Hotlists

As a weekend away is temporarily off the cards, we’re getting creative this Valentine’s Day. Takeout is not a cop-out with these globally inspired date night plans for frustrated travellers.

Move over hygge, we’ve put together seven tried-and-tested tips for embracing the centuries-old Norwegian art of friluftsliv. This Nordic ideal of getting outside whatever the weather is an especially good foil for lockdown-induced cabin fever.

We've travelled to the homes, landscapes and cities that have inspired some of the UK's most prolific literary legends. From the seaside town that inspired Dickens, the moody moors that birthed Dracula and the city that gave us Harry Potter, follow in these writers' footsteps.

Smash your 10,000-a-day step count in the UK’s most beautiful national parks. Hike the rugged edges of Snowdonia, ramble through the heather in Dartmoor or stroll alongside the waters that give the Lake District its name. Depending on your starting point, these are perfect for a day trip or weekend staycation.

Broaden your horizons from the comfort of your kitchen with bread recipes from around the world. We’ve called upon 14 top chefs from our favourite restaurants to share their tips behind creating arepas, roti, milk rolls and more. Ready? Set. Rise.

Give your home workout an eco-conscious upgrade with the SUITCASE edit of sustainable gym kit. Expect planet-friendly pilates balls, cork foam rollers and vegan-approved boxing bags.

We're spotlighting the independents offering farm-to-fork fare, restaurant-quality experiences and feel-good pantry provisions. Stay home, eat well: fresh produce, recipe bundles and indulgent treats straight to your door

Bridgerton has burst into our living rooms with more chaotic glamour and impossible plotlines than Jane Austen on acid. We’re officially obsessed with this reimagined period drama. Though the story is set in London, Netflix filmed much of the series in Bath and York, with a smattering of other stately homes across the UK.

Ready for an armchair adventure? We’ve pulled together some of our favourite travel books of all time – including fantastical fiction, personal memoirs and coming-of-age diaries.

Want to walk in nature’s art gallery? We’ve explored Constable Country, watched sunset in the Yorkshire Dales and gazed upon a bucolic rendering of a Game of Thrones film location to bring you the UK destinations that are works of art both on and off the canvas.

We’re choosing to wave the January blues goodbye, flipping the phrase on its head and diving deep into an around-the-world dreamscape in blue.

Featuring new titles from our favourite authors, inspiring non-fiction and the debut novel that’s tipped to be the next Normal People, these are the books we can’t wait to read in 2021.

We’ve reconfigured, reconsulted and redrawn the destinations we’re looking forward to visiting in 2021 (or 2020 part two, as we’re calling in it). Get ready to plan your escape.

Columnist Alexandra Pereira lets us in on how to achieve hygge, lagom and koselig both at home and on minibreaks across Scandinavia. She trails the Swedish High Coast and investigates the nation that’s handled the pandemic its own way.