Start with the shape of the trip
Most first trips to Europe fail for the same reason: too many cities, too little time, and a schedule that ignores how long it takes to move between them. The guides below deal with that problem first, then move on to regions and particular places.
A seven-day itinerary: Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin
Three of Europe's most visited cities in a week, linked by train. Day one arrives in Paris; day three offers either Disneyland or a slower day in the city; day four travels to Amsterdam; day six continues to Berlin; day seven is for seeing it properly. A seven-night version with fewer transits is included for anyone who would rather stay put.
Practical advice for a first trip to Europe
Six habits that make a first trip easier: do not rush, sort out connectivity before you fly, research properly, learn a few phrases, keep documents and bookings organised, and carry offline maps. The final section is about meeting locals, which is usually the part people remember afterwards.
Travelling with parents
A first multigenerational trip built around a wish to see Berlin and a request for somewhere scenic and peaceful. The base was Offenburg in Germany's south-west, with day trips to Strasbourg (half an hour by train) and Triberg in the Black Forest (45 minutes), before a change of plan in Switzerland. Includes notes on vegetarian, vegan and Jain-friendly food.
Going abroad with someone for the first time
Choosing the kind of holiday you both want, expecting compromise, and building in time apart. Short, practical, and worth reading before you book anything with a friend.
Choosing the region
Italy: where to go
Rome and Vatican City, Venice, the Amalfi Coast, Cinque Terre, Sicily, the Dolomites, Lake Maggiore, the Via Francigena and Sardinia — what each is like and who it suits.
Three UNESCO fortress cities in northern Italy
A road trip from Milan through Bergamo, Peschiera del Garda on Lake Garda and Palmanova, ending in Venice. Covers the Venetian walls, a pasta-making class, Lugana wine, where to eat and where to stay at each stop, and the option of continuing into Slovenia.
Lucerne and central Switzerland
Mornings, afternoons and evenings in Lucerne, then day trips: Mount Rigi, the Lauterbrunnen Valley, Kleine Scheidegg and Jungfraujoch, Mount Titlis, and the Lido Badi Luzern on the lake.
Ticino and the Monte Tamaro coaster
Getting to Rivera-Bironico, the cable car up, the chapel of Santa Maria degli Angeli and the Coaster Bob — a summer luge run with views over Lake Maggiore. Finish the day in Lugano, with notes on cheap local transport.
The northern lights in Sweden
Advice from a Luleå local: which forecasts and Facebook groups to follow, why Abisko beats Tromsø for aurora hunting, how to get there via Kiruna or Luleå, and what else is worth doing in a northern winter.
Walking the West Highland Way
Scotland's long-distance route in one guide: what makes it special, how the stages break down, and practical advice on weather, kit and timing.
Food, culture and living abroad
Food that brings people together
Dishes from the Alps to Central Asia and Latin America — fondue and raclette, Turkish cuisine, Cypriot mezze, Croatian peka, Portuguese petiscos, Moroccan tagine and couscous, injera, Georgian food, Uzbek non, hot pot, yakiniku, lamingtons, mole and Argentine asado.
Sámi art in Mainz
Britta Marakatt-Labba's embroidery at Kunsthalle Mainz, and a poem written in response to one of the works. The exhibition spans pieces from 1968 to 2023, circling Sámi history and mythology, environmental struggle and political authority.
Learning German as an expat
Two experiences of learning the language, including a four-year account of lessons with Preply, what progress actually looks like, and the plateau that follows the first year.
Gifting a trip rather than an object
Why experience gifts make sense for people who already own too much, how Tinggly works, and ideas for the traveller who has everything.
Before you book
Two more guides are worth opening first: the cheapest ways to travel around Germany, covering Deutsche Bahn regional tickets, low-cost flights, carpooling and buses; and a four-city trip across three countries on a €100 travel budget.
If you would rather have help, fill in the planner form above. Say where you are starting, how long you have, what you want to see and what your budget looks like, and I will suggest a route and a rough plan for each day.