Maybe it wasn’t an obvious choice of first destination for a couple of first time travellers who like their home comforts, but actually Kolkata was not the terrifying culture shock people warned us about. Yes, we walked out of the airport to find a road made virtually uncrossable by unpredictable yellow taxis; we took said taxi in a seat-clutching ride across town seeing people cycling with boxes of chillies on their heads and live chickens tied to their handlebars; we were greeted in the streets by mothers begging for milk powder and packs of yellow dogs and men sleeping on the pavements. Yes, it was a million miles away, but amid this melee of people and smells and confusion, we found a city of incredibly beautiful buildings and parks, some of the best street food of the trip, and so many smiling faces: a girl who taught us Indian classical dancing in the Victoria Memorial gardens, a couple of street kids who we shared a lassi with, parents and children shaking ours hands at a Kali festival we happened to catch.

It wasn’t just that Kolkata allowed us to jump into another culture headfirst, it also allowed us to meet other travellers, get advice, make plans. There is definitely a district for travellers, and lucky for us, most of them had been around for a while. Trains were all explained, haggling (although we never really mastered that), the head wobble. We ended up travelling with a guy we met on the first day for three weeks. Really (and I hate to admit it) it does help to have a man around in India. They just get more respect. Annoying but true.

From Kolkata it was an overnight train to Darjeeling. The trains are really something. The queues for the tickets are utterly bewildering, but as long as you stand your ground as aggressively as everyone else pushes it shouldn’t take too long! The train itself is the best place to meet people. There’s always one man who takes charge of the conversation. Warning- he is usually the one that snores the loudest. You can buy everything under the sun. On that first train journey we counted 33 items that you could purchase, including yo-yo, statues of Ganesh, and nail clippers.More...

Debbie Valentine explores the cultural side of the sunny island of Malta.

The tiny island of Malta, basking in the Mediterranean sun, is not the first place you might think of for a cultural holiday. It has a reputation for being full of retired Brits sunning themselves, but if you dig a little deeper you’ll find some amazing history and beautiful things to see.

With over 7000 years of history, Malta is home to some of the most important and fascinating archaeological sites in the world. The ancient temples of Mnajdra, Ġgantija and Ħaġar Qim date from around 3000BC and are huge sites – Maltese locals thought they were the work of giants.

The most famous ancient Maltese site is the Hypogeum, a vast underground chamber, used as a temple and burial site. More than 5500 years old, the impressive structure is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Reaching down to more than 10 metres below the ground there is a lot to discover about Malta’s ancient history. Tickets to visit the site are limited, for conservation reasons, so make sure you book ahead if you want to visit.More...

Our intern Molly Loeffler spent Spring break travelling Italy with some classmates. Here are her tips for saving money travelling by train….

For Spring break, myself and two friends wanted to explore as much of Italy in 10 days as we possibly could! We decided to start in Milan and head south, flying home out of Naples. Once we figured out the general direction we needed to go, we planned our route by train, trying to budget as much as possible. We purchased Eurail passes online so we could get most train tickets for free or at a discounted rate, which was hard for us to find with other train deals because we are not EU citizens. 

We landed in a very snowy Milan and got on our first train to Venice. Thanks to our Eurail pass, the ticket that would have cost us about £35, cost us only about £9.Venice was overcast but this could not spoil the beauty of the island. The gorgeous canals, bridges and brightly coloured buildings were a wonderful sight to walk out of the train station to.Venice’s winding and narrows streets can be confusing but thanks to the Italian I learned in school, I eventually navigated us to our hostel on the Piazza di Santa Margherita! As we were there off season Venice there were very few people walking around as we visited the famous sites like the Piazza di San Marco and San Marco’s Basilica. We considered taking a gondola ride, but it cost about 80 euro and the water was very choppy so we decided not to. Our final stop was the Rialto Bridge, which is the oldest bridge in Venice built in 1181.More...

Kasia Nowicka visits Cappodocia, an area of natural wonders in the Central Anatolian region ofTurkey.

Going to Turkey for the first time, my priority was to explore Istanbul. But luckily my fellow travellers were looking beyond that city and decided to go to Cappadocia – the land of wonders. Trusting my friends' instinct, we eagerly bought return tickets for a night coach heading to the heart of Anatolia.

Now, you might ask why not the train? Well, that's just the way it is – when in Turkey, travel by coach. In fact, there are two reasons: first – the train tickets are cheaper indeed, but the journey might take four times as long as the coach; second – the road system is much better developed than the railways, and frankly, the tarmac is in superb condition ensuring a smooth journey. Besides, who would give up a trip by coach that is almost comparable to the Orient Express? The passengers are very well looked after, and despite travelling at night the coach attendant makes sure you eat and drink well and your hands are refreshed every couple of hours. Apart from sampling a variety of Turkish cakes, we were introduced to an exceptional invention specially made, it seemed, for coaches. It was a long sachet, the type of 3-in-1 coffee, that was both a tea bag and a stirrer at the same time.More...

Gregor Swiderek spends 24 hours in New Hampshire and Vermont finding ‘rural perfection’ in the scenery he passes.

My second encounter with New Hampshire was rather brief. I entered the granite state in the early evening and headed straight to North Conway in the White Mountains. Conway is a bizarre sort of place, something of a cross between a resort village and a suburban shopping mall. Only in America. After booking myself into a typical no-frills motel I went in search of something to eat. Luckily I didn't have to search too far as after just a few minutes walk I came across Hillbilly's Southern BBQ. Yes, an authentic southern BBQ right bang in the middle of New England. Here I have to mention that I absolutely love American style BBQ. In my opinion it is the best contribution of America to the culinary world. So you can imagine my joy when I discovered this little gem.

It was Monday night so the place was practically deserted with only two or three customers by the bar. You must know that in many establishments in America you can order food to be eaten at the bar where you have good contact with the bar staff and fellow customers. Great idea and especially handy when you travel alone as you can easily strike up a conversation. The food (pulled pork with all the sides) was great, the beer was cold and people were friendly.More...

In the first of a three-part series on Montevideo, Rachel Ricks looks at the Uruguayan capital's cultural offerings.

Montevideo is the 2013 Ibero-American Capital of Culture, and I reckon it's about time this unassuming city got some attention. I've been here for five weeks now and I've noticed a real buzz in the air. A year of free activities and events opened on Friday 11th January with a night of four free concerts happening at different locations round the city. I opted to see Molotov - a Grammy Award-winning Mexican band that's been highly popular in Latin America for more than 20 years. The stage was set up on a large seafront area and hundreds of people streamed in from all over the city to take advantage of this concert. The bass player announced that he was very happy to be here, because not only was today his birthday but this was the band's first concert of 2013. They played to an enthusiastic crowd for nearly More...

Our round-the-world couple Matt and Sharon Ward have spent the next stage of their journey exploring the delights of Siem Reap in Cambodia. Here's what they had to say about the world-famous Angkor region from a his and hers perspective…

A very early flight took us to Siem Reap in Cambodia, where we were surprised at how nice the small, modern airport was with its beautifully-landscaped grounds. You need $20 each and a passport photo to purchase your travel visa - ours were processed via a handful of officials who sat in a line, stamping and passing them onto the next official: a seamless and efficient process. A quick taxi journey took us to the Bun Nath Guesthouse, which was our first accommodation away from friends More...

Chicagoan Molly Loeffler takes an in-depth look at her home city to reveal her Chicago top 10…

Frank Sinatra got it right when he said Chicago was "My kind of town". I have lived here for 20 years and truly love Illinois' largest city - one that's big to tackle but easy to manoeuvre thanks to buses, cabs, water taxies, free trolleys, and the infamous L - our elevated rail system. If you're planning a visit here but aren't sure where to visit, here's my Chicago top 10:

1. Michigan Avenue

Busy yes, but here it's definitely worth fighting the crowds. Michigan Avenue's northern section is known as the Magnificent Mile (Mag Mile among locals) and is filled with high-end shops, popular department stores and wonderful restaurants. More...

Gregor Swiderek travelled to New York City five years after his maiden visit, and while he didn't fall in love with the Big Apple first time around, he found the city's charms irresistible on his return.

I recently returned to New York almost exactly five years after my first visit. By coincidence I entered the city in precisely same way as the first, driving Interstate 95 from New Jersey across the George Washington Bridge and following Henry Hudson Parkway south towards Midtown Manhattan. It really gave me a strange feeling of deja vu.

The big difference from the first trip was that back then I didn't really know what to do or see - despite so many things to do in NYC, I simply followed a random path across the city, while now I had a list of attractions I really wanted to visit. More...

Round-the-world adventurers Matt and Sharon Ward have been busy exploring Kuala Lumpur from a his and hers perspective. Here's what they had to say about the Malaysian capital…

We were keen to try the train from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur so we could take in some of the countryside. Strangely enough, it worked out cheaper for us to fly the 45-minute journey at a total of £57, rather than £34 each by train. With the airport only 15 minutes away by bus, and being on a tight budget, we decided to fly to the Malaysian capital. On arrival, we were looking forward to free digs thanks to one of Sharon's KL-based friends. More...