One of the most memorable things I have done on my travels with Imaginative Traveller is to go on a hot air balloon ride over Cappadocia in Turkey. For me, it was an absolute highlight of my trip, even though the alarm clock had to be set for 4.15am! Trust me, it was well worth it!

The best piece of advice I was given for travelling in India was to pack a sense of humour. I found myself laughing hysterically every single day that I was there. I was not laughing at people or being disrespectful it was just that I experienced sights and events which I found funny.

Amongst the Maharajahs trip report by Christina Zanvettor

Seeing as Georgia is in the news I felt the need to put some of my own memories down about this amazing country after a visit there a few years ago.  I didn't actually know a whole lot about the region (Georgia or Armenia) and had only spoken to one person who'd been before, but after a couple of trips to the local library to read what little literature was available I decided it rather intrigued me. 

At a recent (rain-filled) barbeque, my family had an amusing conversation about weird and wonderful foods that we had all sampled throughout the world. In a nutshell, I was the outright winner.

From jellyfish in Japan to Guinea Pig in Peru, I have enjoyed, and in some cases not so much, unique delicacies prepared lovingly in different countries.

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The Festival au Desert takes place in Essakane, Mali each year. It showcases traditional Tuareg music as well as music from around the world. In January 2008, I was very lucky to have the opportunity to travel to Mali and be a part of this amazing and surreal festival. You may be asking why I found it ‘surreal’. Close your eyes and try to imagine…

As keen walkers we decided to choose Imaginative Traveller’s Alpujarra & Sierra Nevada  8 day walking tour for our holiday last September. The transfer to our village destination of Trevelez from Malaga only took around 3 hours, heading inland towards the mountains. The higher we went the more spectacular the views became.

Football is king in Argentina and as we were in Buenos Aires the day that ‘Team River Plate’ were playing for the cup we felt we couldn’t miss the opportunity to witness the event. As we walked towards the “Monumental” stadium, a sea of white and red football jerseys appeared all around us. The atmosphere was electric with chants of “Vamos, Vamos, Vamos River Plate” rose from the surrounding crowds.

Inti Raymi was the most important celebration of the Incan empire. It was celebrated on 24th June each year which marked the winter solstice and honoured the sun god Inti to ensure that the sun would be generous and allow a good crop in the new year. The Spanish banned this celebration in 1572 calling it pagan and contrary to Catholic beliefs.