I used to love TripAdvisor, but the trust faded when business owners got creative with securing good ratings. I confess to being a demanding traveller, and a seeker of the extraordinary, and why not?
Time is precious, so why not aim for an incredible experience rather than just a good one?
I have joyfully invested countless hours and millions of steps to collect experiences that earned their place in crafting the perfect weekend. With a few exceptions, these tips would not be found on the typical hop-on-hop-off route. There are plenty of those already. My curated atlases contain food, culture, and a selection of practicalities.
My recipe for crafting the perfect weekend getaway includes four essential ingredients:
- Define your purpose. Don’t just book a flight to Rome or London and see what happens. What dream are you feeding? Do you yearn for an opera under an open sky? Are your tastebuds craving the best pizza in Naples? Or perhaps you simply long to bask in the opulence of a Parisian boutique hotel?
- Expand your horizons. Elevate your travel experience by savouring local dishes and experimenting with new wines. Immerse yourself in the world of emerging artists at the Royal Academy of Arts or embark on a time travel to the ancient cave towns of Cappadocia. Wherever you go, open your mind and dive into your destination full-heartedly.
- Something physical and nature connected. Stroll among the rustling autumn leaves of Jardin Luxemburg. Rent a bike ride in Central Park, or why not join the locals for a morning jog or swim?
- Don’t rush. Resist the urge to do everything. Instead, focus on a few good, enriching experiences, allowing room for spontaneous stops and turns.
My guides are a fusion of personal experiences intertwined with recommendations from a carefully curated selection of sources. Unless explicitly noted, I finance all my travels personally.
