Latest news with #wanderlust
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
4 travel tips on where to stay, drink and shop for a stylish summer: from Gucci luggage stickers and a book on Chateau Marmont, to Rome's new Aquazzura Bar and Officine Universelle Buly's spa
Globetrotters take note: here's a fresh crop of inspo to drive your wanderlust. Start with a book about a storied Sunset Strip stay, one that has been home to generations of A-listers; then hot foot it to a new Roman bar courtesy of Aquazzura. Finish your world tour with a spot of shopping at a Parisian boutique, stocking up on perfumes and skincare, before you head home – perhaps even having added a couple of Gucci stickers to your case. 1. Chateau Marmont Chateau Marmont is a famous hotel on Los Angeles' Sunset Strip. Photo: Handout Advertisement Located on Sunset Strip just below the Hollywood Hills, Chateau Marmont is a Los Angeles institution. The celebrity magnet has been home to some of the most legendary Hollywood parties and, after more than a century, is still Los Angeles' hottest hang-out. Edited by André Balazs, the hotelier who saved the property from demolition in 1990, this lavishly illustrated book from Rizzoli tells the story of the property through the words of authors such as William Faulkner, Eve Babitz and Gore Vidal, and photography from the likes of Helmut Newton, Wolfgang Tillmans, Sofia Coppola and Bruce Weber. 2. Aquazzura Bar Aquazzura Bar at Rome's Hotel de Russie. Photo: Handout This summer, the garden at Rome's Hotel de Russie gets a fashion makeover courtesy of luxury label Aquazzura. Hidden in the property's courtyard, the Aquazzura Bar is decorated with striped awnings and lemon-tree designs inspired by 18th century illustrations. 'To me, hosting is an act of love – you create an experience for your guests, from the music to the food, to how the table is set. It has always been a dream of mine to translate the world of Aquazzura into a hospitality space,' says Aquazzura founder Edgardo Osorio. 3. Buly Saintonge boutique Buly Saintonge boutique in Paris. Photo: Handout Officine Universelle Buly, the apothecary known for its precious lotions and fragrances, has a cult following around the world. While the house has boutiques in Hong Kong, Tokyo and other cities, to get a full immersion into its world you have to check out one of its Paris outposts. The shop, located on Rue de Saintonge, in the city's third arrondissement, is the only one with a built-in spa room, where you can enjoy signature treatments such as the Body Plenitude Energetic Massage.
Forbes
27-05-2025
- Health
- Forbes
3 Places Where Your ‘Fernweh' Is Likely To Go Off The Charts, By A Psychologist
'Fernweh' is a German word that has no true English equivalent, but the feeling is both universal ... More and bittersweet. Here's where you can go to feel more of it. There's a nuance between the German words fernweh and wanderlust. Wanderlust, originally German for 'a desire to hike or roam,' has taken on a more playful tone in English. It's now the kind of word you'd throw on a travel blog or an Instagram story. Fernweh, by contrast, is deeper. It's the kind of thing you reserve for your Sunday night conversations with yourself, when the world feels slightly off-kilter and your chest tightens with the feeling that you belong somewhere else, even if you don't know where. It's hard to explain fernweh without mentioning heimweh, the German word for homesickness. The two are rough opposites. So if heimweh is missing a place you know all too well, fernweh is an aching for a place you've never been. But here's the beauty of the word: It's not entirely sad. Fernweh carries a kind of bittersweet connotation, much like longing with a hint of hope. And if you want to lean into that complex emotion, here are three places you can go to feel it more deeply. There's something about sitting in a dark movie theater, eyes wide, sound all around you, that makes the world outside feel inconsequential. And for many, that's exactly when fernweh creeps in. In 2023, over 819 million movie tickets were sold in the U.S. But by 2025, that number dropped to around 697 million. But even as the numbers decline, the effects of watching a movie in a theater remain potent. A 2023 study published in Marketing Letters shows that people actually prefer the big screen experience over the home video experience. The difference is visible in the ratings they leave. The big screen gives your fernweh room to breathe. Because when you're sitting at the movies and the Glacier Express chugs through the Swiss Alps, or the camera pulls back on an old town in Morocco, you're already there. That's what good cinema does, it immerses you in another life for a few minutes. If you've ever thought of an airport as a portal to strange human behavior, you're not alone. We've all seen it: people drinking wine at 7 a.m. or doing impossible yoga poses near Gate 14. And sometimes, it gets darker. Arguments, panic attacks or even the occasional in-flight outbursts make headlines. Researchers point to sensory overload, lack of control, time distortion and even the loosening of social norms as triggers. In short: airports, by their very nature, make people behave differently. And they also make people yearn. You're surrounded by lives in transition from one 'life' to another. Even if you're not flying — and you're just seeing someone off — you can still feel it in your bones. That buzzing emotional frequency is fertile ground for fernweh to grow. Sometimes, just being near the departure board is enough. Maybe you glance at flights to Reykjavik, Seoul or Nairobi and feel something. Maybe a small part of you wonders what your life would look like if you belonged there. Or at least it wants to know what it's like to be there, even briefly. Watching your own city's skyline is an underrated way to wind down. There's something quietly reassuring about realizing the world doesn't depend on you, that what you think of as 'your life' will keep moving, with or without your participation. There's a reason we're drawn to high places — hotel balconies, hilltops or the 100th floor of a skyscraper. As psychologist Sally Augustin, PhD, puts it, being up high gives us prospect and refuge: a broad view of the world from a secure, safe place. Seen from above, the world looks both beautiful and available. And in that moment, fernweh often stirs. Because sometimes, all it takes is a bird's-eye view to wonder who else you could be, and where you'd have to go to meet that version of yourself. Do you feel deeply connected to natural spaces, even if they're far away? Take this science-backed test to find out: Connectedness To Nature Scale
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Daily Mail
I'm 86 and have been on 42 solo traveller holidays in over ten years - these are the trips I've loved... and would avoid
At 86 years old, most people are thinking about putting their feet up - but not the extraordinary woman that is Valerie Simpson. The avid globetrotter, from Sudbury, south west of Suffolk, has just booked her 42nd solo holiday abroad - and she shows no signs of slowing down. Since 2014, Valerie has journeyed through Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America with One Traveller, a UK-based award-winning tour operator that specialises in holidays for mature solo travellers. Her latest itinerary includes upcoming trips to Croatia, Albania, and a festive return to her beloved Switzerland - a country she's visited six times in the summer and winter. Valerie's wanderlust was ignited three years after the loss of her husband in December 2011. Determined to break away from the bittersweet reminder of cherished Christmas memories, she booked her first solo trip to the Turkish side of Cyprus, to experience the season from 'another point of view.' It was a decision that would reshape her later years and inspire dozens more journeys. Soon after, a conversation on a coach led her to discover One Traveller, and by 2014, she was off to Moscow. Over the past decade, she's explored the temples of Thailand, the souks of Morocco, the markets of Myanmar, and the dramatic coastlines of Italy. In April, she returned from her 39th trip, a scenic tour of Piedmont, Portofino and Cinque Terre. Next up is her 40th trip to Opatija, Croatia in June, her 41st to Albania in September, and rounded off the year with an alpine escape to Switzerland in December. Remarkably, age has done little to slow Valerie down, but in terms of encountering obstacles as she grows older in her travels, she admits balance is not her forte. She said: 'At my age, what I call my balance, isn't quite as good. So I wouldn't be on a high mountain with a sort of foot wide path around the side, I couldn't do that anymore, that sort of thing. I do know there's a boundary that I don't cross. 'But I can still walk. I'll do my walking up steps. I'm not so keen on walking down steps unless I've got those rails to hold on to. But that's beside the point.' Among the countless destinations she's visited, Italy holds a special place in Valerie's heart. She explained: 'I like the food, I like the atmosphere, I love the country. I love the people, I think, from top to bottom, the country is so varied. Remarkably, age has done little to slow Valerie down, but in terms of encountering obstacles as she grows older in her travels, she admits balance is not her forte 'You've got the north. You've got Milan, which is a bit posh, but you've still got the mountains coming down. They go right down to the south. You've got Rome and Naples. You've got Vesuvius to look at. Just overall, my favorite country.' Though she's never had a truly bad travel experience, Valerie has had the occasional hiccup: rain in Portofino and a five-star hotel with no lounge and no drawers - which she joked was 'all planned by men.' She recalled: 'I had a walk in wardrobe, which sounded great, but in the building, in the bedroom, there wasn't a shelf or a drawer anywhere. 'There was nowhere to put your underclothes and put things like that. So you just had to leave them really in your in your suitcase. I thought the bedrooms were lacking for the ladies - I think it's all planned by men.' Though some friendships made on tours have been fleeting - and sadly, some fellow travellers have since passed away - Valerie still keeps in touch with her friend Pat from earlier adventures. And while she's not sure she'll hit the milestone of 50 trips, she's content with the memories she's made along the way. She said: 'I'd like to go into next year, but to be honest, I'll certainly be closer to 90 than 80, and I think I wouldn't like to have to book things too far in advance.' Valerie's story has become legendary within the One Traveller community, where she's admired for her independence, curiosity, and openness to the world. Her advice to fellow travellers who hope to continue exploring the world just as she has? Dream big early. Valerie said: 'I'd love to have gone to South America, but I never did do it, and I certainly won't do it now. I've now wished I'd done it a few years ago and kept Europe too as I got a bit older. But there we are.' As she prepares to pack her bags for yet another adventure, Valerie, who turns 87 in October, added: 'Cram in as much as you possibly can. I've been very lucky that I did save hard, and I have been able to visit a lot of places. 'There's still places I want to go to, places I will never go to... but while I've got a little bit of brain and a pair of legs that I can still walk on, I will do my best to carry on travelling.'
Wall Street Journal
16-05-2025
- Wall Street Journal
Our Retirement Travel Plan? Wing It.
In our 20s, my new husband and I took a year off from our fledgling careers to travel in Southeast Asia. Equipped with paper maps, we began in China and improvised each day's 'itinerary' on the go. A gap year for grown-ups, I called it, although I scarcely qualified as one. Nearly 40 years later, we are new retirees with the same wanderlust. We wondered: Could we recapture the thrill of winging it—enduring rough roads and cheap hotels?
Daily Mail
16-05-2025
- Daily Mail
How to save up to 60 per cent off holidays to Fiji, Gold Coast, Maldives and more in Flight Centre's BIGGEST sale of the year
It's that time of year, as the days get shorter and the temperature drops, that many of us start googling ' tropical holidays '. If that's you, your wanderlust is well timed— as the annual Flight Centre Big Red Sale has just dropped, and the savings are massive, with some deals saving you up to a jaw-dropping 60 per cent. From luxurious island getaways in Fiji or the Maldives, to family fun on the Gold Coast and epic adventures in Iceland or Nepal, there is a deal for every holidaymaker's tastes. Feel the travel bug hitting, but can't decide on a destination? We've rounded up the best of the sale below. Live out your White Lotus-inspired Thailand resort fantasies (preferably without the murder mystery element) or fly and flop on a sun lounger within a few hours' flight to Fiji. Forecasting further ahead? Deals also includes winter tours through Iceland and Nepal treks for later in the year. The Big Red Sale is on for a limited time, so get booking, and you could be packing your suitcase for a midwinter escape in mere weeks. Your future self will thank you. Island Getaways Sunprime Kamala Beach Phuket Resort - 8 nights from $330 per person* A luxurious adults-only resort in Thailand is offering an incredible 60 per cent discount for an eight-night stay. That's over a week of child-free peace and quiet on a breathtaking beach from just $330 per person, or $659 total. Flight Centre's deal includes a complimentary room upgrade, airport transfers, daily breakfast, and THB2000 resort credit at the four-star Sunprime Kamala Beach Phuket Resort. For travel from 01 June 2025 - 15 December 2025. Save up to 60 per cent on 8 nights at the four-star Adults Only Sunprime Kamala Beach Phuket Warwick Fiji - 7 nights from $1,135 per person* The beautiful five star Warwick Fiji on the Coral Coast is half price in the Big Red Sale. Enjoy a week of sun and sea in paradise from $2,269 for two people. The deal includes a 60 minute massage, a coral reef boat tour and shopping tour… or just enjoy a cocktail at the swim-up bar. For travel from 28 July 2025 - 25 Mar 2026. Siyam World Maldives - 7-nights from $3,750 per person* Always dreamed of staying in one of the Maldives' famed over-water villas? Now is the time to tick that off your bucket list, as this deal includes a massive $4,865 of bonus value. Stay seven nights at the five-star Siyam World Maldives with an all-inclusive package and seaplane transfers included, from $7,499 for two people. The best part? Your over-water villa features a plunge pool and water slide. For travel from 01 July 2025 - 30 November 2025. Family Fun Shangri-La Yanuca Island Fiji - 7 nights plus flights from $1,125 per person* This fantastic deal will make booking your next family holiday a no-brainer. With return flights included, daily breakfast, FJD$1,200 of food and beverage credit, and most importantly: kids aged two to 11 stay, play and eat free, all you have to do is pack your bags. There is something to love for the whole family, with the resort's private beach and lagoon, inflatable water park, and kids club. For travel from 16 July 2025 - 21 March 2026. Sea World Resort, Gold Coast - 4 nights plus theme parks from $318 per person* You'll be parent of the year if you take advantage of this epic holiday package at the Sea World Resort in Queensland. The four-night stay includes admission to not only Sea World, but also Warner Bros Movie World, Wet'n'Wild and Paradise Country. Fuel up for a day of fun with daily breakfast included, and take advantage of airport and theme park transfers. For travel from 28 Apr 2025 - 16 September 2025. Epic Adventures Delve Deep: Iceland Winter Topdeck Tour - 8-day tour from $2,379 per person* Witness the Northern Lights up close during an unforgettable eight-day adventure through Iceland. The winter tour with Top Deck starts in Reykjavík and journeys through the Golden Circle region, Jökulsárlón and the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. You'll see waterfalls, geysers, glaciers and hot springs, while experiencing Icelandic culture and cuisine. Valid for 15 November 2025. Other dates available with surcharge. Terms and conditions apply, deals available for a limited time. To check out all of the savings in Flight Centre's Big Red Sale, visit the website.
