I believe in slow travel with a book, travel that connects us with other instead of creating 'us and them' barriers of frustration and misunderstanding. I believe in travel that embraces the places, their traditions, their food, their culture. I believe in travel that nourishes our souls and our bodies, that keeps us fit while keeping the planet clean.

Some of my flightless travel ideas are inspired by the works of great artists of the past.  Before planes and even trains were invented, in the 18th-19th century Grand Tour, the Northern European upper classes would embark on a tour from their country to southern Europe, particularly Italy. I love visiting the lesser-known stops of the Grand Tour, places like Ravenna, where the likes of Byron and Goethe visited Dante's tomb.​During the Renaissance, artists had also travelled the continent, especially on the route between the Flanders and Rome. Leonardo had taken the opposite direction and moved from Milan to the Loire Valley.​Before the writers and the artists, there were the saints and the pilgrims, whose routes you can still follow, at times even on foot. ​Being madly in love with history, I also love visiting locations where my favourite historical characters sojourned or lived, especially when the buildings they stayed in are still preserved..​