No points to the Four Points Sheraton, top points to Qatar Airways, and time to bring out the Brancott

To maintain the same rigid 14-day cancellation policy from the days when quarantine room demand far exceeded supply is outrageous.

Catching up with travel retail TRI-PODs, Kiwis and Kreols in Dubai

Jacqui and I compared our life journeys from New Zealand to where we are today. Journeys from the bottom of the earth that have, we hope, a long way to run yet.

Normal service resumes in Dubai

I may, just may, about to become the face of ‘the website that never slumps’.

Sunrise and sunset over Doha and on from Edinburgh to Dubai

What I like most perhaps about the store is its non-formulaic approach. No semi-forced walkthrough here, you can go off-piste just as much as you want with a surprise in the form of a travel retail-exclusive or newcomer at almost every turn.

Travel

August 20, 2022

Destination Doha once more as one jewel remains wrapped while another is set to sparkle

I’ve been travelling so much that when I visited my dentist on Friday, I actually (and I swear this is true) went to fasten my seat belt as I sat in my chair. Given my aversion to dentists and what followed, I probably should have.

Airports

August 18, 2022

Building a showcase for South Africa at Johannesburg Airport

Travel retail, already a fine showcase at OR Tambo, can be a gateway to deeper knowledge and wider engagement with the best that South Africa has to offer.

Travel

August 11, 2022

From a Dante-esque hell to the heaven of home

The staff at the Airport Regal do a good job and my ten-pace room was ok but I still feel like I have escaped from room 1072 rather than simply having checked-out.

Travel

August 7, 2022

Reigning Supreme at the Regal while discovering a new variant

To ward off bordeom I recommend the COVID equivalent of the old Pick-up Sticks game. In this version (I guess we should call it a variant) you use swabs instead and push them up your nostrils.

Food

August 5, 2022

Local flavour, world-class experience – a snapshot of South Africa at Durbanville Hills

What we’ve discovered in the past few days is the sheer diversity, wealth and quality of South African cuisine, alongside magnificent hospitality.

Travel

August 3, 2022

Discovering 5-star values in Phuket

Tourists, so often lost in their own pleasure zones, tend to be unaware of what their presence can mean to regional economies. In contrast, local people are profoundly aware of it.