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Explore Someone Else's Country

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24 Hours In Genoa

Genoa has a marketing problem. Florence has Michelangelo. Venice has gondolas. Bologna persuades you that eating your own body weight in mortadella is a cultural experience (they’re right). Genoa, meanwhile, is somewhere many travellers see through a train window or via shuttle bus. A necessary evil on their way to Portofino or Cinque Terre. Don't call it a hidden geml (c) Phil Thomas, Someone Else's Country This is a mistake. No, I’m not about to call it a hidden gem but don

18 hours ago8 min read

Recent Adventures

24 Hours In Genoa

Genoa has a marketing problem. Florence has Michelangelo. Venice has gondolas. Bologna persuades you that eating your own body weight in mortadella is a cultural experience (they’re right). Genoa, meanwhile, is somewhere many travellers see through a train window or via shuttle bus. A necessary evil on their way to Portofino or Cinque Terre. Don't call it a hidden geml (c) Phil Thomas, Someone Else's Country This is a mistake. No, I’m not about to call it a hidden gem but don

Second Time in...Hamburg

I lived six months in Hamburg during the 2000s and then went over a decade before returning (note to self, October 2020 wasn’t peak time to see any city at its best, especially when it coincided with a 10pm curfew!) As a port city, the original Hanseatic city is in a constant process of renewal and reinvention and has a rhythm unlike anywhere else in Germany. It’s a city many have a fleeting knowledge of – Beatles, Reeperbahn, Christmas markets – but not one many know well.

8 Scams That Target Travellers

Part of every traveller’s suitcase is the story of either falling headfirst or skillfully avoiding a potential scam while away. It’s something of a universal language, as others round the table nod sympathetically…or smugly think ‘well that wouldn’t happen to me!’ Yes but… I was thinking about this on a recent trip and the fine line between out-and-out scams, legal but dubious practices and things that are perfectly normal in a particular place but can easily by misint

The Best Queer Bookstores in Britain

I’m addicted to bookshops. There, I’ve said it. I can rarely pass one by and I’m extremely guilty of buying titles long before I have a need for new material (my ‘to read’ list constantly stands in double figures). Up until very recently, the only way to find LGBTQ+ literature was in specialist bookshops. Whilst it’s heartening to see so many gay titles reach mainstream bookstores (although the cynic in me knows this has nothing to do with representation and everythin

A range of sausages sitting in a wicker basket on a market stall

France’s Best Kept Secrets: A Quick Guide

France’s most famous cities, Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, are magnificent, but they’re hardly secrets. Their magic and attractions – the Eiffel Tower, gastronomic excellence and some of the best wine on the planet - are known and loved the world over. But the world’s most visited country has considerably more magic up its sleeve and you don’t have to look far to find it. This wonder often lies in smaller towns where centuries of history sit quietly behind scenic café terraces, d

Sri Lanka’s Best Hikes – A Quick Guide

Sri Lanka may be compact, but it punches well above its weight when it comes to hiking. Most of the island’s best known hikes are close to a major population centre or tourism hotspot – whether that’s ancient rock fortresses, misty grasslands that feel suspiciously Scottish, or cloud forests where leeches outnumber people. The good news for busy travellers is that many of the Sri Lanka's best hikes are relatively short, well-marked, and come with spectacular payoffs for relat

International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association Excellence In Journalism Awards (2026):
Best In Show Winner, Winner: Best Travel Feature

Travmedia Awards (2026):
Rising Media Star (Finalist)

Inspire Global Media Awards (2026):
Best Consumer Feature - Nordic (Finalist)

Darkus Magazine (2025):
Winner: Travel Writer of the Year

As Seen In

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Lost passport on a Thai beach, driving existential panic - read about that here

A strong candidate for simultaneously Europe’s least known but most intriguing country - welcome to Albania 🇦🇱

Despite bearing the hallmarks of multiple civilisations - Greek, Roman, Ottoman - Albania has a culture, cuisine and landscape that’s unique to anywhere I’ve travelled.

Butrint matches any ruins in Italy or Greece, Berat and Gjirokaster are as fine a medieval town as you’ll find anywhere in Europe and Tirana’s food and cocktail scene are spectacularly impressive.

Not a bad outcome for a last minute summer roadtrip!

#visitalbania🇦🇱 #albaniatourism #roadtrip #bestofalbania #someoneelsescountry

Happy birthday America…that’s quite the milestone!

As a journalist, it remains home to some exceptional storytellers and many of the most compelling destinations on Earth. As a traveler, it’s home to a large number of people I’m privileged to call friends.

Some great memories here - looking forward to many more!

#travelusa #bestofamerica #america250 #someoneelsescountry

“To outsiders, the event can seem forbiddingly formal: all-white kits, cathedral silence during rallies and an unapologetic national fixation with strawberries. But beneath the military precision, is a surprisingly human system that’s underpinned by patience, fairness and a set of unwritten rules that have remained largely preserved since the Victorian era.”

My latest article for @bbc_travel introducing the unwritten rules of Wimbledon - my favourite season of the year 🇬🇧🎾🍓

Link to article in bio.

#wimbledon #bestofbritish #bbctravel #thequeue #someoneelsescountry

Eight hundred years before wellness retreats, digital detoxes and mindfulness apps, St Francis was preaching a simpler idea: live lightly, appreciate nature and eat what your local landscape gives you.

That philosophy still shapes Assisi today. At @borgoantichiorti , a former 15th century monastic estate beneath the city’s walls, medieval herb gardens supply ingredients for food, cocktails and treatments, the menu is hyper-local and centuries-old traditions of hospitality and self-sufficiency continue to thrive. Even the rooms - former guest bedrooms of the monastery - are designed to keep out the heat of any Umbrian summer!

Even if you’re not a modern day pilgrim, there’s nowhere better to rejuvenate and refocus…the kind of learning from the past that’s easy to appreciate!

Thank you @thedovetailagency for arranging and everyone at Borgo Antichi Orti for the hospitality.

#slowtravelitaly #bestofitaly #wellnesstravel #assisi #someoneelsescountry

A welcome and surprising end to the week - made the shortlist for @travmedia_uk 2026 Awards as “Media Rising Star” of the year.

Pretty chuffed to be nominated alongside some incredibly talented writers whose work I continue to read and learn from.
Looking forwards to a fantastic evening next month to celebrate the best of the UK Travel Media industry.

Feel a bit old to be a “Rising Star” in anything but we’ll just call it the extension of my ongoing midlife crisis!

#travmediaawards #someoneelsescountry

Staying this close to the theme park capital of the world, it seems sacrilege to say I skipped them.

But regrets? Nope, not one.

Give me Polk County’s authentic rodeo nights, glasses of swamp juice, buffalo-spotting airboat trips or the best Cuban-inspired food I’ve ever eaten.

Alternatively, do the theme parks and then swing by here for an altogether more authentic Floridian experience!

Featuring @boktowergardens @living_water_boat_cruises @nineteen61_ @goldenridgegroves @revivallakeland @grapehammockcamp @westgateranch @visitcentralfl - thanks for showing me the side of Florida I never knew!

#visitcentralflorida #visitpolkcounty #floridaroadtrip pathlesstraveled someoneelsescountry

Look at a map and you’ll see there’s a pretty big piece of land between Orlando and Tampa - welcome to Polk County.

Most never make it here or just rush through. Most are seriously missing out.

In between America’s biggest chain of lakes, oldest cowboy culture and biggest Frank Lloyd Wright collection, there is some sensational food, cocktails and an authentic Floridian culture you ain’t finding at Universal.

Still planning a theme park binge but have just seen the price of park tickets? Ouch.

You’ll save a ton by staying here, you’re less than a 30 min drive and use your down days to get out on the water, get your fix of local produce at a working citrus farm or just revive at Bok Tower Gardens, one of the most beautiful landscapes I’ve ever seen. There’s also Legoland if you really can’t tear yourself away 😆

Trust me, Polk County may be hidden in plain sight - for now - but you’ll appreciate the contrast!

With thanks to @visitcentralfl

#visitcentralflorida #visitpolkcounty #floridaroadtrip unseenflorida someoneelsescountry

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Explore Someone Else's Country

Featured Story

24 Hours In Genoa

Recent Adventures

24 Hours In Genoa

Second Time in...Hamburg

8 Scams That Target Travellers

The Best Queer Bookstores in Britain

France’s Best Kept Secrets: A Quick Guide

Sri Lanka’s Best Hikes – A Quick Guide

As Seen In

Bylines Published

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