It’s hardly surprising, but when us Brits emigrate it’s not just a change of scenery we crave but a complete change of lifestyle too. We see relocating as a brand new start, the chance to get our teeth into a new career or realise a lifelong dream, usually something we don’t fancy doing in the UK. Semi-retired Brits with no experience of the hospitality business opening a B&B in France is the classic example. Or, in a similar vein, how many expats who have never pulled a pint in th...

The Maltese islands are situated at the heart of the Mediterranean some 90km south of Sicily. The islands are a melting pot of civilisations and have experienced a fascinating history stretching back thousands of years. The country has been inhabited since around 5,500BC and a significant prehistoric civilisation existed on the islands prior to the arrival of the Phoenicians who, it is said, named the main island Malat, meaning ‘safe haven’. Later the islands were for centuries the seat o...

Over the last century humanity has explored the boundaries of how architecture should be defined. One significant architectural group to emerge in the late 1950s did exactly that. The Metabolist movement, based in Japan, experimented with ideas many had previously considered unthinkable, redefining how people use and interact with the space around them.

What began in Japan as a simple theory went on to impact the entire globe in terms of conceptual city planning, design and art, and u...

Bora Bora is unique among the Leeward Islands in French Polynesia; a tiny paradise – barely 30km2 – benefiting from a healthy year-round climate. Its topography is unusual; at the centre of the island lies an extinct volcano, which rises above the lush forests and dazzling seawater, overlooking the lagoon and barrier reef which surround the island.

Today, the island has barely 9,000 inhabitants, many of whom make their homes in the city of Vaitape, the island’s only settlement o...

The Maharajas’ Express is a unique, luxury train service inspired by the lifestyles of the Maharajas. It offers sculpted tours around India on predetermined routes, aimed at tourists and travellers looking for luxury rarely found on the railway.

The ‘Royal Sojourn’ is the most elaborate of these journeys – an eight-day round trip beginning and ending in Delhi, taking in all manner of attractions along the way, including national parks, UNESCO World Heritage sites, countless mu...

Hong Kong’s Ritz-Carlton hotel, which opened in spring 2011, is the highest hotel in the world. Not the tallest, but the highest, as it occupies the 102nd-118th floors of the city’s imposing International Commerce Centre, one of the world’s tallest buildings. Perched atop one hundred floors of primarily executive office space (for the likes of Credit Suisse) the Ritz-Carlton is an impressive feat.

The International Commerce Centre occupies an enviable spot in West Kowloon. Visito...

Burned by grand and audacious real estate projects, which became financial burdens when market bubbles burst three years ago, property developers in the Gulf are putting more emphasis on mundane but affordable housing.

Their motives are mainly economic, but they are being encouraged by governments who are trying to improve mass living standards after this year’s political unrest in the region. A chronic lack of affordable, quality housing for growing populations was one factor behind...

A question on many investors’ lips today is “Where is safe to invest?” With the fall out of the global economic crisis of recent years and new threats of a double dip recession, this question is ever more important.

The stock market has witnessed extreme volatility since 2000, affected by events such as various terror attacks including 9/11, the economic crisis of 2008, major corporations going into liquidation and bank debt passed on to governments already crippled by debt. More...

It has been a summer of discontent across financial markets. The latest wave of sovereign debt fears on both sides of the Atlantic, alongside a stark slowdown in economic growth, has revealed that the treacherous debris of the financial crisis is still evident. The fact that the global economy cannot count on much external support undermines confidence further. Fiscal policy is hamstrung by nervous bond markets and central banks have little real monetary ammunition left, save a renewed bout o...

It is one of Asia’s fastest-growing industries and shows no signs of losing steam, even as the global economy collectively wobbles. Travelling abroad for medical treatment is now a multi-billion dollar business.

From a nip-and-tuck to a heart bypass, hospitals from India to Singapore and South Korea treat more than one million foreign patients a year – lured by cut-price surgery, no waiting lists, cutting-edge technology, and highly trained doctors.

Industry experts predict ...

How many of you have put your dream of emigrating on the back burner due to financial concerns? Hazarding a guess, I’d say a fair few. Moving abroad without a steady income, whether it be from a local job you’ve found, a UK pension or other means, would be a gamble for anyone. But for some of us, with a bit of organising and courage, there could be a solution – working remotely.

The age of the Internet, email and Skype has opened up all sorts of opportunities, one being the abili...

How long have you been holidaying in the Algarve?
Eric Morecambe recommended it to us in the mid-70s when we met up as families and we’ve been addicted to it ever since. I’ve owned a lovely four-bedroom villa here for 13 years, which we share with friends.
It overlooks the lovely, long beach half a mile away at Meia Praia, near the pretty town of Lagos. Nobody overlooks us and when you’re swimming in the pool you feel like you’re in a lovely, private gard...

the Eurasia Boat Show, having fulfilled international standards, has steadily become one of the most important boat shows in the world, competing with famous names such as Cannes, Paris, Monaco, Dusseldorf, Genoa, London, Miami, Mets and Seatec.

Eurasia Boat Show, the largest in its field in Turkey and the second-largest boat and yacht fair organised on land in the world, has become a member of the International Federation for Boat Show Organisers (IFBSO) and has cemented its place as...

In the heart of Paradiski, Edenarc1800 is strategically positioned at the crossroads of Europe’s most stunning ski resorts. The renowned Vanoise Express cable car, which links the two striking resorts of Les Arcs and La Plagne, serves its 425km-long slopes effortlessly. Designed by Charlotte Perriand, Edenarc1800 is presently the only place in the Alps that allows ski-in and ski-out in winter and tenders an 18-hole golf course in summer. The leisure area covers 771m² and offers an in and o...