Blue Wings

Now is a great time to plan an escape to some of the best places to visit in Norway. Whether it’s kayaking deep within the Bergen fjords, scaling mountains or visiting Oslo to indulge in a floating sauna, these are the Norwegian countryside escapes you need to book now.

With travel limited, getting up close to Finland’s beautiful countryside and everything that it has to offer has been a bit challenging. So for those desperate to get a taste of the country and feel as if they’re right there, social media has been very helpful.

Tampere will host Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK) 2021 on February 20, when seven songs will compete to be Finland’s entry for Eurovision 2021. Last year’s UMK winner, Looking Back by Aksel Kankaanranta, was unable to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest as the event was cancelled due to the Covid–19 pandemic.

From the Northern Lights dancing across winter skies above Lapland to the hundreds of islands and sandy beaches of Helsinki’s archipelago, Finland is rich in natural wonders. But for those who like to experience the truly unique wonders of the natural world there’s even more to explore, including some natural phenomena you simply can’t find anywhere else.

For many, a spa holiday is not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Lithuania, but did you know that Lithuania has an excellent spa town? Druskininkai is in the southern part of Lithuania, about 120 km from Vilnius. The name of the city comes from the Lithuanian word ‘druska’, which means salt. Local sources are rich in minerals and their healing effects have been known for centuries.

Louis Poulsen, Normann Copenhagen, Ferm Living, HAY…. Denmark is widely known for its sleek design, and Copenhagen is a dream destination for interior design enthusiasts. Besides checking out the large Danish design houses, you can make more affordable finds in small boutiques by local artisans and lesser-known designers.

Catching a glimpse of aurora borealis is one of the great travel experiences Northern Europe has to offer. But contrary to popular belief, the middle of winter isn’t the best time of year to see them. In fact, booking a northern lights holiday for autumn instead is the best way to boost your chances of seeing nature’s greatest lightshow, as well as seeing it in true technicolor.

Ask any San Franciscan what the most important meal of the day is, and they’ll tell you it’s brunch – at least on weekends. San Francisco is a brunch lover’s dream destination.  You could eat at a new brunch restaurant every weekend of the year without having time to visit all of them.

Wondering what to do in Helsinki while on a layover in the city? We’ve got you covered. Make every minute of your brief stay in the Finnish capital count, whether you’ve got six, 12 or 24 hours to play with.

Take a sneak peek inside the world’s first subterranean hotel in China.

From the Baltic Sea to Lapland, a new breed of imaginative accommodations offers a chance to get closer to Finnish nature all the while lodging in comfort.

UN Women’s Safe and Friendly City and Public Spaces Programme is helping Ho Chi Minh City to move towards a city free from sexual harassment with safe mobility for women and girls, setting an excellent precedent for the rest of the country to follow.

This Southeast Asian city-state reveals its green underbelly to those who look in the right places.

Fukuoka, a port city on Japan’s southernmost Kyushu island, burst onto the world’s culinary map in 2014 when Michelin published a guide to the city’s restaurants.