Analysis; The Joys and Limitations of Budget Traveling Around Sri Lanka
A long recap of my travels from 2.5 weeks in Sri Lanka, including prices.
Sri LankaAugust 2026Long read
NW
Nikolas Wood
@NikolasWoodColumbia, Missouri Danang, Vietnam
I prefer solo traveling. Prefer being in Asia although I also love Europe and South America. I usually travel on a budget and try to experience local life when possible.
BackpackerSlow travelCity breakNature
- Currently in
- Danang, Vietnam
- Upcoming plans
- Sri Lanka, South Korea, Japan, China
- Favorite country
- Thailand
- Dream destination
- Antarctica
- A unique experience
- Volunteering in Bali
- Travel motto
- Not all those who wander are lost
85
Countries visited
4
Countries lived in
865
Places pinned
3
Travel Stories
0
Collections
Travel Stories
The Silk Road Breakdown: Losing A Tire In Mongolia
I have a particularly fond memory of my road trip through the countryside of Mongolia. We left the capital city Ulaanbaatar for our epic almost-2-week road trip around the country; myself, another American guy Trevor, his Brazilian wife Juli, and our new local friend and guide, Ebi. We had prepared and made all of our plans, bought our gear for camping in the cold, and were ecstatic to get on the road. We left UB city and the roads immediately deteriorated. Ebi’s heavy-duty SUV was packed with an insane amount of weight (even with big tents strapped to the roof). At some point, one bad hole in the road sent Ebi’s entire front right tire flying off of the vehicle and rolling through the tundra next to us as Ebi expertly brought us to a safe stop on the side of the road (minus one wheel!). The road trip was toast before it began. Or at least, after only a 4 hour drive. Mongolia is still an extremely open and wild countryside with hardly any development in most areas and, consequently, we couldn’t get the parts to replace the tire from anywhere other than UB, from which we had just driven 4 hours. Thankfully Ebi had a friend who was able to send the parts to us and we had no choice but to wait for their arrival. We set up a big tent to block the whipping wind. We climbed nearby hills (I even found a small Genghis Khan statue on the peak of one, guarding the hills and the tundra in spirit and posture). We bundled up and napped in the tent. I ate some leftover pizza I had packed. We waited. When the parts arrived, thankfully, Ebi had the know-how to replace the wheel and get us back on the road in no time. This wouldn’t be the only time that we all felt so lucky to have him guiding us through the wild landscape of beautiful Mongolia. With our wheel reconnected, we got back on the road and had the second beginning of our epic road trip across the middle of Mongolia, which turned out to be one of the coolest, wildest experiences of my life. It might not have been the way that the Great Khan would have traveled but in hindsight, it’s one of my favorite memories from a once-in-a-lifetime adventure with some new friends in a strange place. Note; when I left Mongolia, Ebi mentioned that he would love to do more road trips with tourists coming through. If you have any interest in discussing options with Ebi, his WhatsApp is +976 8839 2999. Please contact him and tell him his buddy Nik sent you!
Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaMay 2025Short read
North Macedonia to Greece: Beauty, Bucephalus, and The Missing Bus
I visited North Macedonia a few years ago and snapped this picture in Ohrid on the walls of the beautiful castle there, next to the peaceful Lake Ohrid, on the border with Albania. My most memorable moment from North Macedonia was when I spent a few days in Skopje and was shocked by how much I really enjoyed the city, with its million statues looming everywhere you look. Front and center is the massive, incredible statue of Alexander the Great on horseback (his horse's name is Bucephalus!). From Skopje, my travel partner was on a strict visa-related time limited to reach a study-abroad program in Greece. We caught a bus on the day we were supposed to arrive in Schengen-zone Greece. We reached the tiny border village in North Macedonia called Gevgelija around 10:30 pm and our connecting bus to cross the border into Greece never arrived. We scrambled to find another bus but there was nothing and the staff kicked us out of the bus station so they could close it and go home. We were a bit distraught. We finally found a taxi driver who offered to deliver us to Thessaloniki and we made it into Greece before midnight, thus avoiding any visa problems. We were both sweating it and when we arrived in Thessaloniki, my travel partner even gave the cab driver a big hug. Despite the chaos, North Macedonia has nothing but good memories in my heart.
Skopje, North Macedonia2019Short read
Share this Trailmarker
A permanent link to Nikolas Wood's travel page.