Borderlines.
Geography, history and geopolitics.
Award Winning Travel Writing
Borderlines is where ‘Prisoners of Geography’ meets travel blogging. This is Travel Tramp’s geopolitical column.
Learn how geography, politics and history shape the world around, as we answer deep travel questions from the road.
What makes a country a country? What’s the difference between a micronation and a microstate? Why did Transnistria declare independence from Moldova?
You can find answers to all these questions and more as I build a database of the world’s cartographic curiosities and geopolitical oddities.
Latest Border Stories
Is Kosovo a Country? Everything You Need to Know.
Is Kosovo a country? Will Serbia ever recognise Kosovo's independence? How many countries recognise Kosovo as a sovereign nation? Here's everything you need to know! "I want to emphasise the fact that the independence of Kosovo should and will be recognised." Ibrahim...
Is Wales a Country? Everything You Need to Know.
Is Wales a country? Is Wales part of England (no!)? And could Wales ever become independent? Here’s everything you need to know! ‘Cymru am Byth! [Wales forever!]’ The rallying cry of Welsh patriots. During Covid-19, the town of Llaynmynech was divided in two....
Is Cornwall a Country? Everything you need to know.
Is Cornwall a country? Is Cornwall part of England or Wales? Could Cornwall ever become independent? Here's everything you need to know! ‘Cornwall was in existence 500 years before England was ever thought of.' Cornish Campaign Group, Kernow Matters to Us. “This...
Souk el Tayeb: How the Beirut Farmer’s Market Offers Hope Amid Turmoil
In Beirut, a humble farmer’s market offers a powerful story of hope and perseverance amid the turmoil and corruption of modern Lebanon. By Richard Collett 'Beirut. The food’s delicious, the people are awesome. It’s a party town. And everything wrong with the world is...
The Zapatistas of Chiapas, Mexico: How to Visit the Zapatista Movement
In the mountains of Chiapas, Mexico, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation has waged a guerilla war against the Mexican state since 1994. I journeyed to San Cristobal de las Casas in search of the elusive Zapatista movement. Here’s how I visited the Zapatista...
Visiting a Micronation: The Principality of the Hutt River
Editors Note: Unfortunately, the Principality of the Hutt River closed its doors for good in January 2020 following the death of Prince Leonard and pressure from the Australian government seeking to reclaim unpaid taxes. Richard Collett 2022. I had driven hundreds of...
Exploring Europe’s Smallest Countries – Which Microstates Should I visit?
The days of travel as we remember might be over (at least for the time being) and while it’s been a while since I posted on the blog here at Travel Tramp, travel is certainly not something I’ve forgotten about! The blog posts have undeniably slowed down, while I’ve...
Don’t Skip El Salvador!
I’ve just spent the last two weeks exploring El Salvador, and I’m annoyed because I didn’t have enough time to even see a fraction of the country. In fact, I overstayed by an entire week too, and my Central America trip planning went right out of the chicken bus...
Is Mindanao Safe To Travel To?
Is Mindanao Safe To Travel To? Earlier this year I made the decision to book a plane ticket to Cagayan de Oro, the largest city in Northern Mindanao. I wanted to see the Philippines' second largest and second most populous island, yet I knew almost no travellers or...
The Tagbanua: The Real Locals Of Coron
The Tagbanua: The Real Locals Of Coron The Tagbanua are the modern day descendants of some of the first humans to ever set foot in the Philippines. This ethnic group have traditionally lived across most of Palawan and the Calamianes Islands, they are the real locals...
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