Travel

How to be a more ethical traveller

You are itching to get out there and want to do it with care. How do you avoid traps like voluntourism and greenwashing?

by Carolin Lusby

Black and white photo of a man walking towards a lighthouse by the sea with his hands behind his back.

PLEASURES AND PASTIMES

How to wander

Whether in a city or the wilderness, near or far, there’s joy to be had in a journey where the destination doesn’t matter

by Jordan Fisher Smith

A woman with her hair up looking out of a train window, resting her chin on her hand. The outside view is white and indistinct.

TRAVEL

‘It pulls you in’: the staff seduced by the rhythms of the Trans-Siberian railway

Directed by Anastasia Kirillova

Photo of an elderly person in a wheelchair on a beach facing a large picture of a forest and shrine.

IMAGINATION

Nourish your imagination and you will be forever free

The imagination is fundamental to the human experience, freeing us from physical confines and anchoring us during unrest

by Tania Zittoun

A person wearing a red jacket and a backpack walking on a winding path through lush green fields with hills and trees in the background.

SACRED PLACES

How to plan a pilgrimage

Whether religious or not, you can undertake a special, meaningful kind of journey that could leave you changed forever

by Oliver Smith

Black-and-white photo of a field of tall grasses or barley with a sunrise or sunset in the background and hills in the distance.

FOOD AND DRINK

A dance of light and pasta-making in Tuscany forms a sensuous feast

Directed by Josh Gibson

Black-and-white image of people walking in a busy station corridor with an arched bridge above them.

TRAVEL

Crowded spaces, complete strangers – meditations on the urban commute

Directed by Jimmy Ferguson and Catherine Gubernick

Aerial photo of Würzburg, a European cityscape with historic buildings, church spires and a clock tower under a partly cloudy sky.

TRAVEL

Why ‘false authenticity’ is so unsettling

The Old Town of Würzburg seemed to offer a real connection to the past. But none of it was authentic

by Sam Dresser

Black wire sculpture of a person dancing, with a sketchy background of buildings, trees, and a street in black, blue, and red.

PARENTING AND FAMILIES

When a young woman leaves home, her parents’ world literally begins to unravel

A film by Dina Velikovskaya

Girl standing on rocky coastline with a cooler in a cart, looking out at the ocean waves.

SACRED PLACES

We were born in paradise: seaside stories from a mysterious spot in Mexico

Directed by Mariano Rentería Garnica

Photo of large jagged icebergs in dark ocean waters under a cloudy sky.

TRAVEL

Why virtual travel is no substitute for being in a place

Around the world in 80 virtual-reality simulations? Why armchair travel will never be a substitute for the weary trudge

by Emily Thomas

Photo of a bustling night market with colourful tricycles, a crowded street and illuminated stalls in the background.

COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE

The tentacles of language are always on the move

An evolutionary biologist explains how human language can shift as slowly or rapidly as organisms adapting to life on Earth

by Klaus M Stiefel

A person in traditional clothing embroiders a yellow fabric on a table outdoors, with assorted yarn and tools beside them.

TRADITIONAL ARTS

Here’s to handiwork! A celebration of craft as a universal language

Directed by Donald Winkler

Illustration of two people cycling across a field at sunset with a golden sun in the background and trees on the horizon.

TRAVEL

A beer sends a freewheeling couple on a 500-mile cycling pilgrimage

Directed by Tom Schroeder

Photo of a red double-decker bus in a city at dusk with a person reading inside pedestrians on the pavement.

FREEDOM AND CHOICE

Why not driving is my own form of resistance

As romantic petrochemical-fuelled narratives slip into the past, I’ve found my own kind of freedom in a life without a car

by Vicky Grut

Illustration of a coastal landscape with a yellow tower, green hills, and cacti in the foreground, overlooking a calm sea under a blue sky.

TRAVEL

Postcards from a Tuscan island where an unhurried pace is a way of life

Directed by Tom Schroeder