Lisa & Pol travel the world

Oman to China #2 | 6-month trip around the Middle East and Asia

We spent 14 days in Saudi Arabia, trying to explore as much as possible without breaking the bank.
11 of those days were spent roadtripping more than 2,400 km across the country — from desert landscapes to mountain towns, big cities to quiet villages.

We relied on Couchsurfing, local hospitality, and spontaneous encounters to make it work.
This is not a travel guide. It’s a raw look at what backpacking in Saudi Arabia actually feels like.

Expect culture shocks, unexpected kindness, and a version of the country you don’t often see.

🏨 Chapters :
00:00 Intro
01:03 Dammam
02:47 Riyadh
07:54 Start of the roadtrip
08:56 Edge of the World
12:36 Ushaiqer
13:39 Buraydah
18:16 Hail
20:54 AlUla
26:44 Medina
28:31 Jeddah
31:37 Taif
34:27 Conclusion

🗺️ Our social media : 
Blog : https://lisaandpol.com/
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/lisaandpol/

☕Do you want to support us ?
You can buy us a coffee or contribute towards one of the listed items, which would improve the quality of future videos. Thanks in advance !
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/lisaandpol

🔑 Keywords :
travel vlog, roadtrip, budget travel, oman to china

The Saudi Arabia You Don't Hear About

Oman to China #1 | 6-month trip around the Middle East and Asia

Join us on an incredible 10-day road trip through the breathtaking landscapes of Oman! From the thrill of wild camping under the stars to the adrenaline rush of off-roading in the Sugar Dunes, our adventure is filled with laughter, excitement, and unforgettable moments. We took our parents along for the ride, making this journey even more special and sometimes a bit scary as we navigated close calls and hilarious mishaps.

Throughout our trip, we explored Oman's diverse scenery, from vast deserts to majestic mountains and stunning coastal views. We pushed our vehicle (and our driver) to its limits... This video captures the essence of our adventure, showcasing the beauty and culture of Oman and the joy of sharing these experiences with family.

Here's a blogpost with some extra pictures, budget and information: https://lisaandpol.com/posts/the-perfect-oman-itinerary-best-places-to-visit-on-a-roadtrip-in-january

🏨 Chapters :
00:00 Muscat and preparing the roadtrip
01:53 The abandoned village of Al Hasha
02:15 First night wild camping
03:30 Little Snake Canyon
04:23 Driving across the Al Hajar Mountains
06:00 Omani traditions in Al Hamra
07:37 Visiting the empty Bahla Fort
08:51 Nizwa and its souks
09:53 Oman Across Ages Museum
11:13 The ingenious Aflaj Irrigation System
11:49 The remote village of Al-Sugra
12:25 Terraces and sunset in Saiq
12:59 Alone in the desert: camping in the Sugar Dunes
14:35 Driving North along the coast
15:13 Stocking up in Sur
15:36 Wadi Mibam (without guide)
17:01 First ones in Wadi Ashab
22:10 Quick stop at the sinkhole
23:01 Trying to camp in Yenkit Bay 
24:54 Omani hospitality
25:30 Pol dances and parents are funny

🗺️ Our social media : 
Blog : https://lisaandpol.com/
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/lisaandpol/

☕Do you want to support us ?
You can buy us a coffee or contribute towards one of the listed items, which would improve the quality of future videos. Thanks in advance !
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/lisaandpol

🔑 Keywords :
travel vlog, roadtrip, budget travel, oman to china, family trip

🎵 Music :
East of Tunesia by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100246
Artist: http://incompetech.com/

The perfect Oman itinerary | Best places to visit on a roadtrip [2025]

Backpacking Africa from Cairo to Cape Town #25

We sit down to have a conversation about the trip that changed our lives: 10-months in Africa, backpacking from Cairo to Cape Town. We go over the planning, itinerary, health, budget, safety, transportation, volunteering and more before doing a short country-by-country recap. We record this video 6 months after the end of the trip, so this debrief is an honest recollection of our time on the continent. There's some illustrative footage and never told before travel stories. It was important to us to do a final video summing up the experience and addressing some questions we often get asked. Of course 300 days of traveling cannot be summed up in a video, but we try here to give a sense of our mindset, emotions and motivations behind the journey.

We published at least a video of each country, and with this one we close the chapter of our time in Africa. If you're looking for more content, there is also our instagram page where we were quite active during the trip, you'll find saved highlights for each places. Finally, we've tried to write a few blog posts to pass down the information we got, about the logistics or prices; you might find it useful.

As of the time of posting this video, we're still traveling, this time exploring the Middle East and Asia. Subscribe to our channel and follow our instagram @lisaandpol to not miss any update.

Thanks for watching, hope that it will inspire you to go explore the world.

🏨 Chapters :
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:00 Budget & Planning
00:07:13 Public transportation
00:14:56 Health
00:18:09 Vaccines
00:19:10 Safety
00:25:26 Visas
00:26:32 Bribes
00:31:09 Black market
00:32:13 Food
00:38:45 Volunteering
00:47:43 Nature
00:49:14 Unplanned moments
00:51:54 Egypt
00:53:21 Ethiopia
00:56:38 Kenya
00:58:32 Uganda
00:59:15 Rwanda
01:02:00 Tanzania
01:06:33 Malawi
01:10:00 Zambia
01:12:51 Namibia
01:15:00 South Africa
01:17:29 eSwatini
01:19:08 Mozambique
01:23:19 Lesotho
01:24:52 Hitchhiking problems
01:26:07 Closing words

🗺️ Our social media : 
Blog : https://lisaandpol.com/
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/lisaandpol/

☕Do you want to support us ?
You can buy us a coffee or contribute towards one of the listed items, which would improve the quality of future videos. Thanks in advance !
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/lisaandpol

🔑 Keywords :
travel vlog, backpacking africa, budget travel, cairo to cape town, travel stories

300 days in Africa, the full story

Backpacking Africa from Cairo to Cape Town #24

This is the final month of our 300-day adventure across Africa! From volunteering at a backpackers’ lodge in the breathtaking Drakensberg to exploring the tiny kingdoms of eSwatini and Lesotho on horseback, we embraced every moment. Along the way, we met incredible people, immersed ourselves in nature like never before, and experienced the highs and lows of true adventure.

It was challenging, spontaneous, exhausting, and unforgettable—and we loved every second of it!

We hope this video inspires you to chase your own adventure.

🏨 Chapters :
00:00 Part 1 - South Africa (Knysna)
06:10 Part 2 - eSwatini
14:19 Part 3 - Mozambique
22:31 Part 4 - South Africa (Drakensberg)
34:10 Part 5 - Lesotho
43:59 Part 6 - Going home

🗺️ Our social media : 
Blog : https://lisaandpol.com/
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/lisaandpol/

☕Do you want to support us ?
You can buy us a coffee or contribute towards one of the listed items, which would improve the quality of future videos. Thanks in advance !
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/lisaandpol

🔑 Keywords :
travel vlog, backpacking africa, budget travel, cairo to cape town, south africa, eSwatini, mozambique, lesotho

The happiest time of our lives

Lisa and Pol backpacking Africa on a budget

Lisa and Pol in Cape Town, South Africa

Lisa & Pol 300-day itinerary in Africa

Sunset in Yenkit Bay, Oman

Oman

Middle East & Asia 2025

Roadtrip

Mutrah Corniche at sunset

Our car overheating in the omani mountains

Spotless, sumptuous and huge: Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

Mutrah Souq at night is still buzzling

The abandoned village of Al-Hasha

Family picture, our first night wild camping in Oman

Little Snake Canyon

The views on the Hajar mountains

Demonstration of bread making at Bait Al Safah

Traditional house at Bait Al Safah

The recently restorated Bahla Fort

The imposing walls of Bahla Fort

The Nizwa Souq is very organized, crafts here, fruits there, spices further...

Nizwa is beautifully illuminated at night

Birkat al Mawz, another opportunity to explore the irrigation system

Al-Sugra village: remote and unique

Lisa's parents from the top of Jabal Al Akhdar

Terraces of Saiq, opportunity for a walk along the irrigation canals

Architectural gem and great museum, don't miss out!

Ultra modern structure visible from the highway, Oman Across Ages museum

Sunset over the Sugar Dunes

A camel in the desert, on our way to the Sugar Dunes

Wadi Mibam: swimming in the oasis

The boat to get to Wadi Ashab

Wadi Ashab early in the morning, alone

Camping on a hill overlooking the bay

All dressed up like traditional omanis

Sunset view with hot tea in Saiq

Goats are more frequent than cars in the Omani Hajar mountains

The living museum of Bait Al Safah in Al Hamra

The perfect Oman itinerary | Best places to visit on a roadtrip in january

Nepal

How-to

There are hundreds of trekking shop in Pokhara: negotiate, negotiate, negotiate!

The Annapurna Conservation Area and its entry points

5-day Mardi Himal trek + Jhinu hot springs

The start of the hike in Kande

Entering the Annapurna Conservation Area in Pothana

The first part is an endless walk in the mystical forest

Lisa ringing the bells of a foggy temple midway

Forest Camp, our first night on the trek

Every day, we found a dog that walked with us to the next camp!

The discovery of this trek? Lemon tea!

The High Camp coming from the viewpoint, on our long way down

Slowly the clouds disappear and we get our first glimpse at the mountains

Probably one of the highest tea shops in the world

There is a tea seller at the 4200m viewpoint at 6am!

Our happy photo together at the Mardi Himal viewpoint

Within 30 minutes, more and more peaks appear

As we prepare to leave the viewpoint, a flock of geese majestically flies over us

You'll meet many porters carrying huge loads

The Annapurna South finally showing up

The only (tiny) prayer wheel we encountered in these 5 days

We loved this day, following the river upstream, completely alone

Many suspension bridges crossing the Modi river

Buffalos blocking the way on the Landruk to Jhinu Danda wild stretch

The Jhinu Danda suspension bridge, apparently the second longest!

Would you cross this 287m long bridge?

Bathing in the Jhinu hot springs after trekking is one of our highlights!

Just before boarding the bus back to Pokhara, we met this friendly horse

There were some tears involved upon reaching the top and seeing the view

Lisa at the 4200m Mardi Himal viewpoint for sunrise

5-day Mardi Himal Trek + Jhinu hot springs [2025]

Backpacking Africa 23/24

South Africa

The view from our Couchsurfer's house! (Lion's Head)

Sea Point is definitely a place to check out - many cute shops, cafes and eateries

On our way up to The Lion's Head

The lively Greenmarket Square

Early morning in Franschhoek, surrounded by vineyards

Having fun walking a llama on the Wine Route

Seeing penguins for free in Betty's Bay

A happy moment on Clarence Drive, the most scenic road in the region

The view from Chapman's Peak (one of the many free activities around Cape Town)

Colorful beach cabins of Muizenberg

Bo-Kaap is probaby the most picturesque neighborhood in Cape Town

Lisa & Pol: Adventurous Travel for Curious Souls

Our Signature Journeys

Crossing Africa from Cairo to Cape Town

Current Adventure: 6 Months in the Middle East and Asia

Latest from Lisa & Pol

Recent videos

The Saudi Arabia You Don't Hear About

The perfect Oman itinerary | Best places to visit on a roadtrip [2025]

300 days in Africa, the full story

The happiest time of our lives

From the blog

The perfect Oman itinerary | Best places to visit on a roadtrip in january

5-day Mardi Himal Trek + Jhinu hot springs [2025]

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