Travel in city Portsmouth

“Being able to watch the journey out of the cabin window, seeing France fade away and Spain come into view, you experience the travel and the journey itself as part of the trip, rather than it being a means to an end. We both really love that,” says Katie Nicholson, who recently became a digital nomad, setting sail with Brittany Ferries from the UK to Spain on a new adventure with her partner, Ciaran.

I’ve enjoyed a lovely four- to five-day circular trip using ferries and bikes. We took the Brittany Ferries overnight sailing from Portsmouth-St Malo, then cycled along La Véloscénie [signposted cycle route] passing Mont Saint-Michel. At Domfront we took La Vélo Francette to Ouistreham and then the ferry back to Portsmouth. At least three-quarters of the ride is off road along former railway track cycle paths that are well maintained. Plenty of accommodation is available. With the exception of a hilly few miles around Flers, it’s all very easy and with the prevailing wind. The final 40 miles from the impressive Viaduc de Clécy is all downhill, passing Pegasus Bridge.Keith Perry

When the temperatures are dropping across the US and you’ve made it through the stress of the holidays, you may find yourself in desperate need of a vacay. But when it comes time to look at flights, and maybe trip packages, you may notice something when you start to type “D-o-m” into the search bar: instead of flights to the Dominican Republic, you see flights to Dominica. Maybe you’ve heard of the island, or maybe it’s your first time — or maybe you didn’t even know that Dominica and the Dominican Republic were two different countries.

A dream vacation became a maritime nightmare for those onboard a cruise ship caught in a fierce storm in the Bay of Biscay that left 100 people injured over the weekend, according to media reports.

Anchored by the city of Bilbao, the Basque province of Biscay in northern Spain encompasses some of the country’s most beautiful landscapes and one of Spain’s most distinctive cultures. Forest-covered mountains hide alpine cabins and religious sanctuaries where Christianity rubs shoulders with pagan Basque mythology, while the coastline is peppered with coves, caves and islands. The region is also spared the blistering heat of southern Spain and there’s just enough rain to keep the countryside a glittering emerald green. And those who prefer not to fly can reach Biscay easily via the twice-weekly ferry from Portsmouth to Bilbao. 

I grew up in a terrace house in Portsmouth. At one end of the street was Fratton Park, where the local football team played, and at the other was the Istanbul Grill House. Only one of these venues was in the habit of providing value for money.

Every autumn, my father would load our family of five into his already ancient 1928 Morris and set off from our home in Portsmouth. Laden, as we were, with baskets, boots, crooked walking sticks, gloves and Elastoplasts, we were off blackberry picking. Apart from annual trips to collect cockles from the mud of Langstone Harbour, I loved those early autumn days more than any other. Unlike school, early-1960s television and just about everything else, they felt so very real; not just athing to do but the thing to do.

I’ve got a bit of a thing for my elders. As a kid I wouldn’t leave my great-aunt alone. In my early 30s, I went on six coach holidays with a load of strangers twice my age for my book, The Gran Tour. So it won’t come as a surprise to learn that I recently dragged my old man to Scarborough for a mini-break. When I say dragged, I’m only half-joking. He didn’t fancy the coach ride, for a start. For the first hour of the journey north from Portsmouth, Dad behaved like a hostage, but by the time we’d reached Reading he was leaning across the aisle to help a couple with the crossword.

If you’re planning on visiting any of these destinations, you should read up on how to spot bedbugs in your hotel room (and what to do about it). Pest control company Orkin just released its list of the top cities for bedbugs, using data from both residential and commercial (i.e., vacation rentals and hotels) calls. Orkin noted which destinations had more bedbug outbreaks (Los Angeles, for example, moved up two spots on the list), and which had fewer (good job, New York, dropping four places).

Last summer I took a cruise of the Baltic. I wanted to know if a millennial could cruise independently and still have a laugh. (They can. Just.) I was writing a book about fun at the time, and fancied that two weeks of shuffleboard and Nordic stop-offs might prove a decent source of the f-stuff. And so it proved. Though I could have done with more than an hour in Stockholm.

The 6th June 2019 marks the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Landings in Normandy. To mark the occasion, in this Rough Guides podcast episode we take a look at how the Second World War is memorialised across Europe, and the importance of doing commemorating such events.

From whales in Iceland to the pink penguins of Hong Kong harbour, here's ten of our favourite holidays for seeing whales and dolphins, taken from the pages of travel bible Great Escapes. Let us know your own below.

England’s south coast makes for an epic summer road trip, with the Jurassic Coast stretching from Exmouth to Old Harry Rocks; fishing villages tucked into ancient coves; and plenty of sandy beaches. As the old adage goes, it’s about the journey, not the destination, and what a journey I had on my first campervan holiday with three pals and a dog. To plan your own adventure on England's south coast, the Rough Guide to Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and the Rough Guides Staycations Devon and Cornwall are your essential guides.

With a huge rise in local travel, UK breaks are ever popular right now. There are plenty of thriving city breaks to be had, from exploring the fascinating museums in Liverpool to heading to the sea in Portsmouth. Read our guide to the best cheap city breaks in the UK, and get inspired to escape the everyday. Start planning your affordable UK city break.