‘Chat, countryside, laughing and love’: readers’ favourite family holidays

In welcome news for travellers who want more from their city breaks, Milan offers easy access to a host of handsome destinations. Interest piqued? Read on to discover the 12 best day trips from Milan. From exploring some of Lombardy's lakes, and discovering Bologna’s gastronomic delights, to revelling in Verona’s romance, this rundown might just leave you longing to extend your trip.

I moved to Spain about a year ago and at one of my first meals in Madrid, I saw a handsome young couple drinking some kind of unidentifiable light brown cocktail on ice with a wedge of orange and green olives. It was before noon and I was stumped. I had to know what it was. Vermouth, they told me.

Universal Orlando Resort has officially entered its super-villain era: The new Minion Land section of the theme park that opened today is dedicated to its mischievous yellow henchmen, with snack outposts along Illumination Avenue serving banana-flavored treats.

Lots of us are choosing to holiday with friends rather than family. According to a survey by Expedia of 24,000 adults across 17 countries, 65% of people planning to travel in the next 36 months will be doing so with friends. Holidaying with your mates is great fun – but the sudden change from casual socialising to spending 24/7 together can be challenging. Here’s how to navigate some common sources of stress – and ensure you’re all still speaking to each other when you get home.

In the wake of Covid, travel insurance sales have spiked with the rebound in travel as people seek to protect their investments against flight delays and cancellations, extreme weather events and the persistence of the virus. But travel insurance is complicated with a range of benefits, inclusions and prices. Here’s what you need to know before you buy.

Landscapes as green and lovely as everyone says. Literary giants in Dublin; Titanic history in Belfast. A pint and good craic in a traditional pub. The lure of Celtic legends.

”Hong Kong is a photographer’s dream,” says Geraint Rowland. “It’s got impressive architecture and the busy streets teem with life, day and night.” The Wanderlust Travel Photo of the Year winner was blown away by the territory. As part of their dual-destination photo commission, the four winners of the UK’s biggest travel photography competition were first guided around Hong Kong and its many islands. They soon discovered there were plenty of opportunities to point their lenses, whether the neon skyscrapers, the old neighbourhoods from which the city evolved or one of the 260 outlying islands, whose slower pace of life, unusual wildlife and natural landscapes offer a contrast to that famous urban bustle.

It’s no longer something to keep hidden.

Is “The Happiest Place on Earth” rightly so-called? One prominent politician thinks not.

The latest study from J.D. Power proves something you might have already suspected: Air travelers aren’t too happy. The 2019 North America Airport Satisfaction Study found that travelers’ satisfaction with domestic airports plateaued this year amidst widespread delays and crowds. According to the findings, the halt in passenger satisfaction comes after several years of rapid growth.

The most iconic structure in the United States is not the Empire State Building, but like the emblematic skyscraper, it’s located in New York. The Statue of Liberty, known throughout the world as a symbol of the United States’ most important values: freedom and democracy, remains mysterious to many. From its color to its origins and its weight, there is plenty people want to know about Lady Liberty (a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1984) before they pay it a visit.

There are few tourism destinations out there that have avoided the scourge of high-rise condos, Quarter Pounders, and traffic lights. And if that destination happens to be our planet at its most beautiful? Forget about it.