Travel News

Romania may well be the home of Dracula, but the country definitely won't fill you with horror, as these incredible drone photographs show. They were taken by Radio Free Europe photographer Amos Chapple, from New Zealand, during a recent road trip through the southeastern European country. His images reveal ancient fortified churches, charming towns and rugged mountains - scenery that looks like it's come straight from a fairy tale. Pictured clockwise from top left: A giant rock bust of King Decebalus on the border of Serbia, the village of Biertan, a remote chapel near the medieval market town of Carei, the 236ft church spire in Surdesti and (inset) the circular village of Charlottenburg.

The beach in Oahu has been selected as the best stretch of sand by Stephen Leatherman, a coastal scientist and professor at Florida International University, who compiles the annual 'Dr Beach' list. Kailua Beach Park (top left) came top thanks to its soft sand, clear water and stunning views. Second in the list is Ocracoke Beach, North Carolina (top right); third is Grayton Beach State Park in Florida (bottom left) and fourth is Coopers Beach in New York (bottom right).

Gretchen Ryan joined South African Airways in 1983, when she was 22, and was with the airline for ten years. She reveals some of the sights she saw during that time, including passengers getting amorous at altitude, oxygen masks falling down on a heavy landing and raucous post-flight hotel parties. Pictured: Gretchen applying make-up (main left), dressed in full uniform (main right), and the type of plane she used to work on (inset).

MailOnline Travel's Sadie Whitelocks checked into a £19 Airbnb while cycling in Armenia. She said the homestay was 'unusual but certainly memorable'. Pictured is an exterior shot of the wooden lodge Sadie stayed in (top left), the main bedroom (top right), the outdoor toilet and washbasin (bottom right) and Armenian delicacies at dinner (bottom left).

‘When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.’ Dr Samuel Johnson may have uttered his famous saying back in 1777 but it rings true now more than ever. From riding a penny farthing around Trafalgar Square and roaming the East End with gangsters who knew the Krays to drinking in a pub Lenin once visited and venturing into one of the original cells of the Old Bailey, there are secret experiences that will blow the minds of visitors and lifelong Londoners alike.

The footage was filmed on Daredevil's Peak, a 135ft-high slide in the Thrill Park area of the newly opened private island Perfect Day at Coco Cay, which is owned by cruise company Royal Caribbean. It shows a rider looking thrilled as she plummets down the amazing attraction, which twists around a structure called Daredevil Tower, home to seven slides in total.

Like the current goody bags, they have been created by Finnish design house Marimekko. There are four 1960s-style designs by Maija Isola in total, each one available in two colour palettes. The contents, meanwhile, have serious eco-credentials. The toothbrush is made from bio-plastic containing cornstarch and plastic wrappings for the earplugs have been replaced with wax paper.

Ibiza, it turns out, has a secret 'island' neighbour - and it's available for hire. If you're extremely wealthy. The unheralded Isla Sa Ferradura is a jaw-dropping nine-acre islet in the Balearic Sea you can rent for £192,760 (€220,000) a week. It's a lot of cash, but it gets you the run of the outcrop and the slick nine-bedroom villa that sits on it. Vladi Private Islands, which markets the islet, describes it as 'unarguably the most luxurious' lodging option in Ibiza.

Lonely Planet's Best in Europe is compiled annually by the travel company's European experts to reveal their pick of the most exciting and underrated destinations to visit across the continent. The UK's northernmost point, the Shetland Islands (top right), has come in at number six for 2019, with Lonely Planet describing the archipelago as 'enchanting'. Madrid (bottom left) has come second and Vevey (bottom right) ninth. Top pick the High Tatras (top left) is said by Lonely Planet to have a 'mythical landscape'.

Atlantis Aquaventure water park at Palm Island already has 20 rides and rivers spread across 17 hectares. The new attractions, when they're finished in the summer of 2020, will expand the park by 30 per cent. It is promised that the new rides will 'entertain everyone from little daredevils to water park veterans'. The tower will be called 'Trident Tower' and will be the third of its kind to open at the water park.

Universal Orlando Resort has released brand new pictures and video of its Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure roller coaster ahead of the ride's June 13 launch. The footage reveals how thrill-seeking Harry Potter fans will board 'magical motorcycles' and adjacent sidecars before rapidly accelerating through mysterious ruins and over the Forbidden Forest as 'they search for the wizarding world's rarest magical creatures'. The attraction will see riders unexpectedly plunge almost 17 feet at one point and it is the first roller coaster in the U.S. to feature a free-fall vertical drop.

The world's most beautiful and cutting-edge superyachts have been revealed at a prestigious awards ceremony. Boat International Media's World Superyacht Awards 2019, in association with Oyster Yachts, took place this weekend in London with the 90m (295ft) Dar - a £137.2million vessel inspired by the shape of a hammerhead shark (pictured top, main) - scooping the highly coveted Motor Yacht of the Year award. Other vessels that were recognised at the glittering event included explorer vessel Rosehearty (inset), solar-powered RJ (bottom left), the ‘vast’ White Rabbit solar-powered RJ (bottom centre) and the refitted G2 (bottom right).

Nestled along the Pacific Coast Highway are some hidden-away accommodation gems that will make your trip memorable for all the right reasons. Here we present 16 spots to mark down on your road map. Pictured clockwise from top left: Nobu Ryokan in Malibu, the Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur, Belmond El Encanto in Santa Barbara and the Pearl Hotel in Point Loma.

British Airways now flies Dreamliners direct to Charleston from London Heathrow. So Sky TV presenter Kay Burley jumped on one to report back on the delights of the oldest and largest city in South Carolina. She loved the award-winning food, the energetic nightlife, the copious beaches with reliable hours of Vitamin D and the surprising history - the first shots of the US Civil War were fired there.

When UK-based Which? looked behind glossy website images, it claims it uncovered a number of alarming examples of images bearing little resemblance to the holidays being offered. These included a premium holiday cottage with a back garden that one guest described as being like a 'prison yard' and a case where images were used of a hotel rather more appealing than the one the customer was actually sent to.

Here are our favourite tucked-away spots in Croatia, where you can avoid the crowds and your money goes further. We love Stiniva beach for its white stone cliffs and the unique-looking Zlatni Rat beach (bottom left). You also won't want to miss Punta Rata beach in Brela (top right), Nugal beach near Makarska (top left) and Supertar (bottom right).

They are the hotel rooms that are, according to the inspectors - 'perfect'. Forbes Travel Guide has unveiled its list of the world's best hotel rooms for 2019 - and they all received maximum marks. Undercover reviewers stayed at hundreds of properties across the globe assessing them on comfort, convenience, cleanliness and maintenance. And according to Forbes, those on the best-of list have 'rooms and bathrooms that are not only beautiful, but exceptionally comfortable, functional and elegantly appointed with special touches such as high-quality linens, an array of luxurious bath amenities and well-designed technology'. Pictured clockwise from top left: The Wynn Macau; Bulgari Hotel London; The Encore Macau and the Park Hyatt New York.

Four travel experts reviewed all four classes on a single BA flight between London Heathrow and Abu Dhabi in the UAE. And the footage they took in each cabin is fascinating. The reviewers, who all work for The Points Guy UK, bought tickets using points in First, Club World (BA’s business class), World Traveller Plus (BA’s premium economy) and World Traveller, which is BA-speak for economy. Then they drew names out of a hat (or from under cups, actually) for who would sit in which cabin – and charged up their GoPros. Once they were back in their Covent Garden, London, headquarters, they took stock and dished out marks out of 100 for each cabin.

An airport in midtown Manhattan, a Gothic tower in Union Square and a Grecian-inspired monument on Roosevelt Island. They might seem like wacky throwaway ideas. But they were all once ambitious, considered plans that could have changed the face of New York forever.

The bespoke kits are by Los Angeles-based luxury leather accessory company This is Ground and feature products from top beauty brand Allies of Skin. There's 'pH-optimal, silicone-free hand and face creams rich in essential fatty acids that boost repair' – both 8ml - and 'a Shea Butter lip balm infused with Argan Oil that nourishes chapped lips'.

England's cleanest beaches for 2019 have been revealed with Brighton and Whitby among those making the list. This year, a total of 71 beaches have been awarded Blue Flag status - up from 65 last year. The Blue Flag is a guarantee to visitors that the beach has excellent facilities, is litter free and has achieved a high standard of water quality. Pictured are some of this year's Blue Flag recipients: Cromer in Norfolk (top left), Whitby in Yorkshire (top right), Sandbanks in Poole (bottom left) and Porthtowan in Cornwall (bottom right).

Up to three people will be able to rent the Spice Bus - which will be parked up in Wembley Park, London - for just £99 on June 14 and 15. The recently renovated living area of the bus features pink Union Jack cinema chairs below a 'Girl Power' neon light installation. It is stocked with vintage 90s magazines and CDs to help recreate the 90s era. The house rules stipulate that double denim is allowed and that selfies in the driver's seat are encouraged.

To demonstrate how it works Google produced a handful of photos of the ideal spots for landscape pictures and selfies at Trafalgar Square, the Coca-Cola London Eye, Tower Bridge and Brighton Marina. For this photo shoot Google placed markers on the ground, which have since been removed. To produce the coordinates the team first analysed 80,000 UK Instagram posts relating to popular photography hashtags such as #dayout and #landscape. From this, a shortlist of top locations were then put to a public vote to discover the nation’s favourites.

Delta Air Lines is worth $37billion (£28billion) and flies to 370 destinations on six continents with state-of-the-art aircraft. Truly, it’s a titan of aviation. But it started life as a crop-dusting outfit in 1924. And when it expanded to passenger transportation it used planes that could only hit 90mph, with the wind behind them. Delta has been on quite a journey, then – and these fascinating pictures illustrate the carrier’s dramatic transformation over the decades.

The California will feature a machine that creates artificial waves in the vessel's swimming pool, allowing passengers to grab their boards and ride the swell without having to get in the sea. The 135-metre-long (442ft) boat will also boast its own waterfall as well as a bowling alley and a desalination system to turn seawater into drinking water. The design concept has been created by Norwegian yacht designer Kurt Strand. It also includes a club style lounge area with bar, night club, games room, gym with a Turkish bath, massage studio and a wellness spa.

It's London as you've never seen it before. That is unless you have X-ray vision. These fascinating illustrations peel back the exteriors of some of the capital's most instantly recognisable buildings to reveal a fascinating cross-section of the interior. The buildings featured include the Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben and a little known prison, and King's Cross St. Pancras Underground Station, which contains layers of Tube tracks. The illustrations also reveal the maze of walkways and stairwells that make up London's Barbican Centre - home to the London Symphony Orchestra - and the suite of opulent rooms hidden inside 10 Downing Street.

The annual Cewe Photo Award invites amateur and professional photographers from around the world to enter its contest and hundreds of thousands of entries have been submitted so far. Catering to all interests, there are 10 subject categories - people, animals, nature, architecture and infrastructure, landscapes, humour, sport, food, travel and culture, and hobby and leisure. For those who fancy trying to land a prize, submissions are open until June 2, with the winners announced at a glittering awards ceremony on September 25. Pictured: South Stack Lighthouse in Wales (main), a springbok in South Africa (bottom left), the Philippines' 'Chocolate Hills' (bottom middle) and a heron in India (bottom right).

Pack your swimsuit and your sense of adventure because water parks are not just for children. Some of the world’s best combine white-knuckle rides with relaxing activities. Pictured clockwise from top left: Aquaventure Water Park in Dubai; Siam Park in Tenerife; Tropical World in Germany; Aquaventure in the Bahamas and (inset) Beach Park in Brazil.

They were taken by photographer Allan Hailstone in the 1950s over the course of two short trips, one in July 1955 with his father and another with a college friend in September 1959. Mr Hailstone, originally from Coventry, took hundreds of stunning images of Paris's most beguiling scenes and architecture - the Champs-Élysées, the quaint streets of Montmarte, the majestic Notre-Dame cathedral and the beautiful Arc de Triomphe.

Forget a bland spa hotel by a big golf course, plump instead for a honeymoon with the distinct whiff of adventure about it - in the likes of Gaya Island (top left) for top beach-lolling, the Antarctic region (top right) to see penguins, Rwanda (bottom left) for gorilla-tracking and India (bottom right) to see tigers.