In a series of nostalgic snapshots from 1950, photographer Jack Birns has captured the glamour of the post-war holiday boom aboard the Venice-Simplon-Orient-Express. Retro images show passengers relaxing in Art Deco carriages (top left and top right) and elegant service (bottom left and bottom right) on the journey from London to Istanbul via Paris and Venice.
Celebrity central: Why Marylebone has become one of the world's hottest new playgrounds with A-listers flocking to its boutique hotel, bars and restaurants
Wealthy tourists and capital dwellers alike are heading to the central London neighbourhood of Marylebone. With the arrival of boutique hotel address Zetter Townhouse (pictured) and celebrities including Rita Ora (top right), Drake (middle right) and Daisy Lowe (bottom right) frequenting the trendy Chiltern Firehouse restaurant it has recently become the city's current 'it' destination.
Planes abandoned on the runway, caved-in ceilings and a terminal destroyed by war: The creepiest 'ghost' airports in the world
They were once a hub of activity with holiday flights and tearful reunions, but these abandoned airports are in a state of decay after years of neglect or conflict. Planes are falling apart and seats are covered in debris at Cyprus' Nicosia airport (main, top left), which has not had a commercial flight since 1977. Once the pride of Palestinians, the airport in Rafah, Gaza Strip (top right) is in ruins after being bombed by Israeli forces.
El Niño gets upgraded: Forecasters say there is a 95% chance of 'strong' weather system - but warn it WON'T relieve California's drought
With even warmer waters in the central Pacific in August, the hottest in more than 17 years, the NOAA today upgraded El Nino up from moderate status.
- Hurricanes 'unlike anything you've seen in history': Scientists warn grey swan megastorms could ravage areas ranging from Florida to Dubai
- Lightning is so powerful it changes the atomic structure of rocks: Bolts pack a punch similar to a NUCLEAR BOMB or meteor impact
- Does Earth have SEVERAL moons? Space rocks that hop in and out of orbit could provide easy targets for asteroid exploration
A taste of the Orient in the heart of Catalonia: Personal butlers, a secret garden and a rooftop pool overlooking a Gaudi masterpiece...no wonder this luxury hotel is a hit with A-listers
The Mandarin Oriental in Barcelona boasts a stylish rooftop pool (top right) with a row of luxury sun loungers and plush sofas overlooking Gaudi's Casa Milà. Set in the former headquarters of a bank, guests are immediately made to feel like a VIP as they make their entrance via an elevated, carpeted catwalk. The hotel has four restaurants including the 'Mimosa Garden' (bottom right) and breakfast is served in the Bistreau (bottom left). Our spacious deluxe garden suite (top left) boasted a king-size bed with fluffy goose down pillows, hardwood plank floors and statement rugs.
Shire delight! Inside the £140,000 underground holiday home that looks like it belongs in Lord of the Rings
The cottage, Potts Corner, would be fit for any self-respecting hobbit, complete with a free standing bath and luxurious mattresses, and is just the place to return to after a day spent wandering around the Shire. The cosy retreat is the first of seven Tolkien-inspired hideaways to be built by Carol Hopkinson and her partner Karl Wragg as they create an entire village of fantasy houses on the Yorkshire Moors.
A lost world... found! Spectacular images reveal breathtaking beauty and enormous size of a newly discovered cave in Vietnam
The cave is located near Vietnam's Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park and is believed to be an extension of a previously discovered cave called Hang Tien. The jaw-dropping pictures were snapped by adventure photographer Ryan Deboodt, 32, on August 31, after the cave was discovered for the first time by locals just one month ago.
A terrifying 90-degree drop and twists inspired by fighter jets: Theme park reveals plans for tallest, fastest and longest dive roller coaster in the world (and footage shows just how scary it will be)
The ride called Valravn (val-rey-vuhn), at Cedar Point, in Ohio, will send daredevil passengers on a heart-pounding 214ft free fall at 75mph and a stomach-churning Immelmann turn, a fighter jet-like manoeuvre that takes the train into a half loop and half roll. When the ride opens in the summer of 2016, it will set a number of records for dive coasters, including height (223ft), speed (75mph), distance (3,415ft) and longest drop (214ft).
Kings of cool: KISS FM DJs Tough Love give their ultimate insider tips on the best places to stay and play in Berlin - the city they say has Europe's hottest music scene
Kiss FM DJs Tough Love told MailOnline Travel that Berlin offers the hottest emerging music scene in Europe right now. The house duo famed for their energetic bass sets, have put together their insider's guide including where to stay Soho House (pictured) and where to party in time for visitors to this weekend's inaugural Lollapalooza festival. As one of Lady Gaga's favourite music events the city is sure to attract and eclectic, A-lister attendance.
From a safari cocoon in Botswana to a futuristic former factory in China, the surprising shortlist of the world's best designed hotels revealed (and one costs just £8 a night)
This year, the World Architecture Festival, held in Singapore, will honour the most beautiful-designed hotels around the world. From an African safari lodge that looks like a cocoon to a futuristic former factory in China, this year's nominees are as varied as they are luxurious. MailOnline Travel takes a look at the competition.
So THIS is what they get up to when you've gone: The cabin crew craze to clamber into overhead bins for Instagram pictures
A craze has emerged that involves crew clambering into the overhead bins and photographs of them crammed inside being uploaded to Instagram with a hashtag of #overheadbin. Still in their flight uniforms, fun photographs show the plucky fight attendants clambering into the tiny spaces either individually (left and top right) or with their work colleagues (bottom right).
The iconic Icehotel in Sweden reveals the magical suites set to be launched in December - built using 5,000 TONNES of ice
Guests will be able to spend a night in one of 19 individually themed rooms in the Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi, sharing a room with a life-sized elephant, a Russian imperial-inspired theatre set or even an icicle cave. The winter wonderland is constructed every year in December, and lasts until it melts away around March.
When getting lost is actually fun: The world's most incredible mazes include ice labyrinths and hedgerow shaped like Harry Potter's head
Since the ancient Cretans and Egyptians devised the first labyrinths, these routes and mazes have fascinated and entertained travellers across the globe. Harry's Potter's face, a pineapple and dinosaurs are just some of the intricate designs created from hedgerow while others are fashioned from sunflowers and ice. Get lost in MailOnline Travel's round up of the world's most incredible mazes and labyrinths.
Woman's horror after 'bed bug bites' from stay in Wales leave her with swollen red blotches the size of TENNIS BALLS (and the hotel 'liked' Facebook pictures of the sores)
A young mother was hospitalised after a family stay in Wales turned into a nightmare when she was bitten by bed bugs and suffered an allergic reaction. Tracey John had booked a two-night stay at the Ibis Cardiff Gate hotel (bottom right) with fiancee Danny Loo and their two-year-old son Brandon (the family is the main picture). However they decided to check out after only one night of their break after they were attacked by bed bugs.
A busman's holiday! Couple spends £15,000 converting double-decker bus into private retreat complete with a kitchen, three bedrooms and HOT TUB
Andrew and Lisa-Jane Powis (pictured at left with their children), from Ryton, Shropshire, bought the Lleyland Atlanteen bus off eBay for just £2,500 and spent six weeks transforming it into a unique camper van. They ripped out all of the seats and installed furnishings, including a cooker, oven hob and fridge in the kitchen (top right). There is a bathroom on the lower level, bedrooms on the top deck (bottom right), and a hot tub for guests when it is parked at their home.
Terrifying drone footage shows hiker swept down Hawaiian waterfall by flash flood in near-death experience
Sean Steininger, 27, had been preparing to jump from a 30-foot waterfall in Maui, Hawaii but instead found himself caught in a flash flood that swept him dangerously over the edge, as his friends watched below. Drone footage shows the terrifying moment the Na'ili'ili Haele Stream suddenly started to rise, with the hiker disappearing into churning waters, watched in horror by his friends.
This year we're going for a fortnight on the M5: Service station has become a destination in itself with families spurning the seaside to enjoy its waterfall, rolling country and delicious organic treats
An English service station has become an unusual holiday destination in itself. Families are giving up their traditional seaside getaways to spend time at Gloucester Services, top, on the M5. It bills itself as a farm shop and kitchen and also boasts its own pizza oven, a cafe service, centre, homemade dishes, right, and butchery, left.
Fit for a king or queen! Inside the incredible £100-a-night sandcastle hotels with electricity, running water and toilets
At €150 a night (approximately £110 or $170) based on double occupancy, the giant sandcastles in the Dutch cities of Oss and Sneek have been fully booked for weeks. With reinforced walls and ceilings covered with sand, each hotel is decorated with more than 30 sculptures and furnishings. Built for two sand sculpture festivals, one of the hotels is themed after the animated TV programme The Flintstones.
Haunting beauty of the Indian underworld: Inside the mysterious and exotic ancient subterranean stepwells that even the locals don't know exist
Victoria Lautman is enamoured by India's stepwells - the subterranean masterpieces built between the 3rd and 19th centuries that served first as a vital means to access and store water, but which remain architectural wonders to this day. The Chicago journalist has spent four years exploring around 120 sites and says her 'smouldering obsession' with the impressive and varied underground structures stems from their mystery, beauty and history.
Heaven on our doorstep: The most spectacular sceneries in Britain that have inspired generations of poets and authors (including JK Rowling)
After decades of travel, Mail on Sunday Travel Editor Frank Barrett has found the perfect place to write a book about... Britain. And he's not alone. Britain has so much to offer, particularly with its picturesque landscape, which has captivated authors such as JK Rowling (inset) for centuries. Sights include the ruins of Tintern Abbey in Monmouthshire (centre) and the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire (right).
A land of fire and ice: Mesmerising satellite images of the world's most spectacular landscapes go on display at new exhibition
Some of the best snaps show incredible detail of places such as the Namib Desert in Namibia (left), the Jungersen Glacier in Greenland (right) and large cities such as London (inset). The stunning shots were captured by European Space Agency satellites as they orbited Earth, and have gone on display at an interactive exhibit in Linz, Austria.
Inside the church of hooded statues: Haunting photos reveal the beauty of abandoned buildings before nature reclaims them
While many would think twice before stepping foot into eerie crumbling factories or decaying medical centres, photographer Anna Mika chooses to explore them to discover their subtle allure. The plucky 25-year-old from Poland's mysterious collection called, Urbex - Urban Exploration, features mines, factories, hospitals, both Polish and abroad.
Mother's anger at Thomson after she claims the holiday company refused to pay back the full deposit for a trip cancelled because her baby son was diagnosed with cancer
Christine Frayne-Elliot, 26, had booked a week long stay for June 2016 in the Sa Coma Playa in Majorca with husband James, 38, and their children Jaden, 1 and Lacey, 4. Also staying with them were Christine's parents, who wish to remain anonymous. The trip was organised with two group bookings between the six of them. However just two weeks after booking the holiday, Christine received the devastating news that her child Jaden had been diagnosed with cancer with a tumor in his back.
Do you wish your holiday pictures looked like this? Traveller photographs his model girlfriend as they visit stunning locations
Experiencing paradise locations around the world are young couple Michael Gallagher, 24, and his beautiful girlfriend Alexandra Carson, 27. Leaving behind their day jobs in California they have set out to visit every country on earth, and document their travels with their stunning photos. It doesn't hurt that Alexandra has previously worked as a model, and their backdrops include the whitewashed Santorini and unspoilt national parks.
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TOP STORIES IN TRAVEL
- Take a whistle-stop tour of the golden era of train travel: Pictures aboard the Orient-Express reveal the nostalgic glamour of 1950s journey
- An Inspector Calls: The Wellington is impeccable, with resident chickens and a lawn like Centre Court
- Iconic Tower Of London poppies inspire a new audience as they are installed at a disused Northumberland colliery
- Feel the force: Star Wars invasion at Disney World pulls plug on Osborne family dancing lights after 20 year reign as iconic attraction
- From a tour round the prison Nelson Mandela spent 18 years, by a fellow inmate, to spectacular Table Mountain views: Why you should escape to Cape Town
- Celebrity central: Why Marylebone has become one of the world's hottest new playgrounds with A-listers flocking to its boutique hotel, bars and restaurants
- A taste of the Orient in the heart of Catalonia: Personal butlers, a secret garden and a rooftop pool overlooking a Gaudi masterpiece...no wonder this luxury hotel is a hit with A-listers
- Up close and personal: TV presenter Raul de Molina encounters the endangered mountain gorillas of Uganda and explores the country's remote villages
- The incredible FLYING crocodile: Huge reptile captured on video exploding into motion and going so fast it appears to be rocketing across the top of the water
- El Niño gets upgraded: Forecasters say there is a 95% chance of 'strong' weather system - but warn it WON'T relieve California's drought
- Say hello, offer them some food and stay out of the aisles: Flight attendants reveal the things YOU can do to get the best service from them
- Shire delight! Inside the £140,000 underground holiday home that looks like it belongs in Lord of the Rings
- Planes abandoned on the runway, caved-in ceilings and a terminal destroyed by war: The creepiest 'ghost' airports in the world
- How easy is it to break into your hotel safe? Shocking video shows security expert breaking into locked box in SECONDS
- Kings of cool: KISS FM DJs Tough Love give their ultimate insider tips on the best places to stay and play in Berlin - the city they say has Europe's hottest music scene
- Is this FINALLY the answer to avoiding jet lag? The 'calculator' that tells you how to shift your body clock and beat groggy feelings
- A lost world... found! Spectacular images reveal breathtaking beauty and enormous size of a newly discovered cave in Vietnam
- A terrifying 90-degree drop and twists inspired by fighter jets: Theme park reveals plans for tallest, fastest and longest dive roller coaster in the world (and footage shows just how scary it will be)
- 'Gut' yoga with Millie Mackintosh's teacher, cleansing aromatherapy massages with hot wax and a (sort of) detox: How just two nights away from it all really CAN help you re-boot
- One foot in the rave: Half of over 70-year-olds are heading to Ibiza for a party getaway (and many are using a tablet to stay connected while they're there)
- Website blasted after it shows photograph of burning British Airways plane in Las Vegas to advertise cheap flights
- What REALLY happens in a plane in an emergency? Flight safety expert reveals what the pilot of the BA plane that burst into flames in Las Vegas would have been thinking and doing as the drama unfolded
- So THIS is what they get up to when you've gone: The cabin crew craze to clamber into overhead bins for Instagram pictures
- From a safari cocoon in Botswana to a futuristic former factory in China, the surprising shortlist of the world's best designed hotels revealed (and one costs just £8 a night)
- How many holiday sins have you committed? Infographic reveals the naughtiest things travellers do from skinny dipping to lying for a room upgrade
- Tanning addict who 'grilled herself like a sausage' in the sun has 2cm chunk of skin removed after doctors discover deadly mole
- Could UK airlines weigh passengers in the future? 58% of Britons want heavier people to pay more to fly
- Pictured: The desperate moments safari guides risked their lives to save young elephant stuck in the mud for four days... but after freeing him they were forced to put him down
- 'Best wishes of happy reproduction!': Randy passengers caught having sex in plane's toilet are mocked by flight attendant with sarcastic announcement over loudspeaker
- The most surprising viral video ever: Romantic clip of elderly man meeting his wife with flowers at airport has more than 60MILLION Facebook views
- Be careful with ice in your holiday cocktails: Infographic reveals where in the world it is safe to drink tap water
- New home needed, must be big: Natural History Museum looks for venues to host 70-foot Dippy the dinosaur on UK tour
- Guide says it was 'only a matter of time' before someone died at Norway tourist rock after Melbourne student, 24, fell while trying to walk past tourists taking photos
- The iconic Icehotel in Sweden reveals the magical suites set to be launched in December - built using 5,000 TONNES of ice
- What it's like to be eaten by a VULTURE: Researchers reveal footage from inside a wilderbeast carcass left on the Serengeti
- Sandstorm engulfs the Middle East killing eight people and causing hundreds to be hospitalised with respiratory problems
- So THAT'S what happens when a plane 'dumps fuel': Video shows how an aircraft ensures it can make a safe emergency landing
- This is what £2,500 buys you on British Airways' new Dreamliner: Carrier unveils swanky designs of its latest first-class cabin
- Mayday, Mayday! Mid-air drama as plane is forced to make emergency landing...with top author on board claiming aircraft was 'faulty' on take-off
- It's been a wet summer, but not THAT wet! Incredible historic pictures show London reimagined as Venice with famous landmarks surrounded by water and gondolas
- Student nurses arrive at five-star hotel in the Bahamas to discover Thomas Cook had 'cancelled' their reservation
- Plane bound for Manchester returned to Malta 40 minutes into its journey to pick up two 'forgotten' passengers waiting in the terminal
- How thieves can steal your identity while you are travelling (and how to prevent it)
- Woman's horror after 'bed bug bites' from stay in Wales leave her with swollen red blotches the size of TENNIS BALLS (and the hotel 'liked' Facebook pictures of the sores)
- Terrifying moment woman is thrown from rubber ring and cracks her head on water slide at Center Parcs
- 14 men thrown off a holiday flight to Tenerife over drug fears complain Jet2 staff overreacted to a prank involving a bag of SALT
- Thrillseeker killed when he smashes into a rock ledge and suffers severe injuries during a 'death swing' at a notorious cliff face west of Sydney known as Hanging Rock
- Vaulted ceilings hand-painted in gold and imported Versace fabrics lining every piece of furniture: Inside the designer hotel that Paris Hilton and Pamela Anderson call home when visiting Australia
- Woman's horror after 'bed bug bites' from stay in Wales leave her with swollen red blotches the size of TENNIS BALLS (and the hotel 'liked' Facebook pictures of the sores)
- When getting lost is actually fun: The world's most incredible mazes include ice labyrinths and hedgerow shaped like Harry Potter's head
- Is this the best way to pack a suitcase? Start-up firm designs interlocking plastic dividers that neatly sort and stack clothes
- Dramatic moment angry elephant rams its tusks into tourists who turned their backs to it while trying to eat dinner at national park
- When sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll still ruled: Photographer unearths rare snapshots of the East Village in its infamous 1980s heyday
- Furious Chinese passengers refused to board plane and sang national anthem at Bangkok Airport after 10-hour flight delay
- Fit for a king or queen! Inside the incredible £100-a-night sandcastle hotels with electricity, running water and toilets
- Passenger ferry sends lifeboats to rescue 61 refugees whose packed dinghy was just seconds from sinking off Lesbos, as Greek immigration minister says island is 'on the verge of explosion'
- Shocking moment 'drunk' holidaymaker was wheeled out of hotel on luggage trolley after 'trashing room' in front of stunned guests
- Guinness Storehouse in Ireland beats off competition from Buckingham Palace and the Eiffel Tower to be crowned Europe's top tourist attraction
- A busman's holiday! Couple spends £15,000 converting double-decker bus into private retreat complete with a kitchen, three bedrooms and HOT TUB
- What was he thinking? Airport evacuated after teenager tries to take alarm clock designed to look like a BOMB on a plane
- Holidaymakers claim they were left terrified after Thomas Cook cabin crew 'discussed Shoreham Air Show disaster just before take-off'
- Heaven on our doorstep: The most spectacular sceneries in Britain that have inspired generations of poets and authors (including JK Rowling)
- Terrifying drone footage shows hiker swept down Hawaiian waterfall by flash flood in near-death experience
- Whatever it was, it was close: Ryanair passenger films moment mystery object almost crashed into aircraft
- Have scientists found a cure for seasickness? Gadget that applies mild electric current to the scalp 'could eradicate nausea'
- Faecal matter on the TV remote, bodily fluids on bed linens and drinking glasses wiped with a filthy cloth: The dirtiest areas of a hotel room revealed
- Jet2 bans 14 passengers FOR LIFE after their 'aggressive and verbally abusive' behaviour on flight from Glasgow to Tenerife forced plane to divert
- A land of fire and ice: Mesmerising satellite images of the world's most spectacular landscapes go on display at new exhibition
- Summer's not over yet! Price war breaks out as tour operators slash costs by up to 50% in bid to lure holidaymakers into last-minute sunshine breaks
- Mother's anger at Thomson after she claims the holiday company refused to pay back the full deposit for a trip cancelled because her child was diagnosed with cancer
- A ho-de-home from home: Chalet life at Butlin's with the wife, kids... and a dozen Shaolin fighting monks
- Call of the wild: Playing hide and seek with leopards, sky safaris and fine dining in the foothills of Kilimanjaro at three luxury Kenyan camps
- Not just for the outdoor adventurers! The hidden gems of Cumbria where cuisine fit for a king is served on silver platters... making the heart of the north the ideal foodie getaway
- FORTY passengers and crew injured after Qatar Airways plane was rocked by severe turbulence
- Italy's most alluring lake: Stunning Maggiore is brilliant for breathtaking scenery and culture (but don't mind the bells that sound as a daily wake-up)
- Forget crowded hotels! The best way to experience the beauty of France is in a 'beast' RV (if you can deal with the mosquitoes)
- A thousand miles of coastline, vibrant souks and one of the largest canyons in the world: Why Oman is the Middle East's best-kept secret
- Forget glamping! Indulge in luxurious villas, fine dining and exclusive parties on your next festival holiday
- It's not the toilet, the seatbelt buckle or the overhead air vent: Scientists reveal the dirtiest surface on a plane
- 'If I were to die anywhere, I'd die there': McBusted pop star Danny Jones and his model wife Georgia enjoy a heavenly honeymoon at Naladhu Maldives and Per Aquum Niyama
- Inside the church of hooded statues: Haunting photos reveal the beauty of abandoned buildings before nature reclaims them
- 'The mother and father of all fare wars': Controversial Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary vows to slash ticket costs as travellers finally reap the rewards of lower oil prices
- Haunting beauty of the Indian underworld: Inside the mysterious and exotic ancient subterranean stepwells that even the locals don't know exist
- Fit for a king! Inside the idyllic coastal town Thailand's monarch calls home (but few foreign tourists bother to explore)
- Leaping from a sculpture to jumping over a huge courgette! Watch as a free-runner defies gravity to 'engage' with priceless art
- The bizarre Halloween rave in Amsterdam where clubbers will be showered in 'BLOOD'
- Mighty Aphrodite: From ancient mosaics to mountains and coves, the Cyprus highlights for a family to fall in love with
- From stunning churches to the home of port wine: The top reasons why every tourist should head to Porto for a vintage break
- The Greek island where summer never ends! Ouzo-inspired dancing, glorious sea views and five-star luxury in Crete
- A 'beyond 90-degree drop' and 15 'airtime' moments: The thrills riders can expect on Six Flags' new 2016 attractions
- Anger swells over Cornish 'surf tax' which officials claim is needed to fund safety measures but local businesses say is 'all about making money'
- German woman, 51, arrested at Gatwick after managing to board EasyJet flight to Tenerife without passport, ID or boarding pass
- Angry parents threaten to boycott castle in Kent after it BANNED scooters, bikes and wheel-based toys in a health and safety crackdown
- Life in the clouds: At 7,190ft this is the highest village in Europe with just 200 residents braving six months of snow a year
- The Statue of Liverpool! City's plan for 330-foot gold Liver Bird on the Mersey that is twice the height of New York's Lady Liberty
- Morocco placed on high terror alert by Foreign Office with travellers urged to be 'vigilant'
- Police investigating man who 'started two fires and abused crew and passengers' on Monarch Airlines flight from Birmingham to Sharm el-Sheikh
- Britain's most expensive bed and breakfast charges £1,425 per night - the same as a deluxe suite at the Ritz (but customers say the breakfast is worse at the London hotel)
- Does this photo PROVE that the ghosts of murdered princes in the Tower still haunt London landmark?
- BREAKING NEWS: Three Jet2 planes declare emergencies as fierce storm rages over Ibiza, Majorca and Malaga