Stories behind the stories. By Travel Writer, Amy McPherson
Happy New Year. I hope you’ve all had a chance to rest, reflect and plan. It is after all, a brand new year for brand new adventures! I haven’t got much time. I’ve just picked up another contract until the end of May, (because someone needs to pay the bills) so back to work on …
Two days to yet another new year. Where did the time go? A 2017 round up This year has been great year for me. It is the first year I’ve had the opportunity to freelance full time, and have had a taste of what more I need to do to make it work. Yes, financially …
I am not sure if this is still something the children learn in Taiwan, but one chapter in a primary school text that are taught nationally says every grain of rice, is a drop of the farmer’s sweat. I’ve grown up with this value ingrained in me, to understand that food doesn’t come easily, and …
You may or may not have noticed that I’ve picked up a new obsession – the bicycle – this year, thanks to a trip made in haste to Sligo in Ireland where the enthusiasm and the camaraderie of the guides and fellow travellers on our cycling tour that got me deeply and madly hooked on …
I read ‘The Girl on the Train’ a few months ago, what a brilliantly written unreliable narrator the protagonist was. And what a great idea, because the train journey to work is something most of us have to go through at some stage in our lifetime and I often wondered what the people around me …
Back in August I made a call out on Facebook for anyone who might be interested in just going back in time and receive postcards from me. You know, I am a bit disappointed not many people took up the offer! In total I received 12 requests for postcards. Granted, it is possible …
I’ve recently gone back to “work” – travelling daily to Southampton for a two months contract to sit out the quiet winter period when my writing work slows down. The train trip is 1.5 hours southward from London, and because I am going against the hamster wheel, I always get a seat and have the …
I have been questioned, time after time, trip after trip, how I pack so lightly. Do I have special lightweight clothing? Do I have secret compartments in my backpack? Is there a magical space at the bottom where things just disappear into without adding on dimensions and weight? (Like the Tardis, people think my backpack …
2017 is supposed to be the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, yet, tourism hasn’t been all that sustainable at all. We saw this first hand on our recent trip to Dubrovnik, on a walking holiday with On Foot Holidays where we stayed 2 nights with our apartment window looking out to this wonderfully …
Before my trip to Ireland, I also paid a visit to Dubrovnik and surrounds in Croatia. However due to the tight timing of my trips (with only one week between Croatia and Ireland) with a deadline for the story, I couldn’t tell you about this trip until now. Up to this year, I’ve never visited …
Well, now that I’ve written my official story I needed to write for In The Know Traveler I thought I’d enlighten you with a more personal account of the trip, written in the style of previous post about lusting over Switzerland and romance with Vorarlberg. (In other words, you know some cheesiness is coming!) READ: Spell …
I am listening to Westlife on Youtube. What prompted this urge to re-live my late teen’s crush you ask? Well, just been to Sligo, a city north west of Ireland where three of the band member are from. Quite frankly, I am swooned once more! All that I want in my life, is the feeling of …
So I went to a girl school in the 90s ok? It was almost mandatory that I must have danced to the tunes of Backstreet Boys (or Take That, East17, 98 Degrees, Westlife…), to rock it out with Bon Jovi, watched Clueless and thought it was the coolest movie (like, TOTALLY) and of course, rehearsed …
The Victorians loved their seaside resorts. All along the English coast are reminiscences of Victorian terraces, which were holiday homes for many of the rich and wealthy, business families from the north who would spend the warmer months of the year soaking up some seaside sun. But when you are Queen Victoria, you don’t just …
I loved a recent article on Traveller listing the 13 best cities you’ve never thought of going to, listing Taipei, the place of my birth among the other exotic and fantastic cities around the world. Personally the idea of visiting places that may not be on the mainstream travel itineraries gives you an alternative view …
Having lived in this city for almost three years now and it has never ceased to surprise me. There is always something being transformed, being created and re-created and the way Londoners are so blase about stuff happening around them seems to indicate change is nothing new. Try wearing your loudest shirt or a pikachu …
Switzerland may have been an affair that filled me with lust, with its toned muscles and sultry stare (sorry, now that I’ve written it, I can’t get that image of Channing Tatum out of my head!) — it was Vorarlberg that filled me with warm and fuzzy emotions, like the boy next door you never …
There is no doubt about it. Switzerland is very, very beautiful, and it easily had me at ‘hello’. The love affair began even before I landed in Geneva Airport. Switzerland flashed a glorious smile at me from below, with Lake Geneva shimmering in the shadows of Alpine peaks dusted with snow, with that crisp green …
Ok, it might be a little late for those not already in Europe to consider, but Eurovision is upon us in a few days and as Ukraine won last year’s song contest, the event will be held in the country’s capital – Kiev – this year. If you are still thinking about going along, here’s …
It never occurred to me to travel otherwise. In Europe, where the option for rail travel is good and (mostly) reliable, it is my first choice of transport when I am roaming around the continent. However, it wasn’t until I was helping a friend about their European itinerary did I realise not many people know …
Isle of where? You ask. The Isle of Man, a small island wedged between the shores of north England and Ireland, is a crown dependency. It means, it is technically a country, with its own parliament, its own laws and government, but is still in the possession of the British Crown and relies on Britain …
When I received a pre-release copy of Tragic Shores in the post, my immediate reaction was: Ugh, another travelogue about all these sad places around the world. “In this stunning memoir, Thomas travels with his wife and daughter to less traditional family holiday spots…” the press release had stated. I was skeptic to say the …
I had wanted to add a bit more about Old Dubai (areas surrounding Al Karama and Deira) to my previous Dubai stop over post, but I thought about it a bit more, it really does deserve a post on its own, as it is to me, a more interesting side to the Dubai compared to …
I think it’s time to finally admit we are getting old. It was about three hours into the second leg of our flight from London to Sydney when we began to realise: we no longer find inflight entertainment entertaining, the complimentary alcohol no longer amused us and to be honest, our bodies no longer tolerated …
