Of all the islands in the world, Piss Island probably sounds like one of, if not THE least appealing. Yet right now, there’s nowhere I’d rather be heading to more.  That’s because Piss Island is the (affectionate) name given to the floating toilet facilities on the canals of Amsterdam today and, well… I’m bursting. It’s […]

So in the last few weeks it’s gone from bloody wet to bloody freezing. And we’re still only halfway through January. All of which really leaves me pining for the warmer climes of a recent trip… Morocco. In fact, as it’s Blue Monday today – ‘the most depressing day of the year’ – I’m particularly […]

Of all the wonderful sights awaiting me in Morocco – the sands of the Sahara, the sunsets of Essaouira, the red-mud Berber towns of the Atlas Mountains – there was a less obvious spectacle that I was perhaps more excited about seeing. I don’t know why the thought of witnessing the tree-climbing goats of Morocco […]

It’s 11am and we’re in a taxi heading along Budapest’s Route 4, on our way from the airport to The Hive Party Hostel. I’m hanging out of the passenger window, passing cold beers to a friend through the window of another taxi that’s driving parallel. At 60mph. The beers have come from the fridge at […]

Visitors to the Philippines are often faced with the tough task of choosing which islands to include in their Philippines itinerary. There’s over 7,000 of them after all. And two islands that often end up going head-to-head are Boracay and Bohol. Both popular destinations, each with their own individual appeal. But if you’ve only got […]

Deciding to visit the Philippines is easy – what with its paradise beaches, world-class diving, majestic volcanoes and more… Deciding where to visit in the Philippines is where things get difficult. Especially when you’ve limited time, and 7,000+ islands to choose from. I recently found myself with that very decision to make. I was heading to Manila […]

In the hour I spent wandering around Saint-Benoît-du-Sault – a village in the Loire Valley region of France – I saw a grand total of seven people. Three of them I was with. Three of the others were local men having a drink outside one of the village’s bars. The final one was a lady setting […]

I doubt there’s ever a bad time (rainy season aside, maybe) to visit Hoi An – Vietnam’s jewel in an already sparkling crown. But if there’s a particularly good time, or shall we say even better time to visit this perfectly preserved colonial port, it’s on the night of a full moon; Hoi An’s Lunar Festival. […]

I wake up and put my hand to my head. Just where I feel the ache is a slight lump. I must have been out cold – judging by my lovely dream… We were passing through a picturesque market town called Oundle. All limestone buildings, cosy pubs and cute churches. Just beyond the town a peaceful lane ran alongside a […]

For the duration of the ferry crossing from Heysham, Lancashire to Douglas, Isle of Man, flat screen TVs broadcast the Sky News channel. The TVs were on mute, but the message was coming through loud and clear; the UK parliament had just voted in favour of joining airstrikes on Isis in Iraq. At the time, […]

With more comic strip artists per square mile (yes, someone, somewhere has counted this), it’s fair to say Brussels is a little comic book mad. Tin Tin and the Smurfs were created here – amongst many others – and the city even boasts its own comic museum, the Belgian Comic Strip Centre. It’s the comic book […]

It first caught our eye as simply a cool-looking cafe, as we walked along Rue Haute on our way to Place du Grand Sablon, around brunch time. A big glass front showcased the stylish, stripped-wood furniture inside, the headlight of a pale blue Vespa winked at me invitingly just beyond the door (I’m a sucker for […]

It’s Sunday. And I’m a tad hungover. Not ‘can’t function’ hungover. Just the sort of hungover where a hair of the dog and plenty of comforting food are in order. So with usual lazy Sunday destinations of Didsbury and Chorlton done to death of late, and Manchester city centre the cause of the hangover in the […]

“Being located on the edge of a cliff in Cornwall isn’t the best place for a mobile signal… a nice stroll to the top of the hill normally does the trick”. The information book in my room confirmed that signal is hard to come by here. But you sense that’s just the way The Scarlet […]

“Oh you should go to Formby beach, it’s lovely…” says me. Who’s never been. Have you ever recommended somewhere you’ve never actually visited? It’s not something I make a habit of doing, but having heard from a few people that the beach at Formby’s Lifeboat Road in Merseyside is a bit of a beaut, I’ve […]

Between performing some sort of hokey cokey dance on the pavement and genuinely considering using my girlfriend as a human shield, my manliness is becoming under serious threat. But then crossing the road for the first time in Ho Chi Minh does funny things to you. You read about the traffic, the millions of motorbikes […]

In case you hadn’t noticed, being a tourist isn’t ‘cool’ any more. If you believe many travel bloggers/writers/brands/guides (delete as appropriate), if you’re not ‘doing it like a local’ these days, you’re doing it wrong. Well guess what? For most types of travel, if you’re not enjoying it, you’re doing it wrong… and that should […]

Stella Artois. It’s fair to say it’s been responsible for a good few (and bad!) stories over the years that are probably not publishable here. But I’m happy to share my latest fling with the legendary lager. For I’ve just returned from a fun weekend in its home town, Leuven – 30km east of Brussels. […]

I’ll admit to not really knowing much about Rovinj before we went. In fact, I’d go so far as to say just three short months ago I’d never even heard of the place. The original plan was to go island hopping. We’d spotted cheap flights to Croatia’s Pula and it seemed the ideal starting point […]

What is it with Croatia and ‘hidden’ bars? And what is it with my insistence on finding them? My last time in Croatia saw me circling the famous walls of Dubrovnik looking for the inconspicuous “Cold Drinks” sign that points the way through to the fantastic Buza Bar. And now I find myself on a bike, […]

One wrong move and I’m a goner. A split-second loss of concentration, an over-exaggerated movement… a sneeze. Oh god, please don’t sneeze.  I don’t even feel the need to, yet now I’m worrying about sneezing. My mind’s wandering. Stop. Concentrate. Back to the road ahead. What I can see of it anyway. Or it’s over […]