Author: News Team

Beating out competition throughout North America and Asia, Hong Kong has claimed the title of the ‘world’s best skyline’. The large city and global financial centre is renowned as a photographer’s dream city, housing numerous buildings of over four-hundred metres and one of the world’s most well-known and recognizable harbours. Competitors included New York City, Chicago, and Seoul – all major population centres boasting over eight million residents. With a population of eight million, Hong Kong is considered a ‘small’ city when compared to its competitors. Other inclusions in Emporis’s countdown included Tokyo, which boasts a population of almost thirty…

Think Hong Kong and you’ll probably think of skyscrapers, luxury shopping, and some of the best restaurants in the world. And you’d be right. The city is known for its skyline and shopping chops, bringing in millions of tourists annually with no plans beyond moving from boutique to boutique, filling their suitcases and emptying their wallets in the process. But there’s more to Hong Kong than the tech-heavy city. Dotted along the peninsula are some of the world’s most impressive beaches, each benefiting from Hong Kong’s unique atmosphere and heavy dose of tropical heat. Better yet, due to the limited…

In a city famed for its expensive accommodation, a website encouraging users to welcome travellers into their homes is rapidly gaining popularity. The city is New York – one of the most wealthy cities in the world – and the website is CouchSurfing.com – a free project aimed at providing free housing and accommodation for international travellers and low-cost globetrotters. The median price of a hotel room in Manhattan is approximately $200 – a figure that prompts many of the city’s million monthly tourists to look outside the city’s central districts. But while hotels and serviced apartments demand high prices…

With the holiday season fast approaching, thousands of Britons are planning getaways to various overseas locales. Traditionally, British families have opted to use a travel agent to book overseas trips, accessing low-cost fares and enjoying exclusive offers in the process. But with several of the country’s largest travel agencies going belly-up, it seems like the time to book independently. The latest travel industry bankruptcy case is that of Sun 4 U – a large travel company based in the city of Birmingham. The travel operator ceased business earlier this week due to falling revenues, citing the limited travel spending of…

With Tokyo’s Narita International Airport now offering a high-speed rail connection to the city, it seems as if Japan’s monumental railway plans are nearing completion. The country boasts is home to the most developed and efficient public transportation network on the planet, moving millions of people across the country (and through its cities) on a daily basis and fuelling the nation’s economy. Given the pristine state of public transportation in Japan, it’s becoming increasingly common for visitors to spend months in the country without stepping foot inside a single taxi car or organised tour bus. Ultra-efficient subway networks make cross-city…

Just over forty percent of Britons would like to retire within the United Kingdom, data from a new survey by Aon Consulting has revealed. Over half of those consulted would prefer to retire outside of the UK, with high-temperature countries such as Spain and Greece winning the popular vote. A smaller number of Britons have also demonstrated interest in retiring to the South Pacific. Britain’s retirement choices are at odds with those demonstrated in other European countries. Over eighty percent of Spanish workers plan to retire within their own country, claiming that they will be cared for within their own…

There’s no shortage of confusing deals in the travel insurance industry. From partial coverage to completely rotten agreements, the number of potential loopholes and justifications is miles long, and loaded with negative incentives. Needlessly complicated travel insurance policies are such an annoyance for travellers that they’re a top query for travel magazines, often with no real answers. Navigating a travel insurance agreement can be a nightmare, which is why so many travellers end up skimming over their agreement before signing. The most vital part of any insurance agreement isn’t simplicity or perceived coverage, but understanding. Spend time surveying your documents…

If there’s one topic that thousands of travellers focus on annually, it’s achieving a first class ticket upgrade without shelling out for a full-price ticket. The elusive upgrade has been a popular target for travellers since its introduction, largely due to the perceived luxury of first class travel and the often ludicrous costs of upgrading a ticket manually. But beyond strange theories and luck-based lines of questioning, there’s not much information on how to earn a first class upgrade. We met with some travel experts and asked for their opinions on the best way to gain a free upgrade to…

Last week’s American Airlines puppy disaster has prompted an evaluation of how airlines treat and handle pets. The airline has been blamed for the death of seven puppies, all of which were stored in the aircraft’s pressurized and temperature regulated cargo hold. It’s raised some serious questions for those of us that prefer to travel with pets, most obviously – which airline treats animals safely? American Airlines has spoken directly to several media outlets, claiming that it recommends owners of short-nosed animals such as puppies or young kittens avoid flying with their pets. Due to changes in pressure and temperature…

Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia has taken the world by storm since commencing operation in 1996. Over the last decade, the airline has won a considerable amount of business throughout SE Asia and its native Malaysia, winning customers that prefer a low-cost alternative to the high-end fares and expensive airlines that are ubiquitous throughout the region. What’s most impressive, however, is that the airline has achieved a dominant position within the region’s air travel industry in little more than a decade. AirAsia’s rapid growth is amazing from a business standpoint and from a historical point, with large companies like Malaysia Airlines…