Conde Nast travel tips

The English capital is one of the most touristed cities anywhere in the world, with nearly 19 million arrivals in 2023—but when is the best time to visit London? While many choose to travel here during the summer to make the most of the many of the destination's parks, rooftop bars, and outdoor activities, all four seasons have something unique to offer for the traveler heading to London. Below, we break down when to visit for the best weather, the best rates, and more.

A Japanese convenience store in the northern foothills of Mount Fuji has turned into an unlikely tourist attraction in recent years thanks to a popular viewpoint of the iconic volcano.

Europe is a cornucopia of travel wonders. But as trends change and consumer demand ebbs and flows, what's the current hot destination on the Continent?

With its daily sunshine, miles of wide golden sand beaches, lush green forests, brightly colored buildings, buses, tuk tuks and smiling people, the island of Sri Lanka richly deserves its title as “Pearl of the Indian Ocean.” And it also seems fitting that Time magazine described the country’s first luxury wellness retreat, Santani, high in the Dumbara mountains above the town of Kandy, as “one of the world’s 100 best places.” Following its launch in 2018, Santani Wellness topped the “best spa” lists of the world’s lifestyle press, including Vogue, Tatler, Conde Nast Traveller and Forbes.

A beach is to a vacation is as ice cream is to apple pie: essential. We dream of beaches in Europe and we imagine that feeling of flaxen sand between our toes, the sounds of sea waves crashing on the shoreline, and the updrafts of salty ocean breeze. The small snag is, everyone else gets the same idea, and during peak seasons, carving out a spot on the shore to set out our picnic or recline with our beach read can feel like an impossible feat of engineering.

Onguma Nature Reserve on the fringe of Namibia’s iconic Etosha National Park has relaunched Onguma Tented Camp, following a refurbishment.  The tents have had an extensive makeover, with new canvas fly sheets – and the addition of an extended deck with more shade to accommodate new wood-fired hot tubs, which have proved so popular at Camp Kala – and to enjoy more time in your suite which is perfectly placed to enjoy the views over the bush as the sun sets and the Milky Way takes centre stage.

With its distinctive blend of Southern charm and sophistication, the hotel has attracted discerning travelers and dignitaries from around the world for decades.

Every traveler headed to a warm-weather destination needs a comfortable pair of walking sandals in their carry-on. Try as they might, those $4 flip-flops just aren’t going to cut it against a long day of sightseeing or an afternoon traipsing along muddy trails, and in hot weather, a sneakers-and-socks combo can feel stifling.

When I first left the hospital after my spinal injury and began adapting to life with a disability, air travel was one of the most intimidating barriers I went up against. In my former life as a non-disabled person, I had never thought about the challenges of navigating narrow aisles or accessing facilities on board an aircraft. As a paraplegic and manual wheelchair user, that privilege had been revoked.

Close your eyes and picture Tuscany, and chances are hazy romantic landscapes, cloud-grazing cypress trees and billowing hills laced with endless grapevines will spring to mind. A haven for oenophiles, the region is renowned for its prestigious wines, from Chianti and Bolgheri to Brunello di Montalcino—travelers headed to the Tuscan territories are, more often than not, ready and willing to spend their holiday taste-testing their way through bottles (crates?) of the region’s finest.

Whether you’ve recently started regular yoga classes and want to take your newfound knowledge to the next level or are a complete novice still figuring out the difference between a warrior and tree pose, a yoga retreat can be a great way to deep-dive into this multidisciplinary practice with roots in ancient India

A version of this article originally appeared in Condé Nast Traveller UK.

When it comes to packing for a wedding, there's a laundry list of essentials needed—the right dress, matching accessories, and of course, a comfortable pair of heels. A good pair of heels has the power to pull an elegant look together, but let's face it—they're not always the most enticing shoe to wear all night long and often are heavy or bulky in your suitcase.

Neutral colors, quality fabrics with few superfluous details, classic cuts, and a dearth of flashy labels—you’ll recognize these as key components of the ‘quiet luxury’ trend. Sparked in part by Succession’s morally questionable yet always stylish Roy family, the understated look has been governing our interior and wardrobe choices for the past couple of years. Now it’s quietly influencing our luggage, too.

Think of the word Portugal and, immediately, vibrant colors spring to mind: the gorgeous tones of terracotta roofs set against paper-white façades; marigold yellow cable cars and warm gray cobblestone streets; the Atlantic glittering on the horizon of coastal cities. The country offers scenes and vistas for every kind of traveler, but there's something special about having the beauty of such a place captured and curated by an expert artist with a trained eye—and that's exactly what the photographer, writer, and Condé Nast Traveler contributor Christine Chitnis has done in her new book Patterns of Portugal: A Journey Through Colors, History, Tiles & Architecture, out February 6.

No matter where in the world you are, the wonders of the night sky remain a sight to behold. Chasing after astronomical events from the comfort of earth is also a trend that's rising in the travel world, and what better reason to travel than to see the beauty of the celestial? From total eclipses shadowing the United States to meteor showers taking over the skies of the Southern Hemisphere, a bunch of astronomical events in 2024 are set to hold your gaze.

As an Australian expat living in London and working in the travel industry, I'm no stranger to a very long and uncomfortable flight. From my travels, I can report that Seoul Airport is without a doubt the nicest airport in the world (yes, better than Singapore), the layover times at Doha Airport are never long enough, and Qantas is the best airline when it comes to free in-flight snacks. I know now that avoiding your reflection in the plane's bathroom mirror is an act of self-care, packing cubes in your hand luggage is essential and brushing your teeth before landing will always make you feel better.

The cultural tapestry of Sicily is a rich and varied one. Invasions by the Phoenicians, ancient Greeks, Romans, Moors, Normans, Spanish, and Italians left their mark, particularly in the island’s architecture and culinary traditions. The island is best explored through those understated haunts where locals convene, centuries-old buildings that lie well off the tourist track, and family-run restaurants where a simple cannoli can move you to tears.

In the ever-evolving world of accessible travel, where the horizons of exploration are so often limited by systemic barriers and attitudinal hurdles, a profound transformation is taking place. Thanks to the relentless dedication of a selection of individuals with lived experience of Disability, we find ourselves on the cusp of a remarkable new era of travel, one which may well culminate in a barrier-free planet.

A version of this article originally appeared in Condé Nast Traveller UK.

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