Travel News

Photographers have just one day left to get their entries submitted to the 2019 National Geographic Travel Photo Contest. But they will have to be of exceptional quality if they are to eclipse any of these recently entered images. The set includes a dramatic image of rhinos drinking from a watering hole in Africa while lightning blazes above (top), an aerial shot of the mighty Mount Fuji in Japan (bottom left) and a foggy sunrise in Hong Kong (bottom right).

The 6,300-square-metre pool in West Sussex can accommodate up to 1,000 guests and has been filled with over 600,000 litres of water and decorated with more than two million tiles. The pool's stand-out feature is perhaps the helter-skelter water ride (top right), which Butlin's says is a 'world first' and almost as high as two double-decker buses. Butlin's says that the wave pool is family friendly and that 'when the music blasts out, it comes alive accompanied by a suitably water-based soundtrack'.

MailOnline's Carol Driver wasn't sure about Dubai being a family-friendly destination. But her preconceptions were turned on their head after a stay at Fairmont The Palm (pictured), which is located on the stunning Palm Jumeirah island (top left). She checked into the five-star hotel with her husband and not-yet-two-year-old daughter.

The AA has announced the winners of the 2019 B&B; awards - and there can be no dispute over the loveliness of the gong-baiting lodges. Awards have been handed out in a number of categories, including friendliest, story of the year, unique, restaurant with rooms, breakfast of the year and guest accommodation of the year. The winners include a restored Edwardian country house with views of a rather famous English lake, a Victorian property with four-poster beds and a restored lodge at the head of a sea loch.

The trip, to La Reunion in the Indian Ocean, is being offered by holiday firm Off the Map Travel. Guests stay in see-through bubble tents (bottom right), explore lava caves, zip-line through the jungle and enjoy a helicopter ride through waterfall-strewn ravines (main and top right), reminiscent of scenes from Jurassic Park. The company describes the French island as being the crossroads of African, Indian, European and Chinese cultures and very similar to Hawaii - where Jurassic Park was shot.

The Goseong-area route has opened on the eastern side of the DMZ in the first phase of what's known as the 'Peace Trail' project. It is one of three trails set to open on the peninsula, with tours running twice a day, six days a week. Pictured inset are the vibrant blue Military Armistice Commission Conference Rooms, which straddle both North and South Korea.

John Sutcliffe hiked from Cape Cornwall to Cape Wrath, carrying 18kg of camping equipment and clothing and taking in some of the UK's most remote and wildest parts. During his daring 106-day walk, which included a few rest days, the former geologist spent almost every night camping in the wild, save for the occasional night of luxury in a B&B.; Pictured clockwise from top left: John at the start of the trip in Cornwall, the South Pennines, Cape Wrath, a glaciated 'U' valley in Cumbria and the dramatic Falls of Glomach in Ross-shire.

Everyone says Qatar Airways’ Qsuite is, if not the best, then one of the best business class experiences in the world - the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards (2019 winner), the Skytrax Awards (2018 winner), MailOnline commenters, frequent fliers. So MailOnline Travel Editor, Ted Thornhill (top left), wanted to find out what all the fuss is about. And low and behold – what the fuss is about is readily apparent at every stage, he writes.

Paul Bromham, 38, from Swansea, Wales, started filming during his time-off while hiking. His edited video shows the sharp contrast in scenery from vast white stone runs (sometimes called stone rivers) to rolling boggy mounds and mountains areas as well as penguin-speckled white-sand beaches. Pictured is Gypsy Cove (top and bottom left), Mount Kent (top right) and the Falklands' capital, Port Stanley (bottom right).

Radio Free Europe photographer Amos Chapple, from New Zealand, recently had a look around the site, which lies some 185 miles south of Kiev, and captured the facility in a set of fascinating, if unnerving, photographs. The subterranean base is cylindrical and comprises 10 storeys. It was designed to be self-sufficient for 45 days in the event of a nuclear war and so it contains generators to keep the power running and (very cramped) living quarters with the odd mod con or two. Mr Chapple snapped bunk beds, the silo’s microwave oven, a kettle, the launch buttons, the ladders that connect the facility’s floors, a 750kg blast door and an SS-18 Satan missile on display outside. He described the experience as ‘incredibly unsettling’.

MailOnline's Sadie Whitelocks checked into The Times Square Edition during its launch week, along with Kendall Jenner (inset), Cara Delevingne and Hailey Bieber. The 42-storey, 512ft hotel was masterminded by former Studio 54 co-owner Ian Schrager and has taken eight years to create. Sadie writes that the hotel has strong powers of seduction... with amazing views of Times Square coming as standard, of course (top right). Also pictured: One of the bedrooms (top left), Sadie's bathroom (bottom left) and the swanky bar (bottom right).

MailOnline Travel's Ted Thornhill checked into the One&Only; Cape Town. It's not cheap, with rooms starting at £491 ($635) - but for that you get perfection. More or less... Ted enjoyed top fodder at the hotel's Nobu restaurant, splendid wines courtesy of sommelier Luvo Ntezo and a lovely water's-edge bedroom (bottom right).

MailOnline Travel has toilet-hopped around the world to find the most Instagram-worthy loos which, were you to visit, would keep you snapping away for quite some time. For a taste of the bizarre, Sketch in London has installed giant egg-shaped cubicles in its dining establishment (top left), making it feel as if you might have stumbled upon a dinosaur's nest. Or if you're after something a little more opulent, the mirror and marble-clad restroom at the Brasserie of Light restaurant, also in the British capital, promises to impress. For the ultimate hipster snap however, head to the graffiti-riddled loos at dive bar Welcome to the Johnsons in New York's Lower East Side, once frequented by Lady Gaga (inset). Also pictured: Annabel's in London (top right), the Madonna Inn (bottom right) in San Luis Obispo, California, and Bokan in London (bottom left).

The new attraction, called Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, is set to open in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at the Florida resort on June 13. The ride will see guests join Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures class and fly deep into the Forbidden Forest aboard his magical motorbike, beyond the grounds of Hogwarts - encountering the wizarding world's rarest magical creatures including the Blast-Ended Skrewt (top left), Fluffy the three-headed dog (top right), Cornish Pixies (bottom left) and a majestic Centaur (bottom right).

The mesmerising video, filmed at the plane manufacturer's plant in Toulouse, France, charts the delivery of components all the way through to fitting the fuselage together and spray-painting its livery. The A330-900 plane in the video has now been handed over to Air Mauritius, which is leasing the aircraft.

Student Alex Hendriks expected lifeless desolation when he visited the centre of the Chernobyl disaster zone in northern Ukraine with his friends. And while it was certainly bleak – it was far from lifeless inside the radioactive ruins. There were hundreds of dogs roaming around. They entered the Exclusion Zone, which includes the city of Pripyat, on a bus operated by tour company Gamma Travel, having been picked up in Kiev, and this bus then drove them around the zone for the entire day. The dogs are the descendants of pets left abandoned by the former residents 35 years ago.

The Groundkeeper's Cottage (left) has just opened at fantasy-themed holiday park North Shire, on the edge of the North York Moors National Park, ahead of International Harry Potter Day. The cottage, which cost £195,000 to build, comprises three interlocking circular slate-roofed buildings, two with turrets, and all with stained glass windows. There is also a feature fireplace (top right) and wooden beams festooned with Hagrid-style paraphernalia such as old baskets, ropes, leather bags and lanterns, and a statement copper bath (bottom right). Pictured inset is the 'real' Hagrid's hut from the Harry Potter movies.

The judges of the 2019 National Geographic Travel Photo Contest must have furrowed brows. That's because entries to the competition continue to flood in and, as the latest batch below demonstrates, the quality is still superbly high. How will they decide on the winners? There's a dramatic shot of Notre-Dame Cathedral engulfed in flames (top left), a stunning image showing a diver outnumbered by a shoal of fish in New Zealand (bottom left) and a powerful capture of a supercell storm unleashing its wrath in Kansas (bottom right). This sneak peek also includes a striking portrait of a Mongolian nomad dressed in traditional garb (top right) and a snap of an ancient pagan festival in Bulgaria (inset).

The hospitality firm has announced that it is fully customising a new Airbus A321LR aircraft (inset) that will take wealthy travellers on round-the-world tours from early 2021.The aircraft is being built to replace the current Four Season private jet, a Boeing 757, that launched in 2015. Pictured is the new spacious lounge (top left), the luxury leather seats (top right), one of the bathrooms (bottom left) and the personal ottomans (bottom right).

Stephanie Leigh started the bizarre Stefdies picture series eight years ago and says she came up with her unusual pose as a way of showing 'how precious life is' and what a photo should be - 'a captured moment in time'. Ms Leigh, who is based in London but originally from the U.S, has 'died' at instantly recognisable sights including Buckingham Palace, the Golden Gate Bridge (top right), the Eiffel Tower (inset) and San Diego Zoo.

MailOnline Travel has scoured the world for the most bizarre casinos - and we've been dealt a good hand. We've found a casino housed in a 19th-century Maltese palace (top right), another inside a fake fairytale castle in Las Vegas (top left), the floating gambling den that starred in The Man With The Golden Gun (inset) and a design for a Boeing 777 cabin casino (bottom right). There's also a casino in Venice that you can reach by boat (bottom left).

This is the first glimpse of the stunning rooftop infinity pool at JFK Airport's hotly anticipated $265million TWA Hotel (insets show exterior and interior). A rendering, shared exclusively with MailOnline Travel, shows how the 64-foot-long swimming spot (main) will afford swimmers views of the runways and taxiways. There's an observation deck, too, for guests who want to focus on plane spotting. The pool will be available to both guests and non-guests when the sprawling 200,000-square-foot complex opens on May 15.

The colossal concrete structure in the heart of Kerala in India, called Jatayu Earth's Center, was the brainchild of Indian filmmaker and sculptor Rajiv Anchal, who always dreamed of bringing the mythical bird Jatayu to life. According to Hindu legend, Jatayu witnessed princess Sita being kidnapped by the demon king Ravana. When Jatayu tried to stop Ravana, he chopped off one of the bird's wings with his sword. In keeping with the story, the concrete version of Jatayu only has one wing. The giant sculpture can be reached via a winding footpath or by cable car. A helicopter service can also be arranged.

They appear in a new book called Wonders of the World by Claudia Martin. It features 200 images of sights created long ago and in modern times. Here we pick out 20 of our favourites. Pictured clockwise from top left to inset: Ha Long Bay, Vietnam; Petra, Jordan; Palm Jumeirah, Dubai; Plitvice Lakes National Park and Devil's Tower in Wyoming.

TV personality and adventurer Alison Teal, dubbed the 'female Indiana Jones', can be seen exploring the coastline of Tulum in Mexico with piles of waste choking the waters and obstructing her path. Other photos show a similar situation in the popular tourist spot of Bali in Indonesia. To highlight how bad the waste situation is, she took contrasting images of the Galapagos, where local communities are maintaining the islands via clean-up efforts.

Tigris, a triple-launch steel coaster, is making its debut at the Busch Gardens theme park in Tampa Bay. Its 1,800ft-long steel track is designed to mimic the agility of a tiger. According to Busch Gardens, riders on Tigris will be catapulted through an exhilarating array of loops and twists in both forward and backward motions as well as breath-taking drops and an inverted heartline roll. 

MailOnline Travel reveals some of the epic scenery you could soak up on a cruising adventure, with Norwegian fjords (top right), jaw-dropping Caribbean islands (bottom left) and historic cities among the mix. For for the more intrepid traveller, there are expedition cruises venturing to the likes of the Galapagos, Antarctica and the North Pole. Pictured top left is the Sapphire Princess in Alaska, pictured inset is the Viking Star in London and bottom right the Viking Sea in Venice.

What do you get when you cross a superb eye for detail with some nifty camera skills? An award-winning shot. The stunning winning images of the 2019 Sony World Photography Awards have been revealed. The coveted photographer of the year title was presented to 35-year-old Italian artist Federico Borella for his series Five Degrees. The photographer, who was awarded a $25,000 (£19,200) cash prize, used his images to explore the link between male suicide in a drought-hit region of southern India and climate change. Pictured from top left, clockwise: An underwater shot in Hawaii by Christy Lee Rogers, an image of orange pickers in Seville by Sergi Villanueva, one of Federico Borella's winning pictures and a landscaping project in China captured by Yan Wang Preston.

MailOnline Travel's Sadie Whitelocks (inset) ventured to Karkar island off the north coast of Papua New Guinea to find her estranged great uncle, who moved there more than 50 years ago. The small outcrop, which is just 24km long and 19km wide, is home to a very active volcano (top left and right), cocoa plantations that supply M&S; with chocolate beans, vast swathes of jungle and axe-wielding locals who aren't keen on foreigners exploring the terrain...

Fiona Hardcastle found that the Relais Bernard Loiseau hotel in Saulieu, in the heart of Burgundy, France, is a foodie's paradise. It is named after its former head chef (inset), who committed suicide in 2003 upon hearing rumours that he was about to lose one of his three Michelin stars. The hotel is run to exacting standards by his widow, Dominique. The restaurant currently has two Michelin stars and Fiona was bowled over by the nine-course tasting menu there. Find out why she rated the hotel five out of five all round.

MailOnline Travel's Sadie Whitelocks signed up for the Shotover Canyon Swing in Queenstown, New Zealand. It's the world's highest cliff jump. And she's scared of heights...But she fought past the terror in the name of travel journalism.

Out with the old, in with the new - and the new that's 'in'. Conde Nast Traveller has revealed its 2019 Hot List of the best new places to stay from around the world - and it's not hard to see why they made the list. We're talking jaws on the floor ahoy. Here are MailOnline Travel's 10 favourite hotels from the 66 that make the cut. Pictured clockwise from top left: Can Bordoy, Mallorca; Joali, Maldives; Bulgari Hotel, Shanghai; Shinta Mani Wild, Cambodia, and, inset, Hotel Peter & Paul, New Orleans.

When nature calls for visitors to the Hipopo Papa Cafe, in Akashi on the Hayashizaki Matsue Coast, they can relieve themselves on a loo that's surrounded by exotic fish - and a male turtle.

First officer Emilie Christine, 31, from Toronto, Canada, has over 38,000 followers on social media. She got her commercial pilot's licence in 2012 and works for Canadian airline WestJet. Emilie flies a Dash 8-Q400 plane and has anywhere between 12 and 16 flights each week. So far, Emilie has visited countries including Iceland, Croatia (top right), France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Peru, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Republic of the Congo, Rwanda (top left), Australia and the Bahamas.