BROWSE BY DESTINATIONS
Raw travel stories, wildlife encounters, field journals, and strange histories from deserts, jungles, coastlines, and the roads between them.
Practical guide for travellers who might want to follow the same route.
Is Costa Rica Really Expensive? Here's What £1,500 Got Me
Two weeks, £1,500, and experiences I wouldn't trade for luxury. I skipped the resorts, followed a map into the jungle and discovered a different side of the country.
6 Unmissable Things to Do in Puerto Viejo
Wild beaches, reggae, jungle adventures and a bicycle accident I could have avoided. Here are six things to do in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica, from wildlife encounters to the wild Caribbean coast.
Wildlife in Puerto Viejo: Jaguar Rescue Center
I'm tired of so-called rescue centres that turn injured wildlife into tourist entertainment. So, when I visited the Jaguar Rescue Center in Puerto Viejo, I arrived sceptical. It was raining, humid, a perfect jungle day. But would this place be any different?
My solo jungle hike in Costa Rica
Five hours into the rainforest, my feet looked fifty years older, my shoes had surrendered, and the monkeys may have been throwing shit at me. Then I heard the sea.
Conservation in Costa Rica: Turtles are in danger
Costa Rica is famous for turtle conservation, but in Parismina the fight is far from over. I volunteered with ASTOP and saw how fragile the work still is.
Where to Stay in Puerto Viejo for Jungle and Beach
Puerto Viejo changes completely as you move south. I stayed in Playa Chiquita, but the right base depends on how wild you want to go.
Things to Do Near Tortuguero: Visit Parismina
People come to Tortuguero for wildlife. I crossed one more river and found an even wilder side of the Caribbean. Here are the experiences near Tortuguero that stayed with me long after I left.
Going to Tortuguero? Stop in Parismina First
Most travellers go straight to Tortuguero. I found Parismina by zooming out on Google Maps, then followed buses, a boat and a little faith into a village with no roads, few tourists and far more life than anyone seems to notice.
16 Days from Phuket: Islands & Jungle
Most Thailand itineraries try to show you everything. This one starts in Phuket, then escapes into rainforest, quiet islands, limestone coves and sea days that feel much further away.
Maya Bay? Don’t Go. Go Here Instead.
Hollywood chose one beach for us. I went looking for the places it ignored: four raw islands near Phuket with cliffs, wild sea and real escape.
What to Do in Phuket? Leave.
Phuket was beautiful, but it wasn’t the Thailand I had dreamed about in National Geographic as a child. Forty minutes away, two islands were quietly waiting.
Where to Stay in Phuket for Quiet.
Phuket is beautiful. It is also loud, staged and increasingly hard to escape. I went looking for the parts that still breathe. These are the six places I’d actually stay.
Phuket to Khao Sok: Bus or Transfer?
The journey is easy. The annoying part is working out whether your ticket takes you to Khlong Sok, the national park entrance or somewhere useful at all.
3 Days in Khao Sok: Beyond the Lake
Most people chase the lake. I’d start where Khao Sok gets stranger: the village, the rainforest trail, the night sounds, then the floating bungalows once the jungle has already reached you.
Is Jordan Safe for Solo Female Travellers?
Jordan felt safer than I expected as a solo female traveller, but not everywhere felt the same. Here’s my honest experience travelling alone through Amman, Petra, Wadi Rum, Aqaba and beyond.
Wadi Rum Bedouin Camp Guide
I slept in a luxury Wadi Rum bubble tent, then ended up lost in the desert with a Bedouin. Both were real. Only one showed me what Wadi Rum actually feels like.
Canyoning in Jordan: The Wadi Mujib Siq Trail
I went to the Dead Sea expecting salt, heat and not much else. Then I found Wadi Mujib, a freshwater canyon where the “hike” turns into ropes, waterfalls and a fight against the current.
Petra Mistakes to Avoid or They Can Ruin Your Visit.
I followed a stranger who looked like Captain Jack Sparrow into an isolated part of Petra, used an animal because I was tired, and nearly treated an ancient city like a quick stop. These are the Petra mistakes I would not make again.
Best Things to Do in Amman for the Unimpressed
Most Amman guides repeat the same dead list: Citadel, Roman Theatre, Rainbow Street, falafel, done. This one starts there, then goes into the hammams, calligraphy, dabke, wetlands, rooftops and strange corners that made me actually fall for the city.
Where to Stay in Jordan: The Best Bases for a Real Route
Jordan looks easy on a map until your route starts fighting back. This is where to stay in Jordan without turning Petra, Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea and Aqaba into one expensive transport headache.