1-2 hours to return to the city, the traffic is significant.

Lastly, some quick tips for when you plan your visit to Mexico City:

  • Mexico City is also widely known as CDMX or the federal city.
  • If tequila is too tame for you try its smokey cousin mezcal.
  • Mask use was widely practiced throughout the city, and the hotel had extra safety measures in place to prevent infection.
  • Mexico is widely traveled to by citizens of the United States, but you will find it difficult to traverse Mexico City relying solely on English without some basic Spanish chops. Hola, Si, No, Gracias, De Nada, Buenos dias! =)

Washington’s Timeless Distillery: an authentic recreation in Mount Vernon.

In 1799 George Washington operated a distillery on his Mount Vernon estate. That year, it produced over 11,000 gallons of whiskey. This makes it one of the largest distilleries in the Nation. Today, Washington’s timeless distillery and mill still produce authentic traditional whiskey. They offer both the traditional method clear and newer barrel aged methods to try. You can buy this whiskey from the distillery or online. You can also find really tasty grits made by the mill too!

Mount vernon whiskey
mount vernon distillery
mount vernon barrel

The current mill and distillery that produces todays current product is a faithful recreation of what was. The buildings sit on the foundation and location of the originals. During our ticketed visit we were greeted by not only the mill’s historian but the distilleries chief distiller. Both will give you a fantastic overview of the building, operate it for you, and provide you with a wealth of knowledge on the history of the building. It was a truly fascinating experience and totally worth the extra 10 minute drive from the main Mount Vernon property where his house sits. If you purchase a Meandering Nomad travel plan for Northern Virginia and D.C. you can be sure that Washington’s timeless distillery will be on the itinerary.

  • The distillery is a guided tour only, you must reserve a ticket. They sell tickets on site but it is recommended to do so online prior to arrival.
  • There is no tasting included but there is a gift shop at the front of the front of the property.
  • The master distiller meets you at the distillery, provides a brief, and answers any and all questions about the historical process.
  • Free parking can be found on site.
  • Bathroom facilities can be found on site.
  • Be sure to bring your mask, they are required due to COVID-19.

Find more information about the Mount Vernon distillery here!

george washington
get that whiskey distilling at mount vernon
george washingtons distillery
mash pots at george washingtons distillery
outside mount vernon distillery

Meandering Nomad is open for travel!

Meandering Nomad LLC Logo

Backstory

We have an exciting announcement, Meandering Nomad officially became a company. Now, Meandering Nomad is open for travel! Meandering Nomad LLC came to existence after a winding road. The brand received its registered trademark from the USPTO in 2017. The idea of beginning our company came in 2012 after we lived in Europe. Our “Learning experiences” associated with forming a company kept us busy. Hopefully, the recent global pandemic and turmoil that many have experienced passed you by. If not, we hope that you and your family have been able to weather the storms and are emerging on the other side better for it.

First, now that we are official and learned the new normal you can expect new products to start rolling out! There will be regular blog posts and plenty of social media engagement, and you can find us today! You will find Meandering Anna is very active on her Twitter account and Meandering Jared on his Instagram. Later, when there is a cure for COVID, we would love to have a group travel event with you! A vacation to Europe or East Asia would do nicely for this event. Until then, my compatriots and I will do our best to keep your wanderlust for travel stoked. Expect content full of inspiring locations, beautiful vistas, travel tips, and trip ideas.

Open for Business

If you want to help us get started please take a look at our Fiverr travel offerings by Meandering Jared. Every trip booked fills your soul with adventure and the world a better place. Additionally, the bookings also help us keep the lights on! We appreciate every product purchased. Most importantly, we hope by delivering stellar travel products we can express our gratitude. Now you can click the hyperlinked Fiverr line above or the black “book travel” button below. Curated itinerary packages start at just $5, just for you! Meandering Nomad is officially open for travel!

Book Travel

Taming Tanzania

A Meandering Nomad Journey
Meandering Jared – 15 October 2018

Dar Es Salaam & Zanzibar

Tanzania Passport Stamp

I suspect that most westerners will only know the very North of Africa by the way of a Mediterranean cruise. The journey to the more southern reaches of the continent requires a high level of commitment for westerners. Travel times are measured in days rather than hours and planning such a journey requires more thought than a Western European adventure.

Before the holiday season fully takes over our travel plans for the remainder of the year, I made a point to get one last adventure in for 2018. Tanzania is one of Africa’s visual masterpieces with varied landscapes, diverse wildlife, and history and progress. You may recognize Mount Kilimanjaro (the highest point in Africa) and the storied island of Zanzibar; but did you know that Freddie Mercury was born in the latter and lived there until he was 9? Did you know that Tanzania also has some of the best beaches in Africa along with lush, grassy plains just begging for safari? Did you know that the city of Dar Es Salaam is a major metropolitan city with a busy commercial port? I challenge you to make the trip, you will be pleasantly surprised!

  • Dark Coffee in Tanzania
  • Zanzibar Garden
  • Zanzibar Port
  • Freddies House
  • Kilimanjaro Beer