Destinations

Hello, start of January. This first day back to work is a guaranteed drag after two weeks of full-throttle decadence, and a month of parties leading up to it. You know what makes that better? Thinking about all the dreamy possibilities of travel in 2019. Right about now, some sun, sea and sand wouldn’t be sniffed at – unlike the cold British weather. And while the Caribbean island of St Lucia is a sunny 28C – a temperature that’s consistent...

East Fremont is redeveloped into the city's hipster heartland.

A tour of Downtown - at sundown.

It’s no secret that Spanish cuisine is a key reason it’s the UK’s number one destination. Yes, there’s the beaches and weather too, but the tradition of nibbling on a tableful of tapas washed down with a glass (or two) of sangria is a big part of the lovely, lasting memory. While the Spain’s cultural capital Barcelona has earned a reputation for restaurants that are cut above the rest, the actual capital of Madrid is quickly catching up. The question...

Exploring America's 'Second City'  Timeworn fast-food joints sit shoulder to shoulder with fancy, Michelin-star restaurants. The ‘L’ (an elevated metro line) chugs, like a rollercoaster, as it navigates its way through an urban forest of towering, glass-front skyscrapers. People in sharp suits stomp along pavements, rushing to everywhere and nowhere. While tourists, aboard open-top buses, snap away at anything in sight. Chicago is a proper city. Perhaps best-known, at least to some of us across the pond, for its mafia...

Skiing in North Iceland; for the adventurers out there, North Iceland is dotted with picturesque ski fields that offer something very different.

Thanks to its towering, khaki cliffs, cinematic volcanoes and long, golden beaches, Hawaii is a filmmakers metropolis. And for that exact reason, this isolated group of 137 islands has been used as a captivating, tropical set in movies for decades - from Jurassic Park and Pirates of the Caribbean to 50 First Dates and Aloha. To celebrate 25 years since the creation of Steven Spielberg's original Jurassic Park, we picked out five of the most famous movie locations in Hawaii. ...

Caroline Howley takes in the sights, sounds and scents of the historical city of Porto. “Love: that deep feeling. It will bring you happiness or disgrace.”  After a night drinking altogether too much Vinho Verde, we’d stopped by Porto’s São Bento Railway Station to see, admittedly through blurry eyes, its famed azulejo tile frieze. Before long, my Portuguese guide Carolina had inexplicably dragged me towards a weighing scale on one of the platforms. But instead of telling me how many pounds...

Alex Wright takes an adventure around the Estonian island of Vaike-Pakri, discovering failed dams, sunken ships and sauna tents along the way. “We train NATO soldiers during the week,” remarked by guide Rene. “They are not as good as you would think though. They’re always capsizing or complaining they’re tired.” Welcome to kayaking on the Baltic, Estonian style where the waves are big and the laughs even bigger. I’m on a two-day paddle around Vaike-Pakri, the smaller of a set...