airplane (© coordinateshot)

'Flight Report' site unveils the Best European Low-cost Carriers 2017, sharing below the ranking and your analysis:

Lake Matheson - New Zealand (sharonang)

There are many travelers who claim that traveling alone is the best way to see the world. You deliberately travel solo, they say, because you want to experience the world without the influence of a friend or partner’s tastes, prejudices, or preferences.

Santorini Island, Greece (Russel Yan)

As the temperature rises in summer, so does the irresistible urge to escape the daily grind as far possible.

Longyarbyen, Norway

Marvel at our photographic selection of the most colourful towns and cities around the world from the Arctic to Argentina.

BEIJING NATIONAL STADIUM - Beijing, China

So, you didn't get a ticket to Sochi this winter. Not to worry, sports fans: There are still plenty of sites used in Olympic Games that are open to visitors. Here are some of our favorites.

Mount Fuji - Japan

We could all use a little break sometimes. The hustle and bustle of the 9-to-5 life can be exhausting.

If you’ve never seen the northern lights, there’s still time to catch the spectacular display this year.

A compilation of the aurora borealis from late August to mid-November 2013. The scenes where mainly captured in the areas near Nordreisa, Troms, Norway.

Aurora borealis - Norway

London, the most expensive city

We've all heard the story-worthy dream before -- ditch the small, quaint town for the big, bustling city and live the glamorous life.

The view from Km 4 overlooking the town of Loen, where the trail begins at sea level. Loen already looked absolutely minuscule, cupped between the mountains and the sea, and the clouds were drifting faster in the afternoon wind.

OUR GUIDE LOOKED UP at us from his stack of maps and pamphlets and said with a hint of a pride, “It’s considered one of the longest upward slopes in Norway.” It was dusk. The three of us were sitting in the lobby of our hotel in Loen, the plans for the following day hanging heavy over our heads. “Sixteen kilometers round trip, with a change in altitude from sea level to over 1,800 meters.” He traced the path on our map.

Skåla sounded hard, but after a few days exploring Fjord Norway’s terrain by car, the idea of stretching our legs to summit a mountain, combined with the prospect of the incredible views we’d see along the way, seemed to outweigh the time and physical effort it would take to reach the top. So the next morning Kate and I made sandwiches, bought 4 liters of water, rationed our camera gear, and set off.

Yep, the trail was steep — not unlike some of those hills in San Francisco where the sidewalks turn into stairs. But instead of slanted houses and tourists in fanny packs, you’re surrounded by slanted, glacier-carved mountains and grazing sheep with bell collars, and the beautiful vistas provided distraction from the work it took to keep moving forward. 

1. View from the top

2. Under-the-radar falls

3. Afternoon clouds, shadow play on the landscape

4. Back to the beginning

5. Transition zone

6. The calm

7. "Avalanche!"

8. The top

9. Sunset

10. Beacon

11. Night

12. Pre-dawn

13. Return

via Matador (all details)

Norway

Many of us dream of seeing the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights.

Last winter was the best time to see the phenomenon for a decade, but thanks to the ‘twin peaks’ pattern of the ‘Solar Maximum’, autumn/winter 2103-4 is set to be even better. So maybe this is the year to make that dream come true?

But isn’t it awfully expensive to go to Alaska or the North Pole to see them? You could either hire an expert guide and a crack team of sled dogs, or if your finances can only stretch to a budget flight and a couple of nights’ accommodation, you’ve still got a good chance if you’re in the right place. Here are six places where you’re in with a good shout of tripping the lights fantastic, without spending a fortune.

May the skies be clear and your dreams come true.

1. Reykjavik, Iceland

2. Ivalo, Finland

3. Kiruna, Sweden

4. Tromsø, Norway

5. Shetland, UK

6. Wherever you are

via Skyscanner (all details)

Oslo Opera House - placed in the city most expensive in the world in 2013

Revealed The most expensive cities in the world in 2013:

Top 50 most expensive cities worldwide for international assignees

Country	Location	2013 global position	2012 global position
Norway	Oslo	1	2
Angola	Luanda	2	4
Norway	Stavanger	3	5
South Sudan	Juba	4	45
Russia	Moscow	5	13
Japan	Tokyo	6	1
Switzerland	Zurich	7	9
Switzerland	Geneva	8	7
Switzerland	Basel	9	11
Switzerland	Bern	10	10
Papua New Guinea	Port Moresby	11	15
Denmark	Copenhagen	12	14
Japan	Nagoya	13	3
Korea Republic	Seoul	14	29
Sweden	Stockholm	15	22
Japan	Yokohama	16	6
Australia	Sydney	17	16
Congo	Brazzaville	18	27
DR Congo	Kinshasa	19	28
Finland	Helsinki	20	19
Japan	Kobe	21	8
Japan	Osaka	21	N/A
Australia	Canberra	23	17
China	Beijing	24	20
Congo	Pointe Noire	25	31
China	Shanghai	26	26
Australia	Perth	27	23
Australia	Melbourne	28	21
Sweden	Gothenburg	29	36
Australia	Adelaide	30	18
Gabon	Libreville	31	30
Russia	St Petersburg	32	51
Venezuela	Caracas	33	12
Australia	Darwin	34	24
Australia	Brisbane	35	24
Singapore	Singapore	36	33
Israel	Tel Aviv	37	34
Hong Kong	Hong Kong	38	37
France	Paris	39	35
Nigeria	Abuja	40	44
Nigeria	Lagos	41	65
Azerbaijan	Baku	42	48
U.S.A.	Manhattan NY	43	41
Israel	Jerusalem	44	46
New Zealand	Auckland	45	39
Korea Republic	Busan	46	62
Cote d'Ivoire	Abidjan	47	54
Senegal	Dakar	48	50
Germany	Berlin	49	49
New Zealand	Wellington	50	43

via by © ECA International

The winner, Marsyandi Khol river on the around-Annapurna trek in the Himalayas, Nepal

1. Marsyandi Khol river on the around-Annapurna trek in the Himalayas, Nepal

2. Looking across Lake Kawaguchi to Mount Fuji, Honshu Island, Japan

3. The view of the Grand Canyon, from Desert Point, Arizona, USA

4. Lesser flamingos on Lake Elementaita, Kenya

5. African elephant on the serengeti with Mount Kilimanjaro in the background, Tanzania

6. Railay Beach, Krabi, Thailand

7. Kata Kjuta, Northern Territory, Australia

8. Perito Moreno Glacier, Los Glaciares National Park in Santa Cruz province, Argentina

9. Kayaking on Lake Tekapo, South Island, New Zealand

10. Vik,Sogn og Fjordane, Norway

Via SkyScanner (all details)

Algarve - Portugal (Europe)

1. Hallerbos, Belgium

Catch them if you can: bluebells in the Hallerbos - a forest in Flemish Brabant, Belgium - which attract many admirers during their short stay each spring..

Rio de Janeiro - Brazil

The newspaper NYT this week presented a list of "The 46 Places to Go in 2013 ", below you can consult all places included in this list:

1. Rio de Janeiro

2. Marseille

3. Nicaragua

4. Accra, Ghana

5. Bhutan

6. Amsterdam

7. Houston

8. Rossland, British Columbia

9. New Delhi

10. Istanbul

11. Singapore

12. Montenegro

13. White Salmon River, Wash. 

14. Hvar, Croatia

15. Mongolia

16. The Big Island, Hawaii

17. Philippines

18. Vernazza, Italy

19. The Kimberley, Australia

20. Ningxia, China

21. The Adirondacks, N.Y. 

22. Oslo, Norway

23. Constantia, South Africa

24. Lithuania

25. Burgos, Spain

26. Lens, France

27. Changbaishan, China

28. Porto, Portugal

29. Puerto Rico

30. Koh Phangan, Thailand

31. Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka

32. Jackson Hole, Wyo. 

33. Bangkok

34. The Jeseniky, Czech Republic

35. Waiheke, New Zealand

36. Yucatan, Mexico

37. Charlevoix, Quebec 

38. Pecs, Hungary

39. Republic of Congo

40. Ireland

41. Getaria, Spain

42. Mergui Islands, Myanmar

43. The Falkland Islands

44. Washington, D.C. 

45. Casablanca, Morocco

46. Paris

Via NY Times (with all details)

Antelope Canyon - Arizona - United States of America

Top 10 amazing places you must visit


1. Antelope Canyon

    Arizona, United States

2. The Great Blue Hole at Lighthouse Reef

    Ambergris Caye, Belize

3. Angkor Wat

    Siem Reap, Cambodia

4. Trolltunga

    Odda, Norway

5. Golden Circle Route

    Reykjavik, Iceland

6. Moraine Lake

    Alberta, Canada

7. Kyaikto (Golden Rock)

    Yangon, Myanmar

8. Fushimi Inari Shrine

    Kyoto, Japan

9. Uluru

    Northern Territory, Australia

10. Jiuzhaigou World Heritage Site

      Sichuan, China

via TripAdvisor