A world heritage city of tolerance

This small Jordanian city where minarets and church towers share the skyline was deemed a “place of tolerance and urban hospitality” by Unesco. The dawn call to prayer echoed through a still sleepy valley before the first rays of sun started illuminating …

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Aztec floating farms are making a comeback

In Mexico City, a 700-year-old Aztec farming technique is giving a sustainable edge to modern agriculture. It was early on a Sunday morning, and I was in the Floating Gardens of Xochimilco, 28km south of Mexico City’s historical centre. The endless maze …

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Ghana’s deserted surf location

A surfer traded the crowded streets of Manhattan for uncrowded waves on a remote stretch of West African coastline, but was his new home too isolated? As I bumped down a dirt road in West Africa, I wondered what I’d gotten myself into. Eager to escape …

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The tiny forest on the world’s edge

Every year, travellers visit Patagonia to marvel at its vast glaciers and huge open skies. But this miniature forest is so small, visitors are given magnifying glasses. Every year, travellers head to Patagonia to marvel at the vast glaciers, huge open …

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The town of kings and queens in London is Kingston upon Thames.

This commuter suburb in south-west London is one of just three royal boroughs in the capital. But most visitors don’t know the extraordinary events that took place here. On an unassuming corner in Kingston upon Thames, an unassuming town on the River …

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The “Marvellous City” of Rio de Janeiro invites digital nomads

Launched in January 2022, Brazil’s new Digital Nomad Visa is enticing a new type of traveller to the South American country. And Rio is one of the most alluring spots to settle. Rio de Janeiro, a colourful urban sprawl divided by forest-covered mountains …

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The most colorful cities on Earth

From a monochromatic blue in Spain to a full palette of hues in Buenos Aires, these five towns are a shade above the rest. Juzcar, Spain, Andalusia, blue, city, Smurfs From a monochromatic blue in Spain to a full palette of hues in Buenos Aires, these …

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Antarctica penguin camping

A few hundred travellers each year can experience the inner part of the icy continent with (almost) all the comforts of home. With its constant sub-zero temperatures and uninhabited glacier terrain, Antarctica is not usually thought of as a luxury locale. …

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How to become a better traveller

The celebrated writer reflects on how this once-in-a-lifetime experiment of global stillness can teach us to see the world with new eyes. I walked off a cruise ship this January, having sailed for 10 days around the Antarctic Peninsula, in a rare state …

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Europe’s isle that prohibited vehicles

A growing number of places around the world are looking to reduce reliance on cars. What lessons can be learned from a place that never allowed them in the first place? On my final morning in Hydra, I woke up early and ambled down to the waterside to …

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