The Best Time to Visit -

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

Montreal’s (Almost) New Airport Opened Last Month

July 12, 2026 by Ben

Drone flight above the autumn park with downtown skyscrapers in the background. Mont-Royal park, Montreal, Canada.

When it comes to new airports, some are built from scratch, while others are what you might call “upcycled.” The MET-Montreal Metropolitan Airport falls into the latter category, having officially stepped up as the Quebec capital’s second aviation hub over the past month. One of Canada’s Oldest Airports If the name “Montreal Metropolitan Airport” (or MET) doesn’t ring a bell, you might recognize its former title: Montreal Saint-Hubert Airport. Inaugurated in 1927, it actually ranks among the oldest airports in Canada. However, a lot of history unfolded between its early Saint-Hubert days and the modern MET era. As an aviation … Read more

Money Matters: Travel Budget & Currency Guide for Brazil

July 7, 2026June 21, 2026 by Ben

It’s the ultimate question we all ask before heading abroad: how much money do I actually need? Figuring out what currency to bring—beyond what you can easily pull from a local ATM—and calculating a realistic daily budget are crucial steps in trip planning. If you’re gearing up for a Brazilian getaway, we’ve got you covered with everything you need to know to manage your travel funds. Currency Exchange in Brazil: How Does It Work? First things first: the local currency is the Brazilian Real (plural: reais), symbolized as R$. It’s divided into 100 centavos. You’ll handle coins (5, 10, 25, … Read more

Why Do You Have to Put Your Airplane Seat Upright for Takeoff and Landing?

July 7, 2026June 14, 2026 by Ben

In the world of travel and tourism, just like in everyday life, we sometimes find ourselves asking simple questions. We wonder why things we experience are the way they are, how something works, or the reasons behind certain rules. Basically, we ask “why…” Today, we’re tackling something everyone who has ever flown is familiar with: the strict requirement to return your seat to the upright position during takeoff and landing. But seriously, why do we have to do it? Safety First It might seem like a quirky rule, but it makes perfect sense when you realize that takeoff and landing … Read more