Finding London’s Most Distinctive Shops

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Tobi Oluwole, a 30-year-old former sales manager at a Big Tech firm who recently relocated to France. His former employer is known to Business Insider but is not named for confidentiality. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

When I was a kid, family vacations meant road trips to the beach or a national park in our station wagon. I didn't start stamping up my passport in earnest until I was in my early 30s.

When it comes to luxury vacations, Villas of Distinction stands out by offering more than just exquisite accommodations. The company prides itself on creating entire experiences tailored to each guest's desires. With the philosophy "If you think it, we can arrange it," Villas of Distinction's concierge team goes above and beyond to curate unforgettable moments directly within the comfort of your villa.

Oct 1, 2024 • 7 min read

The days are getting shorter and the nights cooler, marking the beginning of the “winter season” for airlines. By a quirk of the industry calendar, airlines’ official winter schedules begin at the end of October and run through March. And new schedules mean new routes.

As a beer aficionado, I've been to my fair share of brew festivals throughout the US, several of which were "Oktoberfest" themed.

London has no shortage of luxury hotels, from the Savoy to the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park to Raffles London at The OWO.

I love visiting kitschy or unique tourist landmarks on a road trip or weekend getaway. In fact, after visiting all 50 states solo, I've enjoyed my short visits to nearly all the major tourist attractions in the United States.

Autumn is a big season for hotels, especially those that represent the winds of change. In New York City, Standard International debuts its latest hotel concept, The Manner—which feels less like the hedonistic Standards of yore, and more like any of the city’s growing number of fabulous private-members clubs. Across the country in California, a beloved Laguna Beach icon enters an exciting new chapter. Salt Lake City is finally getting a new lifestyle hotel—just in time for another ski season. And the country’s first ultra-sustainable, “carbon positive” hotel opens its doors in Denver to set an example for hotels everywhere. There’s a lot happening, and a lot to explore—where will you go first? These are the most exciting new hotel openings of fall 2024.

Low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines is the most likely to bump passengers, far surpassing other major airlines in the United States. 

Since the dawn of time, the romance of railways has seduced poets, spellbound novelists, and dealt directors the perfect hand for capturing fleeting friendships, illicit affairs, and all manner of crimes and capers. A ticket is not just a permit to ride, it’s permission to trespass on the intimacies of other people’s lives. Trains bring us up close and personal—both inside and outside the carriage. On board, passengers chat politics in Finnish dining cars, clamber into couchettes above strangers on the Trans-Siberian, and share samosas on India’s many raucous mail trains. Outside, the world flashes by, a slideshow of rivers growing into oceans, deserts rising into mountains and cities sprawling then receding into darkness as the train thunders on through the night.

Near the start of 2024, Pelumi Nubi started a solo overlanding trip from London to Lagos, Nigeria. The 4,000-plus mile trip included ferries, long desert drives, and a train that doesn’t run on an exact schedule.