Best of

The Llogara tunnel started charging in April 2026 and the old pass road is still free and better. The route, the real prices in lek, and where not to go.

The Algarve is three coasts with different weather and crowds. Seven towns, who each one suits, the two we would skip, and why the west wins in August.

Nine towns ranked by what each is actually for, the alternating number plate rules that close the SS163 to half of all cars, and the base nobody books.

An anniversary trip fails when it is a normal holiday with a nicer hotel. Eight that are structurally different, what each costs, and the two to avoid.

Istanbul is the bigger city by a distance and Athens is the better base. Six rounds with a winner each, what each costs, and why the pairing rarely works.

Airlines cut off at different weeks and it is the return flight that catches people. What the policies say, when insurance stops, and eight places that suit.

Bali is one island you settle into. Thailand is a country you move through, with two coasts on opposite monsoons. Six rounds, and what each actually costs.

Five currencies, three border regimes and one very good bus network. The two-week route, what each country costs, and why one converter cannot cover it.

For three months a year Chiang Mai has some of the worst air on earth, which settles this question. Six rounds, the burning season dates, and a winner.

Michelin lists 44 cheap eats in and around Bangkok. Which areas to work, what a plate should cost in baht, the hours that matter, and the stall to skip.

Barcelona has the sea and the architecture, Madrid has the art and the nights, and one of them now charges a lot more to sleep in. Six rounds, a winner each.

A Blue Flag rates water quality and lifeguards, not beauty, which is why the lists are wrong. Eight beaches that earn it, and the month that changes everything.

Asia is not one trip and the first country decides whether you come back. Six ranked by how forgiving they are, what each costs, and who each suits.

A food city is one where the cheap end is superb, not one with famous restaurants. Eight ranked on that test, the losers named, and where to eat in each.

Six islands, each with the one thing it does better than the others, what the ferry costs, and the two everybody books that most people should not.

Most honeymoon lists are a resort catalogue. Eight destinations sorted by the trip you actually want, the flight-time rule, and what the word costs you.

Every island charges an entry fee nobody mentions, from 200 to 450 pesos. Six islands ranked, what each costs to enter, and the one to skip in peak season.

Thailand's two coasts run opposite monsoons, so your dates pick the coast before you pick the island. Nine islands by what they are for, and the routing rule.

Most 2027 lists are guesswork. These eight are chosen because something specific changes next year, plus four destinations getting measurably harder to visit.

Both have islands and old towns. They differ on ferries, driving and how long the season runs. Six rounds, the tax nobody mentions, and who wins.

The first solo trip fails on loneliness and logistics, not on danger. Where to go first, the three-night rule, and the specific things that make it work.

Three islands, no cars, and a boat from Bali longer and rougher than people expect. Which one suits you, what the crossing costs, and the horse question.

Group trips fail on logistics, not destinations. Eight places sorted by what your group is really after, plus the money conversation to have first.

The group trip fails on logistics, not on the destination. Eight that work for four to eight people, what each costs a head, and the two that never work.

Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka now absorb most of Japan's visitors. Seven places that do the same job better, what each is near, and how the rail maths works.

Kyoto for the sights, Osaka for the base, and since March 2026 the accommodation tax makes that split cheaper than it has ever been. Six rounds, six winners.

Porto if you have three days, Lisbon if you have five. Six rounds with a winner each, the tax gap, and the hill problem that has reversed since 2025.

Romantic usually means expensive and crowded, which is the opposite. Eight cities argued on walkability, evenings and price, and the two that coast.

Niseko has the deeper snow, Hakuba has the steeper terrain and the cheaper pass. Six rounds, the price gap in yen, and who each one actually suits.

Thirty minutes from Sanur, nine square kilometres with Ceningan attached, and none of Penida's cliff-edge driving. What to do, and how long to stay.

Overwater bungalows exist in a dozen countries at wildly different prices. Where they actually are, what the photographs leave out, and how many nights.

Portugal is cheaper, smaller and easier; Spain is bigger, more varied and better at cities. Six rounds with a winner each, and which one a first trip wants.

Prague is prettier and smaller, Budapest is cheaper and has the baths. Six rounds with a winner each, and why doing both needs Vienna in the middle.

Queenstown has everything and charges for it; Wanaka has the better lake and half the noise. Six rounds, the Crown Range question, and who each suits.

Under four days it is Florence, over four it is Rome, and the ticket prices explain why. Six rounds, the Uffizi discount nobody uses, and the tax.

The indices everyone quotes measure women's status in a country, not a visitor's safety. What they do measure, and ten places that genuinely work.

Three nights, in Imerovigli, outside July and August, and probably paired with a second island. The village to avoid, the month to book, and the real trade-off.

One is a view, the other is a town. Six rounds with a winner each, what the cruise levy tells you about crowds, and the sunset we would skip.

Tokyo is deeper and Seoul is cheaper and faster, and the deciding round is what you want a city to feel like. Six rounds, a winner each, and the both option.

Safety is the floor, not the trip. Eight places where eating alone is normal, transport is legible and you meet people without staying in a hostel.

Accommodation is priced per room, so solo travel costs nearly double per night. Where that hurts least, six countries that work alone, and the route to avoid.

Japan is built for one. Counter seating, capsule hotels and single rooms that are a real product, plus the one thing solo travellers here find hard.

Tokyo has more starred restaurants than any city on earth and that is not where to eat. The lunch rule, the department store basement, and how to book.

Tokyo wins on almost everything and Osaka wins the one round that decides a lot of trips. Six rounds with a winner each, and why you can have both.

Underrated is a lazy word, so we defined it: cities where the gap between how good they are and how many people go is widest. Eight of them, and one misjudged.

Thailand has the beaches and the easy logistics. Vietnam has the food and the lower bill. Six rounds, the geography that trips people up, and a verdict.