Long lunches, casual friendships, no one to worry about: solo holidays are brilliant for older women like me

I’ve been travelling alone for 15 years – and loving it. Now that others are catching up, here’s how to make the most of all that me time

10 of the best British walking festivals

This year’s hiking events cover everything from vineyard strolls to foraging safaris and coastal routes with spectacular views

I have been forced into a month of minimalism – and I hate it

Far from home, in a rental apartment, the scarcity of my own stuff is making me strange, writes Emma Beddington. Where is the focus, calm and happiness I was promised?

‘Time for dreaming’: five writers on the slow travel joys that bring them peace

Turning off the phone and focusing on wild camping, sailing, foraging, fishing or beachcombing puts our authors in a state of mindfulness

Food should be tasty, and it doesn’t have to come in a bowl. Could someone tell my lovely American hosts?

I’ve had some amazing experiences in Boston. But I want fun from my holiday meals, not joyless refuelling

From hill walks and yoga to foraging and wild swimming: 12 of the best active UK retreats

These short breaks from the Inner Hebrides to Bodmin Moor offer the chance to relax and recalibrate amid beautiful natural landscapes

“My mind, usually a torrent of work stress, has fallen silent”: how I found peace on a woodland retreat

I arrived feeling soul sick and lost, but the simple acts of putting away my phone and sitting in the woods for a few days turned into something profoundly transformational

‘For tranquillity nowhere else comes close’: readers’ favourite UK retreats

An outdoor eco-spa in Wales and riverside yoga in North Yorkshire are among the highlights of our tipsters’ most revitalising breaks

I’ve made secret discoveries on my doorstep: a year-long journey across my local OS map

We have become disconnected from the wild world around us and I wanted to get regular small doses of the delights of travelling without having to wait for the trip of a lifetime

Totally unplugged: a digital detox holiday in Cheshire

Would a stay in a remote off-grid cabin – with phones locked away – be respite from the madness of the Christmas season for this young family?