This time roles were reversed, I was planning this trip for my father. A motorbike tour designed for real adventure, which we got in bucket loads! Continue reading
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Travel is now lost
Today, travel assistants will guide you through countries to the ‘not to be missed’ destinations. You will be guaranteed a bed for the night and reassured that previous visitors have enjoyed their stay with no nasty surprises. All can easily be booked in advance along with accommodation, so people often plan their route even before arriving.
Travel has become easier, safer and less stressful but, to what expense? Perhaps we have lost one of the most exciting elements of travel, ‘chance’ and with it, the sense of discovery, stepping into the unknown with unexpected encounters. Continue reading
Portugal
Lisbon, in my view the food capital of the world. Eat at as many restaurants as you can, sample their wines and don’t forget their custard tarts since this is where they were invented – Pasteis de Belem. Continue reading
Camino
Like most things, I did the Camino de Santiago a little differently from others. I went from Tui, on the border of Portugal straight up North to Santiago. I arrived only to find the scale of my map was not going to help me find the trail. Continue reading
Turkey
I have been to Turkey a few times but never for an activity holiday. The southern coastline is beautiful, spotted with historical sites and lined with mountains that drop straight into the sea.
Azores
Walk in Azores’ strange volcanic landscape and you will find hot springs, vast views and subtropical forests. The only place I know where you can swim in volcanic craters while watching floating rocks. Alternatively, sail out into the ocean to see the biggest living animals, the blue whales. Continue reading
It’s time to take another look at animal captivity
Responsible Travel recently reviewed and removed all holidays that visited zoos. The overriding consensus is that ‘animals should not be held in captivity unless there are for good reasons‘. With evidence of abnormal and stereotypic behaviours being shown by many animals in captivity Responsible Travel has decided that it is inhumane to keep animals in unnatural environments. Some of the worrying behaviours exhibited by captive animals can be seen here. Continue reading
Fossil Fuels, ‘We Don’t Need You!’
Building a society without fossil fuels is possible. We need to shake of the myth that it cannot be done. The belief that a country needs to choose between nature and development is complete rubbish. This TED Talk explains all.
Costa Rica, although relatively special due to its volcanic activity, produces nearly 100% of its energy from renewables. However, Austria and Germany have taken huge leaps without a volcano in sight.
China’s Animal Welfare Problems
China’s views on animal welfare are clearly lagging behind the rest of the world. Its ownership of the worlds saddest polar bear and how it uses animals for entertainment in this horrendous video suggests that perhaps theirs actually no animal welfare values at all. Continue reading
FCO, Where can we go on Holiday now?
The English traveller often falls back on the English Foreign Travel Advice (FCO) for… well holiday advice. But the FCO world is a scary place, everywhere is either horrible, diseased, full of terrorists, robbers, protesters, guns, drugs… you get the idea. It has become the ‘google self-diagnosis’ for holidays; if you start googling the symptoms of your illness you will soon find you have cancer rather than a simple cold! The point is, if you look for trouble, you will find it and ABTA/ATOLS fear-mongering hasn’t helped. Bonding schemes have actually created insecurities rather than security and a trust issue amongst customers. Furthermore, due to the media, outbreaks like Ebola not only hurt the epicentre but also the surrounding countries, although a serious concern the Zika virus is starting to echo this effect.
