A rare non-travel day, spent exploring Oakland and – after crossing the bay by ferry – San Francisco.

"I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move."
"I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move."

A rare non-travel day, spent exploring Oakland and – after crossing the bay by ferry – San Francisco.

Architecture and street art from Nevada’s other casino city, Reno.

Trains, hot springs and plenty of snow were the themes for this extended stop in Colorado.

Once the showpiece of the Union Pacific Railroad, Omaha Union station survives today as the excellent Durham Museum.

Photos from the smallest city I visited on this tour – Mount Pleasant, Iowa.

In less than two weeks I was able to double the number of US States I’ve meaningfully visited, by hopping on and off the California Zephyr.

Arguably Amtrak’s most scenic route, the California Zephyr allows a great variety of landscapes to be sampled from the comfort of a lounge or sleeper car. Here’s some of what I experienced during a winter run with the snow often piled high!

I took on the entire 52 hour, 2400 mile journey from Chicago to Emeryville on the California Zephyr – but rather than one epic ride, I split it into six pieces across nine days. Here’s how those went.

A look at the three types of accommodation I tried during my journey – coach, a roomette, and the family bedroom – plus the communal areas on this superliner service.

An assortment of architectural highlights from January’s two visits to Chicago.

Despite the cold of a midwestern winter, I was able to check out a number of Chicago’s architectural highlights.

How an epic adventure – ten thousand miles of flying and fifty hours of train travel – came to be.

Photos from the Mosque-Cathedral, and exploring the city.

Trying out the high speed AVE services, in both first and standard class.

An oversized return to BA, joining one of a special series of flights to Madrid.

My only international trip of 2021, in search of Spanish architectural highlights.

Ryanair vs KLM- a comparison of two recent experiences of things going wrong.

Snaps during a week exploring Tuscany with friends, from big city sights to peaceful countryside.

A group trip to Tuscany presented many opportunities to explore the region – from its famous cities to sleepy villages, via peaceful hiking trails (and a lot of gelato).

Highlights from a walking tour of Salzburg, and a visit to the fortress.