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 […]
I have at least 8 stories to write by Monday about my recent travels, including some blog posts on my 2017 trip to Egypt. So, like any good procrastinator I naturally sat down at my desk today to do an entirely unrelated task. I stumbled on a piece I wrote for the travel industry magazine Travel […]
This is the most personal post I have ever written. It’s about how Egypt was the original inspiration for my love of travel. That’s because Egypt is in my blood and also as the first foreign destination I can ever remember journeying to, it’s ingrained in my memories. As a child I can remember drinking Coca-Cola from […]
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 […]
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 […]
I can personally vouch for benefits of holidaying in Cornwall in the depth of winter; I once boarded a train at London’s Paddington Station in the snow – and arrived a few hours later in St. Austell, to the sight of sunshine and daffodils, at the Lost Gardens of Heligan. Cornwall as a summer destination […]
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 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 […]
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is one of the busiest travel hubs in the world. Dutch national airline KLM flew more than 32 million passengers in 2017 and plenty of those people took advantage of the opportunity to sneak in a little layover in Amsterdam. If you’re one of the 60 million passengers who are set to […]
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 […]
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 […]
So, What makes SavoirThere.com Different? YOU, NOT ME I know what you’re expecting to be up here, front and centre – a picture of me. But I don’t believe this site should be all about me; it should be about you. I’m travel obsessed (not self-obsessed) so I try to keep the articles on this site […]
I recently moved to Farnham, Surrey, a pretty market town less than an hour’s train ride from London. Since the move I’ve been to Egypt, Italy, Menorca, the list goes on, but I’ve not made enough time to explore the area in which I actually live, until now. I decided to get out my trusty […]
Weekend Shortcuts are complete guides to weekends away, written to help you enjoy a perfect short break without needing to do any additional research. If a weekend in Wales isn’t for you, gorge yourself on my weekend guide to Devon for foodies or slope off to read Cortina, Italy for non-skiers – or simply scroll down for a in-depth weekend guide […]
I just couldn’t concentrate on anything or anywhere but London this weekend, for obvious reasons. So I decided to write my own little post of defiance, to give the tiniest of glimpses, from own my personal perspective, on why London’s AMAZING multicultural energy won’t change no matter how many times we are the focus of attack by those […]
The laptop ban on flights is being extended. Ugh. It was bad enough when I had to put my beloved Macbook Pro into my suitcase on a recent flight home from Cairo, but now even when flying between Europe and the US, we’ll probably all have to put our most prized possessions into the hold. I already had a […]
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 […]
When British Airways’ (then called British European Airways) opened it’s first ever route from the UK to Spain back in 1957, the original destination for those pioneering English holidaymakers was none other than the city of Valencia. Fast forward almost 60 years and many Brits have been to Barcelona, mooched around Madrid and conquered the Costas […]
It shouldn’t be bright yellow, or fluffy, it isn’t intended for dinner and it’s not supposed to be synonymous with seafood. In fact, technically it’s not even a Spanish dish. Even though the first food that springs to mind when you think of Spanish cuisine is probably paella, the dish has been bastardised beyond all recognition to a point where […]
I begin my weekend in Houston like any average tourist, knowing this city has been singled-out by its history of space exploration, is the very definition of a sprawling US metropolis, and that it’s famous for oil and gas. Fast forward 48 hours and I’m wearing my H-Town T-shirt with pride, clutching a NASA fridge magnet and nursing a hangover which underlines […]
The fierce sun is shining down on my map, amplified through the windscreen, as we drive our little red car past endless fields of green lettuce under bright blue skies; the scene is like a child’s storybook illustration come to glorious life. Even more glorious is the fact that it’s December and my boyfriend and […]
If ever there was a time to call to mind a Hamlet soliloquy, I’d say mid-stargaze is that time. Which of us doesn’t seek out beautiful night skies on our trips? Man by nature is in love with ‘this most excellent canopy the air…this brave over hanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire…this congregation […]
This week a brand new tax year started, and those in traditional jobs have been running year-end assessments and shuffling spreadsheets left, right and centre. So I thought I’d do some rather taxing assessments of my own and calculate the 10 best things I’ve done this financial year, and their real value – monetarily and of course in […]
Turin might be best-known for Winter Olympics, Fiat and Lancia factories and that eponymous Shroud but it turns out that the once-industrial hub is hiding an artistic secret, for nestled in the Alps of Northern Italy is a contemporary art epicentre bursting with challenging and inspiring contemporary art. Here are the top 5 modern art galleries in […]
I’m the first to be picked up for today’s boat trip to go snorkeling in Sharm el Sheikh, so I get chatting to the rep as we take the minibus to the next hotel. Like the rest of the staff at Emperor Divers – and as I soon realise the clients too – my guide is a Brit. I ask […]
Think of Cairo and you’ll imagine Tahrir Square, mob rule and flag-carrying protesters. But Cairo and Tahrir Square has changed in the last 20 months – at the end of September the Egyptian authorities pushed forward with a major clean-up of the city’s revolutionary hub. Having turfed the square they made the controversial decision to whitewash the political graffiti which adorns […]
Learning a few key words and phrases of a language always helps your trip to go more smoothly. Unlike some countries where your best linguistic efforts go unappreciated – or worse you’re answered in perfect English – Egypt and other Arab countries smile on those who try a bit of Arabic. A few words and […]
Real Egyptians don’t spent their time hanging out at the pyramids or shopping in Khan el-Khalili, obviously. So where should a girl head to on a Saturday afternoon for a spot of retail therapy and a gossip with friends, as well as a soya latte to keep up the shopping spirits? If you want to know where to shop […]
As a writer and blogger with a journalism post-grad from the respected London College of Printing and a background in travel PR, my writing has been published in most of the national daily titles, as well as industry title Media Week, and has appeared on a variety of websites. I know how to turn in professional and punchy copy both […]
So far I’ve done a pretty good job of ‘collecting’ countries. I’m not one of those people who think just because they spent 2 days in Barcelona once they’ve ‘done’ Spain (ugh, hate those people) and I never tire of seeing new places. My current list of places is around 66 countries and territories and […]
Travel is in my blood. Sorry to say blood in the first sentence like that. If you’re queasy, so sorry. Well I have already said sorry twice so that tells you I’m British. Of course my manners could equally make me Canadian, so you won’t be surprised to learn that I spent 4 years living […]