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Loaded touring bicycle with panniers leaning against a wooden fence on a European country lane
blog

Cycle Touring Kit — What Actually Works After Six Months on the Road

After six months of cycle touring across Europe, here is the kit that actually earned its place in the panniers — and the gear we ditched in the first fortnight.

@craig·24 June 2026·9 min read·👁 30
📍 Europe
Snow-covered mountain peaks in Hokkaido, Japan, with a forested foreground in winter light
blog

Hokkaido Travel Guide — Japan's Wild Northern Island

Hokkaido is Japan's northern frontier — winter powder snow, summer lavender fields, the freshest seafood and an open landscape unlike anywhere else in the country.

@craig·3 May 2026·6 min read·👁 26
📍 Hokkaido, Japan
Plate of escargots de Bourgogne in their shells with garlic-parsley butter and a French baguette
blog

What Countries Eat Snails? A Culinary Map of the World's Snail-Eaters

Snails are not a niche French eccentricity — they're an everyday street food across the Mediterranean and a delicacy in parts of Asia. Here is the world map of where to try them.

@craig·3 May 2026·7 min read·👁 246
📍 Worldwide
St Basil's Cathedral on Red Square in Moscow at twilight, with onion domes lit in colour
blog

Is It Safe to Holiday in Russia?

Russia is open to tourists, but every Western government tells its citizens not to go. Here is what that actually means in practice — and how to think about it.

@craig·3 May 2026·6 min read·👁 228
📍 Russia
View of Bologna with the Two Towers (Asinelli and Garisenda) and red-tiled rooftops at sunset
blog

Best Hostels for Backpackers in Bologna, Italy

Bologna is the underrated stopover between Florence and Venice — cheaper, livelier, and home to Europe's oldest university. Here are five hostels we keep recommending.

@craig·3 May 2026·6 min read·👁 24
📍 Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Vast Atacama desert landscape with red sand and distant mountains in northern Chile
story

The Atacama Desert — Mano del Desierto, San Pedro and the Driest Place on Earth

A guide to the Atacama Desert in northern Chile — the famous Mano del Desierto sculpture, the town of San Pedro, the salt flats and altiplano lagoons, and the astronomy that makes the Atacama the world's premier observatory site.

@craig·27 Apr 2026·7 min read·👁 19
📍 San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile
Highland Scotland landscape with stone cottage and rolling green hills under cloudy sky
story

The Falkirk Wheel — Scotland's Rotating Canal Lift

The Falkirk Wheel is the only rotating boat lift in the world, a piece of millennium-era canal engineering that has become one of central Scotland's most photographed landmarks. Here is how to visit, what to combine it with, and the day-trip itinerary from Edinburgh or Glasgow.

@craig·27 Apr 2026·10 min read·👁 52
📍 Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland
Roman arena of Verona at sunset with red brick facades and piazza
story

Verona and Bologna by Train — A Northern Italy Itinerary

A six-day Verona-and-Bologna itinerary by train — Roman ruins and Shakespeare in Verona, the medieval porticoes and food markets of Bologna, the wine hills of the Valpolicella and the cured-meat region of Emilia-Romagna.

@craig·27 Apr 2026·7 min read·👁 32
📍 Verona and Bologna, Italy
Yellow daffodils in bloom in a London park with church spire in background
story

Walthamstow, East London — A Day Out in the Village and Beyond

Walthamstow has gone from a quiet Victorian outer suburb to one of the most interesting neighbourhoods in London. Here is what to do in a day — the William Morris Gallery, the village, Walthamstow Market, the wetlands, and the daffodils in spring.

@craig·27 Apr 2026·9 min read·👁 25
📍 Walthamstow, London, United Kingdom
Potala Palace in Lhasa Tibet under a deep blue Himalayan sky
story

Tibet Overland — From Kathmandu to Lhasa on the Friendship Highway

A guide to travelling overland from Kathmandu to Lhasa via the Friendship Highway — the permits, the pace, the altitude, the monasteries you should not miss, and what the journey is actually like in 2026.

@craig·27 Apr 2026·9 min read·👁 25
📍 Lhasa, Tibet (Xizang), China
Three peaks of Tre Cime di Lavaredo in the Italian Dolomites
story

The Dolomites in Five Days: Tre Cime, Lago di Braies and the Alta Badia

Five days in the Dolomites — the iconic Tre Cime di Lavaredo, the postcard alpine lake of Lago di Braies, the Alta Badia’s mountain villages, and the cable cars and trails that connect them.

@craig·23 Apr 2026·8 min read·👁 25
📍 Dolomites, Italy
Gothic facade of Duomo di Milano cathedral in Milan
story

Milan in Three Days: The Duomo, the Galleria and the Navigli at Sunset

Three days in Milan — the great Gothic Duomo, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, Leonardo’s Last Supper, the Navigli canals at sunset, and the food and design scene.

@craig·23 Apr 2026·8 min read·👁 26
📍 Milan, Italy
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