The 20 best things to do in Istanbul that don't cost a thing

Sep 9, 2024 • 6 min read

It's the scourge of travellers who fly long haul for business and pleasure alike, but jet lag is an inevitability for many.

Travellers, including British tourists post-Brexit, will soon face a new hurdle when visiting Europe.

The giant metropolis of Istanbul, with around 16 million inhabitants, has never stopped reinventing itself—whilst keeping one eye firmly on its historic roots. Just a few years ago, the Galataport project opened up three-quarters of a mile of coastline in harborside Karaköy to the public via a boardwalk lined with modern cafes, shops, restaurants, and museums. Most notably, there’s the famed architect Renzo Piano-designed Istanbul Modern and the new, ultra-luxurious Peninsula Istanbul made up of several 19th-century buildings on the Golden Horn waterway's European side.

As someone who was born and raised in London, I've seen tourists make their fair share of mistakes — from unwittingly missing out on one of the best British dishes to clogging up traffic on escalators.

I can’t imagine a more versatile boot for traveling than the Chelsea boot. First made in the UK during the Victorian era (possibly by Queen Victoria's very own shoemaker), Chelsea boots were then worn for both riding and walking. In the more modern context, these easy-to-slip-on boots experienced a comeback in the 1950s and ’60s when they were worn all over London’s Chelsea neighborhood by the likes of the Rolling Stones.

One might reasonably assume that the world’s best-connected airports would have been around for a while—long enough to test out new airline routes, apply those learnings, and figure out the smoothest way to introduce new carriers and destinations. Heathrow, for example, has long been hailed as one of the world’s best hubs, having opened nearly 80 years ago.

Sep 3, 2024 • 5 min read

As summer begins to draw to a close, some of us may find that we aren’t ready yet to put away our beach towels and let go of sun-kissed days on beautiful white-sand beaches. Among the hundreds of thousands of beaches in the world, one region has a remarkable number of seaside paradises—Southeast Asia. After taking a look at some of the most spectacular beaches found there, it’s easy to understand how the region has emerged as one of the world’s most popular destinations.

There was a time in the not so distant past when airlines would slap on “fuel surcharges” any time the price of jet fuel spiked. What was worse, those unpopular levies often lingered even after the cost of oil dropped. The term fell out of favor a little more than 10 years ago after U.S. regulators said that carriers had to explain how they arrived at the specific fee for fuel surcharges, or any other fee that wasn’t directly imposed by the government. Most airlines simply chose to drop the label.

Holidays for 18-to-30 year olds have traditionally been the stuff of infamy, with young people heading to party spots like Magaluf and Ayia Napa, often to drink to excess and dance until the sun comes up. 

Travellers from outside the EU are getting ready for the launch of the new Entry/Exit System (EES) on 10 November, but are Schengen countries ready to welcome them?