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The creator of this site, wearing a black T-shirt and a Panama hat standing on a platform above green hills

Explore Someone Else's Country

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24 Hours in New Orleans - The Big Easy Done Right

The Big Easy is quite easily the most intoxicating city on Earth. It nudges, distracts, seduces, and occasionally shouts in your ear. It’s also not a city that reveals itself politely or all at once but on a flying visit, don’t let that stop you! I’ve been lucky enough to visit during all seasons – for Mardi Gras, an NFL weekend (which I’ve blotted the game from memory) and most recently two 24hr stops bookending a trip upcountry. With just 24 hours in New Orleans, the tric

Jan 207 min read

Recent Adventures

Tooting My Own Horn

Nobody writes for the purpose of being nominated for awards - that would be a fool's errand and is unlikely to get you anywhere. When I started blogging and then writing for external publications, I was wracked with imposter syndrome and self-doubt. Am I any good at this? Why would anyone want to read my words? As I develop as a writer, this diminishes but I'd be a pretty poor liar if I didn't admit I still get those nagging feelings. In my previous career, awards meant ve

24 Hours in New Orleans - The Big Easy Done Right

The Big Easy is quite easily the most intoxicating city on Earth. It nudges, distracts, seduces, and occasionally shouts in your ear. It’s also not a city that reveals itself politely or all at once but on a flying visit, don’t let that stop you! I’ve been lucky enough to visit during all seasons – for Mardi Gras, an NFL weekend (which I’ve blotted the game from memory) and most recently two 24hr stops bookending a trip upcountry. With just 24 hours in New Orleans, the tric

5 Best Paris Views...That Aren’t the Obvious Ones

Paris is a city that rewards looking twice. The first time you visit, you’ll snap all of the classic viewpoints – Notre Dame from directly in front (get closer to admire some of the grotesque architecture above the door!), Eiffel Tower from the Trocadero etc... Inevitably when you return, you’ll be lured back to the blockbuster sights – Paris does that to you. And yet, move a few streets away and you get a whole new perspective on landmarks you thought you knew inside out.

12 Months, 12 Destinations: Where to Go in 2026, Month by Month

Travel works best when timing is treated as part of the destination rather than an afterthought. Peak season is something of a myth these days (southern Europe’s most visited areas consider this to be half the year) but it remains true that planning trips around the weather, cultural calendars, and crowd behaviour can change the character of a place entirely. Ideally for the better. L-R: Fancy a trip to Constantine, Algeria (Jan), Faroe Islands (July) or Iona, Scotland (Ma

Three, Two, One...JUMP: Unusual European New Year Destinations

If you think New Year’s Eve is just fireworks and tepid fizz, Europe is here to gently correct you. Across the continent, cities mark the turning of the year with rituals that are eccentric, communal and occasionally slightly alarming. Yes, you could stand for hours on London’s Embankment battling your bladder and praying it doesn’t rain (seriously, it’s far better to just watch this on TV) or battle for enough elbow space to stuff twelve grapes in your mouth in Madrid’s Pla

Survive and Thrive: Five Tips for European Christmas Markets

If you’ve ever imagined European Christmas markets as softly glowing winter wonderlands where snowflakes fall around you, mulled wine warms your hands, and crowds part like the Red Sea, allow me to offer some realism. Bremen Christmas market in full flow They’re magical, yes, but also chaotic, repetitive, and often rather sticky underfoot. Still, with a few well-honed tips for European Christmas markets, you can avoid the rookie mistakes that separate the merry from the mi

International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association Excellence In Journalism Awards (2026)
Best In Show Winner, Winner: Best Travel Feature

Darkus Magazine (2025):
Travel Writer of the Year

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Lost passport on a Thai beach, driving existential panic - read about that here

My last visit to my favourite city in America was only 24hrs. Frankly, that’s not long enough, 2 stars, would not recommend.

However if you are short on time in the big Easy, take a peek at my blog (link in bio) on how to maximise your 24hrs in New Orleans.

Advance warning - your feet and head will hurt in equal measure by the time we’re done!!

#explorelouisiana #bestofnola #neworleansmusic #travelblogger #someoneelsescountry

Starting off 2026 with recommendation of Algeria is somewhat left field. It has a VERY limited tourist industry and getting a visa involved a wod of paperwork that resembled an Old Testament. 🇩🇿🇩🇿

But once you’re there, it’s remarkable - historical sites as enticing as anything in Europe, a food culture that blends Arabic, Berber, Ottoman and French components and a culture that welcomes guests as though they’re family. And they also have an unexpected 90s throwback…watch to the end!

Traveling with @insta_ian83, we used the superb @fancyellow.travel.algeria to organise all aspects of the trip (you need a guide under terms of the visa) who made everything easy!

Not the obvious place for winter sun but one of the most intriguing countries I’ve ever visited.

#someoneelsescountry #algeriatravel #saharasunset #constantine #wanderlust

Started planning your 2026 trips? Looking for something a little different?

You can’t move on travel websites for recommendations so may as well add my tuppence worth. One for each month of the year…

12 months, 12 trips (featuring 🇩🇿🇮🇸🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇦🇷🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇳🇴🇫🇴🇬🇪🇦🇱🇺🇸🇪🇸🇪🇪) - final blog of 2025 now live. Link in bio

Happy New Year, wishing you superb travels in 2026!

#travelblogger #someoneelsescountry #ifwtwa2025 #wanderlust #2026travel

A national park where you can go sledding? Sign me up!

From the car, White Sands National Park is a mind-bending sight - you know it’s sand but it looks a hell of a lot like snowdrifts. And the fact you can toboggan down the dunes just adds to the effect. Just ignore that it’s 90 degrees 😆

On a crappy British winter day, this memory warmed me up!

White Sands features in my Southern Arizona and New Mexico itinerary blog - link in bio.

#bestofnewmexico #wanderlust #travelblogger #someoneelsescountry #whitesands

Christmas in Yorkshire brings farmers from all over the county in a parade from Otley to Skiptom. Hundreds of tractors, multiple Santas and the odd grinch - which seems an apt metaphor for 2025…

#yorkshire #bestofyorkshire #someoneelsescountry #averyyorkshirechristmas #travelwriter

‘Tis the season for Christmas markets. All over Europe. Literally everywhere.

But how do you actually enjoy them without descending into somewhere between ‘I’m sure it’s all the same’ and the requirement to sharpen your elbows to get anywhere near the Gluehwein?

New blog now live - link in bio

#christmasmarket #festivus #travelblogger #christmasiscoming🎄 #bestofeurope #travelwriter #hohoho #christmastips #winterseason #someoneelsescountry

It probably comes from living on a small island with shitty weather but I can take or leave summer beach holidays. The first sight of sun and the whole of Britain decamps to the coast - nope…

Give me a cold crisp winter day however and there’s nowhere better than a walk by the coast. And we’ve got some damn nice beaches too, all the nicer when you only have to share them with a handful of walkers and their dogs!

3 UK beaches pictures are Aldeburgh (funky architecture 🐚 ), Jurassic Coast (sunset 🌅 ) and Bamburgh (castle 🏰 ).

#bestofbritain #winterwalks #coasttocoast #hiking #travelgram #britishwinter #aldeburgh #bamburgh #travelblogger #someoneelsescountry

Your first time hitting up a new city, you’re heading straight for the heavy hitters - Eiffel Tower, Time Square, the Colosseum ✅✅✅…and quite rightly so, there’s a reason they’re so famous!

BUT if you have the good fortune to return, you have the chance to do things differently. After all, why should you forget your second time? And that’s where I can help 👍

Second Time In….guides to Paris, New York, Berlin, Vegas, Rome, Madrid, Istanbul and Barcelona now live - link in bio.

Next destination? Let me know in the comments 🤔

#travelwriter #travelblog #secondtimearound #repeatvisit #pathlesstraveled #citybreak #travelgram #wanderlust #someoneelsescountry

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Explore Someone Else's Country

Featured Story

24 Hours in New Orleans - The Big Easy Done Right

Recent Adventures

Tooting My Own Horn

24 Hours in New Orleans - The Big Easy Done Right

5 Best Paris Views...That Aren’t the Obvious Ones

12 Months, 12 Destinations: Where to Go in 2026, Month by Month

Three, Two, One...JUMP: Unusual European New Year Destinations

Survive and Thrive: Five Tips for European Christmas Markets

International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association Excellence In Journalism Awards (2026) Best In Show Winner, Winner: Best Travel Feature Darkus Magazine (2025): Travel Writer of the Year

As Seen In

Bylines Published

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Follow me on Instagram

International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association Excellence In Journalism Awards (2026)
Best In Show Winner, Winner: Best Travel Feature

Darkus Magazine (2025):
Travel Writer of the Year