Travel makes us smarter and sexier

According to a new Lonely Planet article travel makes us smarter and sexier. I always knew that there were more reasons to travel than just to see new places and have fun and now it has been proven by scientific research.

I have always learnt so much on my travels, from the terrible history of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia to the life of Picasso in Barcelona and all about whales in Argentina. I truly believe that travel is one of the best educations you can get.

The article claims that travel also makes you younger, well this may not be entirely true, but life does slow down the more you travel. Everyone always says how fast life goes and it does when you are doing the same things day in and day out, but have you noticed that a two week holiday seems to last a lot longer because you are experiencing new things everyday.  Two years ago I travelled around South America for five months, when I look back on all the places I went to and all the things I did during those five months, it seems like I was there more than a year. In comparison these last two years back in London have flown by.

The third thing that this article claims, is that travel makes you more productive. Now this I do agree with. When I come back from travelling I always have new ideas for articles, new art ideas I want to try out and new dishes to cook. Travel definitely inspires me to do more things that I would never have even thought of before.

Lastly, the article claims that travel makes us more sexy, I'm not entirely convinced by this one. It might make us more intelligent and therefore the opposite sex might find us more interesting - making us appear sexier, however other than getting a tan, I not sure it makes us physically sexier. Sorry guys. But, let me know if you have found this one to be true too. Suffice to say, we definitely make conversations more interesting and if that makes us attractive then great!

Any way you look at though travel is good for us. Click here to read the article and the scientific research for yourself.

Get Your Easter Chocolate Fix in Barcelona

It's Easter tomorrow, and while we all know the true meaning of Easter, most of us will associate it with chocolate. Forget about going to Belgium or Switzerland for your chocolate fix though, Barcelona has now emerged onto the scene as the new place to go for chocolate and the city is re-staking its claim as Europe's chocolate capital.

Barcelona was actually the first European city to get chocolate after it was brought over by Spanish explorers from South America and it was here that the first chocolate factory was built. For the past few years chocolate boutiques have been springing up around the city that present chocolate more like pieces of art than pieces of food. Visitors to the city will find many of these artisan chocolate shops, selling everything chocolate they could ever want,  from chocolate beer to chocolate CDs.

Not only is Barcelona the perfect place to buy and eat chocolate, but it is also the place to educate yourself about this delicious treat as it is home to a chocolate museum.  El Museu de la Xocolata, details the history of this addictive treat and its journey from a spicy drink in Mexico to the sweet it is today. Every year around Easter the museum also holds the Annual International Chocolate Figure Competition, where chocolate artists from all over the world go to  to compete. Feast your eyes on a giant chocolate model of Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia or a life size model of literary famed, Don Quixote.

Enjoy chocolate tours around the city or go for a meal in a restaurant composing of three courses all made from chocolate. Whatever you decide, you will find that Barcelona will surprise you as one of the top chocolate places in the world.

Best Travel Movies

Since the Oscars were a couple of days ago, and we all have movies on the brain, I thought I would talk about my favourite travel movies. So, if you can’t afford to go anywhere right now, or don’t have the time then these movies will transport you to far away lands and show you windows in other cultures.

Hideous Kinky – This movie follows the story of a young English woman in the 1970’s who goes to live in Morocco with her two small daughters and stars Kate Winslet. The film shows stunning shots of Marrakech that are so realistic that you’ll feel like you are actually there. It also gives you an insight into Moroccan culture and it’s peoples, from the people that the mother and her daughters meet along the way.

La Casa del Los Locos / Auberge Espagnole / Pot Luck – Believe it or not, these are actually 3 different names for the same movie depending on weather you get the Spanish, French or English version. The truth is though, it doesn’t matter which version you get, as the movie is in all 3 languages. It follows the story of a French guy who moves to Barcelona to study abroad for a year. There, he shares a house with Spanish and English students and communicates with them in their respective languages. The film shows beautiful scenes of Barcelona and is a must see for any of you who have gone to study abroad and those of you wanting to brush up on your Spanish or French language skills.

The Beach – One of the most iconic travel movies, but maybe one of the most untrue as well (or maybe not, I guess there could be a secret paradise island of foreigners somewhere). The movie does in parts give great insight into what it is like to travel around South East Asia and shows great shots Thailand’s cities and beaches. Although ‘the beach’ does not actually exist, it is maybe one of movies that actually fulfil our travel fantasies. If you don’t know the story, it follows a group of traveller’s who find a secret paradise island and all choose to stay there to live.  It stars Leonardo DiCaprio.

Broke Down Palace – Ok so this movie is pretty old now, but for me really shows the essence of a travel movie, going to discover a new place, to have an adventure. Unfortunately it doesn’t turn out quite as expected for the girls, Claire Danes and Kate Beckinsale. It is not exactly the way you want your adventure to turn out – getting locked up in a Thai prison for drug smuggling. So this might be more like a nightmare travel movie, but is still a great watch and shows some beautiful shots of Bangkok, as well as giving a great insight on Thai culture. 

Motorcycle Diaries – The film tells the story of the young Che Guevara, who travels around South America with his best friend on a motorcycle. The film has some really beautiful cinematography of the scenery in Argentina, Chile, Peru, and into the Amazon. In the end, it turns out not to be so much about the actual travel, but about helping people along the way. A beautiful must see film.

My Top Five Most Romantic Travel Destinations

Happy Valentines Day everyone! Since today is the day of love and romance, I thought I would share with you some of the most romantic places I have been to on my travels.

…and before you ask – no Paris and Rome are not listed in my top five. I can’t think of anything more unromantic than my time spent in Paris amid a riot, trying to escape tear gas and police, only to run into a guy taking a dump behind his car.  And, although Rome has some gorgeous places, it is too stressful trying not to get run over every 5 minutes to be romantic. Take my advice and stick to these places for a little romance and you can always save Paris and Rome for when you want a bit more of an adventure.  

1) Siem Reap, Cambodia – Travelling around some of the world’s most beautiful temples in a tuk tuk made for two could be one of the most romantic trips you ever take. Explore these ancient wonders together and loose yourselves in a place that time forgot. 

2) The Beach, The Philippines – Any beach will do, they are all stunningly beautiful and the Philippines is home to over 1,500 islands, so you are never short of one. Think paradise – are you picturing white sandy beaches and sea the colour of bright aqua marine, filled with tropical fish and dolphins jumping through the waves?  Yep – well that’s not just in your imagination; those places do really exist in the Philippines.

3) Barcelona, Spain – I can’t think of a city I’d rather be in for a romantic weekend than Barcelona. Barcelona has everything, the beach, great food, stunning architecture, relaxing parks and cosy bars. Hold hands while you explore mazes of tiny winding streets and sip wine in secret bars tucked away in the labyrinth of El Borne.  

4) Cordoba, Argentina – Here, you wander the streets hand in hand beneath cathedrals and churches while from a distance you can hear the faint sound of the accordion playing soft passionate tango music. As you approach the main square you come across couples, young, old and new tangoing in their own styles beneath the starry sky.

5) Sevilla, Spain – Take a horse and carriage ride through this sun-drenched city, eat dinner outdoors by candle light, watch a heart pumping flamenco show or sit by a fountain listening to the sounds of the Spanish guitar all under the spires of this amazing city bathed in golden light. It is so indescribably beautiful you will have to go there to appreciate how romantic it really can be.

Photos: Copyright of Dan Convey