Expat travel tips and advice from Dispatches Europe

28/12/2024

We and our contributors got out and about this year like no other. So we have travel posts for Europe and beyond in this week's newsletter. And as always, lots more cool stuff ....

28/12/2024

The new direct daytime route, via Strasbourg, sweeps through enchanting landscapes from vineyards to forests. But some say it needs to be quicker still if the train is to be more attractive than flying.

The new direct daytime route, via Strasbourg, sweeps through enchanting landscapes from vineyards to forests. But some say it needs to be quicker still if the train is to be more attractive than flying

28/12/2024

Thanks to a peak in solar activity, the celestial phenomenon will continue to be particularly active into 2025. It makes next year a great time to book an aurora-chasing trip to far-flung destinations like Iceland or the tip of Norway.

The northern lights will be stronger in 2025 than they have in at least a decade.

28/12/2024

We are firmly charging into a new era of travel, led by innovations and explorations that seemed impossible or, at best, highly unlikely only a few years ago. New planes, new routes, new partnerships and new strategies are the name of the game for the year ahead ….

Aviation developments are expected to come in thick and fast in the year ahead, with more options than ever before offered to flyers – but at a price.

27/12/2024

Expat travel writer and photographer Jackie Harding says there's a reason Copenhagen is one of the most popular destinations in Europe. Actually, many, many reasons Copenhagen never disappoints including walkability, culture, food and its location on the sea.

With Copenhagen, what you see is what you get. There are reasons this is one of the most popular cities in Europe, from the food to the vibe.

26/12/2024

Admit it ... Christmas is over and you're bored. The good news is, there are theme parks across Europe that are open in the winter. If you have a couple of shekels left over from shopping, Siam Park on the Spanish island of Tenerife is just a short flight away.

25/12/2024

Singapore was the first new region to be added to the Blue Zones in decades (dubbed a "Blue Zone 2.0" by Buettner) and stands apart from the other Blue Zones in part because the longevity of its people comes more from forward-thinking policies than long-established cultural traditions in other Blue Zone communities like Ikaria, Greece or Nicoya, Costa Rica.

When it comes to longevity, few places in the world have seen such a drastic jump in life expectancy as the island city-state in Southeast Asia.

24/12/2024

Earlier this year, my wife and I uprooted our lives in Bangkok, where we had lived for much of the past 13 years, and moved to Tbilisi. I quickly discovered that it was unlike any other digital nomad destination I had ever visited.

Can Tbilisi stay a haven for digital nomads amid rising costs and political tensions?

23/12/2024

Traditional without being stodgy, Innsbruck, the capital of the western Austrian region of Tyrol, manages surprises beyond its access to the snowy Nordkette mountains and après-ski bars.

Futuristic architecture rubs shoulders with centuries-old opera houses in this picture-perfect Austrian ski town.

22/12/2024

With clean air, vast green spaces and more saunas than cars, Finns have plenty of reasons to be cheerful.

With clean air, vast green spaces and more saunas than cars, Finns have plenty of reasons to be cheerful

22/12/2024

New Year's Eve in Berlin? Locals tend to discourage you citing the annual celebratory madness. But American in Berlin Chris Loar says NYE can be mellow if you know what to do and where to do it.

New Year's Eve in Berlin offers everything from partying at intimate house parties and ballrooms, or the wild fireworks at street level.

21/12/2024

Some last-minute tips on gift buying, Christmas markets and New Year's Eve parties in this week's newsletter. Oh, and a deep-dive into AI.

21/12/2024

As a resident of Saint-Gervais, I’ve seen how these transport innovations are part of a broader trend towards greener tourism.

A local resident shares her views on the two opposing visions - Savoie and Haute-Savoie - for the French Alps.

20/12/2024

London is a great place to celebrate the New Year. French expat Zoé Manset has some suggestions for clubs locals know have entertainment, late hours and affordable (okay, maybe "relatively affordable") ticket prices.

London is a great town for celebrating New Year's Eve. Expat Zoé Manset has a list of perfect parties to see out 2024 in style.

18/12/2024

You could go to the same old New Year's Eve party you go to every year at the same old pub. OR, you could go to Madeira, which gets our vote for the best NYE part on the planet. British expat Alex Beaton has the details.

Each 31 December, thousands gather in the largest city on Madeira to enjoy food, fun and one of the world's largest fireworks displays.

18/12/2024

From the Caribbean beach to the European countryside, here are our most-loved places of the year.

In 2024, we went looking for stories in the saunas of Estonia, the highways of France and the ghostly New Mexico desert.

18/12/2024

With cute cafes, innovative restaurants, and a standout hotel, Munich's emerging Schwanthalerhöhe neighborhood is worth a closer look.

15/12/2024

The Christmas market in Montreux has a flying Santa. The Zürich market has Swarovski tinsel and the Basel market has not one but two picturesque locations. Welcome to Switzerland, losers.

Montreux's Christmas Market has a flying Santa, Zürich's has Swarovski tinsel and Basel's has two locations. Welcome to Switzerland, losers.