The UK's most popular outdoor travel blog
Learn how to look after your backpack with easy cleaning, drying, storage and repair tips for hiking, travel and everyday use
A good backpack is built to take a beating, but even the toughest kit has its limits. Heavy-duty fabric, reinforced stitching, chunky zips and robust buckles can handle years of use, provided you look after them properly.
Two African nations top the list of the world’s most stressed countries. See who else fares poorly
How did you feel yesterday? Did you feel physical pain? Did you experience enjoyment? Worry? Anger? What about stress?
These are the questions put to 145,000 people across 144 countries and areas to create Gallup’s State of the World’s Emotional Health report.
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.
The REI Anniversary Sale offers serious savings on outdoor gear. Here, we hand-pick 10 great deals to stock up your supplies
There’s an amusing trend on TikTok whereby a woman says “My husband booked a fancy restaurant tonight and told me to wear my most expensive outfit” and moments later emerges from her room wearing a down jacket, hiking pants and boots.
From a magical trip to Miami to a challenging time in China, Kia shares the good, bad and ugly of travelling with strangers
There’s always one. That summarises my philosophy when it comes to group travel. There’s always one person who will annoy you beyond what is tolerable. In Miami – an otherwise magical trip – it was a journalist who couldn’t leave a single sight without asking a dozen questions, holding up the rest of us.
Peter reflects on working as a wildlife monitor in Antarctica: a joyful season of simple routines, close encounters and life on a tiny island
It’s been just over a month since I left Antarctica, and I find myself in that strange in-between – back in the rhythm of everyday life, yet still quietly orbiting a small, snow-dusted island at the edge of the world.
Once again, Singapore tops the list of the world’s most powerful passports. We take a look at the other winners, losers and movers
I was feeling cocky as I queued up for my Chinese visa. I had checked and rechecked the requirements and had all my documents to hand: my passport, a photocopy of my passport, a spare photo just in case, the form that had taken me an hour to fill in online, my flight details, and my tour and hotel confirmation. I had also signed and dated the form – in both places – unlike all the (clearly inferior!) applicants in front of me.
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?
We share the best hiking apps to download this year, from navigation and route planning to first aid and stargazing
Occasionally, when Kia and I are driving somewhere remote – the Kalahari in Namibia, say, or the Australian Outback – she will remark on the fact that travellers used to do this with only paper maps. Unlike me, Kia grew up in inner city London and had little opportunity to venture into the outdoors. As such, she never learnt how to use a compass and map or how to build a campfire, or any number of the skills a frequent hiker should have.
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.
From the abundant wildlife of South Georgia to the quaint outpost of Port Lockroy, these Antarctic destinations are not to be missed
An expedition cruise to Antarctica is more than a journey; it’s a rare immersion into one of the planet’s last true frontiers. This is a place where icebergs drift like sculptures, wildlife outnumbers people, and landscapes feel untouched by time.
We share our top 10 posts of the year, from a solo trip to China to a three-month stint in Antarctica
This time last year, I wrote about Peter sumitting Denali, which brought him one step closer to climbing the seven summits. This year, in classic Watson style, he’s in Antarctica, starting a three-month stint as a wildlife monitor.
From the alpine majesty of the Hooker Valley to the turquoise vistas of the Abel Tasman, these are the best day hikes on New Zealand’s South Island
New Zealand’s South Island is a masterpiece of contrasts, where snow-draped Alps rise sharply above sapphire lakes, and pristine beaches curve gently into sheltered bays. Ancient forests, glacier-fed rivers and dramatic fiords create a landscape that feels both untouched and overwhelmingly grand. It’s a place where every turn reveals a new scene worthy of a postcard.
We’ve created a mountaineering calendar of the world’s greatest mountains and the optimal time of year at which to climb them, listed month by month
Since I first started climbing, I must have spent hours typing “when is the best time to climb…” into search engines and then crawling through websites to find the key piece of information I needed. Only when I have a date in mind can I start to think about the practicalities of actually trying to climb a mountain (i.e. booking time off work, flights, budget, gear etc).
Our favourite Christmas gifts for campers, handpicked to suit all budgets
It’s no secret that Peter and I have a difference in opinion when it comes to camping. On our trip around the world, he carried around 4kg of camping gear for an entire year in the hopes that I would see the appeal. We camped for a total of 10 days.
Our tried-and-tested list of Christmas gifts for travellers, be they hikers, shutterbugs, adrenaline junkies or culture vultures
As the festive season rolls around, many of us face the familiar challenge: what do you get for the traveller who already seems to have everything? Whether they’re a weekend wanderer, a full-time nomad, or someone simply dreaming of their next big trip, we’ve rounded up a selection of thoughtful Christmas gifts for travellers.
Packed airports, tight seats and lost luggage… no wonder flying frays our nerves. Here’s how to keep your cool at 30,000 feet
The holidays are coming, airports are packed, and emotions are running high. You’ve probably seen it or even been part of it: that tense moment when a passenger snaps at a flight attendant, or a near-meltdown over a seat reclining too far. Why does flying seem to bring out the worst in us?
From safely washing a sleeping bag to measuring partially used gas canisters, here’s how to look after your hiking gear
During spring last year, I spent the best part of three weeks climbing Denali, the highest peak in North America. There were few opportunities to stay clean on the mountain, so by the time I got off the slopes, I – along with all my gear – was in a pretty nasty state.
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.
Peter will spend three months in Antarctica working as a wildlife monitor at Port Lockroy, home to the world’s southernmost post office
For those of you who have been following the blog for a while, you may recall that in 2023, I secured a coveted job at the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT), a charity responsible for preserving British heritage sites in Antarctica.
