Category: Expert Travel Advice

With Pope Benedict XVI resigning his eight-year papacy on 28^th February, Annabel Barber takes a closer look at the papal election process, and what it means for travellers heading to Rome between now and Easter.

It didn’t take long. A mere 24 hours after Pope Benedict XVI announced his abdication, portents were being seen in the skies above the Vatican. Jupiter, the great god of the Romans, began rattling his thunderbolts and lightning was recorded striking the cupola of St Peter’s – twice. This is the kind of thing that happened on the eve of Caesar’s murder. “Never till to-night, never till now,” says a trembling Casca, “did I go through a tempest dropping fire. Either there is a civil strife in heaven, or else the world, too saucy with the gods, incenses them to send destruction.” Is that what heaven is doing? Or is it a seal of approval?

After an eight-year pontificate, Joseph Ratzinger is voluntarily vacating the Throne of St Peter. It is not an unprecedented step, but it is a controversial one; something that’s not ‘done’. But Benedict XVI has never been afraid of controversy. While he lacks the charisma of his predecessor John Paul II and while he never inspired such fervent devotion in people’s hearts, he has been, in his thoughtful, mild-mannered way, revolutionary. Continue reading Rome: The Papal Election Process

On Monday, the intrepid Caroline Sandes will travel to Iran – a country the Foreign & Commonwealth Office strongly discourages visiting. Having secured an Iranian visa and, more challengingly, travel insurance, how does one plan a trip to one of the world’s most volatile countries?

Iran has reached the top of my ‘places I want to go’ list – not least because I’m worried that due to the current political shenanigans of the Middle East, the opportunity for me to visit will suddenly disappear. I’ve always wanted to see Iran – Esfahan and Persepolis specifically – and I’ve heard great things about the country and its people from those who’ve travelled there. However, as a solo woman traveller, I’ve also always been aware that it probably would be fairly tough travelling and so I’ve put it off. Not anymore. The visa has been obtained and the flights booked and I’m off on Monday for three weeks.

Given the perceived difficulties of travelling in Iran at the moment, this trip has required considerably more planning and research than usual. I thought, therefore, that it might be useful to explain the process, as much of it is useful if you’re thinking of travelling anywhere you haven’t been before.

Getting an Iran visa

Firstly, due to the aforementioned political instabilities, the British Foreign Office advises against all travel to Iran. This advice is to be heeded and you should always check its Travel Advice section. In my case, however, I am Irish and the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs is advising to ‘Exercise Caution’, and the Irish Embassy is still open in Tehran, so I don’t feel too irresponsible. I will of course register my passport on its website as recommended.

The British Foreign Office’s advice and the closure of the Iranian embassy in London means two problems. The first is obtaining a tourist visa for Iran and the second is getting travel insurance. Firstly, the visa – they aren’t difficult to secure but there is a procedure that needs to be followed. I needed one for at least three weeks’ travel, and they have to be collected from the embassy in Dublin. On the advice of David at Travel the Unknown, who had just come back from Iran, I used an agency, Persian Voyages, who were very helpful. The process actually took a couple of months (partly because I was a bit slow in getting the paperwork off and because Christmas was in the middle).

Firstly, you need a visa code (i.e. authorisation from Tehran) – then you fill out the paperwork, include some passport photos (if you’re a woman it’s strongly recommended to get photos taken with your head covered) and send them off with your passport and the fee. Eventually your passport reappears with a visa in it. I was very excited about getting mine – dragging my boyfriend off to the post office on a Saturday morning to collect it – as it finally meant I was definitely going.

Travel insurance for Iran

Next, the travel insurance. I can’t get travel insurance here because of the Foreign Office’s advice against all travel, and I can’t get travel insurance from a company in Ireland despite my parents being resident there because I am not resident there. There was a company that offered travel insurance for war zones but it’s stopped doing that – it recommended trying ihiBUPA, based in Denmark. Sure enough, for a bit more than your usual travel insurance, you can get cover for absolutely anywhere, though they do ask that you tell them if you’re going to Iraq or Afghanistan…

I don’t travel without insurance – having no desire to inflict emergency bills for having me repatriated or worse on my parents, and I’m certainly not travelling to Iran without it; not just because Iran is an earthquake hotspot but because the Iranians, although reputedly lovely people, are also considered some of the worst drivers in the world!

Budgeting

Iran is presently suffering from sanctions by the West, which means its currency, the rial, is dropping in value. This should make it cheaper for me to travel there because I’ll have foreign western currency (euros), but several things need to be taken into account here. Firstly, there are no international banking connections with Iran so I will not be able to access any other money while I’m there, so much more careful budgeting than usual will be required. Secondly, because of rising inflation, things could become much more expensive and lead to social unrest – the latter definitely to be avoided. As it turns out I shall be there for International Women’s Day on the 8th March, the small parades for which are heavily policed affairs. So, all fun and games then…

Do your homework

When going to somewhere like Iran it’s important to keep up to speed with what’s going on up to the point of departure. This is where the internet and friends and contacts come in handy. Apart from keeping an eye on the travel advice from both the Foreign Office and the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, and on the news – specifically Al Jazeera – I’ve also used Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree travel forum, which provides useful advice on current costs and so forth from returning travellers.

One of the many joys of living in London is there are people here from pretty much every country in the world and unless you lead a very insular life, you’ll inevitably know someone or know someone who knows someone who’s either been to or come from the country you’re visiting (failing that, drop into Stanfords – between us we’ve covered a significant proportion of the world’s countries). In this case I tracked down an ex-PhD colleague who is Iranian and asked her advice. She was brilliant, explaining places I should go and where I shouldn’t, what I should and shouldn’t do, and even giving me a contact in Persepolis.

There are a couple of websites that I find useful for preliminary dreaming and for topping up the guidebook – wikitravel.org and seat61.com – but the other crucial factor, usually decided upon the minute I’ve decided which country I’m visiting, is which guidebook to take – a question we get asked a lot in Stanfords.

Iran guidebooks and maps

Different guidebooks do different things and have their own specialities and quirks, so the trick is to match one up to the type of holiday. For Iran there isn’t a huge choice: a Bradt, an Odyssey and the ubiquitous Lonely Planet. Bradt guides can be very good and quite individual – I’ve used them successfully in Ghana and Luxembourg – but the Iranian one starts out by assuming you’ve sorted your travel plans already. That’s no good for me as beyond getting to the country in question and maybe booking the first night, I book nothing else, so logistical information is important.

The Odyssey is lovely and definitely good for either pre-trip research or if you’re on a tour, but no good on logistics – so that left the Lonely Planet. To be honest the LP is the guide book I usually use as it has good reliable maps, information and options for where to stay – useful if you’re like me and tend to turn up somewhere with nothing booked. In this case it was also the most up-to-date guide. Another pre-trip guide I’ve found useful is the Culture Smart for Iran, for obvious reasons.

I never travel without a map, but again – which map? Maps, like guidebooks, come in different shapes and sizes and once again it depends on what you want them for – driving, orientation, pre-trip planning etc.

At the moment I have the Freytag and Berndt stuck on the wall because of its quite large scale, while the entire country is on one side of the page which makes it easier to get a grip on Iran’s geography and transport routes. However, it’s very big and since I really only need it for orientation, I’ll probably opt for something smaller – for example the Reise Know-How.

So, those are the main things sorted out: passport and visa, money, guidebook and map, and what’s going on. My flight is booked – one way to Tehran and return from Ankara as I’m hoping to take the train from Tabriz – and I’ve decided on what books I want to take with me. That just leaves the small matter of clothing… what am I going to do about a hejab?

It’s become one of the continent’s most high-profile cultural events: the awarding of European Capital of Culture status. Dating back to 1985, more than 40 cities have so far been recognised, and this year the mantle is being shared by Marseille and Košice. With both only a few hours away, we take a closer look at their cultural offerings…

Marseille

France’s second-largest city isn’t renowned for being picturesque. A Mediterranean location is belied by Marseille’s lack of gentrification, its grittiness and a stark contrast to the serenity of neighbouring Provence. But a reputation defined on aesthetics alone is unfair, for Marseille is one of Europe’s oldest cities – founded by the Phoceans way back in 600 BC. And as its nickname Port d’Afrique suggests, it happens to be a melting pot of different cultures, from north Africa and Comoros to Italy and Spain – a city that, despite a sub-culture of crime, has earned a reputation for racial and religious tolerance, of colourful street markets and souks, and sun-drenched beaches and coves. Continue reading The European Capitals of Culture: A Closer Look at Marseille and Košice

Shanghai-based writer and teacher Tim Neesham takes an in-depth look at the Chinese New Year celebrations as the country welcomes in the year of the snake.

The furore that surrounds China’s annual Spring Festival celebrations certainly eclipses anything I’ve ever seen anywhere at Christmas in the western world. It is a highly anticipated season of celebrations, traditions, festivities, food and fireworks for countries across the Far East but for the Chinese in particular, New Year is a big deal.

Visiting China around New Year offers a completely different angle to normal life in this country. For a start, everything stops. It’s not easy to get a day off work here but for the place dubbed the world’s factory, manufacturing all but shuts down, the skies clear and roads – on a daily basis so perilous with every crossing – are deserted a la a Hollywood zombie movie.

A place like Shanghai ticks due to its large migrant workforce, but with the arrival of Spring Festival everyone packs up and heads home. This leads to what is, by some margin, the largest annual migration of human beings on Earth. Airfares skyrocket and trains are booked up long in advance as in a country this size, going by plane or train is almost always more preferable than automobile.

This leads to its own set of complications. Train companies deliberately sell far more tickets than there are seats, which leads to overcrowding usually only seen at one of Colonel Sanders’ battery farms. Getting a seat is arbitrary – as trains are so tightly packed, it’s physically impossible to stand up and stretch your legs, go to the restaurant car or even the bathroom. To combat this problem, it is not uncommon for fully grown adults to enter a long-distance train journey during the lead up to Spring Festival wearing a nappy!

That said, there is more than one kind of Chinese New Year to enjoy and this is no better highlighted than in the use of fireworks – something that’s rooted in mythology and superstition, as the ancient Chinese (who, let us not forget, were the early pioneers of gunpowder) believed the noise of the fireworks scared away monsters that would otherwise come and eat your kids.

The local governments of urban centres such as Shanghai and Beijing have tried to put a blanket ban on the general public’s use of fireworks and while this law is impossible to fully enforce, the best fireworks displays are generally found in the outlying provincial cities which enjoy much looser restrictions.

February 10th 2013 waves goodbye to the year of the dragon and ushers in the year of the snake. For many Chinese, the last 12 months (well, technically the nine months before, too) will have been a race against time to conceive in order to give birth in what they consider to be the luckiest of all the zodiac animals. This again is due to mythology and superstition, as the dragon was one of the first nature gods to be worshipped by the ancient Chinese and, in what is still a very patriarchal nation, is a symbol of masculinity and power. Incidentally¸ the dragon god allegedly evolved from a snake god and is the only mythical creature to grace the zodiac.

Indeed, such is the superstitious importance of astrology to the Chinese, people often plan their pregnancies around which animal their child will be attached to. I once heard a story from a former colleague of mine who has worked as a teacher in a junior high school in Hebei province for over 20 years. She told me that during the year of the sheep (2003) she had 88 students enter the junior high school exams but the year before, during the year of the horse, she had 136; a difference of over 50 per cent and simply because the horse is considered more desirable than the sheep.

As with any trip to China an open mind and a set of ear plugs are two of the most valuable travelling tools and this is no more fitting than during Spring Festival. But on the flip side, visitors will see an altogether more relaxed, peaceful China as most of the people who contribute to the everyday urban rat race jump at the chance to stay at home with the family, eat extensively and take a break from the world outside.

Bearing these, and many other things in mind, any travellers planning a trip to China around New Year are therefore advised to plan carefully, get ready to roll with the punches and be prepared for literally anything in what is one of the most unique celebrations in the world.

新年快乐!

> Want to find out more about China? Take a look at our unrivalled collection of maps and travel guides.

We spoke exclusively to Simon Calder, The Independent’s Travel Editor at Large, about where he’ll be travelling this year, the location of the world’s most beautiful place, and why he has a “slight issue” with Sri Lanka.

He’s the UK’s most-recognised travel journalist, a one-time record holder of the fastest hitchhike between Land’s End and John o’ Groats, and has a degree in mathematics from Warwick University. He also happens to be a fan of Stanfords, popping into our Long Acre store last week ahead of his next trip. So where’s next on Simon Calder’s to-visit list?

“There are two destinations I’m really excited about this year, the first of which is Alaska,” he explains. “It’s been off the map pretty much for the last 20 years, but hooray for Icelandair – they’ve decided to launch two flights to Anchorage from Reykjavik per week in May. That means from leaving London, Manchester or Glasgow, you can arrive in the US’s northernmost city later that afternoon. It’s unbelievable – and it’s also very, very cheap.

“I’ll be heading down the coast towards Juneau, a really exciting place to be. I’ve only been to Alaska before very briefly in the olden days when British Airways flew non-stop from Heathrow – but that wasn’t in the middle of summer, which is when I’ll be travelling this time, and I’m looking forward to it very much indeed.”

From Alaska it’s almost 5,000 miles south-east to a Portuguese Atlantic archipelago that’s home to some of the world’s highest mountains (if measured from their base on the bottom of the ocean) – the second overseas destination on Simon’s must-visit list. “I’m buying the Bradt guidebook to the Azores,” he says. “I’ve always wanted to go but haven’t quite made it yet, but I’m going to get there soon.”

It’s almost surprising that any countries have been left untrodden by the former Holiday presenter, so just how many nations has Simon visited? “I’ve got absolutely no idea,” he says, “and I suppose I’ve got better things to do than work it out. The great thing about coming here is stumbling across something and working out where I’d like to go next – I found myself looking at the Central Asia section and thought, ‘Ooh, I want to go there, there’s the Caucasus, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan – why haven’t I been there yet? Get on with it!’ – and hopefully I will do.”

If Alaska and the Azores are a little ‘out there’, what does Simon make of Sri Lanka and Burma, two destinations tipped to return to travellers’ radars in 2013? “I have a bit of an issue with Sri Lanka,” he explains. “Many people are saying it’s the place to go this year, but I can’t see that there’s anything much transformed.

“Of course the civil war is over, unfortunately in very bloody fashion, but the best news I’ve seen recently is that the Sri Lankan rupee is down 10 per cent against sterling, though this isn’t enough to make me want to go there just yet I’m afraid. With Burma, the potential problem is that everybody is travelling there, so I think I’ll give it a couple of years.”

Despite the emergence of new far-flung destinations, it’s unlikely the travel journalist will lose sight of his favourite three countries: France, Cuba and Scotland, the latter of which Simon shall be returning thanks to wife, Charlotte, being inspired by crime writer Ann Cleeves, whose books are set on Shetland.

“We’ll be travelling to the islands later this year,” he says, “which is very good news because the Scottish islands are quite possibly the most beautiful parts of the entire planet – so I’ll be checking out the Ordnance Survey maps and guidebooks here at Stanfords to see what I need to be consulting!”

The Lake District offers some of the UK’s most spectacular walking routes. How to narrow down so many? We asked local expert Ian John to reveal his top five.

One of the great joys of a trip to the Lakes is a chance to slip on a pair of comfortable boots and a rucksack and head out into the hills to experience the timeless rugged beauty of the landscape. Walking remains a hugely popular activity for all ages in Cumbria and there are hundreds of different walks, ranging from those anyone can enjoy through to those suited only for experienced or advanced hikers.

Here’s a selection of five of my favourite ambles in the Lake District:

1. Coniston Hall & Park Coppice (3 miles)

If you’re with younger children or people with mobility issues, this gentle amble on wide, safe pathways is an ideal starting point for walking in the Lakes. Starting in the beautiful village of Coniston, you head down the Cumbria Way eventually reaching the atmospheric Coniston Hall. From here you continue walking along the lake then turn back through the pretty Park Coppice before heading back to Coniston for a well-earned coffee.

> Map your Coniston walk with The English Lakes: South Western area OS map

2. Grizedale Forest Walk (3.5 miles)

While the lakes and mountains of Cumbria are undeniably its biggest attraction, it’s easy to forget that the county also offers different types of walks – and the finest example of this in my view is the Grizedale Forest Walk. This is a fabulous route again for the beginner or family group as the paths are well-maintained and easy to follow, and you can round your trip off at the visitor centre.

You have a choice of eight well-signed walking routes, each through a lush verdant and varied woodland, with plenty to keep children entertained too. If you want to begin your Lake District trip with a flat, easy and enjoyable short walk, then this is an ideal starting point.

> Map your Grizedale walk with Footprint’s Walks Around Coniston

3. The Langdale Pikes and Dungeon Ghyll (6 miles)

For experienced walkers, this is one of the most popular climbs in the Lake District and as such, it is advisable to head to the New Dungeon Ghyll car park early to guarantee yourself a parking space. The effort of an early start though is worth it on this six-mile hike around Stickle Tarn, Pavey Ark, Harrison Stickle and Pike O’ Stickle.

You’ll need stout boots and not be afraid to scramble up and down steep faces to enjoy all this walk has to offer but the rewards are immense, with stunning views of the beautiful southern Lakeland hills and breathtaking landscapes at every turn.

> Discover more with HandiHikes’ Walk the Langdale Pikes

4. Scafell and Scafell Pike from Wasdale (6.5 miles)

Starting in the picturesque village of Wasdale (probably with many other hikers attempting the highest peak in England), make sure you’re wearing sensible footwear for this classic trek up Scafell. There are a variety of routes and paths available, ranging from the main tourist track up the mountain to much quieter side paths and tracks that offer more solitude. The scenery is splendid, offering fabulous views over Wasdale and the chance to reach the summit of both Scafell and the larger Scafell Pike.

> Ascend Scafell Pike with The National 3 Peaks Walk Official Challenge Guide

5. Helvellyn from Glenridding (7.5 miles)

This is without doubt my favourite walk in the Lakes and one I first completed as a young boy on our first ever trip. For sure, it’s one of the best known and there are many different ways you can tackle the route. The easiest and most suited for families is on large wide paths for most of the lower part of the hike, leading onto narrower ridges for the 810m climb up Helvellyn and around Red Tarn, while more experienced climbers can scramble around Striding Edge and head up Swirral Edge taking in the peak of Catsycam.

At the summit, you’ll have spectacular views of the local area and without doubt the finest views of the majestic Lake Ullswater, glistening in the valley below.

> Walk from Helvellyn from Glenridding with the HandiHikes guide

> Learn more about the Lake District with our range of travel guides and maps.

Travel writer and Canaries expert Ervin Cenmurati reveals his top five hiking destinations in the Spanish archipelago.

The Canary Islands are a heaven for holidaymakers, with the archipelago attracting visitors throughout the year. Aside from the guaranteed sun and fantastic beaches, the Canaries are blessed with other natural wonders that relatively few have explored. The fact that the 13 islands are sitting on one of the largest volcanic regions in the world means the landscape has constantly changed. What better way to appreciate this unique setting than a hiking holiday? Here’s our guide to the top five hiking destinations in the Canaries:

1. La Gomera

Crossing over to this small island is well worth it. Here you’ll find a trekking haven for beginners and those who prefer something more challenging. Just over 40 minutes from Tenerife by ferry (there is a small local airport but it closes early in the evenings), La Gomera boasts lush mini rainforests, jaw-dropping gorges, banana plantations and a community that’s developed one of the best languages a man can know: whistling. Yes, that’s right, ‘El Silbo’ is a recognised language that inhabitants of La Gomera use to communicate over long distances, spreading the word for various events such as weddings. It has been proclaimed one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, and is so natural to listen to that many confuse it with the sound of local birdsong.

2. Tenerife

One of the largest of the Canaries, Tenerife offers the visitor a fantastic range of hiking and trekking tours. One of the best known is an exploration of Mount Teide, the islands’ largest and highest peak. One for real trekking enthusiasts, this is a challenge that promises beautiful gorges and a breathtaking landscape on the approach to Masca Village: a small and traditional inland settlement that can also be accessed by car – but that’s cheating. Other famous treks worth considering are crossing over to nearby El Hierro, or finding hidden beaches like Playa Bollullo, Playa de los Patos or – the most challenging but also the most rewarding – Playa del Ancón.

3. Lanzarote

Lanzarote offers great choice for hikers, especially around the coastal areas of Risco de Famara, Charco del Paolo and La Galeria de Famara. If you like the luxury of a private pool – but the way that nature intended – then from Costa Teguise trek to Cueva del Agua, where a stunning natural pool has been formed among the rocks. Lanzarote’s landscape offers fantastic walks inland too, especially in the Timanfaya National Park – though for more of an unusual challenge it’s worth visiting the smaller neighbouring islands of La Graciola and Isla del Lobos. One word of advice: Lanzarote’s cooled magma and the rocky landscape means it’s necessary to invest in some proper trekking shoes.

4. Gran Canaria

Famous for the sand dunes of Maspalomas and the fantastic scenery at dawn or dusk for romantic walk, this is Gran Canaria – where keen hikers find inhabited cave villages like Guayadeque and the breathtaking scenery and vertical cliffs of the Barranco Hormiguero Canyon near San Felipes. Off the beaten tracks and spectacular mountain scenery are abundant in Gran Canaria, and when you throw in the year-round beautiful weather it’s hard to resist the temptation of not visiting the second-most populous of the Canary Islands.

5. Fuerteventura

Last but not least is Fuerteventura – an island famous for its watersports, especially windsurfing, where every year the world championships and rallies are hosted.  The second-largest Canary Island offers easier-going treks than its island neighbours as its landscape is generally flatter. An excellent selection of coastal hikes can be found throughout the island, especially around Dunes Natural Park near Corralejo or Jandia Natural Park. Other routes to be considered are the volcanic mountain range in the north of the island near Colorada Mountain, or a coast to coast trek from Costa Calma to La Pared.

Ervin Cenmurati is an expert travel consultant at Directline Holidays and a freelance travel writer in his free time. He has travelled extensively around Europe and particularly enjoys finding rarities and venturing off the beaten path.