Just as my suitcase locks were about to oxidise, the travel ban lifted and I got going, road tripping like my life depended on it. With COVID-19 still lurking though my destinations of choice, for now, are places where I can socially distance without giving it a second thought. I’m…
Staycations
Travel trends 2021 ~ by Allison Foat
For the serial explorers among us, 2020 felt like the year we stopped going. Covid-19 made its global debut and continues to run interference, scuppering travel plans and forcing the planet to press pause. The new year is barely out of the starting blocks and as people re-think the way…
As soon Lockdown allowed it the explorers among us hit the road, journeying like there’s no tomorrow. The Western Cape is road trip nirvana and the Swartland, deep in undulating wheat country, impresses with a suite of quaint towns and Insta-worthy landscapes, no matter the season. The stand-out dorpie in…
Babanango Game Reserve in Zululand ~ safari, conservation, community. By Allison Foat
Ah, Zululand. A destination that entices with a bit of everything- cultural heritage, historical gravitas and an exceptional natural environment. This past November I finally returned after about 40 years, true story. This time I was headed for the all-new Babanango Game Reserve in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, a world-class, sustainable and…
HOVERING unobtrusively above the banks of the Komati River in Mpumalanga lies Nkomazi Private Game Reserve, a luxe glamping lodge positioned within an exceptional locale in the Barberton Greenstone Belt of the majestic Makonjwa Mountains. MPUMALANGA One of South Africa’s most beautiful provinces, Mpumalanga is famed for its pristine wildernesses…
Lanzerac has re-opened! The Hotel & Spa located on the outskirts of Stellenbosch in the lush Jonkershoek Valley is a luxurious getaway just 45 minutes from Cape Town’s CBD, a landmark destination that’s the perfect place to indulge in a post confinement getaway as travel opens up more and hotels…
THE MARLY Boutique Hotel & Spa in Camps Bay had me at the Eames Chairs, the views, and the unobtrusive sea side entrance, a smart decor synopsis of what awaits throughout the hotel. RE-OPENED Having endured several months of closure during this frustrating Lockdown, The Marly is once again receiving…
“If you can’t see a light at the end of the tunnel, build a bonfire inside it.” I love this positive approach by the Radisson RED‘s GM & Curator, Leonie Andereya, at a time in our country -read: the world – when optimism and economic tenacity is literally everything. South…
A week on the high seas with Oceania Nautica ~ by Allison Foat
As a travel writer with nowhere to go, one of the things that has kept me inspired during this protracted Lockdown has been scrolling back through my camera roll and re-living trips I’ve been fortunate to experience. One of my most memorable this year, done just before Corona interrupted life…
Hiking, rock art & ‘Gaudi’ caves – let’s head for the Cederberg ~ by Allison Foat
There’s not much to beat a tramp through the natural world – you, your thoughts, the great outdoors and nothing to run interference. Today more than ever, conscious detachment is a thing and people are heading for the hills to hit refresh. If you’re looking to reset in nature and…