- StyleThe Independent
How airport border guards test your passport to see if it’s a fake
When you start to look like your passport photograph, the saying goes, it’s probably time to come home. The passport official at the Russian capital’s Domededovo airport scrutinised my face as though checking for defects on a cauliflower in a greengrocery. When eventually she was satisfied with the resemblance, I imagined the passport would be handed back, perhaps with the added bonus of a smile.
- StyleThe Telegraph
New York's Fearless Girl moved to new home outside Stock Exchange
The statue of a young girl squaring off against the Charging Bull of Wall Street has been moved to a new home opposite the New York Stock Exchange.
- StyleThe Telegraph
Ketchikan cruise port guide
Ketchikan’s position near the US–Canadian border makes it a common first or last port of call in Alaska for most Alaskan cruises. On its own it’s not compelling, save for shopping and a fine Native heritage centre, but it provides a base for adventure excursions and trips to the magnificent scenery of Misty Fjords National Monument, 30 minutes’ flying time to the south.
- StyleThe Independent
Tokyo Disneyland ranked the happiest place on earth
If you’re suffering from the mid-winter blues, you might want to reconsider your holiday plans for 2019 and make a beeline for the happiest place in the world: Tokyo Disneyland. The “Most Magical Place on Earth” was named the “happiest geo-tagged place in the world” by Instagram in its 2018 year in review, based on the number of smiley face emojis used in image captions. The park also encompasses Tokyo DisneySea, which includes seven themed ports inspired by ocean tales and legends.
- StyleThe Independent
Northern Rail strike: Which services are affected this Saturday?
Northern Rail services will be disrupted again on Saturday 15 December, with the train operator running a much-reduced schedule in response to a planned strike. The strikes were called as part of an ongoing dispute over the role of train guards and rail safety involving the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union. Travellers have been affected by bouts of industrial action taken by Northern Rail staff in March and June.
- StyleThe Telegraph
Uncovering London's secrets on a meandering magic tour
We’d arranged to meet at a well-known spot in St James’s. I was late, and looking for both the man in question and for a friend who’d agreed to chaperone. I glanced around apprehensively and suddenly there he was: a red-headed gent wearing jeans and a black blazer, with a holdall in one hand. It wasn’t a blind date. This was our personal magician – and historian – for the afternoon, James Pritchard.
- StyleThe Telegraph
Mapped: The UK countryside furthest from any road
You want to get away from it all. But how?
- StyleThe Independent
70 live finches stashed in hair rollers seized at JFK
The tiny birds had been individually squashed into orange and green hair rollers before being stashed in the New York-bound passenger’s black duffel bag. Airport officials identified the animals after stopping the South American passenger, who was travelling from Georgetown, Guyana, to check his bag on 8 December.
- StyleThe Independent
Ryanair launches Christmas advert that's as budget as its fares
Ryanair has released a Christmas video that is as ‘low cost as its fares’. The one-minute advert, called ‘a very Ryanair Christmas’, shows two children excitedly running downstairs to open their Christmas gifts under the tree.
- StyleThe Independent
Travel Photographer of the Year winners revealed
From the stunning mountains surrounding Canada’s Lake Louise to stylish sapeurs on the streets of the Republic of the Congo, the winning photographs from 2018’s international Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) awards showcase the world's best travel photography. The winning images are comprised of submissions from amateur and professional photographers from 142 countries around the world. An international panel of judges sifted through over 20,000 photographs before deciding on a final winners’ gallery of over 150 awe-inspiring images.
- StyleThe Telegraph
The industrial UK city where the suffragette movement was born
Tomorrow, Manchester will mark the centenary of the first general election in which British women were permitted to vote with the unveiling of a statue of Emmeline Pankhurst in St Peter’s Square (at midday).
- StyleThe Telegraph
How singing Mozart in Vienna changed my life
Never mind your views on life, the universe, Brexit and the travails of Manchester United Football Club, for any truly rounded man, the key question is much simpler: are you a tenor or a bass? And for any truly rounded woman: alto or soprano?
- StyleThe Independent
New December strikes on South Western Railway announced
There will be a South Western Railway strike on two more days over the busy festive period, further disrupting post-Christmas travel. The walk out will take place between 0001 and 2359 on Thursday 27 December and 0001 and 2359 on Monday 31 December, the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) confirmed today. Industrial action has blighted the network over the past year and relates to the role of guards on trains.
- StyleThe Independent
London boutique hotels: 11 of the best places to stay
Choosing where to lay your head in London can be a tricky affair. With a plethora of snazzy design hotels, some of the grandest, oldest establishments around and a frankly bewildering array of so-so spots offering cheap-as-chips theatre dinners to baffled tourists, it can be tempting to book into the nearest Premier Inn and be done with it. Opt for one of these beautiful boutique hotels instead and you’ll be laughing.
- StyleThe Telegraph
The countries still waiting to be discovered by the rest of the world
Brazil’s tourist draws are legendary. There’s the Amazon, a wild expanse almost twice the size of India that’s can boast 40,000 plant species, 1,300 birds, the world’s longest river – and an opera house. Or what about Rio, with its riotous carnival, picturesque setting and iconic statue? Few waterfalls anywhere on the planet can trump Iguaçu for beauty.
- StyleThe Independent
Southwest Airlines flight turns around after discovery of human heart left onboard
A Southwest Airlines flight from Seattle to Dallas had to quickly change course after it was discovered a human heart had been left onboard. The heart, described by the airline as a “life-critical cargo shipment”, had been put on the aircraft in Sacramento before it flew to Seattle, where it should have been unloaded and delivered. Passengers were initially shocked when the pilot made the announcement, but were also “happy to save a life” if it meant turning back, Dr Andrew Gottschalk, who was on the flight, told The Seattle Times.
- StyleThe Telegraph
The best things to see and do in Malaga, from Moorish architecture to Picasso
There’s plenty in Malaga to keep culture vultures happy for a couple of days. Right in the centre, you come across Phoenician and Roman remains, vestiges of the city’s Moorish heritage, opulent Baroque churches and stunning contemporary architecture. And the city’s clutch of art galleries and museums seems to be ever-growing as Malaga increasingly positions itself as one of Spain’s cultural hotspots.
- StyleThe Telegraph
48 hours in . . . Barcelona, an insider guide to Gaudi's playground
Barcelona combines everything that is most charming about Mediterranean cities – a relaxed pace, months of endless sunshine, unbeatable food – with the cultural and design clout of almost any city in the cold north.
- StyleThe Telegraph
48 hours in . . . Barcelona, an insider guide to Gaudi's playground
Barcelona combines everything that is most charming about Mediterranean cities – a relaxed pace, months of endless sunshine, unbeatable food – with the cultural and design clout of almost any city in the cold north.
- StyleThe Independent
London commuters with longer journeys more likely to get sick, says study
London commuters who have longer journeys or use busy interchange stations are most vulnerable to airborne infections, according to a new study that proves there is a link between underground travel and infection. The risk of passengers picking up flu-like infections is higher if they have longer journeys or change lines at crowded London interchanges, where they will come into contact with more people. Around five million passengers use the Tube every day, with more than 543 trains running during peak times.
- StyleThe Telegraph
The best country house hotels in Britain
The British country house hotel was born in 1949, brought to us in the pink and frilly shape of Sharrow Bay, overlooking Ullswater in the Lake District. Presided over by a splendid couple, Francis Coulson and his partner Brian Sack, it came complete with a gargantuan afternoon tea, and Sack’s famous Icky Sticky Toffee Pudding and Coulson’s bedtime poems on the pillow. People adored it. There had been leisure hotels in Britain before, of course, but this was the first where you could be assured of being personally pampered in beautiful rural surroundings, with a committed owner at the helm offering a warm welcome, decent food, peace and quiet.
- StyleThe Telegraph
Royal retreats: 9 incredible palace hotels in India
An insider's guide into the top palace hotels in India, including the best for royal residences, opulent interiors, romantic settings, extravagant architecture, extensive lawned gardens and refined Indian cuisine, in locations including Rajasthan, Mumbai, Kolkata, Jaipur and Udaipur.
- StyleThe Independent
Christmas travel chaos across Europe looms with air and rail strikes expected to affect thousands
French air-traffic controllers are set to walk out from Thursday evening until Saturday morning, with widespread disruption expected on Friday. Toulouse Airport in southwest France has warned travellers: “Disturbances to be expected on the flight schedule.
- StyleThe Independent
Trinidad and Tobago authorities say they will block infamous sex island from happening
Authorities from Trinidad and Tobago have said they will block a "sex island" holiday that organisers claim is planned for the Caribbean country this weekend. When it was first promoted last year, it received widespread criticism over fears of sex trafficking and drug-taking. Earlier this week, the organisers confirmed to The Independent that the event would be taking place off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago, but today the country's Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith said there was “no such plan whatsoever” to host the event, and that “there is no private island off Trinidad and Tobago”.
- StyleThe Independent
How Belgium's new AfricaMuseum is helping it address its exploitative colonial past
“They called us the world’s last colonial museum,” says Guido Gryseels. The “Palace of the Colonies,” as it was called upon opening in 1910, was funded by Belgian exploitation of what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, and occupies a glorious location in wooded parkland east of Brussels. No glory, though, surrounds the colonial adventures of Belgium and its murderous monarch, Leopold II.
