Category: Travel

  • 5 Reasons Camping Is Better Than Staying In A Hotel

    When it comes to travelling across the country or elsewhere, one thing you’re likely to do is to stay in a hotel. After all, booking a room at a hotel is easy thanks to the Internet, and you’ll have no trouble finding a great room that is well within your budget.

    However, staying in a hotel isn’t necessarily the best way to experience certain holiday adventures. If you like to go exploring, particularly off the beaten track and away from the tourist traps, you’ll have a more immersive experience if you go camping instead.

    If you’ve never been camping before, you might be wondering whether it’s the right thing for you to do. Take a look at these reasons why camping can be better than staying in a hotel:


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    1. You Can Stay In Remote Locations

    Imagine if you want to stay at a picturesque location that offers some stunning views across an expanse of land and is relatively unspoilt by the world around you. It’s something you would love to do, yet it isn’t always possible if you want to stay in a hotel.

    If you don’t want to stay somewhere nearby and prefer to be closer to your perfect yet non-existent accommodation location, the best thing to do is go camping instead of staying in a nearby hotel.

    2. More To Camping Than Sleeping In A Tent

    Some people assume that camping means staying in a tent that you have to spend ages putting up and hoping that it doesn’t fly away if there’s a gust of wind!

    The truth is, camping is a general term that covers staying in a tent and other things like caravans, hybrid campers, campervans, and more.

    3. Cheaper Than Staying In A Hotel

    As you can imagine, staying in a hotel generally means spending a lot of money on accommodation – especially if you’re staying somewhere for several days or weeks.

    If you go camping, you’ll save a lot of money compared with staying at a hotel. That’s especially true if you pitch up somewhere in a tent or have a caravan or campervan that you own.

    The only thing you’d need to pay is any site pitch-up fees – and they don’t cost much money at all.

    4. Making Memories

    Whether you’re a solo traveller that likes road trips or someone that enjoys family holidays, one thing’s for sure: you’ll be making memories when you go camping.

    You can take lots of photos and selfies at stunning locations and have magnificent backdrops, whereas if you stay at a hotel, you won’t really experience the same thing.

    Camping experiences are very memorable, and it’s something you’ll want your children and their children to experience too.

    5. No Noisy People Next Door

    Another advantage camping has over staying in a hotel is that you don’t have any noisy neighbours behind a wall. You can pitch up your tent or caravan, or park your campervan wherever you want away from other people for some real peace and quiet.

  • Do You Need Travel Insurance?

    Travel insurance can often seem like a lot of hassle and paperwork. Booking a holiday is exciting, but can also be difficult when you are working with a budget. So the additional costs of travel insurance, just because something might go wrong, often gets pushed aside. The thought of something going wrong may seem so far out of reach as if it is something that would never happen to you.

    You may look after yourself well while you are on holiday, but unfortunately, you never know when something could go wrong, and travel insurance might just be the lifeline you need. It is therefore important to understand what travel insurance is, and how it can benefit you, to help you make your final decision. 

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    What is travel insurance?

    Travel insurance provides you with a layer of protection if something on your holiday doesn’t go as planned. There is a range of different travel insurance policies out there, that can help protect you against a variety of different factors that may go wrong on a holiday, including:

    • Illness
    • Cancellation
    • Injury
    • Delayed departure
    • Missed transport
    • Damaged, stolen, or lost images 

    If you experience any of these unfortunate events while away on holiday, you will have to cover all the costs yourself, including losing your entire holiday if you become ill, which could cost you thousands. If you have sufficient travel insurance, you can save yourself stress, and a lot of money.

    Benefits of travel insurance

    Here are some of the benefits of travel insurance that can help you significantly.

    #1 Cancellation cover

    Imagine how it would feel to have worked hard all year, and saved up for your annual break away in the sun, and you had to cancel it due to an unforeseen circumstance that was out of your control? It would be bad enough knowing you could not go, but how would you feel if you also lost all your hard-earned money? Travel insurance can help you to recover the costs of your holiday. 

    #2 Personal possessions

    Most travel insurance policies will provide cover for certain personal possessions such as the typical items you would carry in your luggage, for example, clothes, shoes, and jewellery, up to a certain value. A policy would cover the items if they have been lost, stolen or damaged.

    #3 Medical expenses 

    In the unfortunate event you or a person you are travelling with becomes ill or injured while you are on holiday, the most important thing is that urgent medical treatment is sought, without any barriers. Travel insurance can be particularly helpful, as it takes away the barrier of finances in this situation. Different countries have different rules and costs associated with medical care, and you don’t want to find yourself in a situation having to pay thousands in medical expenses. 

    #4 Legal expenses

    If you run into any problems while abroad that require legal assistance, for example, someone has hurt you, or you were involved in an accident that wasn’t your fault, you may find yourself in a lot of debt trying to argue the case. Travel insurance may cover you to obtain legal advice, and cover a certain threshold of costs.

    Travel insurance is vital protection for anyone who may encounter legal problems while away from home. Motorcycle accidents are a leading cause of death and injury among travellers, and many of those involved in these accidents face high legal costs. If you are involved in a motorcycle accident while travelling, having travel insurance can help you recover some of these costs. Motorcycle Accident Attorney typically charge high fees, and if you cannot pay these fees, you may be forced to settle for less than you deserve. Travel insurance can help cover these costs, allowing you to focus on getting the best possible outcome for your case. In addition, travel insurance can also cover other legal expenses, such as the cost of hiring a private investigator. While no one likes to think about being involved in a legal dispute while travelling, having travel insurance can give you peace of mind knowing that you are protected if something happens.

    Each travel insurance provider will have different offerings, so you must ensure your policy covers everything you want and need before you go on holiday.

    Before you buy holiday insurance 

    Make sure you follow these tips before you buy your holiday insurance.

    Figure out what you need

    You can get generic travel insurance policies, but it can be more beneficial to take a little time to figure out what you need and find one that ticks all the right boxes for you. For example, if you are going on a more adventurous holiday and will be participating in activities such as skiing, or watersports, then you are going to require cover for your equipment and medical expenses for those specific sports. You should also consider where you are travelling, as in some places, such as the United States, you may need higher medical cover. Any previous medical conditions should also be considered, as this will impact your cover.

    Shop around

    Before you buy holiday insurance, it is important you shop around to see what different providers are offering and which deals you can get on your insurance, such as those at Netvouchercodes.co.uk, to ensure you are getting the best policy possible. 

    Read the policy

    As tempting as it can be, to just accept the terms and conditions, it is vital that you check the conditions of the policy to cover everything you need it to. For example, some policies don’t cover cruises or may need you to add on things like medical cover, which you won’t know unless you take time to read the policy. 

    Travel insurance is an important part of your holiday.

  • tom àdam’s Berlin

    tom àdam’s Berlin

    Tom Adam Vitolins is the founder of tom àdam, a responsible and conscious men’s underwear and swim shorts brand based between Paris and Berlin, and manufacturing in a small factory near his hometown in Latvia. A family business – above all, a friendship between a son and dad – tom àdam‘s vision is to create garments that allow ethics and aesthetics to co-exist.

    We asked Tom to share his favourite places in Berlin with us.

    www.tomadam.fr

    Bichou

    My favourite French cafe in town – watch out for Marion & Thomas because they are the sweetest. Their brioche orange is impeccable and it’s the perfect place where to go for an espresso with friends or lunchtime coq-au-vin with your parents.

    www.instagram.com/bichou.berlin

    Schönstedtstraße 14, 12043

    Rosa Wolf

    Perfect if you end up in Prenzlauer berg, and have forgotten to take your favourite indie magazine with you. I tend to have a problem, to go out of this place with only one magazine in my hands. The photo is misleading and I took some other magazines as well. Nonetheless, both Record Magazine & Rosa Wolf, are highly recommended.

    www.instagram.com/rosawolf_berlin

    Eberswalder Str. 33, 10437

    Michelberger Hotel

    From playing table tennis in their courtyard during the day to having a glass of “Jaspidem- Rosato di Sangiovese” and catching up on the book which I always carry in the pocket of my jacket to listening to their concerts on the weekend and having some proper, fine-dining experience. Anytime, any day. They don’t disappoint. It serves as well as a very nice hotel, which I tend to forget about.

    www.instagram.com/michelbergerhotel

    Warschauer Str. 39-40, 10243

    Körnerpark

    When you want to see Jardin de Luxembourg in the middle of Neukölln, this is the place. Perfect for playing Pétanque in front of their art gallery & café.

    Schierker Str. 8, 12051

    König Galerie

    It was founded by Johann König in 2002. It’s located in a former church, St.Agnes, which is a great example of “brutalism” architecture and the very high ceilings give a very unique surroundings for the artworks.

    www.instagram.com/koeniggalerie

    Alexandrinenstraße 118-121, 10969

    James Turrell Lichtinstallation

    *Insert a lot of praise for James Turrell here*. Although my favourite was his exhibition in Jüdisches Museum, this one takes place in a cemetery (I am seemingly a big fan of churches & cemeteries) and starts half an hour before the sunset. Perfect for immersing yourself in the shadow-less beauty that James Turrell has crafted.

    Chausseestraße 126, 10115

  • Travelling to Svalbard with Parajumpers

    Travelling to Svalbard with Parajumpers

    Adventure, tradition, culture, exceptional pursuits and extreme professions all meet in the latest project from Italian luxury outerwear label Parajumpers. The combined creation of Ape S.P.A. and designer Massimo Rossetti, Parajumpers has just released ‘Stories’, a travelogue that tells stories of  lives outside the ordinary in the remotest corners of earth.

    To find out more about this project, we spoke with the label about the inspiration behind the campaign and the character we can meet in the first video.

    www.parajumpers.it

    The chosen destination for the first story is Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago located just 1,000Km away from the North Pole. Here is where nature can be experienced at its most extreme, with extensive white landscapes, incredible wildlife and the contrasts between the midnight sun during summer and the long, polar nights in winter.

    Its inhabitants embrace isolation and enjoy an extraordinary lifestyle, thanks to its enticing mix of 51 cultures, sense of community and eerie beauty.

    Wiggo Antonsen, a local taxi driver is the protagonist of the first story. He came from the mainland in Norway and has no intention to leave any time soon. In this video, we discover his story as he take us on a ride around Longyearbyen, the largest settlement in Svalbard.

    Can you tell us more about how Parajumpers started and what was the inspiration behind it?

    The luxury outerwear brand was inspired by the men of the 210th Rescue Squadron, who are highly trained to execute extreme recoveries in the wildest, most remote and hostile corners of the globe. Designer Massimo Rossetti developed the product, drawing from military uniforms, firemen’s gear and the technical functionality of accessories such as backpacks. Each Parajumpers’ collection closely references hardware, with the removable metal hook that is a brand signature being developed from a quick release Parachutist hook. Parajumpers’ perfectly fuse style and function, paying close attention to developments in technological advancements and intelligence of construction.

    Why did you choose Svalbard?

    Svalbard became a natural choice for this season of Parajumpers Stories as it is an area of great beauty and also true conditions to highlight the performance levels of the Parajumpers’ product.

    The Parajumpers Stories speak of lives outside the ordinary, lived in the remotest corners of earth where powerful forces of nature make everyday survival a challenge. Longyearbyen is the largest settlement and administrative centre of Svalbard. Once an active coal-mining town, it is now better known for its university, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, as a base to see breathtaking glaciers and the Northern lights, and for scientific research. As such a unique area we were blown away by its beauty.

    How did you come across Wiggo and his story?

    Whilst we were working on the Stories campaign, we came across a lot of interesting characters. Wiggo Antonsen, was one of these and we chose to feature him as the introduction to the campaign as he has such an appealing narrative and vibrant personality.

    Wiggo is a local taxi driver and sightseeing tour operator, who told us that the best part of Longyearbyen are the people and the sense of community. “In this town, we are 2,304 citizens, but we come from 51 different countries” he says. “What I like best about this place is the combination of peace, no stress and no crime”.

    In Svalbard there is virtually no such thing as a “local” inhabitant. Like Wiggo, who came from mainland Norway over a decade earlier, many have left behind more hectic lives for a chance to live in the icy north. It is an enticing mix of cultures, religions and beliefs that makes it uniquely colourful and inclusive.

  • Beckie Parker’s New York City

    Beckie Parker’s New York City

    Beckie Parker is a British knitwear designer who has been living in New York City for the past 5 years. During this time, she’s worked for two iconic NYC-based brands, DKNY and Helmut Lang, and is currently the senior sweater designer at Rebecca Taylor.

    Beckie is constantly inspired by the technical craft side of knitwear, her love of art, fashion and the energising city she calls home. That’s why we asked her to share with us some of her favourite places in New York City.

    www.beckieparker.com


    Portrait by Yolanda Leaney

     

    10 Ft Single By Stella Dallas

    As a designer I’m constantly inspired by vintage knits, it’s a great resource for concept inspiration, stitch and construction ideas. Stella Dallas is a treasure trove of vintage and worth a visit for some unique finds. Not only do they have a great knitwear selection but they also have great denim and vintage dresses.

    Condé Nast Library

    Located on the 31st floor of One World Trade, this library has one of the most stunning views of any library I’ve been to. It houses the Vogue archive and is full of editorial and design inspiration. Publications date back to the 50’s from Italy, America, France and the UK. Stan, the senior librarian, is also just a fantastic and knowledgeable man to talk to while you are there. It costs $50 for the day and requires you to pre book but it’s definitely a memorable research experience.

    1 World Trade Center

    AP Café

    New York City does an amazing job at embracing multi-disciplinary spaces, it’s something I’ve seen grow over the last few years. AP Cafe was near my old apartment. It’s a favourite place of mine for breakfast (their mushrooms on toast are a lovely thing) and a great place to work from. In the last year it has become a more dynamic space with a back room being used as pop-up shop spaces for emerging fashion brands and dance parties at night.

    420 Troutman Street, Brooklyn

    Judd Foundation

    The Judd Foundation has kept the artist and architect Donald Judd’s live/work space in SoHo as close as possible to its the original condition as he left it. I find it an inspirational space to spend time in and see how he curated spaces. His thoughts on the relationship between objects and how we interact with them in a space I’ve always found interesting. It’s a great introduction to his work and to see other artist’s work, including Dan Flavin, as well as an opportunity to see a preserved example of a traditional New York loft from the 19th Century. Look out for the drawing evenings they do there too!

    101 Spring Street

    Metrograph

    Metrograph is a cinema/restaurant/bar with an old-time feel. It specialises in screening archival and contemporary films that are unique, and has a beautiful bookshop too. I like going here as it makes the cinema experience feel curated and special again, and also the perfect place to grab a late night drink.

    7 Ludlow Street

    The New Museum

    New York has so many amazing museums with a constant rotation of new exhibitions. The New Museum—as well as having beautiful views of the Lower East Side from their sky room—always has very contemporary and relevant exhibitions.

    235 Bowery