travel

  • 15 ways to nourish your mind, body and soul – for less

    Think “wellness retreat” and you may well envisage an austere yet extortionately priced medi-spa on the continent which has you feeling reborn after a week of high-tech treatments and gruel. That is one kind, certainly – but, these days, the world of wellness is a much broader church.

  • The 30 greatest holidays in Greece

    If you are planning a Greek odyssey this summer, you are not alone. With its pristine seas, family-friendly golden-sand beaches, world-class archaeological sites and myriad culinary delights, it is no surprise that the birthplace of democracy – and its more than 6,000 idyllic islands – has topped a survey by Jet2holidays on the most popular destinations for UK travellers in 2023.

  • The 600 per cent holiday protection price hike – and what you need to know

    If you have trouble sleeping, try downloading a copy of the Civil Aviation Authority’s latest holiday protection review. I began to drift off halfway down the contents page of what is an incredibly complex review of the Atol system that protects the money we pay for our holidays.

  • What really happens on a private jet – according to a flight attendant for the super-rich

    For most of us, flying involves a lack of leg room, insufficiently cold wine and if you’re especially unfortunate, being kicked in the back for several hours. If you’re lucky, the wine is free and your seat reclines. If you’re really lucky, you’re in premium economy.

  • How Austria’s raucous ski resort cleaned up its act

    On a panoramic terrace under a lacklustre sky of heavy clouds shedding fat flakes, the attendant announced it was time for me to get naked. The temperature had dipped below zero, cold enough for a fleece and ski jacket, and yet I followed her directions, shivering and barefoot, across the glittering snow.

  • In an age of climate alarm, why is Ryanair launching flights from Stansted to Newquay?

    With every week featuring either a climate conference, a Just Stop Oil protest or a Greta Thunberg sermon, the days of unthinkingly hopping onto a plane are all but over. At dinner parties up and down the country, members of the middle class extol the virtues of rail and ferry travel – even if they later book a convenient flight to the Algarve on the sly.

  • Exploring Yorkshire’s quiet corner – with unspoilt coastline and England’s loveliest Georgian town

    Yorkshire is justifiably proud of its many and varied glories: York, the Dales and the Moors, the delights of Whitby and Scarborough.

  • The places Telegraph readers never want to visit again

    Few things published on these pages have been received with as much adulation as Anthony Peregrine’s recent “anti bucket list”, detailing 15 things he’s either done and never wants to do again, or hasn’t done, and is keen for it to remain so. They included rock festivals, skiing, swimming with dolphins, spas, souks and camping.

  • Snow and sunshine in the Alps as slopes reopen – here are the resorts with the best conditions

    It’s been a largely cold and sunny week for many areas in the Alps, with skiers and snowboarders enjoying fresh snow. Flakes were falling in Austria to start the week and then across the southern Alps and the Dolomites. They were unexpectedly heavy on the French/Italian border (up to 60cm).

  • Manchester Airport’s designers have learnt nothing from London Stansted’s fate

    The unpleasantness of the airport experience has joined death and taxes on the list of life’s certainties. Lately, we’ve all endured conga-line queues around the car park just to get into the terminal building, before another lengthy wait to empty our pockets and dig out our toiletries at security. Then we wait our turn – again – to show our passports at the gate, before we board and squeeze into our seats between dishevelled road warriors and other people’s children.

  • Does taking the train to ski resorts in the Alps really save you time or money? We put it to the test

    One plank or two, fondue or schnitzel, off-piste powder or smooth groomers – there are many debates when it comes to ski holidays. But one that never fails to pick up pace among skiers and snowboarders is the decision of whether to fly to the Alps or take the train.

  • How to turn 13 days of annual leave into 38 days of holiday (and where to go)

    Savvy travellers know the value of judiciously using the bank holidays to their advantage to spend as much time as possible relaxing under a palm tree drinking cocktails out of coconuts. This year offers even more chances to maximise your annual leave, with an extra bank holiday to mark the King’s coronation on May 8.

  • The 10 problems that could ruin your 2023 holiday

    Last year was a salutary experience for both travellers and the travel industry. The summer was peppered with thousands of cancellations and serious flight delays as airlines and airports struggled to get back to normal after the pandemic.

  • How Jamaica became our favourite Caribbean island

    It’s official – according to new figures from the Jamaica Tourist Board, an estimated 231,104 British tourists visited the island’s beach-fringed shores in 2022, more than ever-popular Barbados, making Jamaica the number-one destination in the Caribbean for UK travellers.

  • How strikes in France will affect your ski holiday – everything you need to know

    Tour operators and ski resorts are assuring British skiers that the upcoming planned strike among ski lift operators is likely to be a “non-event,” saying that the first strike, which took place last week, caused so little disruption that skiers didn’t even notice it was on.

  • The ultimate guide to Robert Burns’ Scotland

    There’s something about Robert Burns. More statues have been erected to Scotland’s national poet around the world than to any other literary figure and he penned arguably the world’s most well-kent song – the global New Year anthem and ringtone earworm Auld Lang Syne. Not bad for a man born into poverty in Ayr in 1759.

  • Is this the world's most luxurious cruise ship?

    Cruising and classic railway journeys have always made good bedfellows. Historically, ships and trains have pulled into grand stations or dropped anchor in iconic sea ports with a sense of “arrival”, still unmatched by motor vehicle or plane today.

  • Why you should skip the Lake District and head instead to humble Barrow-in-Furness

    In early August 1914, newlyweds DH and Frieda Lawrence were on a walking tour of Westmoreland with three friends when they “came down to Barrow on Furness [sic], and saw that war was declared… and Messrs Vickers [and] Maxim call in their workmen – and the great notices on Vickers’ gateways – and the thousands of men streaming over the bridge.. and the amazing, vivid, visionary beauty of everything, heightened by the immense pain everywhere.”

  • The last-minute half-term holidays you thought had sold out

    Of all the half terms, February surely offers the most interesting variety of family holidays. Sure, the British weather is not at its best. But it’s the peak month for skiing, the Canary islands are warming up, as is the Middle East and the Red Sea coast, and the first signs of spring in the Med make this a great time for outdoor activities. It’s also off-peak in Europe’s great cultural destinations, so an excellent time to squeeze in a family city break.

  • Worsening situation in Peru puts bucket-list holidays at risk

    On Sunday, the Peruvian government closed Machu Picchu indefinitely in order, it was claimed, to protect tourists and citizens. The Inca citadel, which draws around a million visitors each year, is one of the most visited archaeological sites in the Americas. Along with the Inca Trail – which has also been closed – it is a magnet for travellers from all over the world, from backpackers to those seeking luxury.