Bruges ranked top European city break for train travel getaways
Last minute booking trend keeps holiday firms on their toes - and prices down!
ONCE upon a time travel meant a holiday on a beach. Today, not so much. Not for us. We are in Brazil – live daily blog here – in Florianopolis, an island off the mainland. Here, all roads lead to a beach – there are more than a hundred, our guide tells us. All the surveys show that beach holidays are the most popular kind followed by city trips. In fact, most people would think it wasn’t a holiday if there wasn’t a beach to lie on at some point. Even when asked for travel tips we often give recommendations that include beaches. It’d feel wrong not to. But, we’re not British about beaches. We don’t like to spend a lot of time lying on sand or even a sun lounger. We don’t want to burn under the sun. We cannot relax while our skin rots. If anyone asks “you wanna join us at the beach?” The answer is: “Maybe later.” It gives us an excuse to do what we really want. Shop! Lol. And write our fave newsletter. Here’s October’s travel headlines. PS: we could not add our usual links as Brazil’s president has banned X!
Travel maker!
More pain in Spain: The Spanish government has delayed introducing its new ‘Big Brother’ laws until December. The rules, which will require hotels to hand over the bank details, addresses, and contact details of tourists to police, were due to come in tomorrow, Tuesday 1st October, but have been pushed back to Monday 2nd December to ensure systems are in place to collect the data. There are fears it could put off holidaymakers. Birmingham Live has the story.
Flying slow: Flights from Europe to America could get 50 minutes longer to become more environmentally friendly. Boffins from Cambridge University have suggested that if planes fly 15 per cent slower, it would reduce fuel burn by up to 7 per cent. The proposal has been put forward in a report to cut carbon emissions and reach net zero targets by 2050. They admit this would be complex to bring in and unpopular with passengers. MailOnline has the story.
Top of the travel list: Putting a spring back in our step is easyJet’s Big Orange sale. Now the summer holidays are over the airline is flogging winter flights with a 20 per cent discount – many under £30. There are 130 destinations to choose from including trips from Manchester to Basel for £14.99, Luton to Krakow for £17.99 and Liverpool to Prague for £20.99. Sale ends 1st October.
Drawing attention: Peru has done it again – incredible stuff just keeps being discovered! It was in the 2010s that the colourful Rainbow Mountain was uncovered when the snow melted away and now researchers from Yamagata University, Japan, used AI to find more Nazca Lines – up to 303 new markings. The shapes such as triangles and spirals, and animals, like the spider and hummingbird, are carved out in the desert floor. They are stunning to see from the air. No one really knows when they were drawn, who made them, and what they mean. The Nazca Lines are already one of Peru’s most popular tourist attractions after Machu Picchu and Cusco. Don’t forget there’s also the Amazon, two of the deepest canyons in the world, the Uros islands, Lake Titicaca … y mas! The Guardian has more.
Signing on: Good news for deaf and hard-of-hearing travellers as Virgin Atlantic announced its British sign language crew had more than doubled since last year with plans to also increase its subtitled in-flight entertainment. PA Media has more.
Have you seen our pictures: Our fantastic travel photos, which capture some of our favourite destinations around the world, are now available for sale on Alamy. Woohoo!
Flashpoint: After more than a year British Airway announced it was scrapping its sheer blouses for women cabin crew. The ‘transparent’ uniform meant their bra straps could be seen, leading to pervy comments from passengers. One staff member said: “Sending stewardesses to serve boozy passengers in see-through tops wasn’t a good idea.” Following feedback from 10k members of staff BA said it would redesign shirts that were 43 per cent thicker. The Daily Star covered the story.
Where to travel by train: Bruges has been named the best European city break by train in a Which? survey, beating cities like Paris and Amsterdam. More than 1,000 members rated European cities reachable within seven hours by rail from London. Bruges – 3.5hrs from St Pancras – scored 85 per cent, with visitors praising its canals, cobbled streets, and enchanting atmosphere. Bordeaux – 6hrs from St Pancras – came second with 84 per cent, noted for its wine and five-star-rated food and drink. Amsterdam – 4hrs from St Pancras – and Avignon – 6hrs from St Pancras – tied for third place with 82 per cent. Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, said: “It’s easy to discount Eurostar if you don’t live in London, but with cities as far afield as Birmingham, Cardiff and Portsmouth only two hours from the capital, the train can still be quicker than the plane to many European destinations – it’s certainly more enjoyable and far better for the environment.”
Five cities to visit: In 2022 we visited Bruges, Antwerp, Budapest, Vienna and Venice all by train. We took a two-week journey that started in London St Pancras and whizzed over to Belgium and then to Central Europe. Much of the trip was on the fly and spontaneous. We let ourselves be seduced by where we were and what was around us. Very little was planned other than the trains. The best bit? The moment we saw Venice for the first time. Goosebumps. Is this a real place? Arriving by train is perfect for that first impression. A kingdom of palatial buildings is there outside the station doors. The water taxis rush by on the Grand Canal looking like they’re straight out of a James Bond film. The gondolas are there. It’s the classic image. Take our picture, please!
Hot topic: The world’s most famous rainforest is currently on fire like never before. It’s the biggest talking point across Brazil (where we’re currently travelling). The wildfires are the worst in decades – exacerbated by a drought which is turning parts of the Amazon River into desert. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was in the city of Tefé , Amazonas state, to see the devastation after more than 38,000 fires in the region in August. Not only are large amounts of trees ablaze but the smoke is blowing from the north down to the south blocking out the sun – a phenomenon that has never happened before – causing the blue sky to turn grey. Residents across this continental-sized country are being told to keep their windows closed as air quality is poor. Amazon campaigner for Greenpeace Brazil Danicley de Aguiar told the Guardian: “We’ve reached a historic moment, the likes of which we’ve never reached before. We are facing a gigantic drought … and a drought that has come combined with fire.”
Heading off: Heathrow Airport set a new record in August, with nearly eight million passengers passing through its terminals. And it’s on track to serve 30 million passengers between June and September, the most for this period in its history. Celebrating its milestone, it also said its top destinations included Spain, Greece, Italy, and Turkey.
On his case: Feisty Ryanair boss has once again called for the boss of National Air Traffic Services (NATS) to resign. Michael O’Leary wants Martin Rolfe to step down after air traffic control staff shortages at Gatwick last month distrupted 100 flights. He has even urged Transport Secretary Louise Haigh to sack Mr Rolfe if he refuses to go.
Have you seen our pictures: Our fantastic travel photos, which capture some of our favourite destinations around the world, are now available for sale on Alamy. Woohoo!
Push the boat out: Here’s our live blog from Brazil. Since we arrived we have been hiking, saiing and sandboarding. Other places you might find us are on a beach, at a Samba club, or in Santo Antonio de Lisboa having a Caipirinha or two. This is best enjoyed curled up while contemplating next year’s big trip.
How to spend £45 million: Blink and it will soon be 2025 – and with that Bradford will become the UK City of Culture. We’ve had a first sneak peak of the events we can expect to see as part of the year-long celebrations, costing £45 million, in this West Yorkshire city. There will be projects led by local celebrities including artist David Hockney who wants to get us all drawing. Magician Dynamo, real name Steven Frayne, will be taking part and there will also be a musical extravaganza by Turner Prize winner Jeremy Deller. Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe told the BBC: “David Hockney, one of Bradford’s sons, is really important for us. It’s wonderful that he’s part of it. And of course the opening ceremony, I’m really excited about that. Dynamo. Who knows what’s going to happen? Who knows what he’s going to conjure up out of thin air.”
Holiday work: Get the CV out as Hilton is after hiring over-50s wanting to change careers to fill nearly 400 roles in the UK. The jobs include waiting tables, being on reception, cleaning, and organising events. Hilton’s Steve Cassidy said the opportunity would suit those looking to escape burnout from office jobs.
Unstoppable: High up in the 360 Bar, the view of Baku is unmissable. You don’t need to wonder what’s new down there. It all is. The three skyscraper Flame Towers with their curvy flicks at their highest point dwarf everything else around. At night they are ablaze – lit up like a burning fire in a light display that changes to giant men waving the Azeri flag and then to the national colours blue, red and green. It’s this radical transformation that’s making this city the new must-see capital. Instead of creating monuments to their past they are designing a rock-star city for the future with 30 skyscrapers planned every year until 2030. Being oil rich they can certainly afford it. Already they have built the Heydar Aliyev centre with its ski-slope roof – designed to look like the president’s signature. There’s the Carpet Museum – with a roof the shape of a rolled up carpet – a nod to the country’s heritage of weaving. But the real star will always be the walled Old City filled with narrow cobbled lanes, street sellers and teahouses. Head Baku in the old USSR – a melting pot of old and new, Europe and Asia. See it here first.
Last-minute Larry: Three years after the pandemic has the holiday bubble burst? No, is the short answer, but travellers are no longer panic booking. The trend is to leave it until the last minute, and that is making tour operators nervous. Jet2 reported their package holidays were up 8 per cent year on year while flight-only passenger numbers rose 17 per cent. They also said they had seen “strong” late bookings for July and August with September showing a similar trend. But Jet2 added its package holiday prices were “showing a modest increase”, and they couldn’t give more details on the months ahead “given the late booking profile, [and] the remaining summer months of September and October [are] not yet complete”. Hopefully, keeping them on their toes will keep prices down to get bums on seats. Russ Mould, at investment firm AJ Bell, said: “Sadly, its [Jet2’s] clientele is more last-minute Larry than book-ahead Betty. There is no end in sight for this booking trend and so it’s uncertain how many bums on seats it will eventually get for the final few months of its summer season and for its winter period.”
Proof is on the planes: Ryanair and Wizz Air have seen record passenger demand in August. Ryanair carried 20.5 million passengers, up 8 per cent from August 2023, while Wizz Air flew 6.2 million, a 1 per cent increase. Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has already announced new routes from London Stansted for winter to Dubrovnik in Croatia, Linz in Austria, Reggio in Italy, and Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
More new habits: Visitors to National Trust stately homes are less interested in taking out a membership but are very happy to drop in and pay on the day. It has seen a 5 per cent rise in visitor numbers over the last year, but a fall in membership numbers – down 89,000 to 2.62 million in 2023-24. And non-member visits increased by 12 per cent. Once through the doors of the grand old houses, visitors are willing to dig a bit deeper and are spending lots of cash in the shops and scones in the cafes.
Computer says no: Airports across Europe are reintroducing the 100ml liquid limit due to technical issues with new security scanners. According to the BBC, airports across Europe are reintroducing the liquid limit despite using the latest X-ray technology… as they still don’t know the difference between a bottle of booze or a bomb!
Everyone’s talking about next summer: Four in five people plan to spend the same or more on holidays in 2025 as they did in the past 12 months. More than half (55 per cent) ranked holidays as their top spending priority. And nearly 29 per cent said they plan to increase their travel spending, according to Travel Counsellors. The survey also revealed a growing preference for multi-destination trips.
Maderia? Think green slopes, blue water, yellow sun, and something good to drink. Plus, dolphins and no clocks—because who needs them on holiday? Welcome to Madeira, a volcanic Portuguese island in the Atlantic, near Africa. It’s Cristiano Ronaldo’s birthplace, with winter days at 20°C. It’s Hawaii meets Costa Rica with dolphins, evergreen landscapes, Madeira wine, banana-pineapple fruit, cable car rides, rock pools, and stunning hikes. Explore street art, history, and affordable treats. With spectacular landings and timeless beauty, Madeira surprises at every turn. Tempted yet? Click here.
Bonjour drama: The Olympic rings hanging from the Eiffel Tower for the Paris Olympics and Paralympics could stay for ever. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced she wants to keep them claiming the French have “fallen in love with Paris again”. However not all are happy, campaigners and descendants of Gustav Eiffel, argue that permanently displaying the symbol of an outside organisation on the iconic monument is inappropriate and should have been discussed with Parisians. Ooh la la!
Discover the moon: We travelled to Iceland’s northern city of Akureyri – situated on the waterfront with the white peaks of the Eyjafjörður fjord in the background. This place is a gem. It’s filled with unique volcanic landscape where Nasa astronauts train, there are natural thermal spas where the water is 40C, there are waterfalls, lava fields, puffins and a Eurovision museum. In the winter it becomes the best spot for skiing and seeing the Northern Lights. And all this before you have done anything interesting, like super Jeeping. If you’re very lucky (we weren’t) you’ll see humpback whales. Best of all it’s just three hours from the UK. Check out our pix of the trip.
Far from it!
