Japan is the world’s most powerful passport for the third year running. We take a look at what else topped the list It feels a little masochistic to look at the world’s most powerful passports after a year of recurring lockdowns. However, as we’ve said before, we remain hopeful about the future of travel. We believe that exploration is a human instinct and that as soon as it is safe, people will return to the road. With this in mind, we take a look at the newly released ranking of the world’s most powerful passports, compiled by Henley Passport Index. With historical data spanning 16 years, the index ranks passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. What are the world’s most powerful passports? Japan is the world’s most powerful passport...
Editor’s Note: Today, we continue our celebration of the life and art of David Bowie with On Location, a recurring series that brings to life the places you know from songs, album covers, and music history. Keep checking back all weekend for more new and reshared content reflecting on our favorite Starman. And, if you’ve missed anything, you can experience it all again here. While this week marks the five-year anniversary of David Bowie’s passing, it goes without saying that his indelible legacy makes his presence everlasting. Forever fueling his musicianship with innovation, Bowie left behind a tapestry of work that boasted colorful characters, imaginative lyrics, and an intoxicating nexus of fantasy and reality. In short, he was a visionary in every sense of the word. In addition to a vi...
From the South Downs to Hadrian’s Wall, we explore England’s most popular hiking trails Whether you’re an experienced wanderer in need of some fresh ideas or a first-time hiker just looking to get outdoors more, our list of England’s most popular hiking trails offers a wealth of walking options. Home to over 100,000 trails, AllTrails is one of the world’s leading hiking apps. The app has over 20 million users globally and is widely downloaded across the UK. With reviews running in the hundreds of thousands, we believe the ‘AllTrails method’ is a great way of identifying some of the country’s finest footpaths. We’ve selected England’s most popular hiking trails from the app’s archives, but there are of course thousands more to choose from. Over 7,500 in fact, and counting. Ev...
From playful puffins to daunting peaks, we share our top 10 Instagram shots of 2020 Kia has already written about how 2020 has been, uhm, testing to say the least. The year began with great promise, as you will see below, but it wasn’t long before all our trips got cancelled or postponed. As such, many of this year’s Instagram photos were either reflective posts about past trips or shots from hiking and camping jaunts pinched between UK lockdowns. I was fortunate enough to squeeze in a couple of European trips during the summer. In July, I met up with one of my oldest and best friends for a hiking tour of Berchtesgaden National Park in Germany’s Bavarian Alps. Then, in September, I took part in the Highlander Velebit trek in Croatia. Despite these trips, there’s no use pretending...
Eme Alfonso on Cuban music education, new challenges for Cuban musicians, and growing up as the daughter of Cuban rock royalty. A conversation in Havana with singer/songwriter/promoter—and daughter of Cuban rock royalty—Eme Alfonso. This is an edited and condensed transcript from my conversation with Eme. You can listen to the full episode, for free, on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Cuba’s Moment On the Stage Images from SxSW’s first Cuban music showcase of five killer acts, set up by Roads and Kingdoms and Fábrica de Arte Cubano, say all the important things about Cuba that words, punditry, or legalese never will. Afro‑Cuban artist, cook, and queer activist Nancy Cepero on questioning everything Nancy Cepero, vegan chef, queer an...