Why the Turkey earthquake shouldn’t stop you booking a holiday in a disaster zone February 12, 2023 The crisis in Turkey reminds Justine Gosling of her trip to the Dominican Republic after the hurricane hit in 2022. Her message is that visiting countries affected by natural disasters – safely, of course – can help strengthen their economy. Donate to the Disaster Emergency Committee appeal here to help the search for survivors and [...]
Hanging out with tortoises in turquoise cottages on the Caribbean island of St Barts February 5, 2023 The descent into Gustaf III Airport on the Caribbean Island of Saint Barthélemy – otherwise known as St Barts – is not for the faint hearted. We depart nearby Saint Martin strapped into a 12-seater Twin Otter plane and soar over the sea towards a small landmass. We spot yachts and catamarans sailing aquamarine waters [...]
Antwerp is a top city break just an hour from London February 4, 2023 “I’d be willing to bet there’s no quicker way of getting from the UK to mainland Europe,” said Robert Sinclair, CEO of London City Airport, as we stood on the tarmac at Antwerp Airport. The flight we’d just taken was 40 minutes from tarmac to tarmac, meaning you can leave the City or Canary Wharf [...]
Skiing in St Moritz and Pontresina, the Swiss towns where British ski holidays were born January 29, 2023 The Grand Hotel Kronenhof is like a Wes Anderson movie brought to life. You join me in Pontresina, in Switzerland’s Eastern Alps, a pretty little mountain town of 18th century villas and Belle Epoque buildings. The hotel itself is large and neo-baroque, crowned with a jaunty green dome, and was opened in 1848 before being [...]
Beyonce Dubai gig at Atlantis The Royal: Inside the world’s most lavish launch January 24, 2023 “There are two types of people in the world. The people that are in Dubai right now. And us.” So went the meme, shared tens of millions of times across the world this weekend. The occasion – as if you haven’t already heard – was the launch of a self-described “icon”, the Atlantis The Royal [...]
Saga to launch new over-50s media brand to capitalise on UK’s ageing population January 24, 2023 Saga is set to launch a new over-50s media brand, the conglomerate’s chief executive told City A.M., as the company looks to capitalise on the UK’s ageing population. Saga, which sells travel, insurance, and financial services to over-50s, is seeking to exploit a “gap in the market” and build a “superbrand for older people” by [...]
Seven travel trends for 2023 January 24, 2023 From Rebel Spending to Modern Family Travel, a new report from travel trend forecasting agency Globetrender has revealed a vision of what travel will be like in the year ahead, where people will be going to and what will be motivating their booking decisions. Download the full report here, but read on for the seven [...]
The Alps, 1920s style: aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express on its inaugural trip to ski resorts January 23, 2023 We discover that “The Train,” as society types call the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, is the ultimate 1920s immersive theatre experience The train is careering through the darkened outskirts of Paris when oysters are placed at my table to pair with my last glug of champagne. I’m eating from an embroidered armchair more accurately described as a [...]
Why bear watching is better when you see no bears January 15, 2023 In some ways, going on a bear hunt is exactly how I’d imagined it would be. Approaching a clearing at the edge of a forest, I’m instructed to creep on tip- toes, avoiding the menacing crunch of leaves which could be loud enough to send a Marsican brown running for the hills. I can’t help [...]
Why Flaine in the French Alps is up there as one of the best ski resorts for beginners January 9, 2023 THE WEEKEND: I’m putting on skis from the first time ever and hitting the slopes in the brilliant sunshine. It’s hard to believe that only six hours earlier I was still in London. I’m in the French Alps ski resort of Flaine, near Mont Blanc, and the sheer ease of accessibility is one of the [...]