Cultural Travel & Inspiration

Why Are Chain Restaurants Bad?

Published:

Hands up: I’ve eaten at many chain restaurants in my life and in all likelihood I’ll eat at them again, but is anyone else starting to feel increasingly uncomfortable at their growing dominance across the dining-out landscape? I get it – chain restaurants are easy, they can be comforting if you have a favourite dish and, let’s face it, you can be pretty confident about what you’re going to get…because a mediocre meal in a chain restaurant can outstrip a risk gone wrong at an independent place you’ve never tried before. Add in the travel dimension, and chains can feel … Read more

20 Puglia Foods You Must try in Italy or At Home

Published:

If you’re searching for information about Puglia food, you’re already steps ahead of most of the millions of foreign visitors who arrive in Italy each year. Just recently, strolling down a side-street in Florence I had a waiter holler at me across the street: “pizza, pasta, spaghetti”. It was as though he were enlightening me to a food stereotype that has long existed in this boot shaped part of Europe. But the truth is, I’d have been more excited if he’d been screaming ribollita or ossobucco, dishes that are native to Tuscany; I’d have headed to Naples if I’d been after decent … Read more

How to Use the Tube in London (Without Pissing off the Locals)

Published:
Lego Store London

Want to find out how to use the Tube in London (without pissing off the locals)? Read on… I’ve been using the Tube in London a lot recently and as I’m no longer living or working in the Capital, I’m starting to see the underground transport network in a whole new light. Sure, the Tube is awesome – it’s one of the best mass transit systems in the world, but it can be a beast to use. It’s over crowded, the whole thing seems to move at the speed of Hussein Bolt and there are more unwritten rules about using the Tube than … Read more

Best Travel Videos That Will Make You Want to Pack a Bag

Published:
best travel videos

I wrote this post about the best travel videos a few years ago. (You’ll see it was a few years ago, dated by the selfie-stick reference – boy, I am glad that phase seems to have mostly passed). Anyway, it doesn’t get less relevant so I’ve decided to update it and will keep adding videos as I go alone. Even travel addicts need to stop every now and again. So, what does a serious wanderluster do when they are not on the road? Watch travel videos (travel films for us Brits) of other people travelling, of course. I’ve put together … Read more

A Year Told In Pictures of Sunsets

Published:
Pictures of Sunsets

As the sun (almost) sets on another year I’m so happy to be sitting here writing these words: “I’ve had an amazing year of travel”. They’re the kind of words that can make people want to push your smug little face into the dirt, but I hope you’ll forgive my boasting because my amazing year of travel came directly off the back of  my worst travel year yet, and as the sun rose on a new year I was terrified that my travel curse would follow me into the New Year. So much so, that when I boarded my first … Read more

What & Where to Eat in New Orleans

Published:

Want to know what and where to eat in New Orleans? From fine dining complete with 25¢ martinis (yep, you heard me right) to the best breakfast in New Orleans (hint: beignets) – brunches, lunches, dinners and cocktails, I spent a week expanding my waistline in the Big Easy and in this New Orleans food blog, I’ll bring you my list of what and where to eat in New Orleans. Bonus: I’ve included a few suggestions for what and where to drink, too. You might also want to check out my list of the 21 best things to do in New Orleans. … Read more

How to Spend One Day at the Grand Canyon

Published:
How to Spend One Day at the Grand Canyon

After a lot of research and one failed attempt, I finally made it to one of the world’s oldest and most iconic tourist spots – read on to find out how to spend one day at the Grand Canyon. Ahh, the Grand Canyon. Over 3 million years old, 277 (river) miles long and 18 miles across (at its widest point), it’s no surprise this natural phenomenon attracts over 5 million visitors a year. It’s equally no surprise that the Grand Canyon is on countless travel wish lists. It was certainly on mine.  But let’s be honest, unless you live close to … Read more

21 Tips for Eating Out Alone – From A Frequent Solo Diner

Published:

Eating out alone can be an incredibly daunting prospect and it took me a very long time (I’m talking years not days weeks or months) to become fully comfortable with the act. Read on for my tips that helped me get comfortable with regularly eating out alone. After strolling up to a packed restaurant on a Saturday night in the middle of Dublin last year and practically forcing the reluctant waiter to give up a table for two to this lone diner, I realised I’d finally arrived – I’d learned the art of solo restaurant going. But it was a slow … Read more

How to Drink Tequila Like a Mexican

Published:

Do you have a (completely rational) fear of tequila? Do you flat-out hate the stuff? If so, I can almost guarantee that you’re drinking it wrong. After spending a year in Mexico, I finally learned the secret: how to drink tequila like a Mexican… and actually enjoy this potent drink. You might also like my post with 8 tequila cocktail recipes to try at home. El Niño anyone? How to drink Tequila like a Non-Mexican Before we get into the details of how to drink tequila like a Mexican, let’s take a good hard stare at how the rest of … Read more

10 Travel Experiences You Should Have In Your Lifetime

Published:

“Where is your favourite place” It’s the question I’m asked most frequently and yet it’s the question I find most difficult to answer. Not just because there are so many places that have made an impression on me but because I can’t help feel like people are asking me the wrong question. Travel, although most commonly defined by the geographical locations we visit, is rarely about places; it’s about experiences, and by that I don’t mean sky diving and bungee jumping. I mean life changing, perspective altering, humbling experiences. So, here’s the answer to the question that I wish people … Read more