Travel Industry news

• ‘A gap year offers that feeling of absolute freedom’: readers’ trips of a lifetime

  20-09-2024 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Euphoria on a moped in Indonesia, orcas off Argentina and the chance to ranch, surf or simply be the person they always wanted to be are among our readers’ wonderful memoriesAfter a 10-year slog at work, my boss agreed to my taking a year-long sabbatical. We used this to revisit south-east Asia – not to relive past travelling glories of my 20s (where my destinations usually revolved around partying). Instead we floated around the more “cultured” parts that were not on my
  
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• Vincent van Gogh’s Arles: visiting the pretty Provençal city that inspired his greatest masterpieces

  06-10-2024 12:00 via theguardian.com
  The scenes of some of the paintings currently on show in London’s National Gallery can still be found in the southern French cityThe market at Arles in France every Saturday stretches for more than 2km, the lush countryside around yielding enough produce to fill more than 400 stalls to overflowing. Alongside the plump fruit and vegetables, drifts of cheese and butter paint the whole scene a deep cream, echoing the Provençal city’s warm limestone and light yellow plaster.Vincen
  
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• From cool cabins to country houses: six of Britain’s best forest escapes

  05-10-2024 12:00 via theguardian.com
  Our writers find enchanting and secluded places to stay in the forests of England, Scotland and WalesThere are days when a walk in the woods is the best option. This includes days when the cloud ceiling is barely above chest height and there is a rowdy wind driving the rain in your face. I am striding fast up Sandpit Lane near the hamlet of Thimbleby on the west side of the North York Moors. Charms of goldfinches, oblivious to the weather, are bouncing along the hedgerow. The land rises up and I
  
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• ‘Reconnecting with our glorious woodlands’: why we should all get out into the forest

  05-10-2024 08:00 via theguardian.com
  With the leaves turning golden, now is the time to visit the woods, says the author of a new book, and perhaps learn how to better protect them tooThere are two times of year I particularly love being among trees. The first is at the height of spring, when new leaves and woodland plants are at their most intensely green. The second is the point in autumn when the summer hues shift overnight and the woods take on a whole new coat. In Japanese there is a wonderful term for both, mik
  
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• ‘A wildly beautiful place for autumn colour’: readers’ favourite UK forest trails

  04-10-2024 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  From Japanese acers at Westonbirt arboretum to the pines of Loch Ard, our tipsters share their top woodland days outAutumn is often wet – so why not embrace this, and visit one of Britain’s temperate rainforests in Borrowdale, near Keswick. Such forests are rare globally as well as in Britain. Not only can you observe the gorgeous autumn hues from the leaves of ash, birch and oak but you can see all manner of mosses, liverworts and lichens. The latter proliferate because of the clean
  
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• I’m travelling to every record shop in the UK – here are my 10 favourites

  03-10-2024 08:00 via theguardian.com
  From Orkney to Brighton, independent stores are treasure troves for vinyl hunters and a great way to while away a holiday afternoonI still remember the excitement of buying my first vinyl aged 11, Duane Eddy’s great 1962 single (Dance With the) Guitar Man, and that bug has been with me ever since. There’s nothing quite like the thrill of digging through the racks and finding that elusive wishlist record. When I retired, I made it my mission to visit as many record shops as I could ac
  
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• Where tourists seldom tread, part 12: five more UK towns with hidden histories

  02-10-2024 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Scratch beneath the surface of these once well-connected but now overlookedtowns and their grand civic buildings and streets reveal a rich seam of history, legend and memory• Where tourists seldom tread, parts 1-11Ports, rivers, canals, railways, pilgrims’ pathways: these oft-overlooked, deeply engaging towns grew around transport and, as they expanded, created local networks. We usually think of leisure travel in terms of long-distance trains, cars on open roads, coaches from A to B
  
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• Communal dining is Copenhagen’s best-kept culinary secret

  01-10-2024 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Eating out in Denmark can be costly, but a growing number of child-friendly community supper clubs in the capital offer affordable feasting with the localsCopenhagen is a gastronome’s paradise. Stroll around the Danish capital’s elegant boulevards and before long you’re bound to stumble upon a hallowed, Michelin-starred temple of New Nordic cuisine. However, there’s a cheaper and more convivial side to the city’s culinary scene: its communal supper tables.Leading th
  
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• Share a tip on a great UK youth hostel

  30-09-2024 17:37 via theguardian.com
  Tell us about your favourite youth hostel, bunkhouse, bothy or camping barn – the best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays breakOnce the domain of youth groups and backpackers, hostels have done a great job of reinventing themselves in recent years to appeal to a broader cross-section of travellers, including families and couples. Not only do they offer affordable accommodation, but they are often found in beautiful locations. And some places will let you have exclusive use for a large
  
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• Shipwrecks, sea birds and whale spotting: exploring Ireland’s first marine park

  30-09-2024 08:00 via theguardian.com
  A vast swathe of the rugged Kerry coast and its Atlantic isles is now a protected haven for wildlife, and the occasional Jedi knightI’m crouching in a windowless stone cell, peering at a ball of fluff stuffed into a crack in the floor. The cell is a beehive hut, or clochán; 1,400 years ago, it offered sleeping quarters to monks. The fluff is a baby seabird – to be precise, the chick of a European storm petrel. As my eyes adjust, I make out the glint of a tiny eye. After dark,
  
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• From grape stomping to truffle hunting: 10 great harvest festival trips in Europe

  29-09-2024 12:00 via theguardian.com
  Autumn is a great time to join locals as they celebrate the fruits of the season, from the vineyards of Provence to the forests of TransylvaniaCroatia’s northernmost region is famous for its olives, and the Meneghetti hotel and winery produces four different varieties of oil from the 750 trees dotted across the estate. From early October to mid-November, guests can join the olive harvest and oil-making process, as well as oyster-shucking on the nearby fjords and truffle hunting (until the
  
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• 20 of the best UK foodie breaks for autumn

  28-09-2024 12:00 via theguardian.com
  Fancy a seasonal getaway? From cosy inns to restaurants with rooms, we’ve found the best boltholes – all with menus as enticing as the sceneryGlenfinnan House Hotel, overlooking Loch Shiel and the Jacobite monument, is one of Scotland’s most celebrated properties. On a clear day, you can see Ben Nevis from here, too. Glenfinnan viaduct, which attracts Harry Potter fans hoping to glimpse the steam train, is a short walk away. The family-owned country house dates from 1755 and ha
  
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• Autumn fun and feasting: 10 readers share their favourite seasonal events in the UK

  27-09-2024 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Our tipsters savour the season’s bounty, from orchard tours to pumpkin pickingOur family’s favourite place to visit in autumn is Tulleys Pumpkin Farm in West Sussex (its pumpkin festival runs until 31 October). The pumpkin fields are impressive, with an astonishing variety in all colours, shapes and sizes. The kids love exploring and picking out their favourites. Be sure to wear sturdy shoes, as the fields can get muddy. The farm also features food and drink trucks, plus live music.
  
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• Walking the Celtic Camino: new coast path links sacred sites in Ireland and Wales

  26-09-2024 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Ancient chapels, neolithic sites, vast beaches and live music are among the highlights of a new pilgrimage route from Wexford to St DavidsNick and I are standing by the old Norman tower on the sacred isle. “We would come on the pilgrimage when we were kids,” he’s telling me. “Walk all around the island with thousands of others. All the cousins and friends doing the stations of the cross.”We wander behind the tower, and in the trees are ribbons, cards and photographs
  
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• Trainspotting from the bathtub: why Manchester’s newest bolthole is on the right track

  25-09-2024 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  You don’t have to be a railway buff to enjoy the Station Agent’s House. The restored Georgian gem is a perfect base for exploring the historic Castlefield districtFor some, a stately home does it. For others, a converted barn. For me, anything rail-related hits the spot. It’s partly respect for transport and proper jobs. It’s also because I was born and raised 1.2 miles (or a mile and 16 chains in the parlance) south of the world’s first inter-city railway line &nda
  
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• A cycling, walking and running break in France’s best area for trails

  24-09-2024 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Bagnoles de l’Orne in Normandy is a traditional spa town reinventing itself with new hiking and cycling routes – and a focus on sustainable tourismKévin Raimond was teaching me how to walk. I thought I already knew, but this tall, bearded, laid-back Frenchman had fresh wisdom to impart. “Inhale for three steps, hold your breath for one,” he said, hands pressed to his inflating belly. “Then exhale for three steps and hold for one. And repeat.”Afghan walk
  
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• Share a tip on a great hike in Europe

  23-09-2024 14:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Tell us about your favourite walking adventure – the best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays breakThere’s nothing quite like a hiking trip for clearing the mind – and getting out into nature and exploring on foot allows access to places you might miss otherwise. We’d love to hear about great walks you’ve taken in Europe, on coasts, over hills and mountains and through forests, plus any details of excellent pitstops you’ve enjoyed en route. Tell us where y
  
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• Volunteering at music festivals supported my post-retirement trip to the US and Canada

  23-09-2024 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Working in exchange for tickets from Vancouver to Texas was an ideal way for a 60-year-old solo traveller to find friends, fun and an instant community‘We have beers!” came the cry, followed by the more enigmatic “and hair clippers!” As the sun began to set, with no discernible abatement in temperature, the crew was in the process of building an outdoor stage at El Cosmico campsite in Marfa, Texas, for the forthcoming Trans-Pecos festival. The festival was the reason
  
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• ‘Growing up in Guernsey was extraordinary’: Dawn O’Porter returns to her childhood home

  22-09-2024 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Quiet cliff paths, vast sweeping beaches, cobbled high streets … and freedom. The writer and presenter finds the things she once wanted to escape from are now the island’s principle attractionsI wish someone had told me at the time that growing up in Guernsey was extraordinary. Not that I was receptive to that information – I was far too busy dreaming of what else the world could offer. The excitement and glamour of the mainland was too gripping to let me take stock of the pri
  
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• By volunteering around the world, I found my purpose in life, my husband and my roots

  21-09-2024 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Working with charities, farms and rural development projects has been life-changing for our writer – and is something anyone can do, regardless of backgroundThe first time I joined a volunteering trip I was 22, and had no idea what I wanted to do in life. It was in the summer of my third year at university, in 2018, and the project was a 10-week expedition with Raleigh International in Malaysian Borneo.Raleigh offered bursaries, covering flights, insurance and vaccinations, to people
  
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• Eight months off school, but we all learned so much: a family sabbatical in South America

  21-09-2024 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Travelling around Chile, Argentina and Peru – with a focus on Indigenous tourism – is a transformative adventure
  Plus 10 tips on planning a family gap yearIt was on holiday in Italy in 2022, after perhaps a little too much wine, that the decision was made: Mirjam Peternek-McCartney and her husband, Mark, would take a year’s sabbatical – with their (then) 10- and 13-year-old sons, Lukas and David. “We told the kids in the morning and after that we couldn’t back
  
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• ‘A perfect place to build a film community’: a tour of Scotland’s island movie clubs

  20-09-2024 08:00 via theguardian.com
  The Sea Change film festival on Tiree is a DIY affair that celebrates women and also connects communities on a series of small, scattered islesThink of a film festival and images of celebrities, paparazzi and throngs of tourists might spring to mind, but one festival on a Hebridean island does things a little differently. The Sea Change film festival, which runs from Friday to Sunday, has been attracting the public and the film industry to Tiree (population about 650) in the Inner Hebrides for t
  
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• Waterford revival: the reinvention of Ireland’s oldest city

  19-09-2024 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  From Viking history, to its wild coastline and even its ‘damp’ weather, Waterford has taken its natural assets and run with themIt was a pretty long interregnum, about 1,000 years, but Waterford is once again a hot travel destination.The Vikings were the first to popularise this corner of south-east Ireland, liking it so much they settled, built a town and called it Vadrarfjordr, Norse for “winter port”, around AD914. There was no better refuge for weary raiders to rest a
  
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• Mountains, beaches, history – why Belgrade to Bar is one of the best train rides in Europe

  18-09-2024 08:00 via theguardian.com
  The 300-mile line between Serbia and Montenegro, built in Tito’s era, connects city and seaside for a blissful Balkan holidayIt started with a disagreement. Where to go on an early autumn break? I wanted a city and history, my boyfriend wanted coast and stunning scenery. The solution? Two days in the Serbian capital Belgrade, a train ride to Montenegro, and some time on the Adriatic. In the end, the cinematic train journey proved the real star of the show.Belgrade is an eclectic mix of Hab
  
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• Walks with a focal point: five of the best UK hikes with extras

  17-09-2024 08:00 via theguardian.com
  From a wire bridge near Ben Nevis to a wild swim in Devon, these walks come with a unique manmade or natural element to look forward to as you strollEven the best walk needs a focal point, an extra something that makes the whole day come alive. For me the swim is the default choice. I’ll jump in that river, lake or sea at any time of year, but there are many other, less bracing, options. These five walks bring a range of highlights. Continue reading...
  
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• Share a tip on your favourite forest escapes in the UK

  16-09-2024 17:47 via theguardian.com
  
  Tell us about your favourite woodland walks and activities in the UK – the best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays breakAutumn is the most magical time of year in the UK’s woodlands, with the leaves turning from green to gold and red. Tell us about your favourite ways to soak up the seasonal splendour – from woodland walks to forest glamping, foraging, bushcraft activities and treetop adventure trails – and you could win a £200 holiday voucher.If you have a rel
  
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• A late summer break in Montpellier, one of France’s sunniest cities

  16-09-2024 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The reinvention of Montpellier from ancient university town to ‘Berlin by the Med’ is in full swing, and late summer is the best time to visit Strolling around the Estanove district, just south-west of Montpellier centre, it’s hard not to feel excited by how this Mediterranean city is transforming for the 21st century. Here, on a brownfield former military site next to leafy Parc Montcalm, the city is building one of several “eco” districts – this one will lin
  
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• Dream ’scapes: Europe’s 10 best surrealist trips for art lovers

  15-09-2024 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Celebrate the centenary of surrealism in Europe with a trip to the art movement’s key spaces and placesThis autumn, the dreamy, subconscious world of surrealism will come into full focus. September 2024 marks 100 years since André Breton founded the movement. Not only are there exhibitions across Europe to celebrate the anniversary but, from Mallorca to Sussex and Rome, it’s a chance to lose yourself in the artists’ homes and studios. Continue reading...
  
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• A last blast of summer: five cities in southern Europe perfect for late-season sun

  14-09-2024 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The sun is still shining brightly in southern Europe, but the crowds have gone, which makes these gorgeous seaside cities even more alluringSaying Genoa has a lot of palaces is like saying Venice is full of canals. Still, they are one of the defining features of a city that has one of the biggest old towns in Europe, ideal for exploring on warm autumn days. More than 100 Renaissance and baroque palaces are still standing, 42 of which comprise the Unesco-listed Palazzi del Rolli. Lots are open to
  
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• My favourite late summer city break in southern Europe: readers’ tips

  13-09-2024 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Beaches on Sardinia, food markets in Aix-en-Provence and historic Sarajevo are among our tipsters’ highlightsThe town of San Remo on the Ligurian coast, between Genoa and Nice, has the air of a faded grand old lady, a little bit down on her luck but with plenty of dash still on offer. Blessed with the most enticing and charming streets of a medieval old town that meanders upwards in car-free bliss, on the way have lunch at La Ciotola (Via S Stefano 4) where the ravioli is homemade and supe
  
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