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BRITISH TOURIST IN IRAQ everything you need to know! كل ما تحتاج معرفته عن العراق
Apr 25, 2025
Iraq everything you need to know before visiting :)
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ACCOMODATION LINKS
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Doug: https://youtu.be/YXMdJDBK5Tg
Janet: https://youtu.be/im6EuLDOyTY
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0:00
Okay, good morning everybody. So I've just returned from an incredible two-week trip around Iraq
0:05
So this video will be about how to travel, the logistics, the prices, and where you should visit on your beautiful trip around this beautiful country
0:14
I began my trip in Baghdad. Now, they've just opened a visa on arrival system, so when I arrived, I received my visa on arrival at the airport
0:23
The visa on arrival is available for around 30 countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, European nationals and many countries around the world
0:33
So I will put the website down in the description box where you can find out how to get the visa on arrival in which country you are from
0:40
I'm from the UK so I was able to get the visa on arrival and I paid $77
0:44
make sure you also have a hotel booking in one of the selected five-star hotels when you first
0:51
arrive because they actually call the hotel so make sure you have it printed and ready for them
0:57
to check and call the hotel for you the process took around 45 minutes we were actually in
1:02
the airport for two hours because my friend actually had an issue with his passport but
1:06
janet and my passport was processed within 45 minutes we were just waiting for him but be aware
1:12
if it's a very busy flight with other tourists it could take longer. Throughout my beautiful trip of
1:16
this country I visited Baghdad, Babylon, Kabbalah, Chibayesh, Basra, back to Baghdad, then Mosul and
1:23
then up to Abil which is where I flew out to Istanbul. I traveled with a tour called Bil Weekend
1:29
which made the process so smooth. Iraq is open for tourists but they have only just opened for
1:35
tourists so you need to be aware that checkpoints may take a while if you're traveling solo. Iraq
1:39
Iraq is opening for tourism, but a lot of the checkpoints will take a lot of time to get through
1:45
if you don't have a guide. Traveling with a guide for us made the process so smooth and we were able to get through most of the checkpoints within 50 minutes or less Iraq only opened for visa on arrival and for tourism mostly this year
1:59
so be aware they do need a little bit more time to get used to the system and to make the process
2:04
a little bit more smooth for everyone. We were actually with Bill Weekend all the way from Baghdad
2:09
all the way down to Basra and back to Baghdad which is where we parted and we then made our
2:14
solo from Baghdad for four days then up to Mosul and then finally in Abil. Despite many other
2:21
bloggers visiting this area and saying the checkpoints and the roads are dangerous I never
2:26
had this experience. I actually highly highly disagree with a lot of other bloggers and their
2:31
perception of Iraq online. I had no issue with any checkpoints with any security guards they
2:37
actually took photos with us because they were so nice so kind and you need to remember that
2:43
they're there for your safety. There's nothing to worry about with roads, with checkpoints
2:48
especially if you're with a guide. I can't make this video without mentioning the idea of safety
2:54
Now Iraq, obviously in the news and the media, does not have a good reputation with safety but
2:59
in my personal experience I didn't have any issue. Extremist attacks do happen, they're very very rare
3:06
and are very unlikely to happen but they could happen and that is something you need to be aware
3:11
of when you visit this country. Like I said, I had no issue with safety, but you do need to be aware
3:16
that I was with a guide for a lot of my trip and you could have a different experience. Okay, next
3:23
up, accommodation. I want to talk to you about accommodation because everyone needs somewhere to
3:27
stay during your trip. In my experience, prices are pretty expensive compared to other countries
3:32
in this area of the world. You can expect to pay $70 up for a decent hotel. You can, of course
3:38
save a lot of money if you aren too fussy on accommodation or the location i actually found a apartment with janet doug and myself so three people two bedrooms in baghdad when we first
3:51
returned after our trip down to basra and we actually found the hotel for 45 dollars per
3:58
night so we paid 90 for two nights for three of us so that was a pretty good find in baghdad i
4:05
put the link to that accommodation down in the description box it was a great hotel great wi-fi
4:10
and the stuff were amazing just to be aware in some parts of iraq females are not allowed to stay
4:15
with guys and we found that in mosul especially janet had to find a separate hotel room you may
4:22
have to do that when you come to iraq so make sure you have that in your budget if you're traveling
4:26
in a group or you're with a couple of friends if you're married it's a different situation but if
4:32
you're not married and you're just friends you will need to get separate hotel rooms you can find
4:36
these accommodations on booking.com or actually just turning up to the hotel and asking them if
4:41
they have rooms available i highly recommend the second option going to the hotel straight to the
4:45
door and asking the staff mostly because you actually save a lot of money and they can give
4:50
you a better rate i think if you speak to them in person if you are on a budget and you're coming to
4:54
iraq then i highly recommend couch surfing couch surfing if you didn't know i've used it a lot of
4:59
times actually around my travels and it's one of my favorite ways to travel. You stay with a local
5:03
for free and this is the best way you can get a real flavor and a real local touch to your trip
5:10
You stay with them, you discover what the locals do in the morning and they can actually give you
5:14
a better tour of the way of life in a city. In return for your free stay I usually offer to take
5:20
them for dinner or a coffee or something to kind of repay their incredible hospitality. There were
5:26
many areas in Iraq that I sadly didn't get to visit in my incredible two weeks
5:30
around this country including Najaf Kirkuk Amara and Kut and hopefully inshallah in the future I be able to visit those incredible areas so I highly recommend you visit if you have time if you give
5:43
yourself three weeks or more you definitely should check out these incredible areas. Another thing I
5:47
can't go on in this video without mentioning is food. Now food in Iraq is up there with some of my
5:54
favorite in the entire world i still miss it to this day now i'm in other countries i dream about
6:01
it it's delicious it's so good food prices are relatively normal in iraq you can get huge platters
6:08
for roughly i think in babylon it was we ordered the huge dish it was i mean we couldn't even
6:17
finish it it was so big between six of us and we paid eight dollars each for this huge platter
6:23
I would put it on the screen so you can get an idea of what it looked like. It was insane
6:27
You can get food so, so cheap. And Iraqis love their food
6:31
So you will expect to eat like a king or queen throughout this country
6:35
And man, I miss it. So overall, Iraq was an incredible trip
6:41
And I couldn't recommend it anymore for anyone to visit. I love it
6:47
I miss it. The people are phenomenal. The language is spectacular. The food is amazing
6:53
and overall Iraq could be an incredible tourist destination. If you have any other questions about how to travel Iraq then put it down in the comments
7:02
I will do my best to get back to you. Hopefully I can help you make your trip a lot smoother in the
7:07
future and make sure to check out the links in the description box if you need any help with
7:11
accommodation, the visa on arrival system or any other things that I've put down there. So thank
7:17
you so much for watching, I hope this helped you. Stay safe, stay happy and I'll catch you in the next video
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