I always feel depressed when I go into a country under dictatorial rule.

You avoid the overcrowding of tourist locations by traveling in off-season. That is now one of the major rules of smart travel - go when the tourists are NOT there, and even though you may have to don an extra layer of clothing, you will enjoy the sights and the experiences at the destination in the way that they were enjoyed before they became so well-known.

If I tell a hotel I'm a travel writer, I can't get out of there without spending a few hours looking at every single room!

Nicaragua is becoming the least expensive Caribbean destination.

Dubai,I think is a big bore - a city deliberately built to appeal to tourism, and only built for that purpose, and not possessing a valid culture or history of its own.

Luckily you cannot get to the Golden Triangle in a bus. You can only access it on your own two feet!

I always feel depressed when I go into a country under dictatorial rule.