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It may be tempting to hide indoors in the darker months – but there’s nothing like a stomp in the great outdoors to blow away the cobwebs. So we want to know about your favourite places in the UK for an atmospheric winter stroll. Whether it’s a bracing coastal hike, through woods sparkling with frost, over snowy mountains or a ramble to a lovely village pub, tell us what you love and why to win a holiday voucher.

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The Best Newspaper Travel Sections

Newspaper circulation and advertising revenue has taken a major hit over the past few years. That drop has been partly connected to the rise of Internet media. Despite this, a number of newspapers maintain excellent travel sections that are worth reading on a daily basis. These papers have also made a strong transition into the Internet Age with comprehensive websites. Enduring Wanderlust travel blog has compiled a list of the best travel sections for English-language newspapers:

United States

The New York Times

The Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal has the second highest daily circulation of the U.S. newspapers. Its coverage is focused primarily on U.S. and international business and financial news. Hence their heavy bent in favor of corporate and business interests.  The WSJ  also provides a wealth of information for travel-industry professionals, business travelers and consumers. The Wall Street Journal’s reporting on the airline industry is particularly comprehensive. Give The Middle Seat Terminal blog a trial run.

Los Angeles Times

Chicago Tribune

The Chicago Tribune has the eighth highest daily circulation of the U.S. newspapers. It has wide-ranging coverage of international and local travel. Online readers have access to the Tribune’s well-organized Midwest destination guides. Each destination has a section covering top attractions to go along with a list of the Chicago Tribune’s feature stories for that location. The paper has also developed a Chicago tour connected to President Barack Obama’s life in the Windy City.

United Kingdom

The Guardian has the ninth highest daily circulation of the United Kingdom newspapers. Its travel section has outstanding coverage of international and UK travel. In addition, The Guardian website has been effective with its integration of journalistic reporting and blogs that focus on the current “hot” trends in travel such as Twitter. They also have a section dedicated to readers’ tips in their coverage.

The Globe and Mail The Globe and Mail has the second highest daily circulation of Canadian papers. The Globe’s travel section has a mix of coverage including destinations, ‘tripping’ narratives, and consumer news. Their reporting has a personal feel to it since articles often focus on an individual’s experience with a place or activity. The Globe’s website is comprehensive, but their multimedia presentations are limited in comparison to the other papers on the list.

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• April 13, 2009
• In Features
• Chicago Tribune Travel Section Frugal Traveler gennaro salamone Guardian Travel Section Los Angeles Times Travel Section New York Times Travel Section The Globe and Mail Travel Section Wall Street Journal Business Travel

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29 Comments

I read the NY Times and Wall Street Journal almost everyday. Travel and other sections. They have flaws, but are the best papers in my view. Smart that many have started blogging as blog are doing well and have good coverage too.

I don’t read papers as much as I use to, but a lot fo great journalism there. Times is the best overall. Like the LA Times too. The one that’s not on the list that I read online is the Houston Chronicle. Good website.

There are a lot of really good travel blogs so newspapers would be smart to invest there. They need to find balance from there typical long features and shorter blog entries to keep reader returning.

A lot of people are shifting to Internet reading for newspapers. I use iPhone apps for the NY Times and to get other coverage in addition to reading blogs. I like the format of the Houston Chron quite a bit. Right up there with their travel section too.

I read the Tribune and Sun-Times. Both pretty good with travel. I’d agree that the latter is slightly better, but not by much. Read the New York Times too. Good stuff.

Read a few of those and I also like the Miami Herald travel section. Good coverage of the area and Latin America.

how is it the LA and Chicago papers are both the 4th highest daily circulation?

They are close, but the Tribune brings me back almost everyday. Sun-Times a couple of times a week based on their articles.

The Herald is usually ranked highly, but there seems to be less coverage of late.

Authentic Seacoast Resorts

Thanks for putting this list together. It’s interesting that we follow most of these travel sections but in different ways.

Glad to see you included a Canadian paper in your selection of the best newspaper travel sections. The Globe & Mail has always done a good job of sharing wonderful travel writing and we read always read the print edition.

We get the New York Times weekend Travel Dispatch by email. This is a great way to keep up with this great travel section even if you can’t find a copy of the Times at your local news stand.

We’re following the Guardian and Los Angeles Times travel sections on Twitter.

Four newspapers, three sources for content! We’ll have to look at adding the Tribune and Journal to our travel reading list.

@AuthenticCoast

The Tribune is the eighth highest. Typo.

@Authentic Seacoast

Good point about e-mail and Twitter. A lot of the major papers send their travel stories that way. I read articles for the Globe and Mail regularly (online). Lots of interesting articles.

I still read the actual paper everyday. The Boston Globe is my local paper and they do a nice job with travel.

Tell you the truth Gennaro I much prefer the print media when it comes to newspapers, but I reckon when referring to the travel section the Internet may have a trump card up their sleeve as they can use color photos and even video to promote certain areas.

I’ve got to disagree with the NY Times. Compared to what it once was, the travel section has gone downhill. A half page is wasted on the back with a photo (often not particularly well-shot) of someone traveling. The destinations are repeated frequently, and the quality of the writing has really declined.

I agree with Sire above. Also, with the internet / blogosphere, you’re an actively engaged reader vs. passive reader with the print media. You can comment, ask questions, reply to other people’s queries, or get answers in an INSTANT! As well, you build a community of follwers / readers / friends. It gives the PR phrase “word of mouth” a whole new meaning! One example of a successful blog is the BILL SIMMONS / ESPN partnership!

I read the Globe for New England news or travel tidbits. Solid.

I went with the print editions until the a couple of years ago. I think your point is part of the reason: photos and video. Plus it’s easier to get multiple papers with iPhone or similar, but part of me misses the actual paper.

The NY Times has been taking a lot of hits lately in all areas. The one thing I like is that they still update the travel sections daily. Most papers have cut back. When it comes to travel, papers are having a lot of trouble competing with blog which pump out a lot of interest content in a quick manner. Which papers do you prefer, if any?

@jen laceda

That’s an interesting addition in terms of the ability to comment online and become part of a community. ESPN definitely benefitted from having Simmons aboard. It might make sense for them to hire a few experienced travel bloggers for their sites.

The San Fran Chronicles’ coverage is good. I check out the LA Times to for local spots to visit. The California papers have a lot of good stories for Asia too.

Alik Levin | PracticeThis.com

Very resourceful! I do not read newspapers – there is always a chance to start reading about politics and scandals – what a drainer….. I choose a better way to catch up on traveling – my best resource so far for distant traveling is Enduring Wanderlust 😉

True. Lots of Asia coverage on the left coast.

@Alik Levin

News does thrive on the negative, for sure. Glad we’re keeping you interested.

Heather Dugan

Good list. I follow most that you’ve listed but will have to check out “The Guardian” as it’s included with some of my daily reads.

@Heather Dugan

I think you’ll enjoy it.

@Gennaro – ‘Part of me missed the actual paper’, at the risk of being crude, is that the part of you that the paper gets used on when you run out of toilet paper? 😉

Nostalgia mostly. Been reading the paper for years and years. It’s especially weird to get on the subway which was filled with people reading the newspapers. There are still some, but lots more using iPhone or Kindle.

Very insightful, I enjoyed reading.

Giovanna Garcia Imperfect Action is better than No Action

Thanks. Lots of great papers out there. Though most will slowly go digital.

lara dunston

Coming to this late – been on the road and so just catching up on you now – great piece. I’m a fan of the old-fashioned newspaper – nostalgia mainly – lots of memories from when I was younger, when (during less hectic times) we’d take the weekend newspapers to the park and spend hours with them over pastries and coffee. These days I mostly read online – and I subscribe to most of the travel sections above. I’ve definitely noticed a drop in quality in all of them sadly – mainly due to cuts to freelance budgets and more writers working from desks I expect. I’d love to see standards rise again, and I’d be happy to pay for subscriptions if that’s what it took to restore budgets and quality of journalism. It will be interesting to see what happens in years to come…

NYT’s Frugal Traveler blog is a great resource, but I have to admit that my former Sunday morning habit of perusing the travel section over coffee is a thing of the past! These days I tend to get most of my travel info from blogs and googling!

Travel Package Deals

I used to read the LA Times travel section (when I had a subscription). I recently looked at the section and they’ve changed their format and it seems much smaller. I think newspapers will soon fade out to be completely online… especially with the iPad and Kindle out.

@Richard – Think that’s true for most.

@Travel – The trasformation is happening.

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The trains and stations of the Moscow Metro

2 Comments · Posted by Alex Smirnov in Cities , Travel , Video

The Moscow Metro is the third most intensive subway system in the world after Tokyo and Seoul subways. The first line was opened on May 15, 1935. Since 1955, the metro has the name of V.I. Lenin.

The system consists of 12 lines with a total length of 305.7 km. Forty four stations are recognized cultural heritage. The largest passenger traffic is in rush hours from 8:00 to 9:00 and from 18:00 to 19:00.

Cellular communication is available on most of the stations of the Moscow Metro. In March 2012, a free Wi-Fi appeared in the Circle Line train. The Moscow Metro is open to passengers from 5:20 to 01:00. The average interval between trains is 2.5 minutes.

The fare is paid by using contactless tickets and contactless smart cards, the passes to the stations are controlled by automatic turnstiles. Ticket offices and ticket vending machines can be found in station vestibules.

Tags:  Moscow city

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Tomás · August 27, 2012 at 11:34 pm

The Moscow metro stations are the best That I know, cars do not.

Alberto Calvo · September 25, 2016 at 8:57 pm

Great videos! Moscow Metro is just spectacular. I actually visited Moscow myself quite recently and wrote a post about my top 7 stations, please check it out and let me know what you think! :)

http://www.arwtravels.com/blog/moscow-metro-top-7-stations-you-cant-miss

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The Moscow Metro Museum of Art: 10 Must-See Stations

There are few times one can claim having been on the subway all afternoon and loving it, but the Moscow Metro provides just that opportunity.  While many cities boast famous public transport systems—New York’s subway, London’s underground, San Salvador’s chicken buses—few warrant hours of exploration.  Moscow is different: Take one ride on the Metro, and you’ll find out that this network of railways can be so much more than point A to B drudgery.

The Metro began operating in 1935 with just thirteen stations, covering less than seven miles, but it has since grown into the world’s third busiest transit system ( Tokyo is first ), spanning about 200 miles and offering over 180 stops along the way.  The construction of the Metro began under Joseph Stalin’s command, and being one of the USSR’s most ambitious building projects, the iron-fisted leader instructed designers to create a place full of svet (radiance) and svetloe budushchee (a radiant future), a palace for the people and a tribute to the Mother nation.

Consequently, the Metro is among the most memorable attractions in Moscow.  The stations provide a unique collection of public art, comparable to anything the city’s galleries have to offer and providing a sense of the Soviet era, which is absent from the State National History Museum.  Even better, touring the Metro delivers palpable, experiential moments, which many of us don’t get standing in front of painting or a case of coins.

Though tours are available , discovering the Moscow Metro on your own provides a much more comprehensive, truer experience, something much less sterile than following a guide.  What better place is there to see the “real” Moscow than on mass transit: A few hours will expose you to characters and caricatures you’ll be hard-pressed to find dining near the Bolshoi Theater.  You become part of the attraction, hear it in the screech of the train, feel it as hurried commuters brush by: The Metro sucks you beneath the city and churns you into the mix.

With the recommendations of our born-and-bred Muscovite students, my wife Emma and I have just taken a self-guided tour of what some locals consider the top ten stations of the Moscow Metro. What most satisfied me about our Metro tour was the sense of adventure .  I loved following our route on the maps of the wagon walls as we circled the city, plotting out the course to the subsequent stops; having the weird sensation of being underground for nearly four hours; and discovering the next cavern of treasures, playing Indiana Jones for the afternoon, piecing together fragments of Russia’s mysterious history.  It’s the ultimate interactive museum.

Top Ten Stations (In order of appearance)

Kievskaya station.

Kievskaya Station went public in March of 1937, the rails between it and Park Kultury Station being the first to cross the Moscow River.  Kievskaya is full of mosaics depicting aristocratic scenes of Russian life, with great cameo appearances by Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin.  Each work has a Cyrillic title/explanation etched in the marble beneath it; however, if your Russian is rusty, you can just appreciate seeing familiar revolutionary dates like 1905 ( the Russian Revolution ) and 1917 ( the October Revolution ).

Mayakovskaya Station

Mayakovskaya Station ranks in my top three most notable Metro stations. Mayakovskaya just feels right, done Art Deco but no sense of gaudiness or pretention.  The arches are adorned with rounded chrome piping and create feeling of being in a jukebox, but the roof’s expansive mosaics of the sky are the real showstopper.  Subjects cleverly range from looking up at a high jumper, workers atop a building, spires of Orthodox cathedrals, to nimble aircraft humming by, a fleet of prop planes spelling out CCCP in the bluest of skies.

Novoslobodskaya Station

Novoslobodskaya is the Metro’s unique stained glass station.  Each column has its own distinctive panels of colorful glass, most of them with a floral theme, some of them capturing the odd sailor, musician, artist, gardener, or stenographer in action.  The glass is framed in Art Deco metalwork, and there is the lovely aspect of discovering panels in the less frequented haunches of the hall (on the trackside, between the incoming staircases).  Novosblod is, I’ve been told, the favorite amongst out-of-town visitors.

Komsomolskaya Station

Komsomolskaya Station is one of palatial grandeur.  It seems both magnificent and obligatory, like the presidential palace of a colonial city.  The yellow ceiling has leafy, white concrete garland and a series of golden military mosaics accenting the tile mosaics of glorified Russian life.  Switching lines here, the hallway has an Alice-in-Wonderland feel, impossibly long with decorative tile walls, culminating in a very old station left in a remarkable state of disrepair, offering a really tangible glimpse behind the palace walls.

Dostoevskaya Station

Dostoevskaya is a tribute to the late, great hero of Russian literature .  The station at first glance seems bare and unimpressive, a stark marble platform without a whiff of reassembled chips of tile.  However, two columns have eerie stone inlay collages of scenes from Dostoevsky’s work, including The Idiot , The Brothers Karamazov , and Crime and Punishment.   Then, standing at the center of the platform, the marble creates a kaleidoscope of reflections.  At the entrance, there is a large, inlay portrait of the author.

Chkalovskaya Station

Chkalovskaya does space Art Deco style (yet again).  Chrome borders all.  Passageways with curvy overhangs create the illusion of walking through the belly of a chic, new-age spacecraft.  There are two (kos)mosaics, one at each end, with planetary subjects.  Transferring here brings you above ground, where some rather elaborate metalwork is on display.  By name similarity only, I’d expected Komsolskaya Station to deliver some kosmonaut décor; instead, it was Chkalovskaya that took us up to the space station.

Elektrozavodskaya Station

Elektrozavodskaya is full of marble reliefs of workers, men and women, laboring through the different stages of industry.  The superhuman figures are round with muscles, Hollywood fit, and seemingly undeterred by each Herculean task they respectively perform.  The station is chocked with brass, from hammer and sickle light fixtures to beautiful, angular framework up the innards of the columns.  The station’s art pieces are less clever or extravagant than others, but identifying the different stages of industry is entertaining.

Baumanskaya Statio

Baumanskaya Station is the only stop that wasn’t suggested by the students.  Pulling in, the network of statues was just too enticing: Out of half-circle depressions in the platform’s columns, the USSR’s proud and powerful labor force again flaunts its success.  Pilots, blacksmiths, politicians, and artists have all congregated, posing amongst more Art Deco framing.  At the far end, a massive Soviet flag dons the face of Lenin and banners for ’05, ’17, and ‘45.  Standing in front of the flag, you can play with the echoing roof.

Ploshchad Revolutsii Station

Novokuznetskaya Station

Novokuznetskaya Station finishes off this tour, more or less, where it started: beautiful mosaics.  This station recalls the skyward-facing pieces from Mayakovskaya (Station #2), only with a little larger pictures in a more cramped, very trafficked area.  Due to a line of street lamps in the center of the platform, it has the atmosphere of a bustling market.  The more inventive sky scenes include a man on a ladder, women picking fruit, and a tank-dozer being craned in.  The station’s also has a handsome black-and-white stone mural.

Here is a map and a brief description of our route:

Start at (1)Kievskaya on the “ring line” (look for the squares at the bottom of the platform signs to help you navigate—the ring line is #5, brown line) and go north to Belorusskaya, make a quick switch to the Dark Green/#2 line, and go south one stop to (2)Mayakovskaya.  Backtrack to the ring line—Brown/#5—and continue north, getting off at (3)Novosblodskaya and (4)Komsolskaya.  At Komsolskaya Station, transfer to the Red/#1 line, go south for two stops to Chistye Prudy, and get on the Light Green/#10 line going north.  Take a look at (5)Dostoevskaya Station on the northern segment of Light Green/#10 line then change directions and head south to (6)Chkalovskaya, which offers a transfer to the Dark Blue/#3 line, going west, away from the city center.  Have a look (7)Elektroskaya Station before backtracking into the center of Moscow, stopping off at (8)Baumskaya, getting off the Dark Blue/#3 line at (9)Ploschad Revolyutsii.  Change to the Dark Green/#2 line and go south one stop to see (10)Novokuznetskaya Station.

Check out our new Moscow Indie Travel Guide , book a flight to Moscow and read 10 Bars with Views Worth Blowing the Budget For

Jonathon Engels, formerly a patron saint of misadventure, has been stumbling his way across cultural borders since 2005 and is currently volunteering in the mountains outside of Antigua, Guatemala.  For more of his work, visit his website and blog .

Photo credits:   SergeyRod , all others courtesy of the author and may not be used without permission

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Zelenskiy calls for operational changes to Ukraine military after sacking commander

President demands ‘new level of medical support for soldiers’ as questions mount over speed of counteroffensive against Russia

Volodymyr Zelenskiy has demanded rapid changes in the operations of Ukraine’s military and announced the dismissal of the commander of its medical forces.

The Ukrainian president’s move was announced on Sunday as he met defence minister, Rustem Umerov, and coincided with debate over the conduct of the 20-month-old war against Russia , with questions over how quickly a counteroffensive in the east and south is proceeding.

“In today’s meeting with defence minister Umerov, priorities were set,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. “There is little time left to wait for results. Quick action is needed for forthcoming changes.”

Zelenskiy said he had replaced Maj Gen Tetiana Ostashchenko as commander of the medical forces.

“The task is clear, as has been repeatedly stressed in society, particularly among combat medics, we need a fundamentally new level of medical support for our soldiers,” he said.

This, he said, included a range of issues – better tourniquets, digitalisation and better communication.

Umerov acknowledged the change on the Telegram messaging app and set as top priorities digitalisation, “tactical medicine” and rotation of service personnel.

Ukraine’s military reports on what it describes as advances in recapturing occupied areas in the east and south and last week acknowledged that troops had taken control of areas on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River in southern Kherson region.

Ukrainian commander in chief, Gen Valery Zaluzhny, in an essay published this month, said the war was entering a new stage of attrition and Ukraine needed more sophisticated technology to counter the Russian military.

While repeatedly saying advances will take time, Zelenskiy has denied the war is headed into a stalemate and has called on Kyiv’s western partners, mainly the United States, to maintain levels of military support.

Ostashchenko was replaced by Maj Gen Anatoliy Kazmirchuk, head of a military clinic in Kyiv.

Her dismissal came a week after a Ukrainian news outlet suggested her removal, as well as that of others, was imminent after consultations with paramedics and other officials responsible for providing support to the military.

Meanwhile on Sunday, air defence units in Moscow intercepted a drone targeting the city, mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

Sobyanin, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said units in the Elektrostal district in the capital’s east had intercepted the drone.

According to preliminary information, falling debris resulting from the operation had caused no casualties or damage, Sobyanin said.

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