The UK's most popular outdoor travel blog
Atlas & Boots
Discover the happiest countries in the world in 2026, ranked by the latest World Happiness Report and what drives global wellbeing today
Each year, the World Happiness Report offers a revealing snapshot of how people across the globe evaluate their lives. Drawing on large-scale survey data, it ranks nations not by wealth or power alone, but by something more elusive: happiness.
From creepy peaks to death and depression, we venture into eerie real-life places with horror movie names
Picture this: you’re driving along a sun-scorched plain in the Australian Outback. You’re thirsty, sweaty, irritable and in desperate need of a wash. As you and your friend quibble about whether you should have stopped at that tiny shack of a motel 30 kilometres ago, you spot a sign up ahead. According to the map, you’re hours away from the next stop. Might this be a reprieve?
From newly added holidays to the culling of a historic date, we share the days in 2026 when US national parks are free
If you look up the top 10 most followed accounts on Instagram, it probably wouldn’t surprise you that eight of them are American (the other two being Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi). After all, America has been at the forefront of popular culture for as long as most of us can remember.
We share the most interesting facts about Antarctica collected on our recent trip to the seventh continent
For a long time, it seemed like our trip to Antarctica wasn’t going to happen. Covid postponed it from 2020 to 2021, and then again to 2022. Even after we got the green light, our nerves didn’t ease. If we tested positive for Covid, we wouldn’t be allowed to board the ship, and daily testing meant that we could be quarantined in our cabins even after setting sail. In short, it was more stressful than expected.
These inspirational travel quotes have roused us to travel with abandon to over 100 countries. 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.
The countries with the cleanest air in the world have been ranked in a new report. We take a look at the results
The Caribbean island nation of the Bahamas has the world’s cleanest air, according to the latest World Air Quality Report from IQAir. The report ranks 138 countries and territories by the level of fine particulate matter present in the air.
We rank Bill Bryson’s best books to help new readers discover America’s funniest travel writer
There’s a part in Notes from a Small Island where Bill Bryson describes a painful train journey to Milton Keynes in the UK. He is sat facing a woman and her 10-year-old son, who keeps picking his nose, kicking Bryson’s shins and staring at him with his “piggy eyes”.
From dust storm to drought, we share the climate photographs that could not be ignored
There are certain photographs that have changed the course of history. Usually, they are political: Tank Man in Tiananmen Square, Iraqi soldier on the Highway of Death, Napalm Girl in Vietnam. These photos are chilling but powerful.
A comprehensive but concise guide on how to start a travel blog, covering both technical and editorial aspects of creating, maintaining and growing a blog
At Atlas & Boots, we are periodically approached for advice on how to start a travel blog. To help future bloggers, we have put our knowledge into a comprehensive but concise guide below.
The most dangerous countries in the world to visit in 2025 have been updated in the latest Travel Risk Map
The most dangerous countries to visit in 2025 are Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen according to the latest Travel Risk Map, an interactive tool produced by security specialists at International SOS.
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.
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.
From Alaska to Florida and further beyond, we share the US national parks you can visit for free
Some countries are better than others when it comes to access to the outdoors. Iceland, New Zealand and Finland have some of the cleanest air in the world while Chile, Norway and Nepal offer excellent hiking. Britain, meanwhile, is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
