The Winter Olympics are over. What’s the next international competition that the world is willing to wake up to watch at all hours of the night? The FIFA World Cup, of course. Rio’s final samba school has finished the Carnival parade route, and now just 83 days remain (fifa.com has a countdown, naturally) until nationalistic […]
I’m a backpacker at heart. I love to save on accommodation and splurge on experience. But on a Trufflepig research trip, it’s tough not to get addicted to the finer things in life: king-sized beds, luxurious private marble bathrooms and outstanding service. I still hold hostels close to my heart, but it’s luxury boutique hotels […]
With the Olympics over, all those aspiring gold medal snowboarders have to wait four more years for their moment in the spotlight. Unless… does anyone have a contact number for the IOC? We’re missing a huge opportunity here during the summer games: same boards, same hills, just without any of that pesky snow. What am […]
For lovers of wildlife, there’s no place in the world like Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands. If it isn’t already on your bucket list, we’ve rounded up 12 of the best reasons to travel to the Galapagos this year. 1) Bizarre Boobies—The rather awkward looking Blue-footed Booby is one of the most well known Galapagos creatures, but […]
Most people have dreamed of a private island at one time or another. A paradise surrounded by calm clear blues and your own personal villa. A space to relax, contemplate and sunbathe. A place for sun and sand, and a wee pop in to the sea. A place where the mind calms like the water […]
At Trufflepig we are firm believers in top-notch service. We’re a little bit addicted to it, in fact—we’ll admit it. What always leaves us raving about a trip is inevitably the hospitality; meeting a local guide who showed us things we never could have discovered on our own, or, in the case of Maisons des […]
Love is in the air. Mostly because we’re trying desperately to ward off the snowy chill of February, but also because of that heart-shaped holiday awaiting us at the end of the week. Whether you think it’s a perfect time for romance or a total Hallmark sham, you can’t lose if you simply look at […]
Hotels, hotels, hotels. We know a lot of you out there are accommodation addicts, envying the large part of every planner’s job that involves checking out all the options for a home away from home. We do get to see some amazing places, but the majority of hotels err on the side of anonymous, big-brand […]
Remember that Sounder article a while back about our silly sailor friend Phil, the Austrian guy who sailed from Cape Town to Rio and back? I sort of figured a journey like that would drain the crazy from his boat. Nope. On January 3rd I got an email from Phil with the news that he was going […]
Working in the travel business means I do a fair amount of flying, an activity I neither love nor loathe. The palaver and process that goes with it sometime vexes (like almost stripping for searches and unpacking laptops and undoing belts and being interrogated by surly, power-crazed immigration officers), sometimes fatigues. You do get to […]
Every November, for the past years, we’ve attended a remarkable travel show in Marrakech—PURE Life Experiences. It’s where we go to take the pulse of the travel industry (oh no, did I just use that word?), meet with some of the hotels and people we work with, and sniff around for new and noteworthy places. […]
Guatemala is a very colourful country. The markets are abundant with shades that would make a painter envious, the traditional dress of the local women is a multicoloured work of beauty and the gorgeous town of Antigua is jam-packed with brightly-hued houses. However, by far my favourite example of the colours of Guatemala is the […]
Ever taken a yoga class? How about a tennis lesson? What about sailing instruction? Ever learn how to sail a 62-foot yacht from Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro? And back? No, it’s not something many have done. Hardly anyone, in fact. But Trufflepig’s friend, Phil Haemmerle, he has. So when we found out Phil […]
Okay, so you haven’t quite gotten around to planning that late December holiday getaway. You don’t need more guilt heaped on your work-weary shoulders. But you do need some help. The Christmas to New Year’s travel window is a busy one, so there’s no more time to waste. Here’s a rundown of of what could […]
Escuchame caballeros y caballeras. The fields of Latin America are proving too vast & bountiful for just one farmer to harvest. We are looking for a new trip planner to help make hay in Latin America. Estas chancho numero uno? If so, llamanos pronto! For years now we’ve been bashing about the far corners of the Americas, from […]
Brazil is hotting up for 2014. Already an intoxicating proposition due to its world-famous parties at New Year’s Eve and its epic celebrations at Carnival, the country is besotted with football (aka soccer) and can play the beautiful game almost as well as the Brits (see footy footnote below). In 2014 they are hosting the […]