THE

DETOUR

Jack's Flight Club ✈️ Travel News & Inspiration

Hi there, JFC-ers,

It's been a tough week for the credit card, but a great week for my wanderlust-driven soul. It started off innocently by booking my flight to Bratislava for Lupine Racing's exciting Vienna to Moldova race in October.

Then, I thought it was only right that I booked an anniversary trip away with my husband too — North Macedonia, naturally. And before you know it, a friend texts to ask if I fancy a few days in Copenhagen for the Christmas markets in December. Would be rude not to, really.

Ever since I became a working adult with no school terms to worry about, I've found myself mostly at home during the summer. And as such, it has become prime time for booking all my off-season travel.

I'm not alone in falling down the old trip-planning rabbit hole, either; Flight Finder Kash just booked a week in Italy for herself and a friend this September. After landing in Pisa, the pair are planning to spend their time between the ancient walled city of Lucca and gastronomic heaven, Bologna.

So, you probably know what's coming next, dear readers… HELP! We love discovering destinations as we go, but we'd love to hear what you'd recommend in these places. Did you find a perfectly peaceful piazza for an evening cocktail in Bologna? Is Lake Ohrid as idyllic as it looks? Reply to this email with your tips, and we'll share them in a future edition of The Detour.

Happy travels and safe landings,

Katy - Editor of The Detour

Travel Tips

Oddball Odyssey: A Tour Through Europe’s Most Bizarre Museums

By Kristi

Kristi is a born and bred Canadian, who has recently returned to her beloved mountains after travelling the world as a digital nomad. When she isn't on the move, she is writing about travelling, or dreaming about travelling, or saving up for... you get the point :-)

Museums are usually just stuffy halls of oil paintings and carved busts of old men, right?

WRONG.

This trip around Europe’s weirdest, wildest and most wonderfully specific museums proves there’s a gallery for every curiosity — no matter how niche, neon, or NSFW… so let's embrace the nonsense and get going!

Museum of Broken Relationships, Zagreb

Let’s start with the place that tops every list of strange museums. These halls are heartbreak in exhibit form — and we are so here for it. Each donated item represents a real relationship gone awry, from sad souvenirs to seething rage-trophies (the stolen toaster highlights a level of pettiness I can only aspire to). You’ll laugh, cry, and maybe text your ex (don’t). It’s best paired with ice cream and emotional baggage.

Photo by Sanja Bistricic

Butter Museum, Cork

Yes, Ireland has a butter museum. And no, you don’t need to be a toast enthusiast to enjoy it (though it helps). This quirky Cork institution churns out the surprisingly rich history of butter production and export, including an ancient, bog-mummified lump of butter. Dairy meets drama — what’s not to love?

Icelandic Phallological Museum, Reykjavik

Let’s cut to the chase: this is a penis museum. Home to over 200 specimens from land and sea mammals (including a not-so-impressive human one), this Reykjavík staple is science, shock, and snickers in equal measure. It’s basically biology class with a dash of “is that necessary?” And yes, it is.

Micropia, Amsterdam

A good pair to the last museum, Micropia is a celebration of the smallest things you never wanted to think about… microbes. It’s like a love letter to bacteria, and honestly, it’s weirdly beautiful. There’s even a kissing scanner that shows how many microbes you swap during a smooch (spoiler: a lot). Romance is truly alive… and covered in germs.

Like any other big kid, Detour Editor Katy's favourite part of Micropia (apart from the giant tardigrade statue) was probably the wall of poop. You read that right.

Musée Fragonard, Paris

Forget the Mona Lisa—this Paris museum features flayed horses, eerily grinning fetuses, and preserved body parts artfully arranged like 18th-century horror décor. Think: Anatomy After Dark. It’s not for the faint of heart, but if you’ve ever wanted to see a nervous system wearing a cape, this is your moment.

God’s Own Junkyard, London

Neon signs. Everywhere. This East London warehouse looks like Las Vegas and a vintage circus had a glitter-fuelled meltdown… and we’re kinda digging it. It's part art gallery, part electric fever dream, and 100% Instagram goldmine.

Spritmuseum, Stockholm

A museum dedicated to booze? Skål to that. The Spritmuseum takes you through the art, culture, and hangover-inducing history of Swedish drinking habits — complete with tastings. Bonus: there's also a room simulating what it feels like to be drunk. It’s basically science meets bar crawl.

If your idea of a good museum includes fewer paintings and more dairy/germs/mummified fetuses, congratulations! You’ve got niche taste and a fabulous itinerary. And at the very least, they do make one hell of a conversation starter.

Tell me, readers, what is the weirdest, most wonderfully strange museum you've ever visited? Reply to this email, and if it tickles our quirk-o-meter, we'll add it to the list!

Reader's Corner

Chris's Cambodia

If you had the chance to spend a year working remotely in Cambodia, would you take it? Well, we all know Detour reader Chris' answer — a big, fat yes. And with all that time to fill, it only seemed right to ask for tips from you wise folks of the JFC community.

As always, you delivered. In fact, one of you in particular really just wrote this whole piece for us. Thanks, Harriet!

"Last October, I went on a 10 day organised trip with a company called Intro Travel. The trip starts in Phnom Penh and ends in Siem Reap. And let me tell you, I enjoyed every single minute of the trip. Don't be put off by the 18 to 35 age range they advertised for, we had a couple in their 40s and they also loved it! I would highly recommend this company as all the activities are paid for and it's a decent price for what you're doing.

The trip takes you through Phnom Penh to the Killing Fields and S21, revealing more about Cambodia's dark past that not many people outside of that region know. Definitely go there before doing any travelling, even if you don't do a tour. It gives a greater understanding of the people and the country. There's currently not much else to do in the capital as tourists have only recently started going, but just walking the streets or getting a tuk tuk is a great way to get to know the area!

The next stop is Kampot. This town is on a river and has opportunities for kayaking along quiet sections - apparently, it takes around 3 to 5 days to kayak the whole network! There's also a pepper plantation which employs locals (my guide used to work there before working for Intro) giving tours around the fields and a tasting session for all their different produce. There's also an opportunity to do a cooking class - would highly recommend.

The next stop answers your question about transport - Cambodia does have trains! There's a very limited network and the trains are a little bit of will they won't they, but the carriage (singular) is massive, requiring a staircase to get up. We got the train to the south of Cambodia before getting a tuk tuk (in the pouring rain) to the harbour and getting the boat to Koh Rong Sanloem. This island is paradise. Sandy beaches, warm water, and snorkelling with clown fish! As part of the tour, you also undertake a beach clean - unfortunately, the island is in prime position to catch all the rubbish coming off the mainland.

You spend nearly 3 days on the island exploring the hidden places (including a hidden track to a river with a swimming spot and a look out spot on the north side of the island) before catching the overnight coach back on the mainland to Siem Reap. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you about the wonders of Siem Reap, but sunrise at Angkor Wat in the off season is something you won't forget - just remember to bring a torch!

For transport, Cambodia has a good network of buses that also takes you to the neighbouring country of Vietnam (look up Giant Ibis Bus) and tuk tuks are great for travelling locally.

I have probably horrifically undersold the country, but it is an amazing place to go and everyone is friendly (the beer is cheap too). There are other tour companies too, but Intro is the one I used and would highly recommend. The guide can also help with onward travel and give you advice on where to go.

Good luck on your travels!

Arkun bong (thank you in Khmer).

Harriet :)"

Thanks so much for sending in your pics and tips, Harriet — if Chris needed any more reason to be excited about this trip, we're pretty sure you've provided it. But for a little extra nugget of cross-border wisdom, JFC-er Jessica is entering the ring with some bonus Thai content:

"I did an organised bus tour of Cambodia about six years ago. All great but very early morning starts to cover lots of ground so be prepared for the distances if you're ambitious in visiting lots of places.

Earlier this year I went to Bangkok (thanks to a JFC deal!) and visited Koh Kood and Koh Chang islands too. They're really close to the Cambodian border and I saw lots of coaches heading into Cambodia, so assume Chris could do the same in reverse! Koh Kood in particular is a slice of heaven, not many tourists and gorgeous bars and hostels in the mangroves."