Travel in city Waterloo

The lights are twinkling, the mulled wine is flowing and London’s festive season is in full swing. 

Jun 10, 2024 • 12 min read

London is a world unto itself and it's only natural that many travelers never look beyond the confines of the city limits.

Standing under the iron ribcage of London’s St Pancras station, it’s impossible not to feel a thrill as Eurostar trains whisk passengers away from the city and under the sea. In just two-and-a-half hours, travellers can step out into the French capital, where one of the greatest railway journeys truly begins. 

Anyone who visits London for the first time is sure to concentrate on eternal sights like Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and the British Museum.

Smaller than Wales, Belgium’s southern, mainly French-speaking region may be compact but packs a diverse punch. Wallonia is a jewel of a destination that sparkles with centuries of history, architectural splendour, glorious nature, fascinating culture, wonderful gastronomy and beautiful cities, towns and villages.

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).

Forest bathing is no walk in the park. In fact, it’s more than that. A form of nature therapy, forest bathing originated as a Japanese practice in the 1980s. Known as shinrin-yoku it was conceived as a way to alleviate the stress levels of overwhelmed salarymen. The idea is very simple – just soaking up the atmosphere of a forest – but in recent years the practice has found an international audience.