Travelling is a blessing and a curse ; it's fabulous while you're doing it, but it can be tough to adjust when you get home again. On this page you'll find links to some of my current and recent travelogues, as well as other useful travel sites ... and if you've never been travelling, my sincerest recommendation is that you get on a plane/train/bus/ship as soon as possible and explore - it's a big world out there.

Personal Stuff
-> The travelogues from my trips, 1987 to the present (updated on the road when I'm away)
-> My Best train trips in the World list
-> My Best cities/towns in the World list
-> My Worst cities/towns in the World list

My favourite travel sites
-> WikiTravel (a free-to-edit online travel guide)
-> The Rough Guides (the best travel guide books around)
-> TripAdvisor (excellent site, including independent travellers' reviews)
-> Boots 'n All (independent travel)
-> Rick Steves (the best place for insider tips, particularly in Europe)
-> The Man in Seat 61 (the definitive site for worldwide train travel)
-> Booking.com (hotel, hostel, B&B, guest house, backpacker lodge bookings worldwide with no fees)

My Travel Blogs
-> Paul Kilfoil's World of Travel (every continent on Earth except Antarctica)

Other (Excellent) Travel Blogs
-> Can be found here

Itineraries and Online Guidebooks
-> WikiTravel
-> Tripedia
-> Boots 'n All Round the World Travel Guide
-> NileGuide.com
-> The Interactive Travel Guide (iGuide)
-> TripWolf (free worldwide travel guide)
-> World Travel Guide
-> Travel Planning and Ideas (blog)
-> Zicasso (hand-crafted itineraries created online)
-> Guide to the World
-> TripIt.com
-> AnotherTravel.com

Visas and Documents
-> Project Visa (details of every country on the planet and what their visa requirements are, but not always up to date)
-> IATA Travel Centre
-> iVisa.com
-> Visa HQ
-> AnotherTravel.com (fairly comprehensive visa information)
-> Embassy Worldwide
-> Schengen Visa Info

Travel Forums
-> TripAdvisor (very, very popular)
-> Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree (was once very popular, but of late has gone backwards)
-> Boots 'n All
-> TravelFish (Asian countries only)
-> Virtual Tourist (not categorised by region, but simply "Ask" and "Answer")
-> Camino de Santiago

Health and Safety
-> Fit for Travel (maintained by Health Protection Scotland)
-> MD Travel Health
-> United States Centres for Disease Control (CDC)

Various
-> Trekopedia (trekking and hiking)
-> Camino de Santiago (walking to Santiago in Spain)
-> Skift (news for professional travellers)
-> Rail Dude (very good forum for European passenger rail information)
-> Transitions Abroad (working, living and studying abroad)
-> World Reviewer (reviews, guides, blogs and more)
-> The New York Times (loads of travel articles and stories)
-> Dave's Travel Corner
-> Trains on the Brain
-> The Art of Backpacking
-> The Art of Travel (stacks of tips, tricks and advice)
-> The Travellers' Century Club (for people who have visited 100 or more countries)
-> Travel Notes (comprehensive travel directory)
-> Travel.com (comprehensive travel directory)
-> Train travel (links to national rail web sites worldwide)
-> Johnny Jet Travel (amazing number of links for all kinds of travel)
-> TravelFinder
-> Geographia.com
-> TravelSurfing (portal and search engine)
-> Worldwide Travel directory
-> Turkey, a Slow Travel Guide
-> TravelFish (travels in Asia and Australia)
-> Overseas Travel Tips (worldwide tips, warnings and alerts)
-> Backpack Europe (budget travel)
-> BugBog (impartial travel advice)
-> TravelAdviceEurope.com
-> The Travellers' Zone
-> 43Places.com (create lists of places you've visited)
-> The Ordinary Traveller (blogs, photos, info)
-> Travelogged.com (blogs, photos, info)
-> Worldwide Airport Information
-> Travel Answer Man (John van Kirk)
-> Travel & Tweet
-> National RV Parks (recreational vehicle travelling in the USA)
-> World Nomads
-> Trip Buzz

Travel in South Africa
-> Getting around by train (a great way to see the country)
-> WikiTravel (South Africa)
-> Janey from Jo'burg's excellent guide to Johannesburg
-> The Interactive Travel Guide (iGuide South Africa section)
-> The official Gateway to South Africa
-> SA Tourism (official)
-> South Africa Gateway (official)
-> SA National Parks
-> Explore South Africa
-> The South African Government online
-> Backpack Africa
-> Backpacking in South Africa (private site)
-> The Africa Guide
-> NewAfrica.com
-> Planet Travel
-> SA Travel Guide Online (SATGo)
-> Destination SA
-> GoPassport.com (Cape Town travel & tourism)
-> Journey Africa
-> RainbowNation.com
-> Routes.co.za (how to get anywhere in SA)
-> Nelson Mandela Bay (Port Elizabeth business directory)
-> Port Elizabeth Tourism
-> South Africalogue
-> Coast to Coast (irreverent backpacker's guide to travelling in SA)

Cape Town and the Western Cape of South Africa
-> WikiTravel (Western Cape)
-> WikiTravel (Cape Town)
-> Western Cape Tourism (official site)
-> Cape Town Tourism (official site)
-> The Cape Peninsula
-> Southern Cape
-> Cape Info (guide to South Africa)
-> Cape Town eGuide
-> The Scenic South (the Southern Peninsula)

Country information
-> The CIA World Factbook (comprehensive info on every country worldwide)
-> The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)

Maps of the World
-> MapsOf.net
-> Joho Maps (Jonathan Ho)
-> World Atlas
-> Embassy World Maps

Accommodation in South Africa
-> Lekkeslaap (excellent sleep)
-> Doorway
-> WhereToStay.co.za
-> TravelSA
-> SA Hotels
-> Sleeping-Out
-> Rooms for Africa

Accommodation Worldwide
-> Booking.com (hotels, hostels, B&Bs, guest houses, backpackers worldwide)
-> HostelWorld.com (backpackers worldwide)
-> HostelBookers.com (backpackers worldwide)
-> All Backpackers (Australia only)
-> Hostelz.com
-> Travel Punk
-> Discount Hotels
-> Cheap hotels, villas & hostels
-> AsiaTravel.com (last minute hotel deals worldwide)
-> Hotels.com
-> HotelBookers.com
-> HotWire
-> PriceLine
-> Expedia

Sites that host travelogues, travel journals and blogs
-> My Trip Journal
-> TravelBlog.org (some outstanding stories)
-> TravelBlogs.com
-> TravelPod
-> WordPress (probably the best blogging software available)
-> Blogger.com, also known as "BlogSpot" (very popular, owned by Google)
-> TypePad

Travel warnings and alerts
-> Insure My Trip Worldwide Alerts
-> USA State Department
-> UK Foreign Office