There are trips that slip into your memory like a soft watercolor, and then there are those that arrive with a rush of wind in your lungs and a wild heartbeat in your chest. This story belongs to the second kind.Over the past few years, I’ve been quietly chasing Europe’s most thrilling corners — the places where the mountains, oceans and cliffs invite you not only to admire them, but to climb them, jump from them, dive into them. From ice-blue Alpine glaciers to the volcanic lakes of the Azores, these are the activity holidays that have left my legs…
Auteur/autrice : Olivia
There are journeys that feel like two stories stitched together: the hush of the underwater world and the echo of ancient footsteps in the sand. A trip that starts in Hurghada on Egypt’s Red Sea coast and winds its way to the pyramids and the Nile is exactly that kind of tale — coral gardens and camel tracks, sunken reefs and hieroglyphs bathed in golden light.If you’re dreaming of Egypt but can’t choose between a beach holiday and a classic cultural itinerary, the good news is: you don’t have to. You can drift with parrotfish in the morning, then gaze…
The sun dipped low over Seminyak as I stepped onto the warm sand, the salty breeze tussling my hair like an old friend. A few metres away, two young men clinked bottles of Bintang while glancing playfully at the painted sky. Bali has a rhythm — lush, unhurried, and deeply welcoming. But for LGBTQ+ travellers, the question often arises: is the Island of the Gods truly a safe and friendly space?Having explored Bali as a queer traveller and met many others along the way, I can reassure you that while Indonesia’s national laws are more conservative, Bali carves out its…
From the moment the longtail’s engine grumbles to life in Krabi, you can feel it: the promise of jade water, limestone cathedrals and the dream of an island that, on Instagram, always looks deserted. And yet, anyone who’s actually set foot on Phi Phi knows another reality — queues of life jackets, selfie sticks pointed at the same stretch of sand, and a flotilla of boats jockeying for the “perfect” view.But Phi Phi still has its secrets. Tucked between the famous bays and party beaches are quiet coves where the sea laps gently against the rocks, where you can hear…
There is a particular moment at the edge of the Sahara when the ocean seems unreal. The taste of salt on your lips, the crash of the Atlantic swell, the long curve of Agadir’s bay — all of it feels like a distant dream once you’re sitting on a dune, watching the sun sink into an ocean of sand instead of water.This journey, from Agadir’s surf-brushed promenade to a night under a canopy of Saharan stars, is not just a change of landscape. It’s a slow shedding of noise, colour and speed, until only the essentials remain: sky, sand, wind……
Mumbai is not a city you simply “visit”. It’s a place that seeps under your skin — in the salt of the Arabian Sea, the clang of temple bells at dawn, the cinnamon-scented air of a bazaar just waking up. To really feel it, you don’t need a rooftop infinity pool or a marble-clad lobby. You need a small balcony where the laundry flutters above a market, a simple room a few steps from the sea, a front desk that remembers how you like your chai.That’s where Mumbai’s character-filled 3-star hotels come in: affordable, central, imperfect in all the right…
Africa is one of those places that quietly takes hold of you long before you land. It starts with a name on a map — Serengeti, Okavango, Kruger — and suddenly you’re dreaming in golden savannahs and distant lion roars. My first safari felt like stepping through the pages of every travel book I’d ever underlined, except the air smelled of dust and wild sage, and the soundtrack was birdsong instead of turning pages.In this article, I want to take you with me to a few of my most unforgettable wildlife encounters, and then help you plan your own safari:…
On my first morning in Colombia, I woke up to the slow hiss of a moka pot and the distant crow of a rooster. Mist was rising from the hills, the air smelled of damp earth and roasted beans, and for a moment I forgot that just 48 hours earlier I’d been stuck in a grey London drizzle. Two weeks later, I would have fallen head over heels for this country — for its coffee fincas wrapped in cloud, its colonial streets washed in pastel light, and its wild Pacific beaches where the jungle literally melts into the sea.If you…
Alpine Wanderlust: Embrace the Magic of Hiking in the French AlpsThere’s something purely enchanting about the French Alps — where crystalline lakes mirror the skies above, wildflower meadows flirt with the trails underfoot, and jagged snow-capped peaks stand like ancient guardians of timeless valleys. As someone who has spent countless summers exploring these majestic mountains, I can say without hesitation that hiking here is more than just a physical endeavor — it’s a soul-lifting journey. If you’re dreaming of crisp mountain air and picture-perfect alpine scenes, let me take you through some of the most unforgettable hiking experiences in the…
Why Albania stole my traveller’s heartI landed in Tirana with no expectations and a one-way ticket from London. A few friends had whispered that Albania was “like Croatia fifteen years ago”, all wild beaches, cheap cafés and mountains where time seemed to idle. What I found was far richer: a country at the edge of Europe, stitched together by forgotten castles, turquoise bays and alpine pastures that smelt of wild thyme.This is the story of my road trip across Albania — from the UK to pristine beaches, dramatic Alps and sleepy stone towns — and a practical guide if you’re…