Keep Austin Weird

As I woke up in Austin and took my first jet lag infused walk down South Congress, I have to say it felt pretty much like I was walking down the streets of San Francisco. Sure, I knew that the city motto is to “keep Austin weird”, but this was my first visit to the Lone Star State of Texas and I was (quite naively) imagining more cowboys brandishing revolvers and spurs and less Willie Nelson murals.…

Regardless if you’re into tennis or not, it’s difficult to imagine a more spectacular setting for a country club than The Monte-Carlo Country Club. Set high on the Monaco coastline, this members-only club is without doubt one of the most beautiful and unique settings in the world, featuring world-class courts surrounded by majestic villas, pine trees and azure blue sea.…

Today on The Journal, we spend some quality time in St Anton and Lech, exploring the luxurious chalets and hotels that line this new route. Enjoyed together, as they can now be for the very first time, St Anton, St Christoph, Stuben, Zürs and Lech manages to cover the full range of ski-joy expectation, both on the slopes and off them.…

For some reason, South Africa’s biggest metropolis is often seen as a sort of changing post, a place to arrive only to move on from as soon as possible. Sure, it doesn’t have the beaches, the winelands, or the Cape’s famous mountain – but it makes up for it elsewhere.…

Naturally, no visit to South Africa is complete without circumnavigating the winelands. About an hour’s drive from Cape Town – and less than half an hour from Stellenbosch, South Africa’s oldest settlement and centre of its wine production – lies the small town of Franschhoek, which has the unlikely distinction of being one of the world’s gastronomic capitals.…

When most people go on vacation to South Africa, they go on safari. And when people go on a luxury safari to South Africa, most of them visit the area around Kruger National Park.There many private reserves abutting Kruger, and some of these have multiple luxury safari camps within them.…

It’s difficult to overstate the case for visiting Cape Town, and this year the world seems to have realised. Our social media feeds have been filled with the in-your-face beauty of its nature, from craggy mountain ranges that drop precipitously into a glittering sea to the pristine white beaches lapped by the Atlantic.…

When it comes to European weekend escapes, Munich more often than not seems to fall off people’s radar. Perhaps it’s because (especially if you’re based in a place like Stockholm) travellers end up searching for more contrasting locations in terms of weather, culture and size.…

THE MALDIVES.

It’s a good thing there’s over a thousand islands in the Maldives, because it means the explosion of openings here this winter season will result in an excess of choice rather than of crowds. Kicking things off is the St Regis Vommuli in the southerly Dhaalu atoll, featuring beach and water villas layered in rich brass and bronze fittings and awash in aqueous tones of turquoise and ultramarine.…

Fly-fishing is all about finding perfect solitude. It is, first and foremost, a sport that allows you to turn off your brain and meditate on nothing more than a clean cast as you listen to the sound of water, trees and wildlife.

Gear Patrol has put together an amazing list of the ten best fly-fishing lodges in the world.…

Going to California has, thankfully, become a yearly thing. For three years straight now, my careful springtime holiday planning has ended up with the same conclusion and the same destination.

Honestly, for someone based in Europe looking for a two week long excursion filled with different scenery, activities and vibes, few places compete with California.…

Evolved from a tiny Californian subculture, skateboarding has become a well-recognized and respected mainstream sport all over the world. With the growth of its commercial success and universal appeal, the boardsport is practically everywhere, giving off the message of individuality and freedom.…