Atlas & Boots

Atlas & Boots is an award-winning outdoor travel blog, founded by bestselling author Kia Abdullah and travel writer Peter Watson. They have been to over 100 countries and all seven continents.
Open Water fictionalises a real-life nightmare

10 true-life outdoor survival movies

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Outdoor survival movies evoke a special kind of horror, especially when based on true-life stories. Here, we share the best of the genre

It is said that humans can survive three minutes without air, three days without water and three weeks without food. On occasion, however, humans perform extraordinary feats of survival that far surpass these limits. Usually, they are athletes used to courting danger, but sometimes they are laymen caught in a nightmare they couldn’t predict. Below, we share 10 extraordinary outdoor survival movies based on true-life stories. 

A woman walks through a leafy park

How just 15 minutes in nature can boost your well-being

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Just 15 minutes in nature a day can boost your well-being by increasing your mood, concentration and physical health

The average UK person spends just 7% of their time (or 86 minutes) outdoors during the work week. This is shocking to hear, but with our busy schedules, it’s no wonder many of us can only find a few minutes each day to get outside.

Animal Cruelty Index: which country ranks the worst?

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As the world wakes up to the realities of industrial farming, one animal cruelty index calls out the worst offenders

The journalist and podcaster Ezra Klein once described going vegan as like waking up from the Matrix. Once you are attuned to animal cruelty, you see it everywhere and cannot fathom how humans not just tolerate but endorse a system that subjugates so many. 

India couple smiling at the camera – happiest countries in the world 2024

Ranked: happiest countries in the world 2025

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Finland is the happiest country in the world for the eighth consecutive year. We take a look at the latest World Happiness Report

Happiness is a nebulous thing; hard to grasp and harder to hold onto. Scientists, economists and philosophers have defined it through the ages as a combination of different things, among them health, wealth, companionship and security.

A tent won't protect you from lightning

Hiking in lightning: myth versus method

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Much of what we know about hiking in lightning is myth. Here, we share the actual methods that will keep you safe in a storm

There are certain safety rules that we all learn in childhood. Never talk to strangers. Get low in a fire. Stand under a tree in lightning. In adulthood, few of us think to question these rules. In most cases, that’s perfectly fine, but when it comes to hiking in lightning, we’re long overdue for a rethink.

10 US national parks that require a reservation in 2025

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We take a look at the US national parks that require a reservation in 2025 along with when and how to secure your visit

Yellowstone National Park is a slice of quintessential America. A place where wild animals – bison, bears, elk and wolves – roam among wilder beauty and where hot springs and geysers evoke a primeval era. In some ways, Yellowstone is a slice of lost America; a stark contrast to the skyscrapers and spaghetti junctions that populate US cities. 

The Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey

12 most visited countries in the world 2025

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We profile some usual suspects plus one or two surprises in the top 12 most visited countries in the world

Have you dreamed of a romantic kiss atop the Eiffel Tower? Perhaps you’ve thrown a wish into the Trevi Fountain or stopped and stared at the Sistine Chapel. If so, you’re certainly not alone.

most peaceful countries in the world 2020

Ranked: safest countries in the world 2025

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The safest countries in the world have been updated for 2025. Read our insights from the study and browse the rankings

Iceland is the safest country in the world followed by Ireland, Austria, New Zealand and Singapore.

However, the world is not as safe as a year ago as the average level of global peacefulness has deteriorated for the 12th time in 16 years. Ninety-seven countries recorded a decline in peacefulness while 65 registered an improvement according to the latest Global Peace Index (GPI).

Atlas & Boots’ top 100 travel experiences – ranked

Atlas & Boots’ top 100 travel experiences – ranked

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Kia and Peter rank their top 100 travel experiences, hand-picked from over 100 countries, seven continents and thousands of places of interest

This week, it will be exactly 10 years since we packed up everything we owned, put it in storage and went off on a year-long journey around the world. It started on 11th August 2014 with a 36-hour journey from London, through Singapore and Brisbane, to our final destination of Vanuatu.

Cold shoulder: 13 dramatic climbing controversies

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From dubious first ascents to tense clashes at high altitudes, we explore 13 dramatic climbing controversies – some resolved and others less so

There was a time when climbing controversies were sportingly confined to the slopes. The petty trivialities, the robust exchanges and the heated clashes were just part of the cut and thrust of the mountaineering world. 

10 famous trees cut down by humans

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Following the felling of the beloved Sycamore Gap tree, we dig into other famous trees cut down by humans

It was an act of vandalism that scandalised a nation. Britain’s iconic Sycamore Gap tree was cut down with a chainsaw in the early hours of 28th September 2023. The senselessness of the act was particularly poignant. There have been other famous trees cut down by humans, but there has usually been a reason: accident, protest, exploitation. In the case of the Sycamore Gap tree, it appears to be sheer malice.

facts about Colombia lead image

25 interesting facts about Colombia

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Our curated list of the most interesting facts about Colombia we learnt during our visit

We didn’t plan on staying a month in Colombia. After spending longer than we had planned in the South Pacific, we were wary that we had only six months for an area far larger than what we had seen thus far.

Of course, our journey through Cartagena, Santa Marta, Taganga, Medellin, Guatapé, Popayán and San Agustín warranted more than the two weeks we had planned.

cleanest air in the world iceland

Which country has the cleanest air in the world?

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The countries with the cleanest air in the world have been ranked in a new report. We take a look at the results

The Pacific Island nation of French Polynesia has the world’s cleanest air, according to the latest World Air Quality Report from IQAir. The report ranks 134 countries and territories by the level of fine particulate matter present in the air.

Sentinelis lined up on the shore of North Sentinel Island, ready to fight off visitors

North Sentinel Island: a timeline of the world’s most isolated tribe

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North Sentinel Island is unlike any other place on Earth. Home to a fiercely independent tribe, it is both ferociously dangerous and worryingly fragile

On a map, North Sentinel Island looks like any other idyllic spot in the Indian Ocean. Fringed with beaches and crystal cobalt waters, it lies in the Andaman archipelago of the Bay of Bengal.

Borobudur in Indonesia, the most multilingual country

95 most inspirational travel quotes ever penned

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Our favourite inspirational travel quotes have encouraged us to travel with abandon over the years. Perhaps they will do the same for you…

For us, there is no such thing as luxury travel; travel is, by default, a luxury. It is a privilege provided by the country of our birth, a privilege that many are not as fortunate to enjoy.

Sometimes, we have to pinch ourselves at just how ridiculous our lives have become: an ex-teacher and jobbing writer travelling the world for a living. It is absurd, it is astonishing, it is luxury.

Horsetail Falls illuminated by the setting sun

The most stunning natural phenomena on Earth

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From the famous northern lights to the lesser-known sea of stars, we share the world’s most stunning natural phenomena

It’s firefall time. Every year, beginning around late February, the setting sun hits Yosemite’s Horsetail Fall at just the right angle to light the cascade in blazing orange and red hues, giving the appearance of flowing fire or lava. To celebrate the spectacle, we’re exploring the world’s most stunning natural phenomena.

Most beautiful mountains in the US: Grand Teton

21 most beautiful mountains in the US

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The most beautiful mountains in the US are a contentious subject, for this is a land that brims with beauty. We scoured the states and whittled them down to a list of 21

Legendary climber​​ Reinhold Messner said that there are three rules of mountaineering: “It’s always further than it looks. It’s always taller than it looks. And it’s always harder than it looks.” 

smartphone showing the best travel apps

20 best travel apps to download in 2024

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A curated list of the best travel apps, from the latest tools that keep us connected to old favourites we’ve used for years

As travel writers who have been to over a hundred countries, we are often asked about the best travel apps that we can’t do without.

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