Travel News

Travel: travel guides, insurance, holiday news, hotel reviews and short city breaks

• Card charges and booking 'tricks' revealed by consumer study
  New research has revealed the extent to which travel companies use card charges, premium rate telephone lines and automatic opt-ins to "trick" their customers.
  
  
• Verbier: How to be a chalet chef
  Catering for 22 skiers is a tough job. Before taking it on in the Swiss resort of Verbier, James Bedding tried the 'foolproof' recipes of an expert.
  
  
• The saddle saga: in trouble with Iran's police
  Visa issues and a police interrogation put our columnists' 13,000-mile cycling trip in jeopardy.
  
  
• Murcia, Spain: a cultural city guide
  Nick Harrison offers a guide to a city brimming with history and world-beating tapas bars.
  
  
• Animals captured in mid-air by wildlife photographer Paul Goldstein
  Animals captured in mid-air by wildlife photographer Paul Goldstein.
  
  
• The Big Picture photography competition: round 192
  Enter our photography contest for the chance to win a £250 camera. Here are this week's best entries.
  
  
• Oscars 2012: where to spot the stars in LA
  A guide to the star-studded hotels, restaurants, bars and spas of Los Angeles.
  
  
• Skiing in Andermatt: the Swiss resort that is not a swizz
  Andermatt makes for great-value, laid-back skiing, says Yolanda Carslaw.
  
  
• The world's best adventure cruises
  Fancy climbing a volcano, husky sledding or flying in a fighter jet? Wendy Gomersall picks the best adventure cruises for 2012.
  
  
• Advice to British travellers in Greece 'alarmist'
  William Hague has been criticised for urging holidaymakers in Greece to register with the British consulate in case of civil unrest in the country.
  
  
• Martin Johnson to coach children at Sardinian holiday resort
  Former England Rugby coach Martin Johnson has a new job: training children at a holiday resort in Sardinia.
  
  
• Bhutan: high adventure in the kingdom of happiness
  Amar Grover joins the small but growing number of hikers to explore the Bhutanese Himalayas.
  
  
• Travel advice: tipping on cruise ships
  Our travel experts answer your emails, including a question about tipping on board a cruise.
  
  
• Hotels for winter sports: four of the best
  Four of the best hotels for winter sports holidays, chosen by Francesca Syz.
  
  
• Sign Language: week 192
  Another selection of strange signs sent in by readers on their travels.
  
  
• Rio de Janeiro Carnival 2012: the second night of parades in the Sambadrome
  The second night of parades in Rio de Janeiro's packed Sambadrome.
  
  
• J M W Turner's Kent
  The artist loved to visit northern Kent. Alastair Smart explores the blustery spots where he paused to set up his easel.
  
  
• Guimarães, Portugal: Europe's cultural enigma
  What links Berlin and Paris with tiny Guimarães in Portugal? David Atkinson explains on a visit to the city, newly crowned European Capital of Culture.
  
  
• Which credit cards should you take on holiday?
  We look at the best deals and the pitfalls you face when using debit and credit cards on holiday.
  
  
• The Lake District: activities for the more adventurous family
  Jeremy Seal reports on the Lake District's efforts to become adventure capital of the UK.
  
  
• For blue-sky thinkers like Steve Hilton, the footwear is optional
  Why did Steve Hilton tell Michael Gove to fly with the 'upstart' Branson rather than 'fat cat' BA? asks Robert Colvile.
  
  
• Patagonian Expedition Race 2012: stepping into a world of ice
  The 375-mile Patagonian Expedition Race is reaching its conclusion. Will Gray reports.
  
  
• Snowdonia, Wales: answering the call of the wild west
  John Gimlette follows the poets, painters and prime ministers drawn to Snowdonia's rugged coast.
  
  
• Oscars 2012: film location holidays
  How to explore the filming locations of this year's Oscar-nominated titles.
  
  
• Helen Baxendale's holiday heaven and hell
  The actress Helen Baxendale recalls great breaks in Britain and a stubborn horse in Ireland.