Q // I’d like to book a trip abroad for next year, but am nervous about making the commitment. What advice do you have?
While trips in 2021 are likely to go ahead, it’s still too early to book without running the risk of being leſt out of pocket. Earlier this year, the coronavirus outbreak leſt thousands of UK travellers stranded and millions more waiting months for refunds. The risk of another outbreak causing further disruption is signifi cant. Generally, the sensible
thing to do is to take out travel insurance that covers illness and travel disruption, which the better policies would usually include. However, as insurers now exclude coronavirus-related claims,
I wouldn’t recommend booking a trip just yet; instead, wait until policies return without these exclusions. Once insurance is sorted, I
would recommend booking a package holiday. They’re currently fi nancially protected by the government, so you’ll receive a refund if the company goes bust (and it’s likely some will in the near future). Look for fi rms that have refunded quickly in recent months; you’ll be rewarding those smaller, specialist operators that did the right thing, and you’ll get your money back if anything goes wrong. RORY BOLAND
Q // I want to go on a long-distance hike this summer. Where would you suggest that has good camping potential along the way?
The 186-mile-long Pembrokeshire Coast Path has plenty of campsite off erings. Compared with other popular coastal footpaths around the country, the campsites along this route are generally more easily accessible from the main footpath, smaller and tend to be independently run. For the best coastal views, stop off at Rhosson Ganol campsite on St David’s peninsula, overlooking Ramsey Sound. The best pocket-sized campsites for privacy, meanwhile, include Becks Bay Camping near Tenby, Point Farm Campsite near St Ann’s Head and Little Haven Campsite near Walton West. The National Trails website is
Q // I want to improve my travel photography without going too far from home. What tips and resources would you recommend?
I’m a strong advocate of exploring your own backyard; you can transfer that travel curiosity to your local neighbourhood with great eff ect. There are many ways to sharpen your observational skills while experiencing ‘boring’ everyday scenes, like watching sunlight be diff used through trees and seeing what shapes the rays cast over the ground. You can also play with light and shade. Head out to your garden or local park and explore the eff ects of harsh aſt ernoon light on your photography. If you have a variety of
lenses, now’s the time to experiment and challenge your range. For cityscapes, try using a fi xed lens, such as a 50mm. As you won’t be able to freely zoom in and out, you’ll be forced to concentrate on
composing more interesting shots while having to maintain social distance. Many organisations and
companies, including the Royal Photographic Society, Nikon and Leica, have launched online resources. By forcing us to be present, the current situation off ers an excellent opportunity to push ourselves creatively. I’ll be teaching courses that explore this idea at my upcoming online academy: academy.
geotravelermedia.com Further tips and
tricks can be found at:
nationalgeographic.com/ photography
online.nikonschool.com/courses/
instagram.com/explore/tags/ stayhomewithleica
store.leica-camera.com/uk/ en/programme LOLA AKINMADE ÅKERSTRÖM
a helpful resource, as it details campsites along every section of the route (although it doesn’t include some of the very smallest farm campsites). There are also excellent hop-on-hop-off bus services for walkers during the summer months. For more details, see
coolcamping.com and
nationaltrail.co.uk JAMES WARNER SMITH
THE EXPERTS
KGOMOTSO RAMOTHEA // SOUTH AFRICAN TOURISM
SOUTHAFRICA.NET
RORY BOLAND // WHICH? TRAVEL
WHICH.CO.UK/TRAVEL
LOLA AKINMADE ÅKERSTRÖM // CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
LOLAAKINMADE.COM
JAMES WARNER SMITH // AUTHOR, COOL CAMPING BRITAIN
COOLCAMPING.COM
Jul/Aug 2020 135
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