Stories.
Long Form Narratives, Character Driven Stories.
Award Winning Travel Writing
Award-winning travel writing from a professional travel journalist. Stories are the pride and joy of Travel Tramp.
Here you’ll find long-form narratives, character-driven stories and fascinating overland journeys.
Stories delve deep into local history, culture and politics. Read about the unusual, the curious and the incredible people and places that make our world so unique.
Latest Stories
The Hejaz Railway: A Plan to Unite the Middle East by Train
Discover the story of the Hejaz Railway, an audacious Ottoman-era plan to unite the Middle East, and how it could soon be resurrected. The Hejaz Railway was the most ambitious engineering project the Ottoman Empire ever embarked on. Intended to link...
Bir Tawil: The World’s Last Terra Nullius?
Discover the curious case of Bir Tawil, a trapezoid of land in the Nubian Desert between Egypt and Sudan that could be the world's last 'Terra Nullius'. The Egyptian-Sudanese border is a geopolitical anomaly, filled with territorial disputes, shifting allegiances, and...
The Unusual Case of Puntland: A Somalian Breakaway State
Discover the unusual case of Puntland, a Somalian breakaway territory that hit the headlines thanks to none other than Donald Trump (who else?). The world is filled with contested borders, breakaway states and geopolitical oddities. For those of you intrigued by...
9 Ancient Borders That Shaped The World
From Babylonian boundary stones to the extensive engineering works of the Roman Empire; here are 10 ancient borders that shaped the world. Borders are a constant in human history. The human story is one of boundaries. Of division. Of a search for definition and...
What is Bordelines? My New Project.
Join my quest to understand the world through its borders and boundaries. Sign up for my brand new BORDERLINES Newsletter and follow the journey. NEWSLETTER SIGN UP SUBSTACK SIGNUP Welcome to Borderlines! This blog, Travel Tramp, is now almost ten years old. A decade...
Inside Saddam Hussein’s Abandoned Babylonian Palace
On the banks of the Euphrates River in Iraq, a crumbling palace stands as a forlorn memento to the demise of a dictator. Here's an inside look at Saddam Hussein's abandoned Babylonian palace. "My legs were shaking. I was so nervous," Maki Mohammed recounted with a shy...
I Visited Pizza Hut and KFC in Baghdad, Iraq. Here’s What Happened.
I was surprised to find Pizza Hut and KFC in Baghdad, Iraq. I tried both, to see which fast food treats they had to offer! There are almost 20,000 pizza huts in 105 countries, and a staggering 30,000 KFCs located in 145 countries worldwide. Given the vast...
10 Best Off the Beaten Track Spots in Las Vegas
From the Pinball Hall of Fame to the Valley of Fire State Park, here's how to get off the beaten track in Las Vegas! Las Vegas; the city of neon lights, roaring casinos and extravagant resorts is a must-visit for anyone exploring the USA. This is the city that...
Inside Hezbollah Disneyland (How to Visit Mleeta Tourist Landmark of the Resistance in Lebanon)
In southern Lebanon, I encounter militant propaganda and stories of war inside the Mleeta Tourist Landmark of the Resistance, AKA, Hezbollah Disneyland. “How do you like Lebanon?,” asked the cheery Hezbollah militant-turned-tour guide as we peered over the parapet of...
richard@travel-tramp.com