Formerly the western half of Czechoslovakia, which was dissolved in 1993, the Czech Republic is still a young country. Since gaining sovereignty, it has become possibly the most successful post-communist nation in Europe, with a highly developed economy and good standard of living. Its responsible banking industry even weathered the 2008 global financial crisis relatively […]

Croatia’s warm Mediterranean climate and 18,000km coastline has made it one of the top twenty tourist destinations in the world. Inland, it maintains something of a schizophrenic identity – Roman, Ottoman, Venetian and Soviet influences beneath a newly cosmopolitan feel have made it one of the trendiest countries of the 21st century. Few cities are […]

Luscious, green volcanic ridges overlook the sprawling harbours of the ‘City of Sails’, the most populace city in New Zealand. There are more boats per person in Auckland than any other place on earth; hiring a yacht and exploring the coast delivers views as rewarding as the sunrise panorama from nearby Mount Eden. The city’s […]

Shrouded in darkness for many years, the veils around Colombia are beginning to lift – and what a beauty she is. Bathed in equatorial sunshine, her interior is covered in rich Amazonian rainforest and dramatic Andean mountains, her Caribbean beaches are golden and pure and her cities are surprisingly refined postcolonial wonders. She’s also in […]

The dazzling Tokyo skyline is perhaps a statement of intent; the mainstream culture of conspicuous consumption that ensconces the city’s leading lights declares that everything has to be new and wonderful and that last year’s gadgets were little more than a craze. Perhaps, though, this is just a facade, and if you explore more deeply […]

The sight of half ton trucks and bands of ice fisherman parked in the middle of Lake Harriet at 6am on a winter’s morning can seem bizarre at first, but it’s quintessential Minneapolis in its demonstration of simpler pleasures; most of the fish that get caught are thrown straight back in. One end of the […]

The winding cobbled streets lined with ancient looking patios, where stylish Quebecois sip coffee and play chess with their compatriots, have a distinctly rustic feel by day; by night, the soft amber glow of the gorgeous city lights feel like a scene from a Van Gogh. Quebec City is a delightful slice of the Old […]

Havana was once described as a cemetery of cinemas; not to mention bookshops, theatres, markets and much more. At the forefront of Latin Culture, the cultural scene was once a rival for New York and Paris, yet the advent of Communism saw much slide into decline. Today it us undergoing something of a quiet revolution; […]

For the sheer romance of the Renaissance, it is hard to look beyond this sumptuously stylish city; if this were a beauty pageant, meet the new Miss World. Florence’ wealth was built on the fortune and stewardship of the Medici dynasty, who commissioned the likes of Michaelangelo, Botticelli and Leonardo to sculpt a landscape of […]

It’s hard to know which is the more iconographic image of Rio; that of the 40m statue of Christ the Redeemer, arms outstretched as he gazes out over the cidade maravilhosa, or that of the scantily-clad carnival-goers shaking their stuff with unashamed exuberance through the Samba City. Perhaps you think of the canary-clad creativity of […]

Famous for watches and chocolate, there is in fact much more to Switzerland. A landlocked country with four official languages, it has a diverse culture to match, and whether you fancy dining German, Italian or French you are in for a treat. This is also the country where people first skied for fun and the […]

A Caribbean archipelago comprised of two main islands and several smaller siblings, the Republic of Cuba looms large in the imagination despite its diminutive size. Known for its cigars and smooth-sipping rum, not to mention international political figures such as Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, it is perhaps most paradoxically seen as a symbol of […]