New routes to Guernsey, London light festival, and Réunion Island: Travel agenda
Where to go and what to know
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The capital welcomes its first light festival next weekend. At certain times between 14 and 17 January, parts of Mayfair, Piccadilly, Regent Street, Trafalgar Square and King's Cross will be closed off to host Lumiere London. Exhibits will include glowing plastic bottles in Trafalgar Square's fountains, aimed at highlighting the damage done by rubbish dumped in the Pacific.
NZ via TX
Travellers to New Zealand have a new one-stop option: to fly via Houston. Air New Zealand now flies five times a week from Texas's largest city to Auckland. The 15-hour flight is a code-share with United Airlines, which has three flights a day from Heathrow to Houston. On a round-trip it could be combined with stopovers in San Francisco or Los Angeles.
Castle rescue
A 15th-century castle, seven miles south-east of Glasgow, that was formerly ruined, is to open on 1 April as a luxury nine-bedroom hotel. Crossbasket Castle, overlooking the River Calder in High Blantyre, will be managed by the same firm as Andy Murray's Cromlix.
Channel hop
Aurigny Airways is adding new routes to Guernsey this summer. The island's “flag carrier” will fly from Leeds/Bradford four times a week, and from Norwich on Saturdays. Both services begin in May and are operated by ATR42 turbo-props.
Island trek
World Expeditions has several adventurous new itineraries for 2016, including a Réunion Island Explorer. The six-day guided trip to the Indian Ocean island includes trekking in the collapsed caldera of Piton des Neiges volcano and the chance to spot wildlife including parrots and panthers. Departs May-September, from £1,490pp, excluding flights.
Border check
Passengers travelling from Denmark to Sweden now face identity checks. The new European Rail Timetable says these take place at Copenhagen's Kastrup airport, which has rail links with both the Danish capital and Malmo in Sweden. There will no longer be a direct service between the two cities.
Lyft off
Transport from Los Angeles airport gets easier from this week. The ride-sharing app Lyft has gained permission to make pick-ups at LAX. Its rival, Uber, is expected to follow suit soon. Until now, both services could take travellers to the airport, but not collect them.
Cruise news
The most extreme cruise ship repositioning voyages are made between Antarctica and the Arctic. Hurtigruten has expanded its range to include a 19-night cruise that connects Brazil with Morocco. From £2,586pp; departs March 2017.
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