Europe

Reviewing spas can be a tough job (no, really, stick with me here), for a couple of specific reasons. Most readers, in this case you, are looking for a post about a spa, in this case Reykjavik spa newcomer Sky Lagoon, to check out plenty of photos of the facilities, as well as the concept. […]

What is the last thing you want from your first post-pandemic trip abroad? For me the answer was simple: after the digital overload of the lockdown era, I didn’t want another virtual experience. So when I finally said yes to my first foreign adventure since January 2020 – a hosted press trip to Iceland (which […]

Murcia’s recently opened Corvera airport has increased the budget flight options for holidaymakers heading to this part of Spain from across Europe.  So, it’s never been easier to take a short break in Murcia city and explore this entire region of sunny South-Eastern Spain. So, if you plan to visit Murcia and want to sample […]

Why Take A With Locals Prague Food Tour? In this post I review a food tour in Prague, which I took while visiting the city for three days. But maybe you’re thinking you can discover plenty of places to eat and drink in a major European capital like Prague on your own, without any tours? […]

I’m lucky enough to have explored a fair chunk of my home country, staying in everything from luxury hotels to eco campsites. I’ve also had the chance to go on a lot of different kinds of holidays all over the world, including hitting the open road on more than a few occasions. But while living […]

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 […]

Fancy spending a few days staying in your own private lakeside retreat, surrounded by stunning nature, with quaint and historic honey-hued village pubs on your doorstep? If the answer is yes, then holidaying in log cabins, Cotswolds style could be the mini-break for you. Renting a rustic but luxurious log house of your own is […]

If you’re travelling to or from Carcassonne Airport you’re probably looking for up to date information about using the quick, cheap and convenient Carcassonne airport shuttle bus before or after your flight. The Carcassonne airport bus service connects tiny Carcassonne airport, on the outskirts of town, with Carcassonne train station (otherwise known as Carcassonne SNCF), […]

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 […]

One of the reasons London is such an endlessly exciting city is because it is forever evolving. And along with other parts of the English capital, the London Bridge area of the city is changing at a pretty fast pace. As a native Londoner I still remember the area around London Bridge before The Shard […]

London is a city of over 8 million people, so as a native Londoner I’ve come up with 8 things every tourist in London needs to know. They should help you fit in, do as the locals do and get more out of your trip to the best city on earth. If I’d just got […]

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 a complete shoe obsessive I made sure that the first thing I prioritised on my first ever visit to Rome was buying some beautiful Italian leather shoes. The only problem on that particular short trip was that I had just 4 hours to spare in the Eternal City before I had to catch a […]

I’ve been warned that everyone talks (and fantasizes) about food the whole way through a juice retreat. Well I’ve got a head start on all the food talk because I live with a chef  – and we think and talk about food non-stop. My partner is even opening his own food truck specialising in tacos […]

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 […]

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 […]

The last thing you’d expect to stumble upon while driving through the remote English county of Devon, is a slice of Ontario, but that’s just what you’ll find at Wolford Chapel. This small chapel and its grounds, tucked away off an unassuming British B road, is technically part of Canada, and flies the Canadian flag […]

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 […]

Ibiza’s beaches and laid-back vibe started to attract visitors in the 1960’s and Europe’s answer to California’s hippies flocked there, but since then the White Island’s reputation has been primarily one of clubbing and nightlife. But step away from the built-up resorts and bar action and visit off season when the clubs are closed and […]

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 […]

The university city of Bologna makes the perfect weekend setting for an the alfresco lesson in romantic architecture, multiple courses in amazing eats and an in-depth study of aperitivo culture. As well as being home to the oldest university in the world, Bologna is the birthplace of tortellini and ragu, and boasts the tallest medieval […]

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 […]

Do you love getting into the outdoors, cooking on an open fire and sleeping under the stars? If you’d asked me that very question just a few years ago I would have answered firmly in the negative; as I didn’t understand just how amazing a camping break can be. These days my feelings about camping […]

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 […]

If you’re looking for staycation ideas here in the UK you’re probably picturing yourself enjoying a leisurely weekend away in a quintessentially English market town, perhaps one blessed with some gorgeous scenery and top notch local sightseeing. You know the kind of weekend I mean: strolling through cobbled streets eating pub lunches, spying half-timbered buildings […]

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 […]