Adventure in the great outdoors on the Isle of Man

All travel is by definition quixotic — the most seasoned globetrotters can be led on wild goose chases, deceived, and/or just plain make huge mistakes all by themselves about what's around that next corner. Trekking up to the Scottish highlands to look for "Nessie," aka, the Loch Ness "monster," allegedly "sighted" — perhaps even several times — a half-century ago in the Highlands' breathtakingly gorgeous 23-mile-long freshwater lake just south of Inverness, is an epic, decades-long wild goose chase.

The fortunes of this estuary island are linked to the tides

I spent the first seven years of my life in the United Kingdom and still have some British terms and phrases in my vocabulary.

With its white-sand beaches and sparkling turquoise seas framed by palm trees, lush greenery and soaring mountains, there could hardly be a more romantic destination than the Caribbean. Whether you want to snorkel with spectacular sea life, indulge in a moonlit dinner á deux, have your cares massaged away or lounge together in a private cabana, the Caribbean offers the ultimate idyllic couples’ escape.

In this time of isolation, businesses and individuals around the world are sending out messages of hope. Discover, in photos, how we’re keeping our spirits up during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before I went to sleepaway camp, my dad said my life was about to change forever. The oldest of five boys, summer camp temporarily granted him only child status and freed him of his bad reputation at Catholic school.

Cushioned by the North Shore Mountains, Vancouver is interrupted by pockets of greenery and bay views. The natural landscapes are matched by the port city’s art museums, vibrant food culture, and wine bars that show off what British Colombia is capable of. Downtown Vancouver, BC, hotels put you within walking distance of the main sights and are just a short subway or boat ride to outlying spots. These are the best luxury hotels in Vancouver for living the high life on Canada’s West Coast.

Up on Cornwall’s Penwith Moors time takes a strange quality. Here the landscape is a morass of knotted bracken and bristly gorse, a soft marigold tinge signalling warmer summer days. A grey smudge of cloud sags on the horizon and the wind whirs like white noise, a low and disorientating murmur. The topography is a palimpsest, with working farms etched over ruinous mines and prehistoric settlements. And at its heart is a scattering of ancient stones, the enigmatic quoits, barrows and stone circles that have captivated and confounded societies for millennia.

From the historic chateaux of the Loire valley to the sunshine glamour of the French Riviera, and the quaint villages of Brittany, a holiday to France never fails to delight, offering something there for everyone.

In Cuba, the car is not king. For a country whose image for visitors has become so inseparable with classic 1950s American automobiles, this is a remarkably auto-free nation. The most recently available World Bank statistics (from 2011) indicate that there are just 21 passenger cars per 1000 people in Cuba (in the UK it’s 457 and the USA 423). That means a lot of quiet roads. Hop on a bike and you’ve got the run of the place.

The Great Lakes comprise the largest body of fresh water on the planet and more than 35,000 islands are found in the water system. Not all are inhabited and some aren't much more than a single rock jutting out of the lake with a lighthouse on it – but the inhabited ones provide the perfect opportunity for a weekend getaway. Here's our list of the best islands in the Great Lakes.

In the quiet Parisian suburb of Les Lilas, down an anonymous side street, is a scarlet door. I knock on it three times; no one answers. I wander around the corner to look for another entrance. Beyond a wrought iron padlocked gate is a thickly overgrown garden; beyond that, a frosted window dimly illuminated by a flickering light. A wonky sign saying ‘Musée’ is stuffed between the foliage and the bars of the gate. This is definitely the place — Paris' Vampire Museum.