My St Mary’s Isles of Scilly Travel Guide

This article covers everything you need to know if you’re planning to book accommodation on St Mary’s. It also forms part of my comprehensive Isles of Scilly travel guide so look out for links to additional content below if you’re planning a multi-island itinerary. Encompassing an area of less than 2.5 square miles St Mary’s […]

What To Pack For A Gorilla Trek Adventure In Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Sitting high above the clouds the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is a haven for primates big and small (it’s also known for its population of golden monkeys). Defined by three conical, extinct volcanoes which form part of the spectacular Virunga Range that runs along the border of Uganda, Congo, and Rwanda, Mgahinga is one of […]

A Quick Guide to Renewing Your Thai Driving License in Bangkok

This is my experience of renewing my five year Thai driving license. It doesn’t matter which office you go to. I chose the one in Bang Chak this time instead of the one in Samut Prakan as it’s a few minutes walk from a skytrain station. Just go to BTS Bang Chak and take Exit […]

A Quick Guide to Renewing Your British Passport in Bangkok

I had to renew my British passport in Bangkok this week. As it was different from my last time, I thought I would share with you the steps that I took to do this. It was all very straightforward to do and I had my new passport back within three weeks. To renew your British […]

What Living in Kyrgyzstan as an Expat is Really Like

Today, our American Expats series takes us to Kyrgyzstan where we meet Brittany, an English teacher living in Kyrgyzstan with her husband and daughter. We talked about living in Central Asia’s only democracy, raising a baby abroad, and the one way Kyrgyzstan is surprisingly similar to Colorado… Brittany’s background: My husband and I got married in June 2013 […]

Austin, Texas – What To Do And Where Should You Stay?

While Austin may be the capital of Texas, it is actually only the state’s fourth largest city, and is located on the banks of the Colorado River. Austin is also the country’s fastest growing city in the period between the 2010 census and the 2017 census. The city has been the state’s capital since 1839 […]

Become Invincible. Then Make Cadbury Creme Egg Mayonnaise.

The problem with any writer who happens to experience that rare, fleeting phenomenon known as “external validation” is that for a few moments, we go a little mad. Which is to say: we start believing our own hype. And for a writer, truly, what greater madness is there than believing in yourself? Don’t get me […]

The Tragedy of Monica Geller

I graduated high school in 1998, either (depending on which arbitrary marker you choose) the last of Gen-Xers or the first of the Millennials. Like so many of us who came of age in the 90s, Friends was a delightful, aspirational glimpse of the future. (I had no perspective to realize that my friends of […]

I Have a James Beard Award and I Think You Are So Great.

My writing pitches don’t get accepted often. Sometimes an editor will contact me directly, and I’ll send them a piece, and if it gets published, it may do quite well (my piece on bullying for The Washington Post was an example of that), but it rarely gets to that point. More often than not, I’ll […]

What Living in Madrid as an Expat is Really Like

For this month’s American Expats series, our next stop is Spain. Cat Gaa, a Chicago native, moved to Seville, Spain, in 2007, and now lives in Madrid with her Spanish husband and young daughter. Here, she talks about churros, unique Spanish festivals, and walking the Camino. Cat’s background: Straight after college, I moved to Seville, […]

Portland – What To Do And The Best Places To Stay In The City

Portland is the largest city in Oregon, and is a place that is famous for the spectacular scenery of the area and for its vibrant and lively cultural scene, with plenty of live music and arts venues around the city. Although it is quite a large city for the region with a population of around […]