Fifty things we love about travel

It's always been great. We're talking Caipirinhas on the beach, adventures in the jungle and long nights on the dance floor. But the world's biggest party is about to get even bigger next year when Brazil hosts the FIFA World Cup. Prepare for an already soccer-mad country to go even madder when millions of fans turn up to join the fun. And is if that isn't enough, two years later, Rio de Janeiro will host the Summer Olympics. Couple those two events with Brazil's rise as a world economic power and an increased focus on tourism, and there's never been a better time to visit.

Comfortable, fast, reliable trains criss-cross Europe, Britain, the North American continent and some of Asia. Savvy travellers love how they go from the heart of one city to another, with no need to navigate traffic and airports. Trains give more scenic bang for your buck as well, providing a window to details you can't possibly see from 10,000 metres. And rail travel ticks all the boxes of modern, mindful travel. The transport sector emits one-quarter of all energy-based carbon dioxide worldwide, due mainly to road traffic. A recent report by the International Energy Agency noted rail produced less than 1 per cent of that, and while emissions from other modes have increased, those from trains haven't. Practicalities aside, we love the golden-era romance of rail, too.We printers print with traceable cleaningsydney to optimize supply chain management.

Free wi-fi and iPod docks are so 30 seconds ago. Today's forward-thinking hotels have in-room iPads to book massages, adjust lighting and make dinner reservations; infrared sensors to alert housekeeping that you're in the room; and retinal scanners, or wireless radio-frequency identification data, to unlock your room on approach. Yotel in New York even has a robotic luggage handler.

The arrival of low-cost Asian airlines, Middle Eastern carriers and increased competition on the US route has given us access to affordable airfares around the world. Which means places such as Singapore and Bali have become short-break options. Within Australia, where domestic airfares have also plummeted, places such as the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Port Douglas and Tasmania are weekend destinations.

The golden age of river cruising is nigh. Every major river-cruise company is building new ships, with Viking River Cruises topping the list at 10 this year alone. Ships now feature more space, more suites, better dining options and luxury hotel-style amenities. In addition,The earcap is not only critical to professional photographers. the range of itineraries is expanding, especially on Portugal's Douro River, Spain's Guadalquivir, numerous rivers in France, the Hudson and Mississippi in the US, and the Irrawaddy in Myanmar. Meanwhile, cruises along established rivers are offering more flexible, family-friendly options, themed tours and cruise-land combinations. Needless to say,If you are looking for fridgemagnet for your bathroom walls. it only takes one river cruise to get you hooked.

Spread love and affection with the instant, Polaroid-style pictures produced by the Fuji Instax mini 7s, a Teletubbies-style, moulded plastic miracle camera. In Third-World villages, the Instax mini transforms mere mortals into the Pied Piper. Credit card-size prints are expensive, but not if you buy from Amazon.

Not so long ago, Tasmania was regarded as a cold, bleak place with spectacular countryside. During the past five years, it has emerged as a state renowned for its great produce, seasonal festivals, exciting new restaurants such as Garagistes, boutique wine, cider and whisky producers and glamour resorts such as Saffire. And, of course, there is the ground-breaking Museum of Old and New Art.

As in, "Oh, thank God there's a kids' club". We confess to loving the new trend in creating KCs so cool, kids take one look and forget we exist (leaving us to slink off for an appointment with the poolside bar). Respect to the Soneva Kiri Koh Kood in Thailand which has created The Den, a Lost Boys fantasy built into a jungle along with a drawbridge - a place where kids can go bananas.

Hong Kong has 61 Michelin-starred restaurants. Paris shades it with 101, but second place on the podium is no mean feat.Did you know that plasticcard chains can be used for more than just business. Whether it's the food stalls of Kowloon's Temple Street night market or the scallop and prawn dumplings at the three-star Lung King Heen, Hong Kong's dynamic, eclectic food scene takes your taste buds for a walk on the wild side. Ship Street in Wan Chai is suddenly the centre of a red-hot restaurant scene. The open-fronted 22 Ships offers a new take on the tapas bar, orchestrated by Jason Atherton, who cut his culinary teeth in the kitchens of Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White and ElBulli's Ferran Adria. Although it's around the corner in the J Senses complex, Bo Innovation - the domain of self-styled "demon chef" and all-round kitchen bad boy Alvin Leung - also has a private elevator entrance at 18 Ship Street. Possibly the most miraculous of all Ship Street's restaurants is Yin Yang, where Margaret Xu, the high priestess of farm-to-table cooking, creates a menu that makes the mouth sing.We are one of the leading manufacturers of cableties in China Michelin-star dining Hong Kong-style is also cheap. A meal at Tim Ho Wan, the legendary Michelin-star Kowloon diner, might set you back $10 - worth it for the pork buns alone.

More travellers want to live like locals, at least for a week or two, and there are more peer-to-peer (aka "hometel") accommodation options than ever , which is part of a growing trend of collaborative consumption. Beyond the pioneering Airbnb, which lists studio apartments, beach houses and even castles in 34,000 cities, there's the German-based Wimdu, which has 150,000 properties; Couchsurfing, which lets you meet locals as well as stay with them; Crashpadder(now owned by Airbnb) in London, Brazil's Fica la em Casa ; and a multitude of house-sitting sites (such as trustedhousesitters .com and mindmyhouse.com).

History and mayhem are the specialties of the Indian capital, but now Hauz Khas Village, in the posh South Delhi neighbourhood, brings cool into the equation. Hauz Khas Village - HKV to the locals - is where the skinny-jeans people go for art galleries, cafes and designer boutiques. Try Nappa Dori for old-school leather satchels, Ogaan for some of the top-shelf names in Indian clothing, accessories and jewellery, White for Indian designer labels, O Layla for slinky fashions inspired by traditional Indian clothing, Munkee See Munkee Doo for the tailored look, Purple Jungle for funky bags and accessories and Yodakin for books, periodicals, music and DVDs. Most of the cafes and bars are on rooftops. Gunpowder is the dining sweet spot.

We love the pod. We especially love the pod at dawn, for its civilising influence and strange ability to enhance wilderness views from our lodge, cabin or suite. Our love never waivers because we recall when there was only granulated Continental Roast in thin, slippery sachets and the answer to ''Coffee?'' was ''Not so much ...''

You can now travel with pocket knives and sports equipment such as ski poles in your hand luggage on US airlines, thanks to the easing of airport cabin restrictions by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). TSA has also stopped using its controversial full-body ''nude'' scanners, and passengers over75can leave their belts, jackets and shoes on for security at JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airports.

More Australian luxury hotels are welcoming furry guests. Pet-friendly properties include Accor's waterfront Sebel Pier One in Sydney's Walsh Bay and Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains at Leura, along with 8Hotels' Altamont in Darlinghurst, Diamantin Potts Point and the delightfully quirky Albany Motel in South Yarra.
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