Travel

Given its incredible culture, stunning scenery and natural phenomenon - not just the northern lights but the 24-hour days/nights, geysers and hot springs for starters - we assume any travel fiend worth their air miles would have visited Iceland already. It's made all the more easy for visitors thanks to its routed Golden Circle tour, which takes in the original geyser, Gullfoss waterfall and Thingvellir National Park. But for those who've been there and done that, we unveil the Purple...

If the Inca Trail is too passé and yoga retreats in Goa are old news, there are more novel holidays for the active holidaymaker to consider. Experimential travel start-up trip4real gives us seven ideas to try out this year, with some of their newest novel experiences. 1. Scrambling in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park Climb the impressive granite rock formations of La Pedriza or the Penalara ridge, tailored to your skill and strength levels. A great, heart-pumping outdoor adventure just one...

Guaranteed great weather is a must for a typical getaway. But where in the world is the sun always shining and the birds always singing? Global property portal Lamudi put together their top seven destinations which enjoy year-round holiday weather. And they've all moved to the top of our bucket list. Indonesia Escape the busy capital Jakarta and head to the beaches of Bali, one of the thousands of islands in the Indonesia archipelago. With its mix of rugged mountains...

By Nathan Lee, TLE Correspondent Last week news filtered through that Japan's Maglev had set a speed record of 374 miles per hour. As plans are HS2 are unveiled in Britain, cutting journey time between London and Birmingham from 1hr 21min to 49min, the experimental magnetic levitation train looks set to slash times between Tokyo and Nagoya to 40 minutes - a trip that takes five hours by car. With intercity travel back on the agenda, what does this mean for the future of...

Virgin Atlantic are expanding their LHR destination list to include direct flights to the Detroit. They'll be the first British airline to fly direct to the home of Motown when the new service begins on June 1. Daily flights will serve both business and leisure passengers, with business, premium economy and economy classes on each flight. The service will run from Heathrow at 10.10 and land in Detroit at 13.15, with the return flight leaving Detroit at 17.50 and arriving...

Frustrated fliers will have a new source of redress, as the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) have announced plans for a new aviation ombudsman with greater powers to keep airlines in check. Passengers who seek compensation for delays, lost luggage and mistreatment will be able to call upon the watchdog to mediate complaints through a “simple, efficient and effective” process, at low or no upfront cost. The CAA, who previously handled disputes, announced that the new ombudsman will have more power...

By Shilpa Ganatra We worry about travellers who go to far-flung spots only to eat in restaurants which have laminated menus written in the most popular languages. Veer away from the main tourist drags, and there's a wealth of culinary choices unique to each destination. For the more adventurous, stumbling across a hidden find, or sampling a dish that was previously unheard of, or dining with wondrous views, is often the aspect they'll remember decades later. Across the globe, creative restauranteurs...

By Lydia Murphy British holidaymakers have been conned out of £2.2million in the last year by online scams and spoofing sites. A new report from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau highlighted that millions of pounds were lost through fake travel sites, with many tourists only discovering the scam when they showed up to their destination with no correct record of booking. Travel assocation ABTA and Get Safe Online are urging online holiday hunters to take care when buying services online, no matter how web-savvy...

Adrift in the Atlantic, closer to Africa than Europe, lies the Portugese island of Madeira. It's internationally renowned for its wine and cake - lovely things to be remembered for - but more recently it's becoming known for its hiking opportunities, which is why TLE took our latest trip there. Its hiking USP is the levadas: a water irrigation system which brings the water from the mountains and wetter north, to the drier southern side of the island. The concrete blocks double...