Let Michael Portillo guide you around the world ...
YOU don’t have to wait until the wonderful world of travel returns to normal to get your fix of new sights and sounds. There are all sorts of ways to keep exploring from home – with the help of our new feature
The Armchair Traveller.
The podcast
Listen to amazing lectures and catch up on dozens of real-life travel adventures with the Stanfords Travel Podcast. Episodes are presented by guests such as oceanographer Dr Jon Copley and train buff Michael Portillo – go around the world in 80 trains in one episode. Alternatively, settle back as contributors take you walking, paddling or motorcycling from rainforests to Russia, or from Caribbean kitchens to the summit of K2.
The e-book
We all need a lift, so why not head across the North Sea and learn from the inhabitants of Denmark, consistently ranked the happiest in the world? In best-selling travel book The Year Of Living Danishly, Londoner Helen Russell reveals what happened when she swapped the capital for a new life in rural Jutland. It’s A Year in Provence for the modern age.
The film
Fall in love with the cobbled streets of Vienna, described as the third key character alongside Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy in the classic 1995 romance Before Sunrise. Then fall in love with the streets and the architecture of Paris, setting of the sequel Before Sunset, and then the sun-kissed coast of Messinia in Greece for the third film, Before Midnight. All are available to view on different streaming services.
The website
Get under the skin of a place you hope to visit with theculturetrip.com. Pass some happy hours reading guides to nearby cities such as Bruges and Berlin, and further-away places from Miami to Melbourne. As well as giving general information, the writers dig deep to give more off-beat suggestions. Recent additions include illustrated guides to ‘eight quirky experiences in New York’ and the ‘hidden gems of Rome’, including a derelict power station that’s now an art museum.
AND FINALLY:
With new adventures on hold, travel expert Nicky Kelvin, of thepointsguy. co.uk, says it’s a great time to relive past trips. He suggests reviewing – and protecting – pictures we’ve taken on our phones. Top tips are to back up favourite photos on services such as iCloud, Dropbox or Google Photos, or on memory sticks. Or why not send them to print-on-demand services like Snapfish to get physical copies in the post?