europe

Whether embarking on a Eurotrip or a weekend jaunt to a foreign city, European travel requires some smart planning; you may know all the must-see landmarks, but we provide the hidden gems.

Moscow Muled
My older brother Tomas, a keen enthusiast of Russian literature suggested one evening that we go to Russia on holiday. At the time I certainly felt I needed a break and maybe Mother Russia was the trip I needed. The kind of trip that wouldn’t be easy, the kind of trip that would remind me of the loose cannon, reckless travelling I did in my early 20’s. Moscow was the place.
By Joel Carr9 years ago in Wander
For the Love of the Game
One of the best things about living in a foreign country is exploring and becoming immersed in the local sports scene. When you’re living outside the U.S., a different kind of football takes precedence over all of the sports combined. Football, in most countries, is the national sport and one in which kids from an early age learn to play and master over the years. Whether it's a city street, a dirt field, or turf glass, football is an adaptable sport to any kind of climate which is why it's such a famed world sport.
By Ben W9 years ago in Wander
York to Cork and Back Again
It began one Friday afternoon. I was just thinking about my schedule for the following week, which I needed to send out to some online students in order for them to book some slots with me the following week, when the phone rang. It was the company I do TEFL teacher training for. I usually teach once a month for 20 hours in Hull, East Yorkshire and another 20 in York. This month I’d been lucky and had spent the previous weekend delivering the course in Liverpool too. This was because the teacher for Norwich was ill and it was easier for the Liverpool teacher to cover Norwich and for me to teach in Liverpool. Now I was asked if I would like to teach 20 hours in Cork, Southern Ireland.
By Ian Paul9 years ago in Wander
Venice: Like A Virgin
Venice good gives face. One of the old-world cities that defines the way that we perceive Europe, Venice seems to embody all of the iconic elements of an Italian vacation.
By Gareth Johnson9 years ago in Wander
White Blank Page
I closed my eyes and absorbed the darkness, letting everything around me come alive. I had roamed the streets for hours, taking it all in: the smell of melted mozzarella on the world’s finest pizzas; the ghostly decadence of the city’s oldest buildings; a loud melody, Chopin perhaps, can be heard through an open window; the dazzling chaos of roses, daffodils and poppies sitting on sills, stealing each other’s colours; and the repetitive navy-and-white striped men, proudly parading visitors down Venice’s shimmering canals. As I reached San Marco, Venice’s personal hotbed of human stench and anarchic clatter, the sweltering summer air was hard to take in. The waves of flickering cameras and the howling chatter of the crowd engulfed the piazza. Revolted, I wriggled away from the daunting humanness. I moved away from the crowds seeking silence. The chatter faded away, as did the Sun and the unbearable trail of heat it left behind.
By Carlota Maura9 years ago in Wander
Prague: A Travel Guide. Top Story - May 2017.
Prague is one of those European cities that's almost too good to be true — beautiful, fairy-tale architecture, vibrant culture and nightlife, and warm and friendly locals.
By Gareth Johnson9 years ago in Wander
Nothing to Declare?: Revisiting the (Proposed Wider) Laptop Ban
Months after the federal Department of Homeland Security banned large electronic items on U.S. bound flights originating in the Middle East, the agency is ready to double down in unsettling ways, with a proposed ban on laptops and tablets in cabins of U.S. bound flights from Europe. It hasn’t happened yet, but there’s a sense that the Trump government is quietly laying the groundwork for putting a ban in place.
By Michael Eric Ross9 years ago in Wander
Barcelona: A Gay Travel Guide
It’s no wonder that Barcelona is such a popular destination – drawing people from across Europe and the world to enjoy its unique combination of warm weather, beach-side location, and a seeming insatiable appetite for good times.
By Gareth Johnson9 years ago in Wander
Aachen, Germany: A Travel Guide
The small German city of Aachen hasn’t necessarily captured the imagination of travellers, but by train it's incredibly accessible and the kind of destination that makes an interesting day-trip whichever direction you are travelling across Europe's vast rail network.
By Gareth Johnson9 years ago in Wander
The Purple Backpack
If the little girl I was could see me now, with my purple backpack on my back, old tennis shoes and walking by myself on the streets of Rome, she would smile gladly.
By Angela Duran9 years ago in Wander
Paint Your Face and Be Part of an Ancient Pagan Festival In England
The time of year now designated as the beginning of May has long been an occasion for the celebration of seasonal change in northern Europe. The end of the winter and the beginning of the warmer weather that would lead to summer.
By Gareth Johnson9 years ago in Wander
Walking In the Footsteps of the Ancient Romans
I have always been a bit fascinated with the Romans. I won’t bore you with the detailed distinctions between Ancient Rome, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire, but suffice to say that the centuries defined by the power of Rome was an incredibly exciting period of history that really shaped the world as we know it today.
By Gareth Johnson9 years ago in Wander