Wanderlust

I've always believed that the phrase ‘solo travel’ is rather a misleading one. In my many solo trips, whether for work or pleasure, I have rarely felt that I was alone. Such is the beauty of travel that you are never really by yourself; not if you do

Outdoor art always works best when it plays with its environment, forcing you to see the world in fresh and unique ways. When that setting is also a rugged desert speckled with wind-sculpted rocks, just 20km from the sand-sunk ruins of a long-past ci

If you have ever wanted to visit the Himalayan nation of Bhutan, now might be the best time to book - if only for the sake of your bank balance. Last September, Bhutan welcomed back international travel but more than tripled the sustainable developme

We were inundated with nominations for this year's World Guide Awards, which was first set up in 2005 in honour of Wanderlust's late co-founder, Paul Morrison.These are the only global awards of their kind, and reading through the thousands of testim

Menopause is a part of ageing and usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55. As a senior GP, and also a woman going through menopause, I know that travelling during the perimenopausal period can be tricky, but I have personal and evidence-based ti

What is it to travel in 2023, and what do people really want out of it? We're tackling the big questions this issue, starting with The Last Tourist (to rent/buy; thelasttouristfilm.com), a sobering indictment of all that is wrong with the modern trav

Our Wanderlust: Off the Page podcast episode Exploring the Amazon Through Indigenous Eyes with Alex Robinson has just won ‘Podcast of the Year’ at the recent Latin American Travel Association Media Awards, So, congratulations to Alex! You can listen

Your new series. Exploring India's Treasures with Bettany Hughes, is very different to your last one. How did it come about? We were asked to do it by [commissioning editor] Shaminder Nahal at Channel 4, who is as passionate about India as I am; I've

Win a 9-day Galápagos Island expedition with Hurtigruten Expeditions A once-in-a-lifetime trip for two following in the footsteps of Charles Darwin. Experience close encounters with the Galapagos Islands’ most famous residents, including sea lions, t

It's easy to forgot just how diverse Colombia is. From the Caribbean vibes and colonial treasures of Cartagena to the misty forests of the Corcora Valley, to the barrios of urban capital Bogota, there's so much variety here. Abercrombie & Kent's Clas

Travel can take us out of our comfort zone and catapult us into another world. It brings us face to face with the natural environments that we only see in documentaries; with cultures that we barely catch a glimpse of on the news; with wildlife that

Over the centuries, many cultures have left something behind in the Maltese kitchen. Local families may have had their say in what goes and what stays, but these influences have steeped together to create unique flavours formed over many occupations.

King Kamehameha the Great, who unified the Hawaiian islands in 1810, held councils by Kamakahonu Cove in Kailua-Kona - the small beach in front of the hotel - until his death in 1819. Today, performers dressed in royal attire arrive via outrigger to

The sleek-nosed train was wrapped in the red, white and blue of the Lao national flag and sparkled in the sunlight on a spotless platform. A man dressed in natty turquoise barked orders through a megaphone to keep passengers away from the carriages u

“E lephant!” A single word, a raised hand and we stopped. All I could see beyond my guide, Franc, was a tightly woven tapestry of branches and lianas. I breathed out and felt my feet sink into the moist leaf litter. The word almost seemed to swell in

Words & photographs George Kipouros George Kipouros L and, at last. A dense fog afforded only glimpses of an ethereal landscape of snow, ice and rock. An unmistakable sense of achievement flooded over me; one of those moments in travel when you feel

Capital: There is no capital. Antarctica is a collection of territorial claims by several countries, including Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway and the UK. Population: Around 4,000 seasonal scientific researchers and staff. La

Underrated winelands, gold-rush towns and hidden histories await in NorCal Best for: Small towns, history, nature and exceptional food and wine Why go? Experience the state's great diversity, from the spectacular coast to the stunning landscapes of w

O On a cliff overlooking a surging sea in North Cornwall, the figure of a 2.4m-high metal knight in ephemeral robes stands resting his hands on his sword and gazing southwards. He may have seen something that we mere mortals cannot, because if you we

“I was so much more aware of everything; my senses were really alive”; “I found myself talking to more, and very different, people”; “It really opened my eyes in so many ways”. All these are familiar phrases that I typically hear from people who have

“T he goddess is approaching,” my unofficial guide, Gonzalo, told me as an ogre-like thunderclap broke the silence in what had once been a stone circle. In the centre, two giant limestone slabs, hauled together to form a T-shape, towered over us. A f

Tales from the riverbank San Antonio's 24km-long River Walk skims through a Texan city that was founded nearly 50 years before the United States existed and still has echoes of the Spanish culture (not least in its Tex-Mex food) that prevailed when i

Switzerland certainly isn't shy about stepping forward when it comes to its great outdoors. Its cow-strewn meadows, 4,000m-high peaks and glacier-fed lakes dominate the many tourist brochures, but there's one feature that still comes as a surprise to

Tokyo's museums are defined by eclecticism. More than 100 institutions scatter the city, and while the Tokyo National Museum will be the starting point for many, it shouldn't be the finale. From the stem Le Corbusier-designed National Museum of Weste

Amid the borders of eastern Germany, where the state of Saxony brushes up against the Czech Republic and Poland, lie cultured cities, mountains home to skiers and artisan villages, and a river lined with vineyards. It's a scenic setting for what was

Leipzig's historical centre sits inside the Ring, which follows the Old Town's fortifications, with Marktplatz at its centre. Much of the design dates back 500 years, when its distinctive passages were built to save horsedrawn carriages from having t

Austin is on the up. Its population has doubled over the past three decades, making it the 11 th-largest city in America, and it continues to lure entrepreneurs in search of opportunities. Ids even drawing attention from across the pond, with non-sto

What inspired you to become a tour guide in the first place? I grew up the youngest of nine children in the village of Tighza in Morocco's High Atlas Mountains. Tour groups would come to our village to take part in charity projects. They built a hamm