Famed luxury train is returning to Southeast Asia with two new routes

Located in the centre of New Zealand's North Island, the town of Taupo sits sublimely in the shadow of the snow-capped peaks of Tongariro National Park. Fittingly, this 40,000-person lakeside town has recently become one of New Zealand's most popular tourist destinations, as hikers, trout fishers, water sports enthusiasts and adrenaline junkies have started descending upon it.

Get thee to New York's museums and get thee to them now. There's an end in sight to summer's dog days, and with the promise of cooler early-autumn days comes a fresh turnover in the exhibitions on offer throughout the city. Some of the big summer tentpoles—Africa Fashion at the Brooklyn Museum, installations at both MoMA and MoMA PS1—will run all the way into October, so if you haven't made your way to them yet, there's still time. Joining these holdovers are a myriad of newer options, the variety of which ensures that there's something for everyone. Find our guide below. 

India serves up travel on a massive scale. The journey from northern Ladakh to the tip of Tamil Nadu covers 3214km (2000 miles), and it’s a 2933km (1822-mile) trip from the western edge of Gujarat to the eastern border of Manipur in the Northeast States.

Riding the rails is one of the greatest joys of any India adventure, whether you’re trundling high up into the hills aboard a Unesco-listed miniature train or clattering along the sun-drenched, coast-hugging Konkan Railway.

A few days before I was due to return to London from Sydney, I upgraded my $6,500 British Airways ticket from business class to first class for an additional $500. 

Royal Caribbean already operates the world’s largest cruise ship—Wonder of the Seas—but next January it will break that record with Icon of the Seas, which boasts 2,805 staterooms (including more than 1,800 with balconies) and 179 suites. Nearly 1,200 feet long, Icon of the Seas has 20 decks and features a 55-foot-waterfall, multiple pools and waterparks and a “chill island” and a “thrill island”—depending on a passenger’s vibe.

Enter the Liberty Richter “Kitchens of India” sweepstakes by June 15, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a six-day trip for two to New Delhi, India, including air, transfers, and hotel.

Zika virus, the mosquito-related disease that’s prompted travel advisories across the Caribbean as well as Central and South America, is now in Southeast Asia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

Almost all recent action in startup airlines has come from outside the U.S. We already see WOW and Norwegian, with a handful of other European lines gearing up and even one line from Asia (Malaysia’s AirAsia X). Prospects for home-based startup lines are pretty dim, but they’re not quite zero. Two are worth watching; a third new airline is pretty ephemeral so far.

Though I pride myself on being an independent traveler—I was in the United States Peace Corps in Paraguay for two years, have been to six continents, and spent multiple years reviewing hotels across the U.S. and around the world, by myself— India is one country that I’ve never considered visiting as a solo traveler.