Waters tips

It’s a relief to lay my rucksack down, plunge hot feet into the cool stream and pause to revel in the fairytale surrounds. Foxgloves stand tall against a cornflower-blue sky, ferns look almost luminous, the water glints in the early summer sunshine. A patch of moss-covered ancient forest provides shade, a cuckoo calls in the distance, mountains layer on the horizon.

As a born and bred Dubliner, I’ve spent most of my life trying to make sense of my hometown.

When the halfway point of the year hits, it’s the perfect time to be out on your next adventure. Sitting pretty just outside of soaring peak-season prices, June’s sunny summer days in the northern hemisphere are ideal for exploration. In the southern hemisphere, June brings the dry season and incredible opportunities to embrace nature. 

The shimmering beauty of Lake Tahoe makes travelers stop and stare.

Sometimes, when you travel, you arrive somewhere so ridiculously picturesque, so dictionary-definition of how you expect the country to look, that you half suspect it was built as a film set, or has been “Disneyfied” specifically for tourists.

As I slip off the jetty into the chilly water of Lagmanshagasjön, the world loses all distinction. Low mist blurs everything; I can’t see where the lake ends and the sky begins. It is like breaststroking into a silvery infinity. I haven’t bothered with swimwear. Between the tannin-dark water and early morning brume, I can barely see myself, let alone be seen. And dissolving into nature feels delicious: wearing nothing and seeing nothing, I am feeling everything.

Lovers of sand, surf and theme parks will findno shortage of fun things to do in Florida. From bustling metropolises that are havens for foodies and party people to tranquil beaches and stunning national parks, the Sunshine State offers thrills aplenty, and Florida's dazzling selection of theme parks pushes the state to the top of the fun scale.

In the battle to safeguard the planet’s endangered ecosystems, Canada is a global leader. Some of the world’s oldest, best managed, and biodiverse national parks reside north of the 49th parallel, collected under the umbrella of Parks Canada, a growing network of nearly 50 parks inaugurated since 1911.

With soft golden sand and clear, blue waters reflecting the rugged peaks of the Sierra Nevada, Lake Tahoe’s beaches are astonishingly beautiful.

The results are in from the 2024 London Spirits Competition and there are some serious surprises in the mix. As one of Europe’s most prestigious tasting events, the annual judging brings together 40 esteemed palates from throughout all walks of the booze industry. What they ordain as the best of the best—across a total of 29 different categories—can provide a massive boost to brands, especially upstart craft purveyors.

A European non-profit organization is warning the famous Seine may be too polluted to host Olympic swimming events, throwing an iconic part of the games into question.

From stunning views to local ingredients, custom shower treatments to shark sighting, these are some of the most unique–and luxurious–spa experiences around the world.

Hannah Cruz is making her Broadway debut in the new musical SUFFS, playing the role of the famed American suffragist Inez Milholland. The show is set in 1913, a year when the women’s movement in the United States was in full swing.

Gazing at a map of Colombia, the vast swathes of greenery that make up the roadless Amazon region may seem like one homogenous mass of jungle, but that lack of detail has always drawn me to travel deep into the rainforest.

"Massive seaweed blob invades Florida beaches."

Andrea Zelinski

A new upscale resort is coming to the Florida Keys' Islamorada Village this fall.

Luxury hotels are great. Some have incredible spas where you can revive your skin and spirit, while others offer rooftop infinity pools with sweeping vistas for miles and miles.

You will wake up at 5:30 a.m. and stretch for 30 minutes. You will eat something vegan and organic for breakfast followed by an hourslong hike on which you will hear words like “verticality.” If you need a snack, you will get six almonds. Not seven — don’t be gluttonous.

America's capital city is a fantastic destination to visit with children in tow. It's filled with kid-friendly museums, has an abundance of parks in which younger visitors can burn off excess energy, and a logical, pedestrian-friendly layout (let's not forget that DC was designed to showcase urban planning at its very best). 

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.