travel

  • Uncovering Rome's subterranean secrets – by bicycle

    From catacombs to crypts and ancient sewers, Rome is honeycombed with secret underground places. But the latest one to be opened up to the public is being explored in a distinctly unusual way – on bicycles.

  • Age is no barrier to a big wildlife adventure

    “There she blows!” That was the cry of the old-time whale hunters perched in the crow’s nest. Today the whales can breathe more easily since the business of harpooning these gentle giants for their blubber has been overshadowed by a whale-watching industry worth more than $2 million (£1.44 million) worldwide every year.

  • Our flight was downgraded after check-in – and the airline won't refund us

    Gill Charlton has been fighting for Telegraph readers and solving their travel problems for more than 30 years, winning refunds, righting wrongs and suggesting solutions. She takes on a different case each week – so please send your problems to her for consideration at asktheexperts@telegraph.co.uk. Please give your full name and, if your dispute is with a travel company, your address, telephone number and any booking reference. Gill can’t answer every question, but she will help where she can a

  • Why this is the world's most beautiful place to ski

    Drifting gently homewards at sunset against a mountain backdrop so surreal that it’s almost impossible to concentrate on what’s going on beneath my feet, the realisation is sudden and overwhelming.

  • All your half-term travel questions answered: a country-by-country guide to the complex Covid rules

    Britain has eased the rules for returning travellers, with all testing for vaccinated arrivals ending on February 11, and unvaccinated arrivals no longer required to self-isolate from that date. However, a complex web of rules exists across many of our favourite holiday destinations.

  • The South African Winelands gem you've never heard of

    Why did it take me 20 years to find this spot?” With bits of tape peeling off each spectacle arm, Jo Sinfield looks a little like a mad professor, only better looking. “I mean, look at that.”

  • We now have two irreconcilable classes of traveller: the gung-ho and the Covid cautious

    This week’s removal of testing requirements for fully vaccinated travellers returning to the UK is surely, for most of us, excellent news. But there is an interesting contrast in attitude among Telegraph readers when it comes to the easing of some other restrictions.

  • The grandparents' guide to a happy half term

    I have a recurring dream that I am chasing Princess Belle (from Beauty & The Beast) down Main Street, Disneyland, Paris.

  • The flaw in the NHS app that could still ruin your holiday

    The other day somebody approached me with a travel dilemma so illogical, so tangly that I could not believe it was true. But the loophole exists, and if you are not privy to it, it could ruin your next holiday.

  • The secret to stress-free family skiing

    If you’re searching for the answer to the conundrum of what is the best holiday for the whole family, it is skiing. In the mountains, I – a former Winter Olympian – can savour the same piste as my two-year-old son, with his grandparents following in his tracks. The coming together of families after a day on the slopes to share their experiences is, for me, the most magical way for all generations to make memories together.

  • With Spain and France locking out British families, it’s time to look east

    They can be oily skinned, sulky, intermittently selfish. But the way some countries are treating our teenagers feels rather unfair.

  • When can we go to Australia? Experts fear another year of border closures

    Most British travellers are still shut out of Australia, one year, 10 months and six days after the country closed its borders to non-residents.

  • 10 fascinating facts about England's most misunderstood county

    Essex County Council is reportedly planning to spend £300,000 on a tourism ad campaign showcasing the region’s history and culture in a bid to shake off its Towie image.

  • The world's scariest ski runs – and how to conquer them like the pros

    Lancashire-born skier Dave ‘The Rocket’ Ryding made history when he became the first Briton to ever win World Cup Alpine skiing gold on January 22 in Kitzbühel. Five years earlier he’d clinched second in the slalom event in the Austria resort, which, until now, had stood as both his and Great Britain's best ever result.

  • 'The reality of skiing in Switzerland right now is one of jubilant normality'

    While the rest of the world was up in arms about the (now lifted) French travel ban, I was drinking a pint in the Pub Montfort in Verbier with a friend after an incredible day on the slopes.

  • Will holidays be back to the mask-free, pre-pandemic normal this summer?

    On the face of it, the direction of travel when it comes to leaving behind the sanitised pandemic landscape and returning to the sunlit uplands of our beloved “old normal” seems one-way. Mask mandates and Covid passports are being discarded, as are testing and isolation requirements. Head to your local boozer on Friday night and your experience may well be exactly the same as it was in 2019.

  • Planning your 2022 getaway? The easiest test-free holiday options

    This week, British holidaymakers received news that has been eight months in the making. For the first time since May 17 last year, we can go on holiday and return to the UK without taking a single Covid-19 test.

  • The complete half-term holiday checklist

    Finally, British holidaymakers have real reason to rejoice. All tests will be scrapped for fully-vaccinated adults and under-18s returning to England on February 11 – just in time for the half-term break. This will save around £120 for a family of four. Plus, 12-15-year-olds will be given access to the digital NHS Covid Pass on February 3, making it easier to prove teenager’s vaccination status for entry, and on the ground.

  • What the expansion of the NHS Covid Pass to 12 to 15 year-olds means for your holiday

    The updating of the NHS Covid Pass so that it will show evidence of vaccination for those aged 12-15 years is no longer relevant in the UK, because most restrictions have been removed, but it is very important for families who want to travel in Europe in the shorter term and potentially right through this year.

  • The 10 greatest Scottish travel experiences

    Scotland’s national bard certainly knew how to enjoy and celebrate life, renowned for both his love of revelry and for penning the world’s new year anthem – Auld Lang Syne. I’ve spent the last couple of decades travelling and writing my way around every nook and cranny of his beloved Scotland, finding spirit-soaring, life-affirming experiences all over. So raise a dram now as we toast 10 life-affirming experiences you can savour around Scotland.

  • The offbeat alternative to the Alps with sun, ski and souvlaki

    The ski bus trundled out of Athens – past graffitied apartment blocks, shops selling sexy underwear and lines of abandoned factories. Despite the effects of the country’s long drawn out economic crisis the stuffy vehicle was packed with young tanned Greeks clad in North Face puffer jackets and bobble hats heading for Arachova, a mountain town on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, which has been dubbed ‘Greece’s winter Mykonos’ because of the jet set crowd who come here to ski.

  • Ten test-free half-term holidays to book now

    Rejoice! The Government has just dropped the day two test for fully vaccinated arrivals, opening up the possibility for a fully test-free half-term holiday.

  • British Airways 747 jet bought for £1 turned into party plane

    The plane was bought for just £1 and has been transformed into an incredible bar that can be hired out by revellers.

  • Land of Smiles? Thailand may have more face masks laws than anywhere on the planet

    Thailand is justifiably known as the Land of Smiles, yet now the 70 million friendly faces of this picturesque nation are constantly hidden due to its strict face mask laws.

  • Why I don't ever want to give my phone number to a hotel

    Let joy be unconfined! Last weekend was the first time in nearly two years that I’ve been able to help myself to as many bangers from the breakfast buffet as I wanted. I still had to reserve a table at the Fellows House in Cambridge, a protocol unheard of in Before Times, but once there I could roam the buffet freely, without feeling embarrassed at ordering yet another plasticky (but deliciously so) Cumberland sausage via the permitted table service.

  • The five easiest options for a family ski holiday this half term

    While British skiers have been celebrating the lifting of restrictions on travel to France, allowing us to flock to much-loved ski resorts once again, there are easier options for those looking for a half-term ski holiday with minimal faff for the family.