GLOBETROTTING GRANNY

For more years than I can count I have had a crush on Lawrence Ferlinghetti, his poetry that is. I make my students read him, especially 'Constantly Risking Absurdity' which in my opinion is the greatest definition of poetry yet written. I get the City Lights newsletter every month and spend too... Sign in to see full entry.

10 THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN TRAVELLING ALONE 1. Plan well a head. Getting to the airport and finding your passport is out of date is definitely not for senior travellers. Have your travel documents in the right order and easily accessible. 2. Do your homework. A few hours spent on the Internet will... Sign in to see full entry.

Liverpool, it was raining as usual. I trundled my monster on wheels the length of John Lenon Airport and finally found the bus to the city. The driver was what we downunder call a 'pom', a certain type of Briton. "There's no through train from here to Southport," he told me. I waved my guide book at... Sign in to see full entry.

I decided to go on this jaunt wround the world because there were places I wanted to visit, I wanted to make the decisions about what I would do, how I would get there and especially how I would get myself out of any scrapes I encountered on the way. LESSON 1. I PACKED TOO MUCH. My big travel bag... Sign in to see full entry.

Over those next fifteen days in Loutro I found those nineteen stone steps outside my room above Maria's gift shop getting easier and easier. I would come down in the morning, and return about lunch time. The first time I had to stop for a breather half way up but by the end of the first week I was... Sign in to see full entry.

Imagine a cluster of tiny hotels on the shore of a sheltered bay. Stewart met us at the Ferry and helped us with our luggage. No traffic, just outdoor cafes inches from the sea. Two boys were playing chess at one table with a set of ancient Greek Heroes, Maria, who keeps the gift shop greeted me and... Sign in to see full entry.

Until last year I went on conducted tours. They are fine for skimming across the world without engaging deeply in any of it. But I am slowing down and I cannot keep up with groups who gallop up and down mountains, through museums and cathedrals. That is one reason for travelling alone, so I can take... Sign in to see full entry.

For oldies travelling alone the Sophietel Athens Airport is a godsend, expensive but worth it. I realised I was going to have problems with my travel bag as soon as I hefted it off the baggage carousel in Athens Airport. It was fine for guided tours where everything is done for me, but this time I... Sign in to see full entry.

One of the drawbacks about travel is having to spend long hours in airports and even longer hours crammed into airplanes. It's a bit like childbirth, it's messy and uncomfortable but there's no way you can avoid it if you want the end result i.e. the experience of another country or culture. Flight... Sign in to see full entry.

I have a pet peeve. It's about doctors who are usually perfectly efficient, but when confronted by anyone older than they are they purse their lips and say, "well of course at your age you have to expect..." When I decided to go for one last big tour I had to devise a programme of diet, exercise and... Sign in to see full entry.