A blog on travel, meditation, geopolitics, philosophy, economics, and everything in between.
The scope might be large, but then again, the world is too.
15 November 2023
It might seem obvious to most. But it took a much longer trip to Italy for me to fully fall in love with it.
22 October 2023
I’ve been lucky enough to visit each of the Seven Wonders of the World. How do they match up?
25 September 2023
My new book – The Travelling Ape: What Travelling (Nearly) Everywhere Taught Me about Humanity, Geopolitics, and Happiness – is out now.
9 November 2022
What can watching a football match in 55 European countries in a year teach you?
3 August 2022
Is blind positivity flawed? Could deliberate catastrophising actually make you happier?
13 June 2022
Few places on Earth are as isolated as Western Australia. For good and for bad.
8 April 2022
While we revere ‘great thinkers’, too much thinking is the path to misery.
10 February 2022
My snobbish views about Lanzagrotty and Tenerife couldn’t have been more wrong. These islands are special.
28 December 2021
Most of us do our best to pretend our universe ends at the edges of Earth. This is a huge mistake.
25 November 2021
The rise of meditation apps has been an amazing thing for global mental health. Here’s why.
28 October 2021
Switzerland has a reputation for being very boring indeed. But if beauty on this scale is boring, I’ll take it.
28 September 2021
Training your mind – meditation – sounds like it should be easy. But it often isn’t. Here are some tips to set you on your way.
27 August 2021
Is there more to Scotland than haggis, lochs, kilts, and nationalist stereotypes? Overwhelmingly yes.
27 July 2021
Here’s a recent interview I did with NomadMania, a community for the world’s best-travelled people. I talk travel, coronavirus, meditation, and a bunch of other stuff.
27 June 2021
Despite their ‘woo woo’ reputation, silent retreats can be transformative. Everyone should try a retreat at least once.
7 May 2021
Dromomania – an exaggerated desire to wander – is a registered medical condition. But can you be addicted to travel? And if so, is it a good or bad thing?
2 March 2021
Many people think meditating is incompatible with wanting a successful career. Flatly, this is wrong. Let’s look at how meditation can boost your career.
24 January 2021
Rwanda has a tragic history. But a much brighter future. How have Rwandans managed to overcome the darkest instincts of the most dangerous of apes, humans?
16 December 2020
Travelling in Zimbabwe is not easy. But you will be rewarded with raw, barren, and beautiful natural scenery and incredible wildlife. And of course, the monumental Victoria Falls.
16 December 2020
If you are politically ‘engaged’, you might get tempted to convert other people to your particular political worldview. Don’t waste your breath.
17 November 2020
A quest to North Korea, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, and Saudi Arabia, home to the five tallest flags in the world. And not many other good things.
3 November 2020
Meditation has a reputation for being unscientific. But this is changing. Scientists are now showing that meditation is very good for you indeed.
13 October 2020
The tiny, volcanic Portuguese island of Madeira packs a punch. A trip to Madeira will take you to perhaps the most enchanting island in Europe.
23 September 2020
What is consciousness? This post explores why the mystery of consciousness matters. And how you can make use of it, to the betterment of your everyday life.
4 September 2020
What are the best travel destinations globally? While there are many contenders, here I outline my five favourites. Which country will take the number one spot?
18 August 2020
One of the key battlegrounds in the toxic left/right divide in Western countries concerns government debt and the budget deficit. Which side is correct?
3 August 2020
Namibia is one of my favourite African countries. It has raw, barren, and natural beauty unsurpassed anywhere else in Africa. If you don’t like heat and sand, it might not be for you.
22 July 2020
Despite being the bedrock of Western civilisation, the concept of free will falls apart under close scrutiny. Why does this matter?
7 July 2020
The Jurassic Coast is one of the best examples of the UK’s rich history and beautiful scenery. A trip to Dorset is well worth it, even when international travel is allowed again.
3 July 2020
With its huge problems, it’s easy to think that the world is in crisis. But this is wrong. Now is easily the best time to be alive. Ever.
17 June 2020
The next global hegemon won’t be a democracy. While the West has been fighting among itself, China has been positioning itself as the world’s next leader. What is it like?
28 May 2020
A popular recent belief is that democracy is in crisis in the West. But is this really the case? Let’s have a look.
7 May 2020
Here, I outline the five cities globally that give me the biggest sense of awe, excitement, and wonder. Which city takes top spot? Spoiler alert: The red bus above is a clue.
5 May 2020
I like the analogy that ideologies are like mental parasites. When the ideology takes hold of the minds of government officials, it usually produces some of the worst countries in the world.
29 April 2020
Think your country has problems? Well, if you have access to the internet and free media, you are probably living in one of the best countries on earth. Stop moaning.
24 April 2020
If you read or watch the news, you are probably left with the feeling that humanity is doomed, and that most people are ‘evil’. The more you travel, you realise the opposite is true.
20 April 2020
The coronavirus (Covid-19) global pandemic is obviously terrible for the world, but here I outline five main positives that could emerge from it one day.
18 April 2020
The Ivory Coast’s main metropolis is Abidjan. Nestled between lagoons and waterways, it doesn’t look like a city typical of West Africa. There is a sense that it’s going places.
3 April 2020
The more I travel, the clearer it becomes that we haven’t abandoned our hunter-gatherer roots. Almost all nations remain starkly divided into tribes.
2 April 2020
Freetown is a wild and chaotic city. Yet beauty prevails. Stunning mountains give way to beautiful, palm tree-covered beaches, in one of the region’s most charismatic cities.
25 March 2020
Want to know my top five travelling tips? In this post I share my top travel hacks and best travel advice from my adventures around the world.
16 March 2020
It was always going to be a Scandinavian nation, despite the weather. But one of them stands out. What is the best country in the world to have been born in?
15 March 2020
The beaches of Palau are some of the most alluring on earth, as well as some of the most successfully protected. It’s as close to paradise as it’s possible to get.
7 March 2020
Tasmania is a remote, rugged island that feels more like Scotland than Australia. It offers a breathtaking alternative to nearby New Zealand, and for a Brit, feels like home.
1 March 2020
People may hark back to the ‘good old days’ of their youth. But this doesn’t mean the world was better in the past. These people just miss being young.
16 February 2020
Travelling to dangerous countries isn’t as scary as you might think. Do your research and prepare methodically, and you should be fine.
5 February 2020
Travel broadens the mind. It is the antidote to bigotry and hatred. And most probably, is one of the most enjoyable pastimes that exists in the world.
4 February 2020
Of over 600 islands in Micronesia, Pohnpei is one of the most beautiful. It’s simply bursting with life. It seemed like I was viewing everything in technicolour when I visited.