Unclaimed Baggage sells items in lost luggage at steep discounts

Live snakes, a mounted ram head, a Halloween card signed by Richard Nixon. Those are some of the most fascinating items found in lost luggage in 2023, according to a new report by Unclaimed Baggage, a store that buys lost items from airlines, sight unseen. The company also found a 13-foot vaulting pole, gruesome props … Read more

Maharajas’ Express to Palace on Wheels

Luxury trains in India date back to its colonial era, when opulent carriages transported dignitaries, officials and royalty. More trains were built in the 19th century for the country’s maharajas and other ruling elites and their families. Following India’s independence in 1947, privy purses — or governmental payments to these rulers — ended. Without the … Read more

Why is luxury travel so expensive? High prices aren’t curbing demand

The travel industry is largely back on track. But high prices in the luxury sector, which rose in the wake of the Covid pandemic, aren’t returning to normal. In fact, they’re growing higher by the month. Luxury hotel rates reached “peak levels” this year, with average daily rates up 70% compared to 2019, according to … Read more

What a one-night journey costs

Reservations for Italy’s new “La Dolce Vita Orient Express” train open Tuesday. Luxury train enthusiasts may want to lock in the current rate now — before it climbs any higher. Starting rates for a one-night journey on the luxury train increased from 2,000 euros ($2,168) per person in December 2022 to 2,500 euros per person … Read more

Where and how the wealthy travel is changing

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

More Indian travelers are choosing extreme road trips to see the world

Meenakshi Sai, 51, looks like any other Indian woman, dressed in a saree and sporting a bindi on her forehead. But unlike many women in her country, she’s been driving since she was 18 years old. As of 2020, less than 7% of India’s 236 million drivers were women, according to the data website Statista. … Read more

I spent 84 hours in Dubai. This is why the city is so much more than just a stopover

When Aussie travellers are asked to think of Dubai, the word “stopover” might come to mind — they may visualise the inside of its enormous airport and have faint memories of napping in one of the terminals before continuing on their journey elsewhere. Dubai has one of the busiest international airports in the world and … Read more

Emirates premium economy versus business class on 14-hour flight from Melbourne to Dubai

Flying in the pointy end of a plane on a long-haul trip is likely a bucket-list experience for many. But that luxury does not come cheap, and it can be hard to weigh up the benefits versus the cost, especially on an airline like Emirates with some of the world’s best premium cabins. Last week, … Read more

Taking a trip with one child at a time: parent child bonding vacation

Sonja Prokopec took her son on their first “solo” trip together when he was six years old. They went to Rome, and it was so memorable that Prokopec said she’s now planning their second trip this summer. “I really enjoy one-on-one time which we have when travelling alone,” she said. “There are no distractions, no … Read more