My Other Travel Home
If you are looking for some travel ideas then you might like my other travel site The Professional Traveller, which is full of trip reviews of places I’ve been – ideal for some travel inspiration.
I’ve spent 38 years in the travel industry and guided more than 10,500 people through 40-plus countries. I started as a tour manager in Italy and never really stopped. The Professional Traveller is where I write it all down: honest reviews, destination guides and the tricks that make trips smoother and cheaper.
One rule: I only write about places I’ve actually been. No copy-and-paste guides, no reviews of lounges I’ve never sat in. If I say it’s worth it, I’ve paid for it, eaten it or slept in it. If it’s not worth it, I’ll tell you that too.
Where To Start?
These are the pages I’d send a friend to first.
- Start Here: expert travel tips – the best of the site in one place, from destination guides to airport lounge secrets.
- Travel inspiration – for when you know you want to go somewhere but haven’t decided where.
- The blog – everything I’ve published, newest first.
Destination Guides
Straight-talking guides covering costs, safety, where to stay and whether a place is actually worth your holiday allowance.
- Budapest travel guide – my complete guide to one of my favourite cities.
- Is Budapest expensive? – real prices, not brochure prices.
- Is Valencia expensive?
- Is Riga expensive?
- Is Shetland expensive? – closer to home, and worth knowing before you book the ferry.
Airport lounges
Flying from Inverness means plenty of connections, so a decent lounge can save your sanity. I review them honestly, and I compare the passes so you don’t overpay.
- Lounge Pass vs Priority Pass: which is better? – a straight cost comparison.
- Airport lounge pass vs pay as you go – when a membership pays for itself, and when it doesn’t.
How It All Fits Together
Think of it this way: The Professional Traveller is the reading, and Mel’s Travel Club is the doing.
- The Professional Traveller – in-depth guides and reviews to help you plan any trip, from anywhere.
- Mel’s Travel Club – two hand-picked deals a month that work from Inverness, plus group trips from the Highlands, straight to your inbox. Free to join (upgrade if you want more deals)
Follow Along
For reviews, lounge reports and behind-the-scenes from my trips, follow The Professional Traveller: