The world's best places for stargazing

Ever dreamed of packing up everything and moving to another country? Here are the most livable cities in the world, according to a study by The Economist.

Looking for a new museum to add to your travel to-do list? TripAdvisor (SmarterTravel’s parent company) has released the Travelers’ Choice Top 25 Museums of 2018, including the top 10 worldwide and the top 10 in the United States, with some surprising frontrunners. The findings also highlight bookable ways to see each winner—think VIP tours and scavenger hunts—with some offering the added perk of allowing you to skip the lines to get in.

I don’t suppose that most travelers choose their trip destinations based on a country’s happiness index. On the other hand, if they knew that Country A scored near the top of the happiness index and Country B scored near the bottom, it seems probable they’d be inclined to book their flights to Country A. Who wants to spend their vacation among unhappy people?

Singapore is the best country in the world to live as an expatriate for the fourth year in a row, according to a new report from HSBC Bank. The study is based on survey results of more than 22,000 expats from many different home countries who live and work abroad. Ranking for each country is based on three overall factor groups: experience (quality of life, safety, etc.), economics (income, politics, etc.), and families (education, healthcare, etc.)

Maybe you’ve been chasing national parks since the National Park Service celebrated its centennial in 2016. But have you ever made it to (or even heard of) Dark-Sky Reserves and Sanctuaries? These little-known protected parcels of land are some of the best places to stargaze in the world.

In the United States, the best airlines for families traveling together are JetBlue and Southwest. That’s according to a ranking by travel-industry blog the Points Guy, which weighed 11 individual factors of flying with family, from entertainment and food to seat size and complimentary seat selection, to create composite scores.

Review and booking website Tripadvisor (SmarterTravel’s parent company) is out with its annual list of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. It’s dominated by iconic attractions, some of which you’re guaranteed to wait in a two-hour line for unless you can purchase skip-the-line passes. It’s also worth noting that almost every attraction on the list is in Europe.

For the sixth year in a row, Finland has claimed the top spot in the World Happiness Report. The annual report, compiled by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, surveys residents in over 150 countries to determine which nations are the happiest.

Abutting the US border with Canada, North Cascades National Park is a land of contrasts. Cerulean blue lakes sit at the foot of mountains forested in deep green pines, with their peaks capped in snow and pointing to the heavens. The park mirrors the various landscapes of the Pacific Northwest, shifting from mountainous areas dominated by rain showers and heavy snowfall to arid plateaus cut by glaciers since melted into alpine rivers and lakes. The park is remote, accessible only by the beautiful North Cascades Highway or from hiking trails to the north.

Canaletto is probably most known for his Venetian landscapes, or «vendutes», showing grand scenes in strong contrasts of light and shade. In the eighteenth century, aristocrats on the Grand Tour wanted to take back with them a memento and Canaletto excelled at capturing the cityscape – although not always faithfully.

As any cyclist will tell you, there's few better ways to see the world than on two wheels. From Armenia to Vermont, here's some of our favourite bike trips across the globe. Let us know your own favourite cycling holidays below.

Travel for 20-somethings is more accessible and exciting than ever before. Thanks to cheap flights and the proliferation of sites like Couchsurfing and Airbnb, it's never been easier to explore the world. But where are the best places to travel in your 20s? We asked our readers, and here are the results.