From the 1620s Italy has attracted and rewarded the inquisitive. The Grand Tour, as it later became known, saw British youngsters of the upper classes travelling slowly into southern Italy from London. They often encountered treacherous alpine passes, terrible weather and disease on route. I didn’t have to plan for these troubles on my journey.…
When I travel, I always try to see things from a different perspective. Not just metaphorically, but physically too. Climbing high to observe my surroundings helps me to get my bearings and also provides an alternative view of very familiar places. Sometimes, I’ve made an extra effort to reach the tops of buildings and mountains,…
I thought I was hallucinating when I arrived in Bicheno. In the middle of the campsite sat another vehicle exactly like mine: A compact campervan covered in purple and yellow flowers. Bicheno was a pause on my flower-powered loop of Australia’s southernmost island. In the literal sense, it’s a trip overseas. However in common Aussie…
Two years ago I sat in Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport about to leave Australia. After more than three years in Canberra, I was returning to the UK for a new, and at that point in time, temporary adventure. I gradually fell in love with London life and haven’t yet returned Down Under. The Long…
This week, UNESCO added 24 new sites to its ever-growing list of places worth protecting on this planet. The UK’s notable offering was the Forth Bridge in Scotland, a masterpiece of Victorian engineering, which I was lucky enough to see first hand last summer. Sadly, as the global list grows, so does the number…
If you ever find yourself in Slovenia’s Vintgar Gorge, don’t stop at the end. When you reach the picturesque chalet providing temptingly cold beers and a picnic bench with a view, turn left and keep walking. Within two minutes, you will be completely alone. Until recently, I didn’t appreciate my own continent. As the…
If you’re anything like me, travel isn’t just something you do but a way of life. The enjoyment I get out of researching, planning and generally letting others inspire me to travel is often on a par with the trips I end up taking. I read travel magazines, follow fellow globe-trotters on social media…
