When I told people I was going to the island of Koh Phangan, Thailand, they invariably whooped: FULL MOON PARTY! I’m sure the parties are awesome there. Except I was travelling to the other side of the island where the beach is much better and the experience much quieter. On …

Budget European travel and adventure sports do not make a happy marriage. So what does one do when one feels the ‘need for speed’, a bit of ‘daring do’ whilst on the road in Europe? Well, one goes to Slovenia. Triglav National Park Commonly known for… absolutely nothing, it turns …

Wham, bam and thank you ma’am! Amsterdam can pick you up, throw you around like a rag doll and spit you out like yesterday’s old news in a heartbeat, never mind twenty four hours. I had come to the capital of the Netherlands for some good old fashioned rest and …

Bumped, delayed or just plane stressed… Going back only a few years, if your flight was delayed by even an hour or two the airline, if it was half decent, would have a snack voucher for you and be ready to help out with any questions. Overnight delays were promptly …

Bogota, the place could scar you forever! When you first get to a new country, town or city you often get a feeling inside, be it instinct or not, but the feeling usually gives you a vague idea of your surroundings, good or bad. The feelings are then rated in …

One of the great mysteries of the world to me will always be why there aren’t hundreds of tourists flocking daily to the Qing Tombs, outside of Beijing. Until someone explains this phenomenon to me, I’ll be adding this one right under Roswell or how the Egyptian pyramids were built …

St Petersburg was my starting point in Russia. I’d arrived on an overnight train from Tallinn, Estonia, and was met at the railway station by my ‘guide’, because I did travel in Russia with a tour operator. (The tour was great, still allowed time for ‘free days’ to do as …

‘Peterhof’ was included as part of the trip I was on, and for Catherine’s Palace, the tour company assisted in getting me to and from the palace. Both are definitely worthwhile, although Peterhof is bigger, brasher and more golden – and has more to see within its surrounds than Catherine’s …

I’m living in Hobart currently – I’ve been here for three months, doing my pre-departure training for a summer of work in Antarctica at an Australian base. It’s interesting, Tasmania doesn’t seem to be referred to much as a ‘must see’ by pending Australia visitors and / or travelers, it’s …

So what’s better for you on your study abroad trip (séjour linguistique) – home-stay family or living in a residence? You want to make the most of your time and money, and learn as much of the language as possible, but without losing freedom or being treated like a teenager …