Portugal

Cycling, what is it good for?

I like the thought of cycling that involves effortless pedalling along flat country lanes passing rows of vines, or alongside a gently rolling river, the warm sun kissing my face; a soft breeze caressing glowing skin; a bottle of wine, loaf of fresh bread, and a round of cheese in the wicker basket… […]

Travel Talk

Travel dreams or travel nightmares?

Travel is enlightening in many ways, mostly positive ones but not always; what were once romantic notions have been smashed to smithereens on the harsh rocks of reality; exotic dreams painted by travel industry marketeers laid bare by first hand experience. […]

Travel Talk

RIP, the death of the hotel buffet

I don’t dislike hotel buffets, I rather enjoy them. There’s a guilty pleasure in creating anarchic combinations on my plate; ingredients which wouldn’t normally look the road the others were on. No, I don’t dislike buffets, I fear them. […]

Zermatt, Switzerland
Douro

The best and worst of travel in 2019

Delivering training sessions about some of the destinations we’ve visited over the year prompts us to reflect on our experiences in a specific location; something which doesn’t always happen immediately after a trip as there’s nearly always somewhere else exciting to visit steaming toward us. […]

Europe

Electric scooters, the scourge of Lisbon

It’s effortless to hit a thumbs up on facebook, a retweet on Twitter and share posts which show others just how much we care about our planet. We can do it without expending any energy whatsoever. It’s easy to be an eco-warrior when you don’t need to leave the house. […]

Travel Talk

When travel influencers and Tripadvisor collide

TA wouldn’t be the first to confuse a foundation of impressive social media numbers with quality. And they wouldn’t be the first to not seriously consider the implications of creating a social media platform which brings the writer into direct contact with the end user. […]