Quirky sleeps: Germanys top 10 unusual hotels
Hotels can be so much more than simply a place to rest your head. Whether you fancy bedding down in a tree house, an igloo or a wine barrel, our list of the most unusual places to spend a night in Germany will help you to make memories in places packed with character, creativity and local colour.Rev
Hokkaidō road trip: exploring Japans wild north
With its wide-open spaces, national parks, active volcanoes, forests of silvery beech, forlorn coastlines and remote fishing towns, Hokkaidō is ideal for road trips. Japan is famous for its efficient rail system and doesnt exactly scream road trip. But when most people think of Japan, they usuall
Meteora beyond the monasteries: adventures in central Greece
As both religious and natural symbols of Greece, Meteora and its monastery-topped pinnacles are high on the list of the country’s most visited sites. Many travellers race through the area – and its six monasteries open to the public – in a day or stay overnight in the villages of Kastraki or Kalamba
Independent travellers guide to skiing in Kyrgyzstan
While Kyrgyzstans Tian Shan mountains are steadily growing in renown among international tourists, most visitors aim for the warmer months of the year to hike up craggy passes and descend to the shores of alpine lakes.Equally adventurous, but far less explored by visitors, are the areas winter sport
Myanmar essentials: a guide to planning your Burma trip
As Myanmar (also known as Burma) continues to open up to the outside world, more travellers are venturing to this alluring country.The Aung San Suu Kyi–led National League for Democracy came to power in Myanmar during the historic general election of November 2015, and the country is embracing chang
Seven days in Laos
Puttering down jungle rivers, scaling mist-laced mountain roads, ziplining across treetops, and sitting roadside with a steaming bowl of noodles: it’s all possible in one week in Laos without losing that special sense of calm the country brings.With seven days, a few bus rides and some well-timed ca
From temple plains to golden rocks: Myanmars must
Myanmar (Burma) is perhaps the most devoutly Buddhist nation on earth, with a dizzying array of golden pagodas and ancient temples, perched in splendid isolation on hillsides and sandwiched between busy city streets.With so many impressive Buddhist sites to choose from, here are just a few that are
Secret Ko Pha
In the late 1970s, Ko Pha-Ngan was a pristine paradise that beckoned the intrepid. Its innocent days may be long gone, but don’t let that deter you: this Thai gulf isle offers much more outside the full moon parties that made it famous.Avoid the full moon and the smaller but still-raucous half-moon
Quirky LA – experiencing the unexpected in Los Angeles
It’s easy to sum up Los Angeles in three words: Disneyland, Hollywood, beaches. But the City of Angels is much more diverse – and stranger – than those sights would suggest. Scattered across its neighbourhoods are many quirky and intriguing attractions that will add depth to your knowledge of the ci
The Lofoten Islands, Norway: there but for the grace of cod
It appears indistinct at first, a light smudge behind a grey bank of clouds. As the wind whips in off the ocean and races howling across the valley, small puddles of clear sky appear, briefly revealing the Milky Way and the smooth arc of a satellite far above. The smudge starts to glow and build, la
State of extremes: Alaskas last frontiers
It is 100 years since the death of Jack London, the novelist whose rugged stories are synonymous with the American North. Yet the tug of the wilderness that London so eloquently evoked continues to resound in Alaska, one of the few places in the US where you can still get up close to nature’s extrem
Insider’s guide to Yellowstone: where to trek and geyser gaze without the crowds
North America’s greatest super-volcano, craggy canyons, vast subalpine forests, geysers and hot springs: the range of otherworldly landscapes in Yellowstone National Park could set a Star Wars movie. The park stars on most US travel wishlists, and 3.5 million visitors flock to sights such as Old Fai
The weird and wild outdoors of southern New Mexico
There’s something about the unusual landscapes of southern New Mexico that makes travelers gaze outward and upward. The region’s unusual rock formations and bright-white dunes evoke visions of alien worlds, and it’s no wonder visitors here frequently look to the clear desert skies and ponder the gal
Halkidiki beyond the beaches: 10 alternative experiences in northern Greece
The shores of Greece elicit blissful sighs, even from suntan-averse travellers. Halkidiki – the three-pronged region in Greece’s north – is especially rich in sparkling sands. But it would be a crying shame to head straight for the sunlounger in a region that ripples with vineyards, groans with anci
Battambang: Cambodias lesser
The laid-back city of Battambang in Cambodia’s northwest may have a sleepy ambience distinct from the more upbeat hot spots of Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, but travellers who venture here will find plenty of excuses to linger.A walkable centre, bags of old architectural charm, day trips
Tapati Rapa Nui: Easter Islands iconic festival in images
Colorful, spectacular, grandiose – words do little justice to the annual Tapati Rapa Nui, Easter Island’s greatest festival and a vibrant celebration of the islands Polynesian culture. For about two weeks in the first half of February, Easter Island (Rapa Nui) comes alive with a series of music, dan
On the road in remote Chile: ways to conquer the Carretera Austral
Whether by foot, two wheels, or four-wheel drive, the Carretera Austral is an iconic challenge and a journey through South America’s most sublime end-of-the-world landscapes.Among the worlds finest road trips, the Carretera Austral – or Southern Highway – is a 1240km route through Chile that’s mostl
Antarctica by cruise: a voyage to another world
An Antarctic expedition cruise isnt just random bucket list stuff – the White Continent wields a power and singular beauty that linger long after youve left its frozen, penguin-dotted expanses behind. Find your place on the planet where nature had its finest moment. The Drake ShakeThe ship tilts
Somerville: rockin’ the Boston suburbs
How did a gritty city that was nicknamed ‘Slummer-ville’ turn into Boston’s hippest neighborhood? Travelers who visit the urban ‘burb of Somerville will discover a thriving art scene, a slew of trendsetting restaurants and breweries, a lively new shopping center and a calendar packed with unusual ev
Western Serbia’s winter wonderland
On your next trip to Serbia, reset your radars beyond Belgrade to the rising winter adventure scene in the rural west of the country. Every January, celebrities and future filmmakers descend upon the Narnia-like wilderness of the west for Kustendorf International Film and Music Festival, where rakij
