Becky, get off that damn app and enjoy Greece📱

How the F*** is it almost September? No, seriously. One minute we were booking spring escapes and slurping Aperol in the sun, and now—bam—we're staring down sweater season like it owes us money. Happenings editor Luke Abrahams is back from traipsing through Guatemala (yes, we’re jealous), and he’s diving straight into the chaos with this week’s hot take on travel, culture, and why “tick-box tourism” might just be the final boss of vacation cringe (Becky, put away your phone and enjoy the trip for the destination. Not everything needs to be posted on Instagram). So grab your espresso martini (it’s always the season), scroll on, and catch up on what you missed—from secret London townhouses to Santorini sans the selfie sticks.

Hell yes, and it has a new route. It's not all about the La Dolce Vita lifestyle aboard the rails, ya know. Spain's luxury locomotive has announced a brand new itinerary for the 2026 season, and it's pure magic. The OTT 1930s train will now begin and end its journey in Madrid, the Spanish capital, with a new seven-day, six-night voyage available from April to October. Think stops in all the classics from Cordoba to Seville, Jerez de la Frontera, Toledo, and the Royal Palace of Aranjuez. The point? It's all about soaking in the region's heritage and gastronomy - plus some lovely landscapes, too. Book it here.

Everything is changing, and it's happening at a rapid pace. The world we knew is now a mere memory (hence all this nostalgia), so it's only natural that everyone is becoming a little more cautious. In a year already marked by so much rage, anger, and conflict, five countries are ranked among the world's most peaceful, according to the Global 2025 Peace Index. Austria and Singapore claimed the 4th and 5th spots, while New Zealand and the Republic of Ireland came in at 3rd and 2nd place, respectively. Who claimed the top spot? Clickety, clickety here to find out.

If you've been on TikTok lately, your FYP might have served up a dose of poorly acted scenarios involving irate airplane passengers fighting over the aisle seat. Or in my case, the moment I realize a child is sitting within an inch of my personal space. Truth is, Air Rage is actually a real thing and it's simply characterized by the sudden violent, aggressive, and abusive behavior aimed at cabin crew or fellow passengers. All kinds of things are thought to cause it (booze included), but the main factor is all the stress associated with being up in the air. Here's a handy guide to avoid getting caught up in the dramarama next time you are on a flight. - LA

Something hit me during my travels around the globe recently, and it really struck a nerve. I have been banging on about how commercialized, repetitive, and boring travel is fast becoming, and there's no sign of it changing. There seems to be a lot of anger—not just from locals in overcrowded cities like Florence and Barcelona—but also from the tour operators and guides themselves. On a hike through the hilltop town of Scala on the Amalfi Coast a few months ago, guide Rino told me that "many travelers come not to connect with a location anymore, and instead just show up to take a photo." "Tick box tourism" is nothing new. The phrase coined last year by the papers had its moment in the headlines, but it has become so blatantly obvious that even hotels and developers have caught wind of the fact that modern-day travelers are more focused on posting famous landmarks quickly to their Instagrams than actually enjoying and experiencing them. It has now become such a problem that it has fast become a habit. Spy any tour group nowadays, and they will sprint to take the first photo of said famous attraction rather than interact with it. Authentic local interactions are fast becoming a sketch of the past and in its place is a transactional market of fakery, often fueled by "locals" poised to make a quick buck because they have become accustomed to predicting the habits of digital nomads. Italy is a prime example—just look at any social media post nowadays and it’s "Italy or Nowhere" plastered on the Explore Page. Culture is becoming more and more appropriated through cheap stereotypes and marketing fads at the cost of authenticity. The question remains, who is responsible for this lie? Is it the tour ops, the media, the social networks, or the corporations themselves? Whoever it is, the exponential rate of travel as consumption culture is about to implode, and it's time everyone starts to think about the best ways in which it can be maintained in the future, rather than in the now. Discuss. - LA

Chances are you have never heard of Spencer House... and that's a good thing. It's one of London's best-kept secrets. Ever since its creation for the First Lord and Lady Spencer between 1756 and 1766, Spencer House has been widely admired as one of the most beautiful houses in London. Here, successive generations of the Spencers made their home in the city during the months of the ‘Season’, hosting lavish entertainments, welcoming artists, politicians, and royalty through its doors, and adorning its rooms with magnificent works of art. And yes, Princess Diana did indeed visit the house back in the 90s. Expect lavish state rooms, stunning furniture and one of the most important examples of Neoclassical architecture in Europe in the Painted Room. Book tickets here. - LA

Our weekly column from hospitality-obsessed city native Megan Shelton unveils the gotta-be-there spots across the Big Apple that are anything BUT basic.

For more NYC + travel content, follow Megan, who doubles as HAP's NYC Know-It-All and Contributing Travel Editor, on Instagram, TikTok, and her Substack, Turndown Service.

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