“There is more to life than increasing its speed.” – Mahatma Gandhi A decade ago I went around the world without flying. A plane-free circumnavigation of the globe. An environmental odyssey. A climate change pilgrimage to explore the world in a grounded and connected way, without a planet-stewing slew of carbon emissions trailing along behind me. It was a… Read more →
As I laboriously scrubbed its floors, dusted its surfaces and ridded the French chateau of three decades of cobwebs, I finally found the time to reflect. The smell of freshly cut grass and musty old barns evoked memories of my summer holidays spent there. It’s been in our family since the early nineteenth-century. And when my parents split up, it’s… Read more →
A trip. A journey. A venture to a foreign land. When we travel to new places, to wander through unknown streets, to watch uncharted landscapes pass, to sit in unfamiliar cafés, we become transformed, transfixed, transported. How do we bring something back which preserves this experience? Our souvenirs tell us about ourselves, reminding us of who we have become because of the places we’ve… Read more →
At midnight on New Years Eve, I was in New York. But, on the advice of seasoned New Yorkers, I steered clear of Times Square. The city’s simpler (and warmer) pleasures, I was assured, would prove at least as rewarding. I took this as a source of inspiration for my entire trip, and spent the next few days seeking out the… Read more →
As she winds up a six-month break savouring the Basque Country, Londoner Maria Gray reflects on the long journey that got her there and argues that slow travel is the way to go. A few months ago, I started out on an adventure. Fed up with the stress of London, I took a sabbatical and decided to live in Bilbao… Read more →
A sprawling city on the high desert a mile above sea level, Albuquerque is often skipped over in favour of its more quaint and historic neighbour, Santa Fe. Only recently did the acclaimed television series “Breaking Bad” put New Mexico’s biggest city on the tourist map. But there’s much more to Albuquerque than tours of imaginary meth dens. Its striking setting—ringed by mesas, mountain peaks and… Read more →
Ed Hewitt was travelling from Bangkok to Birmingham on an overland journey along the Silk Road when he wondered: Why do we need to be thousands of miles from home to feel a sense of adventure? Why can’t we bring the thrill of travel into our everyday lives? Ed Gillespie was on a flight-free voyage around the world when he had the same… Read more →
