Category Archives: Editor’s Picks

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The World’s 12 Most Amazing Train Journeys [Infographic]

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The world’s 12 most amazing train journeys

The idea of spending all day on a train may not sound like a holiday to most commuters, but upgrading to First Class isn’t all about wider seats and free newspapers: a truly first-rate rail trip can be among the greatest adventures in the world. With a bit of forethought, your mode of transportation needn’t be just a means to get to some yawn-worthy resort. Embracing the “it ain’t where you’re going, it’s how you get there” idea means opening up to the luxury of a smooth ride through astonishing landscapes and cultures. How better to experience a place than by combining the conviviality of the rail carriage with sheer mileage through open country?

Of course, the level of ‘luxury’ implied in each of the world’s most renowned rail trips depends somewhat on the location. The famous Orient Express from London to Venice, for example, offers vintage cabins, steward service, and afternoon tea. Beats the morning commute, right? Things might be a little more crowded on Japan’s Tōkaidō Shinkansen line from Tokyo to Kyoto: it’s ferried a record-setting 5.3 billion passengers during its 52-year existence. It’s worth a little hustle and bustle for a high-speed trip to the ideal viewing point of iconic Mount Fuji, though.

Whichever continent you find yourself on, rail engineers have been hard at work creating ever more ambitious and awe-inspiring ways to cut through nature and offer first class glimpses of Earth’s awesome, endless landscapes. A new infographic from Pettitts identifies twelve of the most luxurious rail trips available, enabling you to recline and enjoy your holiday without too much wear on the old shoe leather. Whether it’s wild salmon for dinner on the Rocky Mountaineer from Vancouver, or the Harry Potter charm of Scotland’s Jacobite route across the Highlands, you’ll be glad you opted for an upgrade from the tin-can experience of budget airlines and overpriced taxis this summer.

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Ten Jobs That Allow You To Travel The World [Infographic]

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Ten jobs that allow you to travel the world!

It’s fair to say that more people than ever are getting gripped by the travel bug. In fact, the Express reported that in 2016 that more Brits than ever travelled abroad across the 12 months.

Whether we travel to experience new cultures, broaden our minds or just for a week in the splendid sun; the majority of us love getting away at least once a year.

Finding Time To Travel

However, for the majority of us, the experience of travel only ever leaves us wanting more. On top of this, we never quite get to experience as much as we’d like.

This can come down to a variety of reasons, the most common of all being our professional life.

With most jobs unwilling to give us a sabbatical of several months to travel the globe, we are confined to just a couple of weeks each year. So how on earth do we go about altering this?

The most obvious answer is to find a job which involves a great deal of travel. There are lots of different professions which involve a certain amount of travel, such as a sales role.

However, there a select few which have global travel at their heart.

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If you fancy a job that could take you to every corner of the globe then take a look at the new infographic from silverdoor.co.uk

It’s called ‘Ten Jobs That Allow You To Travel The World’ and discusses roles from a wide range of industries.

If you’re a journalist or writer, why not try your hand at travel blogging? Perhaps you’ve always loved skiing, why not become an instructor? If you are a photographer, the world is certainly your oyster!

These are just a few of the many suggestions in this piece. So, if you’d love to marry your profession with your love of travel, take a look below. 

Ten Jobs Which Allow You To Travel The World – An infographic by the team at SilverDoor.co.uk

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From Dusk Till Dawn in The City That Never Sleeps [Infographic]

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If you’ve never visited the United States, or not had a chance to make it to the cultural capital, you’ve likely dreamt of the day (and night) you can visit New York City. Perhaps the most iconic destination in the western world, countless cinematic representations of the Big Apple have raised its gritty day-to-day lifestyle to a glamorous status. For not only are the buildings and monuments widely celebrated, but the very experience of being in the definitive metropolis makes it a bucket list essential for any eager traveler.

To fully take advantage of that sense of lifestyle, though, you really need to dedicate at least one full night of your trip to staying awake and enjoying the non-stop nightlife, vampire-style. It can begin as the sun sets, with a ticket to the live recording of Seth Meyers’ famous Late Night show. Afterwards, you can fill your shopping bags (or browse for free!) at late night market, the Brooklyn Bazaar. They’ll lay on karaoke, DJs and games to boot!

Once you’re warmed up, you can put those vocal cords to good effect at the live movie experience of The Rocky Horror Show, which will see you through the midnight hour in Manhattan. A drink at Jay-Z’s 40/40 club will soothe your throat and recharge you in time for some all-night bowling at Whitestone Lanes.

If you’re starting to flag by now, take it easy with a bit of pampering at Koreatown’s Juvenex Spa. You’ll be out in time to see the sun rise over the Statue of Liberty – you can find the perfect view on a free ferry to Staten Island from Manhattan’s Whitehall Street Station. What an epic way to finish your first all-nighter in Gotham!

For all the details and more ideas on how to fill those small hours between dusk and dawn, check out Expedia’s new infographic. You can’t say you’ve done in New York until you’ve pulled an all-nighter!

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The Ultimate Guide to Ensuring You’re Not Bumped Off The Plane on Your Next Flight [infographic]

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The ultimate guide to ensuring you’re not bumped off the plane on your next flight!

While it has long been a policy for plenty of airlines, the process of potentially bumped off before takeoff is something which has only just come to light for many people.

In April, a passenger aboard a United Airlines flight was forcibly removed from an overbooked flight.

David Dao, a doctor from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, who refused to leave the plane, was dragged off by a security officer, cutting his head in the process.

A video emerged of the incident online which sparked a chain of controversy surrounding the process of removing people from overbooked flights. You can take a look at the video by heading to the NY Times site.

While this was clearly a rather overblown example, it made many people aware of the possibility of overbooking.

Avoiding Overbooking

Obviously, overbooking is pretty much out of your hands. However, you need to be aware of the protocol once you have been made aware that your flight has been overbooked.

Firstly, airlines are required to ask for volunteers to switch flights. As a thank you, they will compensate you with a travel voucher or some sort.

If there aren’t enough volunteers, the airline may well select people who will then be entitled to cash.

Clearly, neither of these scenarios are ideal and we would all much rather get to our destination on time, without any unnecessary fuss.

How To Not Get Bumped Off A Flight

So, how do you best avoid situations like this or manage them when they unfortunately arrive? Well, thanks to a new infographic from silverdoor.co.uk, you can learn all you need to know.

It’s called ‘The Ultimate Guide To Ensuring You’re Not Bumped Off The Plane On Your Next Flight’ and you can take a look below.

It covers everything from explaining which airlines are less likely to overbook to which type of flights you should consider booking.

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Where In The World Can Brits Travel Without A Visa [Infographic]

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Where In The World Can Brits Travel Without A Visa

The early stages of planning and booking a holiday can bring its fair share of headaches.

There is, of course, a great deal to think about. From settling on a location to booking the flights, choosing accommodation to arranging holiday insurance, the list goes on.

However, there is one thing which regardless of your journey you must not forget, your passport.

International border rulings can vary massively and are constantly altering, so it helps to have a globally respected passport.

British Holidaymakers

The British passport is certainly one of these and allows a holder into a lot of countries without the application of any other travel document.

Just take a look at this list of the world’s most powerful passports from The Telegraph. This article ranks the United Kingdom third in the world, closely behind Germany and Sweden.

However, despite its power, there are still certain countries which require some form of visa upon arrival.

Knowing which countries require a Brit to have a visa is important. Without one your dream holiday could turn into your worst nightmare.

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Thankfully, citybaseapartments.com has created a smart infographic which clearly displays all the relevant information.

The infographic is called ‘Where In The World Can Brits Travel Without A Visa’ and you can take a look at it at the bottom of this post.

It offers information on all types of visas, as they can differ quite a lot. In this case, there are three types, a standard visa, visa on arrival and an electronic visa.

The most straightforward of the three is a visa on arrival, which does what it says on the tin. You simply fill in a visa either while on the plane or when you land. The majority of countries which use theses are in Africa.

An electronic visa is a step up from this and a standard visa requires more planning than any other. So, next time you book a trip abroad, make sure that you have all the relevant documents at hand.

Take a look at the infographic for yourself below. 

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An infographic by the team at Citybase Apartments

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A Thrill Seeker’s Guide To The World’s Most Terrifying Roller Coasters [Infographic]

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A Thrill Seeker’s Guide To The World’s Most Terrifying Roller Coasters

There are certain physical and psychological thrills which we have enjoyed for centuries and continue to do so today.

One classic example is the zoo. London Zoo in Regent’s Park is thought to be the first modern zoo and opened its doors to the public back in 1826.

Ever since then, we have enjoyed the experience of being a panel of glass away from some of nature’s most fascinating creatures.

Amusement Parks

Another good example is the amusement park, which is still a popular day out for children and adults alike.

The first amusement parks began in the late 19th century, offering many things we would still recognise today.

From competition stalls to optical illusions, sugary treats to roller coasters which are perhaps the main feature, we still enjoy them all today.

Roller Coasters

One of the first roller coasters ever built was the Switchback Railway at Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York.

While it doesn’t exactly sound thrilling to us, its top speed of six mph made it a hugely popular attraction at the time.

Roller coasters quickly became a global sensation and their success hasn’t taken its foot off the accelerator since.

This is, of course, despite the emergence of increasingly brilliant home entertainment system such as VR technology.

Regardless of what you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home, seemingly there’s still an appetite for the physical thrill of a rollercoaster.

Part of this is down to the variety available to us in the many parks around the world.

We’ve come a long way since the humble wooden railway. Now we have the extremes of vertical drops, +100 mph speeds and even break-away tracks!

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There are roller coasters being unveiled every couple of years which are breaking the boundaries of what we previously thought was possible.

Travel site globehunters.com has created a great infographic which offers up some of the most outstanding and truly spine-tingling rides on the planet.

It’s called ‘A Thrill Seeker’s Guide To The World’s Most Terrifying Roller Coasters’ and you can check it out at the bottom of this post.

This great infographic pulls together all of the top roller coasters in the world, from those with the highest speeds to those with dizzying heights.

One of the most impressive coasters in the list is the Formula Rossa which is situated in Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi.

To celebrate the engineering brilliance of the famous car manufacturer, this roller coaster reaches staggering speeds of 149 mph.

Riders of the Formula Rossa will go from 0-149 mph in just 5 seconds while experiencing highs of 4.8Gs.

As well as the fastest coaster in the world, this list also presents the tallest. Kingda Ka in the US is a dizzying 456 ft tall and is only the second strata roller coaster in the world.

It also reaches an eye-watering 128 mph in just 3.5 seconds. Regardless of how much of a roller enthusiast you are, this ride will certainly get the butterflies in your stomach fluttering.

If you fancy testing your metal, take a look at the list below and plan your world trip of the most terrifying roller coasters.

Roller Coasters

A Thrill Seeker’s Guide To The World’s Most Terrifying Roller Coasters – An infographic by the team at Globehunters.com

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16 of the World’s Spiciest Foods [Infographic]

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16 of the World’s Spiciest Foods

For big food fans, it’s fair to say that we now have access to more tastebud tingling meals than ever before.

Take a walk down your local high street or into the closest supermarket and you’ll find a range of delicious dishes from every corner of the globe.

Of course, it’s not as if we’ve suddenly experienced an international food revolution, instead, our options have simply expanded.

For many years, Indian, Chinese and even Japanese restaurants have been a firm fixture on any high street and we have all become accustomed to the flavours they offer.

In fact, Indian food has long been a firm favourite in the UK, overtaking the traditional fish and chips to become the most popular takeaway option.

However, in 2016 all of this changed. The Mirror reported that the popularity of Korean food had indeed skyrocketed in the UK, with the number of orders placed climbing by 85%.

On top of this, cuisine from the Caribbean, north and west Africa and Mexico has seen a sharp uptake in recent years too.

International Spice

One of the most appealing things about trying cuisine from different parts of the world is experiencing ingredients and flavours which we may not have come across.

A particularly popular sensation is spice. Spice is such a diverse taste, which is proven by the amount of different dishes which contain that heat.

For example, while both a curry and a burrito can contain high levels of spice, there is no comparing the flavours.

Extreme Spice

Obviously, some foods are much spicier than others. For example, when ordering a curry, we all understand the difference between a rogan josh and a vindaloo.

The Scoville Scale is the official way to grade the heat of particular foods. It assesses the types of peppers used in a dish which are all charted in the scale.

Plenty of us get excited about spices and enjoy testing out what we can handle. In fact, sousvidetools.com created a great infographic for spice lovers to take a look at.

It’s called ’16 Of The World’s Spiciest Foods’ and offers up dishes from every corner of the globe, some you’ll have heard of and others you won’t.

The infographic even includes the Scoville Scale rating of each dish. So, take a look and maybe even try some out for yourself, if you dare.

Spiciest Foods

16 Of The Worlds Spiciest Foods – An infographic by the team at SousVideTools.com

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How Do People Eat Sausages Around The World? [Infographic]

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There are largely two different types of globally popular foods.  There’s those that belong to one particular culture and those which become broadly interpreted and enjoyed.

A great example of the first is sushi. Sushi is unmistakably Japanese and is enjoyed across the world by all classes and cultures, from Michelin star restaurants to convenience meal deals.

Learn more about how sushi became a global sensation in this article from The Guardian.

At the other end of the scale, you have dishes which are enjoyed all over the world but are interpreted and enjoyed differently wherever you go. Generally, this means they don’t have one individual identity.

A brilliant example of this is sausage. Sausage is defined by dictionary.com as:

“Minced pork, beef or other meats, often combined, together with various added ingredients and seasonings, usually stuffed into a prepared intestine or other casing and often made in links”

This definition is pretty vague and sums up the versatility of the dish. This is why there are so many iterations of it around the world.

In the UK the classic banger is the sausage of choice at meal times. It picked up the name during the Second World War when meat was in short supply.

Sausages had a much higher water content and tended to burst or “bang” when placed in the oven or frying pan.

The classic British dish, of course, is bangers and mash which is simply pork sausages and mash potato covered in an onion gravy.

However, this is massively different to some of the other popular sausages around the globe.

Consider Spanish chorizo, German Bratwurst, American Corn Dogs and the many others, all varying massively from one another.

Infographic

In fact, sousvidetools.com has created a globetrotting and mouthwatering infographic which charts the different types of sausage from all across the world.

It’s called ‘How Do People Eat Sausages Around The World?’ and you can read about all of those mentioned above, along with plenty more in the infographic below.

How Do People Eat Sausages Around The World? – An infographic by the team at SousVideTools.com

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Around The World In 16 Banksy Street Art Locations [Infographic]

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Around The World In 16 Banksy Street Art Locations

If you stopped someone on the street and asked them to name you 5 popular artists of the 21st century, you’d struggle for many answers.

However, there is almost certainly one who will be known by many millions around the world, and that’s, of course, Banksy.

Who is Banksy?

The mysterious, British satirical street artist has said that he/she would never reveal their true identity which has lead to years of speculation. This article from the Telegraph is a classic example of the speculation.

Banksy has created many brilliant pieces of art in recent years, all of which either being an observation of today’s society or a satirical statement on the state of the politics of capitalism of a particular country.

While being based in England, Banksy is truly a globe-trotting artist. However, because of the subject of all of Banksy’s work, and the fact that it is often graffiti, it doesn’t hang around long.

In fact, there is a great list you can read here which compiles all of the Banksy pieces which have been damaged or destroyed.

All of this means that it is often hard to go and visit his works of art in person because many of them are removed.

Infographic

Thankfully you can take a look at many of Banksy’s greatest works of art in a handy new infographic from citybaseapartments.com.

The infographic is titled ‘Around The World In 16 Banksy Street At Locations’ and it covers some of the artist’s greatest works as well as some you may not have seen before.

For example, it presents the famous London piece which shows a young girl with a heart shaped balloon just out of reach. The words, “There is always hope” are written nearby.

Maybe less known is a piece on a wall in Toronto Canada. It depicts as businessman carrying a briefcase. The man has a sign around his neck which reads, “0% interest in people”.

To see these and much more from around the world, take a look at the infographic for yourself below.

Around The World In 16 Banksy Street Art Locations – An infographic by the team at Citybase Apartments

Infographic

9 Weird British Expressions Illustrated

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9 Weird British Expressions Illustrated

One of the beautiful things about travelling is the opportunity to be submerged in another culture’s language. If you’re familiar with a bit of Spanish or French, it is rewarding to battle your way through the occasional shop transaction without just using the international language of ‘louder English’. In bars and on public transport, it can be fun to figure out at least the subject that people are talking about – it doesn’t feel intrusive when you don’t have a clue what they’re actually saying about it.

In more far-flung places with languages that rarely cross the borders, it can be liberating to hear verbal sounds and emphases you’ve never heard before. You really get an idea of how strange and wonderful the very concept of language is when you literally can’t understand a word. And communication becomes about something deeper than words – and hopefully more patient!

But make your way to Great Britain, and it’s a whole new experience again. Of course, we’re all familiar with London accents and at least a smattering of sanitized southern slang that travels around the world smuggled in British film and music. Travel a little further afield, though, and something strange happens. If you can figure out the words that they’re saying in Glasgow, Keighley or Formby, you’ll recognize most of them as familiar English. But the sentences that they are found in seem to be part of a strange code that only people from certain parts of certain counties can understand!

“You’re all bum and parsley,” “you’re peckin’ me ‘ead,” “that’s the badger!” – what on earth are these tea-swilling lunatics talking about? Well, you can turn up prepared to deal with all manner of strange utterances by first taking a peek at this infographic from Sykes Cottages. Britain is going to be a ye olde linguistic adventure like no other – so here’s a guide to some of the odd expressions you’ll hear uttered on those fair isles.

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