Jack's Flight Club ✈️ Travel News & Inspiration
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As you might know by now, I'm a big fan of rail travel, and have been for a long time. In fact, while many of my schoolmates headed off for two weeks of sunshine in party town Ayia Napa after finishing high school, a smaller group of us embarked on a 5-week Interrail adventure around Europe.
We spent countless hours on beautiful train rides and saw many great cities—plenty of which I've since revisited. Much of the detail is now long forgotten, but there's one stretch of the trip that will never leave me: Hamburg–Copenhagen. Not for its views, rather for the excitement I felt in the moment our train boarded a ferry.
And the sheer novelty of a train going on a boat was enough to make me repeat the journey a few years later while living in Hamburg. But sadly, I've now learnt that the clock is ticking on my beloved rail and sail combo, because they're building a tunnel.
Instead of the 45-minute ferry crossing, plus the time it takes for the usual embarking and disembarking process, travellers will be looking at a 7-minute train trip, or 10 minutes by car.
So while some are likely looking forward to cutting their journey by 2 hours, I'm working out how many times it's reasonable to take the train that goes on a boat before the fun ends in 2029. I'm thinking at least 5.
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Happy travels and safe landings,
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Basquing In San Sebastián
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By Kash
Having travelled to more than 30 countries over the last 10+ years, Akasha's best memories live in the pages of her passport. Currently based in Ireland, when she isn't travelling, she can usually be found on a hike with her cats.
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There’s one name that keeps on popping up in our inbox: San Sebastián. We’ve been a little hesitant to talk about it, though, because we’re just not quite ready to spill the secrets of Euskadi and watch the Barcelona masses swarm.
Okay, we’ll play nice! With some of Spain’s most breathtaking scenery, it’d be rude not to share. But first, it’s important to note that this is not Spain as you know it.
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That famous Iberian sun, so potent and fierce down in Andalusia, loses its sway this far north. Here, a different force of nature guides the way, the salt-laden breeze of the Atlantic—and if you’re lucky, it’ll blow you straight to the best viewpoints!
Away from the tourist hustle, the Basque people march to the beat of their own drum. Ask any local, and they'll proudly school you on their complex history, centuries-old traditions, and fight for independence. No small feat, either! Since Palaeolithic times, they’ve witnessed numerous empires conquer and crumble, all the while remaining true to their identity and folklore.
As the summer capital for Spanish royalty, San Sebastián is superior to any other seaside city you've visited, and it knows it. Spend just one hour aimlessly strolling down Paseo de la Concha’s shell-shaped promenade, and you’ll soon know it, too.
Lined with vintage white streetlamps and ornate railings reminiscent of Belle Époque, the promenade captures San Sebastián’s essence wonderfully. Come in September and expect to find the city’s International Film Festival in full swing. It’s basically Cannes, but with better food.
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Yep, foodies, this happens to be your Mecca! With more Michelin stars per square meter than anywhere else in the world, you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to gorging on pintxos—the Basque answer to tapas. Simply follow your nose, or this map!
Expect a language lesson over a shared platter though, it’s not just Spanish that rolls off the tongue here but Euskara, a language long puzzling historians for bearing no relation to any other living language!
You also shouldn’t come all this way north and not visit Bilbao! For everything San Sebastián is, Bilbao is not. And that’s precisely why we love it.
On the surface, it’s your average sprawl—but it’s got character in spades. Once remembered as a grim industrial wasteland, it's now one of Spain's most vibrant cities, (and the epitome of urban evolution) home to an under-the-radar arts scene and yes, you’ll find a few Michelin stars here too.
The credit for the city’s rebirth? That's a big topic. But the Guggenheim Museum gets most of the praise. A work of art in itself, this gigantic titanium structure houses over 600 pieces of contemporary art.
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Continuing along the riverfront leads you to Casco Viejo, the old quarter. Its colourful buildings and historic Seven Streets are undoubtedly the part of town to get lost in. Or you can take a more structured approach on one of the many free walking tours fuelled by, you guessed it, pintxos and a heavy helping of history.
It would be easy to call it quits after a culture-induced coma courtesy of the Basque region’s buzzing cities, but it’d be a crime not to venture further. You’ve got some of the country’s best scenery on your doorstep, including the Spanish Pyrenees and The Bay of Biscay. Rent a car, roll a die, and follow the road. There’s no wrong direction here!
If fate points west, you’ve not only got País Vasco at your fingertips, but also the lush Cantabrian coastline, Galicia’s famous camino and traditional fishing villages, and the refreshing sidrerías of Asturias. The road east opens up rugged coastal panoramas and top-notch surfing spots before a quick border hop into the French Basque Country.
Then again, you could (and should) make your way south to Vitoria-Gasteiz, capital of the Basque region in Spain. Its medieval streets, friendly locals and green spaces are worth the detour. And it just happens to sit on the Rioja Alavesa wine route, too. Come in June to experience the region in full swing, just don’t bring your best summer whites…
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How to reach San Sebastián: Several airports across the UK and Europe offer flights to the Basque Country, however, they primarily head to Bilbao on the Spanish side and Biarritz on the French. The good news is that both of these airports are within just a couple of hours’ drive of San Sebastián.
San Sebastián itself has fewer direct international connections, serving only London year-round and a summer route to Edinburgh. Both routes are operated by British Airways. easyJet run non-stop routes to both Bilbao and Biarritz, while Vueling join them in Bilbao and Ryanair in Biarritz.
From further afield, the best way to get straight to those pintxos is with a connection in Madrid or Barcelona. Iberia flies from the capital three times daily, or you can pick up a low-cost connection with Vueling after spending a few days with Gaudí.
What would you like to see featured in The Detour? No travel question is too big or small for our globetrotting experts!
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Solstice Celebrations Around The Globe
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By Katy
A seasoned budget traveller, Editor Katy has already been to every country in the EU, and is gradually ticking off the rest of the world - when she can bear to leave her cats.
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It's that time of year again, when hilarious dads across Scotland pipe up with the phrase, "The nights are fair drawing in."
Don't worry, you didn't blink and suddenly wake up in October. In fact, we in the Northern Hemisphere have just experienced the earliest summer solstice in 228 years! Unfortunately, that does mean those daylight hours will start to wane again soon.
Midsummer has been celebrated around the solstice for thousands of years, historically marking the change in the season and crop rotations. And while it may not be a major event in most people's calendars these days, some ancient traditions live on around the world. You’ll be glad to know that they don’t usually get so gruesome as you may have seen on the big screen…
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Sweden
Pagan cults aside, midsummer is usually a very light-hearted affair in Sweden. Just be sure to come hungry—and if you’re not a fan of pickled herring, you best just stay at home.
Much like a typical Christmas celebration, revellers come together to spend their day grazing and enjoying a tipple with friends and family. The typical feast involves fish and new potatoes (and probably a healthy dose of dill), all washed down with some local aquavit. Warning, it’ll put hairs on your chest!
But you shouldn’t just pop round to a friend’s house for this one. Most Swedes escape to the countryside to do midsummer right, but even just finding a park and bringing a picnic is a good place to start if you’ve not got an invitation elsewhere!
For a truly traditional experience, head into the countryside north of Stockholm until you hit Dalarna. Against a backdrop of lakes and traditional wooden houses, a procession of historic boats kicks off the celebrations, before thousands gather to dance around a maypole and wear flowers in their hair.
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Austria
For hundreds of years, Austrians in the region of Tyrol have been celebrating the summer solstice by lighting up the alpine mountaintops with bonfires, in a tradition that stretches from the German border to South Tyrol in northern Italy.
Alongside your standard piles of sticks and flames, many people build bonfires to represent symbols. You’ll often spot hearts and crosses to celebrate the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and an oath that was sworn to protect them from invading French troops in 1796.
Ascending into the alps on a cable car is undoubtedly the most spectacular way to take in the surrounding glow. Innsbruck makes it a whole night of entertainment, with food, music and folklore, as well as a torchlit hike.
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Mexico & Guatemala
While most summer solstice celebrations take place in Europe, I’d be remiss not to give Mexico and Guatemala a shout-out here. The ancient Maya sure played the long game when it came to honouring the sun. Not only were their cities sturdy enough to endure the ages, they also constructed many of their buildings to perfectly align with the sun.
During the summer solstice, the Temple of Kukulcan at Chichén Itzá is cast into shadow on the south and west sides, making it appear as though it were split in two. Likewise, the main temple at the ruins of Tulum is thought to have been built in such a way that the solstice sunrise will shine directly through a series of windows.
Naturally, these feats of engineering continue to impress, with onlookers flocking to the ancient sites to catch them in their perfect light. But other celebratory Maya rituals still take place across both countries, too, involving bonfires, ceremonial chanting and offerings.
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Structures built in alignment with the sun will no doubt sound familiar to many of you, with Stonehenge being one of the UK’s most obvious picks for a solstice destination. For somewhere a little less crowded, check out the elliptical hole of Malta’s prehistoric Ħaġar Qim, or peer carefully through the window of Casa Rinconada at Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico.
And in case you still haven’t worked out how to spend next year’s longest day, perhaps these pics will help!
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All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across the web this week.
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- If you're looking for the most joy-filled city break possible in 2024, pack your bags for Aarhus!
- Introducing some of the world's most accessible and inclusive destinations.
- What better mascot to represent the Paris Olympics than... a hat?
- And finally, it's been another week in which we've seen exactly how stupid tourists can be.
First up, a parkour group from London have found themselves under fire after posting a video from a recent trip to the ancient Italian town of Matera—not least because it shows him jumping on a stone ledge that breaks off under his weight.
Next, a visitor to Yellowstone National Park has not only been banned from visiting for two years and fined $1,500, he also got sentenced to seven days in jail! Why? Simple: he strayed from the path… and straight towards the most dangerous geyser in the world!
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