Queen Elizabeth travel tips

When my partner and I booked a vacation on one of the world's largest cruise ships last year, we couldn't have been more excited — or clueless.

It's a big, big day for Cunard, the storied cruise brand that once operated such legendary ocean liners as the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth 2.

Cunard Line has rolled out the new itineraries, including two simultaneous world cruises to depart in January 2026.

There are creaking floorboards, twisty corridors, lined with oil paintings, and oak-panelled rooms that seem to hold the secrets of the past within their joints: Ellenborough Park may now be recognised as one of the UK’s leading country house hotels (in fact, it is the only five-star country house hotel in Gloucestershire) but this wasn’t always its raison d’etre.

From our knees down it’s almost impossible to tell where our legs end and our trainers begin. A thick crust of oozing river mud is glued to our shins and smothers our shoes. Our skin fizzes and tingles from the spiteful attention of hundreds of nettles enjoying their last hurrah as winter approaches. But if you panned up from the battlefield of those middle-aged legs to the sweat-streaked faces above, you’d find something you might not expect: laughter, excitement and a deranged look about the eyes.

Cunard has unveiled new shore excursions for travelers sailing aboard Queen Anne, the cruise line’s newest ship.

A diverse crop of new ships will set sail in 2024, including intimate yacht-style vessels to never-before-seen mega ships from luxury players like Silversea and Cunard. There will be plenty of bells and whistles expected of these brands, including restaurants from top chefs, but also a few features new to the industry (think glass domes on the hull). Some are sister ships to those already on the waters, but with enough points of difference to feel like something entirely new—including the soon-to-be-sailing largest ship in the world, from Royal Caribbean, of course.

Holland America Line announced that more than half of its fleet has been updated with SpaceX’s Starlink internet service.

P&O Cruises and Cunard have announced the rollout of SpaceX’s Starlink across its fleet in order to improve on-board Wi-Fi connectivity and bandwidth.

Since 1885, travelers have been exploring the snow-capped Rocky Mountain peaks and aqua-blue lakes that define Banff National Park: Canada's first national park and the third in the world. This UNESCO World Heritage Site has served as a home for guests ranging from mountain climbers to Olympians to Queen Elizabeth, and has belonged to six indigenous tribes in the area for thousands of years.

When The White Lotus chose a breathtaking cliffside resort—the Domenico Palace, Taormina, A Four Seasons Hotel—in Sicily as the playground for all the drama of the second season, they unintentionally raised the bar for what is considered impressive when it comes to Italian hotels. But one hotel in Milan doesn’t feel the need to compete: Hotel Principe di Savoia.

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has this week announced a year-long partnership with Mattel, Inc to coincide with Barbie’s upcoming 65th birthday. The hot pink-clad collaboration at Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth in Montreal will allow guests to experience a Barbie-approved stay at the downtown property.

Every year, retired cruise ships are sold to ship-breaking yards in Turkey and India where thousands of workers painstakingly dismantle the massive vessels and sell their parts for scrap. 

Britain is home to an almost endless number of world-class rambling routes. We've narrowed down the choice to eight of our favourite spots for a brisk walk or a challenging hike, but do add your own favourite picks below.