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August 23, 2017

One world travel become official travel partners.

We are delighted to announce a new partnership with local travel agency One World Travel, who have become our Official Travel Partners at Wakefield Trinity for the foreseeable future.

With retail travel agencies in Wakefield, Beverley and Yarm, One World Travel who are ATOL and ABTA holders have an expert team of professionals with over 15 years of experience in the travel sector.  They specialise in packages from beach holidays and city breaks to luxury cruises and custom itineraries for destinations such as the Far East, Australia and the USA.  They also offer a vast range of services including business travel, group travel, visas, travel insurance and foreign currency with superb exchange rates.

One World Travel will be working closely with us to design some fantastic deals for Wakefield Trinity supporters and will also be heavily involved in travel for our overseas players.

The Founder and Managing Director of One World Travel Samantha Harvey said, “I am delighted that One World Travel are to be the official travel partner of Wakefield Trinity.  Just like our rugby league team, we started here in Wakefield and it is very much our home.  We hope this partnership will serve our community well by joining the spirit of both sport and travel together.”

Verity Thomas, Commercial Manager at Wakefield Trinity, said “We are all very excited about the new partnership with One World Travel and we look forward to working closely with Sam and the team going forward.  We are very grateful for the support that Sam has given the club thus far and we hope that fans will get behind One World Travel, they are a local business and offer a fantastic service.”

Based next to Trinity Walk on Teall Street in Wakefield, the team at One World Travel would be more than happy to discuss your holiday requirements and find the best deals for you, your family and friends all year round.  They look forward to meeting you all!

One World Travel 01924 339 889 www.1worldtravel.co.uk

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Hays Travel - Beverley   Reviews

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33 Toll Gavel, HU17 9AA Beverley, GB

Reviews 4.9

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Friendly team lead by Sally

Friendly team lead by Sally, always a cheerful hello and very helpful at booking cruises for us. Able to sort out any problems we come across.

Date of experience : 30 May 2024

Great Experience

This is the second time that we have booked a holiday through Hays Travel and the experience was just as good as the last one. The staff are very friendly and so helpful, I would have no hesitation in recommending them to friends, family etc.,

Date of experience : 05 June 2024

Sally the manager of the Beverley Hayes…

Sally the manager of the Beverley Hayes is absolutely brilliant nothing is any trouble at all she definitely goes above and beyond. I wouldn't now book a holiday with anyone else

Date of experience : 19 May 2024

Reply from Hays Travel - Beverley

Thank you Nancy for your feedback it is really appreciated

On the day we booked

On the day we booked, two of your colleagues helped us book a holiday and insurance. Both Millie and Helen are both knowledgeable, friendly and helpful.

Date of experience : 09 May 2024

Thanks for feeding back we hope you have a great holiday

Sally at the Beverley branch always…

Sally at the Beverley branch always makes your booking experience fabulous. Sally listens to what we require and delivers to the best of her ability. We have had some amazing holidays in Krakow, Fueteventura and Majorca. It also helps to be able to pay by deposit and monthly direct debit. Wouldn’t book anywhere else.

Date of experience : 24 April 2024

The staff in Beverley shop

The staff, Laci and Millie, were really helpfully., nothing was too much trouble. They helped find a holiday that suited us and understood the special things that we needed to make the holiday suitable for us.

Date of experience : 08 May 2024

Thanks for such great feedback

Very good experience

Very proffesional and friendly staff, the booking process was so easy and reasonably priced. Have booked with Hays for several holidays and never had a complaint.

Date of experience : 21 May 2024

Thanks we really appreciate your positive feedback and love booking your holiday

Very helpful staff

Millie was very helpful and spent a lot of time with us to ensure we found out about all options available for us

Date of experience : 22 May 2024

Thanks for your positive feedback on Millie

Excellent customer relationd

Good customer relations. Adviser listened to our requests and helped us to find the ideal holiday we were looking for. Professional and very helpful staff who dealt with our questions that we asked after booking too.

Date of experience : 17 April 2024

Thankyou for your lovely review.

Fantastic service and knowledge agent.

The agent, Millie, was fantastic. She was very helpful and exceptionally knowledgeable on the type of holiday and destination we were looking for.

Date of experience : 26 May 2024

Thank you so much for taking the time to give Millie such great feedback we really appreciate your comments

Our experience with Hays travel was…

Our experience with Hays travel was very good and the receptionist who dealt with us was really helpful and informative Thank you

Date of experience : 14 May 2024

Thank you your feedback is really lovely and we appreciate it.

We went into the travel agents with a rough idea of what we wanted. Time was not an issue and we came out with the city break we were looking for.

Date of experience : 17 May 2024

Thank you really happy we was able to help you with your holiday

Excellent Experience in Beverley

Went into Beverely Store yesterday to pick up paperwork for our holiday, had a great experience. Thank you Millie you were great so much so that we booked a further holiday. You are extremely professional and a pleasure to talk to. Must also give a mention to Helen who explained the Hays Card and Ben offered advice. Will certainly use this store again

Date of experience : 14 February 2024

Thank you so much for your feedback it is greatly appreciated thank you for booking with us !!! ~ Hays Beverley staff

We went into Hays to look at booking a cruise. We looked at different choices and combinations and even escorted trips to Italy. Eventually we settled on the cruise. We weren't made to feel rushed into making decisions and had a very enjoyable experience.

Date of experience : 17 March 2024

Excellent ladies, hope you enjoy your cruise.

Lovely experience

Lovely experience, Jodie did all the searches for us and found just what we wanted, made our lives show much easier

Date of experience : 30 April 2024

Thankyou for your great review

Staff very helpful and patient

Staff very helpful and patient, which must be difficult at times when customers aren’t exactly sure what they want. I never felt rushed at all and I’m very happy with the holiday we have booked. Thanks Sally and Millie

Date of experience : 27 March 2024

Thanks Steve and Jan always fun booking your holidays :)

I went in to get a gift voucher the…

I went in to get a gift voucher the lovely lady who served me in Beverley was on an Apprenticeship she did a great job, I was the first person she had done a gift voucher for , her colleague who was working in the bureau came out to help. So lovely to see training in action. The apprentice ( sorry didn't get her name )was excellent a star for the future I think. Great experience thankyou

Date of experience : 25 January 2024

Hi Linda, Thankyou so much for your lovely review! It was such a pleasure serving you and it goes greatly appreciated! Brooke :)

Organising a cruise…

As always Hays provided a perfect service organising a cruise for me. I would not use any other travel agent and I have persuaded my son and his wife to use their local Hays as well.

Thankyou for your review, we really do appreciate it

Beverley Branch

We had two holidays booked through Hays Travel Beverley. And we didn’t go to any of them yet. But Millie was so great on our first booking and we decided planned next one. So, I give 5 stars to Millie from Beverley branch, she is brilliant.

Date of experience : 11 April 2024

Thankyou for your review, we will pass this on to Millie. Really appreciated

A bit disappointed really price off…

A bit disappointed really price off holiday gone up 2300 each then looked when home gone back down 2140 each with Tu rang them hays gave just a bit back not much thought they would price match or like Tu have 24 hour cooling off time which would have help us

Date of experience : 29 February 2024

Hi Marion we understand that sometimes the live prices can be very frustrating, we are pleased we were able to speak and discuss this matter. Thank you for contacting us. Kind regards - Sally

Home » Travel Guides » United Kingdom » England » 15 Best Things to Do in Beverley (Yorkshire, England)

15 Best Things to Do in Beverley (Yorkshire, England)

In the Middle Ages Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire was one of England’s ten largest towns, swelled by a burgeoning wool trade.

Beverley Minster attests to the wealth of that time, and at 102 metres is longer than many English cathedrals.

The shops and townhouses in the upmarket centre of Beverley are mostly Georgian, the same period that gave the town its stately Guildhall when the Beck Canal allowed seagoing ships to reach Beverley for the first time.

West of the town at the tip of the sprawling Westwood Common is Beverley Racecourse, which has hosted races on the flat since the 17th century.

Let’s explore the best things to do in Beverley :

1. Beverley Minster

A parish church of real size, Beverley Minster is larger than a third of all English cathedrals.

This monument has a beauty to march its proportions: Following a fire in the12th century the church was rebuilt in stages between the early 13th and early 15th centuries, leaving it with a blend of Early English, Decorated and Perpendicular Gothic design.

On arriving your eye will be caught by the marvellous Perpendicular west front and its twin towers and Highgate Door.

In the nave you can find carvings of musicians from the 14th century.

The older east end, completed up to the transept in the 13th century is in the Early English style and has pointed lancet windows, dog-tooth mouldings and masterful stiff-leaf decorations.

Seek out the Purbeck “marble” stonework in the east end, as well as the 68 16th-century misericords in the choir and the stone frith stool that was carved Anglo-Saxon times.

2. St Mary’s Church

Founded in the 1100s as a daughter church to Beverley Minster, St Mary’s Church was completed in 1520 after a total overhaul that was started in the 13th century.

Maybe the most treasured corner of the building is the 14th-century north aisle, where at the east end the mouldings of the windows, tracery, piers and star vault all merge organically.

The late-14th century west front is sublime and may have even influenced King’s College Chapel at Cambridge, which was built soon after.

St Mary’s Church is also cherished for its 15th and 16th-century ceilings.

Don’t leave without seeing the Ceiling of Kings in the chancel, painted in 1446 and depicting the Kings of England up to that point, or the Ceiling of Stars and Constellations.

3. Beverley Town Trail

With a north and south loop, the Beverley Town Trail winds through Beverley’s historic centre from the North Bar to the Beverley Beck, uncovering old tales and points of interest.

There are 39 sculptures on the route (some need a little patience to spot), each for the guilds and trades that controlled a given area.

These sculptures were produced with the help of 700 school children from Beverley, and represent armourers, carpenters, jerkin-makers, glovers, musicians, to name just a few.

Head online and you can download the trail’s leaflet, which points out some historical details you might miss, and has lots of little activities to keep youngsters engaged.

4. Beverley Treasure House

Beverley’s museum, library and the East Riding archive were brought under one roof in 2007 when the Treasure House opened.

One prominent feature is the tower, which has an observation platform at the top with 360° views of Beverley.

The building also offers access to the Edwardian Beverley Art Gallery, which we’ll talk about next.

At the exhibition on the first floor you can get to know East Riding’s natural history, geology, landscape and archaeology.

Not to be missed is the South Cave Weapons Cache, a display of Iron Age swords.

Kids can dress up in old-time costume, busy themselves with interactive puzzles and get creative at the drawing table.

The Treasure House puts on a dizzying array of temporary exhibitions, and in Autumn 2018 there was a fantastic show for the Georgian wildlife draughtswoman Elizabeth Lambert.

5. Beverley Art Gallery

Now an annexe of the Treasure House, the Beverley Art Gallery (1910) is a cultured Edwardian hall with alternating bands of brick and stone in its walls.

There are two main galleries here, the first of which is for Beverley’s art collection.

One imposing work is A Panic, by the Victorian landscape painter Henry William Banks Davis.

This is thought to be the world’s largest cattle painting.

There’s also a large assortment of works by the Realist painter Frederic William Elwell, who was born in Beverley in 1870. The second gallery is for temporary exhibitions, showcasing regional talent in photography, painting, sculpture and printing.

6. Beverley Westwood

True to its name, the Westwood is on Beverley’s west side and has nothing but open countryside beyond it.

This is one of the largest areas of common land in the UK, granted to the townsfolk by the lord of the manor in 1380. If they want, Beverley’s residents can still exercise their right to graze their cattle on Westwood today.

At the highest point and with dreamy vistas back to Beverley Minster is the embattled and sail-less Blackmill, the one of five windmills that once stood on the common.

This is a landmark for Beverley and East Riding Golf Club, which was founded in 1889. Making up a big sweep of the north of the Westwood is Beverley Racecourse, which we’ll cover below.

7. North Bar

A vestige of Beverley’s town walls, the North Bar is a 15th-century brick-built gate, still used by road traffic on the A164. The portal is only wide enough for a single lane, so traffic is controlled by lights, while pedestrians can pass through the arches to the side.

This was used as a toll gate in Medieval times, and would be locked at night in times of conflict like the English Civil War in the 17th century.

The north side has buttresses flanking the portal, which is crested by a cartouche and coat of arms.

At the top, the parapet is crenellated and was used by the town governors as a private gallery to watch Beverley’s Corpus Christi festivals in the 15th and 16th centuries.

8. Beverley Racecourse

Horse-racing took place on this part of the Westwood in the 17th century, but annual meetings weren’t held here until 1767. At that time a grandstand was built, although the course would only be used intermittently until the end of the 19th century.

Today Beverley Racecourse is known for its down to earth atmosphere and holds roughly 19 days of flat racing a year, two of which are prestigious Listed events.

These are the Hilary Needler Trophy for two-year-olds in May, and the Beverley Bullet Spring Stakes in June for horses aged three and up.

In August 2018 the course announced a multimillion-pound redevelopment of the grandstand, slated for completion in 2021.

9. Beverley Beck

A bit of early industrial infrastructure, the Beverley Beck is a 3/4-mile canal completed in 1731 to allow larger vessels into the town from the River Hull.

The canal is still navigable, and at Tickton you can visit Beverley Boat Hire to take a rowboat, canoe or motorboat for on a trip along this peaceful waterway.

You can also walk the towpath, spotting pike, eels and bream in the water, and slowly leaving the town behind until you reach the lock at Grovehill on the River Hull.

On your journey you’ll go by the MV Syntan (1949), the last of a fleet of industrial barges that shipped coal, hides, flour, grain, paper and nuts along the Beck.

10. The Guildhall

Beverley’s Grade I Georgian Guildhall opens up for visits on Wednesdays and Fridays.

The building was given a Palladian redesign in the 18th century but has a history that goes right back to 1501. If you’re passing by when the building is open take a detour to see the Courtroom’s magnificent Neoclassical ceiling plasterwork by the Italian Giuseppe Cortese.

There’s a collection of civic regalia, civic gifts, photographs and furniture to peruse, while each room has a toy basket to keep children occupied while you look around.

11. East Riding Theatre

In December 2014 this former Victorian Baptist church became a forward-thinking performing arts venue after a project that involved a lot of volunteer effort.

The East Riding Theatre (ERT) is dedicated to high-quality theatre, music, comedy and other edifying entertainment.

For a sense of how eclectic the programme can be, autumn 2018 brought a production of the Yasmina Reza play “Art”, comedy by Phill Jupitus, award-winning sketch act Croft & Pearce and music workshops for young children and parents.

12. Skidby Windmill

The last operating windmill in East Yorkshire is a recommended outing four miles south of Beverley’s town centre.

The Skidby Windmill dates to 1821 and was raised to its current five storeys in 1870. The four sails powering the mill are 11 metres long and are joined to a white ogee cap that weighs 15 tons.

Something quite rare is that all the outbuildings intact, and some of these are occupied by the East Riding Museum of Rural Life.

You can peruse two absorbing collections of historic farming implements, along with photographs and audio accounts of day-to-day village life in the East Riding.

The mill and its accompanying museum are open every day of the week, and flour is normally milled on Wednesdays and Sundays, although the mechanism was out of order when this post was written.

13. Beverley Parks Nature Reserve

For another dose of chlorophyll, this 49-acre reserve is on the town’s southern fringe.

The history of the site can be traced back to the Domesday Book in 1086 when the land was owned by the Archbishops of York.

The two large fields here have evidence of Medieval ridge and furrow farming, and these are currently being turned into traditional parkland.

The reserve also has a small wood and a bucolic orchard that was planted for the new millennium.

In the orchard is a set of hives maintained by the Beverley Beekeepers Association.

14. Hudson Way Rail Trail

For a longer walk you could strike out on the Hudson Way Rail Trail, along the trackbed of the old York to Beverley Line, which opened in 1865 and operated for 100 years.

Ten miles long, the trail is named after George Hudson, the entrepreneur known as the “Railway King” in the mid-19th century.

Hudson’s empire was built on sketchy business practices, and he was forced to flee to France for a decade in 1859 to avoid imprisonment.

The route guides you through quiet countryside, under old railway bridges and past former stops.

One, Kiplingcotes railway station has preserved its old station building, platforms, signal box and station master’s house.

15. Shopping in Beverley

You can plan a spot of upmarket shopping in Beverley’s sweet town centre.

In these rows of old period properties are antiques shops, high-end brands like Jo Malone, Joules and Jack Wills, together with a smattering of British high street favourites.

On the Market Place there’s a branch of the posh Browns department store in the refined surrounds of the former Corn Exchange, dating to 1886. And to keep you going, Beverley has more historic pubs than you could possibly visit (40 at the last count). The Sun Inn dates back to 1501, and the White Horse Inn is one of the last in the world still using gas lighting.

Try to come on a Saturday, when the Market Place is filled with 120 stalls for anything from fresh produce to arts and crafts, cut flowers and streetfood from around the world.

15 Best Things to Do in Beverley (Yorkshire, England):

• Beverley Minster
• St Mary's Church
• Beverley Town Trail
• Beverley Treasure House
• Beverley Art Gallery
• Beverley Westwood
• Beverley Racecourse
• Beverley Beck
• The Guildhall
• East Riding Theatre
• Skidby Windmill
• Beverley Parks Nature Reserve
• Hudson Way Rail Trail
• Shopping in Beverley

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Travelling Without a Passport

Make Human Connections While Travelling and the World Becomes Your Oyster

For entrepreneur Beverley Cheng, the people she met while travelling helped to shape her path. Are human connections the most important thing you take home from a trip?

What if you show up in Madrid on the busiest day of the year, without your luggage, or a phone, not knowing a word of Spanish? This happened to Beverley Cheng, founder of Born to Sweat , a platform which encourages the strengthening of the body and mind through fitness. What started off as a challenge on the streets of a Spanish city, became a foray into the world of entrepreneurship and discovery.

Being born into a household with parents that lived in lots of different countries, Beverley caught the travel bug young and fell in love with exploring the world. Creating a life where she could travel as much as possible in adulthood shaped many of her career and life pursuits. After her trip to Madrid, she awakened her own entrepreneurial spirit and found a way to merge her love of travel and business with a passion for fitness through her ‘Sweataways’ — a trip where you can get your sweat on while experiencing a new country.

Fitness retreats or tours where you are hiking, trekking, cycling or moving your body through yoga and exercise classes are emerging as a popular travel choice. These trips allow travellers to experience the benefits of a getaway alongside strengthening their minds and bodies. By focusing on developing a positive mindset, individuals can journey further and connect with other travellers and discover the world in a completely different way.

We chatted to Beverley about travel, entrepreneurship and her trip to Lonely Planet’s top destination for 2019: Sri Lanka .

See Also: Fitness Retreats

How do you stay healthy while travelling and deal with jet lag, being on planes and running around?

BC: As soon I get on the plane, I make sure I know the time of the country where I’m landing and adjust my sleep or how long I stay awake based on that. As for working out and eating, I exercise consistently anyway, but when I’m going away on vacation, I’ll make more of an effort to do everything I can up until departure to prepare my body for travel – which means moving a lot and eating well.

Once I’m on vacation, I simply try to walk as much as possible but also have this mindset: it’s okay to take time off to enjoy your life and holiday. I would much rather embrace the culture and local food than miss out on any of it in order to squeeze in another workout.

What’s the most challenging thing you’ve experienced while travelling that led to something positive for you?

BC: In my third year of university, I moved to Spain for an exchange programme. I arrived in Madrid during Christmas, at the time of a local festival. My luggage hadn’t come, and my taxi dropped me off somewhere downtown because there were all these parades happening so he couldn’t drive through the crowds to my hostel. It was 10 pm, I didn’t know a lick of Spanish, I had no phone and needed to figure out how to get to my hostel on the craziest day of the year in an incredibly busy city.

After reaching the hostel, and feeling completely out of my element, I cried. Having never been in a city like this before on my own, the first few days were so hard, I was so unsure of this experience and scared. But, I stuck with it, and it became the gateway for me to meet people from around the globe. Madrid exposed me to entrepreneurs for the first time, which will always be the place where my seed for entrepreneurship was planted. Had I not stuck it out and pushed myself to meet all the people I did, I wouldn’t be where I am now.

What was it about the people you met that changed things?

BC:  Many of the students I met were all from University of Southern California. We were at this Spanish school together, and they had all these ideas about the things they wanted to do. I remember this one girl, she wanted to start her own fashion line – then I’d meet another person who also wanted to start a business of their own. Their mentality was so different from mine, the world was their oyster, and that’s such a different way to look at your life and what you can do with it. That mentality slowly started to seep into my way of thinking, and it made me realise you don’t have to have a typical nine-to-five if you don’t want that. It took me a while to get to where I am now, but that trip definitely affected my outlook.

What was your last trip, and what made you want to travel there?

BC:  My last trip was to Sri Lanka, a country that wasn’t really on my radar, but I got inspired to visit after meeting someone while travelling somewhere else entirely. I was flying back from New York to Toronto, the flight was delayed, and this girl from Sri Lanka who was on the same flight started chatting to me. She asked me if I’d ever visited and shared some pictures with me. I had no idea it was so beautiful. From that moment, I had to go to Sri Lanka!

As luck would have it, I was going to Bangladesh for a wedding already, and it seemed like the perfect time to visit. We tacked it on to our trip and were there for a week.

Sri Lanka is Lonely Planet’s top destination for 2019, so more people will be going there soon enough, what are your tips?

BC:  Everything about Sri Lanka is beautiful. Everyone is friendly, good-natured and willing to help you. Use tuk-tuks for a quick and fun way to get around. Spend a few days in Ella. It’s a little bit of a party town, but they balance their colourful bars and restaurants with incredible trails for hiking. And from Ella, you can visit the iconic Nine Arch Bridge you’ve probably been seeing in your Instagram feed for a couple years now.

You need ten days for sure. We only had a week, so I would definitely recommend more days if you want to explore more thoroughly. If you’re on a time crunch (like us), you can rent a car, that’s more of an expensive way to do it – but you can also take buses and trains to get around from city to city. I would definitely recommend trying to hit all the major cities on the coast – I wish we’d had more time, I would have visited Weligama, instead, we just drove through it. It’s an adorable surf town along the highway, and I’d heard really good things from the people we met.

If you can, stay in one of the beach huts in Tangalle, it’s such a spectac ular beach, so serene and peaceful, and unlike anything else you can experience in the world. I would advise going now, before everyone else does!

Travel to: Sri Lanka

You work with people to strengthen their bodies and minds through fitness, but many hold themselves back from travelling because they don’t feel capable. What would you say to someone suffering from a bout of insecurity?

BC: If you never try it, then you’ll never know. If you keep waiting for that perfect moment (whatever it looks like to you) to come, it will never happen. This applies to everything in life, including travel, working out, careers, and even relationships. Don’t wait “until the time is right.” Just go for it. If you fail at something, that’s so much better than just saying you didn’t have the guts or confidence to try something outside of your comfort zone. There’s peace in knowing.

I stress this so much to my friends or people who ask me for advice: why would you ever wait until you are ready? I’ve always just gone for what I wanted and hoped for the best. It’s worked out really well for me so far. If I kept waiting until I was prepared, I would never get to where I want. I’ve seen so many people go through this in so many aspects of their lives. If you do this one area of your life, you’ll start using this as an excuse in other parts of your life.

How can travel help you to embrace a mindset that doesn’t limit you?

BC:  What inspires me most while travelling is meeting people and hearing about how they got to where they are, wherever that is. A lot of people you meet along the way, have something that they love doing, ask them about it! Connect with the people you meet on your travels because everyone has their own story and something inspiring to offer you.

How has travel shaped your passions and day-to-day life?

BC:  It’s not something I can put my finger on, but as a whole, travel impacts the way you experience and perceive your day-to-day life, so it can have an impact on everything. I have a brother, we had the same upbringing, but he never travelled as much as me, whereas I explored so many different places. I just felt there was such a clear difference between how we approached things, travel helped me to mature. I experienced the busy streets of Hong Kong, my low moments in Madrid, and learnt about the world, those experiences made me appreciate and value what I have so much more.

My brother recently started travelling a lot, and you can see how much it’s changed him. If you don’t go out and explore beyond the boundaries of one country you hinder yourself. You never get to know, and love, the person you could be.

If you could go on a tour to any place in the world, where would you go and what would you do?

BC:  I want to free dive with blue whales . I’m not sure where (perhaps Hawaii) because you need to be in the right place to see them, but it’s the one thing in the world that I really want to do.

Based in Toronto, Sahar is a full-time content editor for Days to Come and part-time travel junkie.

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Round The World Airline Tickets

Fly rtw with one world member airlines.

one world's Round The World tickets give you unprecedented access to hundreds of destinations in 170 territories. We offer three types of Round The World trips:

one world Explorer: a continent-based fare,

Global Explorer: a distance-based fare,

Circle Pacific: an inter-continental journey to explore continents that border the Pacific Ocean.

Where to first? The whole wide world is waiting for your Round The World trip.

one world Explorer

Continent-Based Air Travel

No matter where business or pleasure takes you,  one world's vast network means your Round The World trip via  one world Explorer fare makes it easy to travel from city to city, and continent to continent. And, for every dot you connect, you earn more miles and points to spend across the  one world Alliance.

Global Explorer

Distance-Based Air Travel

For an even wider choice of where to travel, book your Round The World trip via Global Explorer, which grants you access to an even more extensive list of airlines, including Aer Lingus, Bangkok Airways,  one world  connect   partner  Fiji Airways , Jetstar, Jetstar Asia, Jetstar Japan, Jetstar Pacific, WestJet, and  Qantas  code-share flights operated by Air Tahiti Nui.

Circle Pacific

Multi-Continent Air Travel

If you prefer to visit multiple continents without actually flying all the way around the world, our Circle Pacific fare lets you explore the continents that border the Pacific Ocean. You can choose to start and finish your journey in one of the following continents:

Asia  (Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam)

Southwest Pacific  (Australia and New Zealand)

North America  (USA and Canada)

South America

Contact a  one world member airline or your travel agent to plan and book your Circle Pacific trip now.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a round the world ticket.

The one world Alliance offers a way to visit many countries, around the world, all in a single itinerary.

On oneworld.com, you can choose to book either one world Explorer, where the fare depends on the number of continents you visit, or Global Explorer, where the fare depends on the distance you travel.

Circle Pacific, an inter-continental journey to explore continents that border the Pacific Ocean, can be booked by your travel agent and is not currently available for booking on oneworld.com.

Where Can I Fly With Round The World?

For one world Explorer and Global Explorer, one world member airlines and affiliate airlines cover six continental regions: Europe/Middle East (including Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, and Yemen); Africa (excluding countries listed above); Asia (including the Indian subcontinent, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, but excluding countries named above); Australia, New Zealand, and the South West Pacific; North America (including the Caribbean, Central America, and Panama); and South America. Currently, it is not possible to begin your itinerary through Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH) through one world member Qatar Airways. Book both one world Explorer and Global Explorer on oneworld.com.

Through the one world Circle Pacific fare, one world member airlines and affiliate airlines cover four continental regions: Asia (including the Indian subcontinent, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan); Australia, New Zealand, and the South West Pacific; and North America. Ask your travel agent about booking a one world Circle Pacific fare. Routes are subject to change.

Where Can I Travel Now, Given COVID Restrictions?

View entry restrictions and COVID-19 travel requirements for countries around the world on our the one world Travel Requirements Information Portal . Use the map to get information on travel restrictions by country, including entry restrictions, as well as COVID-19 vaccination, testing, and quarantine requirements.

Is Round The World Ticket Business Class An Option?

Yes, Round The World tickets are available in Economy, Business, and First class. On our oneworld.com booking tool, there is a drop-down menu to select your preferred cabin class. Premium economy upgrades will show where available when you select flights.

Is Round The World Ticket First Class An Option?

How much does a round the world ticket cost.

Your Round the World fare is based on a few factors: the number of continents you visit or pass through or the distance travelled, the travel class selected, and the number of travelling passengers. Read on for more information about full fare rules and conditions [Note: Links open PDF in browser]:

What Are The Round The World Rules?

Read on for Round The World rules and conditions [Note: Links open PDF in browser]:

What Should I Know To Help Me Plan My one world Explorer Itinerary?

When planning your one world Explorer itinerary, here are tips to keep in mind:

Destinations are grouped into three zones and six continents:

Zone 1: North & South America

Zone 2: Europe, the Middle East and Africa

Zone 3: Asia and the South West Pacific

Your trip must be in a continuous forward direction, East or West, between Zone 1, Zone 2 and Zone 3. Backtracking within a continent is generally permitted, however some exclusions apply.

Your adventure can last from 10 days up to a year. Travel must be completed within 12 months of your original departure date.

Your trip must start and finish in the same city.

You must cross both the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean on your journey.

Your journey can include three to six continents, and anywhere between three and 16 flights.

Review complete one world Explorer fare rules and conditions .

Can I Change Or Update My Round The World Itinerary?

Yes, one world Explorer, Global Explorer and one world Circle Pacific itineraries can be modified to accommodate changes to your Round The World plans.

If you booked your Round The World trip through oneworld.com, contact the ticketing airline (the airline you are flying on the first leg of your journey) to make changes to your itinerary.

If you booked your Round The World tickets through a travel agent, please contact the travel agent to make changes to your itinerary.

Will I Earn Frequent Flyer Points On A Round The World Trip?

Short answer: Yes, you will earn frequent flyer points on your Round the World trip.

Long answer: Yes. one world works in collaboration with all of our partner and member airlines to ensure that you’re rewarded no matter where you travel. On all eligible flights, you will accrue points or miles toward the airline of your choice and toward your one world tier status .

How Can I Pay For A one world Round The World Trip With Frequent Flyer Points?

Currently, it is not possible to use frequent flyer points to pay for a one world Round The World trip.

Does Your one world Explorer ticket include checked-in baggage?

Two free pieces of 23 kilos each shall be permitted. Additional allowances may apply. Refer to individual carrier websites.

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Information for U.S. Citizens in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza

The Department reminds U.S. citizens of the continued need for caution and increased personal security awareness as security incidents often take place without warning. The security environment remains complex and can change quickly depending on the political situation and recent events. Please see the latest Israel Security Alert .

U.S. citizens should heed the  Travel Advisory  for Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. The U.S. Embassy continues to closely monitor the dynamic security situation in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. There are active military operations and active rocket and mortar fire in Gaza and the Gaza periphery.  Terrorist groups, lone-actor terrorists and other violent extremists continue plotting possible attacks in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. Terrorists and violent extremists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, and local government facilities. Violence can occur in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza without warning. If you require emergency assistance while in Israel, the West Bank or Gaza, contact the  U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem  by email ( [email protected] for those in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza or [email protected] for those in Israel outside of Jerusaleml).

Individuals seeking to depart Gaza: As of May 7, the Israel Defense Forces control the Gaza side of the Rafah Crossing. Since that day, the Rafah Crossing between Egypt and Gaza has remained closed. As soon as the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem receives information regarding new exit procedures from Gaza to Egypt, including when crossings resume, we will communicate this to the public immediately.

This remains a complex situation with serious implications for the safety and security of U.S. citizens. U.S. citizens in Gaza in need of assistance should contact [email protected] . U.S. citizens in Gaza are reminded that the U.S. government is unable to provide routine or emergency consular services to U.S. citizens in Gaza as U.S. government employees are prohibited from traveling there.

The U.S. government does not control who is permitted to depart Gaza or enter Egypt. Individuals must assess their own safety and risks in attempting to cross the border. Individuals permitted to enter Egypt will likely receive a 72-hour Egyptian visa; all those who cross should have a plan for onward travel from Egypt in this timeframe. U.S. citizens, LPRs and their immediate family members who successfully enter Egypt and require further consular assistance should contact the  U.S. Embassy in Cairo  via the  U.S. Citizens Services Navigator .  Individuals may apply for a U.S. visa at any U.S. Embassy or Consulate; U.S. immigration laws and regulations will apply.

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The state of tourism and hospitality 2024

Tourism and hospitality are on a journey of disruption. Shifting source markets and destinations, growing demand for experiential and luxury travel, and innovative business strategies are all combining to dramatically alter the industry landscape. Given this momentous change, it’s important for stakeholders to consider and strategize on four major themes:

• The bulk of travel is close to home. Although international travel might draw headlines, stakeholders shouldn’t neglect the big opportunities in their backyards. Domestic travel still represents the bulk of travel spending, and intraregional tourism is on the rise.
• Consumers increasingly prioritize travel—when it’s on their own terms. Interest in travel is booming, but travelers are no longer content with a one-size-fits-all experience. Individual personalization might not always be practical, but savvy industry players can use segmentation and hypothesis-driven testing to improve their value propositions. Those that fail to articulate target customer segments and adapt their offerings accordingly risk getting left behind.
• The face of luxury travel is changing. Demand for luxury tourism and hospitality is expected to grow faster than any other travel segment today—particularly in Asia. It’s crucial to understand that luxury travelers don’t make up a monolith. Segmenting by age, nationality, and net worth can reveal varied and evolving preferences and behaviors.
• As tourism grows, destinations will need to prepare to mitigate overcrowding. Destinations need to be ready to handle the large tourist flows of tomorrow. Now is the time for stakeholders to plan, develop, and invest in mitigation strategies. Equipped with accurate assessments of carrying capacities and enhanced abilities to gather and analyze data, destinations can improve their transportation and infrastructure, build tourism-ready workforces, and preserve their natural and cultural heritages.

McKinsey Live event: Faces, places, and trends: The state of tourism & hospitality

Thursday, June 13 at 10:30 a.m EDT / 4:30 p.m CET

Now boarding: Faces, places, and trends shaping tourism in 2024

Global travel is back and buzzing. The amount of travel fell by 75 percent in 2020; however, travel is on its way to a full recovery by the end of 2024. More regional trips, an emerging population of new travelers, and a fresh set of destinations are powering steady spending in tourism.

There’s no doubt that people still love to travel and will continue to seek new experiences in new places. But where will travelers come from, and where will they go?

We share a snapshot of current traveler flows, along with estimates for growth through 2030.

The way we travel now

Which trends are shaping traveler sentiment now? What sorts of journeys do today’s travelers dream about? How much are they willing to spend on their trips? And what should industry stakeholders do to adapt to the traveler psychology of the moment?

To gauge what’s on the minds of present-day travelers, we surveyed more than 5,000 of them. The findings reveal disparate desires, generational divides, and a newly emerging set of traveler archetypes.

Updating perceptions about today’s luxury traveler

Demand for luxury tourism and hospitality is expected to grow faster than for any other segment. This growth is being powered in part by a large and expanding base of aspiring luxury travelers with net worths between $100,000 and $1 million, many of whom are younger and increasingly willing to spend larger shares of their wealth on upscale travel options. The increase is also a result of rising wealth levels in Asia.

We dug deeper into this ongoing evolution by surveying luxury travelers around the globe about their preferences, plans, and expectations. Some widely held notions about luxury travelers—such as how much money they have, how old they are, and where they come from—could be due for reexamination.

Destination readiness: Preparing for the tourist flows of tomorrow

As global tourism grows, it will be crucial for destinations to be ready. How can the tourism ecosystem prepare to host unprecedented volumes of visitors while managing the challenges that can accompany this success? A large flow of tourists, if not carefully channeled, can encumber infrastructure, harm natural and cultural attractions, and frustrate locals and visitors alike.

Now is the time for tourism stakeholders to combine their thinking and resources to look for better ways to handle the visitor flows of today while properly preparing themselves for the visitor flows of tomorrow. We offer a diagnostic that destinations can use to spot early-warning signs about tourism concentration, along with suggestions for funding mechanisms and strategies to help maximize the benefits of tourism while minimizing its negative impacts.

Six trends shaping new business models in tourism and hospitality

As destinations and source markets have transformed over the past decade, tourism and hospitality companies have evolved, too. Accommodation, home sharing, cruises, and theme parks are among the sectors in which new approaches could present new opportunities. Stakeholders gearing up for new challenges should look for business model innovations that will help sustain their hard-won growth—and profits.

Unbundling offerings, cross-selling distinctive experiences, and embracing data-powered strategies can all be winning moves. A series of insight-driven charts reveal significant trends and an outlook on the future.

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Why You’ll Pay More and Behave Better When You Travel This Summer

From Barcelona to Bali, higher fees and new rules are targeting overtourism and unruly behavior. Some locals are worried the changes will keep tourists away.

By Paige McClanahan

A new tourist fee in Bali. Higher hotel taxes in Amsterdam and Paris. Stricter rules on public drinking in Milan and Majorca. Ahead of the summer travel season, leaders in many tourist spots have adopted measures to tame the tourist crowds — or at least earn more revenue from them.

All of this may pose headaches for travelers, although in most cases, the new fees or tax increases represent only a tiny fraction of the total cost of a trip. The goal is to ensure that tourism functions smoothly for visitors and locals alike, said Megan Epler Wood, managing director of the Sustainable Tourism Asset Management Program at Cornell University.

“All tourism is dependent on beautiful natural and cultural resources. You have to protect those resources in order to be a viable tourism destination — and if you don’t, they degrade,” Ms. Epler Wood said.

In some places, proposals for new fees or visitor rules have drawn opposition from residents, who fear they might scare away the tourists who bolster the local economy. But destinations need to find ways to counteract what Ms. Epler Wood calls “ the invisible burden ” of tourism, which includes strains on a community’s infrastructure, utilities and housing stock, as well as tourists’ carbon footprint and any challenges they might impose on residents’ daily lives.

“You put so much pressure on the place that the people who live there become unhappy, and then they don’t present a very good face to tourists,” Ms. Epler Wood said. “The longer you wait, the higher the cost to fix it.”

Here is a look at new measures that travelers can expect this summer, and where others might be coming in the future.

New visitor fees

Since February, visitors to the Indonesian island of Bali have been asked to pay a levy of 150,000 Indonesian rupiahs, or about $9.40 per visit. Revenue will be used to support the preservation of cultural and natural assets on the island, where tourism has brought major challenges related to litter, water supply and overcrowding. Visitors are encouraged to pay the new fee online before departure, although it’s also possible to pay on arrival at the airport.

Beginning Aug. 1, most foreign travelers to the Galápagos Islands — which had a record-breaking 330,000 visitors last year — must pay a $200 entry fee, double the current rate. The money raised will be used to support conservation, improve infrastructure and fund community programs.

The change is the first increase to the entry fee since it was introduced in 1998, said Tom O’Hara, communications manager for the Galápagos Conservation Trust . Mr. O’Hara noted that the increase comes a year after the UNESCO World Heritage Committee urged the government of Ecuador to work toward a “zero-growth model” for tourism in the Galápagos.

“It’s quite a complicated topic,” Mr. O’Hara said, noting that the fee increase has been viewed “as part of the solution to overtourism.” On the other hand, he added, “everyone is trying to reassure the local tourist industry that this isn’t going to kill tourism on the islands.

In April, Venice began imposing a fee — 5 euros, about $5.40 — on day-trippers visiting on peak days, with the goal of striking “a new balance between the tourists and residents.”

But the new Venice Access Fee has drawn criticism from residents. “This project is a disaster for us. We are a city, not a park,” said Matteo Secchi, the president of Venessia.com, an association of Venice residents. Mr. Secchi said that a communications campaign would have been more effective.

The possibility of a new tourist fee has also drawn local opposition in Hawaii, where Gov. Josh Green has proposed a “climate impact fee” for visitors to the state. The measure failed during a recent meeting of the State Legislature, but Governor Green has persisted in calling for visitors to help fund the state’s preparation for future climate shocks.

“We have to get this tiger by the tail,” he told journalists in May, adding that $25 per visitor could raise $250 million a year, which the state could use to guard against climate disasters, manage erosion, strengthen infrastructure and protect parks.

Hotel fees and other taxes get a bump

Hotel taxes, also known as occupancy or accommodation taxes, are widespread in the United States and Europe, where they were on the rise for a decade leading up to the pandemic. With tourism’s rebound to prepandemic levels, several destinations have increased or adjusted the tax to capture more revenue.

Like Hawaii, Greece — which also suffered severe wildfires last summer — is looking to steel itself against climate disasters, and the government wants tourists to help foot the bill. Greece is calling the charge a climate crisis resilience fee , and it will be collected by accommodation providers. The tax will be higher from March to October, when it will top out at €10 per night at five-star hotels. The rate drops from November to February, and for hotels with fewer stars. The fee replaces the previous hotel tax, which ranged from €0.50 to €4 per night.

In Amsterdam, the hotel tax, which was already one of the highest in Europe, rose to 12.5 percent from 7 percent on Jan. 1. City lawmakers have also raised the tax on cruise passengers to €14 from €11 per person per night.

The hotel tax in Barcelona also rose this year, increasing to €3.25 per night. The measure was the final step-up in a gradual increase that began before the pandemic. A spokesman for Barcelona City Hall said that further tax increases would be aimed at tourist rental apartments and cruises that make short stopovers, which contribute less to the city’s income. The spokesman also noted that revenue generated by the tourist tax is being used, among other things, to fund the installation of solar panels and air-conditioning in Barcelona’s public schools.

Ahead of this summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, lawmakers in the Île-de-France region have imposed a new tax, on top of the normal hotel levy. With the new tax, which will fund public transportation in the region, a guest in a five-star hotel now owes a total of €10.73 in tax per night stayed, while a stay in a two-star hotel incurs a tax of €3.25 per night.

Though the measure was adopted by the regional government, it was not supported by the leadership in Paris itself. A spokeswoman for Paris City Hall called the move “a democratic power grab” that “in no way benefits the city of Paris.” She noted that even with the funds generated by the new tax, the region still raised the price of tickets for public transportation in the city during the Olympics — a measure that has disgruntled many Paris residents.

Introducing new rules

In other tourist spots, the focus is on curbing behavior that pollutes the local environment or harms residents’ quality of life.

In Japan, authorities at Mount Fuji will cap visitors at 4,000 per day. They have also imposed a new fee of 2,000 yen (about $13) for access to the iconic summit. Elsewhere in the country, a community council in the Gion neighborhood of Kyoto has closed some small roads to tourists, after complaints that the area, home to the city’s geisha district, was suffering from crowds.

“We will ask tourists to refrain from entering narrow private streets in or after April,” Isokazu Ota, a leading member of the community council, told Agence-France Presse in March. “We don’t want to do this, but we’re desperate.”

A spokeswoman for the city’s tourism board described the road closures as “a local initiative,” adding that “neither Kyoto City nor the Kyoto City Tourism Association are aware of any details beyond what is reported in the media.”

Rowdy visitor behavior has been the target of new rules in Milan. In some areas, city leaders have banned outdoor seating after 12:30 a.m. during the week and 1:30 a.m. on the weekend in response to resident complaints. They have also limited the late-night sale of takeaway food and drinks.

And in certain areas on the Spanish Balearic Islands of Majorca and Ibiza that are overrun with drunk tourists, the government has imposed a ban on late-night sales of alcohol and the consumption of alcohol in the street. New restrictions have also been imposed on party boats in the same areas.

“Tourism has negative externalities that must be managed and minimized,” Marga Prohens, the president of the Balearic Islands, told a local gathering this month , according to The Majorca Daily Bulletin. Local tourism, she said, “cannot continue to grow in volume.”

Paige McClanahan, a regular contributor to the Travel section, is author of “The New Tourist: Waking Up to the Power and Perils of Travel,” forthcoming from Scribner on June 18.

Open Up Your World

Considering a trip, or just some armchair traveling here are some ideas..

52 Places:  Why do we travel? For food, culture, adventure, natural beauty? Our 2024 list has all those elements, and more .

The Alaska Highway:  On an epic road trip, a family plots a course from Alaska to the Lower 48, passing through some of Canada’s most spectacular scenery .

Minorca:  Spend 36 hours on this slow-paced Spanish island , which offers a quieter and wilder retreat than its more touristy neighbors.

Japan:  A new high-speed train stop unlocks Kaga, a destination for hot springs, nourishing food and traditional crafts , as an easy-to-reach getaway from Tokyo.

London:  The Victoria and Albert Museum is a treasure trove of art and design. Here’s one besotted visitor’s plan for taking it all in .

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What to do at the world's most beautiful lakes

From swimming to standup paddleboarding, boating to biking, here’s how to have the ultimate adventure on and around six of world’s most beautiful lakes.

Boosted by a growing awareness of the mental and physical health benefits of wild swimming, lakeside adventures have captured the imaginations of people keen to take the plunge. From glacial Alpine tarns to tropical jungle-wreathed lagoons, lakes can boost moods, reconnect us with the elements and help us to press the reset button. They also offer a wealth of options for intrepid travellers. Whether it’s canoeing across a mountain-clasped lake in Canada’s Rocky Mountains, diving down to a ghostly petrified forest in Kazakhstan, fishing in Finland’s Lakeland as ospreys soar overhead or hiking up to the world’s clearest lake in New Zealand, these activities and excursions promise adventure while simultaneously soothing the soul.

1. Lake Louise, Canada Best for: canoeing

For a taste of Canadian wilderness, few places rival Banff National Park in the Rocky Mountains, where grizzly bears amble through pine and spruce forests, mountains loom overhead and jewel-like lakes dot the landscape — the most scenic of which must be Lake Louise. Hemmed in by rugged, snow-cloaked mountains, this glacier lake sits at 5,200ft, just below Mount Victoria and right on Alberta’s border with British Columbia.

While you can admire the lake’s brilliance from its shores, you’ll get a wholly different perspective by grabbing a paddle and canoeing in silent wonder across its waters, your gaze forced upwards to the parade of towering peaks and pearly shimmer of the hanging Victoria Glacier. The startling azure colour of the water can be attributed to light reflecting off small particles of ‘rock flour’ (glacial silt) carried down from glaciers above.

2. Blue Cave, Greece Best for: subterranean boating

Carved over time by the erosive force of the sea, the entrance to the Blue Cave, near the tiny island of Kastellorizo in the Dodecanese, appears almost concealed until one enters its confines. The roof collapsed thousands of years ago following an earthquake, and now when the sun is low, light filtering through the ceiling gives the chamber an otherworldly quality, with intense blue hues reminiscent of an Yves Klein painting. With passengers ducking or lying flat on their backs, tiny boats navigate narrow passages in the rock before a vast chamber reveals itself, its roof reaching heights of 115ft.

On hot summer days, the opportunity to swim beneath the cave’s stalactites provides a refreshing escape from the heat. Near the coast of Turkey, the island of Kastellorizo is remote and peaceful, home only to a scattering of dwellings and a few characterful harbourside tavernas.

3. Lake Atitlán, Guatemala Best for: hiking

With volcanoes, waterfall-filled tropical forests and richly cultured Maya villages hugging its shores, Lake Atitlán in Guatemala’s southwestern highlands is a hiker’s paradise. Measuring 1,120ft at its deepest point, the lake fills the crater of an enormous volcano that blew its top around 85,000 years ago.

The three volcanoes that guard its shores are ideal for trekking enthusiasts, and the oldest, San Pedro, last erupted around 40,000 years ago. The route to its summit is a five-and-a-half-hour hike that passes coffee plantations and avocado farms to enter cool cloud forest alive with exotic birds like the endangered horned guan. More challenging still is Volcán Tolimán, an ascent of 10,361ft that involves starting at dawn and trekking up forested slopes to a shallow crater and the remains of ancient lava flows.

Hardest of them all, however, is 11,598ft-high Volcán Atitlán, one of Guatemala’s most extreme hikes up steep, rugged terrain. The rewards are worth the climb: glimpses of rare birds like the electric blue-green quetzal and phenomenal summit views over Lake Atitlán and a ripple of volcanoes to the Pacific Ocean glimmering in the distance.

4. Lake Kaindy, Kazakhstan Best for: diving

A drop of turquoise in Kazakhstan’s snow-capped Tian Shan mountains, Lake Kaindy requires an off-road adventure to reach, but it’s worth braving the bumpy ride from the village of Saty, a 35-minute drive away. This 1,300ft-long, 98ft-deep lake was created by a huge earthquake in 1912 that triggered a limestone landslide and formed a natural dam. Fed by a glacial river, this lesser-known star of the Kolsai Lakes National Park looks like something from a Tolkien fantasy. The slender trunks of a submerged Picea schrenkiana (Asian spruce) forest rise from its depths to spear the flawless blue sky.

Under the water, it gets more otherworldy still. The frigid, oxygen-rich water has frozen the trees in time, protecting them from decay, while branches swathed in thick curtains of algae create an underwater labyrinth so ghostly locals often refer to it as ‘dead lake’. Due to its altitude and the depth of the water, with divers descending to around 30ft, this is a realm for experts only. While swims are tempting, given the temperature, it’s likely to be a quick plunge: temperatures get to a maximum of 6C even in the summer. In winter, meanwhile, the lake ices over entirely.

5. Lake Päijänne, Finland Best for: fishing

Finland, viewed from above, resembles a tapestry woven from forests and lakes. With almost 190,000 lakes scattered across the country, it’s almost impossible to explore without encountering these sprawling bodies of water. Among them, Lake Päijänne stands out as the second-largest, resembling a fjord nestled within the expansive Finnish Lakeland. Located at the heart of the national park that shares its name, Lake Päijänne stretches for around 80 miles, its waters bordered by ancient spruce, pine and silver birch forests; speckled with islets and sandy esker islands, shaped during the last Ice Age. When the midnight sun burns, Finns come to slip back to nature in lakefront cabins or pitch tents on remote stretches of shoreline.

Birds like herons, ospreys and lesser black-backed gulls flock here for the fish, and whether casting lines from the shore, navigating the waters by boat or venturing out to the lake’s numerous islands, fishing enthusiasts, too, are rewarded with the chance to hook prized species such as perch, zander, pike and brown trout. The lake’s reputation as a prime fishing destination is boistered by its rich underwater ecosystem and the surrounding landscape. Don’t miss the chance to swim, with water temperatures rising to 20C in summer.

6. Blue Lake, New Zealand Best for: paddleboarding

Lake Tikitapu in the Rotorua Bay of Plenty region on New Zealand’s North Island is known as Blue Lake thanks to its dazzling aqua hue, created by pumice and rhyolite on the lake bed. Skirted by the native bush and exotic redwoods of Whakarewarewa Forest, this volcanic crater lake is steeped in Māori history. Their spiritual connection to the land is profound, and for centuries Tikitapu has been a place of spiritual reverence, where rituals and ceremonies were performed to honour ancestors and seek guidance from the natural world.

Visibility is excellent, making Blue Lake an ideal place to swim, but hiring a paddleboard will open up remote reaches of the water. Secluded coves dot its shoreline, as do caves that flicker with glow worms after dark. While paddling, look out for native birds like the tui and fantail flitting through the trees along the shoreline.

7 . Lake Constance, Europe Best for: cycling

Straddling Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Lake Constance — or Bodensee, as it’s known locally — is Central Europe’s third-largest freshwater lake, and there’s no better way to see it than by bicycle. The 162-mile Bodensee-Radweg (Lake Constance Cycle Path) makes a spectacular loop of the lake, passing orchards, farms, vineyards, bird-rich wetlands, baroque pilgrimage churches and medieval castles. Stay in historic towns like Konstanz on the northwest shore and break up the pedalling with a swim. Particularly pretty is Hörnle beach; avoid pausing there in July and August, when it’s very crowded.

8. Great Lake of Alqueva, Portugal Best for: stargazing

Among the olive groves, cork oak forests, vineyards and snow-white towns of rural Alentejo is Portugal’s Great Lake of Alqueva, Europe’s largest reservoir. Sitting close to the Spanish border, this 97sq-mile lake has beaches and islets to explore by kayak, with castle-topped hill towns to hike to afterwards. The world’s first Starlight Tourism Destination and an official dark sky reserve, Alqueva shines at night. With a pair of binoculars, it’s possible to spot constellations, distant galaxies and meteor showers. For more serious stargazers, use the telescopes at Monsaraz observatory, or opt for a starlit canoe tour.

9. Laguna Colorada, Bolivia Best for: wildlife watching

On the Bolivian altiplano, Laguna Colorada is a sight to behold. This shallow, 23sq-mile lake sits 14,035ft above sea level, the pink-red tint of sediment in the water contrasting with the blue skies and snow-streaked volcanoes. Filled with algae and plankton, its mineral-rich waters draw thousands of flamingos, including three of the world’s six species (Chilean, Andean and the rare James’s flamingo). Watch them skim over the water at sunset, with the Andes towering behind.

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US gas prices are falling. Experts point to mild demand at the pump ahead of summer travel

by WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS | AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Gas prices are once again on the decline across the U.S., bringing some relief to drivers now paying a little less to fill up their tanks.

The national average for gas prices on Monday stood around $3.44, according to AAA. That's down about 9 cents from a week ago — marking the largest one-week drop recorded by the motor club so far in 2024. Monday's average was also more than 19 cents less than it was a month ago and over 14 cents below the level seen this time last year.

Why the recent fall in prices at the pump? Industry analysts point to a blend of lackluster demand and strong supply — as well as relatively mild oil prices worldwide.

Here's a rundown of what you need to know.

Today's falling gas prices, explained.

There are a few factors contributing to today's falling gas prices. For starters, fewer people may be hitting the road.

“Demand is just kind of shallow,” AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross said, pointing to trends seen last year and potential lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Traditionally — pre-pandemic — after Memorial Day, demand would start to pick up in the summertime. And we just don’t see it anymore.”

Last week, data from the Energy Information Administration showed that U.S. gasoline demand slipped to about 8.94 billion barrels a day. That might still sound like a lot — but before the pandemic, consumption could reach closer to the 10 billion barrel-a-day range at this time of year, Gross noted.

Beyond pandemic-specific impacts, experts note that high gas prices seen following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and persistent inflation may have led many Americans to modify their driving habits. Other contributing factors could be the increased number of fuel-efficient cars, as well as electric vehicles, on the road today, Gross said.

Some of this is still seasonal. Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, noted that gas prices typically ease in early summer because of refinery capacity. At this time of year, he said, many factors boosting prices in late winter and early spring — particularly refinery maintenance — are no longer present.

“Once refinery maintenance is done, output or utilization of the nation’s refineries goes up — and that contributes to rising supply,” De Haan said. And that stronger supply, paired with weaker consumption, has led to a “bit more noticeable" decline in prices this year. He added that U.S. refinery utilization is at some of its highest levels since the pandemic.

Separately, the Biden administration announced last month that it would be releasing 1 million gasoline barrels, or about 42 million gallons, from a Northeast reserve with an aim of lowering prices at the pump this summer. But De Haan noted that such action has little impact nationally — 42 million gallons equals less than three hours of U.S. daily gas consumption.

“Really, what we’re seeing right now with (declining) gasoline prices ... has been driven primarily by seasonal and predictable economics,” he said.

What about oil prices?

Experts also point to cooling oil costs. Prices at the pump are highly dependent on crude oil, which is the main ingredient in gasoline.

West Texas Intermediate crude, the U.S. benchmark, has stayed in the mid $70s a barrel over recent weeks — closing at under $78 a barrel Monday. That's “not a bad place for it to be,” Gross said, noting that the cost of crude typically needs to go above $80 to put more pressure on pump prices.

Oil prices can be volatile and hard to predict because they're subject to many global forces. That includes production cuts from OPEC and allied oil producing countries, which have previously contributed to rising energy prices.

OPEC+ recently announced plans to extend three different sets of cuts totaling 5.8 million barrels a day — but the alliance also put a timetable on restoring some production, “which is likely why the price of oil had somewhat of a bearish reaction,” De Haan said.

Could prices go back up?

The future is never promised. But, if there are no major unexpected interruptions, both Gross and De Haan say that prices could keep working their way down.

At this time of year, experts keep a particular eye out for hurricane risks — which can cause significant damage and lead refineries to power down.

“Prices move on fear,” Gross said. In the U.S., he added, concern particularly rises once a hurricane enters the Gulf of Mexico — and even if it doesn't eventually make landfall, refineries may pull back on operations out of caution. Impacts can also range by region.

But barring the unexpected, analysts like De Haan expect the national average to stay in the range of $3.35 to $3.70 per gallon this summer. Gas prices typically drop even more in the fall, and it's possible that we could see the national average below $3 in late October or early November, he said.

What states have the lowest gas prices today?

While gas prices nationwide are collectively falling, some states always have cheaper averages than others, due to factors ranging from nearby refinery supply to local fuel requirements.

As of Monday, per AAA data, Mississippi had the lowest average gas price at about $2.94 per gallon — followed by $2.95 Oklahoma and just under $2.97 in Arkansas.

Meanwhile, California, Hawaii and Washington had the highest average prices on Monday — at about $4.93, $4.75 and $4.41 per gallon, respectively

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