This little corner of Northern Africa is one of our favourite places to plan in. Why? Because there’s nowhere else in the world quite like Morocco. Here are a few of our top reasons to visit: 1) Get the blues—Pink may be the navy blue of India (as Diana Vreeland, fabled former editor of Vogue, […]
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 […]
How did this happen? The name of one of Italy’s most charming cities twisted, turned and squeezed into a moniker for a certain sort of sandwich meat. Enough, we say. It’s time to take back the word and sing its praises for what it is: Bologna, city sublime. True to its nickname, Bologna Il Grassa […]
I’m a big fan of delayed gratification; a little hard work beforehand makes the reward that much sweeter. For example, when eating lobster (my favourite meal), I’ll start with the legs and the little flanges at the tip of the tail, twisting and tweezing out even the smallest fibre of meat until I can barely […]
When a tour guide invites you into her home and makes you a special herbal elixir to heal your cough, you have probably made the leap from travel client over to friend. Or maybe you’ve just met Hemali Talsania, the kindest Trufflepig guide of them all. Trufflepig is built on experience. We don’t plan in […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Melbourne is more deserving than ever of its ‘Most Liveable City in the World’ label. Incredible food, vibrant culture and a fantastic mix of old and new make the city, specifically its CBD (Central Business District) very walkable, with surprises around every corner. A highlight for me were the arcades and laneways, hiding the real […]
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 […]
Sometimes the internet takes all the fun out of travelling. Happily, the best stuff is still not, and probably never will be, available online. You can Google-streetview your hotel before arriving and surf down the narrowest backstreets of the smallest village atop the ghastly google car. Read endless blogs to find out what the hottest […]
It turns out billionaires haven’t changed that much. I’m 24 years old, I’m richer than God and I want a massive house. François 1er’s Chateau de Chambord in the Loire Valley is as Californian as architectural folly gets. The guide books will tell you otherwise, but if you really want to understand the chateaux of […]
Special offers, particularly where travel is concerned, are imperfect for the most part. They’re either too restrictive, not really what you want, or more of a compromise than you would like. But then there are the rare gems you need to take a closer look at. For the second year in a row Wilderness Safaris is offering […]
Tswalu was born two decades ago when and English businessman named Stephen Boler began acquiring cattle farms in a far-flung corner of the southern Kalahari. His ultimate goal was to restore a huge swath of the desert back into a pristine wilderness. When Boler passed away in 1998, the reserve was taken over by the Oppenheimer family who continued […]
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 […]
Some of the best themes for trips come from our clients. Case in point, one of our favourite expeditions we worked on recently was set in the teeming streets of the UK capital for some history buff clients of ours. These particular clients are seriously interested in the great Henry VIII and we wanted to […]