Leaving the U.S.’s Pacific North West behind I headed off to New Zealand to spend Christmas with my friends Philly and Kerry-anne. This time last year the three of us were on a hectic tour of the North Island, but due to the fact that Kerry-anne is hugely pregnant (I believe the more polite term would be “blooming”) we had a far more sedate itinerary which included a whole lot of nothing, and suited me just fine.

It was a long a torturous flight from L.A to Auckland. My coach class seat was broken and uncomfortable and the woman in [...] Continue Reading…

I think its a sign of age when you start saying stuff like “Christmas has come around so quickly this year.” As if it were capable of coming around faster that last year.

I found a funny website that you might enjoy spending a few minutes browsing. sketchysantas.com is a collection of submitted pictures of some sketchy looking Santa’s that have been scaring children over the years. Some of the pictures are hilarious, and as I was looking at them and laughing I started to wonder if it was really okay for me to be laughing at the obvious terror [...] Continue Reading…

Simon’s top tip for travel: Embrace local ways and customs.

When traveling it’s always a rewarding experience to embrace the local culture as much as possible. As you can see in the picture above, here in America’s Pacific North West I have immersed myself in the rich and diverse culture of the United States.

—

2009 Year of the Snuggie
Video : Snuggie commerical (Yes, this is a real ad on US TV!)
Video : Sarah Palin’s Greatest Hits
Going Rogue by Sarah Palin
The Snuggiesutra

In the run up to Christmas many of us will end up posing for photographs with family and friends. Back in the old days those old pictures would likely be hidden away in some dusty photo album somewhere. Any embarrassment they could cause was thankfully limited. However, the old days are long since gone and those pictures you hoped would never see the light of day might find a new lease of life on the internet thanks to a hilarious website ‘celebrating’ awkward family photos,

The website is aptly called awkwardfamilyphotos.com and according to the sites founders, Mike Bender and [...] Continue Reading…

Never one to pass up the opportunity to travel I took up an invitation to travel to Florence in Italy to accompany a friend who was making a brief business trip there. While he went about his work I explored the city, sampling the food, the culture, and art, and the pure magic that makes Italy uniquely romantic to anyone who loves to travel.

Whether its the fashion, the food, the architecture, or the art, there’s just something seductive about Italy. Just being there made me wish I could speak Italian in the near musical tones that spring from the [...] Continue Reading…

Following my friend Becky’s unexpected deportation from the UK, the pair of us were making an unscheduled return to Croatia just three days after returning from our trip to the countries beautiful Istrian Peninsula. Under angry black clouds and bombarded by high winds and heavy rain we found ourselves in the city of Zadar

Almost anywhere can look good under clear blue skies, but only truly beautiful places remain so in any weather.

Rain can quickly wash away the appeal of a city as stone buildings transform into ominous tomb stone colored giants with people pushing their way past one another [...] Continue Reading…