Opinion

Being from a British Arabic speaking background myself, I’ve always favoured short breaks to Arab countries a bit more than the average English holiday maker. Something about the atmosphere, the warm hospitality, the delicious food and the general sense of home I get from these countries really appeals to me when booking breaks. As well […]

Brits tend to think of the island of Lanzarote – and the Canary Islands as a whole –  as an easy fly and flop destination. Most places in Lanzarote are synonymous with holidays rather than adventurous travel, and with days spent relaxing as opposed to exploring. But even though it may not be trendy to […]

I’m always on the lookout for healthy and portable snacks to take with me to the airport, and on train journeys – or even to carry in my handbag to stop me getting hangry. Probably because I was once given the following advice: Hunger is the cause of most conflict; even on a short journey, […]

A weekend break to Blackpool probably isn’t the first thing that pops into your head when you think of a stylish staycation, but I found that by combining a visit to the stunning Lancashire countryside with a side trip to the kitsch and cheesy seaside town that’s famous for ballroom dancing and bright lights, you […]

Have you been to The Philippines yet? If you have already visited one of the world’s friendliest countries, maybe (like me) you are counting the days until you can go back? Either way I have some news for you if travelling on The Philippines’ own signature transport system is high on your wishlist; the colourful […]

The concepts of travel and photography are more intertwined than ever before. We travel therefore we photograph. Or is it more that we photograph and therefore we travel? We all now see the world through our camera lenses to an almost frightening degree, especially our smartphones, and let’s face it we all bask in the […]

We travel to Paris, like so many couples before us, to soak up romance, art, culture and style  – presented in a way that only the Parisians can pull off. I book a city break in Paris in the Spring with my partner because it is the most romantic city on the planet, but I […]

As I wait outside the firmly locked gates of Lunuganga Garden and Estate, along with a smattering of other curious visitors to this leafy corner of Sri Lanka, I feel like Charlie waiting to be let inside the chocolate factory. And just like Willy Wonka’s factory, the architectural fantasy world at Lunuganga is full of […]

Brits love nothing more than a sunny summer holiday to the Balearic Islands. But unlike my fellow English travellers, I first fell in love with a sleepy off-season Ibiza long after the clubs had shut their doors and the crowds had vanished. I followed this with a couple of forrays to the even sleepier and […]

This week there was an earthquake near Gatwick Airport. Reports say that houses in the Crawley area shook with the 3.3 magnitude quake – the largest ever to strike the region, and one of four so far this year. Until last year there had never been an earthquake recorded in this part of England. Britain’s […]

As a Brit in living in Canada, I was always asked the same question every time I got into a taxi. It went like this: Taxi Driver: “What part of Australia are you from?” Me: (Struggling to remain polite, but being British and not Australian, succeeding at remaining calm) “Haha. I’m actually from London.” Taxi Driver: […]

My first ever post-university package holiday all by myself was to Portugal. I loved holidaying solo and both the concept of solo travel and Portugal itself have done nothing but grow on me over the years. In fact I’ve been visiting Portugal for decades, so when I realised I’ve now been on 5 separate visits […]

I’m on a lot of mailing lists and I just ignore most of the emails I’m sent – I bet you do the same thing. But one email that’s guaranteed to get my attention, and be opened right away, is an alert to say that my favourite band is touring, and tickets are now on […]

You’re about to start researching (or maybe you’ve already started) self-guided cycling holidays in Europe, and there are lots of different options, destinations and companies to consider. There are 50 countries in Europe, many sharing mountain ranges and offering similar types of terrain with slight differences, so the choice is overwhelming. But as much as […]

Like many frequent travellers, I consider myself a citizen of the world. I may be a proud UK passport holder, but I also have an Egyptian birth certificate, 3 (now expired) Canadian residency permits, and I spent much of my childhood in Denmark. Given those facts you can probably guess where I stand on the […]

It’s a week since the end of World Travel Market 2018, and I’m still catching up with the backlog of business cards and follow-up phone calls I have after attending the best travel trade show on the planet. But as backlogs go, this is one I’m very happy to have. Yes ITB (in Berlin) is […]

I remember way back when the phrase medical tourism was first bandied about in the UK. To my mind it usually referred to people travelling to obscure Eastern European countries to have things like costly dental work and minor cosmetic procedures carried out at a fraction of the price that the same treatment would cost […]

I’ve mentioned this before, but it took me a couple of trips to really fall in love with Portugal. I’d already rented an apartment in the Algarve on my own in my early 20’s and tried a city break in Lisbon with a boyfriend in my 30’s before I really clicked with the country properly. After that […]

Like a lot of travellers I know, I’m obsessed with shopping for cool souvenirs to bring home from my trips overseas, and even if I’m just popping over to one of my favourite European countries for the weekend (as you do) I have a good idea what I want to bring back. But as well […]

I started planning travels with a mind map instead of a list about 2 years ago. It’s not just travel I plan this way now, it’s everything. From blog-related tasks to personal and financial to-do lists they’re all on a mind map above my desk, to keep me focused on what I want to achieve […]

I’ve been secretly planning my month in Sri Lanka for most of the year, but didn’t want to jinx it by saying anything out loud. Now I know it’s happening I can tell you my exciting news: I will be spending a whole month in Sri Lanka in October. This isn’t just any old trip […]

It really has been a summer of legend here in the UK, but I’m finally ready to admit that the British heatwave is over, that no, I probably didn’t need to buy that extra fan after all, and that there is life (and travel) beyond the UK in the glorious sunshine. Considering I’m a travel […]

As a native Londoner I’m pretty passionate about the place where I (mis)spent my youth: Camden Town. So when I hear tourists saying they don’t like London (crazy, but it happens!) I feel duty bound to share some ideas about places to go in the capital which might make them change their mind – and […]

If you’d like to head to Scotland for a wee staycation and can’t decide between the historic cities of Edinburgh or Glasgow, then this at-a-glance guide to the two contrasting  – and often competing  – Scottish cities might help you make up your mind on the question of Edinburgh Vs Glasgow. Edinburgh Vs Glasgow: Get […]

I’m flying to Dubrovnik and going on assignment, but I’m not coming for a mission in Croatia at all  – on the contrary I’m here to spy on what goes on in the tiny state of Montenegro. Unlike a real secret agent, I excitedly tell a handful of people in advance that I’m off to Montenegro, and the […]

I blog about lots of travel experiences here, like delicious foodie weekends away in the UK or chilled out sunny holidays in the Balearics, but one thing I’ve never really talked about online is actually one of the single most defining travel experiences of my life: falling in love with camping while living in British […]

So you’ve decided to travel to Australia  – and you’re not just sticking to the well-trodden path of the country’s East Coast. If you’re headed to Perth, the capital of Western Australia, you’ll already know that this isolated and remote Aussie city (not to be confused with it’s namesake in Scotland), has a reputation for […]

Like many travel bloggers, I got into blogging because of a love of words rather than pictures. Not that I don’t love photography, I just never considered myself to be a photographer in anything like the same way I consider myself to be a writer. But as travel blogging has evolved, our websites, writing styles […]

If there’s one thing we committed travellers love to do, it’s to discover somewhere new. Ideally a location a little bit off the beaten track, because a big part of travel is the sense of discovery. And while everyone can agree that world famous capitals like Paris and New York, London and Barcelona are all […]

As you leave the altitude and cloud cover behind and descend into Dubrovnik, you’ll see stunning scenery below that’s reminiscent of a mountainous Tuscany or a balmy Balkan answer to the Norwegian Fjords. This section of Adriatic coast is defined by dramatic cliffs and slices of blue sea glistening in the sun, punctuated by the […]

As much as I love travel, I also adore coming home. There’s something so exciting about getting back to your cosy house after an invigorating trip, putting the kettle on, snuggling the cat, and catching up on your favourite TV show. And one of the homely touches I am totally obsessed with to make my […]

The Cotswolds is a stunning section of rural English countryside spread across the counties of Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire, and covering perhaps the prettiest 800 square miles of Southwestern England. If you draw a circle around the tourist-friendly hubs of Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, Bristol and Bath  – and the Welsh borders  – the Area […]

We all suspect that our collective phone obsession is ruining our holidays, stopping us from being ‘in the moment’ and leading to the weird phenomena we all secretly suffer from: If you didn’t take a photo of it, it might as well never have happened. Well now it’s official – our worry that digital photos […]

When interviewing a native Roman hotelier who’d set up a boutique hotel in Cambodia I learned a little about her home city. She said in her charming Italian accent: ‘Your eyes are spoiled in Rome; living there you’re used to seeing beautiful things everywhere you look.’ Some years later when visiting Rome on a shopping trip I […]

Today the sun came out in England. Yes, for the first time this year it really feels like summer is coming. And I suddenly remembered I have a sunroof. It felt so freeing to be driving along a country lane with my tunes blaring and, for the first time since buying this car I was […]

New Zealand is one of those destinations which has steadily climbed up my wishlist over the years and has now finally reached the very top. When I was in my early 20’s I visited Australia –  I spent a couple of months on the well-trodden East Coast route beloved of so many backpackers. I knew […]

The humble day trip, whether at home or abroad, has untold powers to invigorate and inspire us: it offers us all the joys and refreshment of a new place compacted down into a short time frame, and without any of the stresses and hassles of organising a full blown holiday. In short, the day trip is the travel equivalent of a power nap. […]

Last time there was a royal wedding, the whole world went absolutely mad for all things Kate Middleton, and a new pop culture craze was created in the form of her sister Pippa and that famous posterior. It’s amazing to think that it’s almost a decade since Wills and Kate announced their engagement in 2010. […]

Solo travel is a totally different experience to your average holiday, weekend away with a partner or week’s vacation in the sun with a group of friends. When you’re on the road alone you have the most incredible sense of freedom and endless possibilities  – it’s probably the one time in your life when you […]

London is incredibly multicultural, meaning it’s packed with cool and curious cross-cultural ideas on every corner. But Egyptian influences in the city are not always immediately obvious – unless you know where to look – so you may wonder if it’s possible to enjoy an entire Egyptian itinerary while out and about in the British […]

This post centres around the topic of insurance when travelling. I know, exciting, right? When we think about booking travel, we’re usually focused on the joy of the open road, the relaxation of lying on a beach and the excitement of meeting new people, trying different foods and seeing the sights – we’re not thinking […]

I wonder what prompted you to read a post about finding perfect places for winter sun? Maybe it’s the start of January and you’re looking for hot holiday ideas to get you through the month? Perhaps you’ve stumbled on this post in mid-March having suffered an entire English Winter? Or are you actually in Australia […]

I recently wrote a post about the best places to find British food in Vancouver, because during my four years living in Canada’s cool West Coast city, I was continually determined to find a taste of Europe – and by that I basically mean I was always on the hunt for good cheese. This post […]

After four amazing – and sometimes challenging – years living in Vancouver, British Columbia, I moved back to the UK. When people ask me why I left Canada – a dream destination for many – the answer I give is simple but may seem trite: I couldn’t live without good cheddar cheese. Of course there […]

It comes around once a year  – yet every Christmas is totally unique, isn’t it? Some years you get into the Christmas spirit by mid-November and find yourself eating mince pies, watching Elf and drowning in gift wrap weeks before the big day. Other holiday seasons sneak up on you  – and before you know […]

I’m obsessed with swimming and spas while away on trips and I always have been. There’s nothing as relaxing as soaking in hot tubs, sweating it out in the sauna and reclining in a relaxation room, especially after spending a few days sightseeing. After years of long haul travel to spa hotels, multiple gym memberships […]

The classic summer holiday is that cliche of sun, sand and sea – and that’s when most people tend to do most of their swimming. But as well as lazing on a sun lounger on our precious days off, many of us enjoy exploration and adventure while overseas, and to immerse ourselves in something new. […]

The clocks have gone back and that means it really is Autumn, so it’s time for me to pull something out of hibernation to put back on my desk; my Oreo cookie-shaped heated coaster to keep my tea warm while I’m working (while simultaneously making me want a biscuit). It spurred me on to write […]

Right after the UK voted for Brexit, my Canadian partner moved to England with me; both of us giving up life in beautiful British Columbia for a totally different type of life in Blighty  – a country that I wasn’t even sure I was on board with anymore given the result of the vote. Yet […]

This guest post is a real departure – I’ve let my Canadian fiancé get a word in for once – to share his experience of travelling to Europe for the first time since moving to the UK:  a weekend skiing in Cortina. He explains what skiing and snowboarding in the Dolomites feels like from the perspective […]

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about just how much the travel tech landscape has changed in a few short years  – and where it will go next. Where once the idea behind apps like Airbnb or Uber had to be explained to most outside the travel industry, today the concept of the sharing economy […]

The travel tipping point is the section where I talk about a worldwide destination or travel theme which seems to be having a moment. 3 is the magic number and I often find that good things come in threes – and that goes for travel too: if somewhere comes to my attention 3 times or […]

The travel tipping point is my regular column on travel trends, types and themes which seem to be ‘having a moment’ and have achieved critical mass  – meaning that wherever you look, this way of travel, destination or style of service seems to suddenly be popping up everywhere. Whether it be a new way of booking […]

After the excitement of booking a holiday comes the bit nobody enjoys – the pre-holiday chores. From figuring out who’s going to look after the house/kids/dog/cat, to charging your electronic devices, packing, getting currency sorted and reading the latest rules on hand luggage, there’s a million and one things to do before you fly. Deciding […]

Mexico’s Mayan Riviera is the go-to holiday destination for North Americans looking for winter sun. But as a Brit who was unfamiliar with the different resorts in this part of Mexico, I wrote this guide to help other Mexican resort newbies pick a place that’s right for them.

Mexico has a well-deserved reputation as a real beach paradise. While living in Canada I realised that vacations to Cancun are, for Western Canadians, what holidays in Spain are for us Brits. In other words, it’s totally normal to go to Mexico and spend a week (or two) at an All Inclusive Resort eating, drinking and […]

New research shows that with the effects of Brexit – and the exchange rate for the Pound plummeting overseas – staying at home in the UK this summer is officially the new going abroad. But once summer hits I’ve always been a fan of staying home – and my UK summer staycations season undoubtedly starts […]

Are you a list queen like me? Or, I guess, king. But I don’t really believe most men make lists compulsively like women do.  Well in 2017 I started planning my travels (as well as a whole heap of other stuff) with a mind map instead of a list  – and I am a total convert. Here’s […]

There’s bound to be a special place in anyone’s heart for the first exotic holiday location to which they ever travel. While my first foreign holiday was to Greece (in typically British style) my first ever experience of a long haul destination was landing in Denpasar airport, Bali, more years ago than I care to admit […]

First off, apologies for that rather clickbaity headline. I wanted to be sure to get your attention if you have subscribed to Microsoft Office 365 (as I did) or are considering it. Maybe you use Microsoft Office 365 for your email hosting, or use Office software like Word, Excel, Sharepoint, One Drive or any of the […]