It’s official: I’m a Sicilian junkie. The Aeolian Islands have cast their seductive spell on me. I am now suffering from acute Summer Withdrawal Syndome, and have been salivating over Salina ever since the day I left. I keep going back to the bewitching Aeolians. The stark volcanic landscape is stunning, the sea sparkling, the […]

In a world filled with economic meltdowns, terrorist extremists, and natural disasters, how does one rationalize a World Championship Wife Carrying Contest? Oddly, it somehow seems perfectly rational in Finland. To be clear, this is not your grandpa’s piggy back ride; it’s a race around a 250 meter track with your missus on your back, in […]

What happens when music icons venture to an ashram in India to study meditation, write some of their most famous songs, and unwittingly inspire a radical shift in western spirituality? The holy site becomes wholly forgotten. In 1968 The Beatles put Rishikesh on the map, and om on the lips of the world. Their stay at Chaurasi […]

The French have a knack for signs. Funny, confusing, iconic or just plain odd, there’s a character to their signage that gives quite a lot away. Here’s a collection of photos to take you on a trip around France. Following the signs. Some of them show advertising of one form or another—and most of those […]

I’ve come to Easter Island for a week away, and I’m determined to do something other than see the moai. I mean them no disrespect. But it seems ludicrous to travel five hours by plane from the nearest significant speck of land (continental Chile) to do nothing but stare at statues. I am greeted at […]

We’ve got some serious connections here at Trufflepig. Great trips depend heavily on who you know, so we have many contacts up our bespoke sleeves. But with 30-plus countries on our plates, we’re no match for the specialized knowledge of these amazing concierges. Andrew McEwan, Singita Ebony Lodge, South Africa Yes, everyone knows the service standards […]

I have two tiny kids, so my travel these days isn’t always far-flung and exotic. Think Chinatown, as opposed to say, China. But I still get ye olde travel itch on a regular basis and am always looking for little ways to scratch it. With the kids in tow, of course. This past weekend was […]

Once the aging Mr. Atlas hit his opponent with a record player, I perked up. Dressed in outdated lycra masks and tights that recalled Wrestlemania II, they battled it out in the La Paz district of El Alto. But the men are just the warm up. The women are the heroes here. Las Cholitas Luchadoras, […]

Growing up I used to think it might be cool to have a pet chimpanzee—kinda like Michael Jackson and Bubbles. Many years later, an enlightening visit to Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary (NICS) made me glad my parents settled on a cat instead. NICS was established in 1998 to care for confiscated chimps that could not be […]

Say surfing and just about everyone imagines Hawaii. The more adventurous swing wide (and south) to Peru. But the really in-the-know surfers dial it down a few more latitudinal degrees, landing about 250 km from Santiago, Chile in a town called Pichilemu (peach-ee-LEH-moo). Chile’s got about 6,400 km of glimmering blue-green-grey coastline, and no place […]

I am staring at a spoonful of carrot foam. Alaska has a way of surprising travellers, stripping them of their comfortable expectations, and I make it my policy when I visit the last frontier to come prepared for anything. But this—carrot foam—I am not prepared for. The foam is the first shot fired at the […]

We all know what it feels like when you’re not on “The List”. Whether you’re waiting for a promotion, a procedure, or standing outside the hottest new club in town, it is a cold, hard place to be. Such is life on the great plains of Africa for our friend the magnificent cheetah. Because the […]

The theme song from Jaws is playing in my head as I lower myself into the freezing cold water. I hesitantly peer under the surface, but murky water makes it difficult to see. Suddenly a dark shadow emerges and I find myself face to face with the most feared creature in the sea. Dyer Island […]

Many visit Sirince for just an afternoon when they go to the magnificent Roman ruins at Ephesus; a side trip to pick up a few souvenirs. But this village hugging the hills of the South Aegean is better experienced with a longer stay for its own sake. Sirince was settled in the 15th Century by […]

Santiago is a slow burn. Sliced down the middle by the Mapocho River, the city’s character is elusive. It’s a hodgepodge of earthquake damaged colonialism and shopping mall post modernism, and its charms take patience to find; but we have the perfect vehicle for you. La Bicicleta Verde shortcuts the amount of time it takes […]

Mombo is located on the northern tip of Chief’s Island in the heart of Botswana’s Okavango Delta. Many claim it has the best big game viewing in Botswana, so I had to find out for myself. The welcoming committee was certainly an impressive start—apart from the lovely staff at Mombo, we were met by a […]