TOPIC

Travel pros and cons

Green-conscious hotels, such as Song Saa in Cambodia, are going beyond limiting water use and waste to more sustainable design practices and community-based experiences. Photos: Handout

Can luxury travel ever be truly sustainable? These hotels are trying harder than most

Song Saa in Cambodia and the global chains Rosewood Hotels and 1 Hotels are looking beyond limiting energy use and physical resources to wider community- and guest-based initiatives

  • How chains Rosewood Hotels and 1 Hotels, plus Song Saa in Cambodia, are going beyond waste and water with sustainable community-based experiences

Why Fiji is worth visiting: clear tropical waters, kindness and kava

Airlines made US$33 billion from baggage fees in 2023, and could make more in 2024

Mumbai: upsides and downsides for visitors to India’s City of Dreams

India’s largest city, Mumbai is home to Bollywood and the country’s second most-photographed building after the Taj Mahal. But there are downsides, including bad traffic, dirty streets and crowded trains.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, once Victoria Terminus, is an example of architecture from the British colonial era found in Mumbai, India’s City of Dreams. For all its plus points, it has some negatives too. Photo: Tim Pile

Secret remote working ‘hush trips’ are on the rise. Their pros and cons

‘Hush trips’ – secretly working remotely – are a hot travel trend. Experts explain why they’re popular, their upsides and downsides, and how to stop your boss finding out.

Isaan, Thailand: an overlooked cultural gem with some downsides

Isaan in northeast Thailand isn’t on most tourists’ itineraries, but is worth a visit for its ancient Khmer temples, dinosaur fossils, Mekong River towns and festivals.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Hong Kong consumer watchdog warns travellers against high data roaming charges

It also finds terms and conditions for mishandled baggage across airlines to be inconsistent.

Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has warned of unclear sales terms in phone contracts. Photo: Shutterstock

Natural disasters that shook the tourism industry to its core

From this year’s Greek wildfires to the 2010 Icelandic volcano eruption and 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, these eight natural disasters left their mark on tourists.

videocam

How to choose a child-friendly luxury resort this summer holiday

It pays to plan ahead when picking where to take the family: make sure your kids are going to have fun in a safe and stimulating environment, and you get to relax more too

Asian Swifties, should you see Taylor Swift in SG or Tokyo? Here are the facts

Buying a ticket to see Taylor Swift’s record-breaking tour in Asia isn’t as easy as it seems – so is it better to see her in Singapore or Tokyo? We do the sums and talk you through the knotty application process

Taylor Swift has made US$300 million from 22 shows so far and with ticket sales of more than US$13 million each night while on the road, The Eras Tour is set to become the highest-grossing tour in music history. Photo: AFP

Far from the madding crowd: Europeans’ post-Covid holiday criteria

Change linked to habits developed in three years of Coronavirus pandemic when going off the beaten track was a priority, travel experts say.

videocam
France’s bucolic Loire Valley is more likely to be chosen as a holiday destination by European visitors than a crowded St Tropez beach. Photo: Chateau of Chambord

Jogger killed by bear at tourist hotspot in Italy

The man’s body was found near a forest path in the Val di Sole valley, which is popular with hikers and tourists. Sightings of bears have recently increased.

Explainer | Songkran, Thailand’s New Year water festival: the good and the bad

Thailand’s Songkran marks the Thai New Year and has become famous for its mass water fights. The celebrations have their dark side, from dirty water causing illness, to groping, to drink driving deaths.

‘Most dangerous wonder of the world’ and more things tourists don’t get told

Barcelona is Spain’s pickpocketing capital, Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer statue sees muggings at gunpoint, Hollywood is full of drug addicts – there’s lots the travel industry doesn’t tell us.

The Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has been dubbed the most dangerous wonder of the world thanks to the spate of muggings - some at gunpoint - of hikers making their way up to the statue. Photo: AFP

White-sand beach, golf, fabulous food – the best of Hua Hin in Thailand

Thai seaside city Hua Hin is popular with visitors from Bangkok and overseas for its 5km beach and great street food. On the downside, the seawater isn’t the clearest, and traffic and stray dogs can be a nuisance.

Thai side city Hua Hin is only four hours from Bangkok, and has a 5km white sand beach, great food, golf courses and temples. Photo: Tim Pile

Wow, what a view! China’s ‘digital nomads’ seek paradise while on the clock

China’s remote-working trend is in its early stages, but it’s catching on among these pioneers who dare to ditch the office – and even local governments are looking to cash in on new opportunities.

videocam
6

Australia woos Hong Kong tourists to help restore battered tourism industry

Hong Kong was a top 10 international market before Covid-19 for Tourism Australia, which expects numbers to jump if quarantine requirements are relaxed

videocam
19
Advertisement
Advertisement

I travelled for 41 hours instead of 17 to save US$1,500. Was it worth it?

A seasoned travel writer used Kiwi.com to find the cheapest flights for a budget trip from Asia to Europe. This is how his journey went.

7
Wizz Air Airbus A321 over airport on May 21,2018 in Palanga, Lithuania.

Destinations known | Is Sri Lanka a place to visit amid protests and power cuts? You decide

The tourism-dependent island is reeling from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic that hammered international travel and surging fuel costs amid the conflict in Ukraine. If you go, tip generously.

Don’t eat street food or at places with great views: travel expert’s tips

Jim Kitchen, who has visited all 193 UN-recognised countries and has been to space, offers his top travel tips and hacks, from restaurants to steer clear of to what to pack.

12

Opinion | Behind the Great Wall of Hong Kong, following orders is all that matters

Being denied access to an airport lounge may not be that bad in the grand scheme of things today, but it sums up Hong Kong’s fanatical adherence to rules.

15
A passenger walks towards the departure hall at Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok airport 05 March 2002 in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Financial Secretary Antony Leung said in his budget speech 06 March 2002 tourism was an area which would drive growth in Hong Kong AFP PHOTO/Mike CLARKE (Photo by MIKE CLARKE / AFP)

From Times Square to Las Ramblas, tourist attractions the locals don’t see

Most New Yorkers wouldn’t be seen dead in Times Square, and ditto for Barcelona folk on Las Ramblas. Crowded and expensive, there are some tourist haunts natives avoid like the plague.

The Naked Cowboy performing in Time Square, New York. Times Square is the major commercial intersection in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Time Square, New York, USA. 27th April 2012. Photo Tim Clayton (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)

What you’re missing out on in the world’s least visited countries

Are we holidaying in all the wrong places? Many of the world’s least visited countries are not so uninviting after all.

Want to be a more responsible traveller? Follow these 9 tips

Which carbon claims can you trust? Is cruising really that bad? How about Airbnb? A new book helps travellers negotiate the world’s ethical and climate-related challenges.

Suicidal teen learns world isn’t a ‘big bad place’ through travel

The teenager left Hong Kong with no idea she would travel the world. A year later she hitchhiked alone from Iran to France; then came Afghanistan, cycling solo through Central Asia, and onwards. ‘I found the world is full of kind people,’ says Jean, now 23.

15
Marsha Jean in Pakistan..Photo: Instagram/themarshajean

The bikini-clad women riding the wave of China’s surfing adventure

Surfing has become cool in China, particularly among young women, and Chinese tourists are flocking to the popular holiday island of Hainan to learn how to ride the waves.

A Chinese woman surfs at Dadonghai beach in Hainan. The southern Chinese holiday island is seeing a surfing boom, and most of the clients of surf schools are young women. Photo: Olivier Chouchana/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

A tale of two cities: how Mumbai’s slums and Bollywood live side by side

From public laundry lines to glamorous Bollywood studios, Mumbai is a city of extremes – but that’s why it’s so fascinating to visit

Tourists descend on Dubai despite sharp rise in Covid-19 cases

The emirate does not require quarantine upon entry, and visitors say they feel safe there with mask wearing widespread and social distancing for tour groups.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Travel pros and cons
Tim Pile assesses the good, bad and ugly sides to holiday destinations. Find out about amazing experiences, top attractions, and great services; overcrowding, rip-offs, and when not to visit; bad practices, crime hot spots and dangers.  
last updated:
9 September, 2024
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement