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Activity Adventure Europe Fun Health Lifestyle Mindfulness Nature & the Environment Outdoors Relaxation Special Interest Sustainability The Thinking Traveller Wilderness World Culture

Here’s a thought . . . why not take it easy?

It will likely come as no surprise to you that Scandinavian countries are regularly ranked at the top of the healthiest and happiest countries in the world.  Why? The Scandinavian diet is focuses on reducing starchy carbohydrates and substituting those calories with generous servings of healthy proteins, such as locally-sourced, cold-water fish, and organic vegetables. Scandinavians also…
2022-01-310Comments

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Activity Adventure Do Something Different Europe For Women Only Health Inspiration Meditation Mindfulness Nature & the Environment Outdoors Relaxation Special Interest Sustainability The Thinking Traveller Wilderness

Conversations with the trees

They can hear you, you know . . . The hippies never really went away, and that's a good thing.  What's so funny about peace, love and understanding?  But, the hippie movement has changed shape over the decades, especially since we now better understand that we must partner with Mother Nature rather than subdue her. Thankfully, there…
2022-01-290Comments

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Activity Adventure Do Something Different Europe For Women Only Fun Health Nature & the Environment Outdoors Relaxation Sustainability The Thinking Traveller Travel Solo Wilderness World Culture

ROAMania

If you're a walker, we have some good news for you, indeed. Romania is in the midst of building a 1,400km walking / hiking trail traversing the entire country. The Via Transilvanica will stretch from the country’s northern border all the way to the south and the Danube, at the crossroads of Central, Eastern and Southeastern…
2022-01-260Comments

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Activity Adventure Do Something Different Europe Fun History Special Interest Special Offers / Deals The Thinking Traveller Travel Solo Unusual World Culture

There’s a Python in your shrubbery

We love Monty Python.  At the age of 12 we rolled on the floor, in hysterics, wondering what they would do next.  Our Welsh father never got it, but we did. Times changed and so did Python.  They went their separate ways, almost all going on to further successes and fortunes. Michael Palin, however, branched off to…
2022-01-240Comments

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Activity Adventure Do Something Different Europe Food and Drink For Women Only Life of Luxury Nature & the Environment Partytime Relaxation The Thinking Traveller World Culture

Monaco-habitation

You can have it all, but sometimes Mother Nature stops you.  Take Monaco, for example.  In case you're unaware, Monaco is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the most expensive and…
2022-01-240Comments

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Activity Do Something Different Europe Fun History Nature & the Environment Outdoors Relaxation Special Interest The Thinking Traveller Unusual World Culture

Mudlarking

If you're a regular reader here at Matouring, you'll know how much we love London.  We lived there and explored nearly every nook and cranny of that most celebrated of cities.  And every time we return, we find new gems to squeal about. One activity that you may not think about when in The Smoke is…
2022-01-230Comments

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Activity Do Something Different Europe For Women Only Health Mindfulness Nature & the Environment Special Interest Spend Wisely Sustainability The Thinking Traveller

Less guilty pleasures

As we always say, there's no getting around getting around.  Sometimes you want to, sometimes you have no choice.  And, given the fragile state of Mother Earth at the time of this writing, we humans really need to think long and hard about where we go, when we go and why. With that in mind, sometimes…
2022-01-220Comments

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Activity Adventure Design and Art Do Something Different Europe For Women Only Fun Nature & the Environment Partytime Special Interest The Thinking Traveller Unusual World Culture

Yes darling, but is it art?

Creativity takes courage, that's for certain. It's one thing if you send your masterpiece to your friends and family, but it's another thing entirely if you bare yourself to the world. That being said, some of the best artists were laughed at in their early days, and now we spend millions to buy them and…
2022-01-210Comments

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Adventure Design and Art Do Something Different Europe Food and Drink Fun History Nature & the Environment Partytime Special Interest The Thinking Traveller World Culture

Sing a song of Shetland

We would expect that many of you have watched the excellent and riveting police drama, Shetland, on Netflix (or other providers.)  Unlike many police series, Shetland seems to have a base in genuine kindness and thoughts of well-being for others, rather than just a hail of bullets like so many other shows. Shetland itself is an…
2022-01-210Comments

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Activity Adventure Do Something Different Europe For Women Only Fun Inspiration LGBTQ Mindfulness Nature & the Environment Outdoors Partytime Special Interest The Thinking Traveller World Culture

Cycle, with meaning

Sorry, we meant Roughlee. Near Nelson, Lancashire, UK a refuge built in 1912 for mill workers to meet in nature is still open to cyclists for tea and leftwing sympathy. You can clearly see Clarion House from high up on the ridge between Barrowford and Roughlee. Not only because it stands alone on a green…
2022-01-200Comments

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Adventure Design and Art Do Something Different Europe For Women Only History Inspiration Special Interest The Thinking Traveller World Culture

Why? Because we’re the VatiCAN!

If you haven't visited the Vatican in Rome, please be sure to add it to your list.  Not only are the Vatican buildings, themselves, incredible, but the Vatican museum will blow your mind. As you may know, the Vatican itself is an independent city-state and enclave located within Rome, Italy and it is a distinct…
2022-01-200Comments

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Activity Do Something Different Europe For Women Only Fun History Nature & the Environment Relaxation Special Interest Spend Wisely Sustainability The Thinking Traveller Travel

Wales on rails

Wales, UK, is a place near and dear to our hearts, here at Matouring.  Often forgotten or misunderstood when compared to larger-than-life London, Manchester, Liverpool and Brighton as destinations, Wales offers a quieter side to the UK.  Green, lush with mountains and valleys that are second to none, if you haven't been to Wales, put…
2022-01-180Comments

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Adventure Design and Art Do Something Different Europe History Meditation Mindfulness Special Interest The Thinking Traveller Travel Solo World Culture

The hiding boneyard appears

We love Italy, in all of its manic, passionate, explosive, colourful and diverse personality.  Everyday living there almost pushes the best of everyone into living life to the fullest, if not the extreme. And, it has always been this way - for thousands of years.  And, so we are fortunate to live in a day…
2022-01-170Comments

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Adventure Design and Art Do Something Different Europe Fun History Special Interest The Thinking Traveller World Culture

Only the hard, only the strong

Unlike other great cities of ancient fame such as Rome, Athens or Jerusalem, Sparta seems to have disappeared off the map. What remains of the legendary town? A name? An archaeological site? A historical memory? That memory, if it exists at all, is often of a city-state with a mania for martial valour and athleticism, a…
2022-01-140Comments

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Activity Europe Food and Drink Fun Life of Luxury Nature & the Environment Partytime Relaxation Romance Sustainability The Thinking Traveller World Culture

Ne skie pas

France is a many-splendoured thing;  the food, the wine, the scenery, the joie de vivre.  No matter how many times you visit the country, you always find something new or unexpected. And, anyone who loves winter sports knows that France has some of the best ski runs in the world.  But, alas, things are changing At the…
2022-01-140Comments

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Adventure Alternative Lifestyle Caribbean Design and Art Europe Food and Drink For Women Only Fun LGBTQ Life of Luxury Nature & the Environment Oceania Partytime Romance Special Interest The Thinking Traveller Travel Solo

Why U?

Why u?  This is not your father's cruise ship. Designed as the first river cruise catering to a more trendy audience, U River Cruises features more experiential itineraries that allow passengers to connect with the cities the boats visit and the people who live there. The ships themselves look nothing like what you might expect: …
2022-01-130Comments

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Activity Europe Fun Health Life of Luxury Nature & the Environment Outdoors Partytime The Thinking Traveller Travel Solo World Culture

Go go Bansko!

When you think of skiing, chances are probably good that Bansko doesn't come to mind first.  And, now intrigued, you may even wonder what and where Bansko is. Don't be hard on yourself, as Bansko is one of Europe's best kept secrets.  If enjoying winter sports and saving money while doing so are on your list,…
2022-01-130Comments

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Adventure Design and Art Do Something Different Europe History Special Interest Sustainability The Thinking Traveller Unusual World Culture

Nyet, da, Nyet

Once a German city before World War Two and physically unrelated from the remainder of Russia, Kaliningrad is still an enigma to many mainland Russians and their European next-door neighbours. Still, how does a 50-year-old unfinished building inform the complicated history of the Kaliningrad and inspire the restoration of other nearby dilapidated crumbling buildings? Watch the video…
2022-01-130Comments

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Activity Adventure Design and Art Do Something Different Europe Fun History Nature & the Environment Special Interest The Thinking Traveller Unusual World Culture

Knights of Sin(tra)

In case you've not yet been (and you should!) Sintra is a town and municipality in the Greater Lisbon region of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera.  Known for its spectacularly coloured buildings, it also has a long history with the legendary Knights Templar. One of the most fascinating features of Sintra is it's so-called Inverted…
2022-01-120Comments

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