We arrived in Burgos on an Alsa bus from Valladolid on a bright September morning, walked out of the bus station, and within ten minutes were standing in front of one of the most extraordinary Gothic cathedrals in Europe with absolutely nobody telling us to hurry up. No tour group. No ticket queue. Just the two of us and eight centuries of extraordinary architecture...
We visited Chichen Itza, having already seen three other Mayan sites on the Yucatan Peninsula — Palenque, Izamal and Uxmal — and we thought we knew what to expect. We were wrong. Nothing quite prepares you for the moment El Castillo appears at the end of the entrance path, rising from the jungle floor in the early morning light, its limestone blocks glowing in the...
We arrived in Tlaquepaque on a Sunday night, expecting a quiet town of 6 kilometres from Guadalajara that had shut up shop for the evening. We were wrong — spectacularly wrong. After checking into our hotel, we followed the sound of laughter and music down four blocks of darkened streets, the noise growing louder with every corner we turned. What we found at the end...
Oaxaca (pronounced wa-HA-ca) is one of those cities that travel writers reach for superlatives to describe and then discover that superlatives are not enough. It is a city of ancient ruins and colourful colonial streets, of rooftop bars glowing at sunset, of markets that assault every sense in the best possible way — and of a food culture so extraordinary that people...
We spent three months travelling in Vietnam from north to south, and it changed the way we think about long-haul travel. Not because it was exotic or challenging — though it can be both — but because it kept surprising us in ways we did not expect. We expected the food to be good. It was extraordinary. We expected the history to be interesting. It was humbling...
In 2013, we sold everything, left our home in Sydney, and flew to South America and we had absolutely no idea what to expect. What followed was over six months on the road across five countries — learning Spanish in Quito, trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, crossing Patagonia by bus from Ushuaia to Santiago, standing at the edge of Iguazu Falls from both sides...
There is a particular kind of travel that is less about ticking sights and more about simply living somewhere for a while — shopping at the same market stalls each morning, finding a favourite café, learning which bakery opens earliest and which wine the locals actually drink. Split is one of the finest cities in Europe for exactly this kind of travel. We...
Phuket is one of those destinations that rewards you for choosing your hotel carefully. The island is large, the beaches vary enormously in character, and the difference between a good hotel and an exceptional one here is wider than almost anywhere else we have visited in Southeast Asia. Get it right, and your resort becomes as much a part of the...
The road climbs steeply out of the coastal flatlands, switchbacks tightening as the jungle closes in on both sides, and then — suddenly — the South China Sea appears below you, impossibly blue, stretching away to the horizon. You are on the Hai Van Pass, 500 metres above sea level, on one of the most dramatic coastal roads in the world. Somewhere below you, the...
Where To Stay in Bangkok – Our Favourite Hotels We have been visiting Bangkok for over 30 years and consider it our second home in Asia. We have spent months at a time living here, using the city as a base, a stopover between continents, and a place to simply slow down and enjoy the food and the people. Bangkok is also a brilliant medical destination — we visit...
If you’re planning a trip to Cairo and have limited time, don’t worry – three days is enough to explore the highlights of this vibrant city. From iconic ancient wonders to bustling markets and delicious cuisine, Cairo offers a rich cultural experience that will leave you awestruck. In this article, we have crafted the perfect Cairo in a 3-day itinerary...
Ho Chi Minh City, still known to most locals and travellers as Saigon, is one of those cities that genuinely surprises you. We arrived, having spent time in Hanoi and expecting something similar — we couldn’t have been more wrong. Where Hanoi feels ancient and atmospheric, HCMC pulses with an energy that is entirely its own. The streets are wider, the pace is...