When I received an invitation to spend an evening at Downton Abbey (aka Highclere Castle) last week I was beyond excited. I have longed to visit Highclere but every time I have looked on the website, the tickets have been sold out for the foreseeable. Now I had the chance to not only visit, but […]
We always end up going to the same old places when we go out on a day trip. Mr Gallivant is a creature of habit. Once he finds somewhere he likes he wants to go back there. Why risk somewhere new after all? I’ve been nagging him for years about visiting the little seaside town […]
Los Angeles is one of those places I’ve always felt a little ambivalent about. I kind of wanted to go but…then again I wasn’t that worried if I didn’t. It was probably due to the number of people I’d spoken to whose responses to the city were lukewarm. However, with Brother Gallivant and his family […]
The newspapers have recently been telling us how children’s mental health is improved by getting out and connecting with nature. Pretty unsurprising stuff, but I think it was the first time this has properly been ‘measured’. Now, more than ever, in a time of constant tech distractions, it seems we all need to switch off […]
My inbox is full of exciting new hotel openings, from simple and rustic to sexy and smart. These are just three that have recently caught my eye… El Llorenç Parc de la Mar, Palma, Mallorca This place is promising to add something new to the island’s hotel scene when it opens (currently slated […]
Backpacks are brilliant for travelling. Wear them properly, not slung over one shoulder – yes Master Gallivant I’m talking about you – and weight is distributed evenly meaning less strain on your body. They also leave your hands free which is a real boon when you’re trying to carry vast amounts of luggage – yes […]
If you’re looking for a last minute getaway over the next couple of weeks, consider Iceland, where the chances of a dazzling Northern Lights experience are higher than usual. The technical bit, according to Saevar Helgi Bragason, one of Iceland’s most renowned astronomers… “Earlier this month a large coronal hole on the sun faced the […]
The most recent series of Love Island was filmed on this beautiful Balearic isle and has apparently been responsible for a whopping 23% surge in bookings. My daughter, a fan, was keen to see it for herself. I, not a fan, was equally keen, but for quite different reasons. Hotel Bonsol Miss Gallivant was possibly […]
Who doesn’t love a good kebab? Ooh, the memories I have of those greasy doners we used to buy from unsalubrious looking joints in our 20s after a night of too much booze (OK, so some of us still do it!). Mr Gallivant and I recently sampled some rather more refined examples in their birthplace […]
I’d always dreamt of visiting Istanbul. It’s the only city in the world that spans two continents – Europe on one side of the mighty Bosphorus strait, Asia on the other – and maybe it’s the subsequent melting pot of cultures that makes it so exciting. As a travel writer, I usually book every trip […]