Infinity pools, butlers serving afternoon tea complete with those little finger sandwiches I do love so much (crust cut off, of course). That is how I like to travel, with sites like Small Luxury Hotels winning hands down over any budget accommodation website out there. However, there is a reality I can’t escape – I like … Read more
I’ve recently been playing around with Hotel Tonight. It’s a whizzy little app that allows you to book rooms…as the name suggests…that night. Forget Laterooms and the like, this is real last minute deal stuff and although it’s currently only available for the big cities, it certainly has the potential to expand. This app appeals … Read more
Far too long ago I promised a list of my recommended hostels in Southeast Asia. In order of my route, not preference, here are my recommended hostels in Southeast Asia: Singapore: Beary Best Although it’s definitely aimed at girls (the place is filled with teddy bears), even the boys can’t knock the cleanliness and homely feel of this … Read more
As I pack my backpack for the last time this year, wondering why I’ve bought so much fresh coffee to take home, and what on earth I need to throw away in order to fit it into my bag, it occurs to me that after two years of travelling, there is very little … Read more
Screaming the entire way, I twisted my body through the crack and dropped into the water below. I was treading water in the dark wondering how the hell I was going to fit through the tiniest crack in the rock when I had a flashback. I’d been in exactly this situation before, in Guatemala, about … Read more
I get asked regularly which travel websites I use for recommendations on where to stay, where to eat, where’s good for wi-fi, the best place for breathing. If there’s an activity out there, then you can place money on the likelihood of there being a website capturing people’s opinions on whether the thing in question … Read more
Whenever I meet travelers en route to South or Central America, I’m always quick to pass on my list of recommended hostels in Latin America, not least because I know what it’s like to turn up at a place and wonder if Hell might have any vacancies as a better alternative. A hostel, the … Read more
Indiana Jo – cycling from Alaska to Patagonia and climbing the highest points of each country in between? Given I’m very wobbly on two feet, let alone on wheels, I can’t proudly claim that achievement, but Thomas Laussermair can. Taking a staggering 14 months and who knows how much energy expended, Thomas has kindly agreed … Read more
‘How long have you been going for?’ comes up more than once a day when you’re travelling and I struggle to give a simple answer. This trip, I will have been away from the UK for exactly one month today. However, that’s not the entire reality. The longer answer is that I left ‘home’ in … Read more
When I visited Semuc Champey in Gautemala, I did everything wrong. Here’s how not to do it and how to visit Semuc Champey properly. Don’t decide to visit Semuch Champey without knowing what it is Semuc Champey was the word on everyone’s lips in Guatemala. I mean EVERYONE! Never mind Antigua or even Tikal, visit … Read more