An independent journal of the long way round

What we are for

Most travel content is written to rank, not to be read. It hedges, it pads, it repeats the same twelve destinations, and it is very careful never to say that something is not worth your time. The result is an internet full of articles that are technically about a place and practically about nothing.

We wanted the opposite: fewer places, covered properly. A guide should tell you when not to go, what a day actually costs, which of the famous things is overrated at eleven in the morning, and what to do instead of joining the queue. That requires research that goes past the first page of results, and a willingness to say plainly when something is not worth the detour.

So the archive grows slowly. Twenty-odd destinations rather than two hundred. Guides that get revised and re-dated rather than published once and left to rot. And every figure a reader might act on checked against the government department, transport operator or tourism board that actually sets it.

How it works

• We go first

  Every guide is researched in depth and checked against primary sources. No round-ups assembled from other people’s articles.

• We write afterwards

  Drafts happen at home, once the novelty has worn off and it is possible to tell a good place from a good afternoon.

• We date everything

  Published and updated dates sit at the top of every article, and we do not backdate to look fresher than we are.

• We say what it cost

  Prices are recorded on the ground with the month attached, so you can judge how stale they have become.

• We disclose the money

  Ads are programmatic and affiliate links are marked. Nobody can buy a recommendation here.