Europe Archives - A Million Lives

July 10, 2019 by Greg Underwood

Top European Countries To Visit This Year

When it comes to picking the right holiday destination, it can be a bit daunting to find the perfect place that fits everyone’s desires, needs, interests and budgets. If you’re travelling with friends, you want to be sure to pick the ideal place to go that has a bit of everything to suit everyone in your party, and if you’re travelling with kids, you want something that will be family friendly. That’s why we’ve put together this handy travel guide to Europe with the best countries for awesome getaways for anyone from ages eight to eighty. You can score cheap flights to Europe easily as well, making it a perfect, budget conscious place for all. Check out our favourite countries in this useful list.

France

France is a beautiful country with some amazing food and wine. If you like trying different dishes, France is the place for you. Think fresh baguettes with real butter and fresh ingredients on sandwiches. Paris, the capital, is a bustling, sprawling city with numerous sights to see and areas to explore. One of the most unusual is the Parisian catacombs, located under the city. The usual haunts of the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur church and the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysées are popular tourist attractions and are likely to be busy and crowded, but worth it if you like doing the tourist thing.

Outside the city, try to get out to Bordeaux for some wine tasting, or head down to the French Riviera for sun, sea and sand. The beaches at Normandy in the north will herald some seriously interesting World War 2 history to learn about, but if you want something a bit more… intense, check out the village of Oradour sur Glane, a town which the Nazis razed, leaving only a handful of survivors.

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic (sometimes known as Czechia) is a beautiful country with amazing things to see and do. Prague is the most popular spot for many travellers, with castles, museums and beautiful squares to just sit back, relax and enjoy people watching. Karlovy Vary in the country’s northwest is a beautiful, alpine spa town that is a fantastic respite from the demands and crowds of the big city.

Want something unique and a bit weird? Catch the train out to Kutna Hora to see the Sedlec Ossuary – a church which was said to have soil from the Holy Land spread through its graveyard, increasing its popularity for burials to such a degree that mass exhumations of skeletal remains were conducted and the bones stored in parts of the church until it reached such a point they began to make decorative chandeliers, wall hangings, pillars and more from the bones of those formerly buried here.

Greece

When it comes to amazing places to visit, Greece is top of our list. With dozens of stunning islands to explore and a mainland that is rich and rife with history, you can’t go wrong with this amazing place. For the best islands, check out Kefalonia’s stunning azure waters, rugged hillsides and lush greenery; Crete for interesting historical palaces full of myth and mystery as well as beautiful beaches and quaint little towns with charming back streets; Corfu for delicious food including olives and seafood with a backdrop of fortresses in Corfu town and the likes of Rhodes, Zakynthos and Kos for a mix of hectic nightlife and laid back beach afternoons.

On the mainland, don’t miss the incredible historical sites of both Delphi where an oracle used to be questioned about the future, and the strange but beautiful Meteora with its monasteries on sheer cliffs overlooking the valley floor below. Food wise, don’t miss souvlaki – we promise you will love it as much as we do. Think Greece is expensive? Don’t worry – you can definitely do it on a budget!

Spain

Spain is a beautiful country with amazing weather and so many unique cities, towns and villages to visit. Rent a car and go on a road trip to visit as many as you can. The Costa Brava is a particularly beautiful region with the likes of Tossa de Mar being ideal for those looking for a bit of resort life without the resort crowds. Visit the castle on the hill overlooking its beaches and bay before strolling through the back streets of the old town, stopping along the way for paella, delicious Spanish beers or wines and a spot of people watching. Head to Barcelona to take in its artistic streets and the impressive Parc Guell, Gaudi’s house and the Sagrada Familia.

So if you’re looking for a great area to visit this year (or any time in the future!) consider Europe. The nice thing about Europe is that with so many of the countries being only a short flight away from each other, you can easily visit more than one place on a trip that is a couple weeks in length. So what are you waiting for? Get your tickets booked today!

December 3, 2017 by Greg Underwood

Milan – A Million Things To See

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Italy is awash with numerous metropolitan cities that are must sees but which ones are on the top of your list? Of course with so many world famous sites it’s easy to pick cities like Rome or Naples, but what about fashion capital Milan? Milan is known for being the main site of some of the world’s most prestigious fashion houses such as Armani, Bottega, Miu Miu, Versace and Dolce & Gabbana and plays host twice yearly to spring and autumn fashion shows during which time the city explodes into life with celebrities, models and paparazzi all descending on the city to lay their eyes on the next hottest thing from each of the fashion houses at their various shows. Do yourself a favour – add Milan to your must see list. You won’t regret it.

Getting In And Around

Milan is serviced by two international airports – Linate and Malpensa. Both are serviced by buses and taxis to get into the centre but you’re in Milan! Treat yourself and book a private car to pick you up and take you to your hotel and even around to the most popular sites to see around the city. Not only is it a hassle free, surprisingly affordable treat for yourself, but you will be wondering why you didn’t do this sooner! Live life like one of the major fashion models and get treated like royalty from the moment you step out of the plane. You never know – you might end up rubbing elbows with some of your favourite fashion houses along the way!

Milan – A City

Admittedly when it comes to things to see and do in Milan it may seem like it pales in comparison to other Italian cities such as Rome, Verona or Venice. Milan stands separate from these other cities due to a number of reasons: much of it was destroyed in the second world war, and it does have a more ‘rush rush’ work feel to it. It is after all, a working city with many of its inhabitants rushing off to and fro, drinking their coffees quickly at the bar of the cafe before rushing off again. The tourists in Milan are far more laid back than the residents, but don’t let that put you off. With the huge number of impressive museums, monuments, piazzas, theatres, opera houses, ristorantes and more there is more than enough to attract a visitor to this impressive cosmopolitan city.

Get Your Fashion On

If you’re remotely a fan of fashion or even just like to keep abreast of goings on in the fashion scene, be sure to hit up Milan around fashion seasons of spring and autumn when the major houses showcase their upcoming lines in a number of spectacular shows. Be sure to get tickets in advance if you’re hoping to attend, and even then sometimes it’s by special invite only. In truth, Milan is the perfect place for students of fashion to be in fashion season regardless of whether you can get a seat at a show or not.

So there you have a couple of great reasons Milan should be on your “to visit” list. With so much happening in this cosmopolitan city, it’s easy to see why it remains a favourite amongst travellers to come and check out the hustle and bustle of more corporate Italian life alongside centuries old traditions and shopping opportunities.

December 2, 2017 by Greg Underwood

Accessible hotels in London, What to Look Out For

One of the biggest challenges that I have had since the injury which left me in a wheelchair, is finding great hotels, and making traveling as easy as possible. I love to travel and I always have but since the accident it has become far more complicated to get around and see all of the things that I wanted to see. I recently went on a trip to London and for the first time in a long time, I had an amazing experience and wasn’t limited at all because of my chair. If you are interested in getting around and finding accessible hotels in London, here is what to look out for.

Hotel Specs

As one would expect with a city like London, there are a huge amount of accessible hotels available to you depending on your specifications. My experience in other parts of the world with accessible hotels has been pretty poor and it seems that many think just because their rooms have large bathrooms that it somehow makes it disability friendly. In London however, things are how they should be with large doorways, plenty of large bathrooms, stair lifts and chair lifts as well as ground floor rooms for those in chairs.

Locations

Whilst I did say that getting around was pretty easy, I must stress that the reasons behind this were because of the smart decisions that I made. To begin with I decided to stay in Central London, close to all of the landmarks and places that I wanted to visit, this meant minimal traveling on public transport. I also decided that I would avoid the tube and the bus, and spend a little extra on black cabs to get me to the places that I wanted to go to. I must add that even pushing myself around the streets was pretty easy as the paved streets are well maintained and there are no holes or broken footpaths on the main streets. Work out what it is that you want to see and then select a hotel which is close to them all.

Shuttle

I learned after my trip to London that there are many hotels which specialise in hosting guests with limited mobility, and these hotels very often have shuttles which can take their guest to certain points around the city. I would definitely recommend that you look out for these hotels as my bill for the black cabs did end up running quite high. The idea of having a shuttle on hand which you can use as and when you like is a massive bonus, especially if you use a wheelchair and want to see as much as London as possible.

The underground and the buses are wheelchair friendly but the sheer volume of people who use them can often cause problems so I would avoid them. London does have some excellent hotels for wheelchair users but still make sure that you check all of the details about the hotel to ensure that it is the right fit for you.