Lifestyle /

Travel & Leisure

Related Topics:
Responsible travel
Asia travel
Food and Drinks
Travel news and advice
Explore Hong Kong
Kaylie Lau outside Kalan Mosque, in Bukhara, Uzbekistan. Earlier this year, the Post spoke to the Hongkonger who is currently on a trip from Asia to Europe, taking no flights and carrying only one backpack. Photo: Kaylie Lau
Asia travel

Travel stories from 2025 that will fuel your wanderlust for the year ahead

We recall 7 travel stories from the past year to inspire you in 2026, covering China food trips to a Hongkonger’s life-changing adventure.

Tourism

Expedition to Chile’s Cape Horn reveals awesome nature at the world’s end

China property

China Jinmao sells 5-star Ritz-Carlton hotel in Sanya for US$322 million

Asia travel

Best things to do in Nara, Japanese city that’s more than an Osaka side trip

Widely regarded as the birthplace of Japanese culture, Nara offers everything from Unesco World Heritage sites to ryokans and bars.

Free-roaming deer mingle with visitors at a temple in Nara. As Japan’s first permanent capital, Nara is home to an array of ancient religious sites. But there is also a modern side to this city on the doorstep of Osaka and Kyoto. Photo: Shutterstock
Free-roaming deer mingle with visitors at a temple in Nara. As Japan’s first permanent capital, Nara is home to an array of ancient religious sites. But there is also a modern side to this city on the doorstep of Osaka and Kyoto. Photo: Shutterstock
Tourism

Tours to visit Christmas movie locations in US state prove huge hit

Fans of Hallmark’s feel-good and family-friendly TV films are taking tours around locations in Connecticut, home to at least 22 productions.

Wellness

How this luxury Cambodian resort offers a yoga experience few others can match

Knai Bang Chatt, an eco-friendly seaside resort in Kep, left stressed-out Cathy Hilborn Feng feeling realigned from the inside out.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Tourism

See dreamlike dunes and meet modern nomads in world’s biggest sand desert

In the Omani part of Rub’ al Khali, tourists can explore a constantly changing landscape with all the comforts of the present.

Dunes can rise up to 300 metres high in the Omani part of Rub’ al Khali, the world’s largest expanse of sand. Photo: Andreas Drouve/dpa-tmn
Dunes can rise up to 300 metres high in the Omani part of Rub’ al Khali, the world’s largest expanse of sand. Photo: Andreas Drouve/dpa-tmn
SCMP Highlights

Hong Kong’s festive dining; music cuts dementia risks: 7 Lifestyle highlights

From Hong Kong cinema’s female action stars to must-try festive meals in Hong Kong, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting.

Art

Want to watch Tolkien illustrator John Howe as he works? Now you can

At Howe’s ‘Tower of Fantasy’ studio in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, visitors can watch him as he creates and view hundreds of his illustrations.

Tourism

Why knitters around the world love visiting Scotland’s Shetland Islands

Events like Wool Week and a deep passion for all things knitting make Scotland’s Shetland Islands a paradise for knitters and crafters.

Knitwear is seen at a shop in Scotland’s Shetland Islands. The Shetlands are famous for knitwear, and people from around the world visit to learn knitting techniques and patterns, exchange ideas with like-minded people, and, of course, to see the Shetland Islands. Photo: Verena Wolff/dpa-tmn
Year of the Horse 2026

Mongolia’s child jockeys are key to its heritage. But are they in danger?

Light and agile, children have long held the reins in Mongolian horse racing. But the hazards of the sport make it anything but child’s play.

Horse rider Dolgorsuren Batoyun (centre) is pictured as a child. Now grown up, the first woman member of Mongolia’s national polo team looks back fondly on the “cultures and customs” her father (right) taught her. Photo: Dominique Backhouse
Horse rider Dolgorsuren Batoyun (centre) is pictured as a child. Now grown up, the first woman member of Mongolia’s national polo team looks back fondly on the “cultures and customs” her father (right) taught her. Photo: Dominique Backhouse
Mainland China

China-led Asia-Pacific lifts global aviation outlook as profits set to soar

Passenger demand from China and India, eased visa rules and freight resilience drive growth as IATA forecasts record airline profits in 2026.

Tourism

How Saudi Arabia’s mountains offer authentic delights rarely found elsewhere

Far from Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 development projects, the hills of Asir province and its capital Abha offer a place to ‘clear the mind’.

Wellness

She quit her corporate job to walk 5,700km alone across America

Jessica Guo became the first woman to hike a continuous route linking the Continental Divide Trail with the Great Divide Trail.

Jessica Guo quit her job to hike across America. Her trek ended on September 19, at the northern terminus of the Great Divide Trail, at the Kakwa Lake terminus marker for the 54th parallel in Kakwa Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada. Photo: Jessica Guo
Food and Drinks

What to eat on Peng Chau, food-filled Hong Kong island great for day trips

Peng Chau is full of spots serving everything from old-school dim sum to pizza. Be sure to visit at weekends when most restaurants are open.

Alex Hung prepares dim sum at Hoi King Seafood, one of Peng Chau’s many popular restaurants. Head to the island at weekends to find delicious treats from Thai food to Hong Kong pineapple buns filled with ice cream. Photo: Kylie Knott
Alex Hung prepares dim sum at Hoi King Seafood, one of Peng Chau’s many popular restaurants. Head to the island at weekends to find delicious treats from Thai food to Hong Kong pineapple buns filled with ice cream. Photo: Kylie Knott
Asia travel

New arts venues in Shenzhen and Guangzhou, including the ‘Airpod building’

The Shenzhen Bay Culture Square and Aranya Art Centre Guangzhou show the Greater Bay Area’s ongoing efforts to become a cultural destination.

Tourism

This Japanese farm homestay lets you get involved in producing organic food

Part of the global Wwoof programme, the Sho Farm near Tokyo lets visitors get their hands dirty and learn all about organic farming.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Tourism

Egypt’s Saint Catherine town is getting an overhaul. Not everyone is happy

A US$300 million project is under way to draw tourists to the biblical mountain town, but experts fear more harm is being done than good.

Saint Catherine’s Monastery, in South Sinai, Egypt, pictured in September 2016. Hotels and other large building projects under construction in the Saint Catherine valley as part of Egypt’s “Great Transfiguration” tourism megaproject are sparking outrage among locals and heritage experts alike. Photo: AFP
Saint Catherine’s Monastery, in South Sinai, Egypt, pictured in September 2016. Hotels and other large building projects under construction in the Saint Catherine valley as part of Egypt’s “Great Transfiguration” tourism megaproject are sparking outrage among locals and heritage experts alike. Photo: AFP
Tourism

11 of the best Unesco World Heritage sites in the US to check out

The US boasts 26 Unesco World Heritage sites, some of which are globally famous, like the Grand Canyon, while others are less well known.

Asia travel

Top 10 travel trends for Hongkongers in 2026, from road trips to ‘romantasy’

Booking.com’s ‘Travel Predictions 2026’ survey also finds Hongkongers are seeking nature, thinking of their skin and open to robot help.

Asia travel

Meet the quokka, the ‘world’s happiest animal’. Just don’t touch them, please

Famed for their perpetual smiles, quokkas are found on Australia’s Rottnest Island. But if you’re going there for a selfie, follow the rules.

A quokka smiles for the camera on Rottnest Island off Australia’s west coast. Learn more about the island’s cutest residents and how to be a responsible tourist. Photo: Carola Frentzen/dpa
Tourism

‘Hawaii of Europe’: how Madeira’s hiking trails offer movie-set-worthy scenery

Hiking is a huge draw to Madeira, where Earth’s largest surviving expanse of laurel forest is inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage site.

Madeira’s Stairway to Heaven hike is one of the island’s most famous and leads to stunning views above the clouds. Photo: TNS
Madeira’s Stairway to Heaven hike is one of the island’s most famous and leads to stunning views above the clouds. Photo: TNS
Asia travel

Chinese cruise ship to Japan diverts to South Korea amid China-Japan spat

Chinese cruise operators are looking to avoid Japanese ports amid rising tensions, which is expected to spur tourism demand for South Korea.

Tourism

Interactive museum dedicated to the Shroud of Turin opens in the US

US$5 million museum features 360-degree projection rooms, Shroud of Turin replicas, interactive kiosks and a life-size sculpture of Christ.

Performing arts in Hong Kong

Sandy Lam, Placido Domingo: 5 China Greater Bay Area music shows in December

See opera legend Placido Domingo in Guangzhou, catch Sandy Lam’s New Year’s Eve show in Shenzhen, watch a Russian classical quartet and more.

Sandy Lam performs in Wenzhou in September 2025. The Hong Kong singer’s New Year’s Eve concert in Shenzhen is just one of the exciting musical events to check out in China’s Greater Bay Area this December. Photo: Instagram/sandy_lam_official
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW