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Meet intrepid travellers Dennis, 34, and Teresa, 33, who are currently on an adventure journeying from Germany to Australia using public transport.
Their 21-month journey has taken them through 30 countries so far and along the way the budget travellers have stayed in some far from ordinary places.
The pair shared their strangest overnight stay experiences in a TikTok video (@human.travel.stories) and have revealed the best and worst aspects of each quirky sleeping location to MailOnline.
Christian Monastery in Iraq
The couple, who are from Munich, ended up at The Mar Mattai monastery in northern Iraq after ‘a local friend’ told them that families could stay there in return for donations.
They tell MailOnline: ‘[It’s] tucked away beautifully overlooking a valley with views of Mosul in the distance. The monks are happy to welcome visitors and provide simple rooms with shared toilets and a kitchen.’
The best part: The pair were able to ‘witness a holy mass held in Aramaic, the language of Jesus’, while staying at the monastery and add that it was a ‘unique’ experience to ‘be allowed to stay in one of the oldest monasteries in the world’.
Intrepid travellers Dennis and Teresa (pictured above in Turkey) are journeying from Germany to Australia using just public transport. They’ve shared some of the most unusual places they’ve slept with MailOnline
The couple, who are from Munich, ended up at The Mar Mattai monastery in northern Iraq after ‘a local friend’ told them that families could stay there in return for donations. Pictured above is a sunset over the monastery
The worst part: Teresa and Dennis weren’t able to use public transport to reach the monastery as it ‘can only be reached by car’. However, it wasn’t all bad. They reveal: ‘We had to hitchhike and ended up being taken by friendly soldiers who gave us a lift all the way to the monastery because they were happy to see foreigners visiting the country.’
Chinese ‘hard sleeper train’
In China, the travelling duo chose to take one of the country’s sleeper trains, which are divided into four categories of berth – ‘soft sleeper, hard sleeper, seating and standing’.
They tell MailOnline: ‘While we are travelling on a budget, sitting or standing for 26 hours wasn’t an option, so we went for the “hard sleeper train”.
‘We learnt that “hard sleeper” means open berths with narrower three-storey bunk beds while “soft sleepers” are two-storey bunk bed berths with a door.’
The best part: Trains are the ‘fastest and most efficient overland travel option’ in China, say the pair, who add that they found the overland odyssey to be a ‘good way to connect with locals’.
The pair slept in a ‘hard sleeper’ compartment of a Chinese train, which consists of three-storey bunk beds (pictured above)
The worst part: Each of the bunks has a downside, say the couple, who explain that they ‘can’t decide which is best’. The pair reveal: ‘You can reach the bottom bunk easily but you have no privacy, since the berth doesn’t have a door. The upper bunk offers more privacy but you’re likely to disturb others when climbing two storeys. The middle bunk is a bit of both.’
Living room of a stranger in Iraq
Dennis and Teresa reveal that they travel to ‘meet humans’ rather than to ‘see attractions or sights’, which means they often stay in people’s homes, even if they haven’t met them before.
They usually connect with hosts using Couchsurfing or via social media. In the clip shared in their video, the pair are seen staying at the home of an Iraqi man who offered to host them even though he was away at the time.
The couple explain: ‘His mother, wife and kids warmly welcomed us, provided blankets, lit the stove to warm the living room and made sure we were comfortable.’
The best part: For Dennis and Teresa, there’s ‘no better way to get to know a foreign country than through the eyes of a local’ and they add that 99 per cent of their nights in people’s homes have been ‘fantastic’.
The worst part: As it’s someone’s home, travellers will ‘never know what to expect’. The couple explain: ‘Sometimes you share a room with your host and sleep on the floor. Sometimes you are offered your own space.’
Kuwait
In Kuwait, a ‘kind Egyptian man’ offered the couple ‘refuge in his home’. They’re pictured here with him and three Polish travellers who stayed there at the same time
Kuwait might not seem like much of a strange place to end up, but it was for Teresa and Dennis, who tell MailOnline that they ‘never planned to go there’.
They explain: ‘Ironically, we ended up staying more than a week because the only way for foreigners to get from Iraq to Saudi Arabia is via Kuwait, and we needed to prepare our trip to Saudi.’
The best part: The pair reveal that ‘a kind Egyptian man’ saved them ‘from squandering’ their travel budget ‘on fancy hotels’ by offering them refuge in his home. They say: ‘He hosted us along with three Polish travellers in a tiny room made for two.’
The worst part: The budget travellers say Kuwait is a very ‘backpacker-unfriendly’ place, explaining that it has ‘the strongest currency in the world, no public transport connecting [it with] neighbouring countries and no budget accommodation.’
They add: ‘It is also extremely difficult to meet locals, and since it’s a small country, the things to see and do as a traveller are very limited.’
Former roadside inn on the ancient Silk Road
The 18th-century roadside inn, or caravanserai, in Azerbaijan that’s featured in the video would once have ‘offered refuge to traders and travellers on the ancient Silk Road’, explain Dennis and Teresa.
They say: ‘Today it is a budget hotel and combines historic charm with Soviet-era furniture.’
The best part: The inn’s historic roots was like ‘travelling back in time’, say the adventurers, who add that ‘£13 a night is a fair price for such a marvellous experience’.
The worst part: Unfortunately, the property’s bathroom facilities were also historic and ‘seemed to have been installed during Soviet times’, reveal the couple, who describe them as ‘charming but very basic’.
Caspian Sea ferry
The couple were onboard the Caspian Sea ferry, where they’re pictured above, for 22 hours
Teresa and Dennis loved ‘making friends with truckers from all around the world’ onboard the ferry. They’re pictured here with 72-year-old Mehmet from Turkey
The Caspian Sea ferry, a cargo ferry with passenger cabins, was the mode of transport the couple chose instead of flying from Azerbaijan to Kazakhstan.
Getting on the ferry can be a challenge, explain Teresa and Dennis, as there’s no timetable and departures depend on ‘weather conditions, cargo and port capacity’.
The couple explain: ‘Luckily, we befriended a lovely Azerbaijani family who helped us. We were having dinner in Baku when the port staff called and said the ferry was ready to embark within the next two hours, so we rushed to the port (70km/43 miles outside Baku). We ended up spending the whole night at the port before we could finally board the ferry. For curious travellers, we compiled all the relevant info about how to cross the Caspian Sea by ferry in a blog article.’
The best part: Teresa and Dennis say their cabin had ‘comfortable beds, fresh linen, a hot shower and was clean’ and they loved making ‘friends with truckers from all around the world who shared incredible stories from the road’.
The worst part: The Caspian ferry’s ‘unpredictable’ departures made it the most ‘arduous’ of the couple’s journeys so far. They explain: ‘You need time and patience. At no moment of the journey will you know when you’ll arrive in Aktau (in Kazakhstan). From door to door, the journey took four days while the actual sea journey took just 22 hours.’
Traditional nomadic yurt (round tent)
Yurts, a traditional type of nomadic home, are still commonly used in Central Asia. The yurt featured in the couple’s video is a ‘beautifully decorated one located near Kolsai lake in Kazakhstan’.
They say: ‘A big thanks to [tour service] itraveler.kz who took us on a trip where we stayed in this extraordinary yurt. It was heated, which was necessary as it snowed at night.’
The best part: Teresa and Dennis explain that ‘you can’t visit Central Asia without having slept in a yurt’. They add: ‘Yurts are cosy, and the traditional decoration is usually hand made.’
The worst part: Guests do need to use an ‘outside shared bathroom’ and the couple explain that ‘yurts have different standards’, meaning guests might need to sleep on a mattress on the floor.
Want more from Teresa and Dennis? Follow their journey on TikTok – @human.travel.stories; Instagram – @human.travel.stories; and YouTube – @humantravelstories; and find out more on their website – humantravelstories.com.
The couple stayed in this traditional yurt in Kazakhstan, which fortunately was heated
Teresa and Dennis travel to ‘meet people’ rather than to see ‘attractions’. The couple are pictured here with a group of Saudis that they hitchhiked to Qatar with
