Travel

 by Beth Roberts They say if love is the treasure, then laughter is the key - which might well be the reason so many couples will head to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this August. Starting on the 7th and lasting till the 31st, it’s the largest arts festival in the world, with over 2000 quirky shows and a host of stunning venues to choose from. But there’s plenty on offer in this seductive Scottish city to keep the spark alive...

By Beth Roberts You don’t need to be scuba-certified to be seduced by a life aquatic. In fact, all you really need is a mask. If the idea of going underwater has you floundering for your flippers, you’re in luck. From stingray cities to sea lions and even night excursions, we’ve put together a list of the top ten snorkelling spots to satisfy your sub-aqua appetite… 1. Grand Cayman Be mobbed by a flock of friendly stingrays in the crystal...

By Nathan Lee, TLE Correspondent  A third of British holiday makers who have had their hotel room robbed were iu the room when the theft took place, new research has shown. The study showed one in ten of the 2,000 holidaymakers polled had experienced theft from their hotel rooms – and a third of victims were present when it happened. Being asleep, in the bathroom or relaxing on the balcony were all cited as reasons that Brits end up having...

What do you get the kid who has it all? If they're heading for a beach holiday, it's a personal beach butler, of course. If you can tear them away from their iPhones and Game Boys (!), your diddums can soon make some amazing-looking sandcastles with these beachy Jeeves-like characters at hand. The concierges, a new idea from travel company Oliver's Travels, are in the process of being specially trained. Once they're officially sandcastle aficiandos, they'll set over-rich parents back...

By Nathan Lee, TLE Correspondent  Tickets for direct ski trains  go on sale today on loco2.com, where skiers book from any UK railway station to the largest number of Alpine resorts in a single transaction. From Altrincham to Ambergate, skiers will be able to connect from their local station to the two direct ski train services that will run each week between London St Pancras International, calling at Ashford International and Moûtiers, Aime-la-Plagne and Bourg St Maurice in France. It...

By Nathan Lee, TLE Correspondent  The latest Office for National Statistics figures for London show more people left the capital than moved in between August 2013 and June 2014, except twenty-somethings, who moved to London in their droves. Some 204,443 people moved into London compared to 273,077 who moved out according to the figures, meaning a net 68,634 people left the capital for the year: 10,414 more than in the same period a year ago. The age bracket which migrated most to the...

More than 6.4 million foreign tourists visited Brazil in 2014, the largest number ever according to the latest statistics. 217,003 were from the UK, up from 169,732 in 2013. Of course, the 2014 World Cup was the main reason for the 10.6 per cent increase against 2013 figures. View image | gettyimages.com In June, the month during which the World Cup was held, the arrival of international tourists almost tripled, jumping from 350,025 in 2013 to 1,018,876 in 2014. And...

by Benjamin Potter Hear the word theme park and a sigh escapes as the stereotype of queues and screaming kids comes to mind. So when Europa Park invited me to check out their latest attraction - a virtual reality rollercoaster - I'm no Eurosceptic, but I was prepared for the worst. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The rides are incredible at Europa Park but it’s the rest of the entertainment which makes this park stand out. The 13 countries...

Adrenaline-junkies have a new set of boxes to tick as a new study found the 10 best adrenaline rushes around the world. Not for the faint-hearted, the daring top 10 was compiled from a massive public survey involving 2,000 people, with the shortlist drawn up by mentors for new Discovery Channel series Idris Elba: No Limits (yes, that's Stringer Bell from The Wire), including former British Rally Championship winner Jimmy McRae, US drag racing champion Antron Brown and Finnish World...