1 . At the foot of the Tianmu Mountain in Zhejiang, a homestay (民宿) is attracting travelers from far and wide, which has won architectural medal at the 2021 German iF Design Awards.

The owners of the homestay are a couple in their late 30s who decided to return to their hometown three years ago. Li Xiumei used to be in charge of a division at a company in Hangzhou, and her husband was a sales director. It was an ordinary situation where Li’s husband was on business trips a lot and Li still worked on weekends. City life sometimes is not easy.

In 2018, they quit jobs and went back to Dongtianmu village, which lies in a forest of bamboo. The first time they drove into the village was one late afternoon. The cooking smoke was rising from the foot of the mountain, which gave them a very different feeling from the city.

The homestay was built beside her husband’s old countryside house. The old house is preserved (保留), while a brand-new building was built on its side and the whole site is made up of four courtyards. It has been updated to have a hall, a tea room, a kitchen, a dining room. Japanese cherry trees are planted in the east courtyard. A swimming pool is placed in the west courtyard, with a bar located on one side.

Li and her husband love gardening and music, and their new home gives them enough space to continue their interests and relax in the heart of nature. Li wants to share the quiet country life, so she makes her new home a homestay. In 2019, the homestay became an online hit after guests shared their experiences on social media. “The longer I stay here, the more I feel it was the right choice to come back, and this is more meaningful than making money,” Li says.

4 . Take a closer look at the wonders of Kew Gardens by joining a guided walking tour. Led by our knowledgeable volunteer guides, it is a fun and informative way to explore the grounds.

Free daily walking tours

Tours leave at 11 am and 1:30 pm from the information desk at Victoria Gate Plaza. Each guide presents their own tour and takes in the highlights(最精彩的部分) of the season.

Themed tours

Tours leave at 12 from the information desk at Victoria Gate Plaza. Our guides offer attractive seasonal themes including Autumn Colour and Winter Evergreens.

Expert-guided tours

Every Tuesday throughout the year at 11:30 am and 2:30 pm we’ll be holding an expert-guided tour. The tour will feature (以…为特色) a different plant each month and you’ll go behind the Scenes and talk to Kew staff about their work. You’ll find out interesting facts about the featured plant or fungus(真菌), including why it’s grown at Kew   and how it’s used and cared for.

Price

The cost is £ 60 per guide (this does not include your entry to the Gardens). Each guide can take 15 people. Groups of more than 15 must book more than one guide. Smaller groups are also accepted but the cost remains £ 60.

Tours take about one hour and may be booked from 10 am every day. Please note that no refunds(退款) can be given once tickets are booked.

6 . German has a word “wanderlust” which means “the desire to travel” if it’s translated into English. Nowadays the opportunity to travel is endless. Thanks to low-cost airfares, travelling abroad is very accessible and sometimes it’s even cheaper to fly out of the country than to travel within your own country. So, yes, travelling is cheap but there have to be other reasons to travel and you’re right; there are plenty!

I have always had this feeling of wanderlust. It started from me wanting to explore my local woods at the back of my garden as a young girl and as I have grown, so has my sense of adventure. And I found my local woods being replaced with the Brazil wetland. The thing with travelling is that it’s always different. Even if you go to the same country, to the same town and stay in the exact same hotel, it will be a completely different experience. The people you meet will be different, and they will tell you their own travelling stories: stories of holiday romances, holiday horror stories and stories that seem so outrageous that you can hardly believe them until something similar happens to you. You find yourself becoming one of those people telling you tales.

Or maybe the difference is yourself? Maybe you have changed since last time you were there. And that’s the thing with travelling — it changes you. When you travel you are forced into immersing yourself in a new culture and whether it’s eating delicious food, or staying with a family where neither of you can speak a common language and you have to communicate by gestures and smiles, the experience may give you itchy feet to do it all again. Although wanderlust is originally a German word, the English idiom “to have itchy feet” captures a similar idea. Someone who has itchy feet needs to leave or travel. This desire to explore is found not only in languages but also in us.

7 . You don't need to travel far away to write a travel diary. Your writing can start with a family vacation or a weekend getaway. All you need is a destination or a place of departure(出发)!

    1     Your trip journal can begin before your trip has started Use your journal to start planning the things you want to do. It can be a cool restaurant where you want to eat, a hike you want to go on or different sights you want to see.

Write about what you imagine it will be. Sometimes when you travel, your destination is wildly different from what you expected. Maybe you expected the local food to be bad but it turned out to be delicious.     2     Maybe you thought you would not be comfortable with the climate while you adapted to it. Whatever, try to write it down before you arrive. It will be interesting to compare these predictions to what you have actually experienced.

    3     It is always easier to remember things when they are fresh in your brain, but it may be diluted(冲淡)with time going by. So try to write as much as you can during travelling every day if you can. Your journals don't have to be long, but letting then express your feelings is the most important.

Add pictures to your journal.     4     Combining pictures with your first-hand accounts of what they represented, or what happened when they were taken, will make for a better travel journal.

Write about your trip after you leave. It is important to reflect on your travels, so you can have a new understanding.     5    

9 . With its snow-covered mountains and a variety of wildlife, Yellowstone National Park is one of the scenic treasures of the United States. Located primarily in Wyoming, the park receives millions of visitors every year. If you plan to travel within the park, keep in mind advice from the National Park Service.

Seasonal Travel

Travel varies vastly from season to season. Roads are generally open in the summer except for cases of rock or mud slides, wild fires, accidents or road construction. Early snows in the fall can cause some roads to be closed temporarily. In the winter almost all roads are closed to motor vehicles, but snowmobiles and other vehicles with snow chains are allowed. Roads begin to open in the spring by the latter part of April but will be closed if snowfall continues.

Driving Time

Grand Loop is the main road through Yellowstone National Park; it passes by most of the major attractions. These include Old Faithful, Yellowstone Lake and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The maximum speed limit on the Grand Loop is 45 miles per hour, but the speed limit drops during some of the winding and twisting sections of this narrow road. Allow yourself at least two days to fully travel the loop due to the size of the park and being sometimes stuck in heavy traffic.

Safety Awareness

Buffaloes often block the roads in the park as they move through the fields. If a herd is travelling across the road you are on, you can either wait for them to pass or find an alternative route. If you get out of your vehicle, the National Park Service suggests that you stay at least 25 yards from any buffalo(and 100 yards or more away from bears and wolves). Buffaloes are particularly unpredictable and charge towards people at a speed of up to 30 mph.

You can ride your bicycle on any public roads and routes designed for bikes, but bicycles are not allowed on the park roads which are narrow. Altitudes range from 5,300 to 8,860 feet. The National Park Service recommends cyclists wear helmets and noticeable clothing.

10 . Fuerteventura is a great place awaiting your discovery. Here are some reasons.

La Concha beach

Located in the Concha bay, the La Concha beach is one of the most popular beaches, which is dressed in white sand and beautified with calm water. The beach is close to the town, and at sunset, most tourists rush to see the skies turn beautiful colours in just a few short moments. At low tide（海水的低潮）, small pools of water form, and these are great for the little members of the family to take a dive in. There are enough parking lots and plenty of restaurants to choose from.

Corralejo Natural Park

If you want to experience the desert beauty of Fuerteventura, Corralejo Natural Park will be the best place. It is a coin with two sides. One is characterized by volcanic scenery, and the other is white sand that has been cleansed by the blue water of the Atlantic Ocean. Getting to the park can be easily done by road, but exploring it demands that you put on your hiking shoes and take a walk through the natural wonderland.

Costa Calma beach

Costa Calma beach is characterized by blue waters and white sand. The beach is not packed, so you will get a chance to be just with your thoughts as you sunbathe on the sand. When the winds are swift, Costa Calma beach turns into a hot spot for surfers, ideal for those wanting to get a surfing course. The road leading to the beach is fenced by green plants meaning the magic starts even before you get there.

Cofete Beach

It's hard to find a fitting description for this wild beach. Its shoreline is great for its golden sand and wild water. Getting to Cofete Beach is not easy: perhaps that's why this place is still in its original state. The road has difficult spots that require expert driving skills. However, if you can tolerate it, you will be treated with some amazing views.