The UAE is awash with dreamy hotels and fabulously fancy, five-star resorts, but there are very few that even come close to competing with the secluded desert oasis that is Anantara Qasr Al Sarab. Offering its very own adventure along the way, a three-hour road trip from Dubai took us deep into the depths of the Empty Quarter, where we drove winding desert roads that skirted towering sand dunes and led us straight to the luxurious gates of a once-in-a-lifetime Arabian escape… Beyond the city… An adventurous staycation, a luxurious vacation or a romantic bae-cation: no matter what ..read more

It’s not often that I visit a new country and return to it just a few weeks later. However, once you’ve had a taste of Taiwan, you’ll soon realise that the depth and breadth of its adventures will always leave you wanting more. My first experience of Taiwan was a quick city break, where I tracked down some of the best things to do in Taipei and spent a day exploring the coastal city of Kaohsuing in South Taiwan. I had wanted to make my way over to the rugged East Coast, but there wasn’t enough time, so you can imagine how excited I was when the Taiwan Tourism Board heard about this and ..read more

Hong Kong is an action-packed adventure awaiting the curious traveller who likes a little taste of everything. From mountain hikes to markets, beaches to brunches, skylines to speakeasies, high-rise streets to high-end boutiques, Hong Kong is a melting pot of it all – and more. Here are 15 things to do in Hong Kong, curated from three trips (so far). A massive shout out to my friends who now live there and have fast-tracked the discovery of all these awesome adventures. This only scratches the surface of things to do in Hong Kong, so I can’t wait to get back for trip number four… 1.E ..read more

On the 26th August 2019, I set myself a 30-day travel writing challenge. Here I am, 56 days later, completing it. I don’t consider it a complete fail because I got to the finish line – eventually – despite the three key mistakes that I made along the way. What is a 30-Day Challenge? A 30-day challenge is a strategy for developing a new habit. It’s an opportunity to stay motivated through self-discipline. It’s a plan for overcoming fears and developing inner confidence. It’s a short-term experiment that is absolutely doable… unless you’re me, and you fail to think it through properly ..read more

Paris is the swirling madness surrounding the calm of the Seine; it’s the je ne sais quoi that runs through city veins. Paris is red lipstick with a spritz of French parfum; its a seductive ooh-la-la whose whisper echoes through a room. Paris is arches and bridges and cobble-stoned streets; it’s Romanesque architecture boasting ornate feats. Paris is the Notre-Dame, but it’s also don’t give a damn – unless you speak en Français; it’s a reserved politeness delivered in a distinctly Parisian way. Paris is the Eiffel Tower, but it’s also ‘I fell for you‘; it’s whimsically romantic ..read more

There’s a certain scruffiness to Marseille, but it also exudes a grandeur and charm that make it curiously interesting to explore. While it may seem a little rough-around-the-edges, there’s no denying that this port city has reclaimed its trading roots and embraced a cultural confidence that shuts down a number of snobbish stereotypes surrounding it. Having flown from Abu Dhabi to Paris with Etihad, I hopped on a morning train from Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport and woke up in the south of France, at Marseilles St. Charles station, just four hours later. In a city that’s full of surpri ..read more

Spoiler alert: ‘Hacking’ your way to Business Class flights just isn’t a thing. Yes, there are happy accidents that result in last-minute flight upgrades. Yes, the odds are in your favour when you demonstrate loyalty to a specific airline. Yes, you can spend on bank cards and save up miles. But there is no such thing as this “works-every-time” hack that social hearsay would have you believe. In a world where people are selling you quick ‘hacks’ to happiness, getting rich, losing weight, success and… well, pretty much everything, just remember that the proliferation of this hack-and-hope ..read more

If there was ever a nation that was going to meet its vision of becoming a City in a Garden, it was Singapore. Living in the UAE, I have often heard people say that Singapore is ‘just a smaller version of Dubai’, but I would have to whole-heartedly disagree. The island nation of Singapore is a mashup of long-standing cultural quarters, cuisines and architectural creativity that has seen it forge eco-friendly skyscrapers and put environmentalism at the forefront of its quest to set a global example for sustainable urbanism. It has transformed itself from a developing city into an enviro ..read more

Changi Airport in Singapore is a traveller’s playground that is forging the future of pre-flight entertainment and stopovers which allow you to discover a destination, not just an airport. The travel hub had already earned itself bragging rights as the “World’s Best Airport” on multiple occasions before it even opened the doors to its new extension – Jewel Changi Airport – in April 2019. Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore is a glimpse at what the future of travel looks like, and that future is emitting some serious sci-fi vibes. The new(ish) Jewel Changi is a glass-domed rainforest wit ..read more

I will always remember my trip to Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia because it took the best part of 5 whole days to get there. The journey involved a backstreet yellow fever jab in Buenos Aires, painful overnight buses, an encounter with a Greek conman at the Brazil-Bolivia border and an extremely sketchy flight from an “airport” where a 10-year-old issued the plane ticket and directed us to board the plane. This was South American travel in its realist, most-testing form. Getting from Brazil to Bolivia While in South America, I met up with a friend of a friend named Shannon; we ..read more