Flight Review: the Singapore Girl is alive and well

Flight reports have become something of a joke. Rather than offering a short, sharp assessment of the elements that make or break a journey, they have evolved into lengthy, often tedious stories illustrated with endless photographs of meals. I see them regularly in publications such as The Age. You sometimes wonder whether they have been written for travellers or to impress the airline’s public relations department. My advice is to start at the bottom: if you see the words “the writer travelled as a guest of the airline,” a few warning bells should ring.

Travel Snapshot: It's so quiet in Amsterdam

Sitting down at one of Amsterdam’s street-side cafes and enjoying a beer reveals more than bikes and the incredible number of European wasps. The quiet for a start. Cars are restricted by the number of canals - and most of them are electric. The cabs certainly are. Then you notice the lack of ugly high-rise poking its nose over proceedings. 

Galapagos of the South

Wildlife rules the roost on the subantarctic islands of Australia and New Zealand

Like a chorus line of overweight, bad-mannered beer drinkers, they gather to recite the only lyrics they know. Cavernous mouths agape and bulbous heads akilter, it’s a strangely musical sound despite the random, belching monotone each can only manage.

Portugal Uncorked: Ports, Parties and Pastéis

A festive welcome in Porto leads to a convivial voyage through the Douro Valley, where vineyard views, historic estates, spirited cocktails and custard tarts reveal Ros Freeman finds Portugal at its most irresistible.

What a welcome! We walked into the Porto café to rousing applause and cheering. Goodness Gracious, Oh me Oh my, we gushed, then noticed the TV screen located directly above our heads; Portugal had just scored against Congo in the World Cup.

Tuvalooing in Tuvalu

There’s something so very enticing about visiting the world’s least visited country, especially when that country is on Australia’s Pacific doorstep and is filled with warm, welcoming people.

Each time a plane lands in Funafuti, Tuvalu’s capital, it is an event. Residents gather by the airstrip’s edge and wave to those on board. The unfenced airstrip is the hub of Tuvalu. Locals relax, picnic and sleep on the grassy verge. They cycle, walk along the runway and play volleyball, cricket and soccer. Motorcyclists do laps around the perimeter.

Whistlestop conquest of the Balkans

On a nostalgic railway journey across Croatia and Slovenia, Roderick Eime recalls the heady days of Cold War Yugoslavia. 

It was the autocratic, Soviet-aligned Marshal Josip Tito of post-war Yugoslavia who can be credited with developing the comprehensive railway system that bound the quarrelling Balkan republics into something of a unified nation.

Cabo Verde: No Stress, Big Smiles and World Cup Fever

Arriving in Cabo Verde during World Cup celebrations, Ros Freeman finds a dry, windswept island nation full of warmth, football pride, salt flats, lemon sharks and an irresistible commitment to taking life slowly.

How can you not love a country whose motto is 'No Stress'? Arriving in Cabo Verde we were greeted with fluttering flags and smiles as wide as faces would allow. There are two significant days of celebration in Cabo Verde: National Independence Day and the day we arrived, the day that Cabo Verde faced World Cup giants Argentina . . . and really gave them a scare!

Classy and Convenient Accommodation in the Centre of Seoul

Few cities blend ancient traditions and futuristic ambition quite like Seoul. Sandip Hor explores IHG's new voco hotel.

One moment you’re wandering through centuries-old Joseon dynasty palaces; the next, you’re immersed in neon-lit shopping streets, world-class cuisine and the infectious energy of K-pop culture. South Korea’s capital is a city that never seems to stand still, yet somehow always finds time to honour its past.