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This Month

Sausage roll from Ganache patisserie at Castlecrag.

Six surprising things I learnt from a Gen X gap year in London

We expected this to be a memorable time, but it was the workarounds and unknown unknowns that made it even better than we hoped.

  • Andrew Hobbs

November

Britain is rolling out a universal visa scheme in early January - and Australians could be caught unawares.

Want to visit the UK? It’s about to get a lot more painful

From January 8, any Australian visiting the UK will need a visa – even for a short holiday or an airport transit.

  • Hans van Leeuwen
Wine is essential to the BioSing story and Lesar has a 13,000-bottle collection.

Would you eat bear salami?

Filled with umami, the cured meat is the brainchild of Slovenian small-goods producer David Lesar. It’s just one of many internationally lauded cured products he produces.

  • Paul Best
Webjet has gone from one company with its act together to two stragglers.

Wheels fall off the ASX’s new ‘Ferrari’

If the deal was about letting a sports car out of the garage, it drove straight into a freezer. A potential accounting issue is the last thing it needed.

  • Anthony Macdonald

October

Robert Chamberlain’s Huno Group made a $78.8 million net profit in 2024.

Travel surge cements Young Rich Lister’s new billionaire status

Robert Chamberlain’s Huno Group enjoyed a 25 per cent jump in revenue to more than $232 million, while net profit hit $78.8 million.

  • Yolanda Redrup
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Arc de Triomphe in Paris with a big French flag under it

Paris is fast becoming a dream city for cyclists

Already the home of the Tour de France, Paris has taken on a new character as an amateur cyclist’s city – and it’s a great way to see the place.

  • Michael Bleby

September

Are you a politics tragic? There’s a tour for that

A British former foreign correspondent has hit on a successful travel model – taking tourists into politically disputed territory.

  • Catherine Marshall
Skiing in New Zealand.

New Zealand nearly triples fees for foreign tourists

Like many popular travel destinations, the shaky isles have struggled with the impact of visitors on the natural environment and local infrastructure.

  • Lucy Craymer

August

This off-grid Himalayan walk will re-boot you from $1225 a day

Crawling not running towards the end of the year? Book this six-day trek in remote north-eastern India for a reality check, and a nature-fuelled recharge.

  • Fiona Carruthers

July

Paris is ready for the Olympics.

‘Bleisure’ travel boom gives these fans the best of both worlds

Corporate travel spending is tightening up, but the Olympics is one invitation people won’t say ‘no’ to.

  • Updated
  • Michael Bleby
Evenings in Dubrovnik’s old town.

Don’t seize the day in Europe. Seize the night

It’s another gangbusters season for continental travel, and the usual suspects are dealing with baking heat and swarms of tourists. Here’s how to avoid both.

  • Natalie B. Compton and Andrea Sachs
Novotel Brisbane Southbank Assistant Manager Michaela Barbeler. The hotel is experiencing high demand due to the origin decider taking place in Brisbane this week.

$2400 a night: Hotel prices soar as Origin fans flock to Brisbane

A perfect storm for the blockbuster rugby league series decider has sparked a surge in hotel rates across the city.

  • James Hall
Mayfair’s 25-metre lap pool.

Why young people love London’s newest luxury hotel

In contrast to its heritage-rich big sister in Hyde Park, the £1000 a night Mandarin Oriental Mayfair is cheekier and more focused on fun.

  • Fiona Carruthers

The most glam Olympics of all? Parisians are unimpressed

Plonking games venues among the city’s iconic monuments is an unprecedented experiment that will look grand on TV but its setup in causing street-level chaos.

  • Hans van Leeuwen

June

The countryside around St Vincent des Landes in Brittany.

Tea, tarts and tears: My trip to France to honour a secret

It took one brave family and the silence of an entire town to protect this writer’s mother during the German occupation. This is what happened when she went to meet them.

  • Rose-Anne Manns
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May

The view over Portugal’s Douro River from Vinum Restaurant at Graham’s Port – an evening extravaganza courtesy of Viking Cruise Line.

On your next cruise, try a magical night onshore you won’t forget

Thanks to the growing popularity of cruising, luxury lines are coming up with ever-more exotic excursions on land – especially after sundown.

  • Jeff Allan and Fiona Carruthers
Queen Anne’s Grand Lobby mixes tradition with a contemporary feel.

A Michelin-star chef and pickleball - after 184 years, Cunard pivots

Queen Anne is a litany of firsts for Cunard, including its first designated outdoor yoga space, along with mini golf, a pickleball court and an archery area.

  • Fiona Carruthers
The Eastern & Oriental Express passes through the landscapes of Malaysia.

How LVMH exhumed luxury rail with the Eastern & Oriental Express

The venerable Belmond travel company is back with a renewed sense of purpose after a refresh - but the focus is still on good old-fashioned, timeless elegance.

  • Brook Turner
Les Trois Vallées in the Savoie region of France has almost 600 kilometres of skiable terrain.

A ski pass for seven resorts for $619? France trumps the US on price

Ski Méribel once, and you’ll be hooked on Les Trois Vallées – especially as the region is cheaper than most American resorts.

  • Michael Read
Torstein Hagen, the founder of Viking Cruises.

How this founder built a $7.7b fortune by banning kids

Torstein Hagen created Viking Cruises with a focus on wealthy holiday makers travelling without kids. It’s now set to bring him a fortune.

  • Pui Gwen Yeung and Anders Melin

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/travel-hny