Travel advice, ideas & expert tips

Views from Runyon Canyon in Los Angeles.

Runyon Canyon, Los Angeles: People-watching, pseudo-wilderness and Hollywood views

Runyon Canyon in Los Angeles is where dusty trails, Hollywood Hills scenery and some of the city’s best people-watching collide just minutes from the streets below. First impressions on North Fuller Avenue The man coming down North Fuller Avenue looks like a lost Arctic explorer.…

The Kayenta Burger King in north-east Arizona, home to a small museum about the Navajo code-talkers.

Kayenta Burger King, Arizona: The Navajo code talkers story hidden behind a Whopper

At the Kayenta Burger King, a routine fast food stop in north-eastern Arizona unexpectedly reveals the extraordinary wartime story of the Navajo code talkers and their role in the Second World War. Why Kayenta is usually a place to pass through Kayenta, with the best…

8 ways to improve your Berlin city break

Great ways to improve a Berlin city break include exploring Bernauerstrasse, drinking in a former brothel and going on a Trabi Safari. See the Berlin Wall remnants of Bernauerstrasse Bernauerstrasse, just north of the city centre, is home to some remnants of the Berlin Wall.…

The Douglas D3 plane outside McDonald's Taupo.

Taupo McDonald’s plane restaurant: New Zealand’s strangest fast food stop

Set against Lake Taupo and surrounded by adventure tourism, the Taupo McDonald’s plane restaurant is an unlikely curiosity. This piece explores why a converted Second World War aircraft has become one of the town’s most talked-about stops. Scepticism about McDonald’s as a destination I don’t…

The Hamelin Pool stromatolites in Shark Bay, Western Australia.

Hamelin Pool stromatolites, Western Australia: Why these dull-looking rocks matter

If you are planning a visit to Hamelin Pool stromatolites in Western Australia, this article explains what stromatolites are, why they are important, and why this remote boardwalk in Shark Bay offers one of the deepest connections to early life on Earth. First impressions at…

President Lincoln's Cottage in Washington DC.

Lincoln’s Cottage, Washington DC: Visiting Abraham Lincoln’s former home

If you are planning a visit to Lincoln’s Cottage in Washington DC, this article describes what makes the site revealing, how the tours work, and what you learn about Abraham Lincoln’s private life away from the White House. Why Abraham Lincoln chose Lincoln’s Cottage Unexpected…

Seals on the Sugarloaf Islands, New Plymouth, New Zealand.

Sugar Loaf Islands seal colony, New Plymouth: Kayaking with fur seals

Interested in kayaking with seals in New Plymouth? This article describes a close-up experience around the Sugar Loaf Islands fur seal colony, including what you can expect on the water and around the islands. Kayaking to the Sugar Loaf Islands seal colony If there’s anything…

Beacon Island, where the Batavia shipwreck survivors made their base.

Ghosts! Snakes! Sharks! It’s Australia’s scariest islands

Australia has many beautiful islands, but some are more terrifying than others. Whether due to shipwrecks, unexploded ordnance, perilous driving or dingoes, these eight islands are ones to be wary of. Carnac Island, Western Australia There are several islands just south-west of Perth in Western…

View of the obelisk on top of One Tree Hill, Auckland.

7 memorable things to do in Auckland, New Zealand

Auckland is a much more enjoyable city when you leave the city centre and know which bits to focus on. I’ve written a first-timer’s guide to Auckland, but if you want something a bit special, these are the things to do in Auckland that will…

The Cathedral of Learning in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Five universities worth visiting for tourists

Many university campuses around the world have impressive buildings, but these five unis have something genuinely extraordinary about them. They’re tourist attractions in their own right. Oxford University, England The University of Oxford has pretty much the complete package, with gloriously scenic grounds, unusual buildings…