- StyleThe Independent
Argentina shooting: What are the risks to British tourists when visiting Latin America?
While the vast majority of tourists to South and Central America find nothing but a warm welcome and rewarding experiences, there are some clear risks – especially in the big cities.Most crime is relatively petty, involving pick-pocketing or bag-snatching. But in some locations there is a more serious threat, especially if a robbery does not go according to the perpetrators’ plan.
- StyleThe Independent
New rail timetables off to disastrous start with widespread cancellations and delays
New rail timetables promising more trains and faster journeys have got off to a disastrous start, with widespread delays and cancellations.The improved schedules took effect in the early hours of Sunday morning, 15 December.
- StyleThe Telegraph
48 hours in. . . Yorkshire, an insider guide to God's own county
It would be a cheap shot to say Yorkshire is England’s best county simply because it’s the largest. The latter is obviously true but what makes it such a cracking place to spend a weekend (preferably longer) is the variety. Take the scenery; not one but two National Parks: the sheep-and-dry-stone-wall-dotted Dales and the wild and horizon-stretching North York Moors. Plus, a swathe of beaches, breezy clifftop walks, thrilling waterfalls (including England’s highest single-drop waterfall) and weirdly wonderful rock formations that pop up out of nowhere.
- StyleThe Telegraph
44 budget hotels and hostels in the world's most amazing locations
Everyone loves a bargain, and there's no need to compromise on location when planning a shoestring holiday. If you look in the right places you can find decent lodgings in incredible places – from barefoot-chic places to stay on far-flung Indonesian islands, to rustic lodges in the Namibian desert. Still pinching your pursestrings? Take a look at our guide to the best budget hotels in the world's most spectacular locations.
- StyleThe Telegraph
The best spa hotels in Berlin: Where to escape for a soothing stay in this historic city
For history fans, there's plenty to see you and do in Berlin – after all, it was at the heart of much of the turbulent 20th century. The city is also a welcoming destination for families thanks to a wealth of green spaces, sparkling lakes and a generally child-friendly infrastructure. But for a bit of light relief, you can't beat a sumptuous soak in a five-star spa. It was only recently, with the opening of the Vabali Spa, that Berlin really got the wellness temple it deserved. In the meantime though, the city’s hotels have been filling in the gap with a slew of luxurious spas spanning pools, steam rooms and saunas, and a swathe of cosmetic treatments. Here's our pick of the best spa hotels in Berlin.
- StyleThe Independent
Ryanair boss predicts Boris Johnson’s EU deal will be ‘Brexit in name only’
Ryanair’s chief executive Michael O’Leary has told The Independent that he predicts the UK will remain in the single market – partly to preserve access to cheap air fares.After the scale of the Conservatives’ victory in the general election became clear, Mr O’Leary said: “Congratulations on finally making a decision.
- StyleThe Independent
‘Unusual odour’ on flight forces plane to divert
A flight had to divert after an “unusual odour” was detected on board, leading to three passengers being taken to hospital.Tigerair flight TT644 from Adelaide to Sydney in Australia on 12 December landed instead at Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport at around 8.10pm local time.
- StyleThe Telegraph
Avalanche reports: what is the risk in the French Alps this week?
Staying safe when skiing or snowboarding in the mountains is crucial – an important part of that is being aware of the risk of avalanche where you are, being prepared when heading off piste, and knowing what to do should an avalanche happen.
- StyleThe Telegraph
48 hours in . . . Sydney, an insider guide to Australia's dazzling harbour city
Sydney has a reputation for being beautiful yet shallow, but scratch the surface a little and you'll see that Sydney has a lot more going for it than just the way it looks. Beaches that bedazzle, windswept coastal walks overlooking whale-dotted waters, hole-in-the-wall bars, weekend farmers' markets and a thriving food and wine scene are among the drawcards that keep the locals happy and the visitors flocking.
- StyleThe Independent
Why we need to call time on the obsession with Instagram-isation in travel
Newsflash: some of us (myself included) don’t have Instagram. Not that I can’t snap a decent picture. My favourite shots include one of a monkey, posing in the style of Rodin’s Thinker, on a boulder in Zambia. For me, the fun of photography is the need to act quickly – to nail that perfect shot before the opportunity passes, and to take a photograph that provides some kind of insight into the destination in question.Which is why I politely declined the opportunity to take a picture sprawled over the stack of super-sized, plastic, pastel-coloured lollies I recently came across in Salvador, Brazil. I found the offending ice creams in a beautiful Bahian house dating back to the 1900s. In 2017, it was purchased by ice cream entrepreneur Natanael Couto, who spent £500,000 restoring it, before turning it into the Solar Amado Bahia Museum of Ice Cream. Its fantastic selection of carefully curated exhibits, including ancient ice cream freezers, made the presence of the plastic lollies, dumped carelessly in a room stripped of all its original features, even more random – a fact acknowledged by my sheepish-looking guide. “They’re for the Instagrammers,” he said, rolling his eyes.
- StyleThe Independent
The countries you can buy citizenship for if you want to emigrate
After the Tories’ landslide victory in the General Election, many desperate citizens up and down the country may well be worrying about the future of the UK and their place in it. For those who think a change of scene might help, it’s actually possible to buy citizenship for a number of other countries (caveat: it doesn’t come cheap).Forget needing to be born there or having to dig out your maternal grandmother’s birth certificate; individuals can purchase a second passport via Citizenship by Investment Programmes (CIPs), offered in a number of destinations.
- StyleThe Independent
Flight attendant averts ‘potential disaster’ after spotting ice on aircraft wings
A member of cabin crew prevented an aircraft taking off with a build-up of ice on its wings – averting what they called a “situation which potentially could have ended in disaster”.The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has reported that the plane was already on the runway when the pilots abandoned the planned departure.
- StyleThe Telegraph
Book It: Four hotels for the perfect New Year's Eve party, from London to LA
Stuck for somewhere to see in the New Year? Look no further than these four hotels, in the world capitals of fun...
- StyleThe Independent
Why we should all be flying economy class only
How well did your election prediction go? Wide of the mark, perhaps, like mine.Well, here’s a travel prediction for you that I believe will come true over the next few months and years. It will have a profound effect on the aviation industry, or at least on those airlines that devote themselves to cosseting passengers with premium products.
- StyleThe Telegraph
Fat biking: what the new hipster ski holiday experience is really like?
High on the ski area, more than 1,000m above the Austrian resorts of Kitzbühel and Kirchberg, conditions were grim. Snow was falling, but it was wet and sticky; and visibility was so poor, anyone unfamiliar with the mountains was reduced to following other skiers in the hope that they knew where they were going. It was the sort of day when you just want to get off the mountain and do something else. So that’s what I did.
- StyleThe Telegraph
The highest hotel in France had me feeling on top of the world – a first look inside Le Refuge de Solaise
Imagine. You are in one of the world’s great ski resorts. It’s the last day in November but the season is about to start. It has been snowing steadily for three weeks and there is already a deep base in the resort and higher up the mountain. As you wake up and your eyes begin to focus, you can see that it is going to be a clear blue day. The snow is luminous in the early light and the tip of the highest peak is already burnished with gold as it catches the first rays of the rising sun.
- StyleThe Telegraph
48 hours in . . . New Orleans, an insider guide to the Big Easy
New Orleans’s reputation as a party town, thanks largely to the annual celebration of Mardi Gras, looms large. Bourbon Street, plastic beads and bawdy revellers sum up many people’s image of the city. As anyone who has been here knows, though, this is only a tiny part of life here. Its historical influences are celebrated daily: this American city is also part European, part Caribbean and part African. Music, food and culture here developed like nowhere else in the United States, and gave us jazz, Cajun and Creole cuisine and publicly celebrated traditions that you won’t find anywhere else in the country. Add to this one of America’s most historic and evocative neighbourhoods in the shape of the French Quarter and a liberal attitude to living and entertaining, and you have a city that’s primed to seduce its many visitors, even when it’s not Mardi Gras season.
- StyleThe Independent
Spain to launch cheap high-speed train service
Third-class travel at significantly lower fares: that is the plan for a new low-cost, high-speed train service that will start running between Madrid and Barcelona on 6 April 2020.Spain’s Ave network, with trains travelling at almost 200mph, has been in operation for nearly three decades. But it has traditionally had high fares, comparable with flying, and has limited appeal except for the business traveller.
- StyleThe Telegraph
48 hours in . . . Norfolk, an insider guide to England's windswept east
Norfolk's vast sandy beaches are its chief draw for visitors: even on the busiest summer day there is always space for games, kite-flying or a family picnic in the dunes. Boating, crabbing, digging for cockles and wading in creeks provides hours of entertainment for all.
- StyleThe Independent
The eight best things to do in Riga
If “visit a European Christmas market” is on your travel to-do list, then it doesn’t get more festive than a trip to the alleged home of the first decorated public Christmas tree. Here’s what you should get up to in Riga, Latvia’s excellent capital.Christmas-tree spotting Riga claims to have had the first ever Christmas tree (Getty/iStock) There is a bit of debate as to which country can lay claim to having the very first Christmas tree. But in Riga you can visit a stone marker in its medieval Town Hall Square near Blackheads House that declares (in eight languages, no less) that this is the sacred spot (dated 1510) where the first one stood – and each festive season, Latvia’s capital goes all out to prove it. From early December you’ll find creative interpretations of the tree theme all over the city, thanks to students from the Art Academy, via light installations and all kinds of materials. The tourism information centre even compiles an interactive map to help you find them all.
- StyleThe Telegraph
Fascinating early photographs of visitors to Britain's famous tourist attractions
A new English Heritage exhibition, Your Stonehenge, showcases almost 150 years of photography by visitors to the famous monument.
- StyleThe Telegraph
EasyJet to return to Tunisia for the first time since 2015 terror attack
EasyJet will fly to Tunisia next year for the first time since the Sousse terror attack in 2015 that left 38 people dead.
