Amy's blog posts

As part of our commitment to responsible tourism, we are always trying to make sure that all our holidays are as good for the environment and the local people as they are for you our clients!

We were therefore absolutely delighted (but not really surprised) to hear that one of our favourite destinations, the island of Gozo has won a prize for being the most sustainable destination in the Mediterranean!

We recently caught up with Laura from our marketing team to find out about her experience of the Blue Lagoon in Iceland. Here’s what she had to say:

Despite being a fairly seasoned traveller to Finland myself, my parents had never experienced the delights of the Arctic North. However, in January they got to experience a holiday to Torassieppi in Finnish Lapland for themselves. Read on to find out how they got on! 

Day One:

Flying into Finland, we could see the vast spread of snow, frozen lakes and trees reaching out across the horizon and only as the plane touched down did we see just how deep the snow was on each side of the runway. An early flight meant that we landed in Kittilä around lunchtime, but it was on the drive to Torassieppi that we began to grasp the immensity of the wilderness in this fabulous country.

When winter comes around and the weather becomes more bitter, all I crave is cosiness and comfort in order to get me through the short grey days. This is why, when I read about ‘hygge’, my mindset on how to spend these potentially dreary months changed completely.

In case you haven’t heard of this revelation which is taking the likes of Pinterest and Instagram by storm, ‘hygge’, pronounced ‘hooga’, is a Danish word which has no direct translation in English.  It does not describe anything tangible, but rather that warm, fuzzy feeling that comes with truly enjoying life’s simple pleasures, particularly during the colder months.

The ICEHOTEL© has opened its door for another year and we believe that it is more impressive than ever. 

Founded in 1989, the ICEHOTEL© has developed into an internationally recognised brand, especially known for its incredible artwork. Each year at the start of winter the hotel is designed and built from scratch from thousands of huge ice blocks harvested from the Torne River which is then carefully sculpted into an amazing architectural building.

Travelling to Madeira in late September, I was unsure how much I would be able to see and do. Little did I know that this archipelago is blessed with a moderate climate, kept warm by the Gulf Stream, making it perfect for almost year-round enjoyment.

Our Travel Expert, Kat recently visited Manitoba on our Ultimate Wildlife Experience to see the king of the Arctic - the magnificent polar bear. We caught up with Kat to find out more about her unforgettable adventure.

My swim between the landmasses of Europe and America was far less of a challenge than I initially anticipated, it required neither years of training and preparation nor support teams and record-breaking feats of endurance. On the chilly February morning which had been chosen for my swim, I woke in my cosy double bed in Reykjavik (which was to be the starting point of my adventure), enjoyed a delicious continental breakfast and waited for my crew to collect me in reception, without any real sense of trepidation at all. 

Credit: Dive. is

As my grandma always used to say "to be on the move is good for your body and soul".

That is probably why I've always been a person who likes to leave the car in the garage and go for a walk.

There is nothing better after a long day at work or when you just want to escape daily life.

After I started working for The Artisan Travel Company, I had the opportunity to do this wonderful self-guided walking trip and as I really like walking and hiking this was the perfect trip for me. For safety reasons you are not allowed to do it by yourself, so I just had to convince my colleague Jono that walking can be great fun!

When we arrived at Ajaccio Airport our taxi driver brought us to our hotel, which was the perfect starting point to explore the city. It is only a couple of yards away from the beach, nice restaurants and the port. After checking into our rooms we had a wander around the city and a meet and greet with our local experts. They gave us a lot of tips for our walks and provided us with useful maps and route notes. We then finished off our day with a delicious dinner in a restaurant near to the port.

I had been to Gozo once before several years ago with my family and my two favourite things about this island destination were the food and the wonderful climate! I jumped at the opportunity to go back to Gozo but this time it would be a very different type of holiday.

I was set to join a short break focused entirely on improving my overall health and well being... (So probably much less pasta, pizza and ice cream than during my last holiday!).

I met the small group the first night after we had the chance to check into the beautiful Bella Vista Farmhouses. There were all kinds of people in my group of varying age, physical ability and also trepidation of what the week ahead would hold.