We got off the plane and out of habit immediately turned on our mobile phones. It’s true. We were in a place with no mobile connection. This is when you know you’re travelling somewhere a little off the beaten track.
Read MoreOn your travels - where will 2018 take you?
With another year all wrapped up, and one where I did the most travelling ever, I need to challenge myself by setting the “travel bar” even higher in 2018. I have quite a few things already booked, but have made sure to leave room to squeeze in a few unexpected jaunts, whilst I continue to arrange some amazing trips for my clients.
Maybe like me, you are starting 2018 with a New Year’s resolution to travel more or try something new?
I hope you might find some inspiration from this short list of travel related things I’m looking forward to in 2018. If you would like some more information on the ideas below, or you have some wonderful ideas of your own that you would like help turning in to a reality, please do get in touch. I’m here to help make 2018 a fabulous travel year for you.
Read MoreKaleidoscopic Kathmandu
Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, is chaotic, mesmerising, fascinating and exhausting all at the same time. This slightly bonkers city is an absolute assault on the senses but it’s also utterly captivating and I first fell under its spell when I arrived on the overnight bus from India – a journey that has haunted me for over 20 years!
Now don’t get me wrong, compared to an Indian city, Kathmandu was still a mad old place with the same persistent stall holders and imploring beggars. But it was different. With the legions of trekkers visiting the area over the years, the city had come to cater very nicely for the needs of the independent western traveller – the pizzerias with wood fired pizza, cafés offering salads washed in filtered water and German bakeries with the best tasting cakes, were like nirvana to me after spending months in India living on Dahl!
Read MoreHighway to Himalayan heaven
From our final house in the lower valleys of the Kumaon Hills (read about our walk here), Julian and I were heading closer to the snow line of the Himalayas and, as you can imagine, getting to such a location wasn’t going to be easy. A six hour bone shaker of a drive on eternally winding pot holed roads almost got us there, but not quite. When the road ran out we had to complete the last hour on foot, our bags (shamefully) carried by tiny Indian ladies in bright saris and flip flops.
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