travel

I WAKE up to what sounds like thunder shaking the walls of my hotel room.

As I open a porthole-style window, a rollercoaster roars past, just yards from my face.

Not your average wake-up call.

But nothing about this place is average – I’m in Rookburgh, a gritty, smoke-filled steampunk world inside Phantasialand, which is one of Germany‘s most impressive theme parks.

This place, in Bruhl near Cologne, is famous for its attention to detail, next-level rides and the kind of immersive lands that make you feel like you’ve stumbled into another world.

And that doesn’t stop at the rides – even the accommodation is part of the show.

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I’m staying in the Charles Lindbergh Hotel, a retro-futuristic airship terminal.

Wrapped around the hotel like a giant steel snake is F.L.Y. – the world’s only launched flying rollercoaster.

What really makes it unique is the way in which you board.

You are strapped in while the track is on its side, almost like a sideways train.

Then, as you roll out of the station, the seats slowly rotate and the track shifts above you, flipping you into a face-down ‘flying’ position.

There’s no slow climb, just a powerful launch that catapults you face-first through tunnels, over rooftops and past steamy vents and water features that feel just inches away from your feet.

As you step out of Rookburgh, you’re greeted by the park’s entrance zone, named Berlin and it couldn’t feel more different, with quaint streets, fancy facades and a classic carousel.

You’ll find ice-cream parlours, food carts and flower-lined walkways, with plenty of seating if you need a breather.

Once you’re feeling ready for some more adrenaline-inducing rides, head over to the adjoining Mexico zone.

Mariachi music drifts through the air and the main attraction here is Chiapas – a log flume that is themed on a lost Mayan world.

It looks like a family ride but don’t be fooled.

There’s a 53-degree drop, which is one of the steepest of its kind in the world and then there’s a mix of tunnels, waterfalls, twists and turns so you never know what’s coming next.

Next door is the Talocan ride, which is even more intense.

It’s a Top Spin ride set in a Mayan temple, with fire blasts and water bursts all around you.

Just a short walk from the Mexico zone is the land of Klugheim, a village carved from rock.

It’s dark and moody, and home to what is considered to be one of the world’s best rollercoasters, called Taron.

With two powerful launches, it throws me straight into high-speed twists and tight turns, hugging the ground and darting along at speeds of up to 73mph.

Just around the corner from the jagged rocks of Klugheim is the Mystery zone – a medieval fantasy world with stone towers and crumbling castle walls designed around a forest theme.

The main draw here is Mystery Castle, an indoor drop-ride built into an ancient fortress.

It’s dark inside, with flickering lights and echoing sounds.

Once I’m strapped in, I’m launched upward with serious force and then suddenly dropped without warning.

It’s intense and over quickly, but terrifying while it lasts.

I jump on the neighbouring River Quest ride next, which features wild rapids with a twist.

Instead of you slowly bobbing around, an elevator platform takes your raft high up into a tower before plunging you downwards into dizzying drops gushing with water.

I dry off while exploring the nearby Wuze Town, which is part of the mystical Fantasy area and filled with rides for all ages.

The standout attractions here are Winja’s Fear and Winja’s Force, which are two spinning coasters running side by side but with different layouts.

They twist, turn, tilt and spin at random with sections of the track that suddenly drop mid-ride.

Before leaving the park, swing by Deep in Africa, which has a jungle theme set to a drumming soundtrack with dusty terrains and exotic plants.

This area is home to Hotel Matamba.

Built more for families, this lodge has tribal decor and views over Black Mamba – an inverted coaster hidden among foliage that hugs the scenery so tightly it feels as if you might hit it.

If you’re after a more upmarket stay, consider Hotel Ling Bao – an impressive Chinese temple-styled hotel with sit-down restaurants serving authentic noodle dishes.

It borders the gorgeous China Town, my favourite area of the park.

With red temples, koi ponds and hanging lanterns, it offers a lovely, calming break away from the crowds.

Because of the amazing theming throughout Phantasialand, you don’t just travel around the world, you travel through time.

One minute I’m flying around a steampunk airfield, the next I’m spinning through a medieval fantasy world or diving into a jungle temple.

In just one day, it felt like I’d done six holidays‘ worth of exploring and all without ever leaving the park.

Ryanair has direct flights from the UK to Cologne from £19.99 one-way.

Trains run regularly to Bruhl, with a shuttle bus to the park or a taxi takes under 30 minutes from Cologne Bonn Airport.

One-day tickets start from £27 for adults, £26 for kids aged four to 11 and free for children under four.

On-site hotels include Charles Lindbergh (short-stay cabins), Matamba (family-friendly), and Ling Bao (high-end).

Rooms start from €150 (£130) per night and packages include park entry.

In other theme park news, the UK’s ‘largest free-entry theme park’ at risk of closing forever.

Plus, the UK’s strangest (and coolest) theme park launches new ‘crazy trikes’ attraction for 2026.

TRAVELLERS are facing major disruption as one of Europe’s busiest airports was forced to shut today due to freezing rain and black ice.

The shutdown has left passengers stranded and flights grounded as crews battle to make runways safe amid worsening winter conditions.

According to FlightAware, around 170 flights at Berlin Brandenburg Airport have been cancelled in the last 24 hours.

Operations came to a sudden standstill on Thursday at 6pm CET, with the airport saying on its website: “Due to weather conditions, no take-offs or landings are currently possible.”

The airport remains closed today as adverse weather conditions continue to disrupt transport across north Germany.

Berlin Brandenburg Airport said in a statement: “We currently have freezing rain and black ice and cannot yet predict when takeoffs and landings will be possible.

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“Passengers need to be patient and expect significant delays and cancellations.”

British Airways and EasyJet cancelled some of their morning services from London airports to Berlin.

Lufthansa also scrapped a number of flights in and out of the city.

German weather service DWD warned of “significant slipperiness” caused by icy conditions spanning Berlin to the Baltic Coast and Polish border.

Forecasters were uncertain about when travel disruptions might ease, with the cold snap anticipated to continue across northwest Europe into next week.

Germany’s national railway operator Deutsche Bahn said train service between Berlin and Hanover have also been affected by the icy weather.

When you read about Jason Mantzoukas’ ideal Sunday in Los Angeles, it’s important that you imagine him holding a cup of coffee in basically every location and situation. He knows all the places around the city where he can get caffeinated before he goes on to do anything else.

In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.

Fittingly, the actor, comedian and podcaster has brought an excitable, unpredictable and hilarious energy to his roles on shows including “The League,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Big Mouth.” Last year, he brought his gleeful sense of mischief to the U.K. competition series “Taskmaster.” And Disney+ recently finished airing the second season of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” where Mantzoukas portrays Mr. D (a.k.a. Dionysus), and he’ll soon wrap up a stint on Broadway, where he stars in Simon Rich’s play “All Out: Comedy About Ambition.”

For the continuously busy Mantzoukas, sometimes the perfect Sunday means never leaving the house. “All I want to do is make a whole pot of coffee, get the paper and a big stack of unread comic books, and sit on the porch.” When he does explore the city, he favors the spots where he similarly can just hang out for a while. But before that, how about a refill?

10:30 a.m.: First cup(s) of the day

I’m a night owl, so on a Sunday especially, I’m going to let myself sleep in. Then I’m making coffee. My first three cups of coffee are all from home. I’m making a French press. L.A. beans though, either Counter Culture or Go Get Em Tiger would be my beans of choice. That and the newspaper are the beginning.

Almost immediately upon getting up, I’m going to start playing the radio. My mornings are either LAist or Howard Stern if it’s a weekday. But on Sundays, I’m trying really hard to not do any talk, just music. It’s KJazz, or something like that. I’m also obsessed with a radio station called WYAR that I can’t recommend enough. It’s music from the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s. It’s the teeniest, tiniest radio station out of Yarmouth, Maine.

Noon: Hike bros

I’ve hiked with the same guys for years now. It’s all guys that I’ve done comedy with for 20-plus years. We usually do one of the Griffith Park hikes because it’s convenient for everybody. The conversation topics are: What is wrong with us physically? What doctor recommendations do we need desperately? Then it is gossip — gossip from within our world, gossip from outside of our world. Then it is just earnest conversation, like checking in emotionally. And then quite a bit of dumb bits, like really dumb bits.

We do these hikes a couple of times a week, and it’s so fun and funny that we have started doing an improv show at the Elysian Theater that’s called Hike Bros. It is just us trying to approximate on stage what it is we do on hikes. It’s ridiculous.

1 p.m.: Comic book restock

After the hike, I’m in a good position to go to Secret Headquarters in Atwater Village, which is my home comic book shop. They keep a list of what comics I want them to set aside each week.

There’s a series of graphic novels called “Hobtown Mystery Stories” that are like, what if David Lynch wrote Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew-style teen detective books? I got super into them because I was in Secret Headquarters and one of the people there was like, “Oh, I bet you’d like that book.” On the internet, I miss having those trusted people.

2 p.m.: Recording digging

I want to kill time in a way that is about discovery, exploration, but also, like, “Oh, I want stuff.” That’s record shopping. L.A. has always been Amoeba for me, just in terms of I love wasting hours in a store that has a deep bench for every section of music that I’m interested in. And then if you want to do the extra work, DVDs as well. There’s a lot of great smaller record stores around town that I love, but there’s something about killing two hours at Amoeba.

6 p.m.: Dinner hang

What I want from an L.A. dinner is I just want to hang there. Little Dom’s is a great hang. You can spend hours there. You’re always going to run into people. My hope is that we can all just hang out and that we’re not going to be rushed out because they have another seating.

8 p.m.: Nighttime activities

I’m going to want to do one of three things at night:

I want to go to the movies, and I’m talking Vidiots and the Vista and the New Beverly. We can all go to all the regular theaters and see all the blockbusters, but L.A. has fantastic theaters that are doing incredible programming,

If I’m not going to the movies, I want to see live music as much as I can, but on a much smaller scale than I used to. I’m excited when an artist that I love like Mary Lattimore or Jeff Parker has a residency at Zebulon because I’m like, “Oh, great. That is not a big crowd. That is very easy, very manageable.”

Then I either want to be doing a comedy show or seeing a comedy show. There’s such a vibrant scene now. The Elysian in Frogtown is a great spot. We do Dinosaur Improv at Largo. I think Largo is pound for pound, maybe the best venue in town. Dynasty Typewriter, another great one. UCB, the OG. Over the course of a month, these are all places that I’m doing shows at, but these are also places that are showcasing some of the best comedy in L.A.

11 p.m.: The missing piece

At this point I’m done being social. I don’t want to talk to anybody anymore. My goal when I get home is a jigsaw puzzle — with either a podcast or jazz on in the background — until probably like 2 in the morning.

I do these puzzles from a company called Elms Puzzles and they’re hand cut, so they’re incredibly difficult to do. It’ll take me a month to do one. They are prohibitively expensive, so much so that I don’t buy them. They have a rental program. They send you a puzzle, you do it, you send it back to them, and they send you another puzzle. Which is perfect, I don’t need to do a puzzle more than once.

It is a great way to put myself into a frame of mind to go to bed, especially if I’ve done a show or watched a movie. If I’ve been stimulated, doing a puzzle for a couple of hours is a great way to decompress.

EVER travelled with Ryanair and had to upgrade your fare to include more luggage? Well, you could be spending more than you need to.

Even though Ryanair is a budget airline, when it comes to booking a flight, if you want anything more than a small bag under the seat in front of you, you have to upgrade.

The same goes for if you are travelling as a group and want to sit together.

But, new findings by Which? have revealed you might actually be spending more money when you upgrade your fare, instead of just booking the most basic ticket and adding the extras on afterwards.

When you are booking a flight with Ryanair, a banner often appears stating that “Regular is ideal for your trip”.

This Regular fare is different to Basic, as it includes priority boarding, carry-on luggage and free standard seat selection.

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However, on around 30 checks over the last two years, Which? found that if they had followed Ryanair‘s advice – choosing its more expensive Regular fare rather than Basic – it would have actually only been cheaper in one instance.

Every other time it would have been cheaper to book Basic and add the extras individually.

Which? also looked at 15 flights to a range of locations for travel this month and again found that only once was the Regular ticket cheaper.

Often the Regular fare was more expensive by just a pound, but sometimes it was much more.

For example, for flights for a family of four from London Stansted to Alicante, it would have cost £61 more to choose Regular rather than Basic, for exactly the same priority boarding, cabin bags and seat selection.

Flights from Manchester to Marrakesh with a Regular fare were £45.50 more.

Instead, Which? found that if you choose Basic and just add bags and seat selection yourself later in the booking process, it works out cheaper.

If a family of four choose to book the airline’s Basic fare with four cabin bags – instead of eight with the Regular fare – then they could save £163.

It is worth noting though that the Basic fare (not with the add-ons) does have strict bag rules where your bag must fit under the seat in front and cannot measure more than 40cm x 30cm x 20cm.

If your bag is bigger than this and they spot it at the gate you could face an additional fee between £46 and £60.

If you do add cabin luggage, the same strict rules apply.

Cabin luggage must measure a maximum of 55cm x 40cm x 20cm – but if it is bigger than this, you could be charged an extra £70 to £75.

People have even been caught out in the past by a zip or handle, so it is worth being within the measurements.

And this isn’t the only way to save when booking with Ryanair…

Which? claims that passengers should also ignore Ryanair’s Plus fare, where passengers get a 20kg suitcase and seat selection.

On a summer London Stansted to Malaga route, Which? found it was actually £35 cheaper for a family of four to choose Basic and add the extras later.

Last year, the airline denied that it’s cheaper to buy the Basic fare with the extras, than use its Regular or Plus fares.

Which? asked again in February 2026 and the airline said it had nothing further to add.

And as for the Family Plus option – it isn’t needed for most families.

When Which? checked the price for two adults, a teenager and a four-year-old to travel to Alicante, they found that it would be £260 extra for the Family Plus option.

Instead, if they booked a Basic ticket and added seat selection, three 10kg cabin bags and a larger, 20kg suitcase to check-in, they would’ve paid £45
less.

Ryanair’s Flexi Plus offering has a similar story.

This fare allows you to change your flight without a fee as well as the option to choose your seat, more legroom, fast track through security and two cabin bags.

Which? found that this would cost an extra £354 for a couple flying from London to Alicante; the same extras (but without the flight change allowance) bought separately would cost £186 – a saving of £168.

Other advice Which? has for passengers travelling with Ryanair is to not add the airline’s travel insurance as it is unlikely to be tailored to your needs and could be more expensive.

Similarly, passengers should not let Ryanair do their currency conversion.

When you book a flight with Ryanair, the fare will be shown in the currency of the country you are departing from.

For example, if you were heading back from Spain it would be in euros.

The airline then converts the fare into pounds, but it is often charged at a terrible exchange rate, meaning you could be paying more for your flight.

You can opt out of Ryanair’s automatic conversion rate, but it isn’t the easiest process.

After you enter your card number, a figure will appear that shows the conversion rate.

There is then a small arrow downwards, with the question: “Want to
learn more about our guaranteed exchange rate?”

If you click on the arrow, another message appears: “If you do not wish to accept the exchange rate, you can pay in the currency of the flight and have the currency converted by your Payment Service Provider.

“However, bear in mind that the rate you receive from your bank is not guaranteed and is subject to daily fluctuations, which could result in a significantly different cost for you.”

There is then also a pre-ticked box, with the message: “We recommend you do not untick the checkbox so that you receive our guaranteed exchange rate.”

Which? recommends that travellers ignore this and untick the box, leaving the exchange rate to be calculated by your bank.

Since 2017, Which? has found that the bank rate has always been better.

However, Ryanair told Which? that this claim is false and said that its currency conversion is competitive.

Another piece of advice is to consider checking in a 20kg bag, instead of taking two 10kg bags.

If you are not bothered by priority boarding, it can work out cheaper to check in one 20kg suitcase than having two 10kg hand luggage bags and priority boarding.

Which? found that this method was £3.50 cheaper on a route to Alicante in 2026.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel said: “Ryanair’s low cost fares may look tempting, but make sure you have a calculator with you when you book.

“By the time you’ve paid extra for basics like cabin bags or simply sitting next to your own family, the headline price quickly unravels – and other airlines can work out cheaper.

“It pays to do your own research.”

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Ryanair has branded the cheaper travel advice ‘fake news’

Ryanair passengers are being encouraged to follow strategies to reduce their travel costs, though the airline has dismissed these suggestions as “fake news”. Consumer watchdog Which? claims its research indicates that travellers may be paying more than necessary.

According to Which?, families could potentially save upwards of £100 on their next Ryanair journey by simply disregarding the airline’s “recommended” fare option. When booking a summer getaway from London to Alicante for a family of four, Ryanair promoted its “Regular” fare as the “ideal” selection.

But opting for this would have cost £59 more than choosing the “Basic” fare and manually adding identical seats and baggage later during the booking process, Which? claims. The article goes on to say: “If our family decided that we could get by with four cabin bags instead of the eight included in Ryanair’s ‘Regular’ fare, then we could reduce the fare by £163 from Ryanair’s recommendation.”

It added: “The Regular fare comes with priority boarding, carry-on luggage and free standard seat selection included, but on around 30 checks over the past two years we’ve only once found it cheaper. We looked at 15 flights to a range of locations in February 2026 and only once was the Regular ticket cheaper, even if we wanted all those extras.”

Ryanair is not impressed. A spokesperson for the airline told Sky News: “This is more fake news from Which? Thankfully no one reads, or takes any notice of Which’s fake recycled news articles or your spurious ‘advice’, as our traffic growth from 200 million to 208 million passengers in 2025 proves.”

WALKING back from her daily shop Beth Maitland, 32, isn’t worried about traffic jams, beeping horns or the cost-of-living crisis.

She’s more concerned about a local elephant trying to steal her bag of fruit.

It’s Beth’s ‘new normal’ since fleeing Britain over twelve months ago to begin her new life in Thailand, where rent is a fifth of the price, a dinner out costs just two quid, her front garden is a beach and her backyard rice paddies overlooked by a mountain range.

Thailand is routinely voted one of the top twelve destinations for Brit tourists where the pound goes a long way.

It’s estimated 55,000 Brits, from backpackers to retirees, have chosen to bail out of Britain, trading cold, gloomy weather for the tropical paradise and beaches known as the Land of Smiles.

Relocations have soared by a staggering 255 per cent since 2018, driven by Thailand’s Long-Term Residence or LTR visa which offers 10-year residency with tax exemption.

Beth, a former NHS maternity support staffer moved from Plymouth, Devon to the island oasis of Koh Samui in southern Thailand in March last year.

Talking exclusively to The Sun, Beth revealed: “I rent a two-bedroom cottage in the jungle, there are rice fields on one side, jungle on the other and it’s 15 minutes to the beach. From the roof I can check out the surf or plan a mountain hike in the other direction.

“If I paid the price I was paying in the UK, which was £700 for a studio flat in Plymouth, I could get a four-bedroom house with five bathrooms, a pool and a garden on the island’s outskirts with elephants as neighbours.

“The first month converting pounds to Thai currency – the Baht – was a nightmare and so was finding the perfect place to live. 

“Now it’s like I have lived here all my life. I am always shocked at how cheap food, accommodation and transport is compared to Britain. 

“The cost of living is so cheap I eat out for lunch and dinner every day. I haven’t had a ready meal since I moved here.

“Everything except British food is cheaper. For the first time in a decade, I feel I have a positive future, can buy a home, and achieve my career goals.”

Millennial Beth grew up in Plymouth and loved surfing in the summer months when the weather was good enough. 

She spent the next seven years working twelve-hour shifts as a nursing home assistant in Exeter before spending six months backpacking in Australia and Asia.

“I felt inspired by the Asian culture but thought I’d never be able to work or move there.

“I came back home in December 2019 to miserable winter weather and started work as an NHS maternity support staffer.”

Brighter future

When Covid hit, Beth says she found herself re-examining her life.

“Working during lockdown for the NHS was a privilege but it took its toll. I lost friends and patients.”

When the cost-of-living crisis hit Beth felt overwhelmed by work and a feeling her future wouldn’t be the one she wanted if she stayed in Britain.

“After rent and bills were paid, I was saving no money at all. When I hit 30, I knew if I didn’t act, I’d been in the same place with no savings when I hit 40. I couldn’t let history repeat.

“The government wasn’t offering young people like me hope. My friends could only buy a house if their parents helped.

“Other friends were marrying and having children admitting that they felt the goals they wanted for their twenties were no longer possible.”

It was when two of her close friends left to become digital nomads in Thailand and Bali in January 2024 Beth was inspired to act, realising she had a choice – commit to miserable weather, rising prices and a job in the NHS which wasn’t offering career development, or take a gamble, pursue a new career and move to Asia herself.

“Many of my work colleagues were shocked,” she says. “They couldn’t comprehend moving overseas, let alone to Thailand.

“It was terrifying and exciting for me but having friends living and working there already kept me going.” 

Beth isn’t the only millennial making the life-changing decision to flee to a new country instead of settling down and concentrating on their career here.

I sometimes think I have a career and life whiplash at the speed and dramatic change which occurred

Beth

The Currencies Direct’s British Expat Report 2024 revealed nearly 40 per cent of Brits are considering moving overseas due to the cost of living while a fifth, like Beth, feel a fresh start in another culture would be beneficial for their wellbeing and mental health.

And it’s the young who are leading the great British brain drain, and more than a third of people under 24 are planning to leave Britain in the next five years. 

Dramatic change

After a tip from a friend based in Thailand, Beth applied online as a full-time travel manager running group tours.

Just two Zoom interviews later and she was offered the job and within two months was living and working in Thailand.

Beth says even she was shocked by how quickly her life changed.

“I sometimes think I have a career and life whiplash at the speed and dramatic change which occurred.”

She explains: “I used to work part-time at holiday camps during my teenage years. As a maternity support worker, I was good at helping people before, during and after labour with all ranges of problems. 

Now two weeks of every month Beth travels with 30 holiday makers, overseeing their organised tour of Thailand’s islands and regional areas.

“Imagine running a creche on wheels for people of all ages and from all different countries on their first overseas holiday. I love it,” she says. 

“There is never a dull moment. People want to know if we are there yet, where the meet up point is, what the Wi-Fi code is, if they need sunblock, can they borrow a charger and when we are stopping for food. Or the loo.

“I must be a mother, nurse and organiser. I tell people making kittens and squirrels walk in a straight line is often easier.”

Beth then gets two weeks off and either spends time at her rented cottage or using it as a base to travel to other Asian countries.

She pays £150 a month rent for the two-bedroom countryside cottage which includes her water, electricity and air conditioning, as well as use of communal pool and gym.

“There are ten cottages and it’s full of long-term Brits based here. My phone bill is £20 a month and I share it with a friend.”

Beth says she now rarely cooks because the price of food at local restaurants and roadside food carts is so cheap.

My diet has improved dramatically. I haven’t had a microwave meal since I moved here. It’s fresh fruit and vegetables every day

Beth

“I have fruit or cereal for breakfast. I eat lunch and dinner out. It costs £2 for lunch or £3 for dinner. I usually grab stir fry, curry, Thai soup or rice dishes as well as a dessert, usually a sorbet, fruit platter or ice-cream.

“My diet has improved dramatically. I haven’t had a microwave meal since I moved here. It’s fresh fruit and vegetables every day.”

Cheap living

Grocery shopping isn’t the weekly trek to the supermarket like it is in Britain.

“I go to the local markets and buy bags of fruit and fresh meat if I plan to cook, which isn’t often.

“A pint of milk costs the equivalent of 56p, a large loaf of white bread is around 90p, a dozen eggs are 90p, a half a kilo of red meat is £7, chicken is just £1.85 a kilo. Cheese is the most expensive item costing £7 to £8 for half a kilo.”

Beth admits she does miss her British staples and those that are available come at a price.

“HP sauce costs £6 a bottle, Heinz Baked Beans are an eye watering £4.50 while a Lindt chocolate bar sets you back a fiver,” she says.

“I usually grab bread, milk, some cheese and a huge bag of vegetables and fruit for a fiver. Fortunately, good quality tea bags only cost £1 for a box here.”

Beth says wine is expensive costing £12 to £15 a bottle but local beers cost £1-£1.20 for a half litre bottle and cocktails are between £2 and £3.50, depending on the spirits you choose.

“If you go to a five-star hotel you will pay more. 

“Gym membership is £22 a month and a trip to a foreign cinema is £5.60 if you are missing home.

“I had to hunt down a good cafe for a cappuccino and it costs £1.70 for a catch up with my mates. I was paying £5.60 for a posh coffee at Starbucks in the UK, I can’t believe it.”

Beth says she doesn’t need a car and uses the local car or bike service called ‘Grab’, which is similar to Uber, to book travel online.

“A bike, which means I am a pillion passenger, is 50p and a taxi is around 78p a mile.

The standard of health care is better than Britain

Beth

“When I first moved here, I refused to use the motorbike ‘cab’ – now it’s second nature.

“If you do own or rent a car it costs 96p a litre to fill up the tank. A new Toyota Corolla sedan costs on average £19k new.”

Beth says if you have children private preschool starts at £275 a month per child and the private international primary school begins at £4,500 a year.

“I was stunned by the brilliant quality of healthcare available here in Thailand. When there was no delay to see a dentist or doctor I was gobsmacked. 

“The standard of health care is better than Britain.” 

Beth recently paid £50 to see a dental hygienist and £150 for a tooth extraction and filling. Back home I’d either be forced to wait one or two years to get an NHS dentist or pay more than £500 plus for the dental work.

Dinner splurges

According to financial website livingcost.org, Britain is ranked as the 11th most expensive country in the world while Thailand is the 114th most expensive.

Beth told us: “The cost of living is a lot cheaper – from shopping, to petrol, accommodation to food.

“If my friends and I went out for a splurge dinner, that costs us around a tenner for food and drinks all night plus the cab home.”

Beth usually buys her clothes at the local market but if she wants a retail hit H&M have stores in Thailand.

“If it gets hot, I peel off a layer. It can get cold during the equivalent of the winter months, and I pop on a sweater.

“It’s the wet season that causes problems but you learn to keep umbrellas handy.”

According to Beth, Thailand is now extra popular on the backpacking must-visit list with marijuana being legalised.

I feel calmer, more centred, and less stressed living here than I did in Britain

Beth

“Holiday makers are often shocked that pot cafes exist and pot is legally sold here,” she said.

Many of my thirty-something friends are moving here because Thailand is well known for its amazing spiritual and mental health clinics and holidays.

“It’s a very spiritual country. For people in their thirties moving here often means setting up wellbeing businesses or mediation and other fitness styled retreats.

“I feel calmer, more centred, and less stressed living here than I did in Britain,” she said.

“Everyone is meditating or trying a new yoga or healthy living trend.

“It’s a way many Brits not only embrace a new way of living, but a new career counselling or operating healing centres others move here to set up online businesses.”

Beth loves her new career path and says she is saving to buy a property on Koh Samui. 

“You can spend £70k for a basic three-bedroom apartment with four bathrooms, a communal pool and a countryside view. 

“When you consider that wouldn’t get me a static caravan in Britain it’s a brilliant option.”

Beth admits she misses her family and friends.

“I was homesick for the first six weeks. I try to come back to Britain once or twice a year.

“Once you make a few friends, join the various social media groups for expats and get yourself into a routine it becomes a new normal.

“I have hope again. I thought I would never feel this way. It turns out sun, surf and wrangling tourists is the perfect tonic.”

FOR dolphin spotting, Blue Flag coastlines, and cafés right on the beach, head to Tynemouth.

This pretty town has also just been named one of the best places to live in the North East.

Tynemouth, as its name suggests, is situated right by the mouth of the river Tyne, along the North East coastline.

Now, it’s been named as one of the top places to live in the region by Garrington Property Finders.

Out of 1447 places around the country, Tynemouth in Northumberland ranked at number 85.

However, when totted up with other locations in the North East – it came out sixth.

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Tynemouth sits between Whitley Bay and North Shields and is home to one of the best beaches in the area called Longsands.

The beach has a mile of golden sand, has been awarded Blue Flag status, and is known for having excellent surfing conditions.

One recent visitor wrote on Tripadvisor: “Lovely sand, clean. Plenty of people seen swimming, playing, boarding and walking so it’s popular but not packed.”

Another added: “Beautiful beach that’s dog friendly – loads of nice bars and coffee shops within walking distance. Stunning year around.”

Dogs are generally welcome on the northern end of Longsands beach year-round.

In the summer season between May and the end of September at the southern end of the beach and at King Edward’s Bay restrictions are in place.

Beachgoers regularly spot dolphins offshore from the beach, particularly during summer months.

Aside from spending a day at the seaside, there’s plenty for families to do including heading to the Lost World Adventure crazy golf and the Tynemouth Aquarium.

One of the most popular cafés in Tynemouth is Crusoe’s where visitors can eat right on the sand and take in the seaside view.

You can pick up breakfasts, sandwiches and the classic beach supper, fish and chips from £13.95.

Another fish and chips shop called Marshall’s which is found in the town centre is so busy it usually has customers queueing out the door.

Marshall’s is named after Jimi Hendrix who, according to a blue plaque in the restaurant’s window, ate fish and chips there while playing a show in Newcastle in March 1967.

This summer, the town will hold its annual Mouth of the Tyne Festival between July 9-12.

It’s held within the ruins of the Priory which is on top of the headland and looks over the beach.

Some of the other top places to live in the North East were the village of Wickham in Tyne and Wear and Alnwick in Northumberland.

For more on seaside towns, these are our favourites picked by Sun Travel  – with seal cruises, seafront pubs and secret beaches.

Plus, this pretty village regularly named ‘UK’s most beautiful’ is the perfect spot for a weekend break.

A MAJOR Lego attraction less than two hours from the UK is getting a new experience this month.

Lego House in Billund, Denmark, has launched a new Lego Master Academy Level 1 attraction, where visitors can build together with a number of animal-inspired challenges.

Called ‘Splash into the Bricks’, the new experience involves hands-on building in the Home of the Brick in a creative pond world, “where ducks fly, frogs spin, and buzzing bugs come to life through Lego play”.

The experience will be the most accessible level of Lego Masters Academy with a focus on curiosity, experimentation and play.

In total, the experience lasts one hour and the guided building session is led by Lego House Play Agents.

Guests can create their own ducks, frogs and little bugs as well as build catapults, spinners and slingshots.

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And there’s the chance to interact with other guests too, through group challenges.

At the end of the session, visitors even get to take home their builds.

For the launch of the new experience, there will be two sessions featuring well-known Lego designers and Lego Masters judges.

The first session on February 9 will include Lego Masters Denmark judge Soren Dyrhoj and the second session on February 16, will feature Lego Design Lead, and Lego Masters US judge Amy Corbett.

Lego House is a much-loved family attraction that is spread over 12,000 square metres and boasts 25million Lego bricks.

The Sun’s Head Of Travel (Digital) Caroline McGuire took her six-year-old son to the Billund attraction last summer, said: “I’m not sure that any attraction has wowed me quite as much as Lego house. 

 “We spent seven hours inside the building, seeing how the blocks are made, building our own characters, making our own short Lego movie and even having our food delivered by Lego robots.

“As a mum whose child is obsessed with Lego, I was expecting him to love it – but I wasn’t expecting to love it myself. 

“And yet, I thoroughly enjoyed every single activity. 

“I happily sat for half an hour building a bouquet of Lego flowers, I loved making my own lego robot that danced on a video screen and I still have myself and my child in Lego miniature on our mantelpiece at home. 

“For a place to inspire creativity and joy in so many adults AND children is really rare – usually it’s aimed at one or the other.”

Speaking on the new experience Soren Bering Andersen, head of experiences at Lego House said: “Lego Masters Academy Level 1 is about Lego play bringing people together.

“It’s a space where families and guests of all ages can build, laugh, and explore creativity together.

“Everyone meets the bricks on equal terms, and the fun comes from sharing the experience.”

For those who want to progress their skills further, there is the Level 2, in which there is a focus on specific Lego building techniques as well as more challenges.

In Level 3, visitors then progress to advanced designs and storytelling challenges.

Visitors can also explore an outdoor play area and there is a cafe on-site too for a bite to eat.

And, the attraction is just a nine minute drive from the airport, making it the ideal activity if you are on the way to the airport.

In other attraction news, UK’s strangest (and coolest) theme park launches new ‘crazy trikes’ attraction for 2026.

Plus, one of Europe’s most popular theme parks to open new pirate water coaster, adventure pool and jungle trail.

The art of women in Cannes

We visited the Female Artists of the Mougins Museum, in Mougins, a small village on a hill near Cannes. Full of exclusively female artists – from Berthe Morisot in the 19th century and Frida Kahlo in the early 20th to contemporary figures such as Tracey Emin – it houses an incredible collection of often overlooked art and artists. We visited on a rainy October day and it was remarkably quiet and calm. I particularly enjoyed the abstract works – well worth a trip up the hill.
James

Secret church in Amsterdam’s red light district

Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder is a bit of a mouthful, but it is the best museum I have ever visited. Our Lord in the Attic is a hidden gem in the centre of Amsterdam and well worth a visit. “Our Lord” is a clandestine church originating after the Reformation when Catholics were no longer allowed to hold public holy masses. It enabled Catholics to worship, but only in private; thus creating an incredibly intimate and secretive experience. The canal house feels like a Tardis as you move from what seems like a labyrinth of rooms, all leading to what appears to be a doll’s house church. A sliver of heaven in the middle of the red light district!
Ryan

Berlin’s pioneering socialist artist

I came across the Käthe-Kollwitz Museum only because I was staying nearby, just off Berlin’s glamorous Ku’damm avenue. This small, intimate building houses probably the best collection of Kollwitz’s prints, drawings, posters, sculptures and woodcuts, inspired by and illustrating her lifelong socialist beliefs with real power and poignancy. Her life and work were profoundly shaped by inseparable personal and political tragedies.
Leslie

Turin’s mountain museum

We visited the Museo Nazionale della Montagna (National Museum of Mountains) in Turin last summer. Having spent the previous four weeks hiking in the Italian Alps, it was the perfect end to our trip. The staff are knowledgable and there are some excellent exhibits exploring the history of our relationship with mountains along with displays of mountaineering gear and derring-do over the past 150 years. There’s also a rooftop terrace with a great view of the city and mountains beyond. A fantastic way to spend a few hours and a must for any lover of mountains.
Samantha McGrady

Captivating artefacts from the far east, Porto

Set in a late 18th-century palace belonging to the Porto bourgeoisie, the Museo Nacional Soares dos Reis, founded in 1833, is considered to be Portugal’s oldest art museum. It features an absorbing collection of Portuguese painting dating from the 16th to 20th centuries, but particularly captivating are the rooms displaying Japanese and Chinese artefacts, which arrived in Portugal off trading ships from the far east. Don’t miss the tranquil garden at the back of the museum.
Peter

Homage to Copernicus in Kraków

The Jagiellonian University Museum has a wonderful collection for those interested in history and science. The university was founded in 1364 and a young Copernicus (who worked out that the sun was at the centre of the known universe rather than the Earth) studied there in the 1490s. Many objects related to its most famous student and his heliocentric theory are showcased, alongside quirky objects related to the history of the university, and the history of Poland. The guides are very knowledgable, the visit is affordable, and it’s conveniently located in Kraków’s beautiful historical city centre.
Aline T Marinho

Quiet contemplation and wonder in Barcelona

In a stunningly restored mattress factory (La Casaramona) designed by Catalan modernist architect Josep Puig i Cadafach, you can find the CaixaForum, just up the road from the Plaça d’Espanya in Barcelona. There are some buildings that eclipse the art that’s inside it, but the Caixa specialises in having a revolving display of exhibitions from photography to sculpture to immersive art, in an atmosphere of quiet contemplation and wonder. It is near the Miró Foundation and so many visitors pass it by without realising how great it is. Within its curvy walls there is a cafe for a welcome cold drink.
Liz Owen Hernandez

An airship and Trump toddlers in Prague

I would really recommend DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague. It’s a little way out of the touristy city centre but is an excellent art gallery within a stunning feat of architecture – a steel and wood airship (built in 2016) seemingly floats out of a postwar factory building. In 2018 I saw a brilliant exhibit, which was a white room filled with giant toddlers with Trump faces.
Katherine L

Paris’s ‘most enchanting’ museum

For me, the most enchanting museum in Paris is the Musée National Gustave Moreau, located in the former home of the 19th-century symbolist artist. Stendhal syndrome is surely a real risk in this glorious space, as one staggers among the dizzying, gigantic paintings painted in elaborate, decorative detail. Classical mythology and intimate biblical scenes are presented in vast gilt frames alongside looser drawings and watercolours housed in cabinets with pivoting shutters for ease of browsing. A spiral staircase between studio floors adds to the magic and the fascinating private apartments offer insight into a brilliant mind. Truly inspiring.
Petra Painter

Winning tip: Bronze gods in Piraeus

The Archaeological Museum of Piraeus contains a wonderful collection of artefacts spanning 2,000 years of Greek history and is generally less hectic than bigger museums in Athens. In pride of place are the Piraeus bronzes, a truly staggering collection of statues (including the Piraeus Apollo and bronze statues of Athena and Artemis) that left such an impression on me that I now have tattoos of two of them. It’s only 20 minutes from the centre of Athens by train, and is a wonderful place to explore while you wait for your ferry connection to the islands.
Ben Holmes