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Above: Bridge St., Chester If rumour has it that the North is a no-go zone and rumour also has it that Chester is not in the ‘real’ North, then Chester is the destination. So Southerners (in particular), prepare to be pleasantly surprised by the contents of my must-have guide. Chester is a Roman city […]
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Thailand. When you hear this word a few images usually come to mind: the floating market in Bangkok, beautiful temples, and Asian elephants. A quick google search for popular experiences in Thailand will immediately bring up experiences involving Thailand’s elephants. Elephants are revered by the Thai people and are sacred to Buddhists, which account for […]
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Going on holiday always involves a degree of escapism – leaving the realities of everyday life behind you for a while to seek out new places and new experiences, or just to take a much-needed break, far-removed from daily stresses. But why not take the escapism up a gear, and remove yourself even further from […]
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In 2016, J.K. Rowling tweeted a series of responses to a request to share an appeal from a charity which offers volunteering opportunities in orphanages, explaining why she could never endorse their work: ‘I will never retweet appeals that treat poor children as opportunities to enhance Westerners’ CVs,’ ‘Voluntourism is one of the drivers of […]
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When in Rome… do you dress like the Romans used to? Of course not, but just like the ancient Romans are easily recognisable through togas, the culture of tourism has led to a homogeneous style that is all too familiar and easy to spot in our historic streets. Having had the opportunity to visit Rome […]
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A 2008 study surveyed 300 organizations that market to would-be voluntourists and estimated that 1.6 million people volunteer on vacation, spending around $2 billion annually (Kushmenrmarch, ‘The Voluntourist’s Dilemma’ – 22/03/16). In the past recent years, the phenomenon of voluntourism has indeed become very fashionable in the West, especially among young people (many are gap-year […]
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So, as is often the case at social gatherings, when you’re meeting someone new for the first time, they’ll ask what you’re studying, how old you are, which college you’re at, and often, where you’re from. “I’m from Shrewsbury”, I’ll exclaim, to my bemused new acquaintance. And in 90% of cases, “where?” is the default […]
Continue ReadingBeing from the United States myself, I’ve spent every free moment I’ve had over the last two weeks planning adventures around Europe. It’s been incredibly exciting knowing I’m going to see so many of the places I’ve read about in my history books for the first time, and if I’m not careful I find myself […]
Continue ReadingLike any other visitor to Marseille in 2015, upon stepping off the train at the city’s main station, Gare Saint-Charles, I was greeted by posters celebrating the 20th year of an initiative known as Euroméditerrannée. This is the 7 billion euro urban renewal project that, since 1995, has sought to transform the city centre and […]
Continue ReadingIn my experience, most British people don’t go to Germany on holiday. Business, Oktoberfest, friends, perhaps, but a German holiday is greeted with faint bemusement. Perhaps people have visions of finding themselves floundering in John Cleese-esque “don’t mention the war” predicaments; or perhaps another practical, grey Northern European country simply doesn’t have the appeal of […]
Continue ReadingElizabeth Culliford investigates what it is that can make ‘dark tourism’ so memorable and often appealing
Continue ReadingMobile phone companies can no longer “rip off” students setting off on European holidays this summer, thanks to the capping of call costs. The European Parliament has voted to slash the prices of calls, texts and internet browsing by over a third, in an attempt to curb the excessive bills faced by tourists using their […]
Continue ReadingTim Williams chats to Tourism Minister John Penrose about the ‘Disney’ royal wedding and the image of the law-abiding Brit.
Continue ReadingCornmarket may not have the appeal of Sydney Harbor, nor the sunny weather, but it does have its share of gullible tourists and for this reason the slightly twitchy statue man, the fire juggling duo and the one man band will likely be part of our Saturday entertainment in Oxford for many a year to come.
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