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Minoo Life Diary
Personal travel storytelling brand sharing global experiences, insights, and recommendations.
Destinations · Middle East
The region I grew up in — and the one the world misreads most.
I was born in Tehran, and my first-ever solo trip was to Istanbul — the trip that started this entire blog. No region I've traveled is more generous to guests, and none has a bigger gap between the headlines and the ground. Here's my honest planning guidance while I write up the full diaries.
Planning a Middle East trip — my honest guidance
Where to start: Istanbul is the perfect first door — a city split between two continents, with world-class food, cheap and excellent public transit, and centuries of layered history from the Hagia Sophia to the Grand Bazaar. Jordan is the classic traveler's circuit (Petra, Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea) and is well set up for independent visitors, including a single pass that bundles the visa with major sites. The UAE is the easy soft landing: modern, connective, and a major flight hub with straightforward entry for most passports.
When to go: spring (March–May) and autumn (October–November) are the golden windows almost everywhere — warm days, cool desert nights. Summer is genuinely punishing in the Gulf and the deserts (45°C+ is normal); coastal Turkey stays pleasant longer. If your trip overlaps Ramadan, travel absolutely still works — just plan around daytime restaurant closures in more conservative areas, and don't miss the joyful iftar meals after sunset, which are some of the best eating of the year.
What it costs: the range is huge. Turkey and Jordan can be traveled comfortably on roughly $50–100 a day; Gulf cities like Dubai and Doha run closer to European big-city prices, though street food and metro systems keep the floor reasonable. Haggling in bazaars is expected and friendly — start well under the first price, keep smiling, and walk away once (it works).
Dress and etiquette: the practical rule I give women is simple: carry a light scarf and dress a notch more modestly than you would in southern Europe — shoulders and knees covered gets you into nearly every mosque and off-the-path neighborhood with zero friction. Hospitality is not a stereotype here; you will be offered tea, and the correct answer is yes.
My full diaries from this region are coming as I write them up — subscribe to the newsletter and they'll come to you.
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