ONE of my literary heroes, Robert Louis Stevenson (Kidnapped and Treasure Island), once said:

“For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.”

In the past I shared the great man’s view, but not now. Travel for “travel’s sake” is tourism and, to me, it’s much more than that. It is about listening, observing, reading, conversing, wandering and learning something new each day. It is travel with excitement, colour and adventure – but also with purpose.

The invention of laptops, the internet and global digital communication has transformed travelling because I can share my experiences with my family, friends and loyal readers. Over the next few months Judith and I will be travelling to London, Paris, Athens and other cities in the meltdown Euro-zone. You can follow our journey on a specially designed website: