Albania is for many a relatively unknown destination. Located in southeast Europe, bordering Greece and the Republic of Macedonia, Albania has a long and often tempestuous history. Today, the remnants of this history as well as the country’s natural beauty make Albania a fascinating destination that is still very much off-the-beaten path. Here are a [...]

Ice-floating in Lapland
I closed my eyes. Tiny snowflakes drifted onto my face. I tried to register a sound but there were none. Just silence. My body felt weightless, like I was hovering in mid-air, yet I knew I wasn’t. It was a strangely soothing feeling as I felt my muscles quite literally unwind, from my fingers right [...]

Experiencing the Arctic wonders of Finnish Lapland
The Northern Lights or the Aurora Borealis, the dancing lights in the northern sky, is a phenomenon I’ve always wanted to see. I think I first read about it when I was about eight-years-old. I saw a picture and description about it in a geographic encyclopedia my parents had given me and I was awestruck. [...]

Galapagos: things to consider before you go
A guest post by Kerry-Anne Smith. A nature lover’s paradise, botanist’s dream and photographer’s haven, the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador offer a variety of holidays for people with a range of interests. Due to this, choosing the right style of trip is important, and there are so many things to consider, from [...]

Tall tales from Alaska – glow slugs
The glow-slugs “How was your camping trip”, I asked the two ladies at lunch. They’d just returned from an overnight stay in a camp on an island in Yes Bay, Alaska. They responded enthusiastically, recalling their campfire, feasting on Alaskan king crabs and story-telling. The elderly of the two remarked that there were many slugs [...]

Velvet moments: travel photo – fields of tulips in Holland
One of my favourite things to do (and something I recommend to everyone) in the spring is to go for a drive, a stroll or a bike ride around the tulip fields in Holland. The most famous tulip region can be found around the town of Lisse (where the popular Keukenhof gardens are located), southwest [...]

Tall tales from Alaska – the ice cave
The ice cave I stood on the deck of the Wilderness Discoverer and watched fellow guests on the Alaska cruise return from their hike to the Baird glacier. I went on a similar hike earlier that day and I was completely blown away by the surreal landscapes. As they boarded the ship, I approached them [...]

Stargazing in the Serengeti
When people book a luxury safari holiday, game drives and wildlife are the first activities that spring to mind. These are definitely some of the essential activities to enjoy during the daylight hours, but an activity that has become popular in the evenings for those on a Tanzania safari at the luxury tented camp Sanctuary [...]

Velvet moments: travel photo – swimming with rays in Bora Bora
One of the many highlights of my trip to Bora Bora in French Polynesia was swimming with various types of rays in the Bora Bora lagoon, amongst which the large manta ray. I described this experience in my Travel Journal entry, A Little Piece of Heaven: “As the boat anchored, about a dozen large manta [...]

Featured destination: Jordan
Jordan – the name itself conjures images of breathtaking desert landscapes, ancient cities and Biblical scenes. Located in the heart of the Middle East, this desert kingdom has a history that dates back to the times when the prophets walked the earth, and ancient empires ruled vast swathes of Asia, Europe and northern Africa. Present-day [...]








