It’s August, so if your algorithm is anything like mine, your social media will be awash with photos of friends, celebrities and influencers living their best lives on holiday.
This summer, the Mediterranean rolled out its red carpet for the likes of Reese Witherspoon, Kendall Jenner and Kate Hudson, who have been spotted across St Tropez, Ibiza, Mykonos and the Amalfi Coast. Other popular European hotspots include Palermo, where Dua Lipa and Callum Turner were seen. Over in the Caribbean, St Barts and Turks and Caicos have drawn everyone from Rihanna to the Biebers for some summer downtime.
As a devourer of pop culture, I love finding out that a famous person has stayed at the same hotel as me. In 2023, when I checked into the Our Habitas Tulum in Mexico, I enjoyed being regaled with tales of Drew Barrymore and Paris Hilton's recent trips. More than a decade ago, I was shown around a hotel in Manila and the tour guide proudly boasted that US president Barack Obama had stayed there only months before. And then there are storied destinations such as Raffles Singapore, which had a corridor of photos of notable guests, including Queen Elizabeth II, Rudyard Kipling, Charlie Chaplin and Elizabeth Taylor, when I visited in 2016.
Raffles Singapore has welcomed guests such as Queen Elizabeth II, Rudyard Kipling, Charlie Chaplin and Elizabeth Taylor. Photo: Accor
This month, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, may have influenced a few holidaymakers in London, where he has been spotted dining at some of the UAE’s most popular export locations.
Last week, he stopped by Somewhere Cafe, which opened at Harrods department store in December. And this week, he visited Chef Izu Ani’s Shanghai Me London, at the London Hilton on Park Lane. Read more about the places Sheikh Mohammed has frequented here.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed grouse shooting in Yorkshire. Instagram / Sheikh Hamdan
Sheikh Mohammed isn’t the only member of the Dubai royal family in the UK. His son, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, shared photos of himself on his annual grouse shooting trip to Yorkshire, England last week.
He posted the photos on Saturday, just days after August 12, which is known as the Glorious Twelfth and traditionally marks the start of the red grouse shooting season in the UK.
Sheikh Hamdan has shared photos of himself and his family spending time in England most summers. Last year he even posted a photo from inside a British supermarket. See the photo highlights from his trip this year here.
Closer to home, Cristiano Ronaldo and wife-to-be Georgina Rodriguez have become frequent holidaymakers in Saudi Arabia. The couple live in Riyadh, where Ronaldo plays for Al Nassr Football Club, but have made many trips to the Red Sea and AlUla. Katy Gillett has rounded up some of their favourite Saudi hotspots here.
Georgina Rodriguez on holiday in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, which she says 'feels like home'. Instagram / Georgina Rodriguez
This week I was surprised to read about a budding trend that takes travel influence further than I’d have imagined. Influencers are now selling the chance to travel with them, not just like them, and Gen Z travellers appear to be lapping up the opportunities.
Companies such as TrovaTrip and Plotpackers sell holidays with influencers, on the basis that the trips will be fully planned and community-led, with safety and security in mind. Groups will be shown around destinations by influencers: right now you can pay $2,595 (not including international flights) for a nine-day trip to Egypt with Raven Todd DaSilva in March. DaSilva is an archaeology influencer with 14,000 followers on Instagram and 69.3K subscribers on YouTube.
MrBeast spent 100 hours at the Pyramids of Giza for a video published in February. Photo: MrBeast
I'm not sure I’d want to be shown around by an influencer – although they have gained very good access, if we think back to MrBeast’s trip to the Pyramids of Giza in February. However, after a busy summer of planning my own trips, the idea of having someone map out my days and activities does sound appealing.
The National's Hayley Kadrou recently completed part of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. Hayley Kadrou / The National
Travel has the power to be transformational – an opportunity for reflection, healing and experiences that take us out of our comfort zone.
This is something Hayley Kadrou has written about in her piece about the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, a trip that took her two years to plan.
Inspired by her mum, she made an 11-day trek along the Portuguese coast up into Spain's Galicia region in April this year, a trip she says brought her back to herself.
“I discovered the Camino was a nice place to be alone in my head, away from the daily grind, to-do lists and expectations. I wanted to savour it. It gave me time to process, experience realisations and find moments of inspiration – something of a reset button,” she writes. Read all about Hayley's remarkable trip here.
Several restaurants in Zakopane offer Halal menus. AFP
Move over Switzerland and Austria, there's a new alpine hotspot for holidaymakers from the Gulf escaping the summer heat.
Nestled deep in southern Poland's Tatra Mountains is the small resort town of Zakopane, where thousands of tourists from the region have flocked for alpine views and hiking trails.
Zakopane has become a major summer draw for travellers from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, with up to seven daily flights to Krakow, about a two-hour drive north. Read all about the regional appeal of the destination here.
A cycle along the waterfront, visit to the V&A or meal in the West End are among the highlights of a trip to Dundee. Photo: Visit Scotland
The small Scottish city of Dundee offers short breaks with substance, stories and solidarity stitched into their fabric.
Twinned with Nablus, there are messages of unity throughout the city – with the Palestinian flag flying high above Caird Hall in the City Square and the Thread Memory: Embroidery from Palestine exhibition running at the V&A Dundee until spring 2026.
Hayley Skirka dives into the city's rich cultural offerings, from historical sites to exhibitions and impressive public art. Read all about her trip here.
Get off the beaten track by asking a local where they would take an out-of-town friend for the day.
It's likely they'll skip the obvious tourist traps and you'll end up with their personal favourites, perhaps a tucked-away cafe, a quiet viewpoint at sunset or a family-run restaurant they’ve frequented for years.
The National produces 14 newsletters across an array of subjects. You can sign up here.
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024. It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine. Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages]. The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts. With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians. Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved. Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world. The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11 What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time. TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023 More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Omar Al Suweidi (46kg), Khaled Al Shehhi (50kg), Khalifa Humaid Al Kaabi (60kg), Omar Al Fadhli (62kg), Mohammed Ali Al Suweidi (66kg), Omar Ahmed Al Hosani (73), all in the U18’s, and Khalid Eskandar Al Blooshi (56kg) in the U21s.
