An alternative guide to Leeds: a city with an independent spirit

There aren’t many people who can claim to have seen a snowman fly over their house. It may sound fantastical, but every Christmas I settle down to watch The Snowman, Raymond Briggs’s best-loved work, and watch as the red-haired boy and the plump, tangerine-nosed snowman swoop over the downs that surround the village where I live before gliding above the Royal Pavilion and Brighton Pier and on out to sea.

For adventurous moms who love the outdoors, get them something they really want this year. Rather than the traditional flowers, perfume, or home goods route, why not show the intrepid mothers in your life how much you really see them and care about their interests and passions?

From Moorish monuments and Roman ruins to Gothic gargoyles and modern marvels, these cities have glorious design masterpieces. 

This Mother’s Day, why not treat your loved one with a special present to ease their travels? A soft scarf or cosy socks, for instance, are the equivalent of a cuddle in a gift and are perfect for travel-loving mums while in flight or in transit. Here are our top picks of the best accessories for stylish travelers.

Traveling to Europe in the summer months is a rite of passage—steamy nights spent in the south of Spain, snoozy days on the most beautiful Greek islands, breezy afternoons sipping rosé on a terrace in the South of France. But as tourism levels continue to rise after a few quiet years, and peak-season temperatures climb from Italy to Croatia, is the appeal of a big European summer holiday dwindling?

Home to the Dukes of Marlborough since 1705, Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. Set in over 2,000 acres of Lancelot “Capability” Brown landscaped parkland and designed by Sir John Vanbrugh, who also designed Castle Howard, Yorkshire, this imposing palace is the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. The Baroque style palace is a fittingly grand location for an exhibition celebrating figures from fashion, one of the UK’s most successful industries. The just opened Icons of British Fashion features a line-up of world-class designers and labels, with each fashion house taking over a significant room.

Did you know the City of Las Vegas is not the Las Vegas Strip? For that, you would have to go to the unincorporated City of Paradise.

Spirit Airlines and Airbus have agreed to defer all its aircraft expected to be delivered in 2025 and 2026 to 2030-2031 as the airline seeks to improve its financial position following its failed merger with JetBlue. 

In the 15th century, the Chapultepec Forest in Mexico City was laid out by aqueducts that carried water from the streams to the baths and temazcales (a steam bath). At that time, it was the greenest area in the basin.

A manor house nestled in the Sierra de Tramuntana – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – Hotel Valldemossa is just a ten-minute stroll from the quaint village of the same name which was once described by world renowned nineteenth century composer, Frédéric Chopin, as “the most beautiful place in the world.” 

The airline will soon add an extra daily service in April 2024, bringing the total number of weekly frequencies to 31 in the peak of the summer season. This rotation will also be operated with an Airbus A220-100.

For those wishing to experience a taste of what the city has to offer, the Vienna Tourist Board is unveiling their innovate new marketing campaign, “microdose vienna”.