“A city is the pulsating product of the human hand and mind, reflecting man’s history, his struggle for freedom, creativity, genius-and his selfishness and errors.” (Charles Abrams)

Here are Road Junky Travel’s 10 favourite cities. Our votes: Cape Town, Sydney, London and Bangkok (all SWAP destinations!). More

A peaceful, imaginative and fun protest against oil dependency and car culture. A celebration of the bicycle and also a celebration of the power and individuality of the human body. A symbol of the vulnerability of the cyclist in traffic. The world’s biggest naked protest: 50+ cities and thousands of riders participate worldwide…More

Photo: Newsbie Pix

Why do we swoon over some accents and gag at others?

Carrie, an American reader desperate for advice, submitted the following question to the Non-Expert:

I recently started dating a British guy. I think he’s cute, but maybe it’s just that he has an English accent. How can I tell the difference?

Carrie did not know if she was actually physically attracted to her British beau or if she was blinded by his accent. The way a person speaks can change our opinion of him, whether it be in a negative or positive way. More

Out of these 10 countries which would best be adapted to you? Find out here!

1) United Kingdom: 24.6% Pictured: Bangers and mash with peas.
(Note: The rest of the vote was divided among a number of other countries, most with less than one percent each.) More

Matador Network’s Alex Nolette took the beefy challenge of picking 50 of the world’s best burger joints. He came through with a list of the most recommended, droolific burgers on earth. More

You always hear about the distinction made between tourists and backpackers, but even among backpackers, we love to group each other into categories by who is the better traveler. Check into any hostel, and you will find a variety of different travelers wearing their distinctive tribal gear. Here are some of the more common that can be found in a hostel’s jungle  …More

I’m not ashamed to admit that my travels are often planned around alcohol – trips to vineyards, distilleries and breweries are always toward the top of my travel to-do list – but I do get sick of the disparaging looks this admission generally receives. Tell someone you travel in order to taste new foods and you’re congratulated on your willingness to embrace other cultures. Tell someone you travel for booze and you’ll invariably be met with raised eyebrows and a look that suggests what a sad life you lead.

But really, a country can be understood through its alcohol just as well as its food. Top tipples tend to represent top crops, hence Russia sips vodka (potatoes), Japan knocks back the sake (rice), and Mexico downs tequila (agave). Simple things like weather dictate how a nation drinks, whether it’s escaping cool winters or dismal summers in northern Europe’s cosy pubs or soaking up the sun with an ice cold beer on an Aussie beach.

More interesting are the many rules and regulations that come with enjoying a pint or a shot in different lands. Few areas of life seem to come with as many traditions and potential cultural gaffes as going out for a drink, so here are a few rules to remember when you’re imbibing around the world.

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Whether you’ve spent the previous night stumbling down Rose Street, swanning around George Street or staggering down to the Grassmarket, chances are that come Sunday morning there will be one thought on your mind – food. And lots of it.

Luckily, Edinburgh will deliver cozy pubs, good, strong coffee, log fires and roast lunches that make you feel like you’re back at home again, being looked after by Mum. Here’s some of the best.

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While our neighbours the French enjoy long, leisurely lunches and fine wines in elegant restaurants, we eat our main meal at the bus stop, drink our own body weight in warm lager and then cradle a donner kebab on the way home like it’s our only friend. We consider chips and curry sauce a square meal and we do unspeakable things to peas. more>

So, is British food as bad as they say?  Do you have a favorite British meal?

Take this quiz to see if you are turning into a Brit.  SWAP has a tendency to do that.  more>

If you are interested in living and working in the Britain check out the SWAP Britain program. more>

1 Streets Of London Ralph McTell
2 Waterloo Sunset The Kinks
3 God Save The Queen Sex Pistols
4 Sheila Jamie T
5 Peter the Painter
6 I Was There (At The Coronation) Young Tiger
7 Has It Come To This? The Streets
8 Down In The Tube Station At Midnight The Jam
9 Kidz Plan B
10 Itchycoo Park The Small Faces
11 Oh Happy Day Spiritualized
12 London Belongs To Me Saint Etienne 
13 Mile End Pulp
14 Gertcha! Chas & Dave
15 For Tomorrow Blur
16 A Foggy Day Ella Fitzgerald
17 22 Grand Job The Rakes
18 West End Girls Pet Shop Boys
19 London’s Burning The Clash
20 Sunny Goodge Street Donovan
21 K Hole Ali Love
22 Soho Bert Jansch and John Renbourn
23 London Is The Place For Me Lord Kitchener
24 Primrose Hill John & Beverly Martyn
25 Born Slippy Underworld
26 London Town Light Of The World
27 What A Mouth Tommy Steele
28 I Luv U Dizzee Rascal
29 Maybe It’s Because I’m A Londoner Hubert Gregg
30 You Can’t Always Get What You Want The Rolling Stones
31 A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square Judy Campbell
32 London Dungeon The Misfits
33 A13, Trunk Road To The Sea Billy Bragg
34 I Can See For Miles The Who
35 LDN Lily Allen
36 Albion Babyshambles
37 Knocked ‘Em In The Old Kent Road Harry Champion
38 A Rainy Night In Soho The Pogues
39 London The Smiths
40 14 Hour Technicolour Dream The Syn
41 Up The Junction Squeeze
42 Lambeth Walk Noel Gay/Douglas Furber
43 Swinging London Town Girls Aloud
44 Consider Yourself Lionel Bart
45 Cockney Translation Smiley Culture
46 London Pride Noël Coward
47 Baker Street Gerry Rafferty
48 London London Caetano Veloso
49 Punky Reggae Party Bob Marley
50 Herculean The Good, The Bad and The Queen

What do you think? Who did they miss? Beatles.. Zeppelin..

If you had just $10 (or £6.75 ish) in your pocket, what would you spend it on? We asked travellers in London for their ideas… more>

People often think that travel in Europe is easy; that cultural gaffes aren’t an issue and that the challenges of Africa or Latin America don’t apply. In some ways this is true, but even in the UK, where the language barrier is removed (save for a few unintelligible accents and some quirky vocabulary) it’s possible to offend the locals if you don’t swot up on essential etiquette. And if there’s one place you don’t want to upset a Brit it’s in their most cherished domain, the pub, so here are five crucial dos and don’ts for drinking in the UK. more>

London shortly before the turn of the 20th Century must have been a frightening place to be, and even to this day there are some fairly eerie attractions for people who take delight in horrific thrills. more>

OK, it’s confession time. I know that tourist boards want to promote the positive and – honestly – I really do love all the good things. But sometimes I just feel in need of something a little…darker. more>