Having seen numerous documentaries and vivid photographs of people covered head-to-toe in brightly coloured powder I have wanted to experience Holi for many years. Out of all India’s many,many, festivals Holi is the most colourful and the most joyful. In …
New Year’s Eve Celebrations in Cornwall
This year I decided that my NYE celebrations would be very low-key as my Iceland trip and the run-up to Christmas has been pretty expensive, so I decided to hold back for New Year.
My parents moved to lovely Looe…
Boats, Bridges, Baths and Bars in Budapest
Is it just me; or do all the cool things to do in Budapest begin with B?
Budapest is one of the most easy-going cities in Europe, everything seems designed to encourage relaxing and chilling out. And that is exactly …
Warm or Cold Christmas?
Whether Christmas is best celebrated in a warm climate or cold climate is a topic often discussed by travellers. The opinions of most tend to depend heavily upon where that traveller was raised. It is understandable that Christmas to an …
Why I Want to go Back to Japan
I lived in Tokyo for a year between August 2002 and August 2003 and I can’t believe that it was ten years ago. I had barely used email before I left for Japan, and I had never heard of blogging—but …
Traveller Debate: South America or South East Asia?
South America and South East Asia are both very popular tourist destinations, but unless you are on a RTW trip you are probably going to have to choose one region or the other. Having spent the first decade of my …
Colours of Carnival, Tenerife
Everybody knows about the Rio Carnival, right?
Even people who have no intention of ever visiting Brazil can tell you that every spring the streets of Rio de Janeiro come alive to the seductive sounds of samba and the sashaying …
Three Days in Paradise: Sailing the San Blas
You have been travelling around South America and you want to get to Central or North America but the Darien Gap makes land travel impossible. You could fly: the quick and efficient method.
Or you can cruise the warm waters …
How Safe is La Paz, Bolivia?
[mks_boxquote align=”right” width=”150″ arrow=”0″]“…a little common sense goes a long way. Always trust your instincts”[/mks_boxquote]I have to admit that I was nervous about coming to South America. South America has a reputation for drugs, robberies, and violence: …
Why I Love Santiago
When originally planning our trip through South America we thought of Chile only as a vehicle from which to pass from Argentina to Bolivia. Other than Valparaiso, we didn’t really have any plans to stay in Chile for long—a …
Warning: Fake Notes in Buenos Aires
When we first visited Buenos Aires at the start of our trip, Angela, our delightful Airbnb host, warned us against accepting fake bank notes as this is a common problem in Argentina, particularly in Buenos Aires. She told us …
How to do Saigon (even more) Cheaply!
Brooke vs. the World has asked travel bloggers to put together their best thrifty and resourceful travel tips for a helpful, free ebook. If you think you’re thrifty and would like to participate, check out the official rules.
It’s …
Funballz, Hillbillies and a Raving Baby!
This time last year I was preparing to make the move from Vietnam to Sweden and I wrote a post about Västerås, the Swedish city that was to become my home. Now, here I am a year later preparing …
Midsommar: a night of Swedish madness
“Why, this is very midsummer madness!“ (Twelfth Night)
Not long ago Sweden welcomed the spring but Valborg is only the warm-up act. Midsummer, or Midsommar in Swedish, is the biggest party of year. …
Top 3 Beaches in Vietnam
When most people think about travelling to an exotic beach, Thailand is often high up on their wish-list. But did you know that next-door Vietnam has some equally spectacular beaches to rival many of those offered by its more frequently …
East meets West in Hong Kong
Hong Kong is my favourite Asian city. It’s a close call as I have loved all of the ones that I have been to – except for Singapore (nice zoo, boring city). Each city has a different …
A Close Call in Nha Trang, Vietnam
“Careful. Bad people around” whispered the aged street-vendor who had just sold me a banana for an extortionate price, making me wonder if she might be one of the ‘bad people’ that she was referring to. It was 3am and …
Valborg – Sweden Welcomes the Spring
In Britain, Bonfire Night conjures up childhood memories of sheltering from the driving November rain, eating jacket potatoes while effigies, or ‘guys’, burn on a huge bonfire. Overhead, fireworks crackle with the acrid smell of sulphur – all to commemorate …