United Kingdom
The London Underground – 150 Years Young
This year marks the 150th anniversary of the London underground. In fact it was on January 9th 1863 that the first train ran between Farringdon and Paddington. I meant to write about it then but sort of forgot. Anyway, I’m not the only one late to the party and last week the royals headed underground. Read more…
Top 10 London Landmarks
If you haven’t been to London, might we suggest you move it to the top of your queue? It’s a city that seamlessly blends old and new—responsible for bringing us both Shakespeare and Spice Girls; Newton’s laws of motion and, incidentally, roller skates; fish and chips and the best item on any lunch menu (thank Read more…
Edinburgh, Scotland – The Best City in Britain
The Guardian newspaper in England recently published its annual travel awards for the UK, voted by readers. Most voters are British, so it is always interesting to see which place gets the “Favorite UK City” award. This year, for the 13th year in a row, the winner is…. (mental drum roll)….Edinburgh! I didn’t vote this Read more…
8 Strange and Funny Signs from Around the World
While I was trolling through my photo files in search of inspiration for a travel blog topic, I noticed that I take a lot of sign photos. I’m not alone, either. Plenty of travelers take photographs of signs that are amusing, perplexing, and even quirky. If you’re a group leader, encourage your students to take Read more…
Travel Interview with Tour Director Rob Sweetingham
Time to meet another EF person and learn a little about their life in travel with questions from the Independent newspaper. This time it is Tour Director Rob Sweetingham. One of the greats in an already quite great bunch of Tour Directors, Rob has the following accolade to be adorned on him. My wife, Michelle, Read more…
Celebrating Birthday Traditions Around the World
Every day on tour is memorable. But if a traveler’s birthday happens to fall during their time abroad, that’s especially true. Being able to celebrate your birthday in a city like Paris, Rome, Barcelona or Beijing—with many of your friends right there by your side—is an experience not to be forgotten. On my first EF Read more…
346th Anniversary of the Great Fire of London
September 5th 1666 is the date on which the Great Fire of London ended. This was a significant event for the city both as it was and for how it was to become. The fire began on the night of September 2, as a small fire on Pudding Lane, in the bakeshop of Thomas Farriner, Read more…
Highland Games – Inside What Inspired the Modern Olympics
Recently London hosted something of an extended Sports Day, which you might have seen mentioned on TV. Anyway, in 1889 Baron Pierre de Coubertin was visiting the World’s Fair in Paris (which the Eiffel Tower was built as an entrance way to) and his attention was drawn to one of the areas which featured Read more…
17 Good to Know Cultural Differences Before You Travel
An esteemed American, following a visit to the Netherlands some years back, was back at home and regaling his co-worker with tales of cultural differences he had encountered. His summary was simple, “it’s the little things.” Recently, a few Tour Directors in Europe were asked to come up with a few cultural differences about which Read more…
Great Britain in 5 Photos, with London and Stonehenge
In two days’ time, I will be going on a walking tour of Ireland organized by Go-Ahead Tours, EF Educational Tours’ adult travel division. I recruited a small group of adults to travel with me and we will be part of a larger group of independent travelers on our 11-day tour of Ireland. After traveling Read more…
