501 Places

We can travel to some of the most remote corners of the earth to see unique sights and experience incredible moments. Yet some of the most amazing natural wonders can happen right over our heads, wherever we are in the world. As someone who is constantly staring up and pointing out cloud formations to my [...]

Having just visited two recently erected pieces of public artwork in the north west of England, I was struck not only by their artistic qualities, but also by the effect they have had on their unglamorous surroundings. I wondered in turn about the impact these often expensive projects have on the communities in which they [...]

Many people I meet on my travels have no interest at all in visiting the US. “It’s too touristy” is a common reaction; another is “I don’t like Disney”, or “We’ll do it when we’re older and we can’t get to these places”. True, visiting America may not carry that badge of honour that a [...]

Typing out the first words was a real struggle: What shall I write? Who will care? Is this a sensible use of my time? When I wrote my first blog post less than three months ago, I was very self-conscious about how my words would be perceived and as a result over-analysed each paragraph and [...]

It’s nice isn’t it? Idyllic you might say. And it’s just as picturesque at ground level. A carpet of pristine sand, lush vegetation all around, and privacy whenever and wherever you want it. Just the clear blue ocean, the abundant sea life and the occasional bird for company. For a week we stayed on this [...]

Carrying your possessions on your back day after day doesn’t necessarily lend itself well to staying clean. Sure, in some countries the laundry in a hotel is so cheap that it’s no trouble to throw in your clothes and have them done in a couple of hours. In other places and on very tight budgets, [...]

We often get asked by friends about the best food we ever had on our travels, or the best restaurant we ever ate in. It’s a really tough one to answer, but invairably we end up agreeing on one place, even though it’s now nearly 9 years since our meal there. We spent three days [...]

Welcome to the first of our series of Home Pride stories. Every week we will feature a guest writer who will tell us about somewhere special from their home, and why that place is so dear to them. Our first author is Paola Santos, now living in the UK but here describing the fascinating town [...]

“You’ll be sleeping in a sheep” we were warned, before setting off for Kyrgystan. And the smell of mutton is the first thing that hits you when ducking your head under the flapped canvas door of the yurt. That pungent aroma does become familiar and less notceable over a short time (unless you have the [...]

I can’t complain. My last job took me to some amazing places: Amman, Malta, Rome, California and the most notable of all, to the Yucatan peninsula. Attending a conference in Cancun, I took the chance to visit the amazing site of Chichen Itza, the highly impressive Mayan ruins that are less than three hours from [...]