Leaving an airport in the opposite direction to everyone else can pay off. From Schiphol airport in the Netherlands, going southwest rather than northeast takes you to Leiden, the Hague or Rotterdam – each a fine and distinctive city – instead of overcrowded Amsterdam. After touchdown at Hong Kong, you can get blissfully lost in the hills, forests and shores of Lantau while all the other passengers head for Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. And when you land at New York JFK and take the Airtrain airport shuttle to Jamaica station, don't follow the crowds into Manhattan; take an eastbound train the length of Long Island. The 4.48pm to Montauk marked the end of the working week for many commuters heading home from New York City. They progressively peeled off into the warm evening air at Bay Shore, Great River and five stops in a row serving the Hamptons. Few of us remained on board as the train wheezed to a halt at the end of the Long Island Rail Road, three hours east of the city. But the beach community of Montauk was just getting into its evening stride. At the mid-century Alimentari restaurant at the heart of the town, locals and visitors swigged craft ales and wolfed Italian dishes that made the most of the Atlantic setting. The next morning, I cycled to the end of the world. Well, a good six miles to the dramatic eastern tip of Long Island. New York State's oldest lighthouse occupies the final headland before Europe; stay on this latitude and you end up in the Portuguese city of Porto. Montauk was the first sight of the New World for many who came to look for America. Those of you familiar with the Paul Simon songbook may know that the singer-songwriter owned a home here on the cliff, until coastal erosion put it at risk of slip sliding away. I wandered west by all manner of transportation, including the splendid Suffolk Transit on-demand shuttle. Like an Uber, you use an app to state your location and destination, then wait for it to arrive; unlike an Uber, the maximum fare is $2.25. But I reckon more people travel by Mercedes or Range Rover in Long Island than rely on public transport. On the only occasion I hitchhiked, the brand-new 4x4 that stopped was so high off the ground that I had to pause for breath while clambering in. As you approach East Hampton, it looks a normal small town. But then you notice at the main crossroads that Prada and Louis Vuitton have supplanted Walgreen's and 7-Eleven. This is a weird and wonderful island with two distinct communities: the rich, and the people who support them as gardeners, pool technicians, chefs and nannies. It is a reality TV series waiting to be made. Fabulous wealth has, in this location, been accompanied by excellent taste. This is Gatsby territory. Some of the lavish stately homes are open to the public: Planting Fields, a Tudor Revival mansion resting in exuberant gardens close to Oyster Bay; and the even more spectacular Westbury House, America's riposte to the European manor, palazzo and chateau. Less than 30 miles away, Coney Island and Brighton Beach celebrate fun for the masses – with a reminder every couple of minutes in the shape of a passing plane that Long Island is also home to JFK airport, the main arrival point for the whole United States. |
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Room with a view: Planting Fields, near Oyster Bay on Long Island, featured in Series 3 of The Diplomat |
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| Our writer opts for a cooler break luxuriating in river swimming and chocolate sampling. Read more. |
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| 'Clarkson's Farm' is back, but his country outpost isn't the only place you should be flocking to. Read more. |
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| From wild shores and clear waters to urban gems, these stretches of sand will take your breath away. Read more. |
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The Village Spa Boutique Malta |
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After a week in America, as my bank might say, we need to talk about money. The price on the menu is only the start; sales tax of 8.75 per cent applies. In many establishments the "suggested gratuity" comes in three possible steps: 20, 25 or 30 per cent. But unless service is outstanding I stick to the socially acceptable minimum of 18 per cent. Now there's a new levy that takes the add-ons to about one-third of the price you first thought of: a credit-card surcharge of around 3.5 per cent for the temerity of paying by plastic. Yes, the US did invent the credit card, 75 summers ago. But the American economy is now reverting to cash, with some restaurants accepting only hard currency in the form of dollar bills (or, increasingly, $100 notes). When I stepped aboard the first Global Airlines eastbound flight at JFK, destination Glasgow, I was glad not to have to tip the ground staff, cabin crew or captain. Some excellent food and drink was included in my £778 return economy fare, and I would gladly pay a premium for Airbus A380 comfort if London-US scheduled flights ever begin. But a ground delay at JFK meant the plane touched down 70 minutes late. Inconveniently, that left me with just 35 minutes to exit the plane, clear passports and customs, go "landside", climb to departures level, go through security and sprint to Gate 14 – seconds before the last southbound flight of the night closed. An hour later, I have never been so glad to see the lights of Luton. I arrived home amidst the great Brexit reset. Knowing more about EU border formalities than is probably good for me, I was amazed to hear ministers imply that UK travellers would hence forth be back on the fast track through airports across Europe. But each nation decides how to operate its borders, and the main instruction from Brussels is that EU citizens should be given priority over "third country nationals" from places like Tonga, Venezuela and the UK. So as you were: hoping for the best but being prepared for long delays. But the signs are that British pets, rather than people, may soon win some freedom of movement. |
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Each week, we'll invite you to vote in our exclusive Travel Week poll, where two travel experiences go head-to-head. This Friday, we're pitting another tourist-favourite against a lesser-known rival. Just over an hour from Athens, the island of Hydra offers all the charm of its Cycladic cousin Santorini – but with fewer visitors. Where would you prefer to visit on your next trip? Last week's poll was another split vote, with 51 per cent opting for Valencia's charming old town over busy Barcelona. |
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Stopped in your tracks? Weekend rail closures |
Avanti West Coast express trains between London Euston and northwest England, North Wales and southern Scotland normally use the Trent Valley line between Rugby and Stafford. But this 51-mile stretch of fast track closes for Network Rail engineering work from tomorrow until Sunday 1 June inclusive. Trains will be routed through Birmingham, adding around an hour to journey times. If you make it as far as Crewe this weekend, your problems are only just beginning, with West Coast main line closures – and rail replacement buses – to Preston. If you thought you might try the East Midlands line between London St Pancras and Sheffield instead, think again. On Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 May, no trains will run on the stretch linking Harpenden, Luton and Bedford. For Luton airport, National Express has plenty of coach seats to and from London Victoria as of Friday morning, price £14. Heathrow airport passengers planning to use the Tube to reach central London during the Bank Holiday weekend should think again: the Piccadilly Line of the London Underground will run no further east than Hammersmith. The rest of the line through the centre of the capital to its terminus at Cockfosters is closed. |
New flights start this weekend |
Tomorrow American Airlines begins a series of departures from Edinburgh to Philadelphia, many onward destinations are available from the US hub. The route's final flight this year is on 5 October. Also tomorrow, Loganair launches Saturday-only flights from Edinburgh to Guernsey. The two-hour trip between the Scottish capital and the second-largest Channel Island will run until 13 September. Exeter airport's international links are largely supplied by Ryanair and Tui. Tomorrow the latter starts flights from Devon to Ibiza.On Sunday 25 May, BA CityFlyer launches another niche destination from London City airport: to Olbia, on the northeast shore of Sardinia. Looking further ahead: on 1 July, Manchester gets reconnected with Mumbai by IndiGo, with three flights a week from northwest England to western India. And easyJet will reopen a base at Newcastle airport in March 2026. The world's coolest second cities, from Milan to Mumbai |
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A friend of mine recently had surgery under a general anaesthetic and was told he can't fly for six months. Why is this? |
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It's not the anaesthesia that is the worry. It's the surgery, which presents some risk of the potentially fatal condition of deep vein thrombosis – especially when combined with flying. I have not heard of a grounding as long as six months, but I dare say in some circumstances that amount of caution could be appropriate. The Civil Aviation Authority offers something of a surgery tariff, saying: "Simple cataract or corneal laser surgery do not cause major complications and therefore 24 hours is an adequate gap between surgery and flying. Allow one to two days following keyhole surgery and between four and five days for simple abdominal surgery. Major chest or abdominal surgery requires a period of approximately 10 days." The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham is concerned about the duration of the flight. "Avoid long-haul travel for four weeks either side of your surgery," it tells patients who undergo serious work on the operating table. The hospital adds: "The risk of DVT within the general population is 1:1,000. This risk is increased with long journeys (more than four hours), particularly flying."Patients are also urged to "inform your surgeon of your travel plans". Airlines are keen to know if a passenger has had major medical treatment shortly before flying, not least because they don't want to have to divert flights due to a medical emergency. In any situation where health could be an issue at altitude, you should talk to the carrier. Listen to Dr Jane Wilson-Howarth talking about "the world's most dangerous creature" – the mosquito |
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| Travel in style for less – save over £80 on this Samsonite suitcase at Amazon! |
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| Heading on holiday? Grab a 2-for-1 deal on stylish sunglasses at Meller. |
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