Author: staff
Hiking is a way to see lesser-visited parts of a country – and do so in a more sustainable manner. In 2024, hiking continued to gain popularity as a travel activity from walking pilgrimage routes to trekking along hut-to-hut mountain trails. For some travellers, it’s a way to find quiet and solitude. For others, it is a wellness practice that promotes mindfulness. It can also be a way to see lesser-visited parts of a country – and do so in a more sustainable manner. Last year, several new paths opened, from a path of love in Italy to the world’s longest circular route…
Justin Francis founded Responsible Travel as a groundbreaking holiday company seeking to drive change in tourism. Responsible travel has become a common motto for tourists, tourism companies and tourism boards as they seek to lessen their impact on the environment and local communities. Now a phrase encapsulating everything from packing a reusable water bottle to avoiding overcrowded destinations, it was originally coined in 2000 by tourism pioneer Justin Francis. Francis founded Responsible Travel as a groundbreaking holiday company seeking to drive change in the tourism industry. Launched with the support of the late Body Shop founder Dame Anita Roddick, the…
An aspiring cyclist decides to push her limits as she rides part of the ‘Alps-to-Sea’ cycleway by the Rhône River. My toxic trait is saying yes to things without thinking about them. Most recently, I did it when a friend suggested a point-to-point cycle trip in France. I’m in, I said. I didn’t give it any more thought until the week before departure – and then was shocked to find I was expected to ride 180km in three days! You see, I’m a runner, not a cyclist. What about my bum? Also, what about the hills and the bags and not knowing one…
“If you had told me 10 years ago that I’d be interviewing about Greenland, I would not have put that high up on my list of possible topics the media would be interested in,” says historian John C. Mitcham of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. “But it is also really fascinating, somewhat troubling too, that we’re hearing the echoes of the past with Victorian language about sovereignty and security.” He adds: “You and I are talking about this in context of Greenland, Canada, and Trump, but the same can be applied to some of the rhetoric surrounding Russian annexation in Ukraine,…
Women are encouraged to transform their lives in 2025 through travel and ancient Japanese psychology principles. When you think of the word sabbatical, do you think of a six-month or year-long career break? What if you could get the same valuable life reboot in just four weeks?Monika Lewicka has always loved to travel and even went on a two-year journey by bike across Cuba “at a time when Fido Castro was president, and there were still no smartphones”. She particularly loves the soul-affirming gifts of solo travel – whether that’s heading into the mountains or going on a shamanic retreat. Over…
Schemes reward visitors for picking up litter, taking planet-friendly forms of transport and volunteering on conservation projects. Tourist numbers and their behaviour have got so out of control in some destinations that strict and sometimes drastic measures have to be introduced. Block the way by taking a selfie in Italy’s Portofino or wheel a suitcase rather than carry it in Dubrovnik and you face an unpleasant fine. But instead of bringing in punishments for irresponsible behaviour, some destinations are hoping introducing incentives for good tourist practices is the answer. Schemes reward visitors for picking up litter, taking planet-friendly forms of…
Passengers in Île-de-France are warned to be vigilant and avoid travel as Storm Floriane brings violent winds. Several French departments have been placed on orange alert for strong winds and a number of train lines in north-central France are affected.The worst-hit regions are in northern France: Charleville-Mézières, Châlons-en-Champagne, and Bar-le-Duc – are experiencing frequent gusts between 80 and 100 km/h, and sometimes even 110 km/h. Storm Floriane is moving quickly but intensely over the northeast of the country and may reach Belgium by the late afternoon.There is also a risk of floods and avalanches in northern France by the early…
The report’s authors say the aviation industry has demonstrated significant resilience in the face of global industry challenges in 2024 Iberia and SAS are the only European winners ranked for on-time performance among the top ten airlines globally, according to a new report.Airlines were ranked globally and by region, with a separate category for low-cost carriers. Performance was evaluated on airlines’ on-time arrival and percentage of flights completed. The survey from aviation analytics consultancy Cirium evaluated more than three million flights every month in 2024, with data from more than 600 sources of real-time flight information worldwide. For the global category, Cirium…
Researchers arrived at the estimate based on an analysis of morgue records, an online survey and social media obituaries. According to the study, figures produced by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza are an accurate minimum estimate of the death toll — but are still likely to be underreported. Officials in Gaza tallied 37,877 deaths as of June 30 last year. POLITICO has reached out to the Israeli government for a response. The figures come as a growing number of legal experts and NGOs accuse Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu…
With the recent spate of air accidents, travellers may feel less confident. But is flying really becoming unsafe? 2024 has fanned the flames of worries over flying, particularly in recent weeks, when more than 200 people lost their lives in two separate incidents just days apart. Thirty-eight people died when an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed in Kazakhstan; four days later, 179 perished when a Jeju Air flight crash landed in South Korea.While recent events are still ringing in the minds of many, 2024 was a year of disasters in aviation. In early January, a fiery crash in Tokyo shocked the…