Luxury Travel And Value: Why Your Best Europe Trip Might Be A Cruise

Ryland Peters & Small, £22

In Lonely Plan-It, we take you step by step through how we planned some of the most complicated travel adventures. Here, Craig McLachlan explains how to make the most out of your biking adventure to this South Pacific paradise’s deep south.

Paris, Rome, Berlin, Amsterdam – Europe’s major capital cities get a lot of fanfare, and rightly so. But they can become victims of their own popularity with inflated prices and over-tourism. With lively cultural and food scenes, friendly locals and a strong sense of identity, the less obvious secondary cities can sometimes offer a more rewarding experience to travellers. From Trieste to Trondheim, Coimbra to Kraków, we’d like to hear about your favourite small European cities.

From enjoying the thrill of chasing the northern lights to sailing down the world-famous Norwegian fjords and hiking iconic trails, Norway is renowned for its natural attractions. Yet as with the rest of Scandinavia, the vast majority of Norwegians live and work in cities.

For Europeans, fall in America looks like the stuff of wanderlust, with fiery trees and pumpkin spice lattes à la Gilmore Girls. 

A luxury cruise ship that ran aground off Greenland’s eastern coastline earlier this week has been successfully freed, Denmark’s military Joint Arctic Command said on Thursday.

Everything about Las Vegas feels indulgent, from the glittering lights on the Strip to the cacophony of casino slot machines and all-you-can-eat buffets. However, perhaps nothing in Las Vegas is more indulgent than the luxury hotel suites that sit high above the Strip.

When planning a city break, modern travelers consider a range of pros and cons. Are the hotels up to standard? Where are the tastiest places to eat? And what exactly is there to do in the city?

Around 3,000 reefs contribute to the world’s largest underwater ecosystem, the Great Barrier Reef. Clownfish, whale sharks, manta rays, green turtles, and giant clams are just some of the marine species residing amid this Coral Sea marvel. Although so mammoth it can be spotted from space, a trip to the moon is a stretch too far for the average adventurer. A myriad of cruises, snorkeling tours, and helicopter flights depart from towns and cities along the tropical Queensland coast. Cairns, Airlie Beach, Townsville, and Port Douglas are the most convenient options although it’s even possible to sleep on an offshore island. Only catamaran away from the corals, these Airbnbs near the Great Barrier Reef are as phenomenal as the natural wonder.

When I planned my two-week backpacking trip through six European cities across four countries in October 2022, the last thing I expected was to be blown away by my budget bookings. 

US and UK saw respective deal volume reducing to almost half; China emerges as notable exception.

During the week of May 22, North America (NORAM) and Latin America (LATAM) each saw a nearly 10% week-over-week (WoW) increase in searches leading up to Memorial Day weekend in the U.S., indicating that those travelers were booking at the last minute, especially ahead of holiday weekends.