Travel Journal

Notes From
the Road

Written by the people who design the journeys — after the trip, not before it.

Browse

Categories

Practical, opinionated and occasionally contrarian. If a place is overrated we tend to say so.

Latest Writing

All Articles

Early morning street life in a historic Asian old quarter

Hanoi at 5AM: The City Most Travellers Never See

The Old Quarter belongs to a different set of people before sunrise — and that hour tells you more about Vietnam than any museum.

Rolling green tea terraces in the highlands

Reading a Sri Lankan Rice & Curry Properly

Fifteen dishes arrive at once. Here is the order they were designed to be eaten in, and why it matters.

A remote mountain lodge below high Himalayan peaks

Six Himalayan Lodges Worth Reorganising a Trip Around

In Bhutan and Nepal, where you sleep shapes the whole journey. These are the properties we route around.

Desert dunes catching low golden light

The Desert Night That Isn't a Dune Camp

Most UAE desert experiences are sold by the busload. There is a much quieter version, an hour further out.

A long-tail boat anchored in a hidden tropical bay

Two Monsoons, One Country: Timing Thailand

The Andaman and Gulf coasts run opposite weather. Get the routing right and there is no bad month.

Prayer flags strung against a Himalayan sky

What Bhutan Taught Us About Pacing a Journey

A country that limits its own visitor numbers has strong opinions about how fast you should move. It is right.

Silk lanterns glowing in a historic trading port at night

Hoi An Beyond the Lanterns

The old town photographs beautifully and empties out by ten. The surrounding countryside is where the days actually go.

The white domes of a grand mosque at first light

Why Abu Dhabi Rewards the Slower Traveller

The capital took its time building itself, and it asks the same of visitors. Give it three days and it changes shape.

Carved wooden architecture in a historic Himalayan city square

Nepal Without the Two-Week Trek

You do not have to commit to Everest Base Camp to stand in front of the great range. Here is the shorter route in.

Start Here

Reading About It Is
the Easy Part.

Tell us where you want to go, how you want to feel and what you want to experience. We'll take care of the rest.