Paris has been one of the cities I have visited frequently be it either for business or pleasure with Ms Gourmantic. Equally important as its art and history is its food. Be it the top flight restaurants, the traditional bistro or an up and comer, as long as the food is treated with respect and [...]

Desert Safari and Dune Bashing tours are on the top of the list of things to do in Dubai. Ask anyone who has been there, and they’ll tell you it is the most fun you can have in the desert. Most tour operators offer relatively the same experience albeit at different prices. It is the [...]

This isn’t the usual list of Italian words and phrases you often see in phrase books. This personal collection is based on travels in Italy during last October, roaming the north and south of the country for twenty days. I am far from speaking like a native Italian but being a francophone gives me the [...]

Long after leaving the luxury of Bora Bora or any of Tahiti’s enchanting islands, the local greeting Ia Orana plays in the mind like an enchanting melody. The Tahitian language has a musical intonation, and much like a siren’s song, it calls every so often. Tahiti’s official languages are Tahitian and French. Although English is [...]

Forget about draping a chunky digital SLR camera around your neck, shuffling around in a tourist daze and practising your high school French on the locals. These no longer earn you the reputable status of being a standout traveller. Follow these five simple steps and in no time, you’ll be screaming ‘I’m a foreigner’ louder [...]

You’re a seasoned traveller. You have been to Paris on numerous occasions and know your way around the major streets, the métro and the arrondissements. You know how to avoid gypsies, beggars and street performers. You pride yourself on the local knowledge you have accumulated over the years. One morning, you wake up in the [...]

Until airline passengers can be beamed from A to B like Star Trek, or knocked out in coffin-like capsules as in The Fifth Element, you can be assured that somewhere along your airborne journey you will experience at least one of the following flight annoyances. 1. The older woman swaying in the air conditioning breeze [...]