I’m James. I go places, then work out what happened.

What this site is

James Away is my personal travel blog. It is where I keep track of the places I have been, the ships I have sailed on, the cities I have walked through, the views that were worth it and the bits that were not quite as magical as the internet promised.

The main idea is simple: the best trips are usually when you do not overthink, overplan or overspend. Get there, walk around, look properly, learn something, take the photo, rate it honestly and move on before someone suggests a three-hour guided excursion with a headset.

Why I travel like this

I like figuring things out as I go. A bit of planning is useful, obviously. Completely winging it in a foreign port with a cruise ship leaving later is not character building, it is how you become a cautionary tale. But I do think trips are better when there is room for random streets, wrong turns, unexpected views and places you did not know were going to be interesting.

The history and mythology bit

I study law, politics and history, and I have always been interested in Greek and Roman mythology. That changes how I see places. Athens is not just old columns. Mykonos is not just white buildings. Cyprus is not just sunshine. There are stories underneath them, and those stories make the trips better.

The cruise bit

Cruising is a big part of James Away. A cruise is not just destinations. It is the ship, cabin, food, service, route, value, sea days and the strange joy of unpacking once while pretending you are still adventurous. The cruise pages now review the actual cruise experience, while the place pages focus on each destination.