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...