Stories behind the stories. By Travel Writer, Amy McPherson
It has been two years since I went to the Maldives. It isn’t a trip I usually would take, as the destination is mostly associated (by marketing) with luxury resorts that are more popular for romantic holidays and honeymoons rather than the scruffy someone like me, who loves the wide open outdoors of the mountains. …
At the top of the ridge at the Quiraing Walk on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, I stopped breathing for a couple of seconds. From where I stood, I could trace the route we took across the valley, which expands all the way to the ocean, where the silvery blue sea met the blue …
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 …
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 …
On our Slovenian journey we had the opportunity to travel with Vesna from Slocally around Soca Valley. It was a beautiful day, and the day in fact, begun in the living room of Herbal Rooms, the lovely homestay retreat run by Vesna and family. As we arrived at the Herbal Rooms, we were greeted by the …
Lake Bled is the most popular destination for visitors to Slovenia. It is naturally beautiful, historically important and from the first sight of the lake from our accommodation’s window, I was in love. The dramatic mountain ranges that surround the lake is a great backdrop to the castle on the cliff top, the church on …
In Cornwall, you can walk to the end of the world (Lands End) on the South West Coastal Path. You can potentially, walk the entire Cornish Coast The entire Cornish coast is served by the South West Coastal Path, England’s longest marked long-distance footpath and a National Trail. The trail begins all the way back in Somerset, …
The garden of Eden is no longer forbidden. It’s in Cornwall, and is celebrating its 15 years birthday this year since being opened to public. Eden Project was our first port of call on our Cornish journey, having got a train to Exeter and picked up a hire car for the trip (not advised, but …
Ok, maybe not right now, but sometime in the near future you definitely should visit Iceland. Why? Because Iceland is stunning We visited in winter, and even under a blanket of snow, the place was beautiful. In this arid landscape, where really not much could grow and expand, is a unique environment for all sorts …
British beaches beautiful and enjoyable? Believe it or not, there are some stunning beaches around England, especially on the south coast! Some pebble, some sand, and some look like they really should be somewhere along the Mediterranean. If you had told me two year ago that I’d enjoy British beaches, I wouldn’t have believed you, …
On our trip to Iceland we didn’t really have time to go all the way round, so instead we concentrated on sights that are around the capital Reykjavik, and to our surprise, there were plenty to be seen! Volcanoes are the basis of everything here in Iceland. It forms the land that cities and towns …
We travel not to just ‘see the sights’ – when we decided on a trip to Iceland in winter, we had planned to see more than just the waterfalls and the volcanic plains and beaches; we wanted something extraordinary, something that required not just being there, but also a bit of luck. That something extraordinary …
Wanting to explore the region where we live, I jumped on Google Maps (what else) and looked for places and areas of interest in Surrey. Being Google, it knew my strong preferences to places with lots of nature and walking trails so immediately pin pointed the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Beauty on the map. …
I am a mountain person. Have always been. I do love the sea very much, and have a soft spot for the excellent dive sites around the world, but I will always favour the mountains and its forests, the furry and tweeting creatures in them, the trees and the streams and waterways that run through …
[Feature image source: Morgue File. Credit to: muvuca] Some people like sunrises, some people prefer sunsets. Some, doesn’t understand why anyone would be impressed by either, as our trekking guide in Thailand wondered “why you tourists always want to watch sunrise and sunsets? It happens everyday. If you miss today, it’ll be there again tomorrow.” …
Why did I come to Bohol? I could have gone to Boracay for the white sandy beaches, or Palawan for the unspoilt nature. However, we chose Bohol, because I wanted to meet the smallest primate in the world and Will wanted a piece of the Chocolate Hills. We stayed in the main city (town) Taglibaran …
Our Philippines adventure began at Tagaytay, a picturesque township south of Manila where an active volcano – the Taal – dominates the landscape and the tourism industry of the region. Those who visit Tagaytay must pay the obligatory visit to Taal volcano, one that is still living and could potentially erupt again in the near …
I am nice and relaxed. I have just spent the past five days at the Whitsundays and it was surprisingly fun. I say this not because the Whitsundays isn’t fun, but we had booked to stay on Daydream Island, a one resort island in the midst of the region and I was afraid that I …
2003, summer. I was on a bus between Germany and Czech Republic and we came across this field of blooming sunflowers. I’ve never seen a sunflower field (of this size) so I couldn’t resist a photo opportunity. I remember it was a fine sunny day with a pale blue sky, and as I stood among …
My posts in the past week have been a bit grim, so I thought I’d write on a lighter topic today and talk about my second favourite animal: monkeys. (My first favourite are cats, if you haven’t figured that out already ;-)) I was born in the Chinese zodiac year of the monkey and so …
Photos by Fiona Yuen There is something really special and spiritual about Australia’s Red Centre. From the spectacular colours of the sky, to that solidary rock structure that is thee heart of Australia. Read my article on In The Know Traveler: Australia’s Rock Star Ayer’s Rock. About Fiona Yuen Fiona Yuen runs her photography company …
Photos by Fiona Yuen Kangaroo Island, 155km of the coast of South Australia, is a paradise for wildlife. This is where you’ll find plenty of seals bathing lazily on beaches, koala lounge between forks of tree branches and giant pelicans that slide across the horizon; at dusk, bands of Little Penguins return fro mthe depth …
I had thought deserts were supposed to be dry and boring, yet I was driving through what can be described as tropical down pour as I headed up north from Perth on the Indian Ocean Drive toward the town of Cervantes, peering through thick drops of rain and maniacally overtaking road trains to get ahead. …
