Brasilia, a bold experiment in city building

Transformed in just three years from isolated jungle to a modernist dream, Brazil’s capital city is based on architect Oscar Niemeyer’s vision for a classless, new-age world.



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Reading the world in 196 books

Writer Ann Morgan set herself a challenge – to read a book from every country in the world in one year. She describes the experience and what she learned. 

I used to think of myself as a fairly cosmopolitan sort of person, but my bookshelves told a different story. Apart from a few Indian novels and the odd Australian and South African book, my literature collection consisted of British and American titles. Worse still, I hardly ever tackled anything in translation. My reading was confined to stories by English-speaking authors.

Why this could be one of the happiest countries on earth?

Bhutan is one of the poorest and least developed nations in the world but it has been ranked the happiest nation in Asia and eighth happiest in the world in a survey. Plastic bags are banned, tobacco is almost illegal and the country measures the wellbeing of its people by Gross National Happiness (GNH) rather than Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Carmen Roberts went to find out why Bhutan is such a land of contentment.



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Happiness Is … Being an Aussie

Yet again, Australia tops the list of happiest countries. 

 As I sit at our kitchen table on yet another unseasonably damp and chilly morning in Sussex, England, watching the rain streak down the windowpanes and listening to the dawn rush of traffic on our far-too-busy street, I find myself thinking longingly of my Australian passport.

Meet the strangest startup in travel: CorruptTour

Prague-based startup travel agency offers tours of "corrupt" areas and cities. Genius or gimmick? 
We’ve covered a lot of startups in our careers, but this one takes the prize for our favorite travel startup ever, for the simple reason that it is the strangest ever: CorruptTour.

Is culinary tourism the next big thing in Crete?

In the wake of the ongoing economic crisis, the Greek island is using its tradition of fresh local produce to make tourism the driving force towards recovery.



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Living in a Box: Amsterdam’s Shipping Container Homes

The crowded Dutch city has been meeting a pressing need for student and other low-income housing by using ubiquitous steel shipping containers. After years at sea, the containers were rusted and dented but ready for reuse to house people instead of products.

Amsterdam student Rose Mandungu stands in front of a colorful apartment complex constructed of a rather unusual material—discarded shipping containers.

The ‘Amsterdam’ of Colorado?

By the end of 2013, any visitor to the town of Breckenridge in Colorado, USA, will be able to buy cannabis from licensed stores, provided they are over 21. 

The town decriminalised cannabis in 2010 but currently anyone wanting to buy it must have a recommendation from a doctor.

As Heather Alexander explains, Breckenridge is standing by to see how the new freedom will affect tourism. Will visitors flock to its stores or will people be deterred from coming at all?

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World's unfriendliest nations for tourists?

When traveling, some countries just don't like you. Or at least, it can certainly feel that way.

A new report, put out earlier this month by the World Economic Forum, has ranked which countries roll out the welcome mat to travelers and which give the cold shoulder.

The "Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2013" ranked 140 countries according to attractiveness and competitiveness in the travel and tourism industries.

Amsterdam hotel proud to be the world’s worst

While another hotel might brag about its comfortable beds, spectacular views and excellent customer service, the Hans Brinker Budget Hotel in Amsterdam promises a lift that rarely breaks down, a door that locks and comfort comparable to a minimum security prison. 

Advertisements for the Hans Brinker Budget Hotel in Amsterdam.

Proclaiming itself as “The Worst Hotel in the World”, the Hans Brinker goes so far as to recommend a list of nicer places to stay in the Dutch capital, including the Hotel de L’Europe, Hotel Krasnapolsky and the Intercontinental Hotel — all luxury spots with the finest amenities. In fact, of the hotel’s 16 recommendations, the Hans Brinker clocks in at 15, just below an abandoned mine shaft and just above an unmarked grave.

Havaianas flip-flops - Sao Paulo golden goose

Step into Sao Paulo fashion. Since its inception in 1962, Havaianas has sold more than four billion flip-flop pairs worldwide; put end to end that is enough pairs to go around the world 40 times.



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