Stress Free Flying with Toddlers The condition known as “flying with toddler” can present with a constellation of symptoms such as fear, anxiety, dread and an impending sense of doom. And that’s just for the other passengers, never mind the parents! Well, never fear, I am here! Remember all those concerns you had about flying with a […]

Save Costa Navarino Resorts in Greece Five Star Luxury with a TwistCosta Navarino ticks all the usual boxes when it comes to luxury resorts in Greece: nice beach, clean pools, swish bar. But it surprised me like no other with its range of cultural events: olive oil tasting, philosophy walks and a dedicated exhibition centre […]

SaveSaveSaveSaveDriving in Morocco: I Did It. So Can You.Driving in Morocco tested my skill, my stamina and, let's face it, my sense of humour.

Is finding unusual things to do in Rome a futile task? I’m not sure who runs the official ledger of world’s most visited city and catalogue of iconic sights but when I do track them down, I’m betting that Rome is high on the list. The Colosseum. The Pantheon. Spanish Steps. Trevi Fountain. And that’s before we start talking […]

SaveSaveSaveSave Image Credit- PONANT© Antarctica or The Arctic? Perhaps it’s because of this year’s heatwave but I’ve been thinking about the cold a lot lately. In particular, Antarctica. There’s one phrase in particular that the heat seems to be melting into my brain. “You haven’t been to Antarctica?” from a travel journalist friend of mine. “You should go!” Her […]

Tried and tested gifts for travellersGifts for him and gifts for her Gifts for travellers just got a whole lot better with the introduction of the versatile and hassle-free Hotelgift card scheme.  In fact, even calling it a scheme makes it sound more complicated than it is. Truth is, it’s simple, sweet and brilliant and it’s […]

Bajan Recipes Taught In Barbados I love these Bajan recipes that I picked up while on the island. It’s been a little while since I travelled to Barbados but the joy of recipes means that a taste of Caribbean sunshine is just one meal away (and if I squint into this summer’s heatwave, I can […]

Scheveningen Beach. SHAVE-an-ingen Beach. Sherve-nin-ninnin-ninininininin-en Beach. This Dutch spot may have a difficult name but its beauty shines with simplicity. Sand. Dunes. Walking paths, a harbour. Just 15 minutes from the workings of The Hague and you’re there. And via a picturesque tram ride, no less, peppered with important looking embassies and the great Dutch […]

The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota Florida: thousands of tropical plants, art, research and history Does it make sense to start talking about Florida through its flowers? Or is it too trite a cliche? The modern state of Florida, all 66 000 square miles of it, has an inextricable link with flowers. The name, […]

Kakadu. The sound is soft yet distinctive, like a bird call that rolls and unfolds across the willows and the reeds, the waters, the low and

These tips on how to stay sun safe come from a partnership with Soleve. As ever, as always, we keep the right to write what we like. Ah, sunshine, you beautiful, wonderful thing you! A strange thing has been happening over the British skies this year: a great, golden orb has been blazing and basking […]

Three Exciting Boutique Hotels Boston That Are Bringing the Past to Life And Unusual Things To Do in Boston Near Them America may be known for many things but its keen sense of history isn’t always one. Not so in Boston, where the Freedom Trail highlights 16 landmarks on the road from the Tea Party […]

  Looking for inspiration for wonderful and unusual things to do in Greece but tired of lists churned out by people who’ve never been there? Look no further! Here is a collection of beautiful, cultural things to do in Greece, peppered with a bit of soul and a lot of golden olive oil with liberal […]

Things to do in Porto Ah, pretty city Porto, you beautiful place, you. All glowing in from dawn til dusk in a tumbly, jumbly terracotta haze and reflected Harry Potter glory. With your giant gondolas from the port trade, your azulejo tiles and your steep streets to a thousands scenic viewpoints, you wear your prettiness […]

  Unusual Things to Do in Cape Town, South Africa Updated 2018 In my little black book of travel, Cape Town always makes my top ten list of greatest cities in the world. It would probably succeed based on Table Mountain alone,  a majestic flat-topped mountain rising out of the earth at almost the most southernly […]

Finding Lisbon Restaurants Where Locals Eat Breathless, sweaty and most definitely ready for food, I pushed open the glass door and stumbled inside. “Are you still serving?” I asked, the words more direct than I’d have liked. A man walked towards me, in black against the bright white walls, clear-varnished wood and chic-hipster vibe I’d […]

Unusual Things To Do in Bristol Bristol, you sassy thing, you. You’ve always been hard to define. All pastel palette pretty in some quarters yet home to subversive Banksy in others. So close to London yet with an accent so far away it may as well be another language, me babbers. Bursting with art yet […]

Update: this article just won a Latin American Travel Association Award at the RSA House in London. I’m pretty chuffed about that and over on Facebook, some of you have been asking what the award was for: Well, here you go! Pre-Columbian Art in Ecuador and the Surprising Question It Asks Christopher Colombus. One nation’s […]

Tried and Tested: Some of the Best Spas in the World Updated 2018 A combination of good fortune, hard work and a devilishly tricky spine have led me to seek out spa treatments all around the world. But what is it that makes a good spa great? What makes it one of the best in the […]

  Bo Kaap Cape Town When it comes to colour in South Africa, perhaps there’s no better place to start than Bo Kaap. Along the cobbled slopes that tiptoe up towards Table Mountain, houses blaze in hues of lilac, canary yellow, cobalt blue and eye watering green as children play football around the nation’s oldest […]

  Finding a Great Place to Stay in Bath Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful Bath has plenty of great places to stay, from hotels to guesthouses. But on my latest trip, I discovered another kind of gorgeous hideaway: a luxurious self-catered apartment that overlooked The Circus itself. I found the place through a partnership with Hideaways, a […]

Water. In the space called Frederick Sound, the water waits silently. There's a

These days, everyone is talking about things to do in Portugal and why you should go there now. From UNESCO World Heritage Sites, gastronomy, history, architecture, great beaches and whimsical creations and pastries, millennial Portugal most definitely is the new black. But before you skip on down to the list of things to do in […]

It all started with the police check last night.Torchlight zig-zagged across the car and we huddled in the backseat.“You are English,”

So here’s some interesting research: apparently, even our strongest holiday memories fade within two weeks. What’s worse? Digitally trying to record things may make those memories fade faster. Sceptical as I always am, I read this with my usual gallon of salt. Luxury holiday brand TUI have released the information in conjunction with talking about […]

  Visiting the Stunning Reed Flute Caves in Guilin China It’s amazing what you can do with a little rock, water and patience. Well, a little water, a lot of rock and all the patience in the world, I suppose. Plenty of places talk about the caves they have but few have managed to entice […]

UNUSUAL THINGS TO DO IN DUBLIN: UPDATED 2018 BUT FIRST… A word of warning here: don’t miss the classics in Dublin like the Book of Kells at Trinity College or the razzamatazz and history at the iconic Guinness Storehouse.  But once you’ve dipped into the Jameson Distillery and paid some kind of homage to local […]

  Why Reading Trends Are Changing – And Why It Matters Two surprising things happened the other day. The first took place at our book club, a thinly veiled excuse to eat tapas and drink wine once a month while discussing the perilous state of world affairs and explore other subjects that perhaps our other […]

Dawn in the Desert at the Al Wadi Across the sand, something is moving. Slowly. Stuttering. But real. An oryx, I think, white flanks caked in dust, horns piercing the air. It’s almost as though she’s following the sun, appearing with its quiet, dawn-like shift across the dunes. It’s early, but as a new mum, […]

Into the Wild: Uncruise Alaska My personal account of the intriguing Uncruise Alaska.  I stop in my tracks and hold still, watching him watching me. I can hear my own breathing, fast and focused, and the sound of droplets falling into the deep Chuck River. The rest of the group, all five of them, are […]