Travel & Chai is for travellers who want more than polished highlights and recycled itineraries.
We create honest, experience-driven travel guides designed to help you explore a destination fully - comfortably, culturally, and without the usual guesswork.
Every guide is built on real, lived experience, thoughtful research, and the kind of details you only notice when you've actually been there. No undeserved hype. No sensationalizing. No "Top 10" lists written from a desk. Just practical, reliable advice to help you travel better-shared by someone who's been in the same position.
Hi! I'm Riz
My name is Riz, and you might know me from Chocolates & Chai, my food blog featuring recipes from around the world.
Travel has always been a part of that story.
Over the years, readers would often ask about the places behind the recipes-the cities, the cafés, the quiet corners and homely kitchens that never make it into guidebooks. Travel & Chai grew naturally from those conversations: a space to share not just where to eat, but how to experience a destination in a way that actually feels meaningful.
Before settling in Canada, I lived in the United Kingdom, France, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. My wife, Reem (featured throughout Travel & Chai!), has lived in Egypt and Albania.
Between us, we've experienced life across very different cultures, languages, and ways of living-and that shapes how we travel. And we hope to be able to share some of that with you - not just travel facts, but a better way to experience the world.
That philosophy carries through everything we create. Travel & Chai is built on a simple idea: better information leads to better travel.
That means going beyond surface-level recommendations. We focus on the details that actually matter-how to plan your time, what's worth it (and what isn't), and how to avoid the small mistakes that can quietly derail a trip.
Whether it's a resort stay, a city guide, or a full Tuscan holiday itinerary, everything we share is designed to help you travel with more confidence and less stress.
Travel guides
Our travel guides are designed to be practical, clear, and genuinely useful.
You'll find detailed itineraries, honest reviews, and straightforward advice on what to do, what to skip, and how to make the most of your time-without overplanning or overcomplicating things.
From resort stays to city explorations, every guide is built from firsthand experience and careful research, so you can spend less time guessing and more time enjoying your trip. If you're planning a resort stay, for example, you might want something like our 7 Day Itinerary for Xcaret Arte - a guide built to help you get real value out of a complex, all-inclusive experience.
A local perspective
Some of our most detailed guides come from places we've actually lived.
These aren't just lists of attractions-they're shaped by true, everyday experience. The kind of understanding that only comes from spending years living and working somewhere, not just passing through.
Because the truth is, visiting a place and living in it are very different things.
We're starting with Toronto (our home base), with plans to expand into cities like Cairo, Paris, and London-places that have been part of our lives, not just our itineraries.
Keep in touch
Travel & Chai is still growing, and if what we're building here resonates with you, we'd love for you to follow along.
Newsletter - If you enjoy thoughtful, well-researched travel content, this is the best way to stay connected. We share new guides, practical tips, and occasionally the kind of insights that don't quite fit into a full post-but can make a real difference when you're planning a trip. It's free, sent occasionally, and designed only to be useful.
Instagram - Instagram is where we let travel be a little less polished-and a lot more fun. Most of what we share is lighthearted, often funny moments from our trips. You'll still find the occasional tip or insight, but this is where we capture the moments that don't make it into a guide-and often end up being the most memorable.
Youtube - this is where Travel & Chai becomes more cinematic. We share honest travel vlogs that focus on the full experience of a destination-the good, the bad, and everything in between. No overproduction, no forced reactions-just real travel, thoughtfully captured. It's still growing, but if you enjoy slower, more immersive travel content, we'd love for you to follow along.
Pinterest - Pinterest is where many of our guides come together in a way that's easy to save and revisit later. If you're in the early stages of planning a trip, or just collecting ideas for the future, it's a simple way to keep everything organized in one place.