6 Alternative Places to Visit in 2020
The world is getting smaller so they say with less new places to explore. Think again. Espousing the philosophy of undertourism, Travel Begins at 40 suggests alternatives places to visit…
5 Wonderful Asia Off-The-Beaten-Track Destinations
Travel Begins at 40 spills the beans about five themed and truly off-the-beaten-track destinations in different parts of Asia. When travelling in Asia, you may feel it’s getting increasingly hard…
Nowruz or Persian New Year 2025
Experience the opulence of Nowruz – or Persian New Year – in March with an abundance of food, music and hospitality in one of many Persian-heritage countries. Nowruz Meaning Nowruz…
Pamir Highway, a Road Less Travelled
After travelling through the Wakhan Valley, Johan Smits reaches the famed Pamir Highway traversing Tajikistan’s GBAO to reach what feels like the top of the world. One of the two…
Trekking the Wakhan Valley, Tajikistan
Expecting nothing but the soaring mountains in the Pamir region of Tajikistan, Johan Smits gets far more than he bargained for when trekking the Wakhan Valley. “Some of these petroglyphs…
Slowing Down in the Sanatorium
Looking for a break from Dushanbe, Johan Smits unwinds in a Tajik mountain sanatorium – Soviet style. If someone asked you to sit naked on a bottomless chair and have…
Tajikistan Travel – Dushanbe Lost in Time
Johan Smits shares his fascination for an intriguing mix of old-world charm and bold new vision in Tajikistan’s curious capital, Dushanbe. The employee shoos us away with a mixture of…
Trekking in Tajikistan and the Fann Mountains
Our man in Central Asia, Johan Smits, travels to the Fann mountains to discover wonderful trekking in Tajikistan and even takes his parents along with him. Our hired minivan emerges safely…
