International Traveller

What’s not to love about Italy? Nothing apparently, if your votes in our annual Readers’ Choice Awards are anything to go by. This year Italy trumped the USA (pun completely intended) for the title of the best country in the world, streaking ahead ba

DUBAI’S HYPER HOTEL SCENE NOW HAS ITS FIRST BONA FIDE DESIGN HOTEL, LOCATED IN THE BUZZING AL JADAF CULTURE VILLAGE. THE SLEEK 15-STOREY BUILDING BOASTS A ROOFTOP POOL AND 136 ROOMS FILLED WITH BESPOKE FURNITURE, ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY NINA DIETZEL.

WHAT IS YOUR FIRST MEMORY OF TRAVELLING? I grew up with a lot of family road trips; camping and plenty of outdoor activities. The first overseas travel that really got me seeing the world I would say was in 2012 when I did a trip to India and Bali. I

The largest island in French Polynesia, Tahiti is your starting point from which to flit from island to island (flights arriving into the capital of Papeete from Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne). Linger here for a day or so to discover a lively social

MAKE ME BEAUTIFUL, MADAME D’ORA: THE PHOTOGRAPHER D’ORA 1907-1957, VIENNA, AUSTRIA The Leopold Museum presents an exhibition devoted to 20th century Vienna’s pre-eminent fashion and portrait photographer. In her studio, Dora Kallmus, or Madame D’Or

An excellent cruising holiday includes intuitive, attentive service, luxuriously appointed staterooms and sensational dining – and Holland America Line has already got that down perfectly, to more than 425 of the world’s great ports of call no less.

What was the motivation for opening a tiny house hotel? Tiny Digs came about when serendipity helped two separate passions find a common ground. Pam and Bruce Westra had the passion for tiny houses and construction experience, and Lin Petrucci and I

The question isn’t why you love it so, but why wouldn’t you? Italy holds a unique place in Australian travellers’ imaginations as a destination that offers up endless diverse wonders to be seen and truly savoured: you consistently mention the history

When our taxi delivers us to the Palacio Ramalhete in the heart of Lisbon, we’re not sure if we have the correct address. There’s no grand hotel entrance and it takes us a while to find the small sign and buzzer to ring. It is nothing if not discreet

Rua das Janelas Verdes, 92 1200-692 Lisbon, Portugal; palacio-ramalhete.com A real charmer chock-full of old-school Portuguese style, with many interesting spaces to enjoy and a rooftop pool that’s a boon in summer. LOCATION: 8 / 10 The hotel is in t

Phuket, Thailand is a popular destination for travellers seeking sun, sea and beach parties. But for those also wanting some solitude, there are plenty of full-service resorts to cater to their every whim. I’m at the tail-end of what has been a fun g

San Sebastián isn’t turning it on today but no amount of rainfall could dampen my mood. We’re a few weeks into a six-month working holiday so, in hindsight, I could have been a little more thrifty. But since we’re in the holy land of tapas and txakol

Calle Larramendi 2, 20006 San Sebastián, Spain; ibaiaetarramak.com A historic guesthouse turned contemporary design lover’s home away from home. LOCATION: 9 / 10 River out front, shopping one block away, and the beaches and an endless supply of pintx

I’m having a spiritual moment; in a clearing on a forested hillside in temperatures that feel like they would be unlikely to be nudging double figures, I’m standing in a circle with my ungloved hands hovering just millimetres above the equally bare e

The check-in desk at The Whitby Hotel is staffed by a multi-coloured patchwork sausage dog and a velvety lop-eared rabbit. Made from mismatched fabrics salvaged from the leftovers of the hotel’s interior designer Kit Kemp, the two stuffed animals on

Bustling since the Victorian era, the Central Market is the place to go to get a read on the diverse ethnic make-up of Mauritius and shop for everything from souvenirs to island fresh produce to traditional Chinese medicines. You can also sample loca