In defence of the ‘tourist trail’

We’ve all met them on the road: the travel snobs who insist they’re not tourists and label major monuments as tourist traps. They wouldn’t be caught dead following the herd.

In a Cairo hostel, I met a girl who announced that she’d been in the city for three months and had yet to see the Pyramids. Her tone suggested she was waiting to be awarded a medal for most subversive traveller. Chatting away that evening, I told her I was off to explore some old mosques the next day. ‘You’re such a tourist,’ she sniffed.

For travellers of this mindset, the journey is all about getting off the beaten path. But does purposely steering clear of a country’s most famous places, just because other people want to see them, somehow make you a better traveller?

 

                             Tourists at souvenir stalls near the Pyramids of Giza, Egypt. Image by Richard I’Anson  / Lonely Planet Images / Getty Images .

Expensive experiences, cheaper alternatives

The world’s most iconic travel experiences don’t usually come cheap – but sometimes there are real alternatives. Here are some ideas for the budget-conscious, and expert advice on whether it’s actually worth paying the price for some of these bucket-list classics.

1. Orient Express vs InterRail pass, Europe

 

A steam train pulling the Orient Express / Tim Stocker Photography / Getty Images

The plush Venice Simplon Orient-Express exudes an irresistible romance – it’s all that wood panelling and polished brass. But it’s not cheap: the classic six-day Paris-Istanbul train jaunt costs GB£11,000 per person. An InterRail Pass to cover the same stretch costs from GB£161 (five days travel in ten); upgrade to a First Class version for £386 for a glimmer of glamour.
Worth the saving? Undoubtedly. But if you win the lottery…

Where to find the world’s most imaginative ice cream

Ice cream. Quite simply, it’s a holiday essential. And if you’re on the lookout for something more inspired than a predictable scoop of vanilla this year, there’s no lack of ice cream hotspots from which to choose – from London to Sydney, and Los Angeles to Tokyo, the world is full of innovators intent on infusing their cups and cones with unusual tastes. Go on, treat yourself!

London

London oozes culinary creativity and it isn’t restricted to formal dining tables. Down a cobblestoned street in Camden, North London, you’ll find Europe’s first liquid nitrogen ice cream bar, Chin Chin Laboratorists (chinchinlabs.com).
Magic happens daily at this quaint shop. Sporting white lab coats and science-class goggles, ice cream makers pour liquid nitrogen into a mixer where flavoured cream is churned. Beneath the cover of clouds of white gas, a dense, custard-like ice cream forms instantaneously. On a par with their inventive techniques are the changing flavours, which range from cigar-smoked salted caramel to Wimbledon-inspired, hay-infused strawberry.