Hi there! 👋 Welcome to our travel blog 🌍
We’ve been exploring the world together for 10+ years & finally decided to share our adventures online 🙈
What’s Run / Walk / Explore about?
In a nutshell, it’s about exploring amazing places on foot.
The one thing all our travels have in common, is that we spend a good chunk of time just wandering around. Whether it’s a European city break, tropical Asian island, or rural weekend away in the UK, there’s always a random walk involved. 🤷♀️
We like to get off the beaten track and find those hidden gems. Exploring on foot is a brilliant way to do this, which is part of the reason we love it.
- Run – sightseeing runs around cities are an awesome way to see lots of things in a short amount of time.
- Walk – self-guided tours are a cheap and easy way to take in landmarks and get a feel for different places.
- Explore – discovering new places and exploring beyond the usual tourist traps makes for unique, unforgettable experiences.
An added bonus is that it’s a healthy, sustainable form of travel. Less driving, more walking. Fewer bus tours, more sightseeing runs. 🏃
So we’ll be sharing our adventures here along with practical tips, guides, and resources to help you plan your own trips. We’ve got loads of exciting ideas (well, we think they’re exciting) and can’t wait to share them with you.
A little bit about us…
Hi! We’re Dean and Caroline. And we love holidays (who doesn’t?!). 🏝
We’ve visited 23 countries together so far and 47 between us. We also spent four amazing years living and working in China (Shanghai) and Japan (Tokyo). With those incredible megacities as our bases, we were able to explore much of Asia beyond the usual tourist sights.
It also meant we gave lots of city tours to our visiting friends and family! If you’re after an insider’s guide to Shinjuku, Meguro, or the French Concession, then we’ve got you covered. ⛩
Countries visited together so far – Australia, Belgium, China, Cuba, France, Greece, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Romania, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, UK, and the USA (as of September 2023).
We’ve also lived in two of the UK’s loveliest cities – Bristol and Chester. Several years and many dog walks later, we’ll be sharing our favourite sights, activities, and walking routes (with maps) here. 👣
We’re not full-time travel bloggers – what a dream that would be though! Dean works in the travel industry, which means he has loads of insider industry knowledge. I (Caroline) run a fitness marketing agency, so love creating digital content.
We have 9-5 jobs and fit our travels around careers, which means our trips are realistic for most people in the same position. 👌
Some of our expeditions are thoroughly planned, but most are totally random. If a street looks interesting, we’ll wander up it and before we know what’s happened, two hours have passed and we’ve discovered a whole new neighbourhood or deserted hidden beach.
We also make all the mistakes so you don’t waste precious days off. From disappointing activities to underwhelming sights, we’ll let you know the stuff that wasn’t worth the trip, as well as the juicy bits that were.
➡️ Run, walk & explore amazing places with us.
We love active travel
Why? Well lots of reasons really…
- When you’re exploring on foot, you see a lot more than a typical tourist, from meandering backstreets to authentic local haunts.
- Running has even more benefits – you see more sights in less time! We’re even considering going around the world in 80 runs…
- We love a super-chilled holiday but also like to feel like we’ve done something and seen the place – active travel allows us to balance both.
- It’s easier to bring the dog along and involve her in trips when they revolve around walking (and surely dogs like holidays too?)
- Walking and running are part of our normal everyday routines, so it’s fun to continue them in different settings and inspiring locations.
- It might sound counterintuitive but being physically active actually helps us switch off and unplug from everything – no phone scrolling, depressing news or stressful work emails. So we return from our holidays relaxed, refreshed and ready for the next adventure.
- Every walk or run is a mini adventure in itself and who doesn’t love a bit of variety.
Follow us here (or on Instagram and Facebook) for ideas & resources on running, walking & generally exploring amazing places 🌋