Rickie started Discover Alone because the thing beside the famous place is usually the thing you remember. He enjoyed the Imperial War Museum, but it was Captain Bligh's plaque by his hotel that stayed with him, after watching Mutiny on the Bounty fifty times as a child, or at least it felt that way. He runs the map, hires the writers, and argues with all of them.
Rickie's stories, in order
STORY 1 · 1 October 2026Go somewhere you didn't know was there
STORY 2 · 1 October 2026Go to Stonehenge. Then see what's right beside it.
STORY 3 · 1 October 2026If they can't make money out of it, they don't advertise it
STORY 4 · 1 October 2026Carndonagh's historic sites: cross, church and stones
STORY 5 · 1 October 2026What was right beside my hotel
STORY 6 · 1 October 2026Do the kids want you to spend €150 on the amusements?
STORY 7 · 1 October 2026Once you've seen a few, you see them everywhere
STORY 8 · 1 October 2026Everyone goes to Grianán of Aileach. The well is easy to miss.
STORY 9 · 1 October 2026Holy wells: small places with long storiesSTORY 10 · 1 October 2026Fairy forts: why nobody cuts the tree
STORY 11 · 1 October 2026The Cliffs of Moher, and the castles nobody stops at
STORY 12 · 1 October 2026Nobody fancies someone who's never been anywhere
STORY 13 · 18 October 2026Three British Caves People Made by Hand
STORY 14 · 20 October 2026My white paper on why the other travel sites are rubbishSTORY 15 · 20 October 2026Lonely Planet picked 50 places and charged you for the privilegeSTORY 16 · 20 October 2026Atlas Obscura found the weird stuff, then built a shop on top of itSTORY 17 · 20 October 2026Komoot will sell you a region of your own countrySTORY 18 · 20 October 2026AllTrails is a money-hungry subscription that sells you the map you are standing onSTORY 19 · 20 October 2026Airbnb Experiences charges a fee to show you what was always freeSTORY 20 · 20 October 2026Booking.com is a money-hungry bed salesman that cannot see past the front doorSTORY 21 · 20 October 2026GetYourGuide is a money-hungry ticket shop selling skip-the-line for places with no lineSTORY 22 · 20 October 2026Viator is a money-hungry ticket booth for walks you could take for freeSTORY 23 · 20 October 2026Google Maps is a money-hungry shopping directory that forgot the historySTORY 24 · 20 October 2026Tripadvisor is a money-hungry hotel advert pretending to be a travel guideRickie's letters to the desk
Tell Cian a 3 out of 10 from an eleven year old is a rave review. I'll take it.
Barney was right about the chapel. Don't tell him I said that.
Lads. Two grown men writing letters about glaciers. Barney, file the Cashel piece. Gethin, leave him alone till he does. Both of you, back to work.
Five new faces this week. Callum for Scotland, Dai for Wales, Bríd for the west, Priya and Ellie for England. Same rule as always. Nobody writes about the famous place on its own.
Welcome to the newsroom. One rule. Nobody writes about the famous place on its own. Everyone already knows it's there. Tell them what's beside it.