This year has been a life-changing one for us. Three-and-a-half years after we moved to the country, we took the decision to move back to London. We missed our friends and family too much and, after two years under the pandemic, knew it was important to be close to them. And, so, in February, we sold our house and moved 240 miles across the country. We are now settled in our new home in East London and happier than we’ve ever been, despite the change in our finances (hi, London prices). Things feel settled, but, of course, being inveterate travellers, we are never settled for long. The post 12 Christmas gifts for travellers appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
This year has been a life-changing one for us. Three-and-a-half years after we moved to the country, we took the decision to move back to London. We missed our friends and family too much and, after two years under the pandemic, knew it was important to be close to them. And, so, in February, we sold our house and moved 240 miles across the country. We are now settled in our new home in East London and happier than we’ve ever been, despite the change in our finances (hi, London prices). Things feel settled, but, of course, being inveterate travellers, we are never settled for long. The post 12 Christmas gifts for travellers appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
As travel writers, we're often asked about our favourite travel apps. For a long time, we stuck to old and reliable apps that performed prosaic functions like looking up locations or booking accommodation. The post 20 best travel apps to download in 2024 appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
The 'roof of Africa' was the first high-altitude mountain I climbed. At 5,895m (19,340ft), Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, is Africa’s highest peak and while I had some hillwalking behind me, I had no prior experience of high-altitude trekking. I opted for the cheapest and quickest route to the summit via the Marangu AKA the 'Coca-Cola' route. The post Which is the best Kilimanjaro climbing route? appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
A canyon large enough to influence the weather, a hotbed of volcanic activity and an eerie desert landscape home to one of the hottest places on Earth. Yes, American national parks boast some of the most astounding natural wonders on the planet. The post Ranked: best American national parks for wildlife watching appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
Whether you're curious about nature, wildlife, culture, anthropology or language, Ecuador, one of the most diverse countries in the world, seems to have it all. Despite its relatively small size compared local giants such as Brazil and Argentina, Ecuador, is home to an astounding array of wonders that include picturesque colonial towns and cities, Amazonian rainforest, the spectacular peaks of the Andes and of course, the fragile yet almost mythological Galápagos Islands. We learnt more and more interesting facts about Ecuador with every day spent passing through its unique and varied lands (and seas). The post 30 interesting facts about Ecuador appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
It was five years ago that I first came across a big wall climber. A tiny speck on the side of a gigantic granite wall, the climber was bivvying in Yosemite National Park, the Holy Land of big wall climbing. I couldn't comprehend how someone could sleep tacked onto the side of a wall, suspended thousands of feet above the ground, sometimes in treacherously windy conditions. I was reminded of this special breed of people by the recent film Meru which follows three world-class climbers on their efforts to scale the mountain's imposing Shark's Fin. The high-altitude and Alpine climbing on display is impressive of course but it's the big wall climbing on the near-featureless Shark's Fin that is really mind blowing. The post 20 most stunning big wall climbs from around the world appeared fir...
On a recent trek through the Fann Mountains of Tajikistan, one of our group completed the nine-day foot journey without poles. At some point during the trek, every one of us asked him why he didn't have them (I'm sure he grew tired of fielding the question) and took turns to espouse the myriad benefits of their use. The post Does using trekking poles really help? appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
The smallest of the Central Asian republics, landlocked, misshapen and squished and squeezed by its neighbours, Tajikistan has somehow remained largely undiscovered by tourists even though it was at the centre of the Silk Road for much of its past. The post Trekking the Fann Mountains of Tajikistan: all you need to know appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
Annie Worsley traded a life in academia for that of a crofter. Here, she tells us about her new life, the art of slow walking and the travel that changed her It’s fair to say that Annie Worsley has not followed a conventional career path. She began life as a physical geographer focusing on the relationships between people, The post The travel that changed me: Annie Worsley appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
The countries that eat the most meat are causing the most damage to the planet. It’s time to take responsibility and change the habits of a lifetime. There is very little to debate on the subject anymore. Simply put, the world must reduce the amount of meat it eats. In 2011, the world population reached seven billion and it's now around 7.7 billion. That figure is expected to reach 10 billion around 2050. As the global population continues to skyrocket, the planet simply cannot sustain its current levels of meat production. The use of land for growing food and forestry accounts for about a quarter of all global greenhouse gas emissions. That's roughly the same as from electricity and heating, and substantially more than from all the trains, planes and automobiles on the planet. The post Co...
The Lake District is home to England's most dramatic landscape. In a country known more for its tame countryside and sedate farmland, Cumbria's exhilarating terrain of craggy peaks, deep gorges and immense lakes reveals a refreshingly wilder side of the nation. As such, nowhere else was ever really in the running to host the inaugural Highlander UK trek, one of the latest additions to the Highlander Adventure collection. The post Trekking the Highlander Lake District in England appeared first on Atlas & Boots.