2024 Readers' Choice Awards Survey

Bergen is often referred to as “the city between seven mountains” – which encapsulates its blend of culture and nature. Lose yourself in its charming old town, fish markets, galleries and museums, then hike or take a funicular up Mount Fløyen for views and pine forest trekking. Bergen is a great base from which to day trip. Using direct buses/trains, you can go to Gudvangen to kayak across the fjord to your own secluded beach for a picnic lunch, or pop to Voss for its water sports, hiking and farm-to-fork food (Store Ringheim is my top pick).Seb

One of the most incredible bird scenes in Europe took place as I hiked through the Bielawa nature reserve in northern Poland, about 40 miles north of Gdansk. I had left the village of Sławoszyno via a dirt track and was heading towards Kłanino, the open countryside and fields disappearing from my sight as the hedgerows grew taller either side of me. As I stepped forward, a gap appeared in the hedge and in front of my eyes a flock of nearly 100 cranes, which had been silent, took off across the field, honking with their red-tinged heads and faces, and feathery wing feathers flapping. I could almost touch them. The 19,000-hectare (47,000-acre) park is a mix of forest, wetland and coast. Rita

Michelin announced its 2024 stars for Florida— Miami, Orlando and Tampa— at a ceremony held at the Tampa Edition last April 18. For its third edition, 26 restaurants made the list (14 in Miami, 7 in Orlando, 5 in Tampa), with nine new entries this year.

The latest consumer spending data from GetYourGuide reveals a surge in demand for unique travel experiences and activities that align with personal passions.

Hotelbeds, which had planned on an IPO in Spain this summer, has reportedly delayed those ambitions until the tail end of 2024 or early next year.

Whether you’re a seasoned pro who will only travel with carry-on luggage, or you’re a vacation maven who loves to bring plenty of options, layers are undoubtably part of the packing equation. Even if a warm and sunny destination is on the horizon, airplanes are often chilly, which requires a sweater or scarf to keep you comfortable while floating from point A to point B. The key is to think ahead and utilize versatile clothing options that are ideal for fickle ever-changing weather, in the air or on the ground.

World Travel Awards has revealed that its Grand Final 2024 will take place in the idyllic Atlantic islands of Madeira on 24 November. The leaders and figureheads of global travel and tourism will gather in the capital Funchal to find out who amongst them has been voted the industry’s best of the best.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has disclosed several important productive outcomes from a series of high-level stakeholder engagements at Seatrade Cruise Global 2024 in Miami, Florida, the industry’s premier annual event. The conference was held from April 8-11.

In the modern airline business, companies are usually divided by their “low-cost” or “legacy” models. The upstarts versus the old guard.

The results are in from the 2024 London Spirits Competition and there are some serious surprises in the mix. As one of Europe’s most prestigious tasting events, the annual judging brings together 40 esteemed palates from throughout all walks of the booze industry. What they ordain as the best of the best—across a total of 29 different categories—can provide a massive boost to brands, especially upstart craft purveyors.

Planning a vacation this summer? Yeah, you and just about everyone else.

Instead of a four-hour road trip from Koman to Fierzë, relax and enjoy the Albanian fjords via the Drin River. We reversed on to the Berisha ferry, which takes 10 cars, plus foot passengers. Everyone sits on deck, regardless of the weather, to take in the views, which began with an incredibly straight white line high in the rock, showing the water level during the rainy season. The scenery was magnificent with forest-clad hills and high, rocky mountains with various coloured strata. Occasionally, a remote, isolated house could be seen. After two hours, we began spotting small tourist boats and hardy kayakers before arriving at Fierzë.Roy Messenger