First impressions in Albania
My first day in Tirana was not exactly what I’d expected. I’d arrived after midnight the night before and the hostel had an interesting ‘room’ that was somehow connected to the rest of the space without a proper wall. So the 10 bed dorm could hear all the noise from…
My view of Lisbon
I was totally unprepared when I traveled to Portugal. I never intended to go to Portugal this year and when I booked my flights I mainly went to do a long distance walk. So I landed in Lisbon without any expectations and without the pressure to follow a list of…
Wat Saket, the first of many Wats
I don’t know what the rules are. Just enter? Or does that sign in Thai say something like ‘Do not enter. Beware of dog. Fine of 5000 Baht’. I risk it. I’m not sure where I am going, but eventually I come across a ticket office. For 20 baht I…
On top of things
Goodbye day. Most of my group went home and only me and two boys stayed behind in Rome. Since I had an extra day in Rome I decided to drag the boys out to the Vatican for some self-reflection and amazing views. As always the line to get into the…
Little gems
Sometimes being a tour leader can be stressful. You’ve got people asking you all kind of questions you don’t know the answer to. You have to find out those answers, show them the way, give them suggestions for things to do, arrange train tickets… and then also make sure you’ve…
Travel theme: outdoors
I spent quite a bit of time outdoors in the last two weeks. There have only been a couple of days that I haven’t been out and about, exploring forests, mountains or coastal areas. There is something calming about being out there. It’s just you and your thoughts, or perhaps some…
Tip from the locals
When I mentioned at work that I was going to Hanmer Springs, I got a tip from my kiwi colleague. She said I should definitely stop past the high bridge and enjoy the view. So all the way from Christchurch to Hanmer I was looking at the bridges. When I…
Flinders Ranges
The Flinders Ranges stretch out over 400km, so if you want to make the most of it, stay for at least a week. Many of it can only be done by 4WD drive though, but there are still some good options for regular cars as well. Via the town of…
Admitting defeat
Roy’s peak is a walk in Wanaka that’s all about the destination. Unless you would like to experience some true kiwi life by walking through piles of shit. The path is scattered with cow and sheep dung. Being a farm track, the path is also wide and easy to walk…
Riga’s tales
When I was in Riga spring and winter were competing. There were sunny days where the snow started melting and the streets were covered in a mixture of snow and big puddles of brown water. Winter didn’t give in and just added some new snow and a fresh wind that…