Special articles

Some Muslim mosques are more important than others. The most important ones in Mecca and Medina are out of reach for non-Muslims. But there are many to choose from.   Some of the most holy ones The Al-Aqsa Mosque is recognised as the third-holiest place in Islam....

City breaks or city escapes have become increasingly popular and there are many possible destinations. If you are European you will not be more than 3-4 hours away from a major destination, be it a capital or a country’s second city. There are high-speed trains to...

The physical world with continents, coastlines, islands and rivers has been with us for longer than we can remember. We even have it rendered on maps, be it on paper or digitalised versions. The spread of social media and Facebook in particular is now challenging the...

Travelling by train does something to you, it stimulates thoughts, and afterthoughts. Here is a selection of reflections others have made about trains, stations, and travelling.   Quotes about train travel (part 1) At Goodreads you will find many quotes and...

In a previous article I presented short stories from extra-ordinary border crossings and described the excitement of having souvenirs hidden inside your passport in the shape of a stamp.    Read the article The Fascination of Passports. Here,...

I have in a series of articles presented a large number of travel movies. Here you get an overview of what is included. I have used a few criteria to compile my list of movies. A travel movie's plot should involve a movement from one place to another, at least for...

We would generally view a travel movie as something that depicts movement from one place to another. This category is about something different. The main characters are dislocated, some voluntarily, from their comfort zone. They have to live up to new expectations,...

We have come to the third list of great travel movies. In the previous article we met the lone wolves travelling the earth's surface looking for something. The following list deals with a group of people out on the same mission. Some are on actual escape routes from a...

Travellers have a tendency to set up a bucket list, meaning a list of things to do or places to go before they die, or "kick the bucket" as the idiom goes. The to-do list may involve doing a bungee jump, sail around the world, or hike the Camino de Santiago. I will...

Is Europe on the road to self-destruction? Secessionist movements are gaining momentum, and history proves they will be successful. The forces of disintegration in a world of constant conflict and change is challenging the Old World more than ever before.  ...

Of course, you are only eligible for a single passport, so the question may be paraphrased. Which citizenship is the most practical if you want to avoid border hassles?   My precious red passport Some people have dual citizenships and some may have no valid...

Have you ever gazed up at the sky above, spotted a plane and wondered where it was heading? And more: Where did it depart from, what kind of plane is it, what airline, how high is it flying? Well, there's an app for that! Flightradar24 is a free plane tracker app...

Travel guidebooks on print have a long and proud history, but they are losing popularity, and they meet increased competition. This article is about the evolution of guidebooks in the last 30 years. Do you need them at all, what kind of guidebooks do you need, and...