The Best Time to Visit -

Bosque de las Nuwas: How to Visit Peru’s Awajún Women’s Forest

September 21, 2026 by Ben

At Bosque de las Nuwas, Awajún women guide visitors through the forest they care for in Shampuyacu, in northern Peru’s San Martín region. The visit combines plant knowledge, food and cultural activities in the Alto Mayo area. If you are staying around Rioja, allow a day for it and arrange permission at least 24 hours ahead. Turning up at the entrance is no substitute for a confirmed reservation. What makes this forest worth visiting? The women’s work extends well beyond receiving travellers. Conservation International has documented their recovery of traditional plant and cassava varieties, along with the development of herbal … Read more

Driving Death Valley in Extreme Heat: What to Do If Your Car Gets Stuck

September 21, 2026 by Ben

Road through the arid landscape of Artists Palette Drive in Death Valley

If your car becomes stuck or breaks down in Death Valley, the safest response is usually to stay with it rather than start walking. The vehicle gives you shade, carries your emergency water and is far easier for rescuers to see. In much of the park, mobile coverage is limited or nonexistent and help may be hours away. That advice matters even more in extreme heat. On 17 August 2026, two French visitors became stranded when their vehicle got stuck in mud on West Side Road, near Queen of Sheba Mine Road. The temperature reached 116°F (about 47°C). They began … Read more

Bear Watching in Asturias: How to Plan a Responsible Wildlife Trip

September 19, 2026 by Ben

Wild brown bear walking through green mountain habitat in northern Spain

Choose Somiedo for the simplest first bear-watching trip in Asturias. Its observation points, interpretation centres and guided outings are concentrated around Pola de Somiedo, so it is easier to combine an early wildlife session with a walk through the park’s valleys. Choose Fuentes del Narcea, Degaña and Ibias when you want a larger, wilder area and are prepared to spend more time travelling between viewpoints and villages. Neither park offers a guaranteed sighting. Cantabrian brown bears move freely through protected mountain habitat, and responsible observation happens from a distance. The trip works best when seeing a bear is the possibility … Read more

Where to Stay on Lake Winnipesaukee for a First Visit

September 17, 2026 by Ben

Meredith waterfront on Lake Winnipesaukee in autumn

Meredith is the best all-round base for a first visit to Lake Winnipesaukee. Its visitor offering combines lodging and restaurants with downtown shops, parks, the waterfront and boat trips, while its position on the western side of the lake suits day trips towards Weirs Beach and Gilford. Choose Weirs Beach instead for a lively family stay, or Wolfeboro for a quieter town on the less-developed eastern shore. The lake is too large to treat every town as interchangeable. New Hampshire’s official Lakes Region Tour covers 97 miles and passes through communities on several shores. A good base saves repeated drives … Read more

Lake Saimaa in Autumn: When to Go for Ruska and How to Plan the Drive

September 10, 2026 by Ben

Autumn forest and lakes seen from Neitvuori in Finland's Lake Saimaa region

For the best chance of autumn colour around Lake Saimaa, plan for the second half of September and keep the final route flexible. Early September can still look decidedly green this far south; by late September, ruska usually has a better chance of reaching Finland’s lake district. There is no dependable peak-colour weekend, because warmth, rain and wind can shift the display or strip leaves quickly. A first trip works best over three or four nights, with Savonlinna as the main base and Puumala as a separate stop. Lake Saimaa is too large and fragmented to treat as one neat … Read more

Grand Canyon Flash Flood Closures: What Travellers Need to Know Now

September 4, 2026 by Ben

Lightning strikes over Grand Canyon National Park during a monsoon storm

A Grand Canyon trip is still possible after the flash flood of 29 August 2026, but several of the park’s most important inner-canyon routes are closed. A visit based on South Rim viewpoints can go ahead. A plan that depends on Phantom Ranch, a rim-to-rim crossing or reaching the Colorado River by the main corridor trails needs to change. The distinction matters because the national park itself is not closed. The South Entrance and East Entrance remain open, and selected areas of the North Rim are open for the 2026 season. The serious disruption is below the rim, where flood … Read more

Pikes Peak: Discover the Landscape Behind America the Beautiful

August 26, 2026 by Ben

Snow-covered Pikes Peak behind the red sandstone formations of Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs

Pikes Peak deserves more than a quick summit photograph. Rising to 14,115 feet above Colorado Springs, the mountain brings together a vast Rocky Mountain view, the story behind America the Beautiful and a landscape that changes markedly from the foothills to the summit. The trip works best when you treat the mountain as the centre of a wider place. At the top, the scale of the plains and peaks explains why Katharine Lee Bates found her opening image here. Lower down, Garden of the Gods frames the mountain behind upright red sandstone formations. Seeing both reveals more than either viewpoint … Read more

Europe in a Heatwave: How to Rethink Your Summer Trip

August 17, 2026 by Ben

Traveller using a portable fan during a European summer heatwave

A heatwave does not automatically mean cancelling a summer trip to Western Europe. It does mean replacing the original plan with a more precise decision: keep the destination, change the daily rhythm, move to a cooler base or postpone the most exposed part of the journey. The distinction matters after an exceptional start to summer. June 2026 was Western Europe’s warmest June on record, with average land temperatures 3.06°C above the 1991–2020 June average. England and France recorded their warmest June, while the UK, Germany and the Netherlands had their second-warmest. Yet a regional record still says little about the … Read more

Scotland’s Remote Isles by Small Ship: What to Know Before You Book

August 14, 2026 by Ben

A small-ship cruise can make Scotland’s western islands easier to explore, but it is not a secret shortcut to places that are otherwise unreachable. Public ferries already connect Mallaig with Eigg, Muck, Rum and Canna. What the smaller cruise vessels offer is different: one moving base, meals and accommodation on board, flexible anchorages and the possibility of landing on several islands without rebuilding the journey each day. That convenience comes at a substantial price. It also requires accepting that the route may change with the wind, tides and weather. Before booking, the important question is therefore not simply whether the … Read more

When Is the Best Time to Visit Finnish Lapland for Snow and Northern Lights?

July 30, 2026 by Ben

For most winter travellers, late February and March offer the best balance in Finnish Lapland. The snow is usually well established, daylight is returning, and the nights remain dark enough for Northern Lights watching. December is better for a festive atmosphere, while January suits visitors who want deep winter and do not mind very short days. The right choice depends on whether snow, auroras, Christmas activities or time outdoors matters most to you. Finnish Lapland Through the Seasons Winter does not arrive everywhere in Finnish Lapland on the same date. Conditions in northern resorts such as Saariselkä can differ from … Read more