Travel

This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). Combining a series of once-in-a-lifetime experiences into a single around-the-world trip can feel like the ultimate expression of luxury travel. It can be a daunting prospect though, with many contending factors to consider. Here's how to start planning the ultimate round-the-world trip. 1. Take to the sky Air travel is, predictably, the simplest way to traverse the globe. Start by purchasing an around-the-world plane ticket through an airline alliance — coalitions of different airlines which let you pay for all of your flights in a single transaction. The alliance offers regional passes which might work better should you want to devote the bulk of your time to one or two continents. There are three main players: Star Alliance, OneWorld and Skyteam; the latter, however, has suspended sales of RTW tickets. Star Alliance is a confederation of 26 airlines covering 1,200 airports in 98% of the world's nations, while O...

The old cliché dictates that a picture is worth a thousand words, and certainly photos are one of the best souvenirs you can bring home when you travel. But, let's be honest: how often do you really scroll back through your phone reel or revisit those online albums? A photo book is a much more tangible, attractive way to keep those memories safe and accessible forever.  There are many photo book makers out there, all with slightly different offerings. Some specialize in simple, budget-friendly books that you can make for every trip while others excel at luxurious coffee table art books meant to commemorate once-in-a-lifetime adventures. We've researched the best options to help you choose the right photo book maker for your next vacation — and beyond. Our Top Picks PHOTO: Artifact Uprising Why We Love It What to Consider Whether you're looking for a budget-friendly softcover photo book to add to your trav...

To really know a city is to eat its food. But what makes a great food city? It isn't its number of plaudits and Michelin stars, but something a bit more simple: options. Good quality meals at reasonable prices. So we asked thousands of city-dwellers to tell us exactly how good – and how affordable – it is to eat out in their hometown right now.  Locals were quizzed on their city's must-visit restaurants, must-eat dishes and best-value bites, and were also asked to rate their city's food scene on both its quality and affordability. To create and rank the final list, we narrowed down the selection by excluding cities with lower overall scores, and including only the highest-scoring city for each country. We then asked our global network of Time Out editors and writers to give us the lowdown on what makes their city an exciting dining destination in 2024, and to recommend their favourite places to eat ri...

Generative artificial intelligence has made a big leap in the past few weeks, some of the most significant advancements since it came on the scene 18 months ago. OpenAI, Google, and Meta each released updated AI models this spring. And they all showed how they envision their chatbots as personal assistants that can understand text, video, photos, and audio.  Each of them used travel-related examples to show how they want users to adopt those assistants — potentially undermining travel companies releasing their own products built on top of tech from OpenAI and Google. This topic will be part of the discussion during Skift's inaugural Data and AI Summit on June 4 in New York City. Speakers like Shane O'Flaherty of Microsoft and trip planning startup expert Gilad Berenstein will discuss how the industry is adopting AI — and how it's not. Some initial testing shows that OpenAI's latest generative AI model still produces fact...

Hotelier Rigzin Namgyal fondly remembers a time when only the truly curious and adventurous made their way to Ladakh. When this region in north India opened to tourists in the mid-1970s, just a few backpackers each year undertook the long and arduous journey by road, over dangerous mountain passes from Manali in the neighboring state of Himachal Pradesh. "They were invested in learning about our history and culture, our flora and fauna," says Namgyal. "They were ready to get out of their comfort zone, and stay in local homes for that experience." But after a 2009 Bollywood blockbuster shone a spotlight on this region's stunning landscapes—and several airlines launched short haul from New Delhi, Ladakh has been overrun by tourists. Almost overnight, guesthouses and tour operators sprung up haphazardly, without proper planning or regulation, taking a toll on the fragile high-altitude desert ecosystem. NationalGeographic_2775626 Leh Palace, built in 1600, has stunn...