Reynisfjara is known better to tourists as “the black sand beach”, although almost all beaches in Iceland have black sand. It’s therefore confusing, potentially misleading and it’s just plain rude. You wouldn’t come to England and talk about going to “the big yellow clock tower” or go to the US and talk about your visit … More Reynisfjara has been washed away. Now what?
I did this back in May and this is the winter version: what I do between work finishing at 5pm and starting again the next morning at 9am. The summer version had a festival and kayaking and camping and archery and a trip to London. No watersports or festivals in January, alas. A proper 5-9 … More How I use my 5-9: January 2026 edition
When asked why he wanted to climb Everest, George Mallory famously replied “because it is there”. Well, I’m applying the opposite of that here. Ten or so days before I went to Iceland, a volcano started erupting, the ninth in the Sundhnúksgígar series and the twelfth since the Reykjanes Fires began four years ago. All … More Why I didn’t go to see the volcano
This is a question I ask myself a lot. Obviously I’m a tourist when I’m in a country that’s not the one I live in. I’m a tourist when I go to London. Am I a tourist if I go glamping at the cute little place a twenty-minute drive away? Am I a tourist in … More How far do you have to go to become a tourist?
After the eruption in Iceland the other week, I was speculating on what to tell my colleagues about it at the weekly meeting, where we give a nod towards watercooler chat on between “what I did last week” and “what I’m doing this week”. I wanted to tell them about the eruption because it’s something … More What is a volcano and how do we know when one is going to erupt?
Today is my birthday and as I’m leaving a decade behind, I thought I’d reflect on everything I’ve learned about travel and adventures during the last one. 1: Glamping is fun I never thought I’d be a glamping fan. I camp. Where’s the sense in spending more money on a shepherd’s hut or tree tent … More 30 things I learned about travel in my 30s
Someone asked recently for more Girlguiding content. It fits in as much as this is a travel & adventure blog and I do play up the adventure side for you. But what I want to do today is get across just how much time I put into this stupid organisation. When we’re trying to recruit, … More An hour and a half a week: how long a Girlguiding volunteer really spends on it
In the early hours of yesterday morning, the twelfth eruption in the Reykjanes Fires, the period of eruptive activity ongoing since 2021, started up. It’s the ninth in the vicinity of Grindavik and the Blue Lagoon and we’ll see what chaos it causes. I’m actually starting to write this on Wednesday morning ready for the … More Iceland is erupting for the 12th time
This came up on Instagram on Monday – the Louvre closed its doors in June under the pressure of “unmanageable crowds”. Oh, it’s not just the crowds, it’s also chronic overstaffing and structural problems but the thousands upon thousands of people seem to have been the final straw that broke the camel’s back. Near From … More Do you really want to go there or have you been told that you have to?
The main purpose of travel influencers isn’t to show off their fabulous holidays and adventures but to showcase destinations and experiences to people who might not otherwise know about them and share their own knowledge and experience to help people with their own travels. To that end, a group trip run -or at least figureheaded … More Is it worth going on your favourite influencer’s group trip?
I Am A Polar Bear 