Trains, for me, are one of the most interesting, practical and romantic ways to get around the planet, and I love them more than I love planes (and I love planes a lot). I I have ridden railways now on every inhabited continent, and in 202,5 I added these eight beauties: 1. Flåm Railway: “the best train ride in the world” (Lonely Planet) I captured 161 photos on one of the most beautiful train journeys I have ever taken. The line climbs 864 metres from Fjord to mountain, twisting through 20 tunnels, including the 1.3…
Come on lets do better! Watching terrible passenger behaviour
Some things drive me quietly mad. In 2025, I’ve watched travellers with the fascination usually reserved for wildlife documentaries. This includes territorial battles, questionable public grooming and aggression. Travel is back in business, but it feels like basic manners clearly missed the memo. Passenger behaviour is objectively worse than pre‑pandemic, and slightly worse than 2022, but there is also more enforcement and more media shining a light on it. IATA’s own data shows that unruly incidents have jumped in a very short period, from about one incident every 835 flights in 2021 to roughly one…
“Where are you?” Ten Amazing and Two Terrible Travel Moments of 2025
I know I have a reputation when people message me and ask not “how are you?” but “where are you?” This year’s answer included going to 27 countries around the globe: from Brazil and South Africa in the south, to Finland and Norway in the north, Japan in the east, and Colombia in the west. This wasn’t an easy year, but what a journey it has been. Ranked below are my top 12 travel experiences in order of impact: two I never want to see again. #1 Iguazu Falls, Argentina/Brazil. As a young teen, I…
One of the World’s Most Remote Train lines: Australia’s Prospector
Western Australia is huge: it is about ten times the size of the UK and almost four times the size of Texas. Only around 3 million people live in the state, and roughly 2.2 million of them are in the capital, Perth, while the UK has about 67 million people and Texas has around 31 million. Only two intercity train lines remain in this massive state, and my goal has been to ride both of them; Perth itself has an eight‑line suburban rail system, which I have travelled in full. Today I finally got to…
After 300 Airports, Here Are the Best and Worst
After many decades of flying, I’ve now passed through 300 airports. It’s a slightly ridiculous milestone, but it does give me a bit of authority when I say what makes a great airport and what makes a terrible one. There are seven things that win me over with airports: 1. Effortless passenger movement I have a visceral reaction to moving through Terminal 3 at Heathrow. Hell, for me, would be walking its long, narrow corridors, passing under its yellow signs and climbing the same stairs to security again and again. The whole terminal makes me…
A Personal Message in light of the Bondi massacre
Today’s post is a very personal one and I have wondered whether to post at all, but this is my blog, so here goes. I have written previously here about my experience four months ago when I was caught in a mass shooting at a local market in Bangkok. The news from Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, of course, took me straight there. Add to that a few other traumas in my travel through war or conflict zones (Nigeria, El Salvador and the Middle East!), and it all lands heavily. I ve been to Bondi…
What the new US entry rules really mean.
This week, media and travellers are reacting to a new US proposal that would greatly expand the data the US collects from applicants under the ESTA Visa waiver program. As a very frequent ESTA user since 2009, I will be impacted if they are approved. In this post, I delve into what it means for those of us who use visa‑waiver travel to go to the USA. It is important to note that at this stage, it is still only a draft, and nothing has changed for actual travel yet. When I first went to…
Air Japan exits after Just Three Short Years
I am heading to Japan from Bangkok in December, and I always like to keep my options open for flying. ANA Group’s subsidiary, Air Japan (NOT JAL Japan Airlines), has been strongly marketing itself as a key carrier at Bangkok Airport, operating several times a week from Bangkok to Narita International Airport. However, this consideration of Air Japan was tempered by the very recent news that ANA has announced Air Japan will cease all flight operations after March 2026. The original plan for Air Japan, launched in 2022, was to rapidly expand its fleet and…
Fire Over Kentucky: What People Miss in Plane Crash Fears
Last week, a UPS MD-11 crashed at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport, Kentucky, USA, shortly after takeoff. The jet, carrying an estimated 38,000 gallons (144,000 litres) of fuel, erupted into a massive fireball as it crashed into an industrial area about two kilometres from the airport, striking multiple buildings and causing extensive damage. The cause is believed to be a catastrophic engine separation. The accident, shockingly killed at least 12 people and injured nearly 20 more. My deepest condolences to all affected. Social media feeds exploded with concern about air travel safety. In 2025, many…
Tintin made me visit Geneva- Enjoying this Swiss Treasure
An introduction to Tintin and his Geneva When I was a child, I was obsessed with the adventures of Tintin, a fictional reporter from Belgium who traveled to almost every continent (we never saw him make it to Australia). On his travels usually accompanied by his dog Snowy, solving crimes, spy-rings and flying to the Moon. The series author Herge was fanatical about real historical detail (after his first three terrible books). In “The Calculus Affair,” Tintin dashes to Geneva to rescue his friend Proifessor Calculus who had traveled there for a science conference. In…
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