Features

In pictures: the little-visited treasures of South India

After a week-long whistle-stop tour of central India‘s least-visited attractions, travel writer and photographer Lottie Gross shares her favourite photos. India is undoubtedly a beautiful country. It presents such an array of interesting scenes and stunning landscapes, taking pictures is irresistible. But this vast country also poses great challenges for photographers: there are so many…

The 20 best places to visit in Europe on a budget

To celebrate the launch of our new Rough Guide to Europe on a Budget, we round up the 20 best places for a cheap break this year, from Budapest to Sarajevo.

8 essential travel photography apps

With smartphones at our fingertips we’ve all become travel photographers these days. There’s no escaping the urge to snap that colourful backstreet in Cuba, or take a full panorama of those incredible cityscapes in New York. But if you want to take your photos a little further, consider using some of these great photography apps. Whether…

Quiz: which city should you visit in 2017?

Each January, our authors and editors choose the best places to travel in the coming year. Our list of the top 10 cities to visit in 2017 includes some big-hitters and a few unexpected places – all worthy of a trip. Wondering where you should go? We’ve devised this quiz to help you figure out which city you should be travelling to in…

Burj Khalifa: is the world’s tallest building worth the hype?

One of Dubai’s main attractions and currently the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa draws in hundreds of people daily to marvel at the views from its dizzying observation deck. But does it live up to the hype? Here’s everything you need to know before you plan a visit. The Burj by numbers As the…

There’s a ghost town made of coral in the UAE and it’s kind of beautiful

From a distance, Jazirat Al Hamra looks like the remnants of a war-ravaged town. The homes of those who once lived here are falling apart at the seams, ceilings are caving in under the weight of time and abandonment, and even the trees have been left to rot. There’s no sign of life, except for…

7 travel apps you might actually use in 2017

The world of travel apps is saturated. There are apps for almost everything these days, from the planning stages right through to post-travel reminiscing. Some of them are fun, some are seriously handy and others are just gimmicks. With all the tech that’s out there, it can feel like looking for a needle in a…

An astronaut’s view: 21 amazing images of our planet taken by Tim Peake

This year, British astronaut Tim Peake took up his six-month post in the International Space Station. During his time there, the world watched as he opened the London Marathon chained to a treadmill, was chased by a gorilla and tweeted pictures from beyond the Earth’s atmosphere. There may be no more astonishing and grounding way to see the…

Beer and yoga have been added to this year’s UNESCO heritage list

Each year, UNESCO adds a slew of new sites to its World Heritage List, which this year included a cave complex and an entire archipelago. But there’s another list that’s far less talked about. Its contents don’t feature on travellers’ bucket lists and there’s little coverage in the media when it’s updated. Yet it’s just as…

The other Emirate: an introduction to Ras Al Khaimah

Mention Ras Al Khaimah to your friends and the response is likely to be along the lines of “Ras Al What?”. Most visitors travelling to the UAE head for hedonistic hubs like Dubai and Abu Dhabi; few have heard of the country’s fourth-largest Emirate. In 2017, the Ras Al Khaimah tourism authority are on an…

12 poignant images of tribal peoples around the world

Each year, Survival International – a charity that lobbies for the rights of indigenous peoples – collate the best of their supporters’ pictures into an annual calendar. Celebrating the diversity and beauty of tribal peoples around the world, it supports their mission to help them defend their lives, protect their lands and determine their futures. From the mountains…

Away from the skyscrapers: how to find the “other” Dubai

It’s big, brash and lays claim to so many world records it might even have the world record for the number of world records. But beyond the superlatives, skyscrapers and inexplicably squeaky-clean streets, there’s far more to Dubai than meets the eye. On its surface, the city looks like an ultra-modern adults’ adventure playground with…