Off the beaten track

A Love Letter to Newcastle upon Tyne, England

04/11/2022
Cities, Newcastle, Off the beaten track
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For a few years after I left university - a good ten years ago now - I struggled to make sense of my life. In a failing relationship and lurching from one silly job to another, I moved from city to city in the UK, trying to find a place I could call home. A friend from uni impulsively asked me to move in with her in her flat in Heaton, Newcastle, and I, equa[...]
Why an upcoming quiet season in Iceland is the best thing you could wish for

Why an upcoming quiet season in Iceland is the best thing you could wish for

06/17/2020
Iceland, Off the beaten track, Travel Tips
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Places like Hawaii have black sand beaches and active volcanoes. New Zealand has accessible glacier. Greenland has mighty icebergs. The US have gorges. Canada has enormous waterfalls. Finland has the northern lights. Scotland has puffins. Russia has reindeer. But only Iceland has all of these things combined. Couple it with the warming effect of the gul[...]
WTF is Champing?

WTF is Champing?

03/06/2020
England, Off the beaten track
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A little known term that you may very well have never heard uttered previously - the name "champing" is a cute abbreviation of "church camping". And church camping is, well, camping in churches - perhaps unsurprisingly. But I don't mean flinging up a 2 man pop up in the cemetery - champing means actually camping inside the church buildings themselves. To be [...]
The only 3 things you need to know about Bacalar- Mexico’s secret paradise

The only 3 things you need to know about Bacalar- Mexico’s secret paradise

01/15/2019
Mexico, Off the beaten track, Places
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When I first started planning my trip to Mexico here’s what I imagined. Enjoying the white beaches and washing down Modelos in Playa Del Carmen and Cancun. A quick break in a luxurious resort on the Riviera Maya (if I could get a good deal). Checking out some Mayan ruins in Tulum and finishing my trip in the notoriously dangerous Mexico City (just b[...]
Saudi Arabia- Is this the world’s newest, most controversial travel destination?

Saudi Arabia- Is this the world’s newest, most controversial travel destination?

01/03/2019
Inspiration, Off the beaten track, Personal Stories, Travel Tips
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“Cover your hair sister, you’re in Saudi Arabia now.” Something I became all too used to hearing on the streets of 2012 Riyadh. Only 6 years ago. But under the rule of the Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and the implementation of ‘Vision 2030’, just maybe, Saudi Arabia is in with a legitimate chance of becoming a tourist destination. Probably q[...]
Why I fell in love with the Middle East and why you should too

Why I fell in love with the Middle East and why you should too

11/28/2018
Beirut, Destinations, Dubai, Egypt, Inspiration, Lebanon, Muscat, Off the beaten track, Oman, United Emirates of Arabia
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Finding my feet through all the hustle and bustle, the hypnotizing sound of the Arabic language singing in my ears, the smell of cardamom filling my nose from the streets. The sun laying on my skin like velvet. I remember why it was so easy to for me to fall in love with the Middle East the first time. 4 years living in Saudi Arabia and travelling [...]
Why you should attend the World Nomad Games

Why you should attend the World Nomad Games

09/25/2018
Kyrgyzstan, Off the beaten track
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I don't quite know how and why I even applied but when I got invited to attend the World Nomad Games in Kyrgyzstan I was mainly confused, wondering what I had gotten myself into. I had never been to Central Asia and the only nomads I knew were of the digital kind. Yes, I am a traveler and adventurous at times but my adventures evolve around scuba diving, saf[...]
Exploring Sichuan - 10 reasons to travel the South-West of China

Exploring Sichuan - 10 reasons to travel the South-West of China

07/08/2018
Mountains, Off the beaten track, Sichuan
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A lot of peoples’ first thoughts towards China go to megacities like Hong Kong or Peking. They picture big crowds alit by the glimmer of neon, a buzzing economy, a faster and harder pace; Piles of concrete, big malls, tiny houses, colourful commercials, and… well chop sticks? And of course this is China, a vibrant place full of extremes and contestat[...]

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