‘It’s often the little things that end up being the highlights, the things that you’ve discovered yourself that nobody else went to.’
Rachel Kolsky, 67, from Kenton in Harrow, Middlesex, is no stranger to discovering underrated – and often virtually untouched – cities around the world.
As a lecturer on cruises, she’s travelled around the world, heading everywhere from Italy to Australia. She’s been speaking at sea since 2009 and has lectured on ships such as Fred Olsen, Cunard, Oceania, Saga River and Viking cruises.
Rachel’s an advocate for discovering things for yourself – and knows the best ways to spot a hidden gem.
‘If you see a door, go in. The worst that’s going to happen is they’re going to ask you to leave,’ she says. ‘See a staircase, go up. See an alleyway…’
Having travelled the seas alongside her work as a tour guide in London, Rachel’s full of wisdom and insights about the best places she’s seen.
Her favourite place she’s discovered as of late? Chioggia, an almost unheard-of town less than two hours from Venice.
Rachel says: ‘I was on a cruise to Venice, and I’d booked a guide in Venice to take me to some places I hadn’t been to.
Rachel Kolsky, 67, from Kenton in Harrow, Middlesex, is no stranger to discovering underrated – and often virtually untouched – cities around the world
‘But then I found out I was going to be berthed at this place called Chioggia. She said, “As a Venice guide, I say to you, do not bother coming into Venice if you’re berthed at Chioggia.”’
So instead of the Italian hotspot known for its beauty and tourism, Rachel explored its counterpart.
She says: ‘It’s like a little Venice. It’s got loads of canals, it’s got gorgeous houses coloured in orange and pink. It’s got little boats everywhere.’
In fact, when Rachel sent photographs of her trip to friends, everyone assumed she was in Venice itself – that’s how picture-perfect this town is, she explains.
‘It’s got that Venetian feel to it. I absolutely loved it. When you get to Chioggia, they have numerous little boat trips around the bays and the fish market. It became one of my new favorite places.’
Another top spot according to Rachel is Livorno, an Italian port city on the west coast of Tuscany.
She says: ‘Livorno is gorgeous. I mean, it’s the birthplace of Modigliani. Isn’t it worth going just for that?
‘Livorno is where you berth to go to Florence and Pisa. Everybody’s going to avoid Florence, during the high season.’ Instead, Livorno is a better alternative.
Her favourite place she’s discovered as of late? Chioggia, an almost unheard-of town just two hours from Venice
There’s another Italian location in her favourites list. ‘I love the feel of Sicily, the faded grandeur of it all. The Segesta and Agrigento, I went in the 1980s for the first time. It was just perfect,’ Rachel says.
She also cites Rhodes as a top spot – ‘I fell in love with Rhodes,’ she says of the Greek destination.
Split in Croatia is one of the best too – and ‘Croatia as a country,’ she says.
‘I would suggest anybody goes to Croatia. There’s something for everybody. The most amazing history, the most amazing historic sites including Roman sites, phenomenal countryside, the most phenomenal vistas, and the towns are really great as well. If you’re somebody who doesn’t want to go too far afield, Croatia as a country is fantastic.’
But for those who do want to venture further from the UK’s shores, Rachel has two spots in mind: ‘I never wanted to go to Australia. In retrospect, I don’t understand why. I can’t wait to return.’
Down Under, she especially recommends Sydney and Brisbane. What’s more, the Caribbean – a highly popular cruise spot – makes her cut.
‘There’s more to the Caribbean than rum cocktails and sitting on a beach,’ Rachel divulges. ‘I fell in love with the Caribbean. I’m not a beach person, I don’t swim, I can’t bear the thought of just sitting on a beach, although I’ll sit on the deck of a ship for hours.
‘Every island has its own personality. And again, if you seek out, you’ll find all manner of wonderful things or personalities linked to the islands.’
As a lecturer on cruises, Rachel’s travelled around the world, heading everywhere from Italy to Australia. She’s been speaking at sea since 2009
And there’s another largely unheard of spot she loved, too.
‘I was lucky to visit Manaus in Brazil on an Amazon cruise,’ Rachel explains.
The city, on the banks of the Negro River in northwestern Brazil, is known as the bustling ‘Gateway to the Amazon’.
Her experience on cruises has allowed Rachel incomparable opportunities to explore a wide variety of places.
‘One of the things that makes ports so fabulous to visit is if you can walk off the ship and into the town – for example in Istanbul, Marseille, Split, Rhodes and more,’ Rachel says.
Taking a step off the boat and into the nooks and crannies of the unknown is, then, golden advice from the woman who discovers and guides for a living.
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