Heli-skiing on virgin snow in Antarctica for a cool $2.2 million. A polar bear safari in an “off-limits” area of Norway’s Svalbard for $300,000. How about tracking snow leopards in the Himalayas with renowned explorers for $100,000? Big-ticket travel experiences like those are indicative of the “quiet luxury” trend which began in the world of … Read more
Passengers check in for United Airlines flights at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, Dec. 13, 2022. Scott Olson | Getty Images Here’s a friendship test: Would you share your frequent flyer miles with your pals? United Airlines is betting customers will be open to it. The airline on Thursday started allowing members of its … Read more
“Every day I’m here, the sky and the sea are different,” says Anastasia Kharchenko, as an incessant drizzle patters on our umbrellas. “Sometimes you can’t even see the horizon because it’s so foggy, but in certain months the colours are just breathtaking.” We’re standing on a grassy bluff above the town of Étretat on Normandy’s … Read more
Traveling by train can be a magical experience. You can enjoy stunning scenery as you pass through parts of the world you might not have the opportunity to see otherwise. It’s also a more eco-friendly alternative to flying or driving. But like any form of transit, train travel also comes with its fair share of … Read more
In recent years the rise of slow travel has encouraged us all to think of the journey as part of the holiday – something to be savoured rather than a hurdle to be overcome to get to our destination as quickly as possible. If the journey in question involves airport chaos, traffic jams or train … Read more
It was a summer’s morning in the Lepontine Alps in Ticino, Switzerland’s Italian-speaking canton, and there was the vague threat of a storm on the horizon. I was already out on a trail through larch and hazelnut forest, backpack shouldered, aiming for a mountain pass. Up ahead, a herd of short-haired goats grazed, their bells chiming merrily, … Read more
It is said that when Norse explorer Ingólfur Arnarson and his wife Hallveig Fróðadóttir threw some wooden posts from their ship in AD878 they floated to a bay covered with steaming springs, hence the name Reykjavík, or “stormy bay”, and that’s where Arnarson decided to settle. I am here researching women in Icelandic sagas for … Read more
‘Slow happiness’ in Italy, Finland, Sweden or Iceland The Scotland-based company Slow Adventure advocates a more mindful approach to activity holidays. Options include climbing and yoga in the Italian Alps, mountain biking in Sweden and horse riding and rambling in Iceland. On the Finnish Happiness trip, guests stay in log cabins by a lake in Lapland … Read more
Stepping into the lobby of the Gellért Baths in Budapest is like stepping back in time. Having resisted the temptation to look at photos of the baths online, I was thrilled at my first sight of the spectacular art nouveau interior. After changing, my husband and I did a few laps of the main indoor pool, … Read more
Springtime for via ferrata, Lake Garda, Italy Spring in northern Lake Garda is an adventure paradise. I’ve been several times and enjoyed the via ferratas: iron cables fixed to scrambling routes, which require fitness and sense of adventure but not technical mountaineering skills (safety equipment required). The views are amazing and varied, from gorges and … Read more
