Travel Newsletter: 31 May 2024

Furiosa locations, why we travel, what to see in Bhopal, culture shocks, and more travel reads.

May 31, 2024

Welcome to the Nomadic Notes Travel Newsletter, where I curate the best travel reads of the week.

Hello from Chiang Mai. I have been pondering if I should do a visa run or extend my visa in-country next month. What would have been better was if I arrived after June 1. Thailand is extending the current 30-day visa exemption to 60 days from June 1, which is ideal. There is also a new Destination Thailand Visa (DTV), which is the digital nomad visa, and it looks…ok? Seems better than most other visas on offer by other countries.

Visa rules in Thailand change so often though, so the next time I need a 60-day visa (maybe next year), I hope it is still active.

Travel reads

• On location: 'Furiosa' hurtles through the outskirts of the Australian Outback

Parts of Furiosa were filmed near where I grew up, so I was eager to see this latest instalment of the Mad Max series. Having seen the movie I would not have recognised any of the locations in real life as the scenery is enhanced with CGI.

One of the best trips I have ever been on was to visit the filming locations of Mad Max: Fury Road in Namibia. There isn’t much to see if you are hoping to find a landmark to identify in the movie, but just being in the Namib desert was an experience in itself.

• Ever wondered why we travel? This author has uncovered 12 universal motivations

• What to see in Bhopal, Indian ‘city of lakes’ with a legacy left by Muslim women rulers including its own Taj Mahal (archive)

• 30 people share the biggest culture shocks they’ve ever experienced abroad

Bored Panda is a site where I have lost many hours of productivity by scrolling through their listicles, and now I’m quoted in one such listicle.

• The weirdest roadside attraction in every state

• Tijuca National Park: The fight to rewild the world's largest urban forest

• This ancient temple in Laos rivals Angkor Wat—without the crowds

“With stone ruins near a natural spring, the sprawling Vat Phou temple complex is a less visited archaeological wonder in Southeast Asia.”

• The trip to Ho Chi Minh City: Vietnam’s sky-high, booming metropolis

• AirlineRatings.com Top 25 Airlines For 2024