Five of the World’s Best Long-Distance Trails: A Blog For From the Grapevine

Fresh air and a sense of freedom – there’s nothing quite like exploring on your own two feet. Hiking is a favourite activity for many and we think it’s one of the best – and most fun – ways to get to know a new place. But the long-distance trails we’ve included in our latest travel article for From the Grapevine are not for fair-weather ramblers; these ambitious walking routes are epic feats reserved for the fittest and most dedicated of outdoor enthusiasts.

In our round-up of the world’s greatest hiking trails, we selected five of the most demanding and most spectacular long-distance footpaths across three continents. We included everything from New Zealand’s cinematic Te Araroa Trail to Israel’s diverse National Trail to America’s famous Pacific Crest Trail (setting for recent Reese Witherspoon blockbuster, ‘Wild’). To find out more about the challenges of each route, read an excerpt from our article below…

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Still Life in the Old Blog: Why Travel Companies Should Keep On Blogging

Blogs have been around a long time. In fact, with a history stretching back into the dark days of the 1990s, in web terms they’re positively ancient. Yet there’s still life in the old blog – in fact, it has never been more essential for travel brands to have their own blog platforms. Research firms like PhoCusWright conclude that just shy of half of all travel sales in America and Europe now take place on the internet, while the number of people researching about travel online is likely to be even higher than that. The percentages are consistently growing year-on-year.

Yet despite the ever-increasing number of customers online, too many travel brands still steadfastly stick to old-fashioned marketing methods, failing to make the most of those exciting digital tools available, such as blogging.

Holidaygoers doing their research on the web are looking for up-to-date, candid and compelling information – so whether you are a hotel or a cruise company, a travel agent or a tourist board, you’re doing yourself a disservice by not having an active, relevant and regular travel blog. Below are five more reasons why blogging still matters.

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Discovery Blog: Top 10 Activities in South East England This Christmas

It’s that time of year again; when the wrapping paper comes out of the drawer, the mince pies are bought in bulk and everyone starts getting a little sick of the John Lewis advert. But Christmas should be about more than gift-related chores, unavoidable shopping and depressed penguins. This is a time to have fun with friends and family.

That’s why, when approached by holiday rental company Discovery Holiday Homes to create a series of monthly blogs for their website, we decided to start by looking at the brilliant activities available during the festive season.

So here it is – our first ever blog for Discovery Holiday Homes, focusing on fun things to do around Christmas in South East England. It’s entitled, rather imaginatively, ‘Top 10 Festive Activities in the South East this Christmas’…

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