The world’s best countries to travel in a campervan…

Let’s be honest. The words ‘Motorhome adventure’ seem about as out of place as a nun and a hunky underwear model holding hands in a cathedral.

The first word in this careless semantic coupling invokes images of house sized monstrosities thundering down miles of god-forsaken tarmac in the middle of nowhere, with pensioners at the wheel giving it their last go – the proverbial last throw of the dice in the game of life before the bucket list gets emptied and a good innings comes to timely end.

Adventure, on the other hand, conjures up images of bold journeys into the heart of lands and cultures where the only thing one can expect is the unexpected. This is where the inexorable pull of new, vibrant experiences and hard, gritty challenges will leave you standing at the end of it all with a much keener appreciation for your life and much more intimate awareness of who you are and what you value as a human being. Danger and delight line the hidden path and courage and curiosity are the fuel that propels your journey.

In the traditional sense, an adventure is undertaken upon horseback, or straddling the well-worn seat of a clapped out motorcycle, or simply on foot. Clambering on board a house on wheels and casting off with cries of ‘All aboard’ is not what one envisions when thinking of an adventure.

So long to the stereotypes

Thankfully, those stereotypes no longer apply, and the motorhomes and campervans of today have come a long, long way from the iconic Winnebago monstrosities most recently brought back into the limelight by that classic opening scene from the hit TV series Breaking Bad – where Walter White wrestles that out of control leviathan in nothing but his signature ‘tighty whities’ through the New Mexican desert.

The motorhome adventure is now something that can be undertaken by budget conscious travelling vagabonds looking for freedom on four wheels to those whose shoestring travel days are behind them and who prefer to step out in true glampervan style and comfort.

The chariot of your choice is there, but the hardest decision to be made remains just where to go. Ruling out war zones, the arctic, and crime-riddled hotspots where after a few hours away from your home on wheels you’re more likely to come back to a chassis on bricks, four obvious choices remain.

1. The USA

The USA is a Winnebago wanderer’s dream. There is so much on offer in this huge country that more often than not the hardest part of the campervan trip deciding just which route to do. We still reckon the classic National Historic Route 66, which stretches from LA to Chicago across some of the most bewildering and awe-inspiring scenery Murica has to offer, is the best way to go.

Glide through the unforgettable hairpin bends in the majestic Black Mountains, hideout in the very secluded cave system that the legendary outlaw Jesse James used to conceal himself from the law in the Meramec Caverns, Stanton, Missouri and be sure to refuel and refresh at the Dixie – Route 66’s most iconic and oldest truck stop which has only been closed 1 day in the near 70 years it has been open.

2. Europe

No other region on earth manages to combine such an alluring fusion of culture, cuisine and dynamic, diverse and startlingly beautiful scenery as Europe – both the west and the east.

Tour the iconic cities of Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona and Munich; lose yourself in the endlessly crisscrossing tarmac ribbons that trail through Alps, forests and along pristine lakes. Some of the most enticing coastal driving awaits and for those with a thirst for off the beaten path adventure the whole of Eastern Europe awaits.

3. Australia

Big, bold and beautiful – Australia is a land teeming with an almost unrivalled offering of wild open spaces, first class cities brimming with culture and fine cuisine and a coastline that stretches on and on and on. Australia is a country practically tailor made for campervan travel – It has a great road infrastructure, it is safe and its natural diversity is truly astounding.

Arguably the most noted campervan route is the iconic Adelaide to Darwin route – which will have you coasting along the Lasseter highway past Australia’s most famous natural landmark – Uluru. This route is extremely campervan friendly with a host of very affordable campsites dotted along the way – many of them situated in national parks.

4. New Zealand

The jewel in the campervan hire holiday destination crown. The land of the long white cloud is synonymous with unrivalled natural splendor, vast and dramatic coastline teeming with a rich diversity of wildlife and the kinds of settings that dazzled audiences around the world on the silver screen as Peter Jackson brought J.R.R Tolkien’s masterpiece to life.

A huge part of what drives New Zealand’s economy is tourism, and a big portion of that is driven by campervan adventurers. In keeping with the theme of adventure we would recommend a circuitous route of the South Island which offers a huge range of natural diversity in so small an area of land.

Start off in Queenstown – the adventure capital of the world and head down through the Southern Alps to the majestic Milford sound, and then up the rugged and wild coast past glacier country and the old gold mining towns that dot the coastline. Tour some of the finest wine regions in the world as you head north past Picton and Nelson and then loop back down towards Christchurch.

Campervan hire in New Zealand is extremely easy and budget friendly. The industry and infrastructure is tailor made for these kinds of trips, making NZ the perfect spot for families, couples or even just a group of friends keen on a road trip in some of the most beautiful settings on the planet.

If the travel bug is giving you a case of the wanderlust blues, why not satisfy your adventurous spirit with a trip to Honolulu? That’s right, Hawaii’s best city is also the perfect spot for soaking up the sun, exploring the great outdoors, and enjoying all the restaurants and activities the island has to offer. With tropical travels in mind, here are just a few things you can expect when visiting the island of Oahu’s most popular city, Honolulu.

Things to Do

Honolulu is an absolute paradise that provides visitors with endless activities to choose from. As for outdoor activities, the lightly strenuous Makapuu Lighthouse Trail offers adventure seekers beautiful bird’s eye view of the tropical surroundings as well as one of the best sunrise views in all of Oahu. There’s also the Hanuama Bay Nature Preserve, which is the perfect spot to snorkel among live coral and tropical fish.

If you’re a history buff, Honolulu is also home to some amazing monuments and museums. The Pearl Harbor/WWII Valor in the Pacific National Monument is a stunning tribute to fallen soldiers. In addition, the USS Missouri Memorial is a floating museum housed in the great battleship and is devoted to preserving the historic day of infamy surrounding WWII.

The Restaurants

You’ll probably work up an appetite after your full day of hiking and visiting museums and monuments. Luckily, Honolulu has the most eclectic, delicious restaurants out of all the Hawaiian Islands. For five-star dining, La Mer, Yoshitsune Restaurant, and Hoku’s offer amazing entrées inspired by the sea and the Hawaiian culture.

When it comes to dining in a more casual atmosphere, there’s also Tiki’s Grill & Bar, Duke’s Waikiki, and Helena’s Hawaiian Food, which has authentic Hawaiian dishes like Kalua Pig and all the Poi you can eat. A number of the restaurants in Honolulu are located between the downtown district and Honolulu Harbor, which is great if you’re wandering the city by foot.

The Accommodations

Because Honolulu and the Waikiki neighborhood are vacation hotspots, the hotels in the area are second to none. Five-star hotels and resorts along Honolulu Bay include the Moana Surfrider Resort & Spa, The Royal Hawaiian, and The Kahala Hotel & Resort.

Other accommodations in the area include the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel and the Lotus Honolulu, which are both next to breathtaking Diamond Head Beach. There are a bunch of great sites for looking for a great hotel or if you need an online guide to Honolulu for your Hawaiian getaway.

The Beaches

Honolulu is a sunbather’s and beach lover’s paradise, so it’s no surprise there are plenty of picturesque beaches to choose from along the coast. Diamond Head is probably the most popular beach in the area and offers a nice stretch of sandy real estate, rolling waves for surfing, and spectacular views of the Diamond Head volcanic crater. Other notable, less-crowded beaches include Kahala Beach, San Souci Beach, and Ala Moana Beach Park.

When your wanderlust gets the better of you, let Honolulu satisfy your adventurous travel spirit.

Image via Flickr by snowpeak

Some cities tend to rule the roost when it comes to city breaks. They’ve obviously earned their places in our collective hearts, but the sad thing is that they can overshadow some equally wonderful cities – often right on their own doorsteps.

So when planning your next trip, why not take a break from the obvious and try out one of these alternatives – same country, same language, same travel card currency as their more famous neighbours, but offering you a whole new experience…

Hamburg, Germany, may seem like a strange choice with which to start this tour of the lesser known city break destinations. It is no shrinking violet and there is no question over the height of its profile – one of the world’s foremost ports, an important place in the history of The Beatles and the setting for a string of Hollywood movies. BUT… competing for visitors with capital Berlin and its unique west meets east atmosphere, or with Munich and all the oom-pah surrounding Oktoberfest, can’t be easy. There’s no end of things to do in Hamburg, whatever pace you’re looking for – marvel at the stunning architecture of the Rathaus, watch the giraffes being fed at the Tierpark Hagenbeck, or simply relax with a drink overlooking the fountain on the Binnenalster.

When people think of city break and Spanish coast they immediately think of Barcelona and that big church. Valencia’s the place to be though – it too has a golden sandy beach (and a lovely one at that), a cool and cosmopolitan feel, plenty of shops, bars and restaurants and – while Gaudi maybe didn’t make his mark here – it has some eye-catching architecture of its own. Highlights of this bold and bustling town include the Mercado Central, where you can sample some delicious local produce in art nouveau surroundings, and the futuristic City of Arts and Sciences. The latter is a cluster of cutting edge buildings housing museums and exhibitions, including L’Oceanogràfic aquarium – the impressive blue and white structures present an almost cooling sensation in the Spanish heat.

Being capital of the free world should make you the most famous city of all, right? There’s a friendly rivalry between Washington D.C. and its not-so-far-away neighbour New York, and that’s in no small part down to the latter hogging the limelight with its skyscrapers, famous department stores, Broadway shows… But the Big Apple didn’t hog all the good bits – head to D.C. for some truly iconic Americana. There are the landmarks – the White House, the Capitol Building, the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial to name a few. And it’s not just an open air museum – all these government types need classy stores and cool bars too. And finally, is walking past “her from that thing” on Fifth Avenue a patch on being outside the White House just as the President takes off in his helicopter?

Caxton FX offers the best available exchange rates on both the Euro and US Dollar with its prepaid currency card – the perfect companion for visiting these unsung city break heroes.

A quick look at three awesome tourist spots to fuel your fairy tale fantasies…

A lot of people want to travel to places that they read about. What if the place you want to visit is a fantastical land ripped straight from the pages of a fairy tale, though? Well, there might not be any honest to goodness magic involved, but it’s still possible to visit a veritable fairy tale realm – as long as you know where to look.

Keep in mind that we’re not talking about your local theme park. Sure, you can just buy a ticket to Disneyworld, but why not go the extra mile and really immerse yourself in fantasy world destinations? Here are three fantasy tourist spots from around the world that we love.

Gnomesville – In Western Australia’s Ferguson Valley there’s a village unlike any other in the world. Once you step inside, you’ll immediately notice the difference: the entire place is populated by gnomes. Garden gnomes, to be more specific.

Gnomesville, as the village is called, started when anonymous protesters left garden gnomes to voice their opposition over planned construction of a traffic circle 20 years ago. The village has since become home to hundreds, if not thousands, of gnomes and is considered one of the most offbeat tourist spots in Australia.

Excalibur – There’s nothing that says “fairy tale” quite like a castle. If you’re looking for a full medieval experience that doesn’t involve a Renaissance Faire visit, then your best bet is the Excalibur casino in Las Vegas.

Designed to look like a medieval castle, the Excalibur is reminiscent of the settings of different fairy tales as well, rife with symbols like those in the Unicorn Legend game in bubblebonusbingo.com. The medieval fantasy vibe in the land-based casino is almost as prevalent as its online equivalent too. Inside, visitors can enjoy the Tournament of Kings dinner show, a non-stop medieval melee complete with invading armies, dancing maidens, jousting, and a whole lot of fireworks.

Fairy Tale Forest – For almost 60 years, the Efteling amusement park in the Netherlands has been transporting visitors to the lands made famous by noted fairy tale authors like Hans Christian Andersen and the Grimm Brothers.

Yes, the Efteling is a theme park, but it’s not your average garden variety collection of rides and attractions. This distinction is perhaps most noticeable when one steps into the Fairy Tale Forest, a truly enchanting wooded section of the park where visitors can experience stories such as Red Riding Hood and the Frog King.

It sulks, brooding across the bay. The clouds, dark and impendent, sit like gods around its perimeter; gods whose charge it is to let nothing in or out. The black, lapping water foreshadows untold terrors apt to befall any who would dare to harbour an endeavour to penetrate this fortress’s ’mail. Shadowy wings mimicking Pterosauria circle menacingly overhead. Better that you turn your back and walk away now than entertain any thought of going out there.

Such is the impression created by the former island gaol of Alcatraz as you view it at the dusk of a squally day from the safety of Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco Bay. Filled with fear and fascination, you determine to discover its mysteries first hand. Tomorrow is the day.

Of course, as you approach the landing at Pier 33 in sunshine the following morning, all the previous day’s forebodings seem utterly ridiculous. Alcatraz looks perfectly innocuous basking in yellow light, and you look forward with renewed vigour to the adventures that await. You board your craft and begin the half hour trip out to the notorious island.

Disembarking your vessel of conveyance, you cannot fail to experience the sense of awe that comes from setting foot on such an historic site. Since it opened as a federal penitentiary in 1934, ‘the Rock’ became home to some of America’s most infamous criminals, including Al ‘Scarface’ Capone and Birdman Robert Stroud, right up until its being decommissioned in 1963.

For those who seek to immerse themselves in the history of this most legendary of prisons, disappointment will not make an appearance. To simply wander around the island itself would be reward enough for one’s efforts, but the experience goes way above and far beyond, allowing access to the cell blocks and main buildings, recreation yard and grounds, all exquisitely enhanced by audio and video presentations. But Alcatraz offers so much more, being a home to rare flowers and plants, marine wildlife and thousands of roosting and nesting sea birds.

Scattered haphazardly around are 19th century buildings from the time of Civil War, when the island served as both a harbour defence fort and a military gaol.

Traces of the American Indian Occupation, which began in 1969 once the prison had closed, are still visibly evident, and stand in testimony to a milestone in the rights movement, and provide yet another rich perspicacity into US history.

The day done, all that remains is your return trip to the mainland and, as the sun dips, caressing its orange fingers over the lonely island, a deep sense of satisfaction can be felt deep in your heart. As the delicious delights of discovery dance enticingly in your memory, you are blessed yet further with the most stunning and romantic view of the city skyline and Golden Gate Bridge, as your craft floats dreamlike towards the berth whence you departed so many hours ago.

You can make the trip to the Rock with several reputable companies; we used the excellent Alcatraz Cruises. Booking prior to arrival is strongly recommended.

With more beers than you could shake a stick at, you’d be hard pushed not to be impressed by Jack’s Bar, but the rude dumb-ass of a waiter will soon have you heading for the door…

Ok – I’m going to leave in the following review of Jack’s bar because, yesterday, that is genuinely how I felt about it. However… we’ve just eaten there tonight (the food was great) and paid our bill, leaving a tip of just over 10%, just like we have every other time we’ve had anything here. Once we’d settled up, however, we decided to have one more beer, and went to the bar to get them (just as we have at scores of other bars across the globe). We were interrupted in our journey bar-wards by a waiter who said he’d bring the drinks over. Now, maybe it was bad form on our part, but having just left a tip, we drank our beers and got up to leave, only to be approached by said waiter who proceeded to hurl abuse at us for not tipping him. He then bullied us into giving him a $2 tip. Guess who won’t be frequenting Jack’s bar again? However good a place is (and we weren’t actually going to mention the mouse running around the joint last night) I don’t need any dumb-ass, rude hick of a waiter making me think I’ve done something wrong when I haven’t. He needs firing right now if he’s going to make customers feel like that. Tipping should always be an option depending on whether you get good service or not. And in this case, it was most definitely a not.

Wandering around Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, I was fortunate enough to stumble across the hugely atmospheric Jack’s bar at 441 Jefferson Street. It was one of those drizzly December days where the low cloud gave Alcatraz all the mystery and suspense it deserves, and my morning’s photoshoot had been fun but intense. My dogs were barking (ok, for you San Franciscans, that just means my feet were aching) so to happen by such a treasure, with its red Studebaker Daytona parked out front (listen to me, talking like a native!) was the perfect stop off for a refreshing beer.

On offer was an impressive array of 68 ales, lagers and ciders on draught, increasing to a grand overall selection of 85 when you include the bottled varieties. And to add to the perfection, I was served up a couple of chilled Boddington’s; the cream of Manchester right here in the Wharf was the icing on the cake.

Great bar, great staff and a wonderful space – definitely goes on our list of the world’s finest locals.

Jack’s Cannery Bar
441 Jefferson Street
San Francisco
CA 94133
USA

Tel.: (415) 931-6400

Sailing around South Greenland’s deep blue icebergs isn’t something you get the chance to do every day, but you’ll remember it for the rest of them once you’ve done it

My imagination had already informed my adventure of sailing around vast icebergs in the Qooroq ice field of South Greenland. The original trip had been planned with an authentic wooden fishing vessel as our mode of transport, but this had been cancelled due to bad planning on the part of the excursion company; despite having paid upfront, we were dutifully informed that there weren’t enough people on the trip, so ‘it would’t be going’.

Undaunted and undeterred, we set about making this once in a lifetime experience happen ourselves; there was no way I was travelling all the way to Greenland and not having my fifteen minutes of tranquility among creaking ice and the crisp, breathy stillness of summertime on the world’s largest non-continental island.

Blessed with a tenacious guide called Christine, and an intrepid adventurer mariner called Nils, we set about planning this most amazing of experiences. It was planned over a wily coffee in Nils’ headquarters, an atmospheric shipping shack located on the main Narsarsuaq road, adjacent to the air strip and a little before Hospital Valley. The excitement was building, without doubt enhanced by the lack of other tourists, and the voyage was set for the following morning.

“It will just be a sort of dinghy,” Nils advised, “so we must have at least very little wind.”

Squally showers and a light breeze announced the coming dawn, and we breakfasted on reindeer and seal meats with some trepidation; was the weather good enough, would we make it out to the ice field? Our time in Greenland was rapidly running out, so it was getting to the point of now or never.

We needn’t have worried. Ardent skipper Nils collected us from the hotel on the very strike of 8am, and duly ferried us down to the harbour where we boarded our craft, a bright orange and blue inflatable that was to prove our passport to a land of magic. We were accompanied by Christine and guide-in-training Pilu, a native Greenlander who seemed as excited by the prospect of bobbing around in shattered sheet ice as we were. And so in our posse of four excitable boy scouts, with Akela Nils at the helm, we set off for Qooroq.

As we sped our way round the coast, the purply grey patchwork of cotton wool clouds gave way here and there to a shaft of ethereal, watery sunlight, bathing this harshly unforgiving yet beautiful landscape with an almost heavenly glow. It’s very hard to convey the feeling engendered by such an experience now I’m back on dry land sitting in front of a laptop, but thankfully something deep within my psyche holds onto it; the childlike wonder of butterflies in your tummy, the tingling throughout your whole being and the smile, that magnificent inward smile that imbues your very soul with a serene sense of wellbeing.

Approaching the ice field itself, we noticed that the initially sporadic floes were now coming thicker and faster, giving way occasionally to ever larger icebergs of azure and cobalt, indigo and sapphire – all the deep blues of pure ice, uncontaminated by air and impurities. Their majesty was overwhelming, their might bewildering. As Nils cut the engine allowing us to drift sedately among these behemoths of the sea, it was strangely comforting to feel the stillness of the morning, barely punctuated by creaking ice and its desultory crash into the freezing ocean. As the outboard motor slowly sputtered back into life, our captain nuzzled in yet closer, affording us the sublime opportunity to reach out and touch the ice itself, an activity to which mere mortal words can do no justice whatsoever; this was a oneness with nature which has no equal.

We continued to drift and bob among the ice for a good hour, before finally heading back to Narsarsuaq harbour. The random boats were still there, dotted around the quayside just like before, and the fishermen readied their vessels and tended their nets, just like before. All the daily necessities and details of this south Greenlandic village were continuing just as they had a few hours earlier; it was we who were different. We intrepid three, under the guidance of our master mariner, had communed with Mother Nature in a most spectacular way, and that had facilitated a change in us that would be a part of each one of us for our remaining days.