Life is a journey

I’ve had the pleasure of checking in to more beautiful hotels than I can count over the last 7 years as a luxury travel writer. But just when you think you have seen it all, you discover a place like De Witte Lelie. This beautiful design hotel in Antwerp is a true gem. We checked in for a two night stay and based ourselves in Antwerp to explore more of Belgium. Checking in to De Witte Lelie I had never even heard of De Witte Lelie when we began researching our trip to Antwerp. We had only a few days to stay and explore Belgium so we wanted to be based in a central location and Antwerp seemed like an obvious choice. I had already visited Brussels a few years before so I was eager to explore a new city. There are a handful of rooms each individually decorated, so much so that you won’t recognise one room from the next. Read more: 8 Places in Belgium you must visit What we loved about the hotel is that it is a short five minute walk f...

Himalayas: An Intrepid Itinerary Tej Parikh outlines an alternative itinerary for the curious, cultured and intrepid backpacker With its vast and lofty presence crowning the Indian sub-continent, the Himalayas have shaped the character of its people. Its ethereal geography allures not just for its scenic prowess, but also for the deeply preserved and authentic cultures that still thrive tucked away in its creases. Day 1: Kathmandu, Nepal Navigate the maze of chaotic streets to the pagodas of Durbar Square , turning wherever the scent, hum and sight allures you. After sampling a Thali for lunch, journey further out from the frenzy, and hike up to the soothing Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple) to get a panorama of the eclectic Nepalese capital. End the day sipping chai on a rooftop in the hippie hubs of Thamel . Day 2: Kathmandu to Thimphu, Bhutan Ten minutes after takeoff, witness a clear sight of Mount Everest to your left and bask in ‘roof of the world’, before a rollercoaster-es...

I love those travel experiences you have and hang on to for years to come – the kind that you always talk about at dinner parties and that fill the answer to everyone’s favourite question:  Where is the best place you have ever travelled to?  Although I can’t answer the question definitively (my answer quite literally changes every time I answer), I can say with confidence that New Zealand would have to be one of the most beautiful, untouched, epic, dramatic and just down right jaw dropping places I have ever been. When I visited for the second time a few months ago, I wanted to get a van and drive around the South Island for a few weeks. I’m lucky to have a friend who also lives in New Zealand and came on part of the adventure with me, travelling around every day to a new beach, town, or camping ground in the mountains. If you too are thinking about an escape to the South Island of New Zealand, here’s exactly how to do van life in New Zealand! Travelli...

Volunteering on a combo placement on your gap year is a great way to get the best of both worlds. Would-be gappers are often faced with the dilemma of how to balance volunteer work with the general excitement of travelling, and a combo placement could be the answer to this. A combo placement will give you a little bit of everything, as they are typically made up of volunteering, travelling and a language course; they integrate different activities to give you a much deeper insight to a country and its culture. The volunteering can be in any field, be it working with animals, caring for children or building an orphanage, and the language course will allow you to communicate with the local community when doing it. Is it for me? Combo placements are best for those who want to enjoy as much variety as possible on their gap year. While some people are perfectly content to volunteer 100% of the time, or indeed travel 100% of the time, others seek a more diverse  experience. A combo placem...

Volunteering abroad is a great opportunity to do something worthwhile during your travels, get to know local people and have a more authentic experience. However, there are thousands of different volunteering projects out there and due to the massive growth in the sector, not all volunteering programmes are set up and managed in a responsible way. We know gap year volunteers have genuinely good intentions and want their time overseas to have some sort of positive impact. However the reality is that many people return from the experience feeling like they have contributed very little. There has also been a lot of negative media coverage and online criticism of gap year volunteering, especially where inexperienced and unqualified young people are sent to do roles that they would not be allowed to do in their home country (like teaching or childcare) or end up doing something that isn’t actually that useful. To help you get started, here’s some advice about how to find a responsible volu...

Budapest offers cheap city break Hungarian capital sees spending money go the furthest Budapest is a cracking city and one of the most popular stop offs on an InterRailing trip. With some simply stunning sights to see in the day and a night life that can rival any, Budapest has a lot to offer backpackers and travellers. Now there’s even more reason to go as it’s just been voted as one of the cheapest cities to travel to. The city offered the best value for money of 25 destinations in a cost-comparison table compiled by Post Office Travel Money. Twelve typical city break items, including meals, a sight-seeing bus tour and accommodation, cost just £134.76 in Budapest. This compared with Europe’s most-expensive cities, Stockholm, where the same items cost £420.36, and Copenhagen, where a city break cost £440.45. Other good value cities for holidaying Britons at the moment are Lithuania’s capital Vilnius (where the items cost £140.99), Warsaw in Poland (£151.69...

When one thinks of Europe, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? The tree-lined boulevards of Le Champs d’Elysee? A cold stein of beer in a warm public bar in Germany? How about a snow-capped mountain? No, not the Alps. Well, not just the Alps. Europe is actually home to a myriad of world-famous, world class mountains, particularly those with impressively high peaks. So, for the adventure travelers who isn’t afraid of a little snow, we’ve compiled a list of the highest peaks in Europe; the ones that should be highest on your list. 10. Dom, Switzerland Though it might be an anticipated choice, when talking European mountains, it’s impossible to avoid mentioning the Alps. However, those whose pondering of the Swiss Alps has never made it past The Matterhorn and Mont Blanc will be surprised to learn of the majesty of Dom, the third highest peak in the range clocking in at an impressive 4,545 m (or 14,911 ft). It, along with it’s twin, Taschhorn, make for a pretty pair of mountain m...