How to plan a food weekend in South Somerset

2023 has been full steam ahead for rail transport with a roster of new train routes and destinations announced.

This getaway is an opportunity to truly unplug for the weekend with limited reception in the valley.

Charles Darwin was 22 years old when he first peeled a banana. “Maukish & sweet with little flavor,” he noted in his journal from Santiago, the main island in the Cape Verde archipelago off the coast of West Africa. He preferred oranges and tamarinds, feasting at every opportunity on tropical fruit after three awful weeks at sea.

With a contemporary Scandinavian design, the hotels 138 rooms and suites provide a calming setting with natural materials, wooden details and rich, earthy colors that pay homage to its African surroundings.

South Korea has announced that it will launch a new visa specifically for enthusiasts of South Korean culture. The Hallyu visa, also being called the “K-culture training visa,” will allow non-Koreans who register at local performing arts academies to stay in the country for up to two years. Hallyu, which translates to “Korean Wave,” refers to the enormous global popularity of South Korea’s cultural economy exporting K-pop culture through music, films and other artistic mediums.

Britain’s most southerly port, Porthleven has swapped its traditional products of tin and china clay for some of the best gelato, seafood tapas and freshly caught fish on the Cornish coast. The Harbour Inn (doubles from £109 B&B; harbourinnporthleven.co.uk) is the place to stay, a recently refurbished pub with rooms right by the sea, serving up fish caught in nearby Newlyn and a “Chip Shop Upgrade” – curry sauce, pickled egg and onion and bread and butter. Elsewhere, Amelies (ameliesporthleven.co.uk) overlooks the fishing boats and offers small plates of Cornish mackerel pâté and salt and pepper squid, crispy pizzas and fragrant bouillabaisse. Leave room to choose at least two of the 30 flavours of ice-cream at Nauti (nautibutice.co.uk) and then stock up on Cornish treats at Pengelly’s (pengellys-porthleven.co.uk) before finally heading back home.

South Korea is embracing the “workcation” trend to launch a digital nomad visa: It starts January 1 and lets digital nomads stay for up to two years.

The Asian Cup comes around every four years, but for some countries, the wait is much longer than that.

As 2023 draws to a close, there is nothing more exciting than the prospect of planning an unforgettable trip for the coming year. If travel is on your bucket list for 2024, you're not alone. Get some inspiration with these 21 unique events happening across the globe that are worth traveling for. 

It's the good news that U.K. airport travelers have been waiting for, that very soon they will no longer need to try to fit all their travel liquids in a small plastic bag and remove them from their hand luggage to head through security before boarding a flight. However, the goal to introduce the new system into all U.K. airports by June 2024 is looking unlikely, with delays expected.

Whether you plan on spending the last few days of the year relaxing in front of the screen for some well-deserved rest, or plotting out your next travel adventure for 2024, there’s nothing like some armchair traveling to get you inspired. 

The breadth of Panama is so slender you can cross it in about an hour by car, but that doesn't mean this Central American gem isn't packed full of attractions. It’s one of the most biologically diverse places on earth, yet small enough to fit inside the state of South Carolina.