A Fresh Perspective on Travel Every Day
With more than five million visitors in 2017 alone, Athens is one of the most popular destinations worldwide. However, a number of its small treasures that truly convey the flavor of city life and best define the local culture often go unnoticed. Here are a few Athenian secrets for those keen to scratch a little under the Greek capital’s surface.
Picture the scene: tropical sunshine, swaying palm trees, lapping waves, and row after row of elegantly geometric Art Deco apartments. It would be easy to imagine yourself transported to Miami or South Beach, but this is Mumbai, India, home to the largest collection of Art Deco buildings outside of the United States.
Montana’s Old West history, majestic mountain ranges, and sprawling landscapes create a collection of modern cities. These urban hubs, filled with rugged individuals including artists, entrepreneurs, chefs, and tech enthusiasts, are breathing new life into once-quiet mining towns.
For a city with such a storied reputation, Beirut is geographically quite small. You can walk across it in about an hour, traversing districts rich in history, diverse confessions, and iconic sites. The beauty of Beirut’s neighborhoods can be found by meandering through the streets, enjoying the scent of jasmine, and frequently stopping for coffee with local residents.
For the last few years, Kosovo has hovered at the radar’s edge for in-the-know explorers. By many demographic and administrative metrics, this diamond-shaped nation in the heart of the Balkan Peninsula is still a youngster.
The Ring Road may be Iceland’s classic road-tripping route and hold plenty of treasures, but taking your four wheels north off the beaten track and along the untamed wilds of Eyjafjörður, the country’s longest fjord, is something no adventurous traveler will ever regret.
Tel Aviv is Israel’s cultural capital, and while traditional museums may not fully capture the city’s contemporary artists, alternative art tours provide a more colorful perspective. Embark on an adventure with local guides who will take you behind the scenes of artists’ studios, explain Hebrew graffiti, and even let you unleash your creativity with a can of spray paint.
When most people think of the Canary Islands, images of beachside resorts and party-goers spring to mind. However, that perspective overlooks La Gomera, a volcanic island characterized by rugged cliffs, ancient forests, and palm-fringed valleys that evoke an almost Jurassic Park feel.
Kids love water parks, and adults do too. However, after another ride down yet another plastic tube, you might find yourself longing for something more authentic. Fortunately, there are numerous destinations where families can experience thrilling water adventures while immersing themselves in nature.
Big blazing skies, slivers of secluded white sand, and little more noise than the faint melody of birdsong, the Frisian Islands offer everything you could want from a paradisiacal archipelago — and it’s floating just 5km off the northern coast of The Netherlands.
‘The day is coming when a single carrot, freshly observed, will set off a revolution’ – Paul Cézanne
You might visualize the Trans-Siberian as a lonely, melancholic train journey through a snowy plain. However, it’s better represented as a connection of fascinating people, who pass travelers from one to another along the route and offer the best of Siberian hospitality.
Dundee isn’t an obvious destination in a country with so much to offer, but Scotland’s fourth largest city has significant plans to transform its gritty, post-industrial landscape into a thriving hub of culture and design excellence, with a particular focus on the new V&A Museum. Opening in September 2018, Kengo Kuma’s architectural marvel is the centerpiece of urban redevelopment that has garnered attention both locally and internationally.
For such a small island, Djerba is bursting with cultural richness. Swimming in the sea off Tunisia’s southeastern coast, it contains all the Mediterranean’s usual trimmings but mixes in intoxicating North African roots. Its wonderfully interwoven tapestry is most evident in its people, with the Muslim, Berber, and Jewish communities peacefully coexisting on the island as they have done for centuries. The island is home to Africa’s oldest synagogue, whose floors are lined with mats handwoven by local Muslim craftsmen.
Ah, Hawaii … beloved by millions as the land of sunshine and sand. Yet this tropical Eden is also the land of rainbows. Breathtaking swatches of resplendent color often stretch across the skies, but they wouldn’t be possible without one of the islands’ most cherished natural blessings: rain.
On a drive up the eastern shore of Wisconsin, the road ends in Door County, a charming 75-mile peninsula sandwiched between Lake Michigan and Green Bay that attracts more than 2 million visitors each year. Door County is often referred to as ‘The Cape Cod of the Great Lakes’ due to its laid-back coastal charm and the historic small towns that dot its peaceful shores.
Banksy has finally done it… he has created The Walled Off Hotel! Famous for his political pieces and his very own theme park called “Dismaland”, he’s conceived this place for us all to see.
‘Up there – can you see them?’ Scanning the evening sky above the jungle, they were alarmingly easy to spot: hundreds ofPteropus vampyrus –or flying foxes – out on an evening feeding mission. With a wingspan approaching 1.5m, the giant bats filled the horizon in a flapping black swarm.
Tangier, the jewel of North Africa, is a dazzling city that perfectly blends the past, present, and future. From the maze-like streets of the ancient Kasbah to the expansive modern coastline lined with palm trees, Tangier offers a unique experience. Even as it becomes more connected, the city maintains its incredibly rich Moroccan culture.
Hidden behind the busy road that runs along the western bank of İstanbul’s Golden Horn, the intertwined neighborhoods of Fener and Balat boast a rich history dating back to Byzantine times. These days, past and present mingle in colorful, maze-like streets, where third-wave coffee shops and design boutiques sit next to traditional tea gardens and tradesmen’s workshops.
