Quixoticguide
Hi, I’m Maarten Van Den Driessche, a curious human, aviation enthusiast, vexillophile, world traveler, and food lover with over 14,000 days of life experience.

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Praia, Cape Verde — The Atlantic’s Calm Capital
Perched on the southern tip of Santiago Island, Praia may not shout for attention like other capitals — but that’s exactly its charm. Here, the pace slows to the rhythm of morna music and Atlantic trade winds. The name Praia literally means “beach,” yet the city offers far more than sand and surf. The historical…
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The Island That Vanished from the Map
In November 2012, a team of Australian scientists set sail toward a small speck in the Coral Sea. Their charts showed a landmass named Sandy Island, located between Australia and New Caledonia. It appeared on Google Maps, world atlases, and nautical databases — about the size of Manhattan. But when the researchers arrived, they found……
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The Airport With No Planes — The Ghost of Nicosia International Airport, Cyprus.
There’s an airport in the heart of Cyprus where time has stopped. Its runways stretch toward the Mediterranean sun, but no plane has landed here since 1974. This is Nicosia International Airport — once the bustling gateway to the island, now a ghost frozen in the buffer zone between two worlds. The Airport That Time…
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Bek Air (Z9/BEK)
Bek Air (Z9/BEK) I flew from Almaty to Astana with Bek Air ✈️ Bek Air (Z9/BKA)🇰🇿 Kazakhstan’s short-lived low-cost pioneer Bek Air was a Kazakh airline based at Oral Ak Zhol Airport (URA), founded in 1999 and initially operating business charters. It later grew into a domestic carrier, focusing on connecting regional cities across Kazakhstan…
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Airbus A318 (A318)
✈️ Airbus A318: The Baby Bus with Big AmbitionsBy Quixotic Guide The Airbus A318, affectionately nicknamed the “Baby Bus,” is the smallest member of the Airbus A320 family — a short-lived but fascinating chapter in modern aviation. At just 31.4 meters long, it’s nearly six meters shorter than the A320, yet it carries the same…
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The World by Population: From Megastates to Micro-Nations
By Quixoticguide The population of our planet is unevenly spread across 195 UN-recognized countries — a fascinating portrait of scale and diversity. From global giants to tiny island nations, each state tells a different story about how humans inhabit the Earth. A World of Contrasts A Planet of Uneven Density These numbers reveal a striking…
Dream destinations
Finding the perfect travel destination involves considering a variety of factors to ensure the trip meets your expectations and desires. My destinations
Research Destinations
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My Travel guides
- Travel guides are invaluable resources for planning and making the most of your trips.
- They provide detailed information on destinations, attractions, accommodation, dining, and local culture.
- Providing practical tips and itineraries with a focus on cultural experiences.
“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” –
Ibn Battuta
Maghrebi traveller