Travel Tips

51. Egypt

November 2007: I spent 3 days in Cairo; Africa's largest city, and famous home of the Pyramids at Giza. I visited the impressive Pyramids and the stunning Sphinx, walked by the river Nile, spent a morning at the bustling Khan al Khalili bazaar and an afternoon admiring the panoramic views from the Citadel. I've never experienced such frightening traffic anywhere in the world - every taxi journey felt like it could be my last!

52. Iceland

December 2007: My friend and I visited the world's northernmost capital city, Reykjavik, to experience its famous New Year celebrations. We swam in the surreal Blue Lagoon during a snow storm, ate whale for the first time, saw the famous local singer Bjork in a pub and welcomed in 2008 right below the midnight bell chimes of Hallgrimskirkja, while watching the spectacular firework displays.

53. Mauritius

February 2008: I spent a week in the sunshine on the beautiful Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. This was always going to be a relaxing holiday (I needed to recharge my batteries!) rather than a hectic sightseeing tour. I stayed in the lovely village of Grand Baie (one of the most popular resorts on the island, but still very laid back) and visited the superb beaches at Pereybere, Bain Boeuf, Mont Choisy and Trou aux Biches. I spent one day sightseeing in the chaotic capital, Port Louis, making the steep climb to the town's impressive Fort Adelaide, before having lunch in "Chinatown" and then a beer at the modern Caudan Waterfront complex.

54. Romania

March 2008: My friend and I spent Easter weekend in the Romanian capital, Bucharest. We visited the enormous Palace of Parliament, the Village Museum at Herastrau Park, spent a sunny afternoon drinking cold beers at an outdoor cafe in Cismigiu Park, dined in the cafes and restaurants around Lipscani and walked along the many boulevards that helped to give Bucharest its title of "Paris of the East".

55. China

May 2008: I spent a very enjoyable week in China's largest and, arguably, most dynamic city - Shanghai! I strolled along the historic Bund admiring the Pudong skyline, battled the crowds on the neon-lit Nanjing Road, ascended the Oriental Pearl TV Tower and the Jinmao Tower, wandered the back streets of the Old Town, visited the Yuyuan Gardens, ate ice cream in the trendy Xintiandi district and drank tea and ate dumplings in a historic tea house. I arrived in Shanghai via one of the world's fastest trains, the Maglev - at 430+ km/hour!

56. Northern Ireland

Yeah, I know that Northern Ireland is part of the UK, so VT won't count this as an additional country visited - but it has a capital city and, more importantly, a national football team so that's good enough for me! In July 2008, my friend and I spent a wet weekend in Belfast. We started the trip with a hearty Ulster Fry for breakfast, before battling the rain as we walked down to the Lagan river. Due to the torrential downpours, we were "forced" to undertake a rather lengthy pub crawl in order to shelter from the rain - and Belfast is a GREAT place to do this, thanks to its abundance of historical pubs. When the rain relented, we explored the streets, admired the impressive political wall murals on the housing estates and took a ride on the Belfast Wheel.

57. Ireland

In October 2008, I made my second visit of the year to the Emerald Isle, but this time to the south of the country. The weekend that I spent in Cork was significant in that visiting Ireland meant that I had finally visited all 27 current EU nations. The weather was unseasonably warm, so I enjoyed some long autumnal walks along the banks of the River Lee, as well as wandering the streets of the city centre. I paid a visit to the fascinating Cork City Gaol Museum as well as the Cork Butter Museum, and I made sure that I sampled the local Murphy's Irish stout (far superior to Guinness in my humble opinion!).

58. Japan

November 2008: I spent a week in the Land of the Rising Sun, basing myself in the business city of Osaka. After ascending a couple of towers (the bizarre Umeda Sky Building with its outdoor escalator and the Eiffel-esque Tsutenkaku Tower), I visited the entertainment district of Dotonbori for local food and neon signs aplenty! During my stay, I undertook day trips to the beautiful city of Kobe and the former capital of Japan, Nara. In Kobe, I caught the Shin-Kobe Ropeway cable car to the mountain-top herb garden, explored the small Chinatown area of Nankinmachi, saw the earthquake damage near the port, ascended the Kobe Port Tower and meandered through the picturesque streets and villas of the Kitano suburb. Nara gave me the opportunity to see several UNESCO-listed temples, several hundred deer roaming all over the city and finally a booze-filled sake-tasting session.

59. Monaco

While holidaying in Nice in May 2009, my girlfriend and I caught the bus to Monaco for a day. We were fortunate to be in this tiny principality on the weekend that it hosted its most famous event - the Formula 1 Grand Prix. We took advantage of Friday's free entry to the stands to watch cars race around the city streets in a GP2 race. Away from the race track, we climbed up to the Prince's Palace, explored the adjacent historical town shopping streets, soaked up the panoramic views of Fontvieille harbour and Port Hercule and bought souvenir Monaco stamps. In the afternoon, we headed to glamorous Monte Carlo, resisted the urge to go into its famous casino, admired the ubiqitous Ferraris and Lamborghinis and went for a swim and beachside drink at the man-made Larvotto beach.