Editor's newsletter: Travel is best when it takes you off the beaten track

“Travelling has always, for me, been one of life’s purest pleasures. The opportunity to divest yourself of the familiar, discover the world to be bigger and more startling than you realised, experience another country’s culture and mores and in doing so becoming new to yourself. I adore it.

“Travel can also be overwhelming, tiring, sometimes scary - there’s often a healthy dollop of rough to go with the smooth when you’re adventuring. Rather than excise those experiences from our coverage, we want to shine a light on them: from the frivolous, like communication breakdowns when ordering, to the unfortunate, such as negotiating sexual harassment when travelling on your own. Personally, the times trips have gone figuratively off-piste are even more memorable than those occasions when it’s all smooth sailing. We’ll be writing up first person accounts of both - the glories and the ignominies of sojourning.

“Of course, wanderlust and a desire to feed one’s curiosity comes at a cost - both a literal one, and to the environment. To the first part: we’re aiming to ensure our coverage is inclusive of reasonably priced hotels and restaurants, rather than city guides that assume you can afford to live in the lap of luxury. From affordable city break recommendations to the right neighbourhoods to find an Airbnb in, how to have a great time without remortgaging your home is our aim.

“As to the issue of the impact travel has on the environment; it would be disingenuous to pretend we’re not going to feature locations that require air travel. But we will be featuring alternative modes of travel, too, to try and encourage conscientious, sustainable travel. There will be pieces on ‘slow travel’, great rail routes, UK-based holidays, and more. We want to encourage you to journey - but wherever possible, thoughtfully."