I live on top of the world – in the most northern urban community on the planet: Here’s why I’m staying put, despite -30C temperatures, no trees and months of darkness every year

by David Hibbins | Nov 9, 2024 | Latest Travel News

Svalbard is one of the world’s northernmost inhabited areas – and certainly isn’t for everyone.As resident Cecilia Blomdahl reveals.The Swedish author moved there from Gothenburg in 2015, because it ‘felt like a fun adventure’.There is fun, but...

I’m a traveller and these are the things I wish I’d known before going to Paris – I HATED my first visit, but now I’ve fallen in love with the city…

by David Hibbins | Nov 9, 2024 | Latest Travel News

A traveller who describes herself as a former ‘certified Paris hater’ has posted a tips video to help tourists fall in love with the French capital – just as she has done.The video is entitled ‘Things I wish I knew before going to Paris (I hated my first visit)’ and...

My stay at the ‘best hotel in Wales’ for 2024 to see if it lives up to the hype. It’s VERY good (but here’s why it doesn’t quite get full marks)

by David Hibbins | Nov 9, 2024 | Latest Travel News

The best hotel in Wales. This accolade was bestowed upon The Parkgate Hotel in Cardiff in the 2024 AA Hospitality Awards – an eye-opening stamp of approval for the property, which is housed in the Grade II-listed former head post office building and county...

I stayed at a lakeside lodge at Leeds Castle, a spectacular former Henry VIII love nest – this is what it’s like…

by David Hibbins | Nov 8, 2024 | Latest Travel News

When Henry VIII transformed Leeds Castle into a Tudor palace, little could he have imagined that it would become an attraction with half a million annual visitors and a cafe serving high teas with smoked salmon sandwiches and prosecco.But it has.Tourists flock to see...

Tale of tomato-stealing ‘super tusker’ elephant called Tolstoy who gets speared in the leg by a farmer told in heart-wrenching new documentary – we speak to the creator

by David Hibbins | Nov 8, 2024 | Latest Travel News

Elephants, it turns out, absolutely love tomatoes. They just can’t get enough of them.Unfortunately, this means they can sometimes come into violent conflict with tomato farmers, who are understandably very keen indeed not to have their livelihoods eaten.Hungry...