Travel
Manchester named second friendliest city in the ENTIRE world
Manchester ranked highly on a number of factors
Time Out has released its fifth annual list of the world’s best cities to visit right now, and Manchester has ranked highly on a number of factors.
Manchester has been voted the second friendliest city in the world, with a rating of 74% (Glasgow was first and Dublin third).
Our city was also named the second most resilient in the world with a 67% rating, while New York came in first and Manila third, with San Francisco and Amsterdam making up the rest of the top five.
And if that wasn’t enough, we are also the third most progressive city in the world (65%), although, sadly, of all of the global cities surveyed Manchester received the least votes for its beauty (only 11% of residents surveyed rate its looks).
ChrisClarke88 / Wikimedia
Edinburgh was officially named the world’s best city to visit right now, with the city ranking highly across the board, topping the global chart as the most beautiful and the most walkable city.
All in all, around one fifth of the top twenty are in the UK, with Edinburgh (1st), Glasgow (4th), Manchester (13th) and London (17th) all having top rankings.
Every year, Time Out surveys thousands of global city-dwellers about life in their hometown right now, using their responses to compile its annual ranking of the world’s best cities – the Time Out Index.
Last year the list focused on how cities pulled together through the pandemic, focusing on community spirit and resilience, but with limited travel back on the agenda, Time Out added extra weight to things that make cities great places to visit as well as live for 2022.
Dr Neil Clifton / Wikimedia Commons
So the top cities this year excel at nightlife, eating and drinking, art, culture, and museums, as well as rating highly for fun, beauty and not being boring, overly expensive or overrated – the top picks also score well for practical stuff like walkability, good public transport and safety, as well as sustainability.
Dave Calhoun, Chief Content Officer North America & UK at Time Out, said: “The Time Out Index 2022 combines the experiences and opinions of more than 20,000 people in hundreds of cities around the world and – for the inside scoop – we’ve also tapped into the expertise of Time Out’s global network of local editors and city experts to capture and celebrate what makes a city great right now.
“This year, we are showcasing the cities that locals, and our editors, not only love living in, but that we think everyone should be visiting. Many people will be planning their first city break in a long time, and our list of the Best Cities in the World provides the ultimate travel bucket list.”
Here’s the top 20 best cities in the world to visit right now:
1) Edinburgh
2) Chicago
3) Medellín (new entry)
4) Glasgow
5) Amsterdam
6) Prague
7) Marrakech (new entry)
8) Berlin
9) Montreal
10) Copenhagen
11) Cape Town
12) Madrid
13) Manchester
14) Mumbai
15) Melbourne
16) Taipei (new entry)
17) London
18) Porto
19) Lyon (new entry)
20) New York
Travel
Passport fees are rising tomorrow for second time in 14 months
Things are getting more expensive, again…
In bad news for holidaymakers, the cost of getting a new passport is set to rise once again.
The Home Office has confirmed that passport fees are set to rise by more than 7% from tomorrow, under new proposals.
This means the cost of online applications within the UK, for anyone aged 16 and over, will increase from £82.50 to £88.50.
Mikey / Flickr
Children under 16 will also see an increase in passport costs, with the price rising to £57.50 from £53.50.
Overseas and postal applications will also rise at a similar level, with postal increasing to £100 for adults and £69 for children, and an online overseas application rising to £101 for adults and £65.50 for children.
The new charges will officially be in place from tomorrow, Thursday April 11th.
Last year passport fees increased by around 9%, back in February 2023.
Ethan Wilkinson / Unsplash
The Home Office said in a statement: “The new fees will help ensure that income from these applications better meets the cost of delivering passport and associated operations, reducing reliance on funding from general taxation.
“The Government does not make any profit from the cost of passport applications.
“The fees contribute to the cost of processing passport applications, consular support overseas including for lost or stolen passports, and the cost of processing British citizens at UK borders.
“The increase will also help enable the Government to continue improving its services.”
Travel
Passport fees to rise within weeks as Home Office confirms new prices
Things are getting more expensive, again…
In bad news for holidaymakers, the cost of getting a new passport is set to rise once again.
The Home Office has confirmed that passport fees are set to rise by more than 7% next month, under new proposals.
This means the cost of online applications within the UK, for anyone aged 16 and over, will increase from £82.50 to £88.50.
Mikey / Flickr
Children under 16 will also see an increase in passport costs, with the price rising to £57.50 from £53.50.
Overseas and postal applications will also rise at a similar level, with postal increasing to £100 for adults and £69 for children, and an online overseas application rising to £101 for adults and £65.50 for children.
While the changes are still subject to parliamentary approval, if passed they will be in place from April 11th.
Last year passport fees increased by around 9%, back in February 2023.
Ethan Wilkinson / Unsplash
The Home Office said in a statement: “The new fees will help ensure that income from these applications better meets the cost of delivering passport and associated operations, reducing reliance on funding from general taxation.
“The Government does not make any profit from the cost of passport applications.
“The fees contribute to the cost of processing passport applications, consular support overseas including for lost or stolen passports, and the cost of processing British citizens at UK borders.
“The increase will also help enable the Government to continue improving its services.”
Travel
Wizz Air launch mystery holiday deal where you find out destination when you land
Enter the competition to win a ticket
If you’re dreaming of catching a jet plane to just about anywhere, well Wizz Air have launched a holiday deal where the mystery location isn’t revealed until you land.
The Hungarian airline will take a plane full of holiday hopefuls from London Gatwick for a four-day mystery getaway as part of its #LetsGetLostwithWIZZ campaign.
Those who win a ticket to the unknown location, will turn up to London Gatwick on March 7th to board a Wizz Air flight for ‘four days of fun, including cultural, culinary and adventure activities’ – it could turn out to be the trip of a lifetime!
To be in with a chance of winning a seat on the flight, UK residents can visit the Wizz Air’s Instagram page and follow the prompts on the Let’s Get Lost London pinned post.
“Entries close on February 22nd at 00.01am”, the low-cost airline says.
The lucky chosen ones will be able to bring a plus one on the trip and winners will be contacted via Instagram.
In a post shared to its official Instagram page, the airline put: “It’s time to get onboard our latest venture to the unknown with Let’s Get Lost London, departing from London Gatwick to…
“Do this by the 22nd February and you could be in with a chance of departing with us on an exciting flight to the unknown.
“The trip will take place between 7th – 10th March. Open to UK residents only, please make sure you’re following WIZZ on Instagram and that your profile is public.”
If you’re wondering whether you’ll need your bathing suit, suncream, hiking boots, rain coat or winter woollies, don’t worry, the 35 lucky winners will be told the climate to pack for a few days before the trip.
No other clues will be given away until touch down in the unknown destination.
UK Wizz Air Managing Director, Marion Geoffroy said: “We love connecting our passengers to new countries, allowing them to meet new people and try new experiences.
“Going on a flight to an unknown destination is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we are pleased to be able to offer this to lucky winners here in the UK.
“Let’s Get Lost is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to our British passengers and we hope to continue serving them as they travel the world and make new memories.”
Wizz Air flies to more than 70 destinations from the UK. Last year, the most popular destinations among Brits included Morocco, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey and Spain.
It is unclear whether the airline will jet the 35 lucky ticket holders and plus ones off to one of its more popular destination choices, or whether it will choose to take them somewhere a little more alternative and secluded.
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