Travel by Instagram: The twelve days of pictures

Travel by Instagram: The 12 days of pictures - The Gap Year Edit

Yes, it’s a really bad Christmas pun … the twelve days of pictures is here! We “Travel by Instagram” to get the story behind your favourite twelve photos from my Instagram account in 2015, including the truth of whether I liked the places in the pictures … Huuuge thanks to my fellow Instagrammers for the […]

Day trips from Barcelona

The Catalan city by the sea isn’t just about stupendous Gaudí architecture. It also makes a wonderful base to explore the wider region. Rent a car or hop on a local train to head beyond the city limits on these day trips from Barcelona. Be king of the castle in Tossa de Mar Tossa de […]

How to spend 24 hours in Madrid

24 hours in Madrid: me at Plaza Mayor

With only 24 hours in this pulsating city, this guide helps you get to the beating heart of Madrid, Spain’s capital. A Modern-Art Morning Get your modern-art fix at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, housing four floors of works by famous names such as Miró, Dalí, and Picasso. The 1937 work, “Guernica,” […]

Barcelona: where ships, sculpture and the sea meet the city

Barcelona Face. Barcelona sculpture sea

Walking down the famed pedestrian walkway of Las Ramblas in Barcelona, the smell of salty sea air starts to pervade. Heading south-east, the old architecture of the city peters out, as the cityscape turns to the seascape of Port Vell at the Columbus Monument, smack in the middle of a wide breezy plaza. The vista […]

What to expect when hiking Gran Canaria

hiking Gran Canaria - Roque Nublo

Discover vistas and varied landscapes when hiking Gran Canaria – from pine forests to green valleys to semi-desert, rocky crags, and mesa-style mountains. Browsing some cool travel hiking photos online, I came across one of a mountainous landscape that was reminiscent of the American South-West. Curiosity peaked by my “love of large landscapes” nature, I […]

What to expect on a yoga retreat

what to expect on a yoga retreat

Ooh, it’s a while since I’ve used those hamstring muscles. That’s my initial thought, just five minutes into the first class of a weekend yoga retreat in Devon, UK. Whether it’s for a holiday or as part of a career break, here are my tips on what to expect on a yoga retreat. The format Typically […]

Things to do in Montejaque, Ronda

things to do in Montejaque Ronda

The gorgeous white-washed village of Montejaque has Ronda and a national park on its doorstep. Here’s why I found it to be a great base for a holiday in Andalucia. Montejaque sits way up in the mountains above Málaga and the resorts of the Costa del Sol. Past the beautiful crag-perched city of Ronda, it’s […]