Researching Things to do: Uzbekistan

Hi!

This week on The Blog we are going to dive into my favourite part of the pre-travel checklist, researching things to do!

There are many ways to go about looking into a new country and all it has to offer, but one of my personal favourite methods is watching YouTube travel vlogs. Different than the initial documentary research from week 1, YouTube vlogs allow for a less-curated idea of the country and allow for people’s first-hand experiences to shine through. It also gives the physical geography and layout of a country a different lens, instead of a professionally-edited and colour-corrected video of the country’s highlights. They allow the viewer to observe the positive experiences, the funny travel stories, the negatives, the dos and don’ts, solo female travel experiences, food recommendations, the list goes on. They also highlight a different kind of travel that you wouldn’t be exposed to in, for example, Condé Nast. I have used YouTube as a resource for as long as I’ve been travelling as it showcases different parts of the country or region and different things to do. If you don’t want a highlight reel of, then look to YouTube. Have you ever heard of jungle trekking for wild Orangutans in Sumatra instead of Bali’s resort scene? Or, have you ever considered adding hiking in the Atlas mountains to your Morocco itinerary? Without YouTube research before these trips, I would have never done these things.

So, let’s dive in. Uzbekistan, what’s good?

When I start this research, I simply open YouTube and type in something along the lines of: “Uzbekistan travel,” “Uzbekistan travel vlog,” or a specific region I’m interested in to narrow the search like “Samarkand vlog.” Adding the word “vlog” takes me away from the BBC-style documentaries and shows me videos from travel content creators. I then pick which video seems the most interesting.

While Samarkand is a popular destination in Uzbekistan, it is popular for a reason and I definitely must see it! However, I am more interested on where to eat in Samarkand instead of some of the other tourist attractions. Here is a video I found of a content creator showcasing some of the best places to eat and things to try in Samarkand in particular! Pro tip: Mark Weins from Migrationology will never let you down for food recommendations all over the world! He is a resource, both on youtube and his blog, that I constantly reference!

Tune in next week for more Uzbekistan travel research content!