A first-timer's guide to Sonoma, California

When a northern, sea-bound island goes by the nickname “The Rock,” you already have a good idea of what to expect. Newfoundland is a place of elemental beauty where the Earth’s mantle is one of the attractions. Stiff breezes can build to roaring winds off the cold Atlantic, pushing around icebergs and tossing fishing boats, even in coves protected by jagged cliffs where clouds of seabirds nest.

A piece of Canadian history, Banff National Park is the world’s third-oldest national park and, over the course of its 140-year existence, has managed to walk a fine line between easy access and careful environmental protection.

Ross Clarke recently returned from Fuerteventura where he was researching for the upcoming Canary Islands guidebook (publishing November 2024). This is his ultimate guide to planning your holiday to Fuerteventura.

Ross Clarke has recently returned from Gran Canaria where he was researching for the upcoming Canary Islands guidebook (publishing November 2024). Here he creates the ultimate guide to help you start planning your vacation to the Canaries' third-largest island.

It’s been 30 years since the Eurostar first connected London to mainland Europe via the Channel Tunnel. As an Australian living in London, I cannot tell you how excited I was the first time I arrived at St Pancras “International” to board a Paris-bound train. 

Alberta is home to some of the most awe-inspiring scenery on the planet: rugged snow-capped mountains, massive glaciers, thick forests, impossibly blue lakes, vast prairies and other-worldly badlands filled with dinosaur bones. It’s a nature lover’s paradise, but that's only one side of this remarkable destination.

Since time immemorial, Mother Nature has been hard at work in Arches National Park, famous for its namesake rock formations that splash soaring arcs of red-orange sandstone against the bright blue sky of Utah. True to its name, Arches has the highest concentration of natural stone arches of anywhere on Earth, from the graceful 306ft-long Landscape Arch to tucked-away Delicate Arch, a Utah icon so photo-worthy that it’s emblazoned on the state’s license plates.

Edmonton does things big: it’s home to Canada’s largest sports and entertainment district, the largest stretch of urban parkland in North America, the oldest and largest fringe theater festival in North America and one of the largest shopping malls on the planet. But underneath that big, bold surface is a vibrant capital city with an unpretentious population and a rich and diverse culture.

A mind-boggling glimpse into layers upon layers of Earth’s planetary past, Canyonlands National Park is Utah's largest – and least visited – national park, even though part of it sits a short distance away from Arches National Park, a 40-minute drive from the town of Moab.

Sleeper trains are making a welcome comeback and it’s easy to see why; they’re more environmentally-friendly and sustainable than air travel, as well as being a fun and, often, comfortable way of traveling. 

The smallest of Utah’s "Mighty 5" national parks, Bryce Canyon packs a big punch. The first time you clap eyes on its iconic hoodoos – those otherworldly rock spires striped with orange, pink and red – is a moment you’ll never forget, even if you’ve seen photos of them before. This incredible park is home to more hoodoos than anywhere else in the world.

Once dismissed as a sleepy retirement home for aging Anglophiles, Vancouver Island has acquired a racier profile in recent years, courtesy of its free-spirited surfing towns, pastoral wineries, community-built biking networks and extravagantly eccentric accommodations.