A cheap relaxing break
My sister and I like to take holidays in places we have never been before. This year we tried Bulgaria. We booked with Jet2.com and we had to fly from Stansted Airport. The flight was on time and was comfortable enough. A transfer was included. We were staying at the Ivana Palace in Sunny Beach […]…
Discovering Albania: Ancient Ruins, Ottoman Towns and Untamed Beauty

Discover Albania’s fascinating history, ancient Illyrian and Roman ruins, Ottoman towns, Byzantine churches and spectacular landscapes on a journey through this captivating Balkan country…
Fabulous Fjordland with Ambassador Cruise Line

Norway’s Western Fjords feature on many a bucket list. Gillian Thornton enjoyed a shoulder-season, no-fly cruise…
A Sister Act on Ambassador Cruise Line

Jane Wilson shares the beauty of an Iceland cruise
Five Must-See French River Ports

Paris is perennially popular with river cruise passengers, but France has other enchanting waterside cities too. Francophile cruise fan Gillian Thornton shares her favourites….
Walking the Costa Blanca: the holiday that gives you a bit of everything

I’ve always had a soft spot for the Costa Blanca. I lived here for a while, so coming back felt a little like returning to somewhere familiar. But this time I was seeing a very different side of the region – on foot….
Flying high on a CroisiEurope Belgian barge

Discover Belgium the slow way – with gourmet dining, beautiful scenery and surprising adventures…
An Amazing Weekend Cruise Break
My wife Jackie and I recently joined Ambassador Cruise Line’s Ambience at Tilbury, for the Weekend Escape to Holland and Belgium, a four-night cruise taking us to IJmuiden and Amsterdam, followed by a relaxing day at sea and then Zeebrugge for Bruges. It proved that you don’t need a fortnight away to enjoy the pleasures […]…
Venice and the Jewels of Veneto: History, Hospitality and Hidden Gems

Ian Cooper experiences Uniworld’s ‘Venice and the Jewels of Veneto’ river cruise….
The Old Believer village in Moldova
Whilst touring Moldova, we visited the village of Pocrovca, one of the country’s oldest surviving Old Believer or Lipovan settlements. It was founded in the late 17th century by Russian Orthodox Christians who fled religious persecution following the reforms introduced by Patriarch Nikon in the 1650s. Nikon wanted to align practices with those of the […]…
Sightseeing in the Gagauz capital
Moldova has two autonomous regions: Transnistria, which the UK Foreign Office advise against travelling to, and Gagauzia in the south, which we spent time visiting on our 17-night tour. Before reaching the Gagauz capital of Comrat, we stopped at the regional boundary to photograph the welcome sign, where the Moldovan and Gagauz flags flew side […]…
A capital dominated by cruise ship passengers
We stayed in Estonia’s capital, Tallinn, for three nights and have two abiding memories: cobbled streets, and cruise ships. On our first full day, P&Os Britannia docked with 3,600 passengers but the following day, two ships with over 5,000 people dominated the city’s main attractions. We were told that prior to Covid and the war […]…