The Kerala houseboat is the image on every brochure for “God’s own country”: a wicker-and-wood kettuvallam drifting past palm trees while you recline on deck with a fresh coconut. It’s the reason many travellers put the backwaters on their itinerary…
Deciding where to stay in Lisbon shapes your whole trip: the city’s neighbourhoods are so distinct that the same holiday can feel completely different from one hill to the next. We have stayed in Lisbon three times, twice in Alfama…
Lisbon has long been held up as Europe’s budget-friendly gem, but is it still? We visited twice: once in September 2020, midway through the pandemic, and again in April 2026. Both times we stayed in the Alfama neighbourhood. The city…
Lisbon or Porto? We have been asked this question more times than we can count, and the honest answer has always been the same: Por que não ambos? (Why not both?) But if you are short on time and have…
Foz do Douro is Porto‘s well-heeled seaside neighbourhood at the mouth of the River Douro. Less than 20 minutes from the historic centre of Porto, it offers the beach, the breeze, and the fresh seafood without the crush of tourists…
Ready to hit the beach with sustainable swimwear this summer? I’ve rounded up the best sustainable swimsuit and bikini brands based in the UK, updated for 2026. Thankfully, there are now plenty of eco-friendly and ethical swimwear brands available in…
When I’m home in the UK, I stock up on all the best travel kit — and that includes ethical and sustainable activewear and gym wear. It has taken a lot of research, trying on and postal returns to find…
Porto feels heartier, friendlier and more wholesome than anywhere else we visited in Portugal. We arrived after a weekend in Coimbra and Lisbon, and by the time we’d ridden a rented scooter out of the city into the Douro Valley…
