Food & Culture
Souvenirs worth bringing back
Most purchases made abroad are regretted, and the categories that are not have identifiable characteristics.
Food & Culture
Eating well, local custom and travelling without being a nuisance.
Food & Culture
Coffee, tea and drinking culture
How a place drinks reveals a good deal about it, and the conventions differ more than the drinks do.
Food & Culture
Eating with dietary requirements
Managing allergies, intolerances and dietary choices abroad requires preparation, and the risks differ substantially between them.
Food & Culture
Etiquette, gestures and not causing offence
A small number of conventions differ enough between cultures to cause genuine problems, and they are easy to learn.
Food & Culture
Cooking classes, food tours and learning to eat
Organised food experiences vary from genuinely educational to expensive theatre, and the distinction is assessable in advance.
Food & Culture
Religious sites and how to visit them
Active places of worship are not attractions, and the conventions are specific and generally straightforward.
Food & Culture
Museums, sites and getting something from them
Most visitors see too much and remember nothing, and the fix is to see less deliberately.
Food & Culture
Photographs, and taking better ones
The improvements that matter most require no equipment, and the etiquette matters more than the technique.
Food & Culture
Language, and how much you actually need
Fluency is not required and a small vocabulary changes the trip substantially, for reasons that are social rather than practical.
Food & Culture
Festivals and how to attend them
A festival can be the reason for a trip or the reason it goes wrong, and the difference is planning and conduct.
Food & Culture
Markets, and how to use them
The most informative place in most cities, and the one visitors use least effectively.
Food & Culture
Understanding a place beyond the sights
The difference between visiting somewhere and understanding it is a small number of habits.
Food & Culture
Eating well as a traveller
Finding good food in an unfamiliar place is a skill with a small number of reliable rules.