Words – March 2017

31/03/201708/04/2017 by Qin Xie | Leave a comment

Published this month:

• Copenhagen’s Noma: 10 ways Rene Redzepi changed the world of food
• Spain holidays 2017: Why Seville not Madrid or Barcelona should be your next city break
• Pizza Express are now doing a three-course vegan menu
• There is now a ginger flavoured Pepsi Max and we can’t quite imagine it

 

Words – February 2017

28/02/201708/04/2017 by Qin Xie | Leave a comment

Published this month:

• Hen dos: 8 afternoon teas in London that are perfect for every kind of bride-to-be
• Follow in the footsteps of Crocodile Dundee: Why Australia’s Northern Territory should be on EVERY wildlife lover’s bucket list
• National Toast Day 2017: 23 Instagram-perfect slices to inspire you
• Oz, the slow way

On the blogs:

• ‘Secret Recipes From The World Famous New York Bakery’ By Dominique Ansel

Words – January 2017

31/01/201705/02/2017 by Qin Xie | Leave a comment

Published this month:

• 7 weird ways to ring in the New Year around the world
• Who is James Cosmo? Everything you need to know about the Celebrity Big Brother 2017 housemate
• Who is Jamie O’Hara? Everything you need to know about the Celebrity Big Brother 2017 housemate
• Why Brits don’t need to go abroad for fine-dining holidays: Chef-owned B&Bs in Cornwall make it the perfect escape for foodies
• 10 car museums that every petrolhead should visit
• 9 ways to use up marmalade that doesn’t involve spreading it on toast
• 6 podcasts that will make your commute feel shorter
• 20 burgers that should not exist ranked from odd to utterly mind-blowing
• The world’s most powerful passports revealed: Germany takes the top spot (but the UK and US trail far behind)
• Passenger plane loses control after landing and skids off the runway into a mound of snow
• You WOOD not believe it: Stunning images showcase the majesty of the world’s oldest trees (with some dating back 2,000 years)
• From constipation and DVT to cancer and diabetes: The effects of flying long-haul revealed
• 2017 is unlucky if you’re born in the year of the rooster – but you can change your luck
• From a perch in the snow-capped Alps to an oasis in the desert: The restaurants with the world’s most jaw-dropping views revealed
• How to say happy Chinese New Year in Chinese (and it’s not gong hei fat choy)
• Chinese New Year 2017: 5 craft ideas you can try at home
• Chinese New Year 2017: 9 dishes to complete your banquet
• 8 things you should never do on Chinese New Year

Words – December 2016

31/12/201605/02/2017 by Qin Xie | Leave a comment

Published this month:

• 7 things you only realise when you’re buying your first home
• 7 reasons why Wandsworth is the best place to live in London
• Here’s how you can get served quickly at a bar according to bartenders

On the blogs:

• These are the food markets every traveller should visit
• El Poblet and Restaurante Quique Dacosta

Backdated photos:

• El Poblet, Valencia, dinner
• Restaurante Quique Dacosta, Denia, lunch

Words – November 2016

30/11/201603/12/2016 by Qin Xie | Leave a comment

Published this month:

• Welcome aboard? Don’t get too excited: The US carrier that’s been in operation for 27 years but has never flown a single passenger or package (and just lost its only aircraft)
• Lyft passengers will now be able to earn frequent flier points (but only if they’re travelling to or from an airport)
• Pictured: AirAsia plane slips off the runway and becomes stuck in the mud while preparing for take off
• A VERY novel way to de-stress: Egyptian book shop opens a ‘scream room’ where visitors make as much noise as they want to unwind
• Pictured: The incredible submerged plaza you have to walk into the sea to reach (no wonder the design is based on submarines)
• He’s a real-life superhero! Busker dressed as Spider-Man dramatically apprehends suspect in the middle of the street
• Tired of being stuck in traffic? Try a jetski! Enterprising commuter overtakes a line of trucks on flooded road
• Panic at family-friendly fireworks display as two stray rockets fire into the crowd injuring several children
• Oh deer! Fallow buck is rescued from an ELECTRIC FENCE after getting its antlers tangled in the ropes
• Nowhere to go! Driver narrowly avoids terrifying head-on collision as TWO lorries hurtle towards him side by side
• Now that’s mini golf! Proud parents spend £3,500 converting their garden into a course for five-year-old son who wants to become the next Tiger Woods
• Shocking footage shows the terrifying moment a woman’s bungee cord breaks during a 140ft fall sending her plummeting into the water below
• Incredible moment dozens of people joined forces to lift a juggernaut off elderly couple who were trapped under its wheels
• Caught on CCTV, the shocking moment a thief grabs McDonald’s poppy collection box from the counter and stashes it under his coat
• Is this the world’s worst driver? Woman knocks over pedestrian, rams a car and then flips her own vehicle while reversing out of parking lot
• Horror as a huge glass door comes crashing down on a tiny three-year-old girl… who miraculously SURVIVES
• London beats New York and Sydney to be named the world’s best city thanks to its shops, restaurants and airports
• Is this the future of diving? World’s fastest ‘personal submarine’ will take divers to depths of 310ft in just seconds
• From flying first class to staying in five-star hotels: How a savvy traveller slashed the cost of a $52,000 luxury trip to just $408
• From summer on the Thames to Piccadilly Circus in the winter: Stunning aerial photos capture London’s landmarks throughout the seasons
• Passengers from London and New York diverted after a plane burst its tyres while landing in Bogota
• The great American escape: Airlines launch post-election deals with Canada and Mexico topping travellers’ wishlists
• Temple that offers one of the best autumn views in Japan is BANNING all photography during peak season
• Revealed: Tallinn and Munich top the rankings for the best places in Europe for pre-Christmas getaways and bargain presents
• Modern day Fagins: Police hunt two men who distract staff so boy, 5, can steal a mobile phone in a cancer charity shop
• ‘There were punches being thrown and turbans flying off. It was crazy’: Boxing match turns into mass brawl as spectators start fighting with competitors in the ring
• ‘It’s more like a horse trot’! Strictly star Ed Balls tries to teach Radio 4’s Today host Nick Robinson his infamous Gangnam Style dance routine
• Project Paranoia! Amazon’s new drone-delivery testing site is shrouded in secrecy as burly guards stop locals from roaming across farmland
• EXCLUSIVE ‘I’m looking forward to getting my own kid now’: Party-loving Olympic legend Usain Bolt reveals he’s ready to start a family as he prepares for life after athletics
• 10 weird American Thanksgiving foods explained

Words – October 2016

31/10/201605/12/2021 by Qin Xie | Leave a comment

Published this month:

• An underwater escape: Inside the abandoned Soviet gulag that’s now a popular attraction for DIVERS
• The sky is on fire! Passenger captures the incredible moment a sea of clouds is transformed into ‘molten lava’ by the setting sun
• Passenger plane was forced to divert after ‘crew were informed a ground worker had gone missing and was presumed locked in the cargo hold’
• Faces of fear: Hilarious photos capture tourists’ expressions of terror inside a haunted house
• Authentic Cuba: Candid photographs capture everyday life in the colourful country before it’s changed by tourism
• Westworld in the east: Inside the abandoned Japanese theme park featuring Clint Eastwood and Mount Rushmore replicas that remain frozen in time
• Would you rest in peace? The floating hotel that has a cinema, restaurants and a CEMETERY for up to 48,000 urns
• Hawaiian Airlines under investigation over complaints that it WEIGHED passengers before allocating seats
• Thousands of passengers are grounded after Tui cancels over 100 flights in one day due to ‘staff calling in sick’
• Is this a confession? Worker discovers creepy note admitting to sodomy and MURDER in a US hotel room
• Holidaymakers sue Thomas Cook after contracting stomach parasite at hotel where staff were seen ‘fishing faeces out of the pool’
• Revealed: The best way to ask for a beer around the world (and the perfect snack to eat with it)
• Trend for doing yoga on HORSEBACK is growing in popularity (but not among the neigh-sayers)
• Two passenger planes in ‘serious’ near-miss after aircraft accidentally climbs to the same level as another
• Ever wanted to buy a ZOO? Five-acre sanctuary is up for grabs – as long as you promise to care for the animals (including snakes)
• Are they taking the piste? US ski resorts are FOUR TIMES more expensive than European ones (and it’s Bulgaria that offers the best value)
• Sky’s the limit! Dubai starts building $1billion ‘world’s tallest’ skyscraper that will tower over the 2,700ft Burj Khalifa
• Shocking images show a giant panda at a Chinese zoo foraging through RUBBISH left by tourists and eating it
• Revealed: Passenger plane lands at the WRONG airport after pilots ignore their navigation equipment
• Jogging tracks, personal butlers and two-storey loft suites: Inside the award-winning cruise ships hailed as the world’s best
• TripAdvisor finally stops selling tickets to cruel animal attractions after fierce criticism that it profited from elephant rides, tiger petting and dolphin swims
• Shocking images show a plane with its propeller ripped off after it made a belly landing on a river bank
• Male passenger arrested after he ‘stripped off in the lavatory mid-flight and asked female crew to assist him’
• It’s a wonder how they get any work done! The jobs with the world’s best views revealed
• Two passenger planes clip wings at Newark Airport for the SECOND day in a row
• Monarch boss urges the government to lift travel ban on flights between the UK and Sharm el-Sheikh following the airline’s £165million cash injection
• Is this the world’s cheapest hotel? Guests have to share a bed with 17 other people at this floating hostel… but it costs just 31p a night
• Pilot narrowly avoids collision during take off by FLYING OVER another aircraft that crossed his path on the runway
• Airline that was BANNED from several countries over safety concerns is forced to divert a flight to Bali due to a ‘fuel leak’
• Thousands of passengers across the world delayed by new United Airlines computer glitch
• ‘The honeymoon from hell’: Newlyweds sue tour operator after being left ‘violently ill in a bed-bug ridden cabin’ on board a Thomson cruise ship
• Italian town unveils a WINE fountain where visitors can drink for free 24 hours a day
• Revealed: How you can save thousands on family holidays this half term by opting for alternative resorts
• Catacombs inside Sir John Soane’s historic London home are open to the public for the first time in almost 180 years after £7million restoration
• Is this the world’s smallest museum? Yorkshire village opens a tiny attraction in a disused PHONE BOX
• Thought sand was all the same colour? Incredible images reveal the stunning PINK beaches around the world (and it’s not a trick of the light)
• Revealed: How looking up, standing on the wrong side of the escalator and even carrying an umbrella tells the locals that you’re a tourist
• Revealed: The best airports to sleep in around the world (and which are a total nightmare)
• Plane-ly amazing: Hawaiian Airlines debuts new livery featuring characters from Disney’s Moana
• Revealed: Restaurant in Spain is named world’s best by TripAdvisor (with eateries in France, Italy, the UK and America in the top 10)
• Lufthansa pilots on packed 747 ‘forced to use OXYGEN MASKS’ before emergency landing due to smoke in the cockpit over the Atlantic
• Bob Dylan does heavy metal: Musician unveils his first permanent work of art for $1.4billion US resort
• Desperate British family are trying to raise £32,000 to bring home a man left paralysed and stranded in a Spanish hospital by a severe stroke
• Caught on camera: The shocking moment a female airline worker is hit in the head during an assault by two male passengers
• A swimming pool, skate park and unlimited sweets: The fantastical ways to improve planes, according to kids
• Fancy a guilt-free holiday? The world’s most eco-friendly hot spots revealed, from Peru to Vietnam
• Is DEPLETING oxygen the answer to beating jet lag? New research shows that low blood O2 levels can speed up recovery by helping your body clock change
• From a baby in its safety chair to a bag filled with sex toys: Bizarre items left behind in rental cars revealed
• Brits still have an appetite for travel despite falling pound with currency sales INCREASING… and it’s Sweden and Mexico that offer the best value
• From food trucks to celebrity chefs: Walt Disney World unveils its revamped dining destination offering 50 different eateries
• Missing cutlery, weird smells and a mouse on the loose: The strangest reasons for flight disruptions revealed
• Cheaper fares, fewer delays and more destinations: What the Heathrow expansion could mean for traveller
• Premier Inn is voted the best UK hotel chain and a brand owned by one of Britain’s richest men is ranked the worst
• Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville are taking their football-themed hotels and cafes to Asia
• Tate Modern, Cardiff Bay and the stately home featured in Victoria are among TripAdvisor’s most popular UK attractions
• Now THAT’S a hidden treasure! Rare hand-painted world maps from the 17th century are discovered in a garage and auctioned for $24,000
• Passenger plane ‘BOUNCED twice’ during a hard landing that left debris scattered on the runway and forced the airport to close
• From memory loss to temperatures below -50°C: Award-winning documentary maker reveals what it’s REALLY like to live and work in Antarctica
• From ghost sightings of Anne Boleyn at the Tower of London to the White Lady in Bradford: The UK’s most haunted attractions revealed
• 40,000 passengers are hit by strike action in Germany as Lufthansa cancels Eurowings flights
• BA refused to let British father fly to France because he had less than three months left on his passport despite the document still being valid
• Fancy a life on the tracks? Iconic railway carriage holiday park could be yours for less than £175k
• The height of glamping: Inside the Royal Navy HELICOPTER transformed into a holiday home for six… complete with original dashboard and pedals
• ‘You’re not flying with that’: US veteran with PTSD is suing American Airlines after she was stopped from travelling with her service dog
• Ryanair introduce ‘illegal’ terms and conditions that exclude companies from claiming compensation on your behalf
• Practise really DOES make perfect: Rote learning of facts helps children become better decision makers as adults
• Fresh hope in campaign to pardon ‘Britain’s last witch’ who was convicted in 1944 under 200-year-old law after ‘vision’ about WWII war ship
• This is the moment a 20-stone have-a-go-hero brought down a yob being chased by five police officers . . . with a crunching rugby tackle in the street
• Police can’t believe their eyes when they stop a dozy driver who covered his broken window with a blue plastic sheet and gaffer tape, carefully cutting out a tiny hole ‘to see wing mirror’
• Missing girl, 15, who disappeared after telling her parents she was going shopping may have tried to leave the UK with a mystery man
• Dome sweet dome: Grade II property with a ceiling inspired by the Pantheon and Capability Brown-style garden goes on the market for £1.65million

On the blogs:

• Travel preparations: Becoming a packing pro
• Q&A with Carlos Serrano from Vina Montes

Words – September 2016

30/09/201609/10/2016 by Qin Xie | Leave a comment

Published this month:

• Pilotless planes, 3D printed meals and virtual reality tours: The future of travel revealed
• World’s highest glass bridge closes just 13 DAYS after its grand opening due to overwhelming volume of tourists
• Revealed: The best and worst backpacker destinations to get injured (including USA, Australia and India)
• That best friend feline: Adorable photographs show inseparable tiger and lion cubs before their animal instincts kick in
• Fancy exploring the world on foot? You can at this quirky Danish attraction (and it won’t cost you the earth)
• Disaster-struck regions in Japan including Fukushima set to use POKEMON GO to attract tourists
• Faeces on the toilet seat and litter all over the floor: Shocking footage reveals the disgusting condition of a plane ‘on its FIRST flight’
• Where IS everybody? Stunning photographs reveal a tourist-free side of China that few ever get to see
• More than half of Brits would sacrifice thousands from their salary for more annual leave (though a third are too busy to use all their holiday allowance)
• Uninterrupted bliss: The £420,000 solar-powered motor boat that travels up to six knots in SILENCE (and it can even charge your house)
• ‘We hate Americans’: Woman’s shocking racist outburst at crowded Chinese airport
• Hilarious moment couple discover they’re the only ones on a flight… and decide to dance across the aisle to celebrate
• Revealed: The shocking difference in flight prices around the world with fares in some countries £170 more expensive per 100km
• AirAsia flight from Sydney ends up in Melbourne instead of Malaysia after captain entered wrong data into computer
• Forget Ibiza, it’s Russia that takes the crown as the best destination in Europe… and Lufthansa is named best European airline in prestigious travel awards
• ‘London is generally safe – but be careful in areas populated by Indians, Pakistanis and black people’: Chinese airline condemned for in-flight magazine’s ‘racist’ advice
• Out of this world! Surreal sights in the Peak District that could be from a Star Trek set
• Dramatic footage shows the moment a van drives straight into the engine of a packed Dragonair passenger plane as it taxis to the runway
• From bullet-proof windows and diplomatic entrances to private beaches and in-room spas: The best hotel suites in the world revealed
• China is using crowdfunding to raise money for the restoration of the Great Wall (but it’s only for a 3,445ft section of the 13,170-mile-long structure)
• It’s a small world after all! Incredible macro photographs capture city skylines in drops of water
• German river cruise ship strikes a railway bridge as it sails underneath, crushing two crew members to death
• Nature’s sand castles: Breathtaking photographs reveal the mesmerising beauty of Namibia’s dunes
• That’s plane mad! Avid traveller flies to FIVE different airports to get from London to Aberdeen just so he can collect the air miles
• Bullet train driver on service that travels at up to 177mph is suspended after he’s pictured with his feet on the DASHBOARD
• Mother’s outrage after she was only offered a £6 refund for the holiday to Majorca she was forced to cancel after her husband died of cancer
• Shocking image shows an ‘eagle’ lodged in the nose cone of a packed passenger plane after crashing into it as it landed
• Suites costing £34,000 A NIGHT and underwater spas: The most heavenly Maldives resorts revealed
• More than 100 flights cancelled as French air traffic controllers start their 14th strike this year with Ryanair, easyJet and British Airways affected
• US carriers have collected $26.2billion from passengers in baggage fees since 2007
• Guggenheim’s 18-karat GOLD toilet set to open to the public (and you can use it for free)
• The jaw-dropping images taken by a 16-year-old: Teenager has 329,000 Instagram followers and is already earning money from his photographs
• Now THAT’S a high-wire act! Striking images show Chinese workers replacing panels of a glass-bottom bridge at 600 feet high
• Price on application! Inside the multi-million-pound superyachts on display at this year’s Monaco Yacht Show
• Fascinating culture, beguiling history and some very generous hospitality: Why the ban on booze won’t stop you being spellbound by Sharjah in the UAE
• Revealed: How low-cost airlines inflate the price of in-flight coffee by up to 4,000 per cent
• Revealed: The $100million luxury eco-yacht featuring passenger drones and a tropical garden that will glide through the water ‘like a whale’
• The results are in for the ‘museum Oscars’: The Broad in Los Angeles and London’s Tate Modern Switch House extension among the winners
• Mother is suing JetBlue after they flew her 5-year-old son to the wrong city… and then presented her with a different boy

 

Words – August 2016

31/08/201605/12/2021 by Qin Xie | Leave a comment

Published this month:

• Terrifying moment commuters narrowly escape injury after WIND causes an underground station’s ceiling to collapse
• The REAL game of thrones: Mapping the historic empires that shaped the world
• Thought your valuables were secure in a hotel safe? Shocking video reveals why you should never trust them
• Now THAT’S walkies! Athlete who met a stray dog on a 250km ultra-marathon across the Gobi desert is now bringing the adorable pooch home to the UK
• From the Ritz’s £95 feast to Bettys’ classic with scones: The UK’s best afternoon teas revealed
• From Peppa Pig World to Stonehenge: TripAdvisor reveals the UK’s most popular attractions outside London
• Fancy a life on Mars? Save yourself the 35million-mile journey and visit this incredible campsite in the desert where you sleep in metallic pods among the rocks
• Will THIS protect you from Zika virus? Bizarre net suit covers wearer from head to toe to avoid mosquito bites
• ‘What rule would you introduce if you were president?’ Flight attendants reveal the most bizarre questions they’ve been asked in interviews
• The travel clothes it’s claimed won’t smell even if they’re worn every day for a MONTH (but would you dare put them to the test?)
• From Shanghai’s ‘marriage market’ to toddlers with no diapers: Travellers share their weirdest encounters in China
• Chester has installed contactless payment points on its 2,000-year-old Roman walls so TOURISTS can help pay for its upkeep
• From bowing to statues to running marathons: A travel blogger reveals what it’s really like to be a tourist in North Korea
• Hotel stays in France fall by 10 per cent as US, Asian and Gulf tourists are deterred by recent terror attacks
• From Stonehenge to the Eiffel Tower: Vintage photographs of Europe’s landmarks reveal how travel has changed
• ‘Lovely weather we’re having’: The very British phrases you might hear… and what they actually mean
• Bed and border: The hotel where you can sleep in two countries… at the same time
• Meet the 16-year-old tech wizard who has created his own hotel booking site from his bedroom… and earned a quarter of a MILLION in his first year
• Frequent flier creates a ‘fake boarding pass’ app that allows him to enter dozens of airport lounges for free
• Pictured: The bizarre contraption that helps to keep Japan’s trains running on time (down to the second)
• The early bird catches… a £170 fine! Tourists warned that saving a spot on the beach is now ILLEGAL in some parts of Italy
• Reading the leaves of a booming industry
• The rise of the ‘flat puppy’: Pet lovers are picking Chihuahuas, pugs and other ‘handbag dogs’ to fit in smaller homes without gardens
• Triple trouble for mum! Wildlife park celebrates the birth of its first ever TRIPLET Asiatic lion cubs
• Pulled from the wreckage: Incredible moment a man is found alive amid the rubble of his home after a monsoon brought a wall crashing down trapping at least 20 in Manila
• Families evacuated from central Portugal after MORE forest fires break out as water bombers struggle to contain the flames
• Drunk mother who called 999 hundreds of times to chat about ‘her favourite meals, personal problems and to propose to call handlers’ is spared jail for the THIRD time
• Pucker up! Hilarious video shows an orangutan expertly posing for photos with a tourist… but sneaking in a kiss for his troubles
• The graveyard of luxury homes: Mesmerising photos show hundreds of abandoned villas in £1.2billion ghost city that may never be finished because the developer ran out of cash
• Pensioner wants to donate his life savings to his pet DOG after he dies as the pair have been inseparable for more than a decade
• Tourist survives 38 hours at sea without a life jacket and even manages to fall ASLEEP after falling from cruise ship
• Perfect for a doggy paddle: Inside the swimming pool for pooches where owners can get in too
• Is this the best beach hut in Britain? Phil Spencer picks quaint seaside shack with polka dots and a ‘drawbridge’ as this year’s winner
• World’s longest and highest glass bridge opens in China’s ‘Avatar’ mountain (but there are already so many tourists you can barely see the 984ft drop)
• From lobster thermidor to a Hello Kitty kids meal: The best (and worst) dishes at 35,000ft according to an in-flight food addict who travels the world sampling plane food
• Gone walkies again? Dog who followed an Australian runner for 250km on a marathon run in China is MISSING after wandering off before the athlete could adopt him
• Fancy spotting polar bears from the comfort of your cabin? Pioneering luxury cruise to the Arctic sets sail with tickets costing up to $120,000
• Gobi’s back! Touching moment long distance runner is reunited with the missing dog who ran a 250km extreme marathon with him
• A spotless view from above! Mesmerising aerial images reveal a perfectly manicured Singapore
• From playful sea lions to frolicking turtles: Stunning images reveal life under water on the Galapagos
• Revealed: The bizarre items found in lost property departments at airports around the UK (including a microwave, carpet and even HOLY WATER)
• Splash out in Denmark or go budget-friendly in Bulgaria: Revealing the cheapest and most expensive destinations in Europe
• Would you pay £228 for a night in a CARAVAN? Hipster hub offers guests a stay in an Airstream… on a car park rooftop
• Welcome to Dinosaur Land: Inside the eerie abandoned theme park that became extinct
• From a pouncing leopard to a charging elephant: Shocking footage reveals the terrifying moments animals attack tourists on safari
• Pregnant woman refused a £1,000 refund by Thomson after deciding to cancel holiday to Zika-affected Orlando
• A Polynesian island hideaway, a former palace in India and Pippa Middleton’s favourite holiday haunt: The hotels voted the best in the world revealed
• Is this the coolest job in the world?Finnish hotel is looking for Northern Lights spotter (but expect the temperature to be sub-zero)
• Air New Zealand’s surfing-themed safety video featuring Mick Fanning is slammed for being distracting
• A smoother ride: Delta launches new 3D weather maps to help pilots avoid turbulence

On the blogs:

#HOTGV: On Francois Lurton wines with the man himself

Words – July 2016

31/07/201609/10/2016 by Qin Xie | Leave a comment

Published this month:

• Top international concierges reveal how through a 64-year-old network they can help hotel guests find everything from rare Birkin bags to mare’s milk
• Hand creams, soaps and heart medication: How YOUR everyday items can set off bomb detectors as you pass through airport security checkpoints
• Europe’s out! Safety and money worries are forcing 62 per cent of Brits to take their holiday at home this summer
• Ever fancied holidaying in Uruguay, New Caledonia or Antarctica? The safest and lesser known destinations to take a vacation
• Hundreds of passengers left stranded in the Channel tunnel after Eurotunnel train breaks down sparking huge delays
• From cacti in the American desert to moss in a Japanese temple: The incredible GARDENS you can visit around the world
• Leave your dishdasha at home! UAE tells citizens to avoid traditional Arab robes while abroad after businessman was mistaken for a terrorist and detained in US
• Now that’s a trainspotter! Meet the man who spent 10 years and thousands of pounds photographing EVERY station in Britain
• Is this the daredevil express? Terrifying footage shows man ducking high-voltage cables on the roof of a speeding train while passengers lean out of the DOOR to watch
• America apologizes for violent arrest of Emirati businessman who was mistaken for a terrorist after entering Ohio hotel in traditional robes
• Life of the last hunter-gatherers: Candid images reveal the nomadic people of Nepal – who still live in forests and trap monkeys for food
• What lies above: Stunning photographs reveal the beautiful ceilings in Iran’s mosques, bazaars and public baths
• Take the plunge! Inside world’s deepest thermal water pool where you can dive to depths of over 130ft and swim like a mermaid
• Delta Airlines flight diverted after passengers on board become sick due to increased levels of carbon monoxide
• Shocking moment tuk tuk driver appears to ‘slowdown and SIGNAL to bag snatchers’ seconds before they robbed his passenger
• Chaos at New Zealand airport after ‘rogue baggage trolley’ triggers fire alarm causing hundreds of passengers to be evacuated
• From Spain and France to Russia and Croatia: Countries in Europe where you can drink tap water – and the places you really shouldn’t
• Pilots are forced to land a plane ‘blind’ after HAILSTONES smash both windshields
• ‘People think I’m a prostitute so I lie about having a boyfriend’: Female solo traveller reveals how to hitchhike across 50 countries on a budget (and she’s even thumbed a plane ride)
• Give four kisses in Nantes and why you should NEVER fold your arms in Finland: An etiquette guide to greetings around the world
• The school of life: Father takes eight-year-old son hitchhiking 370 miles around China on a working holiday (with a budget of just £11)
• Snapshots from the land that time forgot: Stunning photographs reveal how the nomadic Brokpa tribe in remote Bhutan fight to preserve tradition nestled in the misty foothills of the Himalayas
• Faroe Islands fit cameras to SHEEP to create their own version of Street View after Google refuse to send their team
• Abandoned shops, discarded laundry and traffic lights signalling to empty streets: Eerie images inside Fukushima’s exclusion zone five years after the nuclear disaster
• United Airlines plane blew out two of its tyres when a pilot slammed on the brakes during takeoff
• The cruelty of winter: Devastating images reveal aftermath of a season where temperatures in Mongolia fell to -50°C killing more than 850,000 livestock
• Emirates is named the world’s best airline for the FOURTH time (but no sign of British or American carriers in the top 10)
• Japan’s first naked restaurant ‘backtracks its rules banning guests over 60 and overweight diners following backlash’
• Do YOU leave your bags with hotel reception after checking out? If luggage is stolen you could be left out of pocket by insurers
• Air Canada plane’s landing gear collapses causing the front of the plane to NOSE DIVE into runway after touch down
• China to build £5.8billion airport that will handle 90million passengers a year (with so many boutiques there’ll be no need for citizens to shop abroad)
• Is it still safe to travel to the South of France? Nice tourism industry to be hit by terror attacks
• Fancy a pint? Adults-only ice cream van is serving beer and tequila flavoured sorbet in pork scratching cones for FREE (just be prepared to be ID’d)
• Passengers forced to disembark flight and endure 16-hour delay after ‘pilot refused to fly because he was too tired’
• From California’s Napa Valley to Spain’s La Rioja: The best places to visit for a great view and a fantastic glass of wine
• Google boss says internet giant WON’T be paying any more tax as he criticises Britain for voting to leave EU
• Swimming with mermaids, flying alongside your plane and seeing an old flame: Scientist uncover the TRUTH behind near-death experiences
• Mother, 57, dies while swimming in sea alongside her ‘absolutely devoted’ husband on Alicante holiday
• Stag party reveller wins payout after suing Spearmint Rhino lapdancing club for ‘taking advantage of him’ when he blew £7,500 in one night
• Why silver is worse than bronze: Study shows Olympians who come second are more upset than those just happy to get on the podium
• A boy of THREE is quizzed by police for racism as number of children accused of hate crimes soars
• British couple set to tie the knot in Turkey days after failed coup… after being told they would lose £3,500 if they cancel
• Thousands of Brits could be left out of pocket if they want to cancel holidays to Turkey, travel experts warn
• Is THIS the world’s best hotel brand? Inside the family-run, luxury chain with resorts in India, Dubai and Mauritius that has taken the title… for the second time
• Donkey rides, postcards and sticks of rock: The British seaside traditions that have fallen out of favour (as almost half say tech is more important than a towel at the beach)
• Luxury Amazon River cruise ship EXPLODES leaving several people dead and five still missing
• Hanoi is the cheapest and New York the most expensive: TripAdvisor reveals the cost of a summer break in 20 cities around the world
• Just a lick of paint! Artist transforms drab buildings with stunning 3D optical illusion murals resembling vibrant street scenes
• Moment five people died as seaplane full of VIP guests crashed into a BRIDGE on its inaugural flight
• Paris Hilton is set to open beach-themed luxury hotels in Dubai, New York and Las Vegas
• From missing painkillers to a broken coffee machine: The bizarre reasons why your flight might be delayed
• From adjusting your body clock BEFORE you travel to in-flight meditation: A sleep expert reveals how to beat jet lag
• Flight delayed for over three hours after passenger tore off part of the CEILING thinking it was overhead luggage bin
• North Korean plane ‘forced to deploy oxygen masks’ and make an emergency landing in China after fire breaks out on board
• Travel hack reveals how you can have one holiday every month in 2017 and turn 20 days leave into a whopping 53
• Man almost died after swallowing DETERGENT that was poured into a bottle labelled ‘complimentary water’ at hotel
• ‘A door banged open and sludge flooded out’: The shocking moment foul smelling liquid oozes through underground station
• What to do in Valencia in summer
• Tokyo on a budget: TripAdvisor reveals how to visit one of the world’s most expensive cities for less than £1,500 (including flights) and still stay in highly-rated hotels
• From planetariums to ice skating rinks: The airports around the world where you’ll actually WANT to be delayed
• The £19billion underwater FLOATING tunnels that could halve a 21-hour drive and change the way you explore Norway’s coastline
• Inside Sir Richard Branson’s new luxury all-inclusive retreats where a seven-night break will set you back £14,600
• Forget a house… The Airbnb ISLAND for you and 30 friends that features a treehouse, zipline and rice paddy fields
• Four people injured after plane skids off the runway and ploughs into several vehicles in airport car park
• Now THAT’S a high dive! Daredevils leap off an 89ft medieval tower in extreme diving competition with moves that take years to perfect
• Why you should ALWAYS pay in local currency on holiday: Brits are duped out of £380million a year in hidden fees by paying in pounds
• The unsinkable canoe for two that FOLDS away into a box (but you’ll need to splash out over £1,000)
• First look at Center Parcs’ debut in Ireland: Sprawling £193million resort to feature lakes, water rides and a sub-tropical pool
• Despite Normandy terrorist attack tourist spends a night on the roof of Milan’s Duomo Cathedral after he was overlooked by security and locked inside
• Hop to it! Inside the bizarre taxidermy museum where over 500 stuffed frogs are seen playing tennis, going to school and performing circus acts
• Is THIS the world’s most useful travel flask? Hi-tech bottle has 15 functions and can carry both hot and cold liquids at the same time
• Is this the sweetest place on Earth? Ice Cream Museum serves up edible balloons and frozen treats as guests swim in a pool of SPRINKLES
• Cuba and Bulgaria set to be the new hotspots for UK holidaymakers trying to avoid terror attacks, reveals Thomas Cook
• Heading to a danger zone? New mobile app lets tourists summon SPECIAL FORCES assistance at the touch of a button
• Meet the jet-set cleaner who travels all over the world to make monuments like Mount Rushmore and London Eye spotless
• Inside the Irish Orient Express: Travel Ireland in style on luxurious new train service (if you can afford the £1.3k a night price tag)
• £40k for a bottle of water in Mexico and £500 for a cupcake in the US: The most expensive food and drink in the world revealed
• Is this the most essential travel gadget? The portable filter that will purify dirty water ANYWHERE in the world in just 15 seconds
• Fancy a Royal portrait of your own family? Butlin’s brings in photographer who captured Will and Kate on their wedding day to ensure holidaymakers return with the perfect snap
• Revealed: The behaviour commuters hate the most on public transport (if you want to make friends, best to put your phone away)

Words – June 2016

30/06/201621/07/2016 by Qin Xie | Leave a comment

Published this month:

• Looks good enough to dive into! The incredibly realistic swimming pool made out of MARBLE (and it even has ripples)
• Sleepy Hollow, Shangri La and Juliet’s balcony: The fake attractions that tourists believe are REAL
• Brexit could cost the UK more than £4billion a YEAR, survey claims, as European, US and Canadian tourists say they’ll be put off from visiting
• UK airports may lose business to Dublin after Brexit because US passengers travelling to continental Europe can transfer more quickly there, claims Aer Lingus chief
• Now you can have a mini cruise experience on a FERRY: New £112million ship will feature cinemas, restaurants, premium lounges and cabins with balconies
• Corking! French president Francois Hollande raises a glass as he unveils Bordeaux’s £62million theme park dedicated to WINE
• Is it the end of the line for the orange train ticket? Rail companies fast-track mobile payment technology and barcode receipts
• Is this the world’s most adventurous cat? Meet fearless feline Yoshi who goes hiking, camping and boating with his owners
• Is this the world’s most useful hoodie? MailOnline meets the designers behind the travel jacket with 15 features including phone charger and removable travel pillow
• Air Canada passenger claims he almost died from deep vein thrombosis after a 10-hour flight in an economy seat
• Man hid in an airport for TEN DAYS after sneaking in with a forged ticket
• Dramatic footage shows flames engulfing a yacht following an ‘explosion’, with the nine who were on board plucked to safety from a life raft afterwards
• From gambling and pornography to damaging nature and disrespecting local customs: China unveils nine ways its tourists can be banned from travel
• Where luxury cars go to die: Inside the overgrown ‘tyrant’s car park’ where Bentleys and Mercedes totalling millions have been abandoned by their rich owners
• Is this the world’s busiest campus? Incredible images reveal the densely packed ‘village’ where Tibetan monks study Buddhism
• From a boutique hideaway in Brazil to a Venetian private island resort: The hottest new hotels in the world revealed
• Airbnb host who refused transgender woman over ‘concerns for her teenage son’ is banned by rental site
• North Yorkshire is the most popular holiday destination for Brits after London – but overseas visitors flock to Edinburgh
• British tourist in critical condition after ‘jumping’ into a swimming pool from Ibiza hotel balcony
• Revealed: The vastly different fines dished out for misdemeanors committed in cities across Europe
• Bangkok beats Barcelona, New York and Malaga as the best value city: The cost of the most popular holidays for Brits revealed
• Bizarre French laws revealed: How SPEEDOS could keep you out of jail and why loo roll can be used as money
• Fishermen’s friends: Incredible photos show gentle whale sharks swimming alongside local anglers in the bay they share
• Want to holiday like a billionaire? How it would take the average worker 21 YEARS to afford a yachting trip taken by the likes of Sir Philip Green
• No, it’s not Middle Earth! The incredible tunnels carved into giant 2,000-year-old TREES wide enough to drive a car through
• Got a spare €26million? This 1,250-acre historic hotel could be yours (and it comes with an 18-hole golf course and designer spa)
• ‘We have had a nightmare’: Pilot describes moment he was forced to have plane passenger arrested after he allegedly downed a bottle of vodka and threatened to kill his girlfriend and children at 30,000ft
• British travellers could lose £300million a YEAR after Brexit as EU law for airline delays and cancellations compensation will no longer apply
• Insurers pay out a £1million a DAY for travel mishaps with the bulk of claims covering emergency medical treatments
• From a cabin in Vermont to a cottage on a Scottish isle: The remote boltholes where you can REALLY get away from it all
• Incredible laser images reveal the hidden secrets of Cambodia’s ancient cities and huge temple complexes
• The shocking moment a passenger who ‘tried to break into the cockpit’ is TIED to his seat mid-flight by cabin crew and other flyers
• Snake charmers, feluccas on the Nile and bustling streets: Stunning century-old images show Cairo on the cusp of change
• World’s best restaurants revealed: Italian eatery where guests are served lemon tarts deliberately dropped onto their plates is crowned the winner
• Framed by nature: The breath-taking pictures of natural peepholes in the rugged landscapes of Arizona and Utah
• Incredible images reveal the hidden cargo of a barnacle-ridden British World War II navy ship submerged in the Red Sea
• Meet the world’s most hen-pecked man: Adventurer is sailing around the world with Monique – his pet CHICKEN
• Now THAT’S high art: Tate Modern’s stunning £260million 10-storey ‘twisted pyramid’ extension is finally unveiled
• The moment a plane passenger attempted to silence a crying child… by SCREAMING right back at him
• Can you pinpoint Loch Ness or the Yorkshire Dales on a map? Most Brits can’t. Take this interactive test to see how well YOU know the UK
• Businessman who paid Cathay Pacific to assist his 12-year-old son on landing is suing airline for £176k after his boy was ‘left unattended and picked up by a stranger’
• Ecstatic fans finally get inside Shanghai Disney as the $5.5billion theme park opens its doors to the public
• Penguins, mice and bird houses: How Japan’s bizarre post boxes have become quirky tourist attractions
• Two male passengers ‘assaulted four cabin crew members and left an air marshall with a bloody nose’ after they were denied an upgrade
• We’re all going on a summer holiday! Number of vacations Brits have been on since 2011 is up by 1.9million… and it’s Slovakia, Japan and Iceland that are the most popular
• Scotland’s Arran beats Santorini, Capri and Mykonos to be named the European island with the best hotels
• Plans for a thrilling 1,200-ft free-fall ride above New York’s Pennsylvania Station unveiled
• Shocking moment passengers start BRAWLING because a woman ‘wouldn’t stop complaining about a delayed flight’
• Dramatic moment ‘very emotional’ woman threatens to jump off the roof after her holiday request was denied
• Vomit, mould and breakdowns: Couple who splashed out on luxury holiday had a ‘week-long horror cruise’ after string of problems
• Travel chaos for BA passengers as IT glitch leaves fliers in ‘snaking queues’ at Heathrow and Gatwick following check-in desk breakdown
• A pilot’s eye-view: First 360-degree tour inside an Emirates A380 cockpit reveals what it’s like to fly one of the world’s biggest passenger planes
• Nothing but the bare necessities! Internet goes into frenzy after NAKED man wearing just a backpack is spotted buying tickets at a packed train station
• Now you really can walk on water! Thousands of tourists flock to Italian lake to stroll on a 1.9-mile floating art installation
• Shocking audio of the moment a pilot is called a ‘tool’ by another crew over airport radio after terse exchange with ground control
• Stampedes in Calgary, jazz in New Orleans and art in Rotterdam: Revealing this summer’s quirky festivals around the world
• Dragons’ Den for £320,000: Multi-millionaire entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne puts his Lake District holiday home on the market (and it comes with ALL the furnishings)
• Thirty-five passengers confirmed dead following tour bus fire in central China
• Pupils at Scottish schools skipped 641,380 days of lessons last year to go on holiday with cost of term-time breaks blamed
• TripAdvisor reveals that the UK beat French, Spanish and US competition to offer some of the world’s best accommodation
• Woman claims she was ‘laughed off’ by passport officials after they issued her son travel documents with a DIFFERENT boy’s photograph inside
• Award-winning ‘floating’ house with two swimming pools and unrivalled views of the coastline could be yours for £3.7million
• From azure seas to stormy clouds: Stunning time-lapse video shrinks the three-hour flight between Malaga and Liverpool to just TWO MINUTES
• You can now stay in New York in a TAXI through Airbnb… complete with turn-down service (and you’ll only run up $39 on the meter)
• Queue-skipping entry to the Vatican and visiting the Grand Canyon: The world’s most popular tours revealed
• Abandoned engines and hollowed out rail cars: Haunting photos reveal rusting locomotives in Bolivia’s train cemetery
• Edinburgh is ranked the UK’s easiest city to travel around while Bristol and Cambridge are among the hardest tourist hotspots to explore
• From Cirque du Soleil shows to the biggest LED dome ceiling at sea: Inside the stunning new ‘smart ship’ MSC Meraviglia
• ‘Filthy, horrendous and a dirty death-camp’: Pontins Southport slammed by TripAdvisor users over its dire conditions

On the blogs:

• Jidori – Dalston, London – Review