Who doesn’t know someone with a fridge full of magnets from places they’ve visited? Many of us have a special something we like to bring home—postcards, trinkets, bracelets, or even photos. But travel traditions aren’t always material. They can also be experiences like trying local food, exploring markets, or taking the same photo pose at every destination. These rituals connect one journey to the next, … Continue reading Threads of Tradition: Connecting Journeys and Memories

Every travel destination and experience is incredibly memorable and important to me regardless of when, where or who I went with. My family holidays to Cornwall or Greece mean just as much to me as city breaks to Dublin or London and girls’ holidays to Spain, though I find the trips where I go solo end up being the most challenging and therefore, the most rewarding. After spending the summer of 2023 working at … Continue reading Teaching, Tasting and Touring Europe

Last summer, when I went to Italy with my sisters, I unintentionally started a little tradition: collecting keychains from every place I visited. It started in Verona, where I picked two keychains shaped like keys, one for me and, of course, one for my mum. Then, in Lake Garda, I found a beautiful golden one with engravings of the lake, and at our final stop in Venice, a Venetian … Continue reading One Keychain at a Time

Travelling is one of the best ways to expand your horizons, but there is no denying that safety concerns are often on our minds. We’ve all heard the stories: dangers lurking in places like Rio, pickpockets in Barcelona, or civil unrest in Budapest. But are these fears truly justified, or are they just misconceptions fuelled by media and hearsay? When planning our next trip, most … Continue reading Danger of Travel: Misconception or True?

A growing tide of resentment is sweeping across popular holiday hotspots as locals, overwhelmed by the influx of tourists, begin to push back against the costs of mass tourism. With 1.5 billion international tourist arrivals in 2024, this summer marked a tipping point for many locals increasingly concerned about over tourism driving up housing costs, harming the environment and eroding the fabric of local communities … Continue reading Overcrowded and Unwanted: How Locals In Popular Vacation Spots Are Starting To Reject Mass Tourism