How travel to Iran ruined my future travel experiences

When I first travelled to Iran, I was a bit anxious. Was it even safe for a solo female traveler to travel to Iran? It turned out it was very safe and I had a great time. The sights, the food and especially the people. However, I give you 7 things I noticed during my travel to Iran that ruined my future travel experiences. So, when you plan to travel to Iran, be aware: your future travel experiences will never be the same.

Are you planning to travel to Iran? Do you have any doubt if you should go or not? Here are 7 things about travel to Iran that will ruin your future travels

 

Read more: Is solo female travel to Iran safe?

#1 Be welcomed to Iran everywhere you go

When I first set foot into the country, I was amazed at how many people would just welcome me into the country. And I don’t mean that big sign when you leave the airport. No, I mean literally any random man or child on the street saying: “welcome to Iran” or “Welcome to my country.”

Are you planning to travel to Iran? Do you have any doubt if you should go or not? Here are 7 things about travel to Iran that will ruin your future travels
Iran left a strong impression

Read more: How to get a visa on arrival at Tehran airport

#2 Get invited for drinks, lunch or diner

On my first day at the bazaar in Shiraz, a vendor offered me tea and sweets in his shop, without the need to buy anything. On the second day a random street vendor invited me to spend the whole day with him as he showed me around town. During my 2 weeks travel in Iran, people invited me for tea, lunch and dinner on so many occasions, I can’t recall all off them. How different is that basically anywhere else in the world, where tourists are regarded as walking cash machines and people only offer you things when they want money in return?

Are you planning to travel to Iran? Do you have any doubt if you should go or not? Here are 7 things about travel to Iran that will ruin your future travels
Friendly locals everywhere to help me get a picture.

#3 See amazing sights and only pay €5 entrance fee

When I was in Prague only a month after my travel to Iran, I found everything so expensive! 18€ entree fee is nothing for a mediocre museum. In Iran, almost all the sights costed 200.000 Rials (roughly €5,50 or $6.00). Even a sight as famous, grand and important as Persepolis was ‘just’ 200.000 Rials entrance fee.

Are you planning to travel to Iran? Do you have any doubt if you should go or not? Here are 7 things about travel to Iran that will ruin your future travels
Seeing a sight as Persepolis with no one else around!

Read more: my 2 week Iran travel budget

#4 Be alone in nature

One of the most amazing things I experienced during my travels to Iran was the nature. I really enjoyed the desert in Iran. I went to as many deserts as possible and each time, I found myself completely alone. Nobody photobombing your epic sunset shot or bumping into you during a selfie like in the overcrowded Cinque Terre in Italy.

Are you planning to travel to Iran? Do you have any doubt if you should go or not? Here are 7 things about travel to Iran that will ruin your future travels
The deserts in Iran are amazing! (and hot… duh!)

Read more: Deserts in Iran

#5 Get help everywhere you go, if you need it or not

During my travel by train from the Netherlands to Turkey, I arrived at numerous train stations. The signs were sometimes hard to read and I had a hard time figuring out where the ticket office was at the train station in Bucharest Romania. I would have loved to get some help there!

During my travels to Iran, I got all the help I ever needed. I just showed up at the bus station and there was always someone asking me where I was going, what my tickets said, if I knew which seat I was in and if I knew where to get off. Iranian people are super friendly and they all seemed very eager to help me, if I needed help or not!

Are you planning to travel to Iran? Do you have any doubt if you should go or not? Here are 7 things about travel to Iran that will ruin your future travels
Thanks to the helpful locals, I never got lost!

Read more: My love letter to Shiraz Iran

#6 Amazing fresh cooked foods everywhere you go

Mmmhh, my mouth waters a little bit when I reminisce on all the amazing foods I ate in Iran. Especially the home cooked stew with pomegranate seeds was delicious! And the kebabs with fluffy saffron rice makes me drool instantly. Every meal was freshly cooked with pure ingredients. No GMO foods, microwaved meals or prepacked lunched like in some restaurants in the Netherlands.

Are you planning to travel to Iran? Do you have any doubt if you should go or not? Here are 7 things about travel to Iran that will ruin your future travels
You’ll never eat as delicious as in Iran

Read more: Iran travel itinerary for first time visitors

#7 All the friendly people of Iran

The one thing about travel to Iran that will ruin you the most for future travels is the friendly people of Iran. Arriving in Vienna, I was shocked with how unfriendly the people seemed. I like to emphasize seemed, as they were not unfriendly, but just not as friendly as the people in Iran. Everywhere I went in Iran, people smiled at me, offered me food or drinks and helped me to travel around. And everyone just gave me a welcoming feeling to be in Iran. Unfortunately, this treatment will ruin all your future travel experiences because I haven’t been to another country where the people are THAT friendly.

Read more: 15 days travel itinerary for Iran

Travel to Iran ruins your future travel experiences

This is just a short list of things about Iran that ruined my future travel experiences. But if you ask me if I would do anything different if I could, the answer would be NO! Although my travel to Iran has ruined me for future travel experiences, I wouldn’t have want to miss it for the world!

Are you planning to travel to Iran? Do you have any doubt if you should go or not? Here are 7 things about travel to Iran that will ruin your future travels
Dazzling details of all the shrines, mosques and monuments.

Read more: Practical preparations for women travelling to Iran


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Are you planning to travel to Iran? Do you have any doubt if you should go or not? These warnings might help you decide.

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Are you planning to travel to Iran? Do you have any doubt if you should go or not? Here are 7 things about travel to Iran that will ruin your future travelsAre you planning to travel to Iran? Do you have any doubt if you should go or not? Here are 7 things about travel to Iran that will ruin your future travels

41 Comments

  1. AJ Brown

    Thank you, I have a trip in a week and your articles are immensely helpful, though I fear I’m too late to really master the deep squat. So many resources assume a male traveller or simply reduce womens travel in Iran to ‘wear a head scarf’. Feeling much better about my clothing and money plan me now.

    1. Aida

      It’s great that you enjoyed being in Iran
      But I assure you that there are still lots of places in Iran you should see and of course Lots of new tastes you should test 😉
      I hope you travel to Iran again and have another great experience

  2. Tanaz

    Dear Naomi,

    I really enjoyed reading your experiences and hope to see you in Iran or even Netherlands one day. If you need any help traveling to Iran, I will be there for you.

    Tanaz

  3. Ron

    Are you still going to travel to other countries even though Iran “ruined” your future travel experiences? Maybe you should have called it “Seven ways Iran changed my future travel experiences”. I’m thinking of doing an Iran group tour in 2022. It could last from eight to ten days. If I took out €500 and converted it into Iranian rials, would that be enough for eight to ten days?

  4. Monica

    So great for you to share your experience and love your photos! Reminds me of this quote from Anthony Bourdain: “Of all of the places, of all the countries, all the years of traveling, it’s here in Iran that I am greeted most warmly by total strangers.”

  5. I get major travel envy looking at your Iran posts! I’m going to be travelling there in early 2018 but unfortunately as I am British, I have to go as part of a tour. I prefer to have the independence when I travel but I’m sure it’s still going to be incredible. Your photos are so beautiful!

  6. What a wonderful post. I never thought about Iran, but your article makes me want to travel there. I heard, Iran is beautiful, but I always had some safety concerns. Thanks for sharing this. I will bookmark your blog.

  7. Pingback: 10 Best Things to Do in Iran - The Savvy Globetrotter Travel Blog

  8. Susanna

    It’s so hard to travel here if you’re a U.S. citizen, which is why I am applying for my Canadian passport finally. I’m a dual citizen to Canada, but I never had my passport and Iran is a major reason I want it. I can’t wait to see this gorgeous place and let it ruin travel for me too!

  9. I like bloggers like you who help break the stereotypes about certain countries that the media depict as “dangerous” etc.
    Thank you for this article! 🙂 You definitely made me want to travel there!

  10. I love this article! It makes me really want to experience Iran. It’s amazing how unfriendly people ‘seem’ to be when you’ve just been surrounded by friendly people. You should visit Australia, everyone here is super friendly too 🙂

  11. Loved this article! And I’m not surprised about the Iranian hospitality, they are some of the nicest, kindest, most inviting people you will ever meet. I might be biased since I’m half Iranian hehe :). I would love to go, but it’s a bit harder for me since my dad is Iranian. Although I’m from the USA, Iranian law says I must go as an Iranian citizen since my dad is from there. So it will be a long process, but I’m determined to make it happen! So glad you had an awesome experience!

  12. Elise

    This is a great article! I’d love to visit one day. I felt a bit like this in Myanmar a few years ago. Everywhere I went people were trying to help me and were just so unexpectedly welcoming!

    Did you have any trouble with the visa? That’s put me off so far!

  13. really nice photos and experience! I hardly ever hear of anyone going to Iran, so it is great to see what the country is like outside of what you see on the news. Surely it will become more and more popular to visit soon so it is great you went when you did, I bet!

  14. Such vibrant pictures. I enjoyed reading your post and specially can relate to #4. I too love being alone in nature. ” Nobody photobombing your epic sunset shot ” – I Could instantly relate to this relief. Thanks for sharing such beautiful glimpses of Iran.

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