How taking up running changed the way I travel

If you think European holiday destinations have been crowded this year, you’re right.

Istanbul is a city of dizzying personality changes, from the village-like neighborhoods of antique shops and carpet boutiques to the majestic, glittering mosques dominating the skyline.

The most famous of New York City’s five boroughs is Manhattan. The hippest is Brooklyn. There’s the forgotten one (Staten Island) and the one that tourists only visit to go to a Yankees game (the Bronx). Then there’s the most interesting one: Queens, a borough of two-million-plus people and among the most ethnically diverse swathes of land in North America.

When Muchi Gubwe was a fledgling hotel concierge in Cape Town, he would often refer to his seasoned colleagues as “moving encyclopedias.”

The 18th Dubai Airshow is upon us, and this year’s is setting up as a contest between UAE and Saudi Arabia – which country will order more aircraft? 

British Colonial, an iconic Nassau hotel steeped in more than 100 years of local history, will reopen this winter, showcasing a highly anticipated redesign inclusive of its guest rooms, public spaces, amenities, and onsite programs. The hotel’s 288 newly redesigned rooms, including 25 signature suites, occupy seven floors of the building and feature luxurious marble bathrooms, 50” flat-screen televisions, and desks designed for corporate and business travellers looking to work remotely with ease. Highlights include the spacious Prime Minister Suite and One-Bedroom Suites with adjoining parlours. Additional options include City View, Garden View, Oceanview and Premium Oceanview rooms - though with 21 different layouts due to the building’s unique design, there are very few rooms alike. Detailed wallpaper designs rotate between tropical palms, opaque garden-scapes and historical renderings. Dark wood cabinetry and bold, geometric tiling that offer a nod to the roaring twenties are softly juxtaposed by tropical prints and deep garden green, ocean blue and coral hues emblematic of The Bahamas’ nature.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Norm Bour, a 69-year-old nomad who prefers ferry travel. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

Imagine taking nearly three months to meander across Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America, reveling in the romantic atmosphere of first-class train travel all the while. From your individual suite on board—or a seat in a gleaming bar car—you’d soak in the unique landscapes of each continent that whoosh past your window, making stops to explore historical marvels, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and picturesque cities.

While metropolises like New Delhi and Mumbai continue to be on the travel list, leisure destinations like Udaipur, Puri, Goa, Jaipur and Munnar are some of the top searched domestic destinations during the festive season (between November 10-14), according to Booking.com.

For her family vacation next year, Liz Thimm has booked a 10-day trip to Bocas del Toro, Panama, in February. She requested time off from her pharmacist job a year in advance, checked out guidebooks from the library and has shared itinerary ideas with her daughter and son — who are 11 and 9 — to involve them in the planning process. One thing she has not and will not do? Schedule the trip around a school vacation.

On a sunny October afternoon in the London neighborhood of Bermondsey, a cool breeze surprised me with the winy smell of apples. It brought on a sudden sharp craving for a nice chunk of Cheddar, the fruit and the cheese together being a favorite after-school snack when I was growing up in Connecticut. This was an appropriate prompt, too, since I was on my way to a very privileged lesson in British farmhouse cheeses at the beginning of an eight-day, cheese-themed trip to London and Somerset run by the specialty tour company Cheese Journeys.

A new study commissioned by hotel chain Premier Inn has revealed the “most beautiful” cities to visit in the fall. The study used eye-tracking technology to record the average length of time the participants spent looking at the image of each destination to find which cities around the world were considered the most eye-catching during the autumn months.