Exploring the Street Art of Ehrenfeld, Cologne
In between a city centre and its nearest day trip neighbour, there’s the districts and boroughs of real people. We pass through on trains as we go from one obvious recommendation to another, or as we get a cab from…
Why ‘Eating Local’ Shouldn’t Just Be Something You Do On Holiday
There’s a ridiculous irony to my food-based travels. No matter where I go, I make such an effort to eat local and try traditional dishes, yet buying food at home in the UK, I don’t really pay attention to where…
Why Ticket Touts Made Me Plan a Trip to Amsterdam
Back before I was @charliedistracted, my online name was @charlienin. For years, I used my love of the band Nine Inch Nails to define who I was on social media, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it…
The Beginner’s Guide of Where to Eat in Kings Cross, London
Previously just a dingy area of London to catch a train, I never thought I’d write about where to eat in Kings Cross – but over the last couple of years, the variety of options have made it one of…
How to Spend a Day in Ostend – Belgium’s Largest Coastal Town
You’ve been drawn in by the amazing street art, but now you need to know what to do in Ostend beyond discovering amazing murals. Just 15 minutes on the train from Bruges, Ostend is dwarfed in notoriety by its famous…
How to Spend a Weekend in Milan, Italy
Wondering what to do in Milan when you have no interest in high fashion, football or art? I found researching what to do in Milan super stressful. I’m more Primark over Prada, 100% very much NOT interested in football (or…
What is Flexible Luxury?
The way I travel has changed a lot over the last couple of years. When I first started writing about my adventures across the globe, I could easily class myself as a budget traveller because nine times out of ten…
A Room With A View of the Runway at Bloc Hotel, Gatwick
There are people I know who love airports, claiming them to be like giant service stations full of food and entertainment. I couldn’t agree less. I power my way through them, earphones in (even if I’m travelling with somebody else), despairing…
Dinner at Mac and Wild, Fitzrovia – A Taste of Scotland in London
Do you remember that sketch from Goodness Gracious Me about ‘going out for an English’? It played on the stereotypes we all play into when we ‘go’ for any regional cuisine in a restaurant but that nobody ever sits in…