Author Archives: John Humphreys

From Edinburgh to Glasgow and then on to the Republic of Ireland. So many shades of green beyond the latest Celtic football strip, looking on from above as we approached Dublin airport. Always a joy flying out of Glasgow, this time enhanced by a passenger not appearing on the list thanks to a recent changeContinue reading “Travels with(out) Jackson – 7.2, Celtic Straits, July 2026”

My little stateside break had straddled June and July, what I like to think of as an old month and a ‘new’ one. As an aside, in case you hadn’t wondered why September, October and November are the ninth, tenth and eleventh (not seventh, eighth and ninth) months, well, haven’t you ever seen an octopusContinue reading “Travels with(out) Jackson – 7.1, Fortnight of Fortitude, July 2026”

Flying across the Atlantic straight after the tour I was in Pennsylvania once more.  Eight hours to Washington’s Dulles bus station – airport seems too grand a title. It feels so much like an urban transport hub I could imagine a Greyhound bus rather than an Airbus pulling up to the departure gate. Then aContinue reading “Travels with(out) Jackson – 6.4, Connecting Flights, June 2026”

The road to London may not have been paved with gold, but Sol did its best to make us think so. Rather than a direct attack the tour had opted for a pantheon as our strategy.  After duly venerating Sulis Minerva our next port of call was Stonehenge, some 48 hours before the summer solstice,Continue reading “Travels with(out) Jackson – 6.3, The Capital, June 2026”

In and beyond Liverpool a mystery tour with another local guide became a personal history tour as we went from city centre to Sefton park to Penny Lane, Smithdown Road to St Michaels ‘in the hamlet’, Otterspool, the Britannia pub on the old garden festival site that had been the centre of my world inContinue reading “Travels with(out) Jackson – 6.2, Magical History Tour, June 2026”

‘Twas the night before vacation and all through the airport, there was little information and even less forethought. The taxis were booked for the passenger pickups, But the plans were all f… forgotten, and would end in a cock up.’ It starts all too frequently with delays and layovers. These set the scene for theContinue reading “Travels with(out) Jackson – 6.1 A Grand Tour Begins … June 2026”

The driver-guide combo is a key part of the whole group travel experience, and for some reason I’ve been able to find a connection and resonance with every driver I’ve worked with… so far.  It’s a case of knowing what you’re good at and your limitations, respecting what they have to offer and what theyContinue reading “Travels with(out) Jackson – 5.5, Drivers and Shepherds, May 2026”

For tourists, especially seniors, toilet breaks are of course a necessity.  I’ve managed to avoid roadside forays behind bushes, but finding a clean and free loo, in terms of cost as well as accessibility and availability, is no mean feat on a long bus journey across rural Scotland or Ireland.  Buses at times come withContinue reading “Travels with(out) Jackson – 5.4, Toilets and Tourist Traps, May 2026”

To the ‘average’ American, travel outside the fifty states is perhaps a rare thing, maybe stretching to the Americas, central, south and norther than North to Canada, perhaps even Greenland while it’s still in Danish hands. Some stay state-bound nearer home, but then you can count the number of states bigger than the United KingdomContinue reading “Travels with(out) Jackson – 5.3 Firsts and the Familiar, May 2026”

So, a little background.  I used to work as a manager in the leisure industry, then poacher-turned game-keeper I started a career teaching undergraduates how to manage leisure and tourism. I gave it a year and it took 25 before I rolled up my scroll and turned back to poaching.  Nowadays I spend the summerContinue reading “Travels with(out) Jackson – 5.2, Me and Hospitality, May 2026”