Hi — I'm Kristin. I built Smart Travel Planner from Doha, Qatar, and I run it entirely on my own. No team of writers, no content farms, no paid partnerships that dictate what I recommend. Just one person doing the research, writing the guides and making sure every piece of advice on this site is something I would actually give to a friend.
The idea came from a frustration most travellers share — you search for information on a destination, find ten articles that all say the same vague things, none of them tell you what anything actually costs, and you can't figure out who wrote them or why. I wanted to build something different. A site that tells you the truth, even when the truth is "don't go in January" or "this destination is overhyped."
Based in Qatar, I have a particular focus on the Middle East, Africa and Asia — regions that are often written about poorly by bloggers who spent three days there on a press trip. But the site covers the world — 100+ guides across 7 regions — and the standard is always the same: honest, specific, useful.
Why I built this from Doha
Most travel blogs are written from London, New York or Sydney. I write from Doha — which gives me a different vantage point on travel, particularly for the Middle East, Africa and Asia routes that most Western bloggers handle superficially.
Living in Qatar means I've taken the flights, dealt with the visa complications and understood the cultural context that most travel guides miss entirely. That perspective shows up in the guides.
It also means I know how to travel smart on a budget without pretending luxury destinations are accessible to everyone — and without dumbing things down for people who just want real information.
What's on This Site
How This Site Is Different
How this site makes money — and why that's okay
Smart Travel Planner earns a small affiliate commission when you book hotels, flights or tours through our links. This comes from the company you book with — Booking.com, Kiwi, Klook, Amazon — not from you. You pay exactly the same price whether you click our link or go directly.
We are also Amazon Associates, which means some links to travel gear on our Shop page earn a small commission. Every item recommended there is something genuinely worth buying — not something included because the commission is higher.
Our editorial content is never influenced by affiliate relationships. A destination doesn't get recommended because it pays us. It gets recommended because it's worth visiting. That's a principle we don't compromise on.
Full details: Affiliate Disclosure · Privacy Policy · Terms & Conditions
Get in touch
Have a question about a destination, a correction to make or just want to say hello? I read every email — response time is usually within a few days.
📍 Based in Doha, Qatar · ✍️ Writing about the whole world