Locus festival 2014 in Puglia – a land of stunning beaches. It’s the part of Italy’s boot which makes up the heel, so it has beaches on both sides. In the East is the Adriatic Sea and in the Western arch of the boot is the Ionian Sea. I was lucky enough to spend 10 days there this summer with MustLoveFestivals, driving along coastal roads, from Bari in the centre down to Otranto in the South, stopping at lots of towns and swimming spots on the way.…

*Drumroll please!!* A grand announcement for you today, about a shiny new blogging project that is going to be delivering reports to you from the coolest and quirkiest festivals happening across Europe this summer… Please be upstanding for; Must Love Festivals, Europe 2014. The project – What is Must Love Festivals about? Together with 15 fellow bloggers, we’ll be bringing you photos, video and stories this summer, from an eclectic mix of festivals that deserve your attention.…

Today marks the day that a fleet of British ships arrived to Sydney Cove in New South Wales, and it’s 226 years since the Flag of Great Britain was raised to proclaim British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of Australia. The name Australia Day has evolved over time, and so have the meaning of it’s celebrations. Wikipedia says “In contemporary Australia, celebrations reflect the diverse society and landscape of the nation, and are marked by community and family events, reflections on Australian history, official community awards, and citizenship ceremonies welcoming new immigrants into the Australian community.” Tourism Australia describe it succintly as “a day for Australians to celebrate everything that’s great about being Australian.” So what is being Australian all about?…

Earlier this week, I nominated some of my favourite blog posts of 2013 for a HostelWorld Best Travel Story Award. Not quite big-headed enough to choose only from an assortment of my own posts, I think I broke some unspoken rule by actually nominating other people. Read on for the dazzling content I trawled my memory banks for. They will all be appearing again soon on my new ‘Recommended’ page, along with many other things.…