Have you ever come across a blog from a traveller who last visited Hong Kong during British rule, well before the handover of the territory to China in 1997? Well, dear reader, if you haven't I urge you to read on. I've been at the airport since, which by the way didn't exist when I last was last in Hong Kong proper, but always in transit on the way to other exotic destinations. Of course I've heard anecdotes from travellers about Hong Kong under Chinese rule, but I believe the best way to form an impression of a destination is to get there in person and explore. It goes without saying the skyline of Hong Kong Island has changed from my previous visit all those years ago, but I'm delighted to say that Hong Kong still ... read more

Everyone is talking about Georgia of late, and it's a privilege to join the summer hordes exploring the country, along with eight million or so of my closest friends! Although the distances in Europe are not vast between countries, booking flights is often problematic as it's rare to purchase a ticket without a stopover on the continent. Often the better part of a day is taken up at airports, so you can imagine my delight at being able to secure a direct flight from Odessa across the Black Sea to Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. It was an effortless two hour commute, and though Georgia is technically part of Asia the country feels very much European from arrival at the airport. I was able to snaffle a taxi to the hostel for a not overly exorbitant ... read more

Finally I have the opportunity to visit Ukraine, an exotic and fascinating destination for an Australian traveller. And judging by the incredulity of the friendly locals, the great southern land is just as exotic and fascinating to Ukrainians. It seems we have a budding mutual admiration society about to spring up! Obviously the country has been in the news for all the wrong reasons following the ousting of the Russia friendly former President in the 2014 revolution, and the subsequent three year conflict with Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine. But the conflict seems to be from a distant land when visiting Kiev, and travellers are sure to get a friendly welcome in the beautiful and historic capital city. Kiev has a population of three million people, and this centre of culture and history has always been ... read more

It was ten years ago your intrepid travel journalist paid an inaugural visit to Russia, making the journey from Helsinki, before crossing the Finnish border and journeying on to St Petersburg. Prior to the Bolshevik revolution of 1917, this glorious city was the capital of Russia. After his rise to power, however, Lenin had security concerns as St Petersburg is geographically close to rival European powers, and made the decision to move the capital to Moscow. Ever since that visit to St Petersburg in 2006 I've dreamed of visiting Moscow, a European powerhouse and by far the largest city on the continent. The official population of the city is 12 million people, however with illegal immigrants surging to the capital in search of work it's estimated there may be up to 15 million people living in ... read more

In September 1946 Winston Churchill gave his famous United States of Europe speech at the University of Zurich. During the speech the iconic wartime leader asked for cooperation amongst the great European nations, specifically Germany and France, to avoid the horrors of the world wars ever occurring again. The ironies of this speech are not lost on the Swiss today, as this historic moment is considered by many the catalyst for the formation of the European Union. The Swiss themselves, however, are notable absentees from the Union. The country maintained neutrality for the entirety of the two world wars that tore Europe apart in the 20th Century, it’s certainly unpredictable the way history tends to play out. The local economy remains a powerhouse of Europe, with Zurich a magnet for international business, banking, and finance. There's ... read more