PHUKET - I’m back in Thailand, and I have to stay in Phuket for a week before I can travel to the rest of the country. This island quarantine is an alternative to hotel quarantine, so there are no complaints from me. I had imagined that I was going to get some work done this week. Instead, I have been out exploring some parts of the island I have never visited.

I’m going to write about my Sihanoukville experience from earlier this month, but for now, here is an article I wrote this week about construction in Sihanoukville. If you haven’t been to Sihanoukville for a while, prepare to have your jaw dropped.

Here in Phuket Old Town, I am reminded that the Lunar New Year is next week (Chinese New Year in Thailand, and Tet in Vietnam), so I wish you a great year of the tiger!

Assorted travel reads

• The bathtub of Berlin: soaking it up on Germany’s sunniest island

• Why Is Everyone Going to the Dominican Republic?

“The country is a rare pandemic success story, with recent visitor numbers far surpassing those of most other Caribbean destinations. Easy entry rules are a draw, but some residents are uneasy.”

• Why Vietnam’s Phu Quoc is the billionaire’s choice for a big fat Indian wedding overseas

• Ancient Bhutan trail set to open for first time in 60 years

• How travel saved a woman from Covid anxiety

• European cities target digital nomads with these new pitches

• Spain Digital Nomad Visa: The new remote working hotspots

• COVID lockdowns, record heat won't stop German retiree Kuno Penner walking around the world

• Palau: a silly experience in a beautiful place

• The state of cheap flights in 2022

“A deep-dive analysis into the landscape of air travel right now, from pricing trends to trending places to how the ongoing pandemic is affecting travelers’ choices in 2022.”

• Bottles clinking, Turkish party train blazes through night

Read this, and more rail news and stories at Europe Rail News.

Free travel

A bunch of articles were published this week that warrants its own section (though some of these are not editorial advice).

• Couchers.org becomes the world's first couch surfing platform to obtain 501(c)(3) non-profit status in the US

A lot has been written about the demise of Couchsurfing, so this new site is trying to bring back what made this site great while avoiding their mistakes.

• The boys who ran away from home on a 747

“In “Nothing to Declare,” two friends reminisce about stowing away on an international flight when they were just kids, and how parenting has changed since the nineteen-eighties.”

• How to travel around Europe for free by train-hopping

• Sambuca di Sicilia, Italy: Win a year's stay at beautifully renovated house in Sicily with Airbnb

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The Nomadic Notes Travel Newsletter is a weekly newsletter of the best travel reads and interesting travel news from around the web, and random ramblings by the editor.

- James Clark