World Cup 2026: Highlights and Controversies Explored

The last 16 matches of the World Cup 2026 are drawing to a close and the quarter finals will thus be finalised to take place this weekend. This tournament has already brought moments of individual national elation and controversial decisions that have reverberated around the world particularly amongst those who support and follow the game.

Football Supporters:
I was not brought up to watch football or support a specific football team. However, my husband was introduced to the game at the tender age of 4 years old when his Dad took him to watch West Ham play against Leicester City on Boxing Day. His Dad was born in the EastEnd of London and so supporting West Ham “was in the blood”.
Like so many others born into the game my husband can tell you the history of every player of any significance on the pitch in all of these World Cup games.

Football is by far the most popular spectator sport in the UK, both in terms of the number of supporters and attendance.

  • Support: Around half of UK adults say they support a football club, far more than any other sport.
  • Attendance: English professional football attracts more than 40 million spectators each season across the Premier League and the English Football League.
  • Television: Football consistently dominates sports viewing figures, with major tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship attracting audiences of over 20 million in the UK.
    Women’s football is also gradually gaining more and more viewers with England’s historic back-to-back Women’s Euro final being the most watched television moment of 2025 across all TV broadcasters.
  • Most of the football supporters in the UK inherit their allegiance through family and local identity, so many support the club associated with the area where they grew up. However, the country’s biggest clubs have nationwide and global fan bases, meaning millions of supporters live far from the club they follow.

The World Cup is, therefore, a really “big deal” here in the UK.

The World Cup:
The FIFA World Cup is one of the most important sporting events in England. Every four years it captures the nation’s attention, bringing together millions of people—including many who don’t usually follow football—to support the England team.

Its importance can be seen in several ways:

  • Huge television audiences. England matches routinely attract audiences of 15–25 million viewers, and when England reaches the latter stages, the audience can exceed 20 million.
  • National attention. During the tournament, newspapers, television, radio and social media are dominated by World Cup coverage. Many workplaces, schools and pubs organise events around England matches.
  • Occasional fans get involved. Millions of people who don’t regularly watch club football will still follow England (or Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland when they qualify). The World Cup becomes a shared national event.
  • Cultural significance. England’s victory in the 1966 FIFA World Cup remains one of the defining moments in British sporting history, and each tournament revives hopes of another triumph.

This World Cup has definitely been a shared event in our household. We have been following each game from the onset, predicting the outcome of each match on line either win, lose or draw and predicting who will reach the semi finals and ultimate final from the point it began!
My prediction is that France will win and my outside chance to win is Morocco
My husband is predicting Spain will win and his outside chance is Norway.
By the time this post goes to print the semi finals will be about to begin so let’s see if any of these four teams get this far.

Interestingly France plays Morocco in the quarter finals this weekend so at least one of my teams will be gone. Whilst Spain take on Belgium and Norway play England, which will be interesting for my husband!

You may think that we are not patriotic but neither of us, to be honest think the England squad are good enough to win. Maybe, just maybe we will be proved wrong!

Then, of course, there is the question of the famous “Golden Boot” awarded to the player who scores the most goals throughout the duration of the tournament. My money is definitely on Mbappe but my husband is backing Dembele, also of France.
Currently the competition is between Messi (Argentina)- the senior, Mbappe (France) -the ascendant and Haaland (Norway) -the young pretender!

The World Cup in USA, Canada and Mexico:

Holding this year’s World Cup in the above three countries has been somewhat eye opening given that the sport of football, until now, has not been particularly popular in the USA or Canada.

If we were to compare the popularity in the USA and Canada versus England:

CountryFootball’s popularity
EnglandThe dominant national sport and by far the most popular spectator sport.
CanadaPopular and growing, but behind ice hockey in cultural significance.
United StatesPopular and growing rapidly, but still behind American football, basketball, baseball and ice hockey as a spectator sport.

In contrast football is the most popular sport in Mexico and the country has qualified for every FIFA World Cup since 1994 and has hosted the tournament twice before, in 1970 and again in 1986. In 2026, Mexico has become the first country to host matches at three men’s World Cups.

There is no doubt from what we see and read here in the UK that the USA has dominated this World Cup organisation headed by FIFA’s President Gianni Infantino and none other than President Trump himself.

Hydration Breaks:

The introduction of hydration breaks at this tournament has not been a popular decision this side of the pond and throughout Europe.

FIFA’s December announcement was notable, making it mandatory for a hydration break to take place in each half during all World Cup matches — including those played under closed roofs and in colder climates such as Seattle.

While the need to prioritise the health of players in high temperatures is not contested, it is somewhat obvious, in advance, that not all stadiums will experience high temperatures.

Some, therefore, argue that football matches are being divided from a contest split across two halves into a four-quarter format more readily associated with American sports and, therefore, to suit American advertising companies.

These misgivings were followed three months later by the confirmation that FIFA had given commercial broadcasters the green light to show adverts during the hydration breaks at the World Cup.

The development left many onlookers concluding that as well as player welfare concerns, there were commercial motivations behind FIFA’s decision to unilaterally impose drinks breaks at their showpiece event.

FIFA has argued that its decision to apply drinks breaks across all 104 matches regardless of the local temperature at the time of each match was designed to ensure uniformity and consistency across the tournament.

So even before the tournament started there was a view from abroad that President Trump alongside Infantino were straying away from the traditional rules of the game.

Football originates from Great Britain and the 90-minute structure dates back to the mid-1860s, with the length of each half and the interval regulated under The FA Laws of the Game. 

Needless to say the United States (Fox Sports) is leading the commercial push and is estimated to make between $250 million and $600 million from hydration break commercials alone. This massive windfall is enough to cover more than half of the $485 million fee Fox paid FIFA for the tournament’s broadcasting rights.

The Grand Final Halftime Show:
Normally, the International Football Association Board Laws of the Game state that:
“Players are entitled to a halftime interval not exceeding 15 minutes, and it may be altered only with the referee’s permission.”

For the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium, FIFA has decided to stage the tournament’s first-ever Super Bowl-style halftime show. The musical performance and the time needed to set up and remove the stage are expected to extend halftime to around 25–30 minutes.

This has been controversial because:

Many players, coaches and supporters believe a 30-minute break disrupts players’ rhythm and warm-up routines.

Broadcasters initially complained because FIFA had not confirmed the exact duration, making scheduling difficult. 

Some fans feel it is again importing an American sports tradition into football

And the controversy doesn’t end there……………

The Red Card Rule:

Trumps latest intervention to allow the USA’s key player- Folarin Balogun to take part in the final 16 game against Belgium has exploded across the internet.
Balogun received a red card and was sent off in the last 32 match against Bosnia-Herzegovina. The rules state that
Players receiving a red card in the 2026 World Cup will receive a one-match suspension.

This applies to both straight red cards and red cards that are the result of the same player being cautioned twice.

Fifa does hold the right to impose “further sanctions” if it deems it necessary.

So after a telephone call from Trump to Infantino this rule is set aside and Balogun is allowed to play.
Does the President’s interference have no end?

Unfortunately for the USA team there were resounding cheers throughout the stadium that reverberated across the whole of the UK and Europe when Belgium beat the
home side 4 – 1.
My sympathy actually goes to the USA team who had been playing well but came into this game shrouded in controversy brought about by the ultimate person in charge of the USA.

Individual National Elation:

Amongst all this “noise” the players have left their countries behind, trained hard and wearing their national football kit have run out onto every pitch in the hope of securing victory for their watching families, friends and fans both here and back home.

I wanted to pick out my Top Five matches played to date that I have sat and watched in my living room alongside thousands of other fans worldwide that would feature as must-watch replays:

Argentina 3–2 Egypt (Round of 16) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This has to be one of the games of the tournament so far including two legendary footballing Captains both possibly playing in their last ever World Cup tournament -Mo Salah and Lionel Messi.
Egypt led 2-0 until the 79th minute of the game.
With 11 minutes of full time to go Argentina pulled off two goals in 4 minutes (including one by Messi- the Golden Boot senior) before a final third goal was sent into the net at 2 minutes into stoppage time.
This was end-to-end football, superb individual performances, and with a dramatic finish making this an instant classic. 

Mexico 2–3 England (Round of 16)
Held at the world famous Estadio Azteca, home of Mexican football and the first stadium to hold two FIFA World Cup finals, England entered the city after a lengthy deliberation regarding the starting time of the match due to pending storms and having to adapt very quickly to the elevation and 20% less oxygen than normal..
The start time was eventually kept at 6 p.m. local time but then delayed due to storms for 1 hour leaving both teams sitting in their changing rooms.
With over 87,000 seats the roar of the Mexican fans was loud throughout as they cheered their team to hopeful victory in what was set to be one of the biggest heavyweight clashes of the tournament so far.
The England team led by Harry Kane came to win and defy the critics of their last three games. England survived after playing much of the second half with 10 men.
This was high quality, mixed with controversy and palpable tension to the end!

Brazil 1–2 Norway (Round of 16)

This has to be perhaps the tournament’s biggest upset particularly to those who don’t know the name “Erling Haaland” and the now famous “Norwegian Viking Victory Row” at the end of every winning match.
Check it out on the internet, it has been a highlight of this tournament much to the amusement of the American public.

In this game Norway stunned five-time champions Brazil with a heroic defensive display and decisive late goal. The “Cinderella moment of this year’s World Cup”

Argentina 3–2 Cape Verde (Round of 32)

The island nation of Cape Verde with a population of approx 500,000 situated off the West coast of Africa has won everyone’s hearts at this World Cup.
With a 0 – 0 draw against Spain and a 2 -2 draw against Uruguay in the initial table round Cape Verde came into the last 32 with a positive mindset.
Continuing their remarkable fairy-tale run they pushed Argentina all the way. With five goals, relentless attacking football, and a tense finish with the final Argentinian goal coming in the 111th minute of extra time they have earned widespread praise from fans.

Not many football fans would fail to mention their 40 year old goalkeeper Vozinha who has played in the national team for 14 years. When interviewed after their first match against Spain Vozinha with tears in his eyes said “His Mum was unable to come and watch him play in their first match against Spain because she couldn’t afford the visa”.

Cape Verde was among 50 countries whose citizens faced bonds of up to $15,000 to secure a U.S. visa, part of President Donald Trump’s broader crackdown on travellers from countries that officials said had high rates of visa overstays.
The Trump administration last month suspended the requirement for ticket-holders from Cape Verde and four other World Cup nations, but critics said it was too late for many fans.

However House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries stepped in and spoke to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and “asked the State Department to do everything in their power to ensure that Vozinha’s mother can attend Cape Verde’s next match.”
Jeffries said all fees have been waived and travel arrangements are being made to get her to Cape Verde’s next game on Sunday against Uruguay in Miami.
“I thank Secretary Rubio, U.S. State Department officials, the government of Cape Verde and FIFA for working together to make this possible,” Jeffries said.

Final Thoughts:
I do like a fairy tale ending and seeing Vozinha’s Mum in the crowd at his second match definitely touched my heart.
Do you have any views on the tournament so far?
Do you feel, like me, that sporting events should remain free of political interference?

Eating Our Way Through Antigua: Local Food, Surprises and a Few Lessons Along the Way

One of the things that has changed most since retirement — and since we swapped holidays for longer stays travelling abroad — is the way we eat.

Back home our days are quite simple. Breakfast, our main meal sometime between 1 and 3pm, and then maybe a piece of fruit or a slice of toast later if we are hungry.
We don’t eat out very often. Partly it’s about keeping to a budget, but also because we genuinely enjoy cooking and sometimes find ourselves thinking, “we could probably make this better ourselves.”

It always makes me smile when I think back to our very first overseas trip to Santorini in 2016. We ate breakfast, bought baguettes and crisps for lunch or stopped for a bowl of Greek salad, and then headed out every evening for a three-course meal by the sea.

How on earth did we eat that much?

Somewhere along the way, travelling changed our habits. When holidays became longer adventures, our budget needed to stretch further, and cooking became part of the experience. We started buying fresh local ingredients, wandering around markets, and creating meals wherever we were staying.

Eating out became a treat rather than an everyday occurrence.

And here in Antigua we have discovered something interesting. Sometimes, especially if you are only cooking for one or two people, buying food at local eateries can be cheaper than actually buying the ingredients and making it yourself.

We have enjoyed cooking with the fresh produce we find here, but we have also enjoyed exploring the local food scene.


Home cooking with Antiguan ingredients
An English roast dinner (well you have to don’t you!)
Fried eggs in a multi pan (we want to take this pan home!)
Pasta bolognese (but for some reason cheese doesn’t melt in Antigua 🤷‍♀️)
Using up some rolls, some bacon and leftover mince to make bacon, cheese burgers!

Local Food In Antigua:
If you refer back to my post from when we were here in February entitled Affordable Dining in Antigua, you will see that we had already discovered some of the cheaper places to eat. This included supermarkets with hot food counters where you can pick up freshly prepared Caribbean and Asian dishes. We have done this a couple of times while shopping and paid around £15 for both of us.

We also returned to the Green Apple near the University, another place where we found ourselves surrounded by local people rather than tourists. For us, that is always a good sign.

But during this stay we have also found a couple of new favourites.

Roti King:
Roti King sits in the centre of St John’s, just a short walk from the cruise terminal and Redcliffe Quay. When we arrived, the queue was already stretching outside — always encouraging.

This wasn’t a place full of visitors stopping by for a holiday lunch. It was families, workers grabbing something after work, and locals who clearly knew exactly where to go. If local people are choosing to spend their own money somewhere, it usually tells you something!

Inside there are simple tables with traditional plastic tablecloths, and outside a few picnic benches. Nothing fancy — just good, honest food.

The staff were wonderful. Friendly, welcoming and genuinely pleased to see us.

Roti is a popular Caribbean comfort food consisting of curried or stewed meats and vegetables wrapped inside a soft, flaky flatbread. We ordered a fish roti, a beef roti, chips and plantain. We were directed to a table while everyone else waited for their food, and then something happened that really stayed with me.

Our drinks were brought over.

Our food arrived on plates with cutlery, (everyone else was eating from takeaway containers).

I would happily have eaten from a container too, but the effort they made to make us feel looked after was such a lovely gesture. It was one of those small moments when you remember that travelling isn’t just about places — it’s about people.

Including the tip, we paid just under £35 for two huge meals, and every mouthful was delicious.

Firehouse Grill:
Another day, after our usual supermarket trip, we decided to drive a little further north and explore somewhere different.

We found ourselves at Firehouse Grill in Bay Gardens, sitting outside on brightly painted picnic benches under umbrellas — a welcome change from cooking back at our duplex.

The menu had burgers, wraps, salads and daily specials. Our server, Theo, was brilliant. He was happy to answer our questions and clearly took pride in the family business.

It was just a simple lunch, but those are often the moments we enjoy most when travelling.
Two meals, a nice setting, and a chance to chat with someone local.

The cost for both of us? Around £27.

Restaurant Week — a different side of dining in Antigua:

While we were here we also noticed that Antigua was celebrating its annual Culinary Month, which included Restaurant Week.

It sounded like a lovely opportunity to explore some of the island’s restaurants and perhaps try somewhere new. The idea is that participating restaurants offer special menus during the event, giving visitors the chance to experience Antigua’s food scene.
We looked through the options, but in the end the prices were beyond what we usually spend on a meal out which made me stop and think.

Restaurant Week is clearly aimed at a different market, perhaps visitors looking for a more traditional holiday dining experience. There is nothing wrong with that, but it was interesting to see the contrast between the Antigua experienced through tourism and the Antigua we have been discovering day by day.

FABFest — when expectations and reality don’t quite meet:
While we were here, we discovered that Antigua’s Culinary Month also included the FABFest (Food Art & Beverage Festival).

It sounded exactly like the sort of thing we would enjoy — local food, culture, music and a chance to experience another side of the island.

So we went along.

The event was held at Cedar Valley Golf Club and we arrived mid-afternoon. The car park was already full, so we joined the other cars heading onto the golf course and made our way in.
The entrance fee was around £23.50 each and included a small goodie bag. To buy food, you purchased chits which were then used with the vendors.

The advertising had painted a picture of a lively food village, with local experiences, demonstrations, tastings and entertainment.

Maybe our expectations were too high. The reality felt much smaller than we imagined.

Stilt Walkers in Traditional Costumes were a Highlight

There were a few craft stalls and an interactive painting wall, but we didn’t find the food tastings we had expected. The chef demonstrations required a different entrance ticket at a cost of £100 each and the music was only really getting started later in the day.

The “Eat Like A Local Village” had around a dozen vendors, and we walked around it surprisingly quickly.

We chose two local food stalls and found somewhere to sit.
Unfortunately, my meal arrived cold and was nowhere near the standard of the food we had enjoyed elsewhere on the island. Half of it ended up in the bin, which was disappointing.

We still had chits left, but when we asked about using them, we discovered they couldn’t be refunded — they became a souvenir instead.
£93 lighter in pocket, after just over an hour, we left!

For us, the most interesting part wasn’t actually the event itself, but what it highlighted.
The Antigua we have loved discovering, whilst living here for a month is found in small cafes, market stalls, conversations with shop owners, and places where locals eat every day. It isn’t always polished, and it doesn’t always match the picture created for visitors — but those everyday experiences are often where the real character of a place lives.

The best meals we’ve had here haven’t necessarily been the most expensive or the most advertised.
They have been the ones where someone smiled, took a little extra time, and made us feel welcome.

Final Thoughts

Food has a funny way of telling you a lot about a place.

When we first started travelling for longer periods, we thought we would miss eating out more often. Instead, we found ourselves enjoying the simple things — wandering around local markets, picking up fresh ingredients, cooking with whatever was available, and occasionally treating ourselves to a meal we didn’t have to prepare.

Antigua has reminded us that some of the best experiences don’t always come from the places designed to impress visitors.
They come from sitting at a small table, chatting with someone who lives there, watching families pick up their lunch, or being welcomed like a regular even when you’re clearly not.

Of course, not every experience is perfect. Some places will exceed your expectations and others won’t quite live up to the picture painted beforehand. But perhaps that is part of travelling — seeing the good, the disappointing and everything in between.

For us, the highlights have been the everyday moments: a great roti, a friendly conversation, a helpful smile, and those little reminders that we are guests in someone else’s home.

Have you discovered a hidden food gem while travelling, or had an experience that surprised you (good or bad)? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

If you’ve enjoyed following along with our adventures, please feel free to leave a comment, share the post, or give it a like — it really helps and we love knowing who is travelling along with us.

A Perfect Day at Long Bay: From Snorkeling to Sunset Dining

Long Bay was a little different from the beaches we’d visited so far, not least because it required a 40-minute drive across Antigua from our home on the west coast to the island’s eastern shoreline.
The journey itself was part of the experience, taking us through villages and countryside that reminded us just how varied this relatively small island can be.

On arrival, it quickly became apparent that Long Bay naturally divides itself into two distinct worlds. At one end, the guests of Pineapple Beach Club enjoyed the comforts and convenience of their all-inclusive resort. At the other, locals, independent travellers and day-trippers, like us, gathered to enjoy the same beautiful stretch of sand, but in a rather more informal way.

We hired sun beds and an umbrella from a friendly, local gentleman who immediately made us feel welcome. As a novice snorkeler, I was particularly grateful for the advice he shared about the best places to enter the water, the direction of the currents and the varying sea depths along the bay. Local knowledge like that is invaluable and often makes all the difference between a good day and a memorable one.

As it turned out, we couldn’t have chosen a better spot. The sea was wonderfully warm, even by Caribbean standards, and the underwater life was surprisingly abundant. Shoals of fish seemed to be everywhere, darting amongst the rocks and seagrass, providing plenty to admire during my snorkelling adventures. I spent far longer in the water than I’d originally intended, simply enjoying the clarity, warmth and marine life.

Not the greatest of photos
but I’m still learning
how to use my underwater camera!

The only downside to Long Bay was the lack of anywhere to grab a bite to eat as the local beach bar at our end of the beach was closed for the season. After a day of sunbathing, swimming and snorkelling, we found ourselves getting hungry and eventually had to pack up a little earlier than planned. Still, that simply gave us an excuse to continue our exploration of Antigua as we headed off in search of dinner.

Our search took us around thirty minutes south-west to Papparazzi Pizzeria and Bar at Nelson’s Dockyard. Ordinarily, we might not have chosen pizza whilst living in Antigua, preferring to seek out dishes we couldn’t easily find back home. However, the restaurant had come highly recommended by the owner of our accommodation, and curiosity eventually won out.

Arriving shortly after 5pm, just as the restaurant was opening for the evening, we found ourselves among the first customers. We were welcomed by Justin, a friendly young local who, as it turned out, lived not far from Long Bay himself.
With the restaurant still quiet, conversation came easily. Before long, he and my husband were discussing English Premier League football. An Arsenal supporter and talented athlete who had represented Antigua on neighbouring islands, Justin was eagerly anticipating the Champions League Final the following evening and even invited my husband back to watch the match on the large screen in the bar.

The pizzas proved every bit as good as we’d been promised. One of the more unusual features was the opportunity to add Caribbean-inspired toppings such as jerk chicken, while the option of ordering a half-and-half pizza made it easy to sample more than one combination.

As the sun slowly began to set across the harbour, we enjoyed our meal from an outdoor table overlooking the bay.

It was a familiar style of restaurant, but one that had been given its own distinctly Caribbean character. Combined with the warm welcome and relaxed setting, it provided the perfect end to a memorable day on Antigua’s east coast, and it’s somewhere we’ll certainly return to if the opportunity arises.

The meal provided a fitting end to what had already been an excellent day on Antigua’s east coast.

In fact, our experience at Long Bay left such a positive impression that we found ourselves returning a second time whilst living on the island.
Our original plan had been to spend the day at Half Moon Bay, one of our favourite beaches from a previous visit to Antigua in February and also on the East Coast. Unfortunately, when we arrived we discovered that the beach was heavily affected by sargassum seaweed. Disappointed, but unwilling to waste the day, we decided to retrace our route and head back to Long Bay instead.

It turned out to be an easy decision. The warm, clear water, excellent snorkelling and relaxed atmosphere were exactly as we remembered from our first visit. Sometimes the best travel experiences aren’t the ones you carefully plan, but the places you happily return to when your original plans fall through.

With its warm waters, excellent snorkelling and relaxed local atmosphere, Long Bay proved well worth the drive, offering yet another reminder that some of the island’s best experiences are often found away from the resort gates.

Final Thoughts
Looking back, it’s not just the beach that stands out in our memories of Long Bay. It’s the friendly local advice that led us to the best snorkelling spots, the abundance of fish beneath the surface, the conversation with Justin over football, and the sunset enjoyed over dinner at the end of the day. Together, those moments captured exactly what we loved most about Antigua: beautiful places, welcoming people and the occasional surprise that turns a good day into a memorable one

Have you ever found that a change of plans led to an even better day than the one you’d originally planned? Let me know in the comments below – I’d love to hear your stories.

And if you enjoyed this post, a like is always appreciated and helps others discover my travel adventures too.

A Month in Antigua: Embracing Relaxation and Beaches

I can’t stress this enough: we are not in Antigua on holiday we are living here!

We’re not working our way through a list of must-see attractions, racing from beach to beach, or ticking restaurants off an itinerary. In fact, one of the reasons we came here for a month was to do all those things we never seem to find time for at home.

That carry-on suitcase wasn’t just stuffed with dried goods for cooking (see my previous post). It was also packed with everything we needed to continue some of our everyday hobbies and interests. For me, that meant six weeks’ worth of magazines from my annual subscription that had been piling up unread, plus another monthly magazine of which I already had six neglected copies waiting for attention. I also brought a couple of travel books to help me research a future trip.

My husband packed a specialist photography book that he’s been meaning to read for ages to help develop his skills, and between us we brought our Kindles, iPads and my MacBook.

The funny thing is that, even though we’re retired, there never seems to be enough time for any of this when we’re at home. Life has a habit of getting in the way. There are always groceries to buy, meals to cook, gardens to tend, DIY jobs to tackle and housework to do.
On top of that, I attend four or five gym classes every week and volunteer as a local Parish Councillor.

Lately, we’ve realised something else too. Although we’re often busy, we don’t actually spend that much time together. My husband heads off with his photography group, I meet friends for coffee, and we enjoy the occasional lunch or evening meal with friends as a couple. But quality time, just the two of us, has become surprisingly rare.

So while we’ve been busy catching up on reading, pursuing our hobbies, shopping at local markets and cooking our own meals here in Antigua, we’ve also rediscovered something rather important: making time for each other by taking some time out.

So What Do You Do In Antigua On A Day Out?

It’s really simple, you go to the beach!
We had an itinerary back in February when we were here and in those 10 days pretty much saw anything of interest that we wanted to see.

Antigua is only 14 miles long and 11 miles wide but it has 365 beaches—literally one for every day of the year. This is one of the island’s most famous claims to fame.
Back in February we visited Dickinson’s Bay, Half Moon Bay and Bird Island leaving us 362 other beaches to explore!

West Coast Beaches

With between 150 and 200 of Antigua’s beaches located on the west coast, where we are staying, it seemed logical to focus our day trips on this stretch of coastline, keeping travel distances short and allowing more time to enjoy each destination.

Darkwood Beach

Just a 30-minute drive south of us, on the west coast of Antigua, is Darkwood Beach.

Peak season is now over and so we discovered a very different side to one of the island’s most beautiful stretches of sand. Gone are the crowds and the hunt for a sunbed and umbrella; instead, we were greeted by wide-open views, a gentle soundtrack of rolling waves, and the feeling that we had stumbled upon our own private corner of the Caribbean.

The beach itself is every bit as stunning as the postcards promise, with powder-soft white sand and water that shifts from pale turquoise to deep sapphire depending on the light. But it’s the sense of space that really stands out. You can walk along the shoreline for several minutes without passing another soul, making it the perfect place to slow down, read a book or, in my case, a magazine, and soak up Antigua’s laid-back charm.

This time of year also brings a more authentic feel. Only one of the local beach bars was open, operating at an easy pace. An occasional tropical shower only added to the atmosphere, sweeping across the bay before giving way to sunshine and a relaxing afternoon.

Mid Afternoon, we left the beach and headed a little further south to Morris Bay to try a local eatery called Gina’s Cook Shop. Unfortunately, despite several websites showing opening hours that suggested it would be open on the day of our visit, we arrived to find the doors firmly shut. With our meal plans scuppered, we made the return journey and opted for one of our trusted local haunts closer to home instead.

Darkwood Beach in the quieter months isn’t about ticking off attractions or chasing activities. It’s about embracing the simple pleasures: a swim in warm, crystal-clear water, a cold drink with an ocean view, and the rare luxury of having one of Antigua’s finest beaches almost entirely to yourself.

Ffryes Beach

Just 5 minutes up the coast from Darkwood Beach, coming back towards home is Ffryes Beach.
For much of the day, we spent here, it felt as though we had stumbled across a quiet corner of Antigua that everyone else had forgotten about. Apart from a handful of visitors stretched out beneath the trees that line the beach, there was plenty of space and very little noise.

We decided to hire a couple of sunbeds and an umbrella and made a point of finding the person responsible so we could pay for them. Judging by the number of people using the facilities throughout the day, not everyone seemed quite as concerned about settling up and supporting the local economy.

The sea was beautifully calm and clear, making it easy to spend long periods drifting between swimming, snorkelling and simply floating. Beneath the surface we spotted a few fish and several tiny starfish, which was an unexpected bonus. Another surprise was the number of yachts that appeared during the day. Every so often another would glide into the bay and drop anchor, adding to the relaxed atmosphere.

Behind us, the Tikki Bar provided a soundtrack of familiar 1980s songs that drifted across the sand throughout the afternoon. The economically priced menu was fairly limited, which perhaps wasn’t surprising given that we’re visiting during the quieter shoulder season, but that didn’t detract from the experience. We enjoyed lunch at one of the carefully laid tables, complete with tablecloths and small arrangements of dried flowers that gave the place a more personal touch than you might expect from a beach bar.

With so few customers around, Dion, who looked after us, had time to chat. He was friendly, welcoming and happy to talk about life on the island once the cruise ships and peak-season visitors disappear. Those conversations often end up being the moments I remember most from a trip, offering a glimpse of a place beyond the beaches and holiday brochures.

The rest of the day passed at an unhurried pace. We read our books, stretched out in the sunshine and wandered into the sea whenever the heat became too much. There was nothing particularly remarkable about the day in the conventional sense, no grand sights or adventures, but that was exactly what made it memorable.
Sometimes the best travel days are simply the ones where there is nowhere to be, nothing to tick off a list, and enough time to appreciate the simple pleasure of doing very little in a beautiful place.

Valley Church Beach

After the peaceful solitude of Ffryes Beach, our next day out took us to Valley Church Beach, again just a five-minute drive closer to home. The experience couldn’t have been more different.

Although it is currently shoulder season, a cruise ship was in port that day, bringing a lively influx of visitors, many of whom appeared to be Brazilian. Their upbeat music drifted across the sand, adding a vibrant soundtrack to an already beautiful setting.

Far from detracting from the experience, the buzz gave the beach a cheerful energy. Groups gathered under umbrellas, children splashed in the shallows, and the normally tranquil shoreline felt a little more animated than usual. Yet Valley Church Beach is large enough that it never felt crowded, and there was still plenty of space to stretch out and enjoy the stunning views across the turquoise water.

The beach restaurant was doing a brisk trade too, with most tables occupied and staff kept on their toes. Even so, everyone remained wonderfully friendly and welcoming. There was none of the rushed atmosphere you sometimes encounter when a venue is busy. Instead, service came with smiles and a genuine warmth that seems to be part of everyday life in Antigua.

Lunch turned out to be one of the highlights of the afternoon. I opted for the coconut shrimp and was not disappointed. The prawns were plump, succulent and coated in a crisp coconut crust that struck just the right balance between sweet and savoury.

There were more than this but I tucked in before taking my photo 😊

One thing worth noting is that, like many businesses that cater heavily to cruise ship visitors, prices at the restaurant were listed in US dollars rather than Eastern Caribbean dollars. This is fairly common at some of Antigua’s more visitor-focused beaches and often extends to sunbed and umbrella rentals as well.
While the food was enjoyable and the setting superb, visitors staying on the island for longer periods may notice that venues pricing in US dollars (aiming their menu at the cruise customers), can work out considerably more expensive than those catering primarily to locals and day trippers charging in the local currency.

Sitting there with a cold drink, watching the gentle waves roll ashore and listening to the mixture of Caribbean sounds and Brazilian rhythms, it felt like a perfect reminder that travel is often about the unexpected combinations of people, places and experiences that make a day memorable.

Valley Church Beach may not have been at its quietest, but it was full of life, colour and character—and all the more enjoyable for it.

.Jolly Harbour Beach

Our final beach adventure, on the West Coast, took us to Jolly Harbour Beach, the closest stretch of sand to our temporary home and just a 15–20 minute drive south.

First impressions were a little mixed. On arrival, we discovered major building works underway, creating a modest amount of noise and completely altering the usual route from the car park to the beach. Instead of the normal pathway, visitors were directed along a temporary corridor lined with Heras fencing. For a moment, we genuinely wondered whether we’d be able to access the beach at all, but curiosity got the better of us and we followed the signs.

Once on the sand, we headed left and settled beneath one of several permanent wooden umbrellas with a pair of sunbeds beneath. It seemed the perfect spot.
My husband volunteered to return to the car for our bags, only to be intercepted by two staff on patrol who politely explained that the umbrellas belonged to the neighbouring resort and weren’t available for public use.

Not exactly the start we’d imagined.

Fortunately, what could have been an awkward encounter turned into quite the opposite. One of the gentlemen couldn’t have been more helpful.
He offered to drive both of us back to the car to collect our belongings and then return us to a more suitable area of the beach. He even advised us to set up further to the right, beyond the building works, explaining that the prevailing wind would otherwise carry dust in our direction.

His advice proved spot on.

The beach itself was almost deserted. With it being shoulder season, there were very few independent visitors around and, coupled with the construction work, parts of the beachfront felt surprisingly quiet, almost abandoned. Yet there was something rather appealing about having so much space to ourselves. Even the occasional tropical rain shower failed to dampen our spirits.

In fact, despite the less-than-promising start, Jolly Harbour Beach ended up being one of our favourite beach days. The beach bar was quiet, but the service was anything but indifferent. The waiter was genuinely warm and welcoming and happy to chat. The food tasted as though it had come straight from a family kitchen rather than a commercial restaurant—freshly prepared, full of flavour and unmistakably Caribbean in style.

The sea was beautifully clear and inviting, although snorkelling proved a little disappointing, with very little marine life to be seen.
Somehow, though, that hardly mattered. Between the empty beach, the friendly locals, the relaxed pace of the day and the excellent food, Jolly Harbour reminded us that a great beach day isn’t always about perfect conditions. Sometimes it’s the people you meet and the unexpected turns a day takes that make it memorable.

Final Thoughts:
After visiting four very different beaches, we’ve realised that our favourite days in Antigua aren’t necessarily about finding the “best” beach. They’re about slowing down, enjoying the moment and embracing a way of life that leaves room for simple pleasures.
Whether it’s a quiet stretch of sand, a chat with a local, or lunch overlooking the Caribbean Sea, each beach has offered its own reminder that sometimes the greatest luxury is simply having nowhere else to be.

I’d love to know which of Antigua’s beaches you would choose to spend a day on, so please share your thoughts in the comments. If you’ve enjoyed this post, I’d be grateful if you’d give it a Like—it helps others discover the blog and encourages me to keep sharing our Antigua adventures.



Living in Antigua: Discovering Local Life Beyond Tourism

So here we are in Antigua settled into our temporary home starting to live like a local.
Just a week into this new life I’ve already noticed some differences to when we were here in February.

It’s the Shoulder Season:

As our first week began to unfold we soon discovered that whilst this time of the year is described as the shoulder season (May and June) it’s actually more like the “off” season. Peak season is December to April which usually offers dry, sunny weather.
Hurricane season (July–November) brings a higher risk of storms.

Back in February there were three cruise ships coming in every day except on Sunday but now there is one cruise ship a week. The marked difference in daily visitors to the island reflects in a lot of beach bars and restaurants being closed and sun beds and umbrellas being put away and stored until November.
As we have discovered with some of the local eateries you cannot rely upon advertised timings on Google, Tripadvisor or even their own websites to be accurate.
The only restaurants or cafes likely to stay open are those with a captive audience, for example, where there is an all inclusive resort at one end of the beach or when it is sited in an area where the locals are happy to pay the prices and will still, therefore, visit all year. Friday nights definitely seem to be take-out night here and Sunday lunch is still very much a main weekly celebration.

Food:

When you decide to live somewhere the idea of eating out becomes a treat as it would be back home. So the first practical lesson we have learnt is where to buy food and water and this has been a main focus in our first week.

Water is safe to drink HOWEVER the main public water supply undergoes desalination and is heavily chlorinated. While it is technically safe, the water can cause minor stomach upset simply because it has a different mineral composition than your body is used to.
We, therefore, have chosen to buy our water. You can buy 5 litre bottles at some of the small local supermarkets.
As we don’t have one nearby and there are only four main supermarkets on the island we are already in the habit of popping out twice a week to buy what we need.

It’s important to ensure that food is as fresh as possible. There are no “sell by” dates here instead the labels display when the meat, fish or chicken was packed and displayed.
Fortunately our local supermarkets are Perry Bay in central St Johns, the capital, which is a 10-15 minute drive and the Epicurean, which stocks a large amount of imported English products from Waitrose, which is about 25 minutes away.

Prices are higher than the UK mainly because Antigua relies on importing 90% of what the island consumes -see “Affordable Dining” .
It’s quite frightening to think that the current Prime Minister has stated “a prolonged disruption to shipping routes (e.g., three weeks without “food boats”) could quickly precipitate a national starvation crisis.”

80% of the food imported comes from the USA so food standards are lower than we are accustomed to in the UK and Europe. We brought some dry goods like pasta, spaghetti, rice, teabags, coffee, breakfast cereals, marmite and peanut butter with us in a carry on suitcase as we knew from our first trip that this would lower our grocery spend.
We are intending to cook fairly simple meals from our repertoire at home, therefore, we only need to buy fresh meat, fish, chicken and eggs from the supermarket.
Prices for these proteins are pretty much aligned with the amount we would pay at home in the UK.
We will then buy basic tinned goods like tomatoes, beans or whatever the recipe requires, which are all imported and significantly higher than we are accustomed to.

In addition to the supermarkets there are produce and fish markets in central St Johns.
Fish is plentiful on the island and fresh fish are landed every day.
Fresh fruit and vegetables arrive on the “green boat” from Dominica normally on Tuesday or Wednesday. and then have to be unloaded
Keen to support the local people we have already popped into town and ventured to both markets to understand the range of goods, prices and quality available.


The ladies within the produce market were really friendly and we soon started chatting to one of the stall holders-Jacqui and picked up a good selection of mainly fruits and salads whilst earmarking her for future purchases.

Not only is the produce fresh but also noticeably different to what we buy in the UK. It’s like everything has absorbed all the sunshine and just grown so much bigger, juicier and sweeter!


A standard avocado like we buy in the UK and then an Antiguan avocado on the right


There weren’t many sellers at the fish market and whilst we bought some “trigger fish” which the vendor kindly skinned and gutted for us there wasn’t a huge selection available. The best time to be here, we discover later, is between 6 am and 8 am in order to get the best variety.

Our trigger fish before preparation and then cooked and on the plate

It is also possible to buy fruit and vegetables from roadside stands when you are driving around the island as we discovered back in February.

The island maybe small but as I explained previously, in my “Tips for First Time Visitors”, the roads are not good. It can take 10 minutes to drive 5 miles!

Economy:

The most evident factor in our first week is that the impression Antigua gives to the world is not the actual reality. We suspected this when we visited for 10 days back in February but it is so much clearer now.

Antigua and Barbuda are not first world countries and are extremely dependent on tourism, which serves as the primary driver of its economy, contributing between 60% to over 80% of the GDP and providing over half of all jobs.
The sector is driven by luxury resorts, cruise ship arrivals, and yachting, primarily attracting visitors from the US, UK, and Canada.

We are in the minority, in so much, as the amount of tourists arriving on the island intending to self cater is only about 35-40%. The island isn’t set up for travellers like us and whilst that won’t have a negative effect on our stay here it is already becoming more apparent that the locals are not benefitting from the current “tourist economy” that exists here.
Research shows me that Antigua is not unique in this scenario.


Millions of Visitors, But Who Really Benefits?

At first glance, Antigua looks like a tourism success story but when you dig deeper this is only superficial.

The Resort Bubble

Many visitors stay in all-inclusive resorts, as a result, luxurious destination complexes line some of the Caribbean’s most beautiful beaches (like those shown below).
Everything is provided: meals, drinks, entertainment, activities, and even private beaches.
As a result, tourists often have little reason to venture beyond the resort gates.

That actually is a positive for independent travellers, like us, because the island isn’t overrun with tourists like, for example, some of the Greek Islands that we have previously visited.

For local businesses, however, that’s a problem.

While visitors may spend thousands of pounds on their holiday, much of that money stays within the resort rather than flowing into local restaurants, shops, tour operators and communities.
Spend time outside the resorts, as we are and a different picture emerges in terms of who benefits from money like this!


These three photos are examples of the “All Inclusive Resorts” on the island.
To stay at the resort shown in the last photo would cost £24,000 for two weeks in January!

Cruise Ships, Quick Visits

Antigua also receives hundreds of thousands of cruise passengers every year. Multiple cruise ships arrive daily in the main season disgorging anything from 6,000 to 18,000 visitors in one day!
They typically take organised excursions, visit a handful of port-area shops, and then return to the ship, often having spent only a few hours on the island.

Unlike overnight visitors, they rarely use local transport, often return to the ship even for lunch, and don’t spend much time exploring independently because they just don’t have the time.

The result is lots of tourist traffic but relatively limited economic impact for many residents. It is clear to us already that a good percentage of the islanders are poor and struggling to even maintain a basic standard of living.

I took these photos of what we labelled as “The Mansion on the Hill”

These three photos were taken just down the hill from this house. The disparity is shocking!

Why Doesn’t the Island Feel More Developed?

This tourism model helps explain why parts of Antigua can feel surprisingly quiet or underdeveloped despite the constant flow of visitors.

Because tourists are largely contained within resorts or cruise terminals, there is less pressure on the Government to invest in wider infrastructure, public transport, or community attractions.
Investment seems to be focused purely on the tourism industry itself rather than the neighbourhoods where local people live.

The Benefits

Luxury resorts generate significant revenue, create jobs, and help maintain the island’s reputation as an exclusive Caribbean destination. 
Tourism undoubtedly, therefore, brings money into Antigua. It’s a vital source of economic activity for a small island of around 100,000 people.

The Human Cost

The challenge is that many Antiguans see only a fraction of the wealth tourism creates.

Jobs are often concentrated in hospitality and service work, which can be seasonal and relatively low paid. Opportunities for local entrepreneurship can be limited when large resorts keep most visitors spending in-house.

Many residents also feel the effects of rising living costs, environmental pressure on beaches and reefs and an economy that depends heavily on decisions made by foreign resort owners, cruise operators, airlines, and global travel companies.

A Fragile Success Story

Antigua’s tourism industry is both a blessing and a vulnerability.

It brings jobs, visitors, and valuable income, but it also creates an economy where much of the wealth leaves the island and many locals struggle to share fully in its success.

In many ways, Antigua is a place where tourism is everywhere, yet its benefits can sometimes feel just out of reach for the people who call the island home.

Final Thoughts:
After just one week of living here rather than simply visiting, Antigua is already revealing itself in ways we never fully appreciated during our previous Caribbean trip.

Beyond the postcard-perfect beaches and luxury resorts lies a very different reality; one of resilience, resourcefulness, and an economy that is far more fragile than many visitors realise.
Living here, even temporarily, means adapting to a slower pace of life, learning where and when to shop, accepting that opening hours are often only a rough guide, and understanding that the island operates according to its own rhythms rather than the expectations of tourists.

What has struck us most is the contrast between Antigua’s image and its reality.
Tourism undoubtedly keeps the island running, but its benefits are not always evenly shared amongst the people who call this place home. Spending time outside the resort environment offers a glimpse into both the opportunities and challenges that come with such heavy dependence on a single industry.

That said, what stands out just as much is the warmth of the people we have met. Whether chatting with market vendors, roadside stall holders, or local residents, there is a friendliness and openness that cannot be found in any travel brochure.

As our month here continues, we look forward to learning more about everyday life on the island, exploring beyond the tourist hotspots, and gaining a deeper understanding of what makes Antigua such a fascinating place to live as well as visit.

For now, one thing is already clear: the real Antigua begins where the holiday experience ends.

I hope you have enjoyed this first post about living in Antigua. If so please give it a “Like” and add any comments or feedback you wish to make 😊

Why We’re Trading England for Life in Antigua

We were scheduled to go on a road trip around Wales starting on May 7th and lasting 26 nights. It was all planned, there was an itinerary, accommodation booked (with free cancellation), a budget in place and money allocated.
However there is always room to change your mind.

While we were in Antigua back in February we spoke to the owner of our Air BnB and asked him if he ever rented it out for longer periods of time, say a month. He was quite keen on the idea but only if we avoided peak season.
Two weeks after returning from the Caribbean and back home, we discussed the idea of going back to Antigua to try an experiment -“Can we live like a local for a month?” and suddenly Wales was put back on the shelf and it was all systems go to try this new adventure.

Why Did We Want To Do This? What Are We Hoping To Achieve?

Is there an alternative to living in the UK?

Ok, I’m going to have to be honest here. I try to avoid digesting too much news because let’s be frank it’s all a bit soul destroying currently.
I try to avoid being drawn into political debates or aligning myself with one particular political viewpoint. I like to have the freedom to choose who I consider to be the right person for the right job. Call me naive but we all have our idiosyncrasies.

I fail to understand how anyone voted for Trump to be President or how the normal person in the street still supports his actions.

I watched a documentary recently created by Panorama and shown on the BBC, here in the UK entitled “Trump and the Tech Giants”.

“Peter Thiel. David Sacks. Elon Musk. Mark Zuckerberg. Jeff Bezos.
These tech titans have pledged their loyalty to President Trump. But what do they really believe and what do they stand to gain? This unfiltered portrait, revealed by insiders, shows where American democracy is heading and how this handful of tech billionaires accumulated such unprecedented power and influence.”

It clearly shows who is benefiting from Trump’s policies and believe me it’s not the everyday man in the street!
I felt this was a really good piece of journalism. It takes a lot for me to say that because I truly believe that the media has a lot to answer for in this current world.
Journalism used to be an honourable career, a job that young people competed to get into university to study. They investigated stories and they told the truth!
Now they write articles based upon their own opinions in order to sell newspapers and amass clicks on line. By expressing their opinions they on longer have to worry about whether their articles are factual and, therefore, being sued because this is just their opinion!
The sad part of this is that people still believe what they read. It’s in the newspaper, therefore, it has to be true!

So what has Trump got to do with me going to live in Antigua for a month?

Well unfortunately we have Trump’s little brother Nigel Farage in the UK.
He heads up the Reform Party which is a right-wing, populist, political party that advocates for strict immigration controls, major tax cuts, the abolition of net-zero climate targets, and the defence of traditional British culture!
If you take the trouble to read about their policies you will see many of them are a repeat of what Trump has already changed or plans to alter in America.

There is a very thin line between immigration and racism and I cannot Iive in a country that advocates for racism.
The next General Election in the UK must be called by August 2029.
Despite UK citizens watching Trump’s actions in America and often vocally disagreeing with him there is a surge towards supporting Nigel Farage.
It seriously worries me. I cannot live in a country that is led by this man!

So maybe the only alternative is to look to leave.

I worked hard for my retirement and now I just want a Simple Life

Is there such a thing as a simple life? Isn’t life what we make it?
I don’t know is my truthful answer.
I led a very busy life. I was a career woman working 50+ hours a week. A single parent with two children paying for childcare so I could earn enough money to pay the bills, keep a roof over our heads and put food on the table.
Yes I earned enough that we could have 2-3 weeks away each year, memorable Christmases and special birthdays but to do all that I juggled many balls. In fact I was a professional ball juggler!

So when you then step away from that world and try to slow down it’s not easy. You are not used to doing nothing or even having time to yourself.
You are used to feeling guilty when you read a book in the bath, take some time out for yourself to maybe go shopping or even go to the gym!
I even wrote a post about it entitled “Why Do I Struggle To Put Myself First?”

I’m thinking that maybe if you strip away your previous life and then move yourself to a new country and a new culture then perhaps it’s easier to press reset. To restart your life in a new format so you have time for everything without rushing around balancing diary entries and sometimes still feeling like you are pushing a heavy cart uphill

Maybe if I live somewhere that’s warm all year around life will feel better?

I must admit the weather in the UK, like so many countries is becoming more and more erratic. The seasons seem to blend into one.
Autumn lasts maybe a week, just enough time for the leaves to fall off the trees and then it starts to rain. The rain just goes on and on……….

A real winter seems to be a figment of my imagination.
6-10ft snow drifts that prevented the buses getting up onto the hill, meaning we could skip school and stay at home making snowmen, are a distant memory.
Instead it rains, temperatures are fairly mild through the traditional winter months and experiencing a White Christmas is definitely something in the past!

Spring is like Autumn. It last longs enough for the daffodils and primroses to poke their heads above the grassy parapet before the rain and wind blow them flat.If we are lucky the rain finally stops around the beginning of April in time for Easter.

Summer has been all over the place. We’ve had hot weather in May and June and then changeable, cloudy skies and even rain in July and August when the children are off school. Then we had one summer recently when it was mega hot.
Everything is so extreme. But there’s nothing to worry about because Trump and Farage say global warming is unimportant and economically unsound!

So can I live in a warmer climate? Will I miss the odd snowy day, seeing the lambs gambolling in the fields in Spring and walking through the Autumn leaves as the nights draw in?

Can I live like a local and not like a tourist or traveller?

Will Antigua still hold the same appeal when you are living like a local?
As a tourist on holiday you focus your time away into seeing the key attractions and spending nights out savouring different foods because your time is limited. You are focusing everything into one or maybe two weeks away on holiday per year and money is more available.


When you switch to travelling, as I’ve talked about in “Our Journey: From Holidays to Authentic Travel Experiences” , you have a tighter budget mainly because you want to see as much of the world as you can before this last quartile of your life expires. You go away, therefore, more frequently.
In our case we do three main trips a year with the odd additional shorter adventure thrown in. You still see the key sites but you tend to self cater and only pop out to experience the local cuisine maybe 1-2 times a week. Managing your budget is real!

So if you then alter that still further and actually go and live somewhere then suddenly seeing the sights disappears. You’ve possibly done that already or if not they become part of normal life where you maybe go out once a week and eating out is a treat as it would be back home in England.

The price of buying food at supermarkets will no doubt become very real.
And what am I going to do every day when suddenly some of my normal hobbies are not available?

Can you actually replicate your life in the UK somewhere else?

Well the flights are booked. Our accommodation on the beach in Antigua is waiting –think Death in Paradise beach and palm trees, we have a car waiting for us to pick it up at the airport and a budget worked out.
Lets go and find out!

Final Thoughts:
Have you ever thought about living in another country? What made you decide to do this? What would put you off moving? What would you miss?
I’m interested in hearting from you and if you have enjoyed my article please give it a “like”

Exploring the Best Local Foods During My Travels

After sharing my favourite cities and exploring some unforgettable places of interest, I found myself reflecting on something even more powerful — those rare, spine-tingling “WOW” moments that travel gives us.

You know the ones. The moments when a view stops you in your tracks, when reality somehow feels bigger than imagination, and for a few seconds you simply stand there in awe. What I’ve realised over the years, though, is that these moments are often impossible to recreate in quite the same way twice.

I discovered this when I returned to the Grand Canyon in 2023 with my husband, who was seeing it for the very first time. Watching his reaction was unforgettable — complete amazement, total silence, pure wonder. Yet for me, despite still admiring its immense beauty and scale, the experience felt different from my first visit a decade earlier. The magic was still there, but that initial jaw-dropping impact could never quite be repeated.

Trying to narrow down my greatest travel WOW moments proved almost impossible. Every memory seemed to lead to another breathtaking place, another unforgettable view, another moment that deserved a place on the list. In the end, one post simply wasn’t enough, which inspired me to expand the journey into Top 15 Must-See WOW Moments from Around the World and finally Discover My Top 5 Favourite Panoramic Views.

This marks the final post in this travel series — and it’s dedicated to one of my absolute favourite parts of travelling…

FOOD

Because long after the suitcases are unpacked and the photographs are filed away, it’s often the flavours, aromas, and unforgettable meals that stay with us the most.

The truth is, I hardly know where to begin. Over the years we’ve tasted our way through an incredible variety of food experiences — from beautifully prepared local dishes and indulgent desserts to simple street snacks, bustling food markets, individual shops, hidden cafés, and tiny family-run restaurants serving recipes passed down through generations.

Travel has definitely changed the way we eat too. I still remember holidays where eating out every evening was simply part of the experience. But long-term travel comes with a different mindset — and usually a much tighter budget. These days, we often cook for ourselves or keep meals simple, which somehow makes those occasional treats even more memorable. A special dinner after a long day of sightseeing, a perfect pastry discovered by accident, or a comforting local dish enjoyed in the right place at the right moment can become just as unforgettable as the landmarks themselves.

Every place featured in this list is somewhere we have personally visited, eaten, or bought food from, making each recommendation a genuine part of our own travel story rather than simply a guidebook suggestion.

Number 15:

In a world where more and more we seem to be focused upon convenience it’s wonderful to discover traditional, individual, small shops as we see here in the French city of Lille. Below you will see an example of a “Boulangerie” dedicated to bread and cakes, not unusual in many French towns and cities.
Then there is the unique “Le Comptoir du Miel” which is a speciality artisanal honey boutique, which specialises in direct sales of rare and unusual honeys sourced from independent beekeepers across France and around the world.
You can find a wide variety of honeys—including French lavender, organic chestnut, forest, acacia, and international varieties (e.g., Manuka from New Zealand and lychee from Madagascar). We happily took some home with us to enhance our meals at home.

Number 14:

You cannot visit New York without trying a traditional bagel and on our visit we went to Zucker’s Bagels and Smoked Fish on Columbus Avenue and I chose a Reuben with pastrami, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing.
With a Raspberry and an Apricot Hamantaschen and of course a coffee to go it was less than a 10 minute walk to Central Park, where we parked ourselves on a bench by Strawberry Fields and listened to the regular rotation of buskers who play acoustic Beatles and John Lennon tunes throughout the day .

Number 13:

The Market in Valencia is the best market I have ever been to!
Full of fresh, vibrant produce, beautiful cakes and an array of meat and fish. One day we will return for a longer stay and like the locals frequent this “attack on the senses” to buy our ingredients daily.

Number 12:

Another market but this time in Essoiuria, Morocco where you can buy fish for lunch and then take them across the street where you request for the fish to be cooked for you, taking a seat at one of the tables to enjoy your fishy fare.
This is fish at it’s freshest and such a huge range to choose from!

Number 11:

My first dessert on this list and I can still taste the chocolate now!
Back in 2017 we visited San Francisco and stopped off, after a long day of sight seeing at The Original Ghirardelli Chocolate & Ice Cream Shop for one of their world famous hot chocolate fudge sundaes!

Number 10:

The best tacos I’ve eaten! Earlier this year we revisited Grand Cayman and ate at Tukkas in the East End. I’m still trying to persuade my husband to recreate them at home!

Number 9:

A local haunt of ours which never fails to satisfy –The Lavender Bakehouse.
Sited in Chalford, right near the historic Thames and Severn Canal in the Cotswolds, we have had many lunches here and the odd traditional afternoon tea.
On this occasion, which was July 4th 2020, we ordered a picnic and a wonderful Hummingbird cake.
It was our 5th anniversary of being together and we were suppose to get married on that day but COVID meant we had to put all the plans and preparations on hold.
Not wanting to let the day go by unnoticed we took our picnic to where we first met -the banks of the River Thames at Lechlade

Number 8:

Another recent find which I haven’t even posted about yet. I took my daughter on an impromptu adventure to Bala in North Wales.
While we were there we visited the Pistyll Rhaeadr waterfall in the early morning and then moved onto Lake Vyrnwy.
We walked to the Tavern located inside the Lake Vyrnwy Hotel & Spa, where we chose several items from their tapas menu to share. This was some of the best tapas I’ve eaten, we were outside on the terrace, there was enough for two people in each dish to share and with a wonderful view of the lake below!

Number 7:

I am not a massive fan of pizza so it takes a really good pizza to impress me and this is surely it!
Back in 2023 we embarked on a trip from Fort Lauderdale following the Eastern seaboard along the coast ultimately to New York. We omitted any interstates or freeways and stuck to what in the UK we would call A roads along with the railroad for the last three big stops: Washington,Philadelphia, and finally to New York.
Whilst in New York we did the Greenwich Free Walking Tour led by Renee who recommended the Bleecker Street Pizza.
We had two slices each both trying the Nona Maria which was truly amazing. Nothing beats this astoundingly good pizza for flavour. We’ve eaten pizza in Chicago, Italy and various other cities of the world and if we could ship this over by super jet we would!

Number 6:

Caribbean food is always on the menu when we fly to any of the islands and having been to Barbados on four separate occasions it has to feature in my top ten foods of all time.
A visit to Browne’s Beach at lunchtime to pick up a bag of freshly cooked Bajan Fish Balls followed by a visit to Grandenes.
Sited on the west coast at Mullins between Holetown and Speightstown is this family run restaurant where Mum’s home cooking cannot be beaten!

Number 5:

In at number 5 is another local haunt. You cannot visit the Cotswolds without frequenting Winston’s Ice Cream Factory.
Sited on Rodborough Common it was opened in 1925 and based upon an old Victorian recipe and to this day sells the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted.
Maybe it’s because it always reminds me of the “ice cream van” of my childhood or maybe because it’s just never fails to impress!

Number 4:

Another “sweet treat” but this time in the form of a French patisserie in central Marrakech!
Patisserie Des Princes is one of the city’s most famous patisseries and a wonderful “hangover” from the French influence.

Inside you will find two large display cabinets where the team of dedicated, skilled chefs create delightful confections that reflect a passion for the art of pastry-making.
We were spoilt for choice and opted for two cakes each, alongside some home made lemonade for my husband and refreshing mint tea for me. The total cost of this little afternoon sojourn was less than £10!!

Number 3:

I love to try authentic food when travelling and here at number 3 is one of my biggest surprises.
Back in 2023 we went on a 3 month adventure around Western Europe travelling by train.
Our first stop was Bilbao where within the market, on the Saturday, was a large food hall where everyone seemed to congregate for lunch.
The various counters, were laden with pintxos of all descriptions. This small snack, typically eaten in bars and taverns are traditional to Northern Spain and especially popular in the Basque region of which Bilbao is the most economically powerful city.
This was our first foray into this Basque delight and WOW! these little delicacies are amazing!

Number 2:

In September 2016 we decided to visit New Orleans.
It was our first big adventure together and so in addition to the usual research to establish what we wanted to do and see I asked my husband to look into restaurants.
What he discovered was the restaurant “Shaya”.
Opened in February 2015, this modern Israeli restaurant, founded by acclaimed Chef Alon Shaya, quickly became a city staple and won the James Beard Award for “Best New Restaurant” in 2016. It became so popular that you had to make a reservation months in advance and boy it didn’t disappoint.
In all honesty it is the best overall meal I’ve ever eaten in a city restaurant. The wonderful pillows of pitta and hummus alone would have had me coming back for every special occasion if I lived locally!!!

Despite still bearing it’s founder’s name Alon left the establishment in 2017

Number 1:

And finally comes this absolute delight and total surprise.
As part of our adventure previously mentioned along the Eastern seaboard of America we booked a trip, in advance, on Hilton Head “The Gullah Heritage Tour” .
As we left the bus I asked the guide if he could recommend anywhere to eat for lunch and he recommended Hudson’s Seafood House on the Docks.
Hudson’s is Hilton Head Island’s oldest and most famous restaurant with 50 years of casual dining experience with spectacular views of the Inter coastal Waterway.
Using one of only two remaining local fishing fleets on Hilton Head Island to bring in fresh-caught seafood straight to their docks and onto your table, the seafood couldn’t be any fresher!
Below is a photo of my chosen starters -Fried Green Tomatoes. I’d never had them before and I’ve never tasted better since!
I followed this up with Low Country Seafood Boil which was also amazing and a dish we have done our best to replicate since, using a recipe by a famous UK chef “Nadia Hussein” 

I hope my photos and narrative give you inspiration to go out there and try to find your own top foodie experiences!
Perhaps you already have an absolute favourite if so why not share it in the comments? I, for one, am always open to a recommendation.

Let me know if you’ve visited any of the places I’ve listed, maybe give this post a like. Let me know what you thought of the food, I’d love to hear from you in the comments

Discover My Top 5 Favourite Panoramic Views

Welcome back to my mini series of WOW moments as I finally reveal my Top 5!

Number 5:

At Number 5 is “home”!
Coaley Peak is only a short drive away from where I live and it offers one of the finest panoramic vistas in the Cotswolds.
Perched high on the Cotswold escarpment in Gloucestershire, in the West of England, a sweeping patchwork of lush green and golden agricultural fields stretches out beneath the escarpment.
The River Severn and its estuary glint in the sunlight, meandering toward the sea. You can often spot the iconic Severn Bridge and the sweeping bends of the water. 
On a clear day, the striking outlines of the Forest of Dean and the Welsh mountains can be seen beyond the river.
This landscape never fails to take my breathe away and the photograph really doesn’t capture this, but its always a WOW whenever I visit.

Number 4:

A totally different landscape but no less beautiful. This photograph was taken at sunset back in July 2023 when we paid to stay for a night at The Grand Canyon whilst taking a slight diversion off Route 66.
This unbelievable masterpiece that is considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World takes your breathe away on your first visit. There is nowhere quite like it!
It stretches 277 miles long, reaches up to 18 miles wide, and plunges over a mile deep and until you see it there in front of you, you cannot appreciate the WOW moment it gives!

Number 3:

Back in 2021 my husband and I embarked on an 8 week road trip around England and Scotland.
As part of the adventure we drove the NC500. The North Coast 500 is a 516-mile scenic route around the Scottish Highlands, starting and finishing in Inverness.
We drove anti clockwise beginning by travelling up the West Coast and throughout this section you are rewarded with spectacular views and WOW moments at every turn.

This particular photograph captured by my husband is a view overlooking the waters of Upper Loch Torridon toward the Applecross Peninsula in Wester Ross.
The prominent mountain in the background is part of the Torridon range, known for its dramatic scenery and ancient geology and the small island featured in the centre of the loch is named Eilean Chasgaig.

Number 2:

Out along a dusty stretch of old Route 66 near Oro Grande, California, Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch is exactly what it sounds like—and somehow much more. Created by artist Elmer Long, this quirky outdoor gallery is a forest of metal “trees” sprouting hundreds of colourful glass bottles that shimmer, whistle, and glow in the desert sun.

Despite its offbeat nature, this ranch was one of my favourite stops on our Route 66 adventure back in 2023 that I had to write about. It’s another place that I will never forget and just filled me with WOW moments.
For me it epitomised the individualism of the people we had met en route.
This is art in its most imaginative form, what an inspiration Elmer must have been.

Number 1:

As part of our trip across America back in 2023 we took a detour to Monument Valley.
We booked an early morning sunrise tour of this magnificent landscape with a Navajo guide.
Surrounded by the magnificent vistas of Monument Valley when the sun was rising in the sky I took a moment to stand and just breathe. To really take in the panorama of the country around me and in that moment I felt more at peace that I probably ever have. There is something unique about this place, a peacefulness, a history, a spirituality that calls to me.
It will remain with me forever as my biggest WOW moment.

Interestingly we left after our tour and headed to the Grand Canyon to see the sunset (Photo 4 above). There are some days in your life that you will carry with you to your grave and July 4th 2023 is definitely one of them!

I hope my photos and narrative give you inspiration to go out there and find your own WOW moments amidst forthcoming adventures!
If you want to see other photos taken on our travels they are available on Flicker.

Let me know if you’ve visited any of the places I’ve listed, maybe give this post a like. Let me know what you thought when you were there, I’d love to hear from you in the comments

Top 15 Must-See WOW Moments from Around the World

Welcome back to my mini series of WOW moments captured on our adventures around the world.

Number 15:

Staying with architecture but of a similar vein to Number 16 on my previous post, let me introduce you to The Ben Youssef Medersa. This is truly a masterpiece, displaying Moroccan architecture through the ages with diverse motifs, vibrant colours, and astounding tile work. The walls and columns are covered with “zellige” -colourful, geometric mosaic tile work with friezes of calligraphy above.
I felt like I just wanted to drink it all in and create a forever indelible memory to return to in the future so I could always have this WOW moment.

Number 14:

This photograph was on display courtesy of the World Press Photo Foundation which has connected people to the stories that matter worldwide, spending 70 years championing visual journalism. The World Press Photo Contest “is one of the most prestigious competitions in photojournalism and documentary photography, celebrating the most impactful visual storytelling from across the globe.”

We were fortunate to visit last year whilst in London and when you view the photos at this exhibition there is no doubt that they each have a story to tell but behind each lens is a photographic journalist often risking their life to record these images visually for the whole world to see.
This photograph is called Paths of Desperate Hope and was taken on September 23rd 2022 in the jungles of the Darian Gap

Luis Miguel Arias (28) takes a break with his daughter Melissa (4) as they climb a hill. They are from Venezuela and joined the over 250,000 migrants who traversed the Darien Gap in 2022.
The Darién Gap is a remote, roadless, and dangerous area of rainforest along the border between Panama and Colombia, acting as a natural barrier between North and South America. The lack of roads, the presence of dangerous animals and insects (including venomous snakes and spiders), and the risk of criminal activity (like robberies and violence) contribute to the region’s dangers. 

Sometimes a WOW moment can come from other peoples’ courage. I’ve never forgotten this photograph.

Number 13:

Like many I had seen pictures of the Plaza de Espana in Seville, Spain before but nothing prepared me for the reality when we were touring Western Europe by train in 2023.
As we rounded the corner I caught my breath as the magnificence of this Renaissance Revival Plaza spread out in front of me.
I am so pleased that we came here at the end of our day as there was no pressure on time and we could wander at will absorbing the atmosphere, taking a break whenever we wanted to and just being in this truly WOW moment.

Number 12:

Another cityscape but this time taken at night in Chicago.
We visited the city for a week before embarking on the famous Route 66 road trip from Chicago to Santa Monica pier in LA in the summer of 2023.
This particular WOW moment was just the sheer beauty created by the different lights below.

Number 11:

Keukenhof, also known as the Garden of Europe, is one of the world’s largest flower gardens, situated in the municipality of Lisse, in the Netherlands. According to the official website, Keukenhof Park covers an area of 32 hectares and approximately 7 million flower bulbs are planted in the gardens annually.
You cannot fail to have a WOW moment here with all the wonderfully curated flower displays with every colour of the rainbow. We’ve now visited it twice!

Number 10:

And so we finally reach my Top 10 WOW moments and at number 10 is this piece of street art in Seville, Spain. We often research the best places to see street art when visiting cities on our travels but on this occasion this wonderful piece of art showing a clear likeness to David Bowie caught us by surprise.
We stopped, we admired, we photographed and to date haven’t seen anything else to match it!

Number 9:

Just like my number 10 this landscape, (the photo honestly doesn’t do it justice), was also a surprise when we went off piste in Granada and found ourselves at the back of the Church of San Nicolas.
As we came around the side of the church there before us was an unforgettable panorama. We had chanced upon the Mirador de San Nicolas.
I honestly could not believe my eyes. The whole of the Alhambra Palace was laid out before me with the beautiful snow capped mountains of the Sierra Nevada nestled behind. The Palace dominated the skyline, leaving everything below in its wake.
There are not many views in the world that you see and know are going to stay in your memory forever but this is one of them.
Finding a vacant stone seat and ignoring the crowds I settled down and just stared in front of me feeling at peace.

Number 8:

The Market Hall in Rotterdam, in The Netherlands holds a very special secret.
Inside visitors are often so bewitched by the 100+ stalls and food outlets to choose from that they actually fail to ever look up which is such a shame as there are 11,000 square meters of artwork above their heads.
Designed by Arno Coenen and Iris Roskam and named “Horn of Plenty” pictures of vegetables, fruit, flowers, insects and enlarged fish adorn the ceiling.
These were created digitally and the file was so large that the artists had to turn to the Pixar Studios to actually store it!
Separating it into 4000 pieces they then printed each section on perforated aluminium panels and thus decorated the inside of the market hall. They are beautiful to behold and ironically made me feel as if I was inside one of Pixar movies like “Bug’s Life”!
Just WOW!

Number 7:

Another landscape captured on film in the moment. This photo was taken by my husband when we were crossing Lake Arenal in Costa Rica back in 2019. It captures the volcano shrouded in mist with a black vulture soaring on the thermals above the lake. Just magically WOW!

Number 6:

The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba is definitely one of those rare WOW places that stays with you long after you leave and that I had to write about on our trip through Western Europe in 2023.
This stands out for me as one of the most beautiful but also interesting religious buildings that I’ve ever visited. It stands not only as a place of architectural brilliance but a unique example of religious unity in a world that is full of religious conflict.

Ok, so I’m going to leave you waiting for my Top 5, they will be with you in a couple of days!
I’m conscious that lengthy posts mean you have to find time to sit down and concentrate and in this ever revolving world that isn’t always easy to find.
So I’ll see you in a couple of days and all will be revealed!

I hope my photos and narrative give you inspiration to go out there and find your own WOW moments amidst forthcoming adventures!
If you want to see other photos taken on our travels they are available on Flicker.

Let me know if you’ve visited any of the places I’ve listed, maybe give this post a like. Let me know what you thought when you were there, I’d love to hear from you in the comments

Capturing WOW Moments: Adventures in Travel Photography

Do you recall those moments when you suddenly look up and the vision in front of you just makes you go WOW! Pressing the button on your camera or phone just becomes compulsory because you have to capture that point in time, that magnificent landscape, that beautiful piece of architecture, that funny moment, that unforgettable memory that will remain in your mind forever.
Looking back through my photo collection of all the places we have been fortunate enough to visit has really brought this home to me.

Whilst this record of WOW moments sits nicely with my two previous posts:
Unforgettable Adventures: My Favourite Cities Revealed
and
Unforgettable Places I’ve Visited: My Top Six Picks

I know I would have written this anyway because I just felt compelled to have these favourite moments and memories on record so here is my Top 25!

Number 25:

In May 2025 we ventured to Morocco, primarily to Marrakech. As part of our trip we also visited Essouiria which I wrote a post about entitled Discovering the Beauty of Essaouira’s Medina and Harbour.
Having been dropped off by our guide, we crossed over the road and made our way to the harbour where I was immediately struck by both the hustle and bustle of the vibrant fish market on the opposite side and the wonderful sea blue, fisherman’s boats bobbing around on the water in between. It was one of those moments where I just stopped, held my breathe and just absorbed the beauty of what lay in front of me.

Number 24:

Taking pictures at sunset, for some reason, I find incredibly difficult bearing in mind that most of the time I’m just using my trusted iPhone. This photo was taken whilst sitting on our balcony in Barbados in February 2025. The colours were amazing, it was a calm and peaceful moment.

Number 23:

This might seem a bit of an odd set of pictures but the WOW factor for me came from the statistics available at this famous old prison -The Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia which we visited in 2023.

Operational from 1829 until 1971, it was once the most expensive building in the U.S. and famously held notorious figures like Al Capone. Today, the site operates as a National Historic Landmark offering both audio and guided tours.

I found it incredibly hard to absorb the reality of the information presented to me. It was one of those moments where I felt compelled to study this phenomenon further on my return home.

Number 22:

I love to look at the architecture when I’m visiting a place that has existed for hundreds of years as is the case here.
This amazing piece of Roman architecture originating in the 1st century BC, in Segovia, Spain is a sight to behold and I still remember, back in 2023, looking up at its sheer size and feeling that WOW moment.
Roman remains always fascinate me, mainly because of the sheer engineering ability they had.
If you want to know more I wrote many posts about our 3 month trip. This one was entitled: Discover Segovia: Top Attractions and Travel Advice

Number 21:

Sitting on our ground floor balcony in Antigua earlier this year eating breakfast we were watching this cruise ship make its way into port when suddenly just in front of it a rainbow appeared in the sky. It was one of those least expected moments made even more so by the fact that the ship actually passed through the rainbow.
I had to capture the moment and still wonder if the passengers knew what was happening!

Number 20:

Another very poignant moment which honestly brought tears to my eyes. We visited Prague, Dresden and Krakow back in 2019. It was our final trip before COVID snuck up on all of us and compelled us to stay at home.
As part of the visit to Krakow we joined an organised excursion to Auschwitz and Birkenau, the largest of the German Nazi concentration camps and extermination centres. Over 1.1 million men, women and children lost their lives here. If only the world, as a whole, had taken this message to heart.

Number 19:

On a much brighter note I am also a big fan of gardens of all descriptions, being outside and just enjoying the peace and tranquillity that can so often come from the purity of nature.
This photo became a WOW moment for me very recently when we visited the Flower Forest in Barbados and I began to use my new camera, gifted to me at Christmas, primarily to take underwater photos. I have no idea what this beautiful flower is but it definitely caught my eye and I had to photograph it!

Number 18:

Continuing the nature theme, in February 2019, we visited Costa Rica where I celebrated my birthday amongst the rain forest, cloud forest and sheer magnitude of this amazing country. This little fellow was photographed by my husband with his far more technical camera than mine. Watching these tiny but beautiful hummingbirds flit from flower to flower collecting nectar was definitely a WOW moment for me.

Number 17:

Along with a fascination for architecture comes a more recent appreciation of sculpture. It’s never too late to adopt a new interest particularly one that you previously had no inclination to explore.
My love for this form of art sprang from visiting Paris back in 2023 and the Musee Rodin which my husband wanted to look at.
This particular piece of art by Camille Walala’s “Captivated By Colour” just mesmerised me. It was part of a Sculpture Trail that we followed in Canary Wharf in London last summer 2025.
This local artist designed colourful geometric shapes, playing with the long perspective of the tunnel. The design shows an optical pattern that shrinks and elongates as it moves across the panel of the bridge – creating a distorted effect as visitors pass through.
I have never seen anything quite like this and cannot think of anywhere else we have currently travelled to where this amount of effort has been put into creating what is in effect a tunnel for pedestrians to walk through. Outstanding and definitely a WOW moment!

Number 16:

Back to architecture, this time from Granada in Spain.
The Alhambra Palace is one of the most revered monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the top visitor attractions in Spain. We could not fail, therefore, to visit whilst on our Western Europe adventure back in 2023.
To try and give you some idea of the size of the palace, throughout the Nasrid era, the Alhambra was a self-contained city separate from the rest of Granada below. Within its walls could be found most of the amenities of a Muslim city such as a mosque, public baths, roads, houses, workshops and a sophisticated water supply system.
As a royal city, there were at least six major palaces. You honestly cannot fail to be in awe of this place and I experienced many WOW moments whilst walking around on our visit.

With so many WOW moments from our adventures to sort through I’m going to leave you in suspense for a few days before revealing my Top 15!

I hope my photos and narrative give you inspiration to go out there and find your own WOW moments amidst forthcoming adventures!
If you want to see other photos taken on our travels they are available on Flicker.

Let me know if you’ve visited any of the places I’ve listed or maybe give this post a like. Let me know what you thought when you were there, I’d love to hear from you in the comments