Trip tips

​​IHG Hotels & Resorts is planning to release a trip planning tool powered by artificial intelligence from Google. 

Few things beat the sense of freedom of the open road. Whether it’s an epic motorcycle ride along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way or a leisurely pootle around the Italian lakes by car, a road trip is a brilliant way to explore a country at your own pace, enjoying varied scenery and discovering less-known spots en route. We’d love to hear about your favourite journeys in Europe – where did you go and what made it so special? The best tip will win a holiday voucher.

Instead of a four-hour road trip from Koman to Fierzë, relax and enjoy the Albanian fjords via the Drin River. We reversed on to the Berisha ferry, which takes 10 cars, plus foot passengers. Everyone sits on deck, regardless of the weather, to take in the views, which began with an incredibly straight white line high in the rock, showing the water level during the rainy season. The scenery was magnificent with forest-clad hills and high, rocky mountains with various coloured strata. Occasionally, a remote, isolated house could be seen. After two hours, we began spotting small tourist boats and hardy kayakers before arriving at Fierzë.Roy Messenger

It’s so dark, it makes no difference whether my eyes are closed or open. The only sound is breathing and a faint ripple when I weightlessly shift position in the salt-laden, skin-warm fluid. Inside an egg-shaped pod at Float in the Forest, one of my personal nightmares (being left alone for an hour with my own thoughts and no distractions) turns out to be a strange, peaceful experience, where time is condensed and space expands. Initially sceptical, my husband, Luke, also emerges from his pod and declares the experience “profoundly relaxing as few things are” (£60, book ahead).

Messaging the group chat and sharing memes is not enough – bestie vacations need to happen every so often. After all, female friendships are truly special – you can’t choose your family, but you can choose your friends. They help to get us through life, offering comfort, reassurance and so much fun along the way.

Much of the travel industry around the world is changing rapidly. The variety of startups that raised money this week is an example of how much opportunity there could be to capitalize on those changes.

Lonely Planet Destination Editor Jessica Lockhart went to Western Australia for the wildflowers, but was won over by Perth’s immersive Indigenous experiences, stunning scenery and innovative culinary scene. Here, she shares how she spent her week — and why Perth is perfect at any time of year.

On Monday, April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will be visible within parts of North America. If weather is permitting and there aren’t cloudy skies, total visibility will start along Mexico’s Pacific Coast. In the United States, the path of totality, which is the narrow ribbon of places where the full eclipse can be viewed, goes from Texas to Maine. NASA is offering a map that shows the path of totality as well as a timetable of when the eclipse should appear in some of the major locations where it can be viewed.

Road warriors have a new reason to celebrate for the weekend. National Rental Car recently launched a new promotion where members of their Emerald Club loyalty program can earn double credits on all weekend rentals from April 4 to June 9. The promotion provides the credits for rentals that are picked up on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday and returned on a Sunday.  Membership into the Emerald Club program is free, and helps travelers earn credits toward future car rentals.

At the 123-year-old Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, the finest suites have long been named after the most memorable guests—Graham Greene, for one. Now those spaces, along with the rest of the hotel's original Heritage Wing, have reopened after an extensive renovation. New touches include imported Italian marble and hand-tufted carpets, while the hand-painted artwork adorning the elevator car shines as bright as it did in 1901. The grand original wooden staircase also remains—be sure to descend it in a wardrobe that would befit those glamorous visitors of the past. To help you look and feel as luxurious as this iconic hotel, we gathered a list of chic and sophisticated packing essentials inspired by the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, from silk midi skirts to printed one-piece swimsuits.

There are more than 500 national parks in Europe covering an astounding variety of terrain, from the wild taiga of northern Finland to the coastal dunes and wetlands of the Doñana national park in southern Spain. These protected landscapes offer pristine scenery and endless opportunities for activity and adventure. We’d love to hear about your favourite national park discoveries on the continent, whether it’s a hiking trail through a remote mountain range, a perfect spot for wild camping or an unforgettable wildlife encounter.

For those wishing to experience a taste of what the city has to offer, the Vienna Tourist Board is unveiling their innovate new marketing campaign, “microdose vienna”.

There’s a party atmosphere round the lighthouse on Chanonry Point near Inverness, the UK’s best place to see dolphins from land. It’s an hour after low tide and there are pipers, picnics and kids running barefoot over long, evening sands. Already in late spring, the sun barely seems to set in the Highlands. The kelp-strewn pebbles are glowing as I walk from the bus stop near Fortrose cathedral (bus 26/26A from Inverness) along one side of the promontory. The dolphins don’t show up. But, somehow, it’s fine – the first of many reasons to return. It’s still light as I walk back along the beach for a 9pm bus, past wild lupins and views of Fort George and pink clouds over the Moray Firth. I’m in Inverness at the start of a week exploring Scotland’s wild north coast by train and bus.

Michael and April Meyer's love affair with France began with a trip to the country five years ago to celebrate their wedding anniversary.

Washington, DC, is one of the best places in the US to see cherry blossoms in the spring.

Last fall, my husband and I booked a two-week vacation to Greece and Italy. We aptly coined this our "empty-nester moon" as we had just sent our only 18-year-old daughter, Hailey, off to college. Many people take honeymoons, and some take babymoons, so we figured, why not take an empty-nester moon?

So, you’ve decided this much: Grand Canyon National Park will be the end point of your next road trip.

My first European cruise was awesome — but it could have been better.

Want to travel from Rome to Tuscany on a day trip? Lonely Planet writer, Paula Hardy, tells you how to make that happen.

Impressionism, the movement that forever marked the history of art, is now 150 years old, almost to the day. To celebrate the anniversary, the Musee d’Orsay in Paris together with the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., just opened a very anticipated exhibition, Paris 1874 Inventing impressionism,where spectators have the chance to feel as if they were there for the movement’s birth.

The business concept of a new travel company called WeatherPromise is simple, if not a little outlandish. Book a trip with them, purchase a WeatherPromise, and you'll get a refund if it rains a certain number of days during your vacation.