Author: Ros Walford

Road trip Australia: 6 of the best routes

Pack your stuff, throw it in a camper van along with a surfboard and don’t look back… This might be an old cliché but it’s one for good reason: Australia really is one of the best places on Earth for a road trip. Whether you’re living the dream in your camper van, or making do…

Slow travel: exploring Catalunya’s back roads

Barcelona is one of the world’s most visited cities, but relatively few tourists venture beyond the suburbs. Yet, just a couple of hours’ drive from the metropolis, there’s a relaxed region that’s ready to be explored at your own pace: the province of Girona, a jewel in the Spanish crown. The best way to experience…

A first-timer’s guide to the Faroe Islands

Way out in the cool North Atlantic Ocean, there’s a cluster of craggy islands inhabited primarily by sheep and puffins. The Faroe Islands are Scandinavia’s ultimate off-the-beaten-track destination. Here’s our guide to what to expect on your first trip to this remote archipelago. What and where are the Faroe Islands? Contrary to popular misconception, the…

Living the good life in Borneo

Life in the beautiful region of Sapulot is relaxed and uncomplicated, and the communities who live here want to keep it that way. They are inviting visitors to this remote part of Sabah, a Malaysian state on the island of Borneo, to show them the Murut way of life. Ros Walford went to find out…

12 tips for backpacking Australia

Backpacking Australia will almost certainly exceed your expectations. It’s not just that the places you’ll see will be more stunning than you had imagined – from the open, red-tinged landscapes and rich rainforests inland to the immaculate, golden shores. It’s that the country is geared up for good times, whether it’s getting active outdoors in that almost endless…

On a budget: 15 cheap places to visit in Europe

If you’re short of cash, it doesn’t mean you have to starve the travel bug entirely; simply choose your destinations wisely. Europe can be pricey but there are many places where your money will go further. Here are fifteen of our favourites. For food: León, Spain In the barrios near León’s cathedral, delicious tapas is…

Trail-running in the stunning Swedish countryside

Ros Walford goes leaping over granite rocks to give you the lowdown on Sweden’s only coastal trail-running race.  What is this strangely named Icebug Xperience? It has nothing to do with ice – nor bugs, fortunately. It’s actually a three-day 74-km coastal trailrunning and hiking event organised by a Swedish company called Icebug. The event…

The ultimate backpacking checklist: 20 things every traveller needs

Packing for a big trip often causes dilemmas. Should you take a large tube of toothpaste to last the trip? How many pairs of trousers to take? Should you invest in some ventilating undies? It’s all too easy to angst over your packing list – be selective and remember that you can buy most things while…

9 tips for adjusting to life after travelling

Anyone who has been travelling knows how difficult coming home can be. You’ve just spent months abroad, being stimulated every day by new sights, people and experiences; then suddenly you’re back to the old life – and it’s boring! Maybe you were looking forward to coming home, seeing friends, your comfortable bed and all those…

Scaling the Metéora: the monastic mountains of Greece

Not for those without a head for heights: Rough Guides editor Ros Walford conquers one of the cliffs of the Metéora.  This is no ordinary day. I’m dangling by a rope from a vertical rock face in mainland Greece. All around me are towers of sandstone, jutting from a wide plain – carved by water…

A foodie pilgrimage along the Camino del Norte

After a foodie pilgrimage along the northern Spanish coast, Ros Walford shares some of her edible highlights of the Camino del Norte. There’s something magical about entering a city on foot. First, you see a rash of buildings in the distance; some hours later, you finally reach the centre, where, stomach rumbling, you follow your…