Last Minute Inspiration for a Warm Winter Holiday   Thailand For sunshine and beaches, you can’t beat Thailand at Christmas. November to February offers perfect holidaying weather here -- the monsoon rains have passed and with them any extreme humidity. All you need to decide is which beautiful tropical island to pick. For pure relaxation, avoid the party paradises such as Koh Pha Ngan and Phuket, and choose a quieter option such as Koh Samed, Koh Chang or Koh Mak. Be warned though, although Read more

  Can You slip me a tenner?   Have you ever taken part in a corrupt deal of some kind? Don’t worry, I’m not about to report you, it is just that I’m trying to highlight how complex and interesting this thing can be. In an ideal world, perhaps, there are things that are morally right, and there are things that are morally wrong, and there is nothing in between. It is all black and white. In that world we exclusively do the right things, and none of us have therefore taken part in Read more

 I chose not to go into the Dead Sea. There- I said it. Sure, I drove past it. I can say that I've been to Jordan and have seen that mighty and mysterious body of water. But I haven't actually floated like a human-shaped lilo on its surface, felt the incredible saltiness of the water on my skin, nor have I benefitted from the health-giving properties of the full body mud smothering ritual.You see, my travel partner wasn't really interested in getting all wet, muddy and salty so I felt I shouldn't Read more