Are discount airlines as cheap as they seem? Answer:  Yes and no. So that’s very helpful, isn’t it? Here’s a recent experience. Driven barmy by two grounded years I decided to go to an airshow in Knoxville, Tennessee, and the National Air Races in Reno, Nevada. That starts with a flight into LA which local travel agent Flightcentre arranged. They had a special deal with Fiji Airways that got me from Auckland, New Zealand, to LAX for $1096.  The best alternative on-line was around $2100.  So, a good start. I then asked them to price flights from LA to Knoxville and Knoxville to ..read more

Nicola de la Haye . . . now there’s a woman you have probably never heard of. Yet she is a reason you are reading this in English, not French. It all started with Magna Carta, the great charter that limited the power of the king. In 1215, King John, one of England’s least capable monarchs, had been forced to sign it after pressure from the English barons. Within weeks, however, he began reneging on the promises he made, a matter that did not go down well with the nobles who divided into two camps – those that supported the king and a group of rebels. Civil war ensued. The rebel barons invited ..read more

Like this ancient ruin. They have the world convinced that if you hang upside down out a hole in the parapet and kiss a stone you will get the gift of the gab. You are more likely to get Covid-19 these days. Or am I just being a grumpy old curmudgeon. Probably. But you have to say it’s one of the most successful tourist gimmicks around. I thought the grounds alone were a good enough reason to visit the site. My wife did the whole kiss-the-stone-thing. But given that she is of 100% Irish extraction there’s no surprise there. I demurred. If only because the last thing the world needs is to make ..read more

A monk sits in his cell at Hook Lighthouse, County Wexford, Ireland. It’s the second oldest still-operating lighthouse in the world and you can get a guided tour, climbing the 115 steps to the top. It marks the entrance to Waterford Harbour and has done so for nearly 900 years. In the 13th century the then Lord of Leinster established a harbour 30km up the River Barrow but the entrance to the river was a rocky headland, a graveyard for ships so he had a 36m high tower built. There was a small monastery on the peninsular and the monks were given the task of keeping a beacon fire burning to war ..read more

You would be reading this in French if a battle here had gone the other way. This is Oldham House, Interpretation Centre for the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland. The battle itself was fought close by. Why is the clash at Boyne so important? It was a scrap for the very soul of Ireland and even for Europe, fought between William of Orange and James II. King Billy, as he is often called in Northern Ireland, had wrested the British crown from James two years before. James, a Catholic, rallied forces from Louis XIV of France, along with support from Irish Catholics.  William was a Dutch Protes ..read more

The Wairarapa area in the south-eastern corner of New Zealand’s North Island is one of the country’s  most underrated road trip regions. Yeah, yeah, we all know about Martinborough and its wine industry. But there is a lot more to this region that a few bottles of high-class plonk. There’s a clue in the name – it means “glistening waters”, given by Maori explorer Haunui who saw its lake and rivers from atop the Tararua Ranges to the west. For the most part it is a soft and gentle landscape of pancake-flat plains that snuggle between the western mountains and a range of low rolling hills t ..read more

Take a stroll down a street in New Orleans at night, or Istanbul by day, or Bangkok . . . or any of 21 cities. And do it all within a few minutes of each other. You may not be able to travel very far at the moment but there’s nothing stopping you from whiling away some time exploring the great cities of the world, and all while listening to one of their local radio stations. How? Easy.  Go to https://travel-remotely.netlify.app/ Pick your city, decide whether you’d like to visit by day or night. Then sit back and enjoy the experience. Here’s an idea.  Why not cook up an appropriate ..read more

Here’s a great British road trip that will take you from London to the world-famous university city of Cambridge, but the region has much more to offer than just the beauty of this ancient seat of learning. This is an easy two-day tour that takes in some of East Anglia’s gorgeous little villages, the oldest Norman cathedral in the country and one of the Great Houses of England. You then have a whole day in Cambridge.  But why cut it short? Spend a couple of days in the city. There’s plenty to keep you occupied. You could extend it much longer than that by exploring the rest of East Anglia ..read more

A recent study has revealed the 10 most popular British road trips. Scotland’s North Coast 500 was voted Britain’s best road trip and Scottish routes took the top two spots. A third of Brits say they’re happy to drive further than usual for a staycation. The study, by Euro Car Parts, asked 2,000 drivers which UK road trips they are most interested in experiencing and found that Scotland’s epic North Coast 500 (31%) is the most popular drive in the country. As the trees  start to show off their autumn finery, and while the we ..read more

  Just had something added to my bucket list. The Stone Circle Experience at Stonehenge. When I first went there in 1979 you could get up close.  There was a rope “fence” around it but most people hopped over it and got inside the circle. The ever-increasing numbers arriving at the site, however, meant that it had to be more tightly controlled so that, now, on the regular visiting opportunity you get near but not in. Except . . . Here’s an unforgettable opportunity to spend time inside the magical circle. The Stone Circle Experience takes you up close to this world-famous monument ..read more