Travel

I love museums that feel like secret rooms in a city — the kind you stumble into and then slow down, noticing small details you wouldn’t have expected. If you hate crowds but still want the concentrated joy of seeing curious objects, intimate stories and surprising collections, Europe has a sweet spot of underrated museums that reward slow exploration. Below I share some of my favourite under-the-radar spots and practical tips for visiting...

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I’ve spent more mornings than I can count wandering through local markets in cities both familiar and new. There’s something irresistible about the hum of vendors, the smell of spices, and the way people arrange their stalls — a kind of living museum where every item, transaction, and layout tells a story. Over time I learned to read markets the way a local might: not just as places to buy food or trinkets, but as mirrors of a city’s...

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Why I pack like I might live out of my carry-onI once had a trip where sunshine in Lisbon turned into rain in Copenhagen, then an airport delay stretched a six-hour layover into a near-overnighter. Since then, I treat a carry-on like a small, smart home: able to handle temperature swings, sleep in odd places, and freshen up on the fly. Below are the practical items and the mindset I rely on for unpredictable weather and long layovers.The guiding...

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I still remember the first time I realized I had committed a tiny cultural misstep in Japan. I had slipped on my shoes at the genkan (entryway) of a friend's home without making a proper show of removing them, and they gently laughed and handed me a pair of slippers. It was a small moment, but it taught me how easily an innocent action can read differently in another culture — and how a little awareness can turn awkwardness into a warm...

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I return from two-week trips with pockets full of receipts, my phone bursting with photos, and a head full of half-remembered conversations. For years I treated travel like a sprint: see the highlights, grab the shots, come home and tuck the experience into a mental drawer. What changed for me was establishing a simple travel journal routine that turns a short trip into a year (or more) of memories. A few small habits—scribbling nightly notes,...

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I fell for Seville the way you fall for a song you can’t stop humming: slowly, quietly, and then all at once. If you’re tempted to race through the city’s highlights like a checklist, I’d like to invite you to do the opposite. This is a 48-hour slow travel guide to Seville that deliberately sidesteps the obvious tourist traps — no queueing for hours at the Giralda, no interminable waits to enter the Alcázar at peak time. Instead,...

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