Horsing Around the World: It's the year for it

The Year of the Horse kicks off with experiences spanning wildlife conservation, indigenous culture, luxury ranch getaways and major cultural celebrations.

Rare ponies roam Okinawan beaches, Hong Kong hosts a glittering Chinese New Year parade with international performers, and working ranches invite guests to saddle up for cattle drives in Colorado. There's also the Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota and a Paniolo-inspired cocktail bar in Portland.

Let's go on a virtual equine road-the-world tour!

WC Fields: "Philadelphia, wonderful town, spent a week there one night."

W. C. Fields, real name William Claude Dukenfield, the famous American actor, comedian, juggler and writer active in the early 20th century, was well-known for his dry humour and cynical wit. Born near Philadelphia in 1880, he often referred to his birthplace in funny but disparaging remarks. One might wonder how, if prompted, he might have written a travel story that gives some clue to his true impressions. So, we asked him.

Valentine’s Venues in Hong Kong & SouthEast Asia

Fine Dining Accompanied by Live Pianist

The Anam Cam Ranh and The Anam Mui Ne will each host remarkable dining experiences to mark Valentine’s Day this year. The Anam Cam Ranh’s fine-dining restaurant The Colonial will serve a seven-course set tasting menu, accompanied by a live pianist, from 7-10pm, Highlights include ‘Satsuma Wagyu A4 tenderloin with multicolour beetroots, butternut squash, XO condiment and caviar’ and ‘Apple terrine with hibiscus ice cream, macaron crumble and caramelised sauce’. The Anam Mui Ne, meanwhile, will host a romantic buffet experience for couples at their own outdoor table by The Indochine Restaurant’s waterfall. The feast includes a surf and turf buffet for two, one lobster each, one bottle of rosé wine, and a specially plated dessert set for two.

Visiting the haunted Z Ward at the former Glenside Mental Hospital

 Stepping into Z Ward is like entering a different era. The exterior's polychromatic brickwork and ventilation flues hint at the building's original purpose – a maximum-security facility for South Australia's "criminally insane" from 1885 to 1973.

The Penfold Story

In 1844, toward the end of the Australian winter, the barque Taglioni anchored at Largs Bay in South Australia. The vessel, of about 350 tons, had been built four years earlier at Ramsey on the Isle of Man. It was classed A1 at Lloyd’s and was owned and commanded by Captain V. Black. Despite being well equipped for its time, a voyage of more than 13,000 miles by small sailing ship in the mid-nineteenth century was demanding. 

Europe’s 20 top trending hotspots for 2026

Europe remains firmly on Australians’ travel bucket lists in 2026, with 1 in 4 Australians planning a trip to the continent in the next year, according to Omio’s annual NowNext report. Notably, as travellers plan ahead, 34% say they’re actively seeking out less-crowded, under-the-radar destinations - particularly across Europe.

Capital cities continue to feature prominently in travel plans, though European travel patterns are showing signs of diversification. In addition to established city destinations, some travellers are increasingly considering smaller and less well-known locations. Booking data from multi-modal travel platform Omio indicates this shift, aligning with findings from its annual NowNext Report produced with YouGov.

Emily and Charlotte Bronte in Moscow: Frostbite and Fancy in Red Square

 We came to Moscow as one might enter a dream that has hardened into stone. Winter had sealed the city in iron silence. Snow lay not gently but with authority, pressed into the streets like an edict, whitening even the darkest intentions. My sister walked beside me, her breath a pale banner unfurled against the cold, and together we crossed a world that seemed determined to remember us long after our names had fallen quiet.

If Mark Twain Visited Prague in Winter

It is a most curious fact that a man can grow quite frozen in body and yet remain red-hot in temper, and nowhere is this more evident than in Prague during the month of January. I arrived bundled, muffled, swaddled, and altogether rendered into something not unlike a trussed turkey, though perhaps less festive. The frost had the manners of a vagrant—bold, uninvited, and thoroughly impolite. It crept into boots, bit the nose, and showed a particular fondness for one's ears.

Wawel: Where Kraków Keeps Its Memory

Rising quietly above the Vistula, Wawel Castle and Cathedral reveal Poland’s royal, spiritual and cultural heart—layered in stone, shaped by centuries and still deeply present in the life of the city.

The walk up to Wawel is so understated you almost miss the moment it begins. One minute you’re beside the Vistula, watching it slide past with unhurried confidence, the next you’re climbing gently away from the riverbank. Kraków, usually animated by cafés, trams and students, seems to soften here. The street surface changes underfoot, the gradient does the work of slowing you down, and the city’s deeper story quietly takes hold.

Where Empires Drift: A Passage Through the Bosporus

On a working waterway that divides continents, Istanbul reveals itself as a city shaped by currents, conflict and continuity, where ancient stone and modern steel drift side by side.

 The Bosporus was awake before the city admitted it. A thin light lay on the water like beaten tin, and the current ran hard and purposeful, as it had done long before men learned to give it names. The small ferry pushed off from the quay with a grunt of engines, nosing into the strait as if testing the mood of an old, unpredictable companion. Istanbul, sprawling and restless, leaned over the water on both sides, watching itself go by.

Victor Harbor's iconic Horse-Drawn Tram Rolls On

The Victor Harbor Horse Drawn Tram, a beloved South Australian icon, has been delighting visitors since 1894. This majestic tramway, one of the few remaining horse-drawn tram routes in the world, connects the coastal town of Victor Harbor to Granite Island, offering breathtaking views of the surrounding waters.