Cost of living crisis prompts YHA to sell off 20 of its 150 hostels

Covid lockdowns and current pressures on finances are behind sales but there are hopes that buyers will operate the properties as indie hostels After nearly 100 years of providing “simple accommodation for all”, the Youth Hostel Association is selling 20 of its 150 hostels in England and Wales. In a statement, the YHA said the decision had been taken after a difficult few years for the charity. “Pandemic shutdowns, the cost of living crisis and steep inflation have affected us like other charities and hospitality providers,” it said. The sell-off is the first step in a three-year business plan announced on 23 June “to secure YHA’s long-term prosperity”. The Covid pandemic hit the charity hard: the YHA lost more than 80% of its income in 2020/21. Now 90% of its income comes from just 60% of its hostels. The restructure will focus on raising occupancy at the more popular properties, aiming to increase customers by 30% while reducing staff by 20%. Continue reading...

Looms with a view: a tour of Lancashire’s former mill towns

Visit the region’s old mills, as well as its museums, galleries and parks, in the buildup to this year’s British Textile Biennial Non-practitioners tend to see the world of textiles through the doily tinted spectacles of the BBC’s The Great British Sewing Bee or else through the soot-filled eyes of William Blake’s “dark satanic mills”. The filter of postindustrialisation frames the spinning rooms and weaving sheds as bygone, other; demolition and development have sought to erase the epoch-making heritage. But textiles and the industry that grew up around them in the former colonies and north of England continue to inform artistic creation and debate. In October, the third edition of the British Textile Biennial will trace the routes of fibres and fabrics across continents and centuries to and from the north of England in a series of commissions and exhibitions in museums, galleries, former mills, theatres and historical buildings across east Lancashire. Continue reading...

Let the bog snorkelling commence! 10 of the weirdest sporting events in the UK

From ferret racing to shinkicking, we round up some of the country’s most eccentric sporting events. Oddly, cricket isn’t among them … All modern sports can seem faintly ridiculous to the non-affiliated. How on earth did anyone come up with cricket? Or two packs of eight sturdy warriors all hugging each other, crouching down and locking heads before a pointy ball is introduced among them? It always surprises me that one player, ears tattered from similar battles, doesn’t struggle loose and walk away, shouting: “I’m sorry, I can’t. This is too weird.” Behind all the bizarre practices of our favourite sports, the offside rules, the silly points and forty-loves, it’s obvious that what we want from our sport is fun physical exercise and the chance to test ourselves against others. If this can be achieved in a beautiful place with the opportunity for a post-match debrief in an excellent pub, then all the better. So here we have the alternative sporting calendar: games and challenges that may seem a little bizarre at first but take place in great locations around Britain. Continue reading...

Tell us about great places to take your dog in the UK – you could win a holiday voucher

Share details of locations that are dog-friendly in the UK – the best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays break Taking dogs on trips involves a fair bit of planning. Some campsites, B&Bs and cottages do not welcome pets, and there are more than a few beaches where dogs are not permitted. There are also other factors to consider: the area you’d like to visit may have a high density of livestock farms. And letting a lively dog off the lead can disrupt wildlife. But there are places where responsible dog-owners can let their (well behaved) animals run freely, adding joy and the sense that a family trip hasn’t excluded anyone! And don’t forget to tell us about great dog-friendly accommodation. Continue reading...

Eco homes and a Michelin green star: sustainable living on Denmark’s Djursland peninsula

A sustainable community whose residents have built their own homes sits in a beautiful, quiet Baltic landscape. And an innovative restaurant offering fine dining is at hand … The Swedes, with their lush forests, and the Norwegians, with their dramatic mountains, like to joke about Denmark – that it is Scandinavia’s leftovers all squeezed together and flattened by the ice age … some punchline. But part of the big attraction of Denmark and its people comes through their philosophy of respect for nature and their abundance of hygge, in the main being happy for others and letting them just be. On a broad bay in the country’s Djursland peninsula sits the pretty coastal town of Ebeltoft, surrounded by the green hills and bronze age burial mounds of the Mols Bjerge national park. All cobbled streets and creaking half-timbered houses painted in lovely pastel shades, it buzzes with families on a long weekend break. There are opportunities for days splashing in the cool waters of the Baltic sea, windy walks on the harbour, visiting tall Viking ships and taking cycle rides along the many signposted paths. It is picture perfect holiday fodder. Continue reading...

Riding high: combine surf and turf in south-west France

For an action-packed trip of beach breaks and mountain trails, head to France’s southern Atlantic coast For a French holiday combining surf and Alpine turf without having to drive too far between destinations, head for southwest France. Hossegor, near Biarritz on the Atlantic coast, is the surf capital of France, and a destination for beginners and experts alike. Some 170km inland is the 19th-century spa resort of Luz-Saint-Sauveur, around 30km south of Lourdes in the Hautes-Pyrénées. The charming village makes a great base for exploring the mountains, on foot or, better still, by e-bike, as well as canyoning, whitewater rafting, horse riding or zip-lining. I came up with this solution for my own family holiday. Our sons wanted to surf and all four of us wanted to explore the outdoors in the Hautes-Pyrénées. Continue reading...

Proper Portugal: six great adventures without the crowds

Fancy a revealing road trip, a peaceful lagoon or the chance to explore a deep gorge ? We leave the tourist trail for peace, quiet and jaw-dropping moments The interior of central Portugal, with its mountain ranges and rivers, ispeppered with castles, hiking and cycling trails, and little villages with houses made from schist. This brownish-grey metamorphic rock has a flat, sheet-like structure and was used to build hamlets up in the hills (it’s also the terroir of the Douro valley and some Azores vineyards). Continue reading...

Luxury Travel Companies’ Push for Extreme Experiences

Today's edition of Skift's daily podcast looks closer at extreme luxury adventure trips, hotels' AI labors solution, and Bhutan's push for longer tourist visits. -Rashaad Jorden

Rewilding Portugal: the valley that waited 400 years for the cows to come home

Kickstarted by the reintroduction of an ancient breed of cattle, a rewilding project in northern Portugal’s Côa valley is enriching wildlife and community To the outside world we must have been a very odd sight. A group of 20 people standing on the sloping granite boulder-strewn hillside of Ermo das Águias in Portugal’s Côa valley, taking photographs and whispering in awe at the sight of what appeared to be an enclosure of brown cows. But these were no ordinary cows. These were tauros; a new, specially bred version of a long-extinct wild cattle species (called aurochs) that were last seen here 400 years ago. Their reintroduction is the latest initiative of Rewilding Portugal – a four-year-old non-profit organisation whose mission is to create a wildlife corridor along the length of the Côa River valley, joining the key habitats of the Douro River in the north with the Malcata mountains in the south. Continue reading...

The magic of holidays as a new parent? They’re like time travel back to childhood summers | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

Every child – and every stressed-out parent – deserves a holiday, even if we have to endure the hell of the travel cot The people who design travel cots belong in prison. I’m generally in favour of restorative justice and rehabilitation, but for this I’ll make an exception. We are luckier than most, in that the baby will sleep on the hard bit of plywood that’s supposed to pass for a mattress, but he does need a few pats on the bum to settle, and unless you are Stretch Armstrong (a contemporary reference there for you, kids) this is all but impossible. Likewise, lowering the baby (or in our case, large toddler) into the cot, which if you’re a woman of average height involves squatting over one of the corners and hoping you don’t bash your crotch on it so that your swearing wakes them up, something which definitely hasn’t happened to me – ever. Basically, they are designed for babies who are heavy sleepers, and tall men. Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett is a Guardian columnist and author Continue reading...

Premier Inn room rates soar as budget hotel era ‘evaporates’

Whitbread says average London room prices have jumped 30% to £112 amid influx of people to capital * Business live – latest updates The cost of a room at Premier Inn’s hotels in London rose sharply over the last three months, with tourists visiting for the coronation of King Charles and strong demand for budget stays in the capital boosting the chain, its owner, Whitbread, has said. Britain’s biggest hotel chain, which runs nearly 900 hotels in the UK and Germany, said it had benefited from an influx of visitors to London for the royal event. Continue reading...

Travel’s Recovery Around the World

Today's edition of Skift's daily podcast looks closer at tourism recovery across the world, huge airplane orders in India, and an expanding boutique hotel brand. -Rashaad Jorden

The Nordic countries on a budget – send us a tip and you could win a holiday voucher

Tell us about how you travelled in these stunning but costly countries on the relative cheap – the best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays break According to a Eurostat study in 2021 on price levels for consumer goods and services, Denmark was the joint most expensive country in Europe. Sweden was fourth and and Finland fifth. Norway and Iceland? Don’t expect much change from £20 for couple of pints. It’s no wonder travellers baulk at the prospect of a holiday in the Nordic countries. But it doesn’t have to be that way. According to the Scandinavia travel guide, Routes North, “Just because you’re on a budget doesn’t mean you can’t stay right on the edge on a Norwegian fjord, in a beautiful historic building in the centre of Copenhagen or in a ski resort in Finnish Lapland”. We’d like to hear your budget tips on Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland. Continue reading...

Square where Julius Caesar was killed will open to public in Rome

Tourists in the city will be able to examine the spot where the Roman dictator was said to have been murdered Tourists will be able to stroll close to the spot where Julius Caesar met his bloody end, when Rome’s authorities open a new walkway on the ancient site on Tuesday. The Roman dictator was stabbed to death by a group of aggrieved senators on the Ides of March – 15 March – in 44BC, and the account was embellished by William Shakespeare in his play named after Caesar. Continue reading...

Venice to Mantua: by bike and boat along Italy’s glorious Po valley

Using canals, rivers and quiet roads, this cycling and boating break – ‘a holiday not a road race’ – takes riders to beautiful wetland scenery, ancient towns and delicious food Ten years ago, while exploring the Renaissance city of Mantua in Lombardy, I bumped into a bunch of cyclists embarking on a “bike and barge” trip all the way to Venice. It sounded like the perfect way to hit the quiet backroads of the little-known Polesine region, which surrounds the Po River and stretches to the Adriatic. Finally, here I am, joining the trip (though in the opposite direction), boarding the Ave Maria, which is moored behind Palladio’s iconic Redentore church on the island of Giudecca. The once rust-encrusted 42-metre transport boat was saved from the scrapheap by local tour operator Girolibero and transformed into a very comfortable 17-cabin floating hotel. My 32 fellow passengers are a cosmopolitan crowd: Britons, Berliners, Americans, Canadians and New Zealanders, ranging from a teenage student to sprightly retirees. Unlike me they are experienced cyclists, but the tour leader, Hein Hoefnagels, a superfit 74-year-old Dutchman, reassures me that “this is a holiday not a road race”. We will be travelling at a leisurely pace, covering between 15 and 35 miles a day for eight days with lots of stop-offs (including the fishing port of Chioggia and the ancient town of Adria); the roads are flat – plus there’s the option of an electric bike instead of a touring one. Continue reading...

‘The scenery bursts into life’: making Scotland wild again

I walked the Highlands as it should be, with a beautiful diversity of trees, plants and animals, at a world-first rewilding centre Birdcall breaks the morning silence as I potter past the stretching Scots pines and ancient oaks of Dundreggan, the rewilded estate of the charity Trees for Life in Glenmoriston in the Scottish Highlands. Woodpeckers drum and cuckoos call from on high, while around the trail, finches and thrushes flutter from tree to tree, avoiding beard lichens dripping off the branches. I’m the first one out in the forest this morning (or the first human, at least), a feat easily achieved when you have spent the night here. The Dundreggan Rewilding Centre, the first of its kind in the world, opened in April and includes An Spiris, an L-shaped accommodation block with 20 double/twin rooms and a spacious communal area. Continue reading...

Height of cool: mountain retreats in the Austrian Tirol

With its glorious views, rich cuisine and vertiginous trails, the Austrian Tirol is a winter wonderland – but it’s even better in summer A wooden swimming jetty juts into a lake of deepest emerald green. In the distance white-sailed dinghies skitter across the water, propelled by a gentle breeze coming down from the mountains. This is Achensee, the largest lake in the Austrian Tirol. And if you endured last summer’s heatwave on a sticky and crowded British beach or watched the skies turn red above the Med as the mercury nudged the high 40s, the chances are you found yourself fantasising about a scene just like this. I’d love to say we jumped off that jetty into the lake, but it’s not just the colour that’s glacial, so we retreat to the more temperate waters of the rooftop infinity pool at Atoll Achensee. This gleaming lakeside leisure complex has the look and feel of an exclusive spa retreat, all sweeping white curves and mountain vistas, but you can spend half a day here, flitting between the indoor and outdoor pools, whirl pools, sauna and sun terraces for just a few euros more than it would cost you to swim in a municipal pool back home. It’s not the only thing that turns out to be great value. Summer is low season in the Tirol and many of the hotels here – including the smart-but-cosy Sonnenhof in Pertisau where we’re staying – offer enticing half-board packages. Continue reading...

Holiday spending: what to sort out now to keep costs down

Accessing money abroad can rack up a number of unexpected bills, so plan now to save later * Roaming charges: how to avoid the dreaded phone bills * Holiday car hire: prices fall but you can still drive better bargain * The best luggage for travelling light with no airline fees Millions of people are counting down the days until they head off abroad this summer. But when you are doing pre-holiday admin, don’t forget about the things that will help keep costs down, and make for a smoother trip. Pick the wrong plastic, for example, and you will end up spending more than you need to. Continue reading...

CEOs of Awaze Group and Evolve on What Consumers Want Now: Full Video

A short-term rental customer can shift up and down the value chain better than most. Awaze Group’s Henrik Kjellberg and Evolve’s Brian Egan share why they believe their consumers' demands are different from those in other industries. -Jess Wade

‘Blissful and extraordinary’: readers’ favourite places in Europe

From spotting beavers and wild boar in the Czech Republic to strolling through a lush Sicilian oasis, readers reveal locations they can’t get enough of Lake Vassivière in the Limousin has something for everyone. We found one of France’s largest artificial lakes while on a donkey-trekking holiday (but that’s another story!). The lake has five lovely sandy beaches with safe swim areas, beach cafes and kayak hire. There are walks and cycle paths, but the real gem is the lake’s island, with its lighthouse, a sculpture park and a chateau that is now a restaurant. Access is via a footbridge, free water taxis or by canoe. We stayed in a fabulous yurt on a donkey farm three miles away (about €400 for a week). Je ne regrette rien … Angela Luke Continue reading...

Understanding China’s Current Travel Boom

Today's edition of Skift's daily podcast looks closer at hotel CEO pay, profiting from China's travel boom, and the tricky business of private clubs and hotels. -Rashaad Jorden

Boots and bathers: the rise of UK cross-country swimming and where to do it

The newly popular mix of hiking and open-water swimming opens up new routes for adventurers looking to explore mountains, lakes and coasts Cross-country swimming – the combination of hiking and open-water swimming – enables you to create routes that traverse land and water, whether it be mountains, lakes or a stretch of coastline. The concept is that when your walk comes to a body of water, you pack your kit into a waterproof inflatable bag that can be towed, swim to the next destination, exit, and continue your journey. A multi-swim walk can open up new perspectives on the landscape, even in familiar areas. Standard tow floats are fine for shorter trips. However, for full or multi-day excursions, something like the RuckRaft, which is big enough to transport a rucksack full of camping gear across open water is recommended. Continue reading...

Q&A: Decoding the Key Tech Trends Shaping the Guest Experience Today

As we navigate a world transformed by technology, the hospitality industry stands at a crossroads. Success hinges not solely on adopting digital solutions, but on personalizing them with the human touch, blurring the lines between the digital and tangible realms. The challenge for hospitality leaders is clear: adopt, adapt, and excel. -Alliants

Why Hotel CEOs Are So Optimistic

Watch highlights from this week's Skift Short-Term Rental Summit, read why hotel CEOs are optimistic, and learn about Istanbul's post-Champions League tourism push. -Jason Clampet

From surfing to self discovery: five of the best male-only wellness camps in Europe

These getaways are geared towards giving men a reboot, and include both the spiritual – breathwork and midfulness – and physical, through activities such as mountain walking and coasteering One definition of wellness is “the state of being healthy, especially when it is something that you actively try to achieve”. However, in today’s society, wellness seems to be a catch-all term for anything remotely health-related, fitness, dietary or cosmetic. You name it: biometric facials, sleep syncing, orgasmic meditation. Perhaps that’s why wellness is a word that’s still taboo among many men, particularly those from more traditional, working-class backgrounds. Aside from a dilution of the term by fads and crazes, such as the ones listed above and those floating around on TikTok and Instagram, another issue may be a lack of retreats for men. We’re not talking the Ant Middleton-style “man-up or go home” military fitness camps, nor Wim Hof woo-woo, just solid, safe spaces for men to talk, improve physical and mental wellbeing and escape the pressures of everyday life to develop meaningful connections. Thankfully, there are some pioneers leading the way in male wellness, ranging from hiking escapes in Snowdonia and breathwork getaways in southern Spain to a GBTQ pop-up retreat in Europe, promoting communication and emotional connection. Continue reading...

Hopper’s ‘Rise in Travel’ Comes Without Playing the Search Engine Marketing Game

Unlike Booking and Expedia, which continue to spend to acquire customers from Google – not dare bite the hand that feeds them – Hopper doesn’t list on any search platform. It gets more of its customers through direct channels. -Pranavi Agarwal

Airline CEOs Downplay Recession Concerns

Today's edition of Skift's daily podcast looks closer at airline CEO confidence, Iceland’s music tourism, and U.S. visa delays for Indian travelers. -Rashaad Jorden

A great ridge walk to a fine old pub: The Pheasant, Tattenhall, Cheshire

With views of distant hills this walk high on Sandstone Ridge takes in castles and a brilliant hostelry The view from the terrace outside the Pheasant pub stretches west across miles of russet, green and gold. I am deep in rural Cheshire, roughly halfway between Crewe and Chester. The pub sits high on the Sandstone Ridge, a distinctive feature in an otherwise level landscape – one that is being considered for an area of outstanding natural beauty status (AONB) by Natural England. The Sandstone Trail runs past the pub, on its way from the market town of Frodsham on the Mersey estuary south to Whitchurch in north Shropshire. Two of the trail’s most impressive castles are close to the pub, linked by a five-mile ramble from the door. I set off around midday along country lanes, past old ivy-covered barns and mossy walls sprouting ferns. A cobbled track takes me under a stone archway, flanked by silver birches and bronzed oaks, bright holly trees and conifers. Coming out of the woods, huge views appear ahead. I am looking eastwards now across gently sloping wintry fields to the village of Bunbury. Continue reading...

Hotel CEOs Are Bullish on Continued Boom

Today's edition of Skift's daily podcast looks closer at hotel CEOs' optimism, new research about Vacasa's business, and a jet ordering battle in India. -Rashaad Jorden

Has Business Travel Plateaued?

Today's edition of Skift's daily podcast looks closer at business travel in the U.S., Marriott's new budget brand, and LGBTQ travelers in India. -Rashaad Jorden

Tell us about a favourite trip to Portugal away from the crowds – you could win a holiday voucher

Share details of off the beaten track places to visit in Portugal – the best tip wins £200 towards a Coolstays break Lisbon? Tick. Porto? Tick. The Algarve? Tick. That’s Portugal done, then? Well, no, not really. There are huge swathes of the country that often get overlooked, such as the Côa Valley near the border with Spain, which has two prehistoric rock art sites. There’s Chaves, a charming town also in the north famed for its healing thermal waters. There’s the Ria Formosa national park with its lagoons, flamingos, salt pans and tidal islets, which stretches down 35 miles of the coast. We’d like to hear about your Portuguese discoveries off the beaten track. It could be anything from a little taverna in a hilltop village, a river beach in a national park, or a farmstay in the Douro Valley If you have a relevant photo, do send it in – but it’s your words that will be judged for the competition. Continue reading...

Bon appétit: savouring the gastronomic highs of Hauts-de-France

It’s a short hop across the Channel to Hauts-de-France, which has just won European gastronomic region of the year This stunning area of northern France where it borders Belgium is famous for its numerous cheeses. Hauts-de-France produces some of the country’s most delectable dairy items, and that includes more than 200 different types of cheese. Look out for maroilles, a soft cow’s milk cheese with a pungent mushroomy odour; mimolette, a semi-hard cheese with a fruity aroma; or brine-washed chaud biloute, which is delicious served warm and gooey from the oven. Continue reading...

Coasting all the way: 10 great sea-worthy hikes in the UK and Europe

Fishing villages, endless vistas, soaring cliffs and pristine beaches all feature in our roundup of long-distance coastal walks Where? Jersey, Guernsey and Sark How far? Flexible mileage; 6-10 days Continue reading...

CleanJoule Raises $50 Million for Sustainable Jet Fuel: Startup Funding Roundup

CleanJoule wants to make jet fuel from agricultural waste, while Atly is building an app that's a cross between a mapping tool and social media. -Justin Dawes

Dubai Will Add Another Palm-Shaped Tourist Island

It's hard to imagine a second island at twice the size, but this is Dubai we're talking about so the imagination has to work overtime. -Jason Clampet

‘People throw tantrums and try to get things for free’: my life as a hotelier in badly behaved Britain

If the guests aren’t complaining, they’re wandering around naked I have worked in my family’s hotel for almost all of my life. It’s seasonal, as in any coastal town. I started out washing up and prepping in the kitchens on Friday nights and in the school holidays, moved into the restaurant as a waiter, then on to front of house and finally into management. As with any smaller business, there is really no such thing as “I’m a chef” or “I’m a housekeeper”; everyone mucks in. We once had a team of senior cricket players who came back a little worse for wear after hitting the local cider. I don’t know if they had lost or won, but one guy locked himself out of his room naked and made his way down to the bar looking for the toilet. That has happened multiple times with people who come home drunk from weddings – my mum once had to climb through a window to help a lady who had got stuck, naked, in the bath for about five hours. We have also found a female guest wearing a long skirt pleasuring herself on the patio, fully embracing her audience. Continue reading...