An excerpt from the upcoming book by Francis Tapon: “The Hidden Europe: What Eastern Europeans Can Teach Us”. It was February 19, 2009 and I was freezing my ass off. It was 10 p.m. in the Gdańsk train station and I was scanning all the bundled people trying to recognize my 24-year-old couchsurfing host, Emilia [...]
Plane views: the fields of Mallorca
Mallorca (or Majorca) is part of the Balearic islands, a Spanish archipelago in the north-western corner of the Mediterranean Sea. The island is a popular destination for package holidays; many people visit the island for its glorious sunny weather and beautiful beaches but its hinterland is absolutely fascinating and definitely worth exploring. My flight from [...]
The hidden charms of Chamonix
Sitting humbly at the foot of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps, the French commune of Chamonix, which in 1924 was home to the first ever Winter Olympics, is something of a mecca for snow/extreme sports enthusiasts. Each year thousands of people flock to the powdery slopes in search of exhilarating fun and, [...]
An afternoon in the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park
The Kuala Lumpur Bird Park is home to the largest walk-in aviary in the world, and is one of my Top-10 must-do’s in Kuala Lumpur. The KL Bird Park was opened amidst the scenic Lake Gardens in 1991 and currently houses more than 3,000 birds of approximately 200 local and foreign species. A leisurely stroll [...]
Velvet moments: travel photo of the week – Tango in Buenos Aires
Every Sunday, the locals come out to dance on the Plaza Dorrego in San Telmo, Buenos Aires. Read the accompanying post: “Sundays in San Telmo“. Search for hotels in Buenos Aires.
What makes a hotel exceptional
There are many great hotels around the world but there are some which are truly exceptional. I’ve had the privilege of staying in some of them (in the days when my investment banking job paid the bills! ) and I’ve often pondered about what makes a great hotel exceptional. From my experience, it’s the small [...]
Picture perfect Leeds
A guest post by Darren Cronian. The photos in this post are courtesy of My Life in Leeds. My favourite places to take photos in Leeds The diverse array of landmarks, including rural open spaces and impressive buildings, reflects both its industrial past and multicultural side of the city so it is a great city [...]
Action and adventure in the Algarve
The Algarve is known for its beaches, sunny skies and mouth-watering seafood. It is however, not the first location that springs to mind when considering an adventure holiday. While some holidays are meant to be relaxing (where the big decision of the day is whether to spend your hours lounging by the infinity pool or [...]
The Hong Kong Symphony of Lights
The Symphony of Lights sound and light show is the largest permanent light show in the world and is one of the ‘must sees’ for visitors to Hong Kong. Held every night at 8pm, the best place to view the show is from the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront on Kowloon. If you’re staying on Hong [...]
My velvet escape travel tip: Venice
“My velvet escape travel tip” is a guest series about what the name ‘Velvet Escape’ evokes and what that would be in the hometown of the guest writer. With this series, I hope to uncover travel tips from places around the world to help visitors have a truly local experience. Today’s guest post is by [...]
About Keith Jenkins
I'm Keith Jenkins. In July 2008, I left my ten-year banking career to travel around the world. I've not looked back since.
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