The allure of Hunan

Letter from the Editor

…we’ve brought you a visually varied and occasionally spectacular issue

Behind the Scenes

I wanted to shoot the New York skyline in a

A fery dance in Thailand and more images from around the world

After we had fnished our advanced diving course on the

Original Christmas gift ideas to inspire your travels and pack for your trips

Immortalise your favourite holiday destination by spelling out its name

Something to declare: why we still need real-world movie locations

We love following your travels on your Instagram feeds, and

NEW FLIGHT

Peru will soon be connected to the UK by a

WHAT’S HOT

Britain’s holiday souvenir of choice, according to a recent survey

WHAT’S NOT

Sky-high hotel and fight costs mean most of us will

Three of the best new tours to see the northern lights

The four-night Moonlight Aurora Adventure in Sweden has guests searching

Unusual Christmas traditions

THOUGH MINCE PIES, SILLY JUMPERS and the Queen’s Christmas Message

NEW BOOK

EVERY ROOM TELLS A STORY (£30; Hardie Grant) celebrates the

Spotting orcas in the wild

SAN DIEGO THEME PARK SEAWORLD has announced it will phase

India Express

Good news for Brits travelling to India: changes to the

Extraordinary Places to Stay: palaces you don’t have to be royal to sleep in

WHAT’S ITS CROWNING GLORY? Nothing says ‘proper palace’ more than

A mountaineering legend opens his sixth museum in the Italian Alps

Reinhold Messner is not a man to do things by

Lighting up Amsterdam’s canals

The canals of Amsterdam have served many functions over the

Get a taste of desert life within striking distance of Dubai’s skyscrapers

Dubai’s Blade Runner-esque skyline may look straight out of the

Edinburgh’s city-wide advent calendar

Those who fnd themselves disappointed with a little chocolate and

Ice instruments make for a music festival with a difference in Norway

In the small mountain town of Geilo in southern Norway,

Set sail under the northern lights

If ice music doesn’t appeal, Norway offers plenty more adventures

A former nunnery in the Cotswolds becomes a hotel and music venue

The Poor Clares nuns of South Woodchester might be a

Husky-sledding adventures in Finland

With Dasher, Dancer, Prancer et al otherwise engaged with pressing

Step into an eccentrically styled Georgian townhouse hotel in London

Wicked Uncle Seymour, so the story goes, was a rogue

Munich gets a touch of New York

Munich has seen something of a transformation in recent years

Ecuador may be one of South America’s smallest countries, but its appeal is vast: from the riches of the Spanish Empire in its capital, to its cloud forests, traditional markets, Andean landscapes and incomparable Galápagos Islands

1 Meet local shopkeepers among the colonial era buildings of

Delve into Edinburgh’s hidden corners

While ghost tours of Edinburgh’s underground vaults and haunted graveyards

Get the best from a Slovenian winter

Located in the Sava Dolinka Valley, Kranjska Gora is Slovenia’s

Stopover attractions in Atlanta, Georgia

The gold-domed capitol is Atlanta’s political hub. The free tours

Tacos and more in the Mexican capital

Suadero (beef) tacos abound in the capital, but this place

How to see Singapore for a song

Home of the esteemed Singapore Symphony Orchestra, this architecturally striking

Set off on a wine tour of New Zealand

Once this district was most famous for its orchards, but

LOFOTEN’S OCEAN BOUNTY

IT APPEARS INDISTINCT AT FIRST, A LIGHT smudge behind a

STARRING: NEW YORK

Even if you’ve never been to New York, you probably

ALTERNATIVE CARIBBEAN

NOTABLE RESIDENTS Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers of

THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S STORY

Since I began working full-time on my project, Before They,