Road Trips

Bucket List Europe: Slovakia

A travel guidebook chapter for Fodor's Travel Guides, December 2023

"Bratislava’s most striking Secession-style building, the Church of St. Elizabeth is renowned for its gorgeous powder blue exterior, which extends all the way up to its 120-foot round tower..."

Bucket List Europe: Czech Republic

A travel guidebook chapter for Fodor's Travel Guides, December 2023

"The Czech capital Prague is one of Europe’s best-preserved cities, with a romantic riverside location enhanced by graceful bridges and a skyline punctuated by medieval church spires..."

Bucket List Europe: Central Europe Intro

A travel guidebook chapter for Fodor's Travel Guides, December 2023

"Prepare to exchange - while the euro is used in Austria, Germany and Slovakia, you’ll need francs for Switzerland, crowns for Czech Republic, forints for Hungary and złoty for Poland..."

Essential Great Britain: Travel Smart Chapter

A travel guidebook chapter for Fodor's Travel Guides, September 2023

"Britain and America are (in the phrase attributed to playwright George Bernard Shaw) “two countries separated by a common language”. Knowing some British idioms can be helpful..."

Essential Great Britain: Experience Chapter

A travel guidebook chapter for Fodor's Travel Guides, September 2023

"Great Britain and the United Kingdom: what’s the difference? GB is the landmass comprising England, Scotland and Wales; the UK also includes Northern Ireland and some smaller isles..."

Scotland: Northern Highlands & Islands

A travel guidebook chapter for Lonely Planet, May 2023

"The most popular route through Scotland’s northern Highlands is the coast-hugging NC500, a 500-mile loop of spiky mountain peaks, dune-fringed beaches and brooding castle ruins..."

DK Eyewitness Prague

A travel guidebook (extract) for DK Eyewitness, September 2022

"A long and rich history has bequeathed Prague a wealth of unique artistic treasures, from Gothic sculpture and Baroque painting to interwar design and contemporary installations..."

Scotland: Northern Highlands & Western Isles

A travel guidebook chapter for Fodor's Travel Guides, June 2022

"As Scotland in miniature, the landscape on Skye ranges from the lush, undulating hills and coastal tracks of Sleat to the deep glens and saw-toothed peaks of the Cuillin Mountains..."

Scotland: Inverness and Around the Great Glen

A travel guidebook chapter for Fodor's Travel Guides, June 2022

"The Great Glen is world-famous for its hill walking, with some of the best routes around Glen Nevis, Glencoe and Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Britain. Look out for golden eagles..."

Essential Scotland: Edinburgh & The Lothians

A travel guidebook chapter for Fodor's Travel Guides, June 2022

" From floor-stomping ceilidhs to avant-garde modern dance, Edinburgh’s calendar of cultural events - including the Edinburgh Fringe, the world's largest arts festival - is truly outstanding..."

Scotland: Skye and the Outer Hebrides

A travel guidebook chapter for Lonely Planet, March 2022

"Skye's jaw-dropping landscapes and time-honoured castles are popular tourist draws, while those seeking solitude – and stunning sandy beaches – venture out to the Outer Hebrides..."

Budapest Guidebook: Side Trips From Budapest

A travel guidebook chapter for Fodor's Travel Guides, August 2021

"As one of Europe’s most beautiful cities, Budapest naturally hogs the limelight. But those who venture just a bit farther afield find themselves rewarded with a host of Hungarian highlights..."

Austria: Innsbruck, Tyrol and Vorarlberg

A travel guidebook chapter for Fodor's Travel Guides, July 2021

"The provinces of Tyrol and Vorarlberg make up the western tip of Austria with Innsbruck, the capital of Tyrol, as the historic and economic center. Come in winter to find unrivaled skiing..."

Austria Guidebook: Salzburg

A travel guidebook chapter for Fodor's Travel Guides, July 2021

"From the Mirabellgarten to Nonnberg Convent, it is hard to go anywhere in Salzburg without hearing someone humming The Sound of Music's How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?..."

Austria Guidebook: Day Trips From Vienna

A travel guidebook chapter for Fodor's Travel Guides, July 2021

"The area along the Danube and around Vienna unfolds like a treasured picture book, with its vast Roman ruins, medieval castles and Baroque monasteries perched high above the river..."

The Outlander Guide to Scotland

An article for Fodor's Travel Guides, November 2020

"From prehistoric stone circles to medieval castles, dramatic battlefields to majestic palaces, here's our pick of top Outlander locations for anyone looking to recreate the show’s magic..."

Scotland: Northern Highlands & Western Isles

A travel guidebook chapter for Fodor's Travel Guides, April 2020

"The Northern Highlands is a region where roads hug the coast, offering stunning views over the clear blue ocean, across dramatic mountain peaks, or along stunning heather moorland..."

Scotland: Inverness and Around the Great Glen

A travel guidebook chapter for Fodor's Travel Guides, April 2020

"Defined by its spectacular topography, the Great Glen brings together mountains and myths, history and wild nature, then lets you wash it all down with a dram of the world’s best whisky..."

Essential Scotland: Edinburgh & The Lothians

A travel guidebook chapter for Fodor's Travel Guides, April 2020

"Edinburgh is "a city so beautiful that it breaks the heart again and again," as Alexander McCall Smith once wrote. Its seven hills make a striking backdrop for the ancient pageant of history..."

10 Spectacular Scottish Castles to Visit

An article for Fodor's Travel Guides, March 2020

"You can be driving along a winding coastal road, trekking over a craggy mountain peak, or sailing across a fog-sheathed loch, and suddenly the outline of a castle will hone into view..."

The 10 Best Whisky Distilleries in Scotland

An article for Fodor's Travel Guides, February 2020

"With more than 120 active distilleries dotted around the country, Scotland offers opportunities galore to learn the whisky-making process while tasting the amber spirit in its spiritual home..."

20 Places to Travel in 2020: Eastern Europe

An article for Travelzoo, December 2019

"From the fantastic fairytale palaces of Central Slovakia to the moody medieval castles of Transylvania, Europe’s eastern reaches are home to some of the continent's biggest hits..."

Essential Great Britain: Experience Chapter

A travel guidebook chapter for Fodor's Travel Guides, January 2019

"Heston Blumenthal, Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay are just the tip of the culinary iceberg, as chefs nationwide now indulge their passions for high-quality, locally-sourced ingredients..."

Scotland: Northern Highlands & Western Isles

A travel guidebook chapter for Fodor's Travel Guides, March 2018

"Wild and remote, Scotland's Northern Highlands and Western Isles have a timeless grandeur. Dramatic cliffs, sandy beaches and craggy peaks rising out of moorland like islands in a sea..."

Essential Scotland: Edinburgh & The Lothians

A travel guidebook chapter for Fodor's Travel Guides, March 2018

"Take time to explore Edinburgh’s streets - peopled by the spirits of Mary Queen of Scots, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson - then enjoy a candlelit restaurant or a folk ceilidh..."

Northern Beauty: Scotland’s Secluded Islands

An article for Flight Time (Flybe in-flight magazine), March 2017

"Head beyond the Scottish Borders, bypass the capital, traverse the Highlands and cross the North Sea. Only then will you reach Scotland's outer limits - its remote, remarkable, islands..."

40 Must-See Structures in Scotland

An article for USA Today, May 2016

"As well as its stunning nature, Scotland has amazing man-made structures, from prehistoric settlements to medieval fortifications, Victorian monuments to ultra-modernist parliaments..."

Stay for Free: Sleeping with Strangers

An article for National Geographic Traveller, May 2014

"I am folded in half. My knees are tucked up to my chin - my chin tucked into my chest. I can’t even feel my feet. In fact, my only sensation is the sharp jabbing below my shoulder blade..."

Morocco sans Marrakech

An article for Overland Magazine, May 2013

"Despite a recent influx of tourists, there remain many attraction-filled Moroccan destinations tucked off-the-beaten-path. During a 10-day trip, I discovered five of the best hidden gems..."

East China to Kyrgyzstan

Proofreading and editing for Overland Magazine, March 2013

"The driver swerved violently to avoid it, but as we skidded on the snow-covered road the lump bounced off the bonnet. My blood ran cold as I realised what it was. A human being..."

Eating China: A Culinary Tour

An article for Overland Magazine, February 2013

"There are few culinary cultures as familiar, and yet as unknown, as China’s. In any world city you'll find 'Chinese' restaurants; yet the concept of a single Chinese cuisine is misguided..."

Patagonia North to South Tour Itinerary

A 16-day tour itinerary for Viventura, February 2013

"Watch the playful penguins of the Seno Otway and see sheets of ice from the Perito Moreno glacier crash into the water. This unique destination offers stimulating scenery at every turn..."

Peru-Bolivia-Chile Tour Itinerary

A 13-day tour itinerary for Viventura, January 2013

"Spanning Peru, Bolivia and Chile, the Altiplano region features some of the most spectacular scenery in South America: thermal geysers, high mountains, and the largest salt flat on earth..."

The Search for Ischia’s Seaside Spa

An article for The Telegraph (Travel Supplement), February 2012

""Have you got the eels?” I ask, teeth chattering, as my girlfriend steps off the yacht and onto the jetty. She nods. “And the mullet? And the calamari?” She holds the bag of seafood aloft..."

The Search for Ischia’s Wild Seaside Spa

An article for Amateur Traveler, January 2012

"The steam spirals into the sky, pirouetting beneath the delicate winter sun, as the blistering spring water trickles, lathers, into the salty sea. A seagull swoops from the frosted cliff top..."

Ischia’s Wild Winter Warmers

An article for Shoestring Magazine, February 2011

“It was one of those bitterly cold December days in southern Italy, when the chill wraps itself around your bones and draws you into winter, and I was freezing to the seat of my scooter..."