Guide to Britain is a local travel website to help you visit, travel around, learn about and explore the British Isles like a local.
What’s the difference between the the UK, Great Britain, Britain and the British Isles? It’s a confusing topic but don’t worry, I have an easy guide – Britain vs England vs UK vs British Isles – What’s The Difference? I’ve even included a Map of the British Isles to explain it all in one handy image.
Where is covered in Guide to Britain? The British Isles
The difference between England and Great Britain and the British Isles is wrapped up in quite a lot of political history. But I’m a traveller, explorer and guide writer. I’m not a politician. While I am sensitive to political issues, I want this website to be as broad and inclusive and all encompassing as possible. For that reason, it will cover the entire British Isles.
And did you know there are over 6,000 of them?! From the Outer Hebrides to the Scilly Isles to the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey, to the mainland countries of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, Guide to Britain brings you insider tips for how to explore the British Isles.
The writer(s) behind Guide to Britain
Hello, I’m Jo. Late as ever with my arrival and introduction. I’m the person behind Guide to Britain.
This isn’t my first travel website. In fact, it’s my third. Thanks to a genetic disposition towards travel (thanks, Nan), I decided to leave my home country of England in 2010 for a one-year trip around the world. That trip expanded into six years and led to the popular solo female travel website Indiana Jo. With nearly 2 million annual readers during it’s peak (pre-covid) years, I’ve been sharing online travel guides for over a decade.
In 2017, I launched a second website – Visit Prosecco Italy – which offers sparkling wine tours of the Prosecco region of Italy, just an hour away from Venice. Together with local drivers, we’ve taken thousands of customers around the region and the tours are as popular as ever. I also started offering Italian food and wine themed guides and cocktail recipes which have been a huge hit.
Between the international travel guides on Indiana Jo and the food and wine guides on Visit Prosecco Italy, it seemed a shame not to share my deepest knowledge of the British Isles with interested culture vultures and likeminded travellers. It also so happened that in 2022, after a few years of illness, I got diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Perhaps a bit personal to share on an About Page, but on a website where I’m determined to help you have a truly authentic trip, here’s an authentic part of me: sometimes I feel too unwell to take a long-haul flight to a challenging destinations for just a few weeks. Sometimes what I really need is to explore an English country garden and have a jolly nice cup of tea (milk in the cup first, please).
Also, the British Islands are flipping awesome. That’s why you want to visit them or find out more, right? British culture fascinates so many of us (including me) and British food really is something to get your teeth into. So, for the first time since I started writing travel guides, way back in 2010, I’ve decided to turn my attention closer to home and share everything I know about the place I know the most – the place I call home.
While I will write many of the guides on this website, I’ll also be working with some trusted freelancers. Their knowledge is every bit as good as mine and in some cases, they may even know the places better, usually because they live in the city.
What will Guide to Britain cover?
That bit is easy – the main focus will be things to do in the British Isles to help you plan your trip. That will include places to go, attractions, tours, restaurants, bars, cafes and places to stay.
But if you want to truly travel like a local, I think it’s important to dig a little deeper. So, I’ll also cover British culture and, one of my personal passions, local food and drink.
We’ll be rolling out the guides over the course of 2023. If there is something you’d like us to write about sooner rather than later, drop us an email.
Hope to see you soon on our British shores.
Jo