Blogs

James Sanders

Some getaways you can make without much fuss - on the spur of the moment, even. But certain trips need a degree of organisation, and unless you're going with an upmarket tour operator that takes care of every last detail, an African safari - truly a life-changing experience, clichéd as that phrase has become - is very definitely one of them. Here's our take on the best approach - and some of these tips will strike you as no-brainers, but others may not have occurred to you. Let's

Amazing landscapes that will blow your mind, marvelous creatures you will never be able to forget, beautiful land and sea, as well as the perfection of the air… These are the things you can see in Australia, no matter which side of it you choose to visit. It is time to start an epic journey to remember.

Kangaroos and Koalas will Astonish You

What people love about Australia is the fact that here you get to see astonishing animals called kangaroos and adorable koalas. Prepare a hammock and go to

Killerfishfinger

Relatively small and sparsely populated (400 square kilometers/150 square miles, pop. around 20,000) the Llyn Peninsula of northwest Wales is bucolic, a center of Welsh language and traditional identity, and also one of this country's most sought-after holiday destinations, popular because of its lovely scenery, seascapes, and towns and villages. Here are my top five:

Pwllheli

A spirited market town of just over 4,000 - many of them Welsh speakers - Pwllheli (above) is regarde

Erysse and Iden Elliott in a Southwest Airlines flight simulator in 2016.

courtesy of Christopher Elliott

Flying somewhere with your family? Before you board that plane, before you pack your bags, before you even book your ticket, you'll want to read this.

A solo plane trip can be stressful. But add kids or grandparents to the mix, and it's enough to make you throw yourself out that emergency exit door at cruising altitude. In a recent Yahoo Travel survey, one in five parents surveyed fou

If you're looking to step into the boots of a real cowboy on your riding holiday look no further than Ranch Rider, as the tour operator is run by keen equestrians and horse owners, their passion to help you get more out of your time in the saddle.

Tony Daly, managing director of Ranch Rider, comments, “Even though branding, roping and cattle work are available activities at most working ranches, there are always subtle key differences in the guest experience from one ranch to another. From the be

Svetlana Bykova,

by Cristóbal Ramírez


As we all know, the capital of Costa Rica is San José. But it was not always thus. A bit over an hour's drive to the west is a city dubbed the "Vieja Metrópoli" (Old Metropolis). The first successful settlement by the invading Spaniards, in 1563, Cartago - honoured as "Very Noble and Very Loyal" by Spain's parliament - served as Costa Rica's capital till 1823.

Actually, little remains of Cartago's very first location, as the city was moved twice (and then

Thailand's capital has the proverbial something for everyone - a mix of exotic traditional culture, cuisine and shopping with no shortage of fun from tame to notoriously naughty. Days are sunny and beautiful, nights are exciting, and there's never a dearth of things to do. It's perhaps for this amazing versatility that Bangkok is often referred to as a tourist paradise. The city of course also serves as a gateway to many other parts of Thailand, including Phuket and the other islands and beach d

Argan oil is part of the Moroccan way of life - as well as prized by quite a few international chefs. Apart from a few isolated places in Mexico, the argan tree grows only in Morocco. It yields a lemony-yellow fruit, from the kernel of which argan oil is obtained. If oil is extracted from raw kernels, it’s used for making cosmetics; if the kernels are roasted first, it produces a cooking oil which Moroccans say is even superior to olive oil.

Argan fruit is harvested in a similar way to the ol

izusek



Many holidayers are sceptical about activating international roaming on their phones. We dispel a few myths about these plans.

If you have heard stories about how international roaming plans can cost you a lot of money and the providers charge exorbitantly per minute, then you need to read this post to correct a few notions.

How much do international roaming plans cost?

• It's the age of intense competition among mobile service providers. With some providers floating plans with the low

Sunil Mehta

Mysore is the most popular and the second largest city in Karnataka state. Often referred as the City of Palaces, the royal city still retains its old world charm with its heritage buildings, traditions, temples - and of course palaces, foremost among them Mysore Palace, former abode of the former royal family. There are also many lesser known but beautiful royal buildings spread across the city. Here are five of the best:

Lalitha Mahal Palace

Located close to Chamundi Hill Road, the s

The "Norway-in-a-nutshell" tour can be undertaken throughout from Bergen or Oslo as a single-day trip or spread over three days. However, if planning a one-day excursion, Voss would be a more convenient and relaxing base. This small, thriving town nestles on the shore of Vangsvatnet Lake beneath mountains which, in winter, provide some of the finest skiing in the country. Throughout the summer, the ski lifts continue to operate, taking visitors onto the plateau to the north, where cross-country

Oleg Albinsky

 

by Judith Glynn

“That Staten Island Ferry is our front door,” a disappointed Staten Islander told me. "But too many people take it right back to Manhattan. We want them to stay here and see what we’ve got." And though "what we've got" is far more than most visitors suspect, New York City's fifth borough across the harbour does find itself almost always far from the minds of those who come to the Big Apple - partly because it's a bit isolated (the ferry is the main way over here; t

Photology1971

Courtesy of Christopher Elliott

Eric Hochstein found something unusual on his bill at the Gregory Hotel in New York City recently.

No, it wasn't the mandatory $35-per-day resort fee that covers local and domestic calls, a 24-hour fitness center and coffee and tea. And it wasn't the $259-per-night room rate, which was below average for Manhattan.

It was that the resort fee – which the Gregory calls a "tailored fee" to fit its garment theme – including a donation to charity to

             Riderfoot

In recent years, Central America has become a major destination for adventure and ecotourism, beaches, and culture, and lately the star of its largest country Nicaragua, has been on the rise - the bad old days of post-earthquake trauma (1970s) and civil war (1980s) long behind it. These days stable and in fact considered by many the region's safest country, it offers a mostly tropical climate and extraordinary (not to mention wallet-friendly) menu of options appealing t

I am a member of the Temecula (California) Wine Review Council, and at a recent council tasting of Missouri wines, I was surprised to learn that the first officially recognized American Viticultural Area (AVA) was Augusta, Missouri, dating back to 1980.  Located just west of St. Louis, along the Missouri River, August AVA has a silt-loam soil.  South of the river, Hermann AVA and Ozark Highlands AVA designations followed. Herman and Ozark Highlands are also a part of the Ozark Mountain AVA (cons

Tonyystarcreations



In India's northwest, the country's largest state is packed with great great heritage, culture, royal palaces, temples, fortresses (it's even been dubbed "the land of forts"), ecotourism, and activities - a truly magical land to explore with holiday packages.


Ride a Camel

A good part of the state is made of of the vast Thar Desert, and from the cities of Jaisalmer, Bikaner, and Osian you can take desert safaris into the Thar during which you'll ride beautifully adorned