How to get around Pakistan by road, rail and air

At 18 years old, I moved to Madrid, Spain, to become an au pair for the summer. 

Airlines around the world are facing scrutiny from advertising and consumer agencies, regulators, and courts over allegedly making misleading claims about their sustainability efforts, sometimes dubbed “greenwashing”.

TUI-owned FirstChoice.co.uk has relaunched as a vibrant new travel and experiences booking platform as the brand looks to strengthen its position with the flexible, independent traveler.

Soho House is a brand with bona fide British celebrity and royal bragging rights: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had their first date at one in London. Soho Farmhouse, the brand's countryside inn a two-hour drive outside London, has hosted everyone from former U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron to Princess Eugenie and (my personal favorite) top-selling U.K. band Girls Aloud.

One of Asia’s most fascinating countries, Pakistan lies off the mainstream travel map, but those who do visit rave about its historic monuments, spectacular scenery, fabulous food and richly layered culture. Visiting throws up some challenges, but it’s getting easier all the time, helped by an improving security situation and easing visa regulations. 

With its incredible range of spectacular scenery, Pakistan offers some truly epic road trips. With a rented car and driver – or your own wheels – you can drive the world’s most dramatic mountain highway, follow historic invasion and trade routes, drift between Sufi shrines and desert forts, or follow the mighty Indus River from the high mountains to the Arabian Sea. 

Budget-friendly Pakistan should be an obvious choice for cost-conscious travelers who want a proper adventure without breaking the bank. Most of the country is accessible by public transport and you can find accommodation and food at budget prices wherever you go. 

Pakistan is one of the world’s great surprises, with an incredible diversity of scenery – from the world’s biggest mountain glaciers to the sparkling waters of the Indus River – alongside some of the most beautiful forts, mosques and archaeological sites in the Subcontinent. It is the cultural bridge between India and Central Asia and home to some of the most hospitable people you’ll ever meet.

Singapore’s extensive public transportation system makes navigating this compact country a breeze. 

Record temperatures. Fires in Canada that covered New York in a dystopian haze. Floods that left one-third of Pakistan underwater. Sea ice levels at an all-time low. You don’t have to look far to find evidence that the climate emergency is getting rapidly worse.

Several years ago I was asked to judge the homemade wines at a local agricultural show. I have written to tight deadlines at World Cups and delivered a speech in the Long Room at Lord’s; neither filled me with quite the same feelings of pressure and anxiety. I knew how seriously such competitions are taken, the strength of feelings they evoke. I had nightmares of being strangled with a siphoning tube. Fortunately my co-judge was more experienced and sanguine. She also held the old-fashioned opinion that swirling the wines around your mouth before spitting them in a bucket was uncouth, and so following her lead I drank a small glass of each. There were more than 20 entries, and after half an hour my fears had dematerialised into a fuzzy summer glow.

Flights to and from the UK are facing delays Monday after the air traffic control operator suffered technical problems.