TOP STORIES IN TRAVEL

• Inside the crème de la crème of Venetian digs: The hotel that has it all from a 360-degree lagoon view from the rooftop pool to fine waterside dining  
• Croatia's coolest corner: John Stapleton loves the faded grandeur of Opatija and modern glamour of Losinj  
• The funfair that's now the stuff of nightmares: Creepy images reveal an abandoned theme park that looks like a scene from the end of the world  
• The incredible moment heroic ice skaters risk their lives to save a moose trapped in a frozen lake  
• Now THAT'S branching out: The trees that are so big they look like FORESTS   
• Weekly turtle races, an owl sculpture that looks like a penis and a big roundabout formed of five mini ones: Internet users reveal 'the weirdest things in their cities'   
• My date with the Greek supermodel: Why Santorini is the perfect island - just as long as you can dodge the crowds  
• All that jazz: New Orleans is jam-packed with history, tragedy and fine cocktails  
• Are these the funniest photobombs of all time? From human pranks to animal flukes, these holiday snaps prove themselves VERY memorable  
• DO look down! Heart-stopping moment a diver somersaults off a 55ft platform into the deepest pool on a cruise ship  
• Roar and peace: Stunning proof that however fiercely they fight, brothers and sisters will ALWAYS make up   
• Network Rail faces compensation bill worth millions after residents win landmark court ruling over damage caused by Japanese knotweed   
• Roses banned in Saudi Arabia and gifts for men ONLY in Japan: Surprising Valentine's Day traditions from around the world revealed  
• Better than an in-flight movie! Plane passenger films an aerial view of the Northern Lights over Canada  
• Snowy vistas, roaming reindeer and a hotel made from ice: Why Swedish Lapland is the world's most magical place to hunt for the Northern Lights  
• Whole Lott of love! Pixie swaps the West End and her role as Holly Golightly for the showstopping delights of Crete  
• Heading for China? Take the Silk Road to discover modern marvels and forgotten wonders  
• Just like ancient India: A voyage into the depths of Rajasthan (but with espresso, power showers and proper electricity)   
• The Crafty Traveller: From Portland to Santiago, new direct routes to get your year off to a flying start  
• The pasta masters: Learning how to chop, batter and drink like an Italian pro in the glorious Venetian hills  
• The little black book for billionaires: New guide lists all the mad must-have services for the super rich, from a cigar adviser to a 'wellness concierge'   
• Cursed inheritance of the £20million manservant: Illiterate fisherman who was left his master's entire fortune is STILL living in poverty - and locked in a legal battle as colourful as it is bizarre   
• A Mediterranean cruise that's right on song: Joining a choir aboard a Venice-bound ship
• It's a tough regime but I lost 8lb at this Alpine spa! A far from indulgent retreat at a clinic which gets results
• The hacks that slash rail journey prices revealed: How 'fare-splitting' works on trips all over the UK... but you may need up to 28 tickets to make a saving!
• Glamorous air hostesses, exotic ads and America's earliest planes: Captivating images trace Pan Am's 60-year history from glory to crushing bankruptcy
• An Inspector Calls: The Crowne Plaza in Gerrards Cross lacks atmosphere but does serve up a brilliant buffet 
• Palace of creature comforts: Free childcare, camel rides and value for money await at this family resort in Morocco
• Posting a love letter to Lundy on an island-wide treasure hunt in cattle country
• Finding the perfect place in the middle of nowhere: Penny Smith is blown away by Newfoundland's puffins, moose, icebergs - and ferocious wind
• Cars, fishing boats, a helicopter and a horse: Meet the woman who HITCHHIKED her way 44,000 miles across the world... alone  
• Only FIVE PER CENT of the world's population has ever been on an aircraft: 39 incredible plane facts revealed  
• The hotel that looks like a TRAIN: Inside Japan's bizarre new dorm-style hostel that's been converted from real sleeper carriages  
• It slid into decay: Haunting images capture an abandoned Amazonian-themed water park just before its demolition   
• Bugging out! How I conquered my fear of insects... by going on holiday in the Amazon jungle  
• Inside Amsterdam's Waldorf Astoria: Why it's hard not to fall in love with a hotel that has stunning private gardens, a spa and a two-Michelin-star restaurant  
• 'It's a great honour': Michael Palin, 73, scoops lifetime achievement award for his famed travel writing  
• Barging through France (in a very gentle way): A cultural cruise along the Burgundy Canal  
• My Balkan Odyssey: Cruising through Eastern Europe on a tour of its greatest monuments  
• Ancient Buddhas, the Irrawaddy and a taste of colonial charm: Cruising into a Burmese Daze  
• Golf, vodka or chocolate: From Danube to Rhone, a guide to this year's best European river cruises  
• How to upgrade your flight and make it CHEAPER than an economy ticket: Genius 'hidden city' ticketing hack revealed  
• A slide in a graveyard and a climbing frame made from SKELETONS: The creepiest playgrounds in the world revealed  
• A Chicago landmark and an A-lister retreat in the Caribbean: New rankings reveal the best hotels in North America and Europe  
• Stunning never-before-seen photographs capture lakes and rivers forming on a melting polar ice cap  
• A rustic Mexican hideaway and a luxury Thai retreat: The world's best spas of 2017 revealed  
• Champagne and ice: Discovering the perfect way to explore Norway's fjords   
• We're off to a flying start! A cruise with a British Spitfire send-off that ends with France's finest coastal towns  
• Cruise ship air is 'SIXTY times filthier' than fresh sea breeze: Passengers with lung conditions are warned to not stay on deck for two long   
• Bomb-proof car ports and a HUGE ballroom: Ahead of Trump's visit to the Washington Hilton for the National Prayer Breakfast, etiquette expert William Hanson reveals just what it takes for a hotel to host a president  
• Yet another carrier shrinks hand luggage allowance: Spirit Airlines reduces the size of free carry-on bags by a quarter  
• From a Chinese fisherman reeling in his nets to camels snaking across a desert: The stunning winners of a prestigious aerial photo contest  
• 'Can I use the rubber slide to get off the plane?' The top ten most bizarre flight requests by passengers revealed  
• The magic of the Milky Way: Stunning photos of desolate landmarks are captured under a blaze of twinkling stars
• The lavish hotel that wins Sky News presenter Sarah-Jane Mee's heart with fabulous fine dining (and a damn good cuppa)   
• Long layover? How about a workout at a gym before your flight? Fitness studios by airport departure gates take off across the US  
• A dragon, a three-storey 'aquarium' and a 40ft moving ELEPHANT: Inside the bizarre French theme park that parades giant mechanical creatures  
• Forget the expensive pistes of Western Europe! Slope off East for a bargain ski break  
• For 60 years since My Family And Other Animals, Corfu has been the perfect island to rent a home from home: Here's why it's a... villa thriller  
• Cricket legend Henry Blofeld's verdict on the queen of cruise ships? Elizabeth will bowl you over  
• Follow the river to France at its finest: Cycling and kayaking the Loire Valley, that Gallic haven of castles and charm    
• Lanzarote beyond the beach: Into the mouth of hell on a tour of the volcanic side of this spectacular Canary Island  
• A Crete escape, whatever the weather: Visiting Greece's biggest isle in winter (and learning how to cook like a local)  
• Italy's heart and soul: Poetry, opera and romantic tales set the scene in ravishing Verona  
• The going is... eerie: Inside the abandoned horse-racing grandstand built by Japan's Emperor in the 19th century  
• From parrots that headbang to hip hop to wolves with an obsession for bra straps: Zookeepers reveal their funniest animal moments  
• Russian women stage racy mannequin challenge outside Dubai hotel after management complains about being tagged in raunchy social media posts   
• In-house hairdressers, golf simulators and cinema rooms: Inside this season's stunning new luxury ski hotel and chalet openings  
• From caribou migrating across frozen Canadian lakes to Russian cathedrals: Stunning winter drone images that may just leave you frozen in awe  
• Normandy Nomads: Giles Milton hits the road in search of calvados, haute cuisine and chic retreats  
• A cigar room, a movie theatre and an in-house spa: Inside the incredible Costa Rican vacation home where the Kardashians spent their winter holiday   
• Boltholes with the write stuff: The cafes, huts and towers where literary greats including Tolkien, Rowling and Fleming wrote their masterpieces  
• The great half-term holiday rip-off: Brits are charged up to NINE times more for flights during the break with package trips also hit by staggering price hikes  
• For the modern-day Tarzan and Jane! French 'bubble hotel' allows guests to sleep under the stars, with all the luxuries of a proper hotel room  
• From locals doing the 'Tehran twist' to students sporting mullets and miniskirts: Fascinating photos reveal life in Iran before the revolution  
• Is this Britain's loveliest B&B? Inside the luxurious 16th-century Cotswolds cottage where guests are disturbed only by the gentle thud of apples falling in the orchard  
• Wife and child look on in horror as tiger drags husband into enclosure and mauls him to death in Chinese zoo 
• Is this India's best kept travel secret? Stunning ten-hour railway ride through the Himalayas crosses 950 ornate bridges and costs ONLY 41p 
• Relationship goals! Photographer travels the world capturing his girlfriend in its most unspoiled places (and here's where you can follow them)
• A $1.6m diamond-studded cake and a $1,000 BAGEL: The most ludicrously expensive food around the world revealed
• Inside the Sheraton Grand Park Lane: A 1920s jewel where Meryl Streep took centre stage
• Our brilliant bird-brained jungle quest: Explorer Benedict Allen and wheelchair-bound reporter Frank Gardner hunt for the elusive bird of paradise in Papua New Guinea
• Strictly BATTY about the Maldives: Dancer Karen Clifton is blown away by the sunny islands - and makes some unusual new pals
• The cruise ship that proves big isn't always best: Sailing the Aegean in Crystal's new luxurious Esprit
• Swinging Pyongyang: Amazing images from inside North Korea reveal how western influences are slowly seeping into the culture including fake Coca-Cola and texting teenagers
• 'I think I may jump on that spaceship!' Mysterious UFO-shaped cloud appears above the mountains and baffles skiers 
• An Inspector Calls: The Mill at Gordleton provides the warmest welcome in the New Forest
• Festival of colour: Holi is India's most vibrant celebration - so don't miss it 
• All the family, everything to do and all inclusive! Neilson's Phokia beach club makes for a sporty Turkish getaway
• The Forbidden Forest featuring a life-sized Aragog and Buckbeak opens up for Harry Potter fans at the Warner Brothers Studio Tour
• Andermatt is back on the map thanks to this lavish five-star hotel - and daredevils will love the thrilling slopes
• Minnie Mouse's biggest fan! One-year-old girl is left open-mouthed in wonder after meeting her Disney 'hero' for the first time in heartwarming video clip 
• Want to own your own slice of paradise? A private Caribbean island with two cabins, mangroves and Leonardo Di Caprio as a neighbour could be yours for £400,000  
• Into the deep: Eerie photos capture awe-inspiring shipwrecks from dive sites around the world  
• Inside a luxury French Alpine chalet run by a couple who quit the London rat race for a life in the mountains - and judging by the standards, it was a great career move  
• From an amphibious Lamborghini to a boat that looks like it's sinking: The world's wackiest water vessels revealed  
• Would YOU spend $15,000 on dinner at Disneyland? Theme park offers fancy meal in new 'secret' space modelled on Walt's private residence  
• Could you recognise the flag of your COUNTY? Take a look at these colourful banners from around Britain and test your knowledge   
• Precarious cargo: Fascinating images reveal that babies on plane journeys in the 1950s were simply placed in overhead cradles  
• The most heart-warming tweets EVER: Zoos post painfully adorable snaps of their animals in a Twitter battle to see which has the cutest creatures  
• We're in for a ruff flight! Japanese airline now allows passengers to travel with their dogs in the main cabin  
• Breathtaking views that inspired Lord Byron: A spectacular trip on Europe's highest railway