Take the road less traveled with these European gems

Ski slopes without lift lines. Steaming thermal baths. Rich fireside meals. While most people flock to Europe in the summer, winter has its own charms — especially if you avoid the most popular destinations like France and Italy. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by what you’ll find: intricate architecture, alluring streets, free-flowing wine; in other words, everything you’d expect from Europe — but with fewer crowds and, in some cases, for half the price. This winter, here are three European destinations you should consider.
                                             

Start in the romantic city of Lisbon — and if you don’t mind hills, stay in the enchanting Alfama neighborhood, which has been inhabited since the fifth century.

Because of its relatively warm temperatures (in the 50s) and small crowds, Paula Oliveira, executive director of Turismo de Lisboa, calls winter “a perfect period to come for a short break.” She recommends visiting at Christmas or New Year’s, when you can sample specialty pastries and witness the city’s sparkling and festive city lights.

You could probably spend an entire week simply wandering Lisbon by foot or streetcar, but I recommend a food and wine walk with the tour group Inside Lisbon. On our three-hour excursion, we sampled pastel de nata and espresso, cheese and port, and bacalhau (salted cod) and green (referring to its age, not its color) wine, learning about the city’s culture and history with each bite. For more yummy eats, check out restaurant Ze da Mouraria and the Time Out Market.

When you’d like to escape the city, travel an hour northwest by train to Sintra. This small town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is filled with castles. Among the most notable are the National Palace of Pena, a colorful 19th-century building that looks like it’s straight out of a Disney movie; the Castle of the Moors, a hilltop fortress with gorgeous views of the surrounding valley; and the Quinta de Regaleira, a Gothic mansion with expansive gardens.

The couple paid $200k a year to travel

Collette and Scott Stohler have what looks like the dream career. They travel the world for six months a year and are paid to post photos, videos, newsletters and blogs on their website and social media channels.
Their Instagram feed (@Roamaroo) is a brightly coloured montage of perfect moments – kayaking in turquoise waters, clinking glasses on balconies or snuggling on pristine beaches. But, Collette says, behind the scenes “it’s not as glamorous as you see in a feed. Just know that we’re on the beach only for a moment to take a photo.”
                                             

While the average cubicle-dweller may find it hard to sympathise, she says the life of an “influencer” requires relentless hard work: thousands are competing for the same marketing dollars.
The number of social media influencers – people like the Stohlers with huge audiences and companies eager to piggyback on their success – is growing, and the industry is evolving rapidly. But only a tiny minority are able to make a living doing so. Philip Trippenbach, head of influencer at marketing firm Edelman, says that while “the best” can command astronomical fees, “those who are merely pretty good, get nothing, essentially.” The cost of the average sponsored post, according to Adweek, is around $300.

The couple, previously an engineering manager and an ad producer, launched Roamaroo two years ago. They had come to the end of a seven-month, round-the-world trip they decided to take with money saved for a second home, after listening to a podcast about adventurous sabbaticals. Towards the end of their journey, they realised that their social media following had been growing, and decided to turn their nomadic lifestyle into a business.

Everything you need to know about travelling to South Africa

A number of readers have come forward in recent weeks having experienced difficulties travelling to South Africa with a child.
                                           

The latest letter came from Telegraph Travel reader, Joanne Caputo.

Joanne Caputo, writes:

In June my husband accompanied me to Gatwick Airport to travel to Cape Town via Dubai with our four-month-old son so I could visit my grandmother, who is 90, for a few days.

It’s too expensive to take the whole family to South Africa during the school holidays (I’m a teacher) so I bought a cheap off-season flight. I checked online what documents I needed (or thought I had) and knew I had to carry my son’s unabridged birth certificate. I had a letter of permission from my husband, and his passport.

Gill Charlton, consumer expert, replies:

You are the third person to contact me in as many weeks to say they’ve been refused travel to South Africa as a lone parent because they don’t have a parental consent affidavit.

An affidavit is a signed letter sworn under oath in person before a solicitor or a commissioner for oaths. It costs £5. This requirement has been in place since June 2015 when the South African Department of Home Affairs brought in new regulations to prevent child trafficking. All children under 18 must travel to South Africa with their unabridged birth certificate showing the names of their parents – even if travelling with them. If the child is accompanied by one parent, South African immigration requires consent – in the form of an affidavit – from whoever is registered as the parent on the birth certificate.

Your confirmation merely states that you should contact the visa agent CIBT to check entry requirements and that Travel Up is not liable for denied boarding due to invalid documents. Emirates could perhaps have flown you the following day as a goodwill gesture if you had booked direct with them, but it could not change an agency-issued ticket.

A handheld travel device helping millions to connect through language

Having recently completed a round-the-world-trip, I can tell you first hand that the translation functionality of your smartphone is a godsend. And I can also tell you firsthand that the associated app-jumping and the strain it puts on your poor phone’s battery life is anything but.
                                   

A personal voice translator device, Travis is capable of instantly translating between 80 of the world’s most common languages with the click of a button.

Travis (the device) was designed and created by Travis (the company), a small firm founded by Lennart van der Ziel and Nick NM Yap, which started with just those two and has since grown to now have teams working across three continents — North America, Europe and Asia.

The device is nicely pocket-sized, and uses advanced AI to recognise what language is being spoken, analyse and translate it, and then relay that translation in your chosen preferred language — all within the system itself, with no need to bounce between apps!

Travis is able to be used with headphones with a built in mic; so if you want to go on a tour, or attend a show, or even if you’re simply riding public transport, Travis will listen to the information being presented, and deliver it directly to your ear, without giving away your secret.

Even though the campaign has now long since finished, Travis was so popular he is now available InDemand, so patrons can still head over to Indiegogo and secure themselves a travel buddy, and with an estimated shipping date of September, he could make the perfect Christmas present.