Phie Travels

 Lots of countries are announcing new lockdowns and it's tough. In Belgium, we have two lockdowns behind us, but social contact is still at an absolute minimum. Bars and restaurants are closed and meeting others is not possible right now. It can get quite lonely if you can't see your family and friends, especially around Christmas. Just so you know, if you would ever feel lonely and want to chat, send me a message on Instagram and I'll be happy to keep you company. For now, here are 5 things you can do during a lockdown. Empty square in Amsterdam (economist.com) 1) Go for a walk This might seem obvious, but if you work from home or have all your lessons online (like me), you could forget the importance of some fresh air. You can walk alone and listen to a good podcast or you can take a family member or friend with you. Try to go for a walk every day, even if it's only 15 minutes. This can really improve your mood, motivation and health. You can do it! 2) Pick up a new h

If you're reading this, you're probably looking for a last-minute Christmas present for a friend or family member who loves travelling. Or maybe you're just looking for some inspiration for a well-deserved gift for yourself. For whatever reason you're here, I hope I can help you or at least inspire you.  Here's a list of 5 perfect gifts for your travelling loved one. 1) Passport cover A traveller needs a passport to travel, but most passports are just ordinary little books in a boring colour. With a passport cover, it's so much more fun to board an airplane. They come in lots of different colours and designs, you could even personalise one with some pictures. www.fashionthings.com 2) Camera backpack This one is for travellers who also love photography and don't leave on a trip without their camera. A good camera backpack is an essential travel item and it makes travelling so much easier. No more carrying around a shoulder bag for your camera, because you can

You want to visit a beautiful city in Belgium, but want to avoid big crowds? You live in Belgium and want to do some sightseeing in your own country? Visit Mechelen! Let's have a look at what there is to see and do here. For starters, Mechelen is a city in the province of Antwerp in Belgium. The Dyle (Dutch: Dijle) flows through the city, which is why it's often referred to as the "Dijlestad". It's one of Flanders' most underrated historic cities. Located between Antwerp and Brussels, Mechelen is one of the most convenient cities in terms of location. St. Rumbold's Cathedral When to go The summer months (from June to September) are ideal for a citytrip to Mechelen. When the sun is shining, it's lovely to explore a new city and you can wander from early in the morning until late in the evening. Mechelen is not a very big city so I'd recommend planning one day here for a comfortable visit.   How to get there from the airport Brussels Airpor

I’ll be taking you to the popular and less popular hotspots in Leuven. Leuven is a busy student city, but it has so many beautiful places you should really visit. First things first, Leuven is a city in the province of Flemish Brabant in Belgium. It’s located 25 kilometers east of Brussels and is the 8 th largest city of Belgium. The two things I think you could know Leuven from are the KU Leuven (the largest university of Belgium) and the world’s largest beer brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev. University Library (Ladeuzeplein) When to go I would definitely recommend visiting Leuven in summer (from June to September), because it’s really nice to walk around the city when the weather is nice. To avoid the huge amount of students that study in Leuven, July is probably the best month because they go home in summer. If you want to go out, come during the academic year (Late september until late June). As Leuven is not a very big city, you probably only need a day to see all the hotspots, bu

Today, we're exploring the Vesterålen and some more places in Norway and Sweden.  Day 8: Vesterålen Another day, another ferry. With our next destination being the Vesterålen, we had to take a ferry. The little red cottage where we would be staying had grass on the roof. This is something typical for Norway. Hotel:  Andoy Friluftssenter, Risoyhamn   Lots of small villages in Norway have houses by the water with small piers and small ports. This is something we don't have in Belgium and I think it's rather typical for Norway. I love seeing those houses and ports, so you can imagine how much we stopped to see them. We woke up in the middle of the night to see the northern lights and even though it's very rare in the summer to see them, we got a little show and I already loved it. Now I want to go back in winter for the real deal! If you plan on going aurora hunting, download an aurora forecast app. Then you know when you have to wake up (because when it's cold, you wa

In 2016 we went to Lapland. Lapland is what we call the northern parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland. (I think it's called S á pmi in English.) It  is the  cultural region  traditionally inhabited by the  Sámi people. In about two weeks we travelled through Lapland with our starting point in Lule å, Sweden. Day 1: Lule å We flew from Brussels Airport to Stockholm and then from Stockholm to Lule å, a city in the northeast of Sweden. For the car enthusiasts out there: In Brussels Airport they always have a couple of cars on display and back in 2016 they had a nice BMW i8 in the Belgian colours (black, yellow and red).  When we arrived in  Lule å, we did some sightseeing.  They have a beautiful church and a big technology university. We didn't stay there very long, because we had lots of nice things planned for the next days. Day 2:  Gammelstad Church Town Our first stop was just 10 minutes from Lule å by car.  Gammelstad Church Town is  a UNESCO World Heritage Site with lots of