My travel essentials for long-haul (or any!) travel in 2026. I spend a lot of time in the air, hopping between hotels, scouting out the best places to stay, and writing about them. And after years of perfecting my packing routine, I’ve nailed down the travel essentials that I won’t board a flight without and my recommendations on what to bring. It’s a bit of a mixed bag—some practical, some indulgent—but they all make long-haul travel that little bit easier.

One of the most beautiful hotels in Italian, Paragon 700 is the only Palazzo Rosso (red palazzo) in the White City of Ostuni, Puglia.

Slow travel is one of the defining hotel and travel trends for 2026. Lulu Townsend explains why staying longer, going deeper, and resisting the urge to see everything is the way to travel now.

Frequent travellers around the world have figured out something that casual tourists often miss: the credit card in your wallet can be just as important as the itinerary you're flying into. The right travel credit card doesn't just earn you points, it reshapes how you experience travel entirely.

Have you ever sat through a beautiful symphony, or perhaps a sweeping film score, and wondered why the program’s name almost always belongs to a man? 

It’s a question that many of us might brush off as a relic of the past. But for Gabriella Di Laccio, an award-winning soprano with a voice like spun gold and a heart set on revolution, it became a call to action.

Four of the most intimate hotels in Paris.

There is a word doing the rounds in the hotel industry right now and, for once, it is one worth paying attention to. Hushpitality. You will be hearing a lot more of it.

Interview with Former British Army officer Matthew Burnford from MBM Chalets. MBM Chalets is a property letting and chalet management company based in the heart of the 4- Vallées ski area. They serve both holiday guests looking for exceptional alpine experiences and property owners looking for trusted, high-quality care and rental services.

I met Charlotte when I did my 300 hour Hatha YTTC at Sampoorna Yoga in Goa January 2026. Wise beyond her years, Charlotte was an inspirational teacher during the course in her role as Karmic Yogi. She supported our teachers Chelsea Harper and Nandini.

Breaking free from your routine with a road trip is not just an escape from reality. It is a way to see your life from a distance. The changing landscapes outside the windshield clear your head better than any mindfulness training. This is the kind of solution people are looking for when they want to improve the overall quality of their lives. What is even more impressive – it doesn’t require doing something extraordinary, just a need to build a plan of what you’re going to do to make every day count.

It’s my birthday! I must have received about 30 emails from hotels and restaurants inviting me to book a table during March and if I did I would receive a bottle of wine or prosecco or a couple of glasses of champagne… when will they move with the times and people’s preferences??

The purchase of Mercedes wheels demonstrates a company's commitment to high standards that combine sophisticated design with timeless elegance. The Mercedes wheels set a new standard for a stylish yet comfortable driving experience. Drivers with discerning taste want their wheels to be essential parts of their premium journey.

In my role as Head of Britain’s Finest, I have positioned myself at the very intersection of British hospitality and modern spa experiences. With over twenty years of experience navigating the luxury hotel, travel and wellness sectors, I have vetted many spas, boutique retreats and hotels across the United Kingdom. 

Bagels, shopping, diners, walking, US pharmacies, iconic buildings and memorials.. New York is a city that never sleeps. Read what to do if you’ve got 72 hours in the Big Apple.

Head off the beaten track in Sri Lanka, and you’ll find Ulpotha, Sri Lanka’s best yoga and Ayurvedic retreat. Nearly 30 years old, Ulpotha has stayed true to its identity. It still purposely has no Wi-Fi or electricity. The food is organic and vegetarian, and the yoga is taught by some of the best and most authentic yoga teachers.

The 200-hour Hatha Yoga Teacher Training Course at Sampoorna Yoga, Goa is a serious and intense three-week immersion into yoga as a complete system. It’s intensive, structured and demanding in the best possible way. This is not a course you drift through, nor is it for the faint-hearted. You’re expected to show up, be on time, pay attention and engage fully with the practice, the philosophy and yourself. Self-study and homework are expected.

Mad, theatrical, magical and utterly romantic, Venice has it all! If you’ve been and want to go again or have not yet stepped into a gondola with an ice cream, now’s the time! Here are my top 5 boutique hotels for a stylish and romantic stay in Venice.

The teaching team at Sampoorna Yoga create an atmosphere from day one that feels calm, focused and quietly serious. Yoga here is treated as a lived practice, not a performance. Students are given the space to question, explore and deepen without pressure or expectation.

Wellness travel has a reputation for being something you do at a remote mountain retreat or a villa tucked away somewhere near the ocean. But what if you rethought what wellness travel actually looked like? You’d find that some of the most restorative experiences you can have don’t happen on land at all.

If you’ve never considered a five-star Caribbean cruise as a wellness retreat, it might be time to redefine your thinking. The combination of sea water and sunshine has restorative powers after all.

If I could live in one European city, it would be the Renaissance city of Florence! It’s a living, breathing museum with cobbled streets, majestic palazzi, delicious food, stylish people and best of all it has some fantastic boutique hotels to choose from. Read on to find out which small boutique hotels in Florence I would recommend.