One of the immutable laws of travel is that once removed from their country of origin almost all souvenirs become ugly and pointless. Paella dishes look authentic in Spanish kitchens. Beaten metal wall lamps are exotic in a Moroccan Riad. Traditional Cretan plant pots look wonderful on windowsills in Crete....

I don't know about you but Earth Day has left me all inspired and green, and it feels like the right time to talk about eco-friendly travel.

I recently blogged about five amazing environmentally friendly holiday homes...

It's always round about this time of year we're forced to take a good long look at ourselves and answer one of life's big questions: are we really ever going to be runners?

Yes, a few of us will...

Lonely Planet hit 40 this year. Yes, the guide books synonymous with adventure have gracefully reached middle age. They aren't written on the hoof so much these days and mostly they're downloadable and as likely to cover London as...

When it comes to travel, there is one travel bracket that requires a very specific type of advice and its own home for discussion: Family Travel. Those without children shudder at the thought of screaming babies...

Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport is the 4th busiest in Europe, and a travel landscape so vast that most cities would be happy just to see it function. Last year the longest ever commercial flight on...

In the tense final moments of 'Travel One-Upmanship' it's handy to have some opposites up your sleeve. So when it's gone beyond the country, it's veering towards a championship point but it's still all left to play for...

While we run the risk of being a little obvious in recommending Brussels - a city known for its world class chocolate - as the ideal destination for a European city break at Easter, we don't...

UNESCO Biosphere doesn't exactly say sun, sand and sea does it? You're thinking earnest types in sturdy shoes with sensible hats and possibly those double stick things that make sure everyone knows they're walking, just in case the...

Sometimes it is a book that captures the essence of a place, like how Memoirs of a Geisha pulled us all to Japan.

Other times it's a famous painting like Constable's realisations of 18th...

It's a funny thing. Love, the most inconvenient and unpredictable of all emotions, is neatly celebrated once a year on Valentine's Day. Because of course that's the day the world at large feels romantic. Apparently every single one of us wakes up on 14...

When Canadian author Douglas Coupland said, "Florida isn't so much a place where one goes to reinvent oneself, as it is a place where one goes if one no longer wished to be found," he...

Calling all carnivores. We've got news for you. Vegetarianism isn't a fad. Nope. Not at all. It's not going to disappear and go the way of Pokemon, MySpace and Global Hypercolour T-Shirts.

So as this...

Hooray, it's nearly Lent. Admittedly not words you often hear in the same sentence. Bear with us, there is a point to our seeming madness. Lent; 46 days of self-imposed deprivation, you choose what to lose and you've...

This post is for lovers. Lovers who boldly indulge in unrestricted romance, long and lingering public displays of affection and the hopefully not-forgotten art of spoiling your special someone rotten. For these are the lovers who take their paramour to Paris for Valentine's Day. So if the idea...

Ah, tourists, you can't deny they get the best of everything just by dint of sheer volume and an almost supernatural ability to queue.

There they are. All over the Eiffel Tower in their cheery Crocs like demented...

Slosh, slosh, slosh; the water breaks against the ancient walls of Venice's canals thanks to a passing water taxi gliding past loaded with commuting locals and fascinated tourists. As this sound blends to become the surprisingly...

Congrats to Auld Reekie, UK's favourite city 13 years in a row and recently voted one of the top five 'must see' cities in the world. No doubt Scotland's capital will be more unbearable than ever...

We love Paris, obviously. But we've worn our heart on our sleeve long enough now. It's time to take the torch and see what some other great French cities are up to. Think of it like...

There are many good things about a brand new year. It gives you a chance to wear your new Christmas socks, the opportunity to write a list of resolutions you will enjoy mostly ignoring, and an occasion to start...