Lonely planet is quite an excellent website for those with the travel bug, and for 2012, they’ve managed to get together ideas from hundreds for staff, friends and family in house, to rank the best countries to travel in in 2012. They’re all ranked in order based on topicality, excitement, value and that special X-factor. If you’re anything like me, then you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results. It amuses me when friends are surprised that other friends have gone travelling after them and taken almost the exact same route, but they shouldn’t be surprised, because those routes are popular for a reason. This selection of top 10 countries is much more interesting, and you would certainly be taking the road less travelled.

Top Apps For When You’re Stuck In An Airport

Whenever I’m stuck anywhere that I don’t want to be in, for an extended period of time, I like to get out my smartphone and have a look at what new apps are available for me to use. Conde Nast Traveller has taken this idea and used it to help get you out (or make the most) of an annoying situation. They show you a range of apps that are used to get you out of the airport, find somewhere to eat, read a book, surf the web, play a game, and find somewhere to crash. Bookmark this website on your phone now, so that you’re not kicking yourself when you’re lying on the floor of an empty airport terminal at 4am in the middle of nowhere.

Best Cruise Ships Of 2011

I have to admit that a cruise doesn’t really sound like the ideal holiday for most, it’s got a bit of a stigma of something old people do in their retirement, and that’s exactly how I felt before I went on one. It turns out that these days it’s way more than that, these cruise ships are built like cities on the sea, and there’s so much to do that you never get bored. Plus you wake up everyday in a new port, and have a new place to explore. The best cruise ships have something for everyone, from shopping malls, ice rinks, theatres, and pools, to surf machines, rock climbing walls, and water parks. And you with all that entertainment, you don’t have to worry about the average age range anymore. 

Top 10 Drivers Drives

National Geographic take you on a virtual tour of some of the most amazing roads in the world, ranging from the freezing cold and uninhabited 135 mile Denali Highway in Alaska, to the 15-mile route between Douglas and Ramsey, which is the motorcycle-racing circuit used for the Isle of Man TT. They share descriptions of their top 10 drivers’ drives, for people who enjoy driving, just for the sake of it. Going on a road trip is one of the best ways to see a country, get lost, and discover places you’d never have found in a guide book, on in a package holiday.

Beginner’s Guide To Traveling

This is probably the most extensive, and best laid out guide to learn about how to travel the world. They take you in a step by step, page by page process and cover everything you need to know, starting from the very beginning on how you can raise the money you need. They cover planning and preparation, health, insurance, getting there, communication, what to take, technical stuff, how to pack, and your last few days. What you do when you’re out there is entirely up to you, but if you make sure that you follow this guide, you’ll be sure that you’re doing everything as safely and easily as possible.

20 Things Learned From Traveling The World For 3 Years

I always find it fascinating when someone decided to share everything significant that they’ve learned over a certain period of time, and Gary here is no exception. Gary Arndt is the man behind Everything Everywhere, one of the most popular travel blogs in the world, and one of Time Magazine’s “Top 25 Best Blogs of 2010.” Since March 2007, Gary has been traveling around the globe, having visited more than 70 countries and territories, and gaining worldly wisdom in the process. I’ve been following his website and Facebook for a few months now, and he’s always ending up somewhere interesting, so this was a particularly fascinating post for me to read. My favourite point was ‘People Don’t Hate Americans’, because it’s true, but not what you expect. It’s almost cool to not like Americans in the UK, but when any come to visit, you can’t help but like them for the most part, so I think he raises a very valid point.

Explore The World With Street View

This is a bit like a ‘best of’ for Google Street View, where you can click ‘Go!’ to start exploring the world. There’s some amazing places in there, as well as a few not so special ones, but if you’re stuck for inspiration, click on ‘Gallery’ at the top of the page. Each day there’s a selection of the best finds on Street View where you can browse anything from the bizarre to the beautiful. Google really do go above and beyond other search engines in providing readers with something special.

50 Best Restaurants In The World

If, like me, you’re a bit of a foodie, then this article could come in very handy for you. It’s the world’s 50 best restaurants, and they’re dotted all over the world, with the majority of which being in western europe and the USA. It wouldn’t be good for the waistline, but a trip around the world, visiting each of these restaurants, would be hard to beat for me. If you’ve ever eaten in a Michelin star restaurant, then you’ll know what I’m talking about, the food really is something else. It’s not exactly cheap though, so if you’re going to visit one when you’re travelling, make sure you’ve got enough money with you to do it properly. When I ate at a Michelin star restaurant, I knew it would probably be a very long time before I did it again, so I had all seven courses. Plus wine and Champagne. It was amazing.

One Day On Earth

This is an ambitious video that was shot by thousands of filmmakers in every country in the world, on a single day: October 10, 2010. The producer/director Kyle Ruddick is currently editing down 3,000 hours of film and is asking for help via Kickstarter to complete the project. If he were to watch the videos for 8 hours a day, it would take you over a year to see all of the footage. It’s a mammoth project, that will prove to be truly astounding when it’s finished, and one that should hopefully inspire many more people to get out and travel the world.

101 Things To Do Around The World

This post is in the same vain as this website really, it’s all about the awesome stuff that you can do around the world. When people go travelling, they usually take the time to do stuff that they can’t do back at home, so that they can really make the most of their time away. I know a lot of my friends tried sky diving, bungie jumping, scuba diving, etc. The post covers some great locations, so if you’re struggling to think of places to go, and things to do and see, then this makes for great inspiration for your trip. How about visiting the Terracotta Warriors in China, or the volcanic mountains and white sand beaches of the Cook Islands? And even if you’re not going away anytime soon, a lot of these activities can be done in your own country.

How To Travel For Free

All this travelling can get expensive, and it’s hard to see how anyone can do it while they’re tied down to job that will provide them with the money they need. But what if you didn’t need much money at all? What if you could just get up and go, and didn’t have to worry about an income. That’s what this post is all about. It’s the art of travelling for free; taking your time, trading skills for accommodation, transport and food, living with just the bare necessities. When you don’t have a budget you need to stick to, you can make it last a lot longer, and if you don’t need money, then you don’t need a job, so you have no financial reason to hurry back home.

29 Life Lessons Learnt From Traveling

This is a man who has dedicated eight years of his life to travelling, and from those eight years, he’s learnt 29 very important life lessons that he was kind enough to share with other people. I always believe that travel broadens the mind, and I would say that it’s clearly true for Benny Lewis, the author of this post. These lessons aren’t about stuff like ‘travel light’, they’re life lessons that he’s learnt from different cultures around the world, and the challenges that he’s set himself along the way.

50 Secrets Your Pilot Won’t Tell You

This post is all about the insider secrets shared between airline pilots, that they’re either not allowed, or won’t tell you. That is, until Readers Digest asked 18 different airline pilots to share their secrets with the world. It’s quite a revealing post for anyone who flies frequently, as you start to the sense behind rules such as no using mobile phones, and secrets behind the way the pilots are forced to work. It’s a very interesting read, and when you’re done, check out the 13 things your flight attendant won’t tell you for more insider knowledge on how to fly properly.

Amazing Places To Experience Around The Globe

This can really only be described as ‘earth porn’. It’s a selection of images from some of the most beautiful places in the world. They’re the sorts of images that make you think, ‘I’ve got to go there’, and with good reason, because this is a selection of some of the most amazing experience from around the globe. My personal favourites are Skaftafeli in Iceland, Capilano Suspension Bridge in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Multnomah Falls in Oregon.

20 Awesome Travel Jobs And How To Get them

The majority of us want to travel the world and see what else is out there, but we have one problem, and that’s our jobs. We usually need money to travel, but to get money, we have to have a job, which means that we’re stuck working somewhere. It’s a bit of a dilema. But what if we could earn money while we were travelling, which meant we didn’t have to stop, wouldn’t that be so much better? This post is all about the 20 awesome jobs you can do, which allow you to travel while you’re doing them, and what’s more, it tells you all about how to get them. What I would’t give to be a freelance travel photographer…

The Ultimate Guide To Staying Safe For Women Traveling Alone

Travelling is a different kettle of fish for women, as many more dangers lurk around the corner, so that’s why it’s important for women to learn the dangers of travelling, before they actually go anywhere. That include dealing with unwanted attention from men, choosing the right accommodation, remaining safe when out and about, looking after yourself and general safety advice. It’s a post for women, but there’s still a lot to be learnt for men, as the dangers aren’t all gender specific.

28 Things I Wish I’d Known Before I Started Traveling

This post is full of useful information, so that you can learn from other people’s mistakes, instead of having to learn from your own. You’re not the first person to go travelling and you won’t be the last, so you might as well learn from others and do it properly. There’s tips and information on all the important aspects ranging from food and medicine, to safety, culture and politics. My favourite tip on the list is “Don’t be a colonialist. Be careful about calling people “locals.” Don’t assume that your culture is superior. People are not stupid just because they don’t speak English or think like you do.”

World’s 50 Best Beaches

Sometimes when we go away, all we really want to do is lie down somewhere relaxing and do absolutely nothing for a whole week, and where better to do this than on a beautiful sandy beach? These are the 50 best beaches in the world, and there’s something for everyone on this list, whether you’re looking for somewhere to get away and forget about it all, or you’re looking for some of the biggest beach parties in the world. There’s even beaches steeped in history. Check out number 11 on the list, I’ve always wanted to stay in a place like that.

80 Tips Before Traveling

This is 80 tips full of really useful advice on how to act when travelling. It was written after a trip to Matador, but this sort of information is useful for people, no matter where they’re travelling. There’s useful little nuggets like ‘Sit at a bar and strike up a conversation with the bartender. They’re possibly bored, know a lot about the town and might introduce you to other regulars.’ to smart safety advice like ‘Carry a “dummy” wallet with some expired credit and bank cards. Hand that over if you get robbed.’

A Road Trip From 1953

This is one of the most fascinating things that I’ve read on the internet; it’s the story of a man and his friends and their annual Motor Cycling holiday around Europe in 1953. It’s a story, but mostly the photos of the journey that this group of men chose to take back in the 50′s. Big, old, black and white images depict each step along the way, including their old bikes, the dated air transport, the many roads they travelled down and the various towns they stopped in along the way. There’s no fancy website, or stylish layout, it’s all purely about the journey from England, through France, Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland.

Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb

BridgeClimb Sydney welcomes visitors from around the world to enjoy the ultimate experience of Sydney on the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge. Trek up the side of the bridge in a group from any time of day – dawn, day, twilight and night – and enjoy a group photo of your achievement from the top. Check out the visitor centre while you’re there and enjoy the free entry while learning more about Australia’s iconic structure. This is a great way to start your weekend as you look out over the city that you’re going to be spending your time in. The views stretch for miles and it offers one of the best views around of the Sydney Opera House.

Photo Credit: Wilf

Hyde Park Barracks

Australia, and Sydney in particular have a rich history of criminal containment after Britain, which at the time was the head of a huge empire, started shipping their criminals over. This building was built in 1818 to house men and boys and continued to do so for 30 years, before being turned over for a number of different uses. Nowadays, this large brick building is open as a museum for visitors to explore the history of what happened all those years ago. Tourists who visit the building will discover the daily lives of convicts and Sydney’s male convict labour force, Australia’s convict system, excavated artefacts, exposed layers of building fabric and the complex’s rooms and spaces. It became a world heritage site in 2010 because it’s “the best surviving examples of large-scale convict transportation and the colonial expansion of European powers through the presence and labour of convicts”.

Photo Credit: Newtown Grafitti

Explore the Royal Botanic Gardens

This park is right, smack bang in the middle of it all, bordering the Sydney Opera House with views of the Harbour Bridge. The Botanic Gardens were founded on this site in 1816 and began Australia’s long history of collecting and studying of plants thus making this the oldest scientific institution in Australia, playing a major role in the acclimatisation of plants from other regions. Be sure to dedicate enough time to properly exploring these gardens, viewing the plant life, ponds and pyramid glasshouse and look out for the 22,000 Grey-headed Flying Foxes, a large species of fruitbat which have colonised the area.

Photo Credit: Jennifer Boriss

Sydney Tower Buffet

This isn’t the cheapest restaurant in the city, nor does it have the best food or service, but what it does have is, by far, the best view of the city, in the city. This is Australia’s highest dining venue and hosts an all you can eat buffet which is a mix of local and international cuisine, the freshest seafood, Australian native meats such as emu, crocodile, kangaroo and camel, along with salads and mouth watering desserts. Be sure to book ahead as this is a very popular restaurant, especially in the summertime. Don’t forget to bring a camera to dinner and sit by the window to really make the most of it.

Photo Credit: Karl Baron

Sydney Opera House

Finish off your evening with a night of entertainment in one of the most famous buildings in the world – the Sydney Opera House. The building is so architecturally spectacular that the designer ended up winning the the Pritzker Prize, architecture’s highest honour, in 2003. If someone asks you to think of a building in Australasia, not just Australia or Sydney, you invariable think of this one, and seeing as you’re in the city, it would be a shame not to see a show there. The grand concert halls hosts a show every night and seats 2,679 and contains the worlds largest tractor organ. If you get a chance to see the Sydney Symphony on your trip, then I strongly recommend it.

Photo Credit: bdearth

Saturday

Susannah Place

This is my favourite little hidden gem in Sydney that’s not overrun with tourists like other activities on this list. This is less of a history tour and more like a step back in time as you work your way around the four terrace houses, each preserved at a different point in the 19th or 20th century. The museum tells the stories of the often overlooked lives of working class people and the neighbourhood in which they lived, played, worked and struggled a the corner shop in stuck in 1915 and faithfully still sells the goods from that era. This is a really unique museum and is a real eye opener to what life used to be like for the work class in that area – a must visit in my opinion.

Photo Credit: Jason B

Jet Boating

Sydney seems to have somewhat of a fascination with jet boats with a whole load of different companies offering jet boat tours on some of the fastest commercial jet boats in the world. Prices range from $45-$280 and if you look around you may get one that takes you from Sydney Harbour to Bondi Beach, but they all pretty much go back to where they came from. This is an incredibly high speed pursuit where you’re likely to get very wet (even with a poncho on), and the sharp turns and spins will sling you around your seat like an old rag doll. This is not advisable for anyone with a heart condition, but very advisable to anyone who’s a bit of a thrill seeker.

Photo Credit: Craig Mort

Bondi Beach

This is one of the most famous beaches in the world, with it’s expansive sandy shores and awesome waves. This is about 4 miles out of town, but at times can be equally crowded, only with a slightly more relaxed crowd. If you’re an avid surfer then head down to the south end of the beach where the waves have a rating of 7, and flags are used to mark out a safe area for you. If swimming’s more your thing then the north end of the beach is a great spot, but can get a little crowded. There’s not many sports available in this area because of how popular of a location it gets, but it’s a really great way to spend an afternoon in the sun, building up an appetite for dinner.

Photo Credit: George Grinsted

BBQ in Bronte Park

When you’ve dried off, pick up some food and head south the Bronte Park for some fresh outdoor barbecuing. This park is right by the beach and it’s green lawns are ideal for throwing a ball about while someone else is doing the cooking. All the white tents in the photos below contain open grills where anyone can turn up and start cooking whatever they fancy. This really speaks a lot about the Australian lifestyle and their laid-back nature, just be sure to follow the BBQ etiquette and clean up after yourself. Relax in the evening sun until you fancy a cool beer or cocktail to finish the day off with at the Fringe Bar in Paddington.

Photo Credit: Stuart Hamilton

Fringe Bar, Paddington

This is a fun, young and vibrant bar is decorated in a mixture of black and white photos, bare brick walls, velvet curtains, cool lampshades and kitsch wall decorations. The food is reasonable priced and very tasty, but if you’ve just had a BBQ, maybe stick to the desert menu. Of course, we wouldn’t just recommend any old bar to you, the Fringe Bar offers live acts and DJs, trivia, karaoke and a Monday Night Comedy line up, which is one of Sydney’s favourite and longest running comedy nights. Finish your weekend with a few cocktails in this bohemian paradise, chatting with locals and tourists and dancing to that latest new music.

Photo Credit: Muse Lin

A large Mayan community once thrived here between 700AD and 900AD as this was the centre of ancient Mayan pilgrimages for over 1000 years before being conquered by Spanish Conquistadors in the 1500′s. The site has been largely restored now, bringing many details back to their former glory, after years of lying in ruins in a mess of jungle growth. There are many buildings at Chichen Itza, with the most famous of all being The Pyramid of Kukulcan (El Castillo); a tiered pyramid with stairs running up each face; you can no longer climb any of the buildings, but the shear sight of these structures is usually enough for most visitors.

As the 2nd most visited archeological site in Mexico, it can get very hot and busy in the later part of the morning when tour buses arrive full of people and the sun starts blazing down on everyone, so try and arrive soon after it opens at 8am. The site is pretty big, covering 4 square miles, so if you can, try and stay overnight for a better understanding of the history of this wonder.

Photo credit: Frank Kovalchek

Christ The Redeemer

This massive statue of Jesus is just under 40meters tall and situated on the top of a 700meter mountain, overlooking Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Built between 1922 and 1931, Christ The Redeemer is the second largest art deco statue in the world and is surrounded by the beautiful Tijuca Forest National Park, making this one of the most sacred Christian landmarks in Brazil, if not the world.

Listed as one the new wonders of the world in 2007, this is still a very popular site for non-christians due to the breathtaking panoramic views from the top of the mountain. It took 9 years to construct and was finished in 1931 and cost roughly £3million in today’s money. It’s been damaged by lightening and vandalism in recent years, but the Brazilians are always quick to repair any damages to its beloved national landmark.

Photo credit: Jorge Andrade

The Colosseum

Widely considered to be one of the greatest works of Roman architecture, The Colosseum was built in 72AD and only took 8 years to build, which was very fast at the time for this type of structure. Situated in the centre of Rome, Italy, it’s the largest building ever built by the Roman empire, capable of seating over 50,000 spectators; it’s now become an incredibly popular tourist hotspot.

As with most buildings nearly 2000 years old, it’s been through many changes and holds historical significance for a variety of reasons. The Colosseum was used most famously for gladiatorial contests, along with executions, animal hunts and theatre. The building has had many uses, but holds particular significance as a Christian shrine for Roman Catholics over the world.

The Colosseum currently stands partially in ruins from where it has been damaged by devastating earthquakes and stone robbers in the past, but overall, it’s not looking too bad for a building fast approaching 2000 years of use.

Photo credit: Charles Pluta

Great Wall Of China

Built to protect parts of the northern border of the Chinese Empire, the Great Wall of China stretches along northern China and the southern edge of Inner Mongolia for 5,500 miles. The wall has been built, rebuilt and changed many times over its life, with the earliest parts of the wall dating back to the 7th century BC. However, most of the wall that you would see to day if you visited, was built by the Ming Dynasty up until the 1640′s, with some areas having 2 walls running parallel from where different dynasties have worked on it.

The tourist hotspots are very well preserved and in some areas, hugely renovated, but that’s not typical of the whole wall. A large amount of it is in disrepair, due to the sheer length of it. As it was built from local materials, some of those materials have not been adequate and have eroded over the years, and in some cases, the locals have reclaimed parts of the wall as a cheap source for building material. Overall though, it’s a sight to see for yourself, with large parts of it that you can still walk along.

Photo credit: Francisco Diez

Machu Picchu

Located at the end of the Inca Trail in the mountain range above Urubamba Valley in Peru, Machu Picchu is relatively intact compared to many other sites in the country, and this is due to the high altitude of its location. Also known as the Lost City of the Incas, the Inca rulers left it befind when the Spanish conquest came in 1500 AD, but because of the location the Spanish didn’t even know that the site existed, meaning that it was left untouched by the fighting.

Building started around 1400 AD, but the site was only known locally until the 20th century when an American historian brought it to the attention of the rest of the world. Since then, this amazingly preserved mountain top town has undergone restorations, become a World Heritage Site, a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, and a tourist hotspot for Peru.

If you’re a fan of trekking to far away places and beautiful, historic, panorama views from the top of a mountain, then this is definitely the place for you.

Photo credit: OsvaldoROVE

Petra

This has to be one of the most incredible man-made sites in the world; Petra, Jordan, is a half built and half-carved into the rock and is surrounded by mountains full of passageways and gorges. Petra is roughly 2500 years old and thrived at it’s location due to the innovations that meant being able to control the waterflow in the harsh desert terrain.

The most famous part of Petra would be the Monastery, which you’re likely to have seen in multiple movies such as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Religion played a large part in the history of this site, but seeing as it was founded before the birth of Christ, it wasn’t until about the 300AD that Christianity appeared in the area and started using some of the famous tombs as churches.

Petra is mostly ruins these days, and is the most popular tourist site in Jordan. The decline came about when the Romans came into power and the combination of some poor decisions and an earthquake crippled the city’s water management system which meant it wasn’t long until the city was barely being used at all anymore. It’s an incredible site to see in person, if not for the history, then at least for the craftsmanship that existed all those years ago.

Photo credit: Vyacheslav Argenberg

Taj Mahal

This world famous mausoleum was built for the third wife of Emperor Shah Jahan, back in 1632 after her death during childbirth of their 14th child. The building is most famous for its white marble dome structures, surrounded by gardens, plants and waterways in a largely unpolluted areas of town. The lawns are supposed to appear typically british, as they were redesigned when the British empire took over control. The overall construction time is estimated to have been about 21 years under the supervision of multiple designers and architects.

The site saw some damage by the British at the end of the 19th century, with marble and semi-precious stones going missing, but a restoration project was put into place at the beginning of the 20th century, leaving the Taj Mahal in a remarkably good condition. Anywhere between 2-4 million tourists visit the site every year, and great measures are gone to in terms of security and upkeep to ensure that this beautiful world heritage site is preserved for many years to come.

Photo credit: snikrap

This sport involves holding onto a line behind a boat, while wearing skis and getting pulled along by a boat or line. It’s basically like skiing down a snow covered peak, except instead of using gravity as your momentum, it’s a powered line or boat. This is a great sport for amateurs to try as it’s relatively easy to get started, you just need to have an average sense of balance. When you’re up, it’s up to you to decide what you want to do, whether it’s straight or weaving around and over jumps. I like going out with friends and taking turns to ski and drive the boat, trying to come up with a line that will knock the skier over, that’s always pretty funny.

Photo credit: Clement Serrat

Wake Boarding

If waterskiing is to skiing, then wake boarding is to snow boarding – it’s the same concept as waterskiing, only both of your feet are attached to a single board. This makes it a little bit more difficult for most as it’s harder to get up on the board, but I find it a lot more fun then waterskiing as it’s easier to ride the wakes. Because it’s only 1 board, it’s a little easier to do tricks because you don’t have to worry about another board getting in your way and it’s easier to maneuver.

Photo credit: Glenn R Carter

Kite Surfing

This is similar wake boarding, only this time you’re propelled by a kite, but you may be asking yourself, what’s the point, they seem the same? Well, they’re not. The great thing about kite surfing is that you’ve got much more freedom of movement and direction as you’re not being pulled along by a boat or a line. You also have the ability to make jumps a lot higher as the wind gets under the kite and lifts you up over the waves. It can be very dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing, or you’re out in winds higher then your capability, but start small and it’s easy to learn. I strongly recommend having practiced using a kite onland before trying it on the water as it’ll speed up your learning time and make it much safer for you.

Photo credit: Monstar888

Wind Surfing

I’ve always found this sport quite difficult, but I’ve got some friends who have taken to it very easily. This is a combination of surfing and sailing; you stand up on a surfboard while hanging onto a sail which pulls you along. Once you’re up, it can be fairly easy to go in a straight line, but tricks can become quite difficult, but hugely impressive. This can be awesome fun, and because the sail is relatively large, you don’t need a massive amount of wind to get started. It is a pretty expensive sport though with all the boards, harnesses, sails, etc.

Photo credit: goms.at_sylt

Banana Boating

This is definitely something to try on holiday and there’s many different variations, but you’re essentially being pulled along behind a boat on an inflatable. This is hilarious fun as the driver of the boat pulls every maneuver they can, to try and throw you off the inflatable, while you lean into different parts of it to help keep you onboard. You can also do this with donuts and lie-down inflatables with friends, taking it in turns to see who can stay on the longest.

Photo credit: Peanuttt

Zap Cat

Zap Cat racing is crazy, high speed fun in a light weight, twin hulled inflatable boat with a large outboard engine which is huge in comparison to what is typically used on a boat of that size. The lightweight craft races across the water at speeds reaching 50 mph, reached in 3 seconds from standstill – if the speed doesn’t shock you when you’re on the boat, then the acceleration certainly will. During this amazing aquatic ride you will be exposed to between 2 and 3 G’s in the turns as you throw yourself around the boat to help balance through the corners. Superfast exhilarating fun, from relatively minimal gear and at low cost.

Photo credit: Gary Tanner

Jet Skiing

There’s nothing quite like being propelled along the sea by a water jet spraying out the back of a single man craft. The fastest ever recorded speed was 92mph and there’s a whole range of tricks and stunts available to you. Competitive jet skiing involves racing around, taking on jumps and freestyle tricks. This sport works best on wavey seas where you get up speed and use the waves as jumps. Be sure to use the deadman’s key though because if you’re really going for it, then you may find yourself coming off the ski and into the drink.

Photo credit: Phil Flawka

Sail a Yacht

I used to love sailing when I was younger, there was something about moving at speed using only the power of wind that I really enjoyed. This would be a great sport to do as a couple or group of friends depending on the size of the sail boat, however you can do it as an individual too if you prefer. The freedom provided by this amazing sport once you’ve become skilled enough to go it alone is very liberating, and maybe a little bit scary too, but it’s completely worth it – the world is your oyster.

Photo credit: Ken Hodge

Stand-Up Paddleboarding

Unfortunately for surfers, it’s not always big waves and strong winds, it’s often too calm in places to really get good surf. That’s where stand up paddleboarding comes in; you can do it on a lake, or anywhere where there’s not much surf. The idea is that you stand up on a long surfboard and use a paddle to push yourself around the water in this relaxed sport. It’s a little difficult to get started if your balance sucks as bad as mine does, but when you’ve got a little speed up, it’s a lot easier and very relaxing.

Photo credit: Taro Taylor

Surfing

Surfing is one of the most popular water-sports in the world to date, every country has its following of the sport no matter how big or small, it appears everyone wants to live the surfer lifestyle. Surfing really is a fun sport to do, especially as you get better at it and you begin to ride the waves like a pro, until you get the ultimate hang-time underneath a monster wave. There are places nearby most coasts in the UK and in America that offer lessons for surfing should you want to take it up, but you don’t have to take the lessons if you don’t want to, it is however advisable as it will get your skill as a surfer up a lot faster. More and more people seem to flock towards surfing each year, whether it is to compete in a competition, learn as a hobby or watch as a spectator.

Photo credit: Mike Baird

Coasteering

This sport is about working your way around a cliff or rock edge between the area that is above water at low tide and under water at high tide (known as the intertidal zone), using a variety of techniques. You can abseil and climb, scramble and swim, walk and run along a rock face in the water. You’re basically encouraged to do all the things that your parents told you not to do when playing in the sea, jump of rocks, and dive from a height, all in the name of fun.

Photo Credit: Scott Hamilton

White Water Rafting

There are obvious similarities between this and kayaking, with the main differences being that you’re on a raft and there’s a team of you to look out for one another. This sport takes place in a specialized, durable raft made to withstand being thrown against rocks and along a river at speed. There are advantages to having people in your raft, such as more experience people who can help to control and balance it, but there are disadvantages too such as losing members on the team on the journey and having to get them back in. If you’re going to to try it, start off small with an instructor and then move up to teams of people operating at the same skill level as you, in a grade of river that you can all handle.

Photo Credit: Huberton

Deep Sea Fishing

Deep sea fishing takes regular fishing and it makes it pretty hardcore. You’re usually a lot further out to see, in rougher conditions, catching big fish that you can’t find closer to the shore. It’s amazing, exhilarating fun as you bounce along the sea, trying to score the catch of a lifetime, and better still, you get to eat it! A basic understanding is a must when it comes to deep sea fishing, but if you go out with a guide, they should show you everything you need to know.

Photo credit: Ian Mackenzie

Dive In A Blue Lagoon

There are blue lagoons all over the world, but the most famous one is in Iceland and it’s also a geothermal spa. The temperature of the water ranges between 37-39°C and the deep blue water waters are rich in minerals like silica and sulphur and bathing in the Blue Lagoon is reputed to help some people suffering from skin diseases. This is the ultimate in outdoor water relaxation and a completely one of a kind experience.

Photo credit: Placid Casual

Dive With Sharks

There’s something equal parts terrifying and exciting about swimming with sharks, which makes so many people want to do it. In the past, this list might have had ‘swimming with dolphins’, but we’re all about outdoing ourselves these days. You can of course accidentally swim with sharks, but we don’t recommend this at all; we recommend going out with a trained professional and diving with them inside a cage – you don’t want to get too close on your first go. When you become more natural around different sharks and know how to act around them, you can eventually lose the cage.

Photo credit: Manoel Lemos

River Tubing

If you’ve ever been at a water park and gone on the river rapids on a donut, then you’ll be familiar with the concept of this. You sit in a donut and get carried along a river by the current, rather similar to white water rafting, only tamer. If you go in groups, you can bounce off of each other an attempt to make it more rough, but this is usually considered a fairly relaxed watersport when done commercially. Of course, it all depends on your skill level and river you choose to go down, because there are plenty of rivers that you can jump into that would knock you all over the place.

Photo credit: apermanentwreck

Swim In The Dead Sea

This isn’t just any old Sea, it’s called the Dead Sea because of it’s extremely high salt content (33.7%) which allows people to float on the water without the need for treading water, but prohibits any animal life. The sea itself borders Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west and interestingly enough, it’s surface and shores are 423 meters below sea level, the lowest elevation on the Earth’s surface. It’s quite far away for most, but it a truly unique experience to float on top of the water, so if you get the chance, we thoroughly recommend you go.

Photo credit: Kevin Lim

Scuba Diving

If you like the idea of water-sports but you’re not really much of a petrol-head then this is a great option for you. Scuba diving is one of the most awe-inspiring things you can do under water, there’s nothing else like it, I mean really were not supposed to be able to go under-water were just not built for that purpose; but going under and visiting a shipwreck or diving with sharks is just incredible. Can you imagine how wonderful and vibrant the colors are down in the deep blue? It really is like going to another planet. Be warned though, you will need some training because it can be a dangerous sport if you do not know the correct procedures, but don’t worry, the training is pretty easy and you will love it.

Photo credit: Ilse Reijs and Jan-Noud Hutten

Dive Off A Waterfall

Find a secluded spot somewhere with a lake and a waterfall, take a little dip and go for a dive – the perfect place to get away from it all. Go for a swim before you go for the jump so that you can check out whether there’s any nasty rocks that you’re going to want to avoid. Avoid flip flops if you’re going to be climbing up any rocks (they have a tendency to slip underfoot), either go barefoot and be careful or wear sandals. If you’re planning on doing this on your own, make sure you tell someone where you’re going so that they know where to look if you go missing. There’s no reason why anyone who’s fit enough wouldn’t do this at least once in their lifetime.

Photo credit: Felipe Skroski

Snorkle The Great Barrier Reef

I’m a big fan of snorkeling because it’s effortless, relatively cheap, and a great way to see coral life. All you need is a snorkel and some flippers and you can spend hours swimming around the sea, looking at all the marine wildlife. Because the fish are so used to people being around them in the sea, they don’t tend to swim away and will actually come up to you and eat out of your hand if you’re holding an open banana. Bring an underwater camera for added fun.

Choosing the right pack for your next adventure is a big decision and comfort and weight is key when it comes to making the right decision. A pack like the Lowe Alpine Airzone comes equipped with the company’s Airzone technology, an innovative suspension system that maximizes airflow while supporting up to 33 pounds of gear. Features such as the vented shoulder harness and the channeled padding in the back, minimize the contact areas along your spine and as a result, you’ll feel cool and comfortable even after several miles on the trail.

A well made and adaptive hip belt is key to comfortably distributing the weight of the bag when you’re walking as it takes the strain off your back. This bag also included a torso fit system which you can adjust to your body type and size, ensuring that the bag is perfect for you. Of course, if you’re going away for a few months, you’re probably looking for a fair bit of storage, and depending on the sort of travelling you’re doing, you may want more or less than this bag provides with 2,700 cubic inches of storage by itself and 3,300 cubic inches when expanded

Other details include a hydration pocket with a built-in tube exit, an elastic front gear attachment system, an ice axe/trekking pole attachment, side mesh water bottle pockets, a hideaway rain cover, a sternum strap buckle that doubles as a whistle, and an SOS panel imprinted on the underside of the lid with instructions for an emergency. Exactly what you’d expect from a top quality bag.

Daypack

If you’re going travelling then you’re going to be lugging around a massive backpack for days on end, so when you can, you want to leave that bag behind – that’s where a day pack come in. You’re invariably still going to have plenty that you want to carry around and the best way to do it is in a secure and small packback which is basically a miniature version of the one that you’re used to.

The Daylite (pictured and linked below) converts to a simple daypack with a buit-in/tuck away spacer mesh harness. Mesh covered ridged foam backpanel with central air chimney is great for cooling you down while you’re carrying it and the padding produces extra comfort which also doubles up as a pillow on long journeys. There’s a panel loader with front slash pocket w/ key clip, mesh side pockets, and front laced bungee compression too. 

Vacuum-Seal Travel Bags

This set of five compressible travel bags makes being on the go a lighter, more organized, and more streamlined packing for your bag. To use, simply add the items to be stored and, starting at the zippered end, roll the air out through the one-way valve to “shrink” the contents – often gaining up to twice as much overall storage space. The durable construction is airtight and waterproof for protection against dirt, moisture, mildew, bugs, and odors; and the clear design is perfect for airport security checks as well as at-a-glance reference of items inside.

ITW Space Bags travel bags are made of the same durable material that our regular space bags are made of so you can use them over and over again. Because of the clear see through film, you can keep your cloths organized for speedy security checks at airports. Not only can you pack twice as much in your suitcase now, but as you use your travel bags, they will keep dirty and damp cloths away from your clean clothes. When you’re all packed away, you’ll be surprised at how much more you can get in there. 

Combination Bag Lock

Keep luggage securely locked and easily accessible with this 2-pack of combination locks from Master Lock. This set includes two locks each in one of four distinguishable neon colors: green, orange, pink, and purple. The locks let you set your own easy-to-remember combination so you’re not left scratching your head at airport security. Approved by the Transportation Security Administration, the locks are easily opened by TSA screeners for inspection.

Valuables Pounch

This is part of the Rick Steves Travel Collection. Rick is the host, writer and producer of the popular public television series Rick Steves’ Europe, and the best-selling author of 30 European travel books. Developed by KIVA, the new Rick Steves Travel Collection incorporates the creative innovations reflecting the energy and spirit of Rick Steves’ travel philosophy – pack light, pack light, pack light. We think you’ll agree.

The great part about this bag is that you can hang it around your neck underneath your shirt and no one knows that you’ve got it on. It protects all your valuables such as your wallet, passport and credit card which takes a massive load off your mind as you’ll no longer be worrying about pickpockets trying to steal your valuables. I know that’s something I always worry about when I’m away and it’s nice to be able to just forget about it and enjoy yourself. 

Moleskin Notebook

The Moleskine Large Sketchbook is made with top quality heavy paper and is perfect for on the go drawings, sketches and tempera colors. Every Moleskine product is thread bound and has a cardboard bound cover with rounded corners, acid free paper, a bookmark, an elastic closure and an expandable inner pocket that contains the Moleskine history.

In fact, I actually planned out this post using this very notebook as the quality makes it easy to write on and I don’t have to worry about it falling apart if I sling it about everywhere. Every traveller should at least try to attempt a diary, if only to help pass the time on long over night bus journeys, where they can doodle away and reminisce about your travels so far.

Quick-Drying Towel

When you’re travelling, you can’t really afford to carry two towels just because the other one is still a bit wet from the last time you used it, and in that same vein, you don’t really want to stick a wet towel into your bag. Quick drying towels are a life saver when you’re on the road as they’re easy to wash and the waiting time for them to dry is very minimal, meaning that you’re forever feeling fresh.

Packed in a conveniently reusable mesh duffle, the Aquis Adventure Basic Camp Set includes: one Aquis Adventure Microfiber Towel, Graphite, Large (19 x 39-Inches); one Aquis Wash Cloth, Blueberry (10 x 10-inches) and 2 ounces concentrated all-purpose biodegradable camp soap. Aquis is made of Aquitex, a super absorbent material woven from ultra-fine microfibers. The technology behind our microfiber towel enables water to be drawn from hair and skin more quickly and thoroughly than other towels.

Lightweight Sleeping Bag

Whether you want to carry a sleeping bag when you’re travelling is completely up to you, but if you do, you’re going to want a really lightweight and well packed one like the one below. You may not see the point if you’re going from hostel to hostel through asia, but often you’ll find you want to sleep on journeys and that the sheets that you find in some hotels and hostels can be somewhat questionable, so it’s best to stick with that you know.

The Suisse Sport Adventure extra-small sleeping bag is ideal for long treks when a few inches or pounds can make the difference between a pleasant hike and an unbearable slog. The mummy bag is ultra-compact, compressing down to 12 by 7 by 7 inches when in the stuff sack. How small is that? Well, it’s petite enough to hold in the palm of your hand.The bag is warm and comfortable and the construction materials ad up to a 30-degree F temperature rating, making the bag a good choice for summer, spring, and fall camping trips. The bag is also machine-washable for easy cleaning.

Sensible Walking Shoes

Fashion sort of goes out the window a bit when you’re backpacking across the world, and is replaced by comfort and form. When you’re walking for hours on end, you don’t really want to be doing it in a knackered old pair on converse’s, or you’ll find your feet falling apart by the end of the week. Invest in a solid pair of walking shoes and you’ll find that you can go for hours.

Get the most out of light hikes with this rugged walking shoe from New Balance. The New Balance 967 is a rugged Country Walker featuring rich waterproof materials for outdoor activities and foul weather protection. Designed to keep your feet dry and comfortable during country walks, the 967 provides powerful stability, and serious cushioning to help make your outdoor adventures better than ever.

Swimwear

If you’re beach hopping this summer, then you need to find yourself some good quality swimwear that’s going to go the distance. Speedo and Quicksilver produce some excellent designs and quality and board shorts for men can double up as shorts, meaning you don’t have to pack so much. Protected against the sun, these swimsuits will keep you safe from the sun while you’re enjoying the beach and your travels. 

Waterproof Clothing

This versatile Dickies Jacket is made from Rip-Stop nylon with a water repellent finish and a fleece lining. There are two slash hand warmer pockets and one inside pocket. Zip front design, elastic cuffs and drawstring bottom insure easy function. Perfect for monsoon season in Vietnam, these clothes will keep you warm and dry all year round without weighing you down all the extra baggage.  

Head torch

If you’re staying in a hostel with other people and you’re trying to find your towel in the middle of the night, you can’t exactly turn on the lights at full, as it wouldn’t make you particularly popular. Use a head torch on the other hand and you’ll be able to see everything you need without the need to wake everyone up. It’s also great for long journeys in the dark when you want to try and read your book.

The Energizer TrailFinder 7-LED headlight is ideal for industrial professionals, outdoorsmen, and travellers. The TrailFinder offers four light modes–area, spot, flood, and red for night vision–so you have plenty of options depending on your activity. In addition, the TrailFinder pivots back and forth, making it easy to aim the light where it’s needed. Best of all, the light fits virtually any individual thanks to its adjustable soft elastic headband. Water-resistant, the TrailFinder runs for 16 hours on the maximum setting using three Energizer Max AAA batteries.

Multi-tool

I’m such a big fan of this multi-tool, when I lost mine, I actually replaced it with exactly the same one. Tough, reliable, and easy to handle, the Gerber Suspension Multi-Plier is engineered to tackle jobs in just about every situation you can imagine. Featuring a sleek butterfly design, durable stainless steel construction, and Gerber’s patented Saf.T.Plus component locking system, this affordable multitool packs 11 convenient tools that will quickly prove indispensable.

Features: Wire cutter. Wire crimper. Serrated knife. Fine edge knife. Needlenose pliers. Cross point screwdriver. Small flat blade screwdrivers. Medium flat blade screwdrivers. Ballistic nylon sheath. Bottle opener. Lanyard hole. Specifications: Overall length: 6.50″. Closed length: 4″. Weight: 6.7 ounces.

First Aid Kit

It would be irresponsible to go away to foreign countries without bringing a half decent first aid kit and this kit has everything you’ll need. Inside you will find: 3 Safety Pins, Splinter, Picker, Tick Remover, Forceps, 2 After Bite Wipes, Ibuprofen, Antihistamine and Diphenhydramine all in this handy and incredibly lightweight Aloksak Waterproof Bag.

Insect Repellent

I’m pretty lucky, bugs don’t tend to bother me as much as some of my friends, but I still have to use repellent to get the rest of the bugs to leave me along and when I do, I use 3M as their technology allows time released protection for up to 12 Hours. Splash & Sweat resistant to ensure consistent protection through all your outdoor activities it repels deer ticks that may carry Lyme Disease, and mosquitoes that may carry West Nile Virus. This stuff is so good, the lotion formulation was actually developed for and used by the US Military and is freeze-thaw stable.

Passport Cover

For less than $20, you can protect your valuable passport, which, in the US, is valid for 10 years for Adults. It’s smart to keep your passport protected, from nosy fellow travelers as well as the effects of wear and tear.Using this passport holder will help to keep your passport clean & as new as possible. The highly durable, sturdy leather enables the passport to stay protected and safe and inside there’s room for keeping some currency and a couple of cards too.

If you’re planning on travelling a lot in the next 10 years, or even just going away for the next few months, then your passport is going to go through a lot as it bounces around in your pocket with your other valuable. The last thing you want is to damage it so that when you arrive at an airport they assume that it’s a fake and hold you for a few hours for interrogation. It’s small, simple, cheap and effective and absolutely essential to your travels in my opinion.

Digital Camera

If you like to get out there and have fun, this is the camera for you. It’s rugged enough to handle whatever you can dish out, and smart enough to take incredible pictures while you’re doing it. Not only is it waterproof, freezeproof and shockproof, it’s packed with amazing technology like one-touch HD movie recording. You can take the camera down to 16 feet underwater, drop it from 5 feet and into temperatures of -10°C without breaking it, which is exactly what you need if you’re going to have it rattling around your person for a few months.

Dual Image Stabilization Forget about blurry shots with this 2-in-1 anti-blur solution. Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization compensates for camera shake to keep your shots steady while Digital Image Stabilization captures crisp, clear images in any situation. HD Video 720p A simple, one-touch button allows you to record movies with amazing clarity in high-definition, right from your camera.

Apple iPod

The new iPod classic comes with 160GB of storage in the same compact size, making it the take-everything-everywhere iPod. It’s available in quintessential silver or striking black. iPod classic also has plenty of battery life (up to 36 hours of audio playback or 6 hours of video playback), good looks (a sleek, anodized aluminum design), and other great features (Cover Flow and Genius playlists for creating perfect playlists). You can even rent a movie from iTunes and watch it on the go. When you’re travelling, it’s all about capacity, battery life and durability, and the iPod classic is the best at all 3. 

Netbook

If you’re like me and need your internet to check up on work and email, then you’re probably going to want to some sort of computer with you and this netbook is ideal for travelling as it’s less than 3 pounds, so it’s easy to carry in your backpack, purse, book bag, and more. The battery life is over 8 hours which is ideal for long journeys and it has just about enough computing power to take whatever you would want to throw at it while you’re travelling.

Photography is a big part of travelling for me and I would alway need a way of backing up my photos so bringing a netbook is great way of doing this. It’s not particularly ideal for editing as it’s only got a 10 inch screen, but that’s a good thing I reckon as it’ll stop me from spending too much time on it when I’m away. The 250GB hard drive is plenty of space for a few months photos and documents and if your camera holds and SD card then you can transfer your photos much quicker by inserting it into the SD card slot on the side.

If you’re missing home then have no fear as the integrated webcam will enable you to have video calls from wherever you have an internet connection, which makes travelling all that much easier. Some people may not want to carry this when they’re away, in fact some people probably couldn’t imagine going near a computer when they’re travelling, but for me, it’s an absolute must.

Portable Hard Drive

I’m a little bit fussy when it comes to backing up my content, especially when it comes to my photos, but that’s not really a problem now that we have such small and portable hard drives at our disposal, so we never have to lose a file again. Portable drives are a little bit more expensive than desktop ones but, they’re much more durable and a lot lighter to carry around.

Simply drag and drop to save files. Fast USB 2.0 performance makes transferring large music and video collections quick and painless. Built-in power management ensures energy-efficient operation—a big advantage when you’re on the road away from a power outlet. And every Seagate Portable drive is backed by a 1-year limited warranty for peace of mind.

When it comes to travel photography, the weight of your gear is equally important to the quality, as you’re going to have to spend a lot of time carrying it around if you want to actually use it. Smaller pocket camera have come a long way in terms of usability, but you’re always going to get better photos with a proper digital SLR. Alternatively, you could use a micro four thirds camera which has much the same options as an SLR, only a lot smaller; almost pocket-sized in some cases.

Lens

If you’re using a camera with interchangeable lenses, it’s secondary to the type of lens that you want to use. If you’re looking for an all-in-1 wide angle to telephoto, the Sigma 18-250mm is an excellent choice as you won’t have to carry extra lenses or change them during the day. Of course, when you’re using an all-in-1 the quality does suffer somewhat, but you can invest in bigger cameras and bigger lenses if you want, but you will have to carry them. Because I own and run a photography website, I’m so used to carrying and using my camera, that I don’t actually mind anymore. It’s all about what’s suited for you – a great camera will not get you great photos, there’s a lot more to it than that.

Shoot on Film

If you take a lot of photos then you’ll probably find yourself infront a computer screen for hours trying to fix them, before filing them away, never to be looked at again. That’s where shooting on film comes in; you don’t have to do anything to the photos after you’ve taken them (except develop them), and you end up with actual photos that you can share with friends and family.

Other great advantages of shooting on film is that the quality is vastly superior to digital, the cameras are a load cheaper and easy to come by, and you’re much more careful about the photos you take. Because you’re shooting on film, you tend to think more about the photos you’re taking as you have to pay for each, which usually results in better photos. It also means that you stop worrying about exposure and the settings you’re using as there’s nothing you can do about it once you’ve taken the photo, so you can just sit back and enjoy your holiday.

What to Shoot

There’s lots of different types of photos to capture when you’re on holiday or travelling, and they range from basic photos of whatever you’re doing to unique looks at world famous monuments. I always try to be original in the photography I create, rather then producing the same photos that everyone who’s come before me has, so I tend to shy away from typical methods used by most. This doesn’t mean that you should too, that’s just the way I am; there’s nothing wrong with just a plain photo of a monument, or amazing location, or beautiful beach, etc. It’s all about capturing images that will help you to remember your trip in the future.

When To Shoot

It’s natural to want to shoot all day when travelling or on holiday, but the best photos always come in the early morning and the evening, when the sun is lower in the sky and provides a much more soft light. When you shoot in the middle of the day, the midday sun is very harsh and hard to capture naturally, although the use of a polarizing filter can help massively. If you shoot in the evenings, everything will look better as you camera will capture everything is a much more flattering light.

Filters

I always use filters on my lens, no matter what I’m shooting. Firstly, I use a UV filter to protect my lens from knocks or drops and to filter out some UV light (not that it’s particularly noticeable). Then I like to use a polarizing filter in bright sunlight as it filters out indirect light that’s bouncing off of everything you’re shooting. They also help to remove reflections which is perfect for capturing clear blue water. A word of warning though, if you’re going to be using filters, use one that matches the quality of your lens as it would be pointless to pay hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on lenses, to then put cheap and nasty filters infront of them.

Photograph Journey

Travel photography tells a story so you should bare in mind that the journey is a part of that story. You’ll often run into interesting people and cool buildings on your way, as well as spending a lot of the people you’re with. Take your camera out at the beginning of your trip and start shooting right away, if only to help you practice your photography before your holiday or travels begin.

Include Context

The thing about travel photography is that you’re taking photos of objects and scenes that you’re not used to seeing, so to show this, you need to include context. A photo of a man on a street is just a photo of a man on a street; dedicate 1/2 – 2/3 of the photo to context. My photo below includes the subject in a relaxed position, while still providing some context of where the photo was taken. The good thing about this photo is that when you first look at it, you can tell that it wasn’t taken on an average day for the subject; it was actually taken on a boat in Greece.

Confidence

It can be a little bit daunting taking photos in a foreign country, especially when you’re taking photos of people, but don’t let that stop you. If you’re a little bit shy about pointing your camera at someone, then try candid photography, as it allows you to take natural photos of people without them seeing you. I think this ‘fly on the wall’ sort of style to travel photography suits it really well as it shows the whole journey of the photographer through their eyes, rather then a collection of random photos in an unknown destination.

Tripod / Gorillapod

If you enjoy capturing photos at night like me, then you’re going to want to use a tripod, or failing that, and perhaps much more suitable for travellers, a Gorillapod. They allow you to wrap the mini tripod legs around objects and then mount your camera on top of it. I personally like to have a tripod for cool lighting effects at night, and I’m always looking for new locations to try this and travelling is a great time to find new ones. It’s also really handy when you go off on your own for a day and want to be included in the photos too.

Basic Composition

Before you even pick up your camera, you first need to think about what you actually want in the photo and whether it’ll add to the photo or take away from it. This is at the very heart of good composition; only add an element to a photo which will help it to improve it. Do your best to balance the photos, while introducing lines and following the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds is probably one of the first composition techniques that you would have learnt and it’s especially important in travel photography as it allows you to include context in your photos, as you would have seen in the photos so far. The rule basically dictates that photos should be split into 9 equal parts; 2 equally-spaced horizontal lines and 2 equally-spaced vertical lines, and that important features within the frame should intersect with these lines at some point.

Be In The Photo

I’m probably the most guilty of this out of anyone I know; I take so many photos that I’m always behind the camera and never infront of the camera. Ask someone to take a photo of yourself, or set your camera up on a ledge or a tripod on a timer to capture yourself. This is my preferred method as people don’t usually know where to look, let alone what to do when I hand them my camera, and it allows me to compose the photo the way I want it. It can take a little while to get it right though. Have a look at the photo I took of myself recently in Greece. Notice how I’ve followed some basic composition and included context.

Go Solo

As a photographer, I do my best not to bore others with my incessant need to take photos, so every trip I take, I like to take a day to myself to explore and take photos. This allows me all the time that I could ask for to relax and really experiment with the photography, as i’m not pressurised by fellow travellers to hurry up. When you’re at home, this technique isn’t as much fun, but when you’re away, there’s plenty to be seen. In the photo below, I had been travelling on a boat around the Greek Isles and docked up at an island for the day, so I went off exploring. I ended up finding this old ruined building at the top of a hill looking out over the bay. The provided excellent context to the photo, while provided a different view that I wouldn’t have seen if I had stayed with my friends.

Backup

I’m pretty careful about managing my photos on my computer and during the import process as I learnt the hard way that you should back up everything. When you’re away travelling, bring an extra, external hard drive with you and use it to back up your files as you import them, so you always have two copies is something should ever happen to one of them. Then when you’re home, reference the files onto 2 separate hard drives so that it’s not taking up all the room on your computer.

Stay Safe

Tourist destinations are always hotspots of pickpockets and street thieves, and cameras are a popular item for them to take. The best way to protect against your stuff from being stolen is to be aware of your surroundings and keeping your valuables in places that they wouldn’t think to check. If you want to try to procect your camera though, I recommend a Sun Sniper Steel as it’s a new strap which makes your camera very comfortable to carry and is also protected by steel wire running through the middle which prevents any would-be robbers from trying to cut away your camera. And if someone does manage to take it, it’s insured for $500.

If you’d like to learn more about photography, check out www.expertphotography.com

When I first saw this video back in 2007, I was blown away and immediately watched the entire thing, available on youtube. It’s hard not to be moved and impressed by the life and words that a dying Randy Pausch has to share. You see, he’s dying of pancreatic cancer and at Carnegie Melon, the university he works for, there’s a lecture circuit called ‘Last Lecture’ where lecturers come in and give the lecture they would give if they could only give one more and it just so happens that this was Randy’s last real lecture.

The whole lecture, which lasts for over an hour in the full video, tells the tales of his amazing life and the wisdom that he has to share with the world, and more importantly, the children he leaves behind. There’s one particular part of the video which I always remember, it’s the part where he talks about ‘brick walls’ and I encourage you to at least watch the video below, if not the whole thing and see for yourself.

Black Or Red? – Ashley Revell

This is the incredible story of Ashley Revell and his journey to Las Vegas to put his entire life’s savings down on either red or black, in an effort to double his money. This was all part of a ‘Sky1′ program which followed his life as he sold everything he owned and made is way to America to find a casino willing to take his bet. With a story like that, how could you not watch the video below, it’s truly inspiring to see a man take himself out of his comfort zone to try and change his life for the better. The idea was so inspiring, that it’s actually inspired Simon Cowel to create a new game show that’s coming out in the autumn, which is set to be the most expensive game show production in the world.

Glastonbury 2009 Highlights

Largely considered to be one of the greatest festivals in the world, Glastonbury doesn’t always have the weather we all hope for, but it has by far one of the best line ups of live music in one weekend, anywhere in the world. But that’s not all Glastonbury does, there’s just as much theatre, comedy and circus acts to see, which make this one of the best weekends of the year for visitors. There’s nothing quite like a music festival to get lost in yourself, forget about work and leave it all behind to have fun.

Move – Rick Mereki

I first saw this video just a few days ago and I’ve probably watched it five times since then because of short length, cool editing and interesting music. It’s only a minute long and the concept was simple; create a video of himself walking towards a camera in various stops on his travels around the world and cut them all together in a small, but interesting video. It’s very well made and as I sat and watched I felt a combination of jealousy that I hadn’t been where he had or thought of this idea, and inspiration to see more of the world.

La Tomatina

This was probably the third item on the bucket list that I started over 10 years ago, as I’d heard of this really cool food fight somewhere in Europe. I’ve always wanted to go, but never been, and to me, this video sums up what a bucket list is all about; going somewhere to do something awesome that you don’t typically get to do. And because this activity is in a different country to most of us, it means that if you decide to take it on, you’ll likely end up doing plenty more items on your list at the same time.

30 Years of BAD Pictures – Bruce Dale

If you’re looking for inspiration on travel and photography, then look no further; National Geographic and the works of Bruce Dale have everything you need. Some of the highlights of Bruce Dale’s 30 year career at National Geographic include 10 trips to China beginning in the late 1970′s, the hologram cover for the 100th anniversary edition, and mounting a camera on the tail of a jumbo jet for in-flight photographs. The travel side to this video is probably the most inspiring part as he shows you people and places that very few other people have seen, which just makes you want to get up, grab your camera and go away for a while.

Arctic Heli Skiing – Iceland

The great thing about using a helicopter to get to where you want to ski from is that the limitations of what you can and can not ski down are very different. The helicopter goes a lot higher into the mountains, and drops you off at the very top, allowing you to have a much longer decent. Very few resorts offer heli-skiing, so when you find one that does, it’s likely to be in an uncrowded resort, leaving a whole mountain of fresh, powdery snow all to yourself – perfect if you’re fed up of overcrowded resorts. This is a pretty hardcore bucket list activity and if you’re willing to give this a go, then there shouldn’t be much on the list that’ll stop you.

Frontier – Whitewater Kayaking

For such a clearly extreme sport, the guys in this video are very relaxed and blahzay about what they’re about to do. This is a group of guys who complete bucket list activities as if it was as easy as walking to the shops, so it makes you wonder, what’s stopping me from doing the same? They do a great job of showing you that you don’t really need to worry too much about these sorts of sports; they’re much more accessible then we realise. Take a leaf out of their books and start building your bucket list today.

The Best Motivation Video – KyaniHawaii

2010 Gumball 3000 Rally - Monster Energy

I’ve been on a couple road trips in the past year and take my word for it, they’re awesome fun, and there’s no better or more extravagant road trip in the world then the Gumball 3000. £25,000 to enter, you get 5 days of non-stop, luxury racing, parties and hotels. If this doesn’t inspire you to get up from your computer to plan your own road trip of a lifetime, then I don’t know what will!

Skiing dates back centuries and is the most popular alpine sport in the world. If you’re anything like me, then the first time you tried to ski, you would have fallen straight on your ass, but don’t let that deter you! Once you’ve got the hang of skiing, there’s plenty of styles and possibilities for you to try out. There’s high speed racing, slalom, long jumps and cross country to name but a few. If you want to get a head start on your skiing training, have a look out for dry ski slopes in your area which will help with your balance greatly. This is at the top of our list because everyone should give it a go at least once in their lifetime, as it’s not particularly hard and you gain a great sense of speed and power under your feet. Give it a go.

Photo credit: Zach Dischner

Snowboarding

Most people find this a little bit harder then skiing as your feet are much closer together which makes your center of gravity higher and your balance worse. But that’s not to say it’s not fun; it is, in fact many people find it to be much more fun then skiing itself. Created less than 50 years ago, snowboarding has really taken off with downhill racing, slalom and big air jumping being hugely popular. When it comes to going on holiday though, there’s nothing quite like carving up some snow and racing friends down hills and mountains while trying to avoid trees and rocks; invigorating fun.

Photo credit: Sharat Ganapati

Heli-Skiing

The great thing about using a helicopter to get to where you want to ski from is that the limitations of what you can and can not ski down are very different. The helicopter goes a lot higher into the mountains and drops you off at the very top, allowing you to have a much longer decent. Very few resorts offer heli-skiing, so when you find one that does, it’s likely to be in an uncrowded resort, leaving a whole mountain of fresh, powdery snow all to yourself – perfect if you’re fed up of overcrowded resorts.

Photo credit: Patrick Angberg

Sledging / Tobogganing

There’s nothing like waking up to snow, digging out your sledge and bombing it down some hills, all in the pursuit of fun. Of course, the one time you want to use a sledge, it’s usually nowhere to be found, but trays, plastic lids and police riot shields work just as well. My favourite hill for sledging is so incredibly steep that you can’t even safely run down it, and is covered in bumps and holes, which sound dangerous, but actually make it a load more fun. Take some friends with you and race each other down, taking it in turns so that you don’t become completely exhausted from running up the hill. When you’re done, make sure you don’t have any plans for the evening as a day of this is knackering.

Photo credit: Marc Lagneau

Snowmobiling

Man is forever finding a way for making single person machines to take you over rough terrain at speeds, and snowmobiling is the ice and snow version of that. Instead of four wheels, snowmobiles use a continuous track at the back at 2 steerable skis at the front, and were originally intended for use in the winter to take you places which larger vehicles couldn’t go, but once people realised how much fun they were to ride, it became somewhat or a tourist activity.

Snowmobiles are a great way of seeing a part of a mountain, lake or forest that you haven’t seen before, as well as drag-racing and trail runs. Recently they’ve been used in the summer as well, for use on a variety of soft surfaces, including water. Whether you’re taking it round a track, drag-racing or jumping them across enormous gaps, snowmobiles are the ultimate winter extreme motor sport.

Photo credit: Sonny Side Up!

Telemark-Skiing

The concept is very similar to skiing and snowboarding only, it involved both feet being bound to a single ski. Traditionally boots are bound to the ski’s from the heel to the toe and this makes them very rigid, telemark-skiing uses only the toe and ball of the foot area to be bound, effectively leaving the heel completely free. This allows much more movement and a lot more maneuverability so you can get around all that more easier, it also allows you to ski in more difficult situations as you can move in and out of areas where needed. This is really for those of you that are more advanced in skiing but this is still definitely worth trying if you enjoy skiing.

Photo credit: Dirk Groeger

Dog Sledding

Dog Sledding has been used as a mode of transport for expeditions for hundreds of years and is a great way to take you to places you’ve never seen before and experience breathtaking panoramic views of mountain ranges and the National Parks. You’ll be expected to bring your own winter clothing and it can get very muddy and wet so make sure your gear is up to scratch. You’re encouraged to get involved with the dogs in every step of the way, so try to familiarise yourself with dogs as much as you can before the trip – Alaskan Huskies can be pretty daunting at first. Depending on where you go, it can be very cool (sometimes -35C) so wrap up very warm, or you won’t enjoy it much.

The further into Winter it gets, the more extreme the weather conditions are going to be, so if this is your first time in this sort of weather, maybe go at the beginning of winter. Sweden is good because the snow is great and you can go see Santa in Lapland at the same time and tick 2 things off your list at once.

Snow Shoe Walking

If you’ve ever tried to walk through a foot of snow, you’ll know that it’s almost impossible as all your energy is sucked out of you when you step through the snow to the ground. That’s where snow shoes come in, they spread your weight out further, allowing you to stand on top of the snow. Ski lifts will only take you to certain parts of the mountains, so when you get to the top, strap a pair of these fancy looking tennis rackets onto your feet and go exploring, experiencing views that aren’t seem by the majority of tourists. Bring a camera along and snap some amazing photos before putting your skis back on and racing down a secluded part of the mountain. Warning though, only try this if you have the necessary safety equipment and training to complete this safely – it can be very dangerous.

Snow Scooting

Think of a BMX combined with a snowboard and you’ve got snow scooting. This is the latest in a long line of ski resort fads, except this one seems to be here to stay. The basic premise of scooting is to ride a custom bike or scooter down the mountain slopes reaching some very high speeds. You’ll find that not all areas of a ski resort will allow these to be used, but that’s just as well really as you don’t want to be going too fast on them – bailing out can be pretty painful. Start on small slopes and when you think you’re brave enough, try a few small jumps and spins. The handlebar spins round 360degrees, just like on a BMX, opening up a lot of possibilites for tricks. Remember though, there’s no brakes on these scooters, so learning to stop should be job number 1!

Photo credit: Steven Le Roux

Glacier Hike

If you’re a hiking enthusiast, then you’re probably used to hiking long distances over man made trails for long periods of time, but that won’t necessarily prepare you for glacier hiking. You’re hiking over ice, in freezing cold conditions, and this is enough to deter most people, but if you stick with it you’ll see some of the most breathtaking views imaginable that you just won’t see anywhere else. It can be dangerous at times if you don’t know the route well enough, or the ice isn’t as hard as you thought, and there’s always the risk of falling into a crevasse if you’re not careful, making this a particularly dangerous hike.

Photo credit: Abir Anwar

Bob Sledding

This fast paced sport requires precision and speed to complete runs of narrow, twisting, dangerous iced tracks in a sled powered only by gravity. You travel at speeds of 80 mph or more, so if you want to give it a go, you have to be taken out by a professional bobsled driver who knows the track well and won’t kill you. You can take 3 passengers on a run with you and they will provide helmets for everyone, but it’s recommended that you still wear regular ski gear such as a jacket, sallopettes, gloves and goggles. You get thrown about a lot in the sled – especially with the added G forces and weight of the helmet – so really give this some careful consideration before going on a run.

The Altenberg track in Germany is considered one of the most difficult tracks in the world, so if you’re feeling like a bit of a pro, then give this ago. Meribel in France offer piloted bobsleds if you really want to experience the real deal where you’ll reach speeds in excess of 100-120km/h whilst feeling forces from 3½ – 4½ G’s in the bends. This is probably best suited for the adrenaline junkie who’s experienced this sort of rush before as it’s by no mean tame.

Photo credit: ACGLab

Snow Biking

This post is all about snow fun for active people; it’s not about being stupid, so when taking on mountain biking in the snow, you’re going to want to put some snow tires on your bike to prevent you from sliding around everywhere and killing yourself. Even though the sport is called snow biking, the best routes are over ice as they provide the best cycling surface and make it easier to navigate hills and jumps. The great thing about snow biking isn’t just the danger and excitement, it’s the fact that even a small change in the weather can completely change your route, making it much more interesting.

Photo credit: Placid Casual

Ice Skate on a Frozen Lake

To complete this one, you need to be in a very cold environment, so much so that the past weather has frozen the lake to be at least 12 inches deep with ice. You need it to be this deep for your own comfort and safety, as there’s been countless occasions where someone has foolishly skated on a thin ice lake and ended up in the freezing cold water. It would help to have your own ice skates as well, but in popular tourist locations you will find that some lakes have skate hire. Race your friends and have a mobile snowball fight while exercising all your winter eating away.

Photo credit: Rob Lee

Snow Drifting

If you’ve ever drifted around a corner in your car then you’ll know what all the fuss is about; when you do it in a controlled manner, it’s amazing fun. You drive around in a specially modified rally car around an ice and snow covered track, using special tyres to help you stay on the course. Take a professional out with you to do the driving and you can just sit back and have the ride of your life, holding onto the car with everything you’ve got. Don’t worry though, the driver’s experience will keep you safe, and failing that, the roll cage will.

Photo credit: Arild Andersen

Go Ice Climbing

Think of rock climbing, only much colder and much harder, and you’ve got ice climbing. A great pursuit for any climber looking for a more challenging sport where they can climb frozen waterfalls, and frozen rockfaces. Even though you still use ropes and harnesses like you would when rock climbing, ice climbing is much more dangerous due to the unpredictable nature of the ice, but it is a key technique to master if you’re planning on summiting any mountains, as you’ll struggle to find any roads towards the top. There’s 2 different types of ice that you can climb; alpine ice, which is frozen rainwater and snow that you would find on a mountain top, and water ice, which is frozen liquids of water, such as a waterfall. If you’re going to try your hand at pioneering any mountains, make sure you’re familiar with alpine ice as the differences can be huge.

Photo credit: Erik Charlton

Snowball Fight

When it’s been snowing out, particularly in areas where it doesn’t snow much, if you’re on the street, you’re fair game for a snowball fight. You’re never too old to roll up a snowball and hurl one at one of your closest friends or a complete stranger. If you really want to step up your game, take your friends and spend the day building snow forts and igloos and have a cross field snowball base war. To help beat the other team, make sure you’re wearing gloves and you’ve stocked up on snow.

Photo credit: Dan Nguyen

Build a Snowman

Everyone should have done this at least once in their lifetime, it’s fun, free and easy to do. You start off by rolling a ball in the snow until you have three different sized balls that you can stack on top of each other in size order. Take a few lumps of coal as buttons down the chest and eyes, a carrot for the nose, a scarf to keep him warm and small branches as arms. Have a competition with friends to see who can build the best one and then use them later as shields for a snowball fight. When you stack the snow up like this, it takes a lot longer to melt, which means you’re left with days more time to have snowball fights in the winter.

Photo credit: Scott Robinson

Build an Igloo

This is something I always tried to attempt in the rare occasion we would get snow, but unfortunately not something I ever accomplished. Traditional igloos can be made by inuit hunters in about 45 minutes from start to finish, but they live in them for months at a time; the one you make doesn’t need to be quite so serious. You’re going to want a lot of compacted snow for this and maybe a knife to hack into it a bit, but once you’ve gotten it started, it’s fairly intuitive, even if it does just end up being an all out snowball war.

Photo credit: Derek Thomas

Snow Sculpting

This is like building a snowman, but it’s for sensible adults who can’t be seen doing such a thing. Snow sculpting is exactly what it sounds like, the real difference to sculpting with clay is that snow is plentiful and it doesn’t matter if you get it wrong, although you can’t exactly keep it if you love it. If you live in an area where there’s plenty of snow, then this is best as ideally, you want to start with a huge pile and sculpt out the parts that you don’t want; much like ice sculpting. Alternatively, you can collect lots of snow and compact it to create a harder, ice like material, which makes it easier to use. The pros can create some truly amazing work in a very short amount of time, only to see if get melted away. Take some of what they have to inspire you to create something awesome.

Photo credit: Steve Jurvetson

Make a Gigantic Snowball

Every time I’ve tried this, it’s always started out as me and my friends trying to build a snowman, and then we realise the fun that can be had with a gigantic snowball. The best way to do this is to grab two groups of friends and allow 5 minutes each to create the biggest snowball you can. When you’re finished, find a good grassy hill where there’s no cars in the way and race them down. For added fun, find a valley and race the balls down from opposite sides that they collide and see which one is still remaining.

Photo credit: Russell Trow

Explore La Boqueria

Start your weekend off with a look around Europe’s largest food market to see all the gasto-pleasures that local residents have the privilege of eating. Shopping here isn’t just about exploring some food, it’s a step back in time to a market that’s been on that exact site since the 1400‘s. The food here ranges from all of the freshest local and in season vegetable to snails and oysters. Understandably, if you’re here on holiday, you may not have somewhere to eat all this lovely food, so stop at one of the market’s several tapas bars for a taste of some of the best food around. Have brunch here and pick out some fresh fruit to eat during the day, and you’ll be sure to be reminded of everything you’ve been missing back home.

Photo credit: Ulf Liljankoski.

Picasso Museum

Come out of the market and turn right, taking the second left down Carrer Ferran for a 1km walk to the Museu Picasso. If you’re looking to see his most famous paintings and early cubist work and sculptures, then you’re going to be out of luck at this museum, which holds some of Picasso’s earliest work. The art presented in the museum starts from work in 1890 of landscape sketches to his Blue Period art, and moves about in time to his more mature cubist paintings from 1917. Whether you’re a fan or not, or if you think you’re only interested in those paintings of the funny faces, Picasso is a widely respected artist and it would be incredibly difficult not to appreciate at least some of the work presented in this relaxed and inviting museum. Annual entrance costs €10.

Photo credit: Jaume Meneses.

Wander Round L’Aquàrium and See the City by Cable Car

Start heading down towards the sea now and explore the piers that Barcelona has to offer, with the most popular hosting L’Aquàrium, which contains a giant shark-infested tank with a famous 80m long glass tunnel that walks right through it. It’s a truly spectacular site to see with 25 different tanks, and over 11,000 animals, and there’s plenty of activities to entertain the kids if you’ve got any.

When you’re done on the pier, move on to the next pier, just south of there and take the cable car from just outside the World Trade Centre. From here you’ll see the sites of the city from up to 100m above the ground. Clearly this isn’t for anyone with a fear of heights, but if you can stomach it, it’s only a short journey and the views are unmatched. Stay on the cable car for a round trip, and get back off again at the World Trade Centre and start making your way to Las Ramblas.

Photo credit: Dvanzuijlekom.

Drink and Dine along Las Ramblas

This becomes a pretty crazy part of town, particularly at night, so it makes for a really interesting night out. Pop into ‘Las Ramblas Tapas’ for some simple and tasty food before exploring the bars and quirky street performers, such as artists, mimes, human statues, musicians, and fortune tellers, along the 1.2km long road. The bars are always lively, and if you venture off into the side streets, you’ll find more interesting places which are more reasonably priced. We found an Irish pub run by two friendly, but drunk Indian brothers on our trip and although it wasn’t exactly an authentic Catalan experience, we had a great night.

As this is a tourist hotspot and one of the most famous streets in the world, you need to watch out for pick-pockets and prostitutes, which get worse the further south you get. It’s not particularly dangerous, but you do need to have your wits about you, if you want to go home with everything you came with. Definitely worth the night out though as the atmosphere is unlike any other city I’ve ever been to, and the architecture, plants and trees surrounding it are beautiful.

Photo credit: Cary Bass.

Party At a Youth Hostel

Time for bed now, but if you’re in a partying mode, then there’s no better place to stay then Kabul; a youth hostel in a square just off Las Ramblas, which has been repeatedly listed as one of the top 10 youth hostels in the world. Happy hour runs from 7pm every night and the whole place turns into an all night party, with sleep usually reserved for the early hours, so if you’re not done with your night just yet, this is the place to stay.

Photo credit: Benjamin Vander Steen.

Saturday

Visit Gaudi’s Sagrada Família

Start your morning off with a strong coffee and a trip to the most famous building in Barcelona, the Sagrada Família. Designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi, construction commenced in 1882, and was less than a quarter complete at the time of his death in 1926 and is on track to be finished in 2026, 100 years after his death. If you’ve spent much time in Barcelona, you probably would have noticed countless of Gaudi’s buildings and admired them as some of the most interesting and unique architecture you’ve ever seen. The reason this church has taken so long to build is partly down to magnificent and intricate details found throughout the building, and while the building is still under construction, you can still enter the building, so if you get a chance, make sure you do.

Photo credit: Somma1977.

Relax in Park Güell

Carry on your journey through Gaudi’s spectacular works with Park Güell, situated on the hill of el Carmel in the Gràcia district and built between 1900-1914. Just like the church, it’s a world heritage site and was built as a source of fresh air away from the pollution of the city, with views stretching for miles. Along with the classic Gaudi architecture, the first thing you’ll notice is the amazing mosaic work along the seating areas, buildings and statues of the park, which make for a colorful and relaxing place to enjoy an afternoon, surrounded by the works of a true artist.

Photo credit: Dimo Dimov.

Wander the Streets of The Gothic Quarter

As you make your way back to the centre of the city, stop by the gothic quarter and admire some expertly preserved buildings through a maze of streets that contrast to Barcelona’s otherwise structured city. This old Roman village offers a mix of old and new buildings, that further help you to get lost in the streets as you stroll around taking it all in. There’s plenty of squares dotted around where you can stop and have a refreshing pint of their local lagers such as (my personal favorite) Estrella Damn – be careful though, if the waiter asks you if you want a big one, he’s asking if you want a litre, not a pint.

The mixture of old and new makes the Gothic Quarter a great place to tempt yourself with a little shopping, ranging from large commercial stores to smaller boutiques offering unique clothing that can’t be found anywhere else.

Photo credit: Oh-Barcelona.

Dinner at Maitea Taberna

When you’re done with shopping for the day, make sure you’ve put aside enough money for dinner at my favorite restaurant in the city – Maitea Taberna. With an excellent selection of food and reasonable prices, the atmosphere is very welcoming and the service, prompt. You can’t really visit Barcelona of all cities without eating in one of the best tapas restaurants in town, especially if you’re a wine buff, Maitea Taberna has an excellent selection. A short walk from the north end of Las Ramblas, this is a great place to experience the sights of Barcelona by foot, before enjoying a very relaxing evening of good food.

Photo credit: Jessica Spengler.

Party the Night Away at Razzmatazz

This is a huge multi-room club with cheap drinks, a party atmosphere and different music to suit everybody’s taste. There are 5 rooms to be precise and they all play a different type of music which encourage you to discover new music and meet new people. Live acts play here all the time so have a look at their website before you go to see if there’s anything on that you think might be worth booking – it’s probably one of the best venues in Europe. As the night draws to an end in the early hours, stop for breakfast in a local cafe and head back to your hotel.

Photo credit: Alerna2.

Start your weekend off at our favorite little tucked away cafe in London. It’s about a 3 minute stroll from Covent Garden and serve the best cooked breakfast i’ve ever eaten, for only £7.95 (beans £1 extra). Bill’s use great quality, fresh produce and it really shows in their food and drinks. Add a peach, mango and raspberry smoothie for £2.95 extra and you’re onto a winning meal. When you’re all done, have a look at their takeaway menu of jams, dressings, jars and tins to take home for the kitchen cupboard. This really is a little hidden gem of London that hopefully not too many people catch onto. Now that you’re all fueled up, time for a little shopping…

Photo credit: Josh Dunlop.

Shopping at Harrods

This 5 acre shop, which opened way back in 1824, is the most famous shops in London, and was recently sold for £1.5 billion, which just goes to show the sort of shopping experience you’re in for. It’s not exactly the best value for money around, but if you have a few pounds to spend, then this is the place to spend them. Dress for your afternoon tea at the Ritz as Harrods has been known to turn away customers that they don’t deem to be dressed appropriately, and in the past this has included a soldier in uniform, a scout troop, and a fifteen stone woman. This is a truly unique shopping experience, that some may find is stuck in the past, but there’s one thing that Harrods is famous for, and that’s the ability to be able to get any customer, anything they want in the whole world, so long as it’s within the realms of legality.

Photo credit: Lorenzo G.

London Zoo

Drop your bags off at the hotel on the way to London Zoo, which has been around since April 1828 and is steeped full of history, holding one of the largest collections of Animals in the UK, right in the center of London. Ticket prices range from about £15-20 per person, but if you’re going in groups, there’s deals to be had, and there is usually a 2-4-1 offer available somewhere on the internet. When I last went, a member of my party lost their 2-4-1 offer, but we managed to blag it in anyway, so it’s quite relaxed there. When you get in be sure to check out the Art Deco grade 1 listed penguin park, it’s really impressive and shows you just how old the Zoo really is.

Photo credit: Josh Dunlop.

Borough Market for a Picnic in Hyde Park

This is London’s most renowned food market and an excellent source for fresh British and International produce. If, like us, you’re only used to shopping in supermarkets, then quality of food they sell may well surprise you – they’ve produced some of the best and most fresh produce I’ve eaten. Take this to Hyde park to relax in the sun and see the sights from a boating lake to speakers corner – there’s always something going on.

Photo credit: Herry Lawford.

Afternoon Tea At The Ritz

This is the ultimate in Afternoon Tea, anywhere in the world. Tea at the Ritz is all about dressing up and experiencing the height of luxury & decadence. You’ll be able to try a wide variety of some of the finest and unique sandwiches, Freshly baked scones with home made strawberry jam and clotted cream, along with pastries, cake, and of course tea. The price ranges from £40 per person to £52 with a glass of Champagne, with payment of large groups to be made a week in advance and available bookings scarce. Finally, make sure you’ve dressed up as men are requested to wear a dinner jacket and tie, with trainers and jeans being strictly forbidden.

Photo credit: Mini Ozzy.

Drinks at Covent Garden

Covent Garden is the street performers epicenter of London, and is where you’ll see some of the best performers in the country – it’s where Eddie Izzard started out, performing on a unicycle, and best of all, it’s free to watch (although donations are encouraged). The best pitch is located infront of the pillars of The Actors Church, and is overlooked by the friendly, and not too overcrowded pub, Punch & Judy, where I like to go for a drink when I’m in town. The variety of performers is quite special, with one of the performers we saw having been at the same pitch for 17 years.

Photo credit: Donald Judge.

Sunset at the London Eye

Originally opened as the Millennium Wheel in 2000 as the tallest ferris wheel in Europe, the London eye still operates 30 minute revolutions for a unique view of London. There are 32 passenger capsules on the Eye that carry up to 25 people in each, with access for disabled visitors. Tickets range from £16.74-£35 each, but we recommend the higher cost tickets as you’ll receive a fast track, queue jump ticket, ensuring that you’ll make the most of your time in London. Book in advance online for reduced ticket prices, and go in the evening for photos of the City.

Photo credit: Josh Dunlop.

The Changing of the Guard

Nothing quite says a weekend in London like a trip to the world-famous Buckingham Palace, and what better time to go, then at the changing of the guards? You can see this spectacle outside the Palace every morning at exactly 11:30am in the summer, and every other day in the winter. It includes 45 minutes of marching foot guards, accompanied by a band playing popular classical music. This is a free event, which helps to make it very popular with tourists, so get there early for the best view and hold on to your pockets as areas like this are bound to be pickpocket hotspots.

Photo credit: Laszlo Ilyes.

Science Museum

This is our favorite museum in London, and one of only a handful that would keep us amused as children, as it holds some really fascinating specimens. Free to enter, and rarely overcrowded, it makes for an ideal destination for your weekend in London. If you really want to experience the whole ordeal, we recommend the going to the IMAX 3D cinema to see one of their excellent documentaries.

Photo credit: Josh Dunlop.

Tower of London

Come and visit the Crown Jewels and have your photos taken with real life Beefeaters, while exploring the grounds of one of the most historical sites in london, and Tower Bridge.  The Tower isn’t cheap to get into, but there are discounts to be made if you book in advance on the internet, prices are roughly £18 per adult. Walking across the bridge is of course free, and three times a day you can catch the bridge opening up to let a boat pass through. Ask around to find out when the next one is scheduled and you’ll come away with some slightly more interesting holiday photos then usual as it’s quite a marvel of engineering to see it still working.

Photo credit: Xiquinho Hosilva.