London was ranked the tenth most expensive city in the league table, making it cheaper than cities including Copenhagen, Rome and Tokyo but more expensive than Hong Kong, Berlin and Amsterdam.The cheapest of the 26 cities in the so-called Club Sandwich Index (CSI) is New Delhi, where the average Club costs £5.91. Alison Couper, an executive at Hotels.com, said: “Paris may well be the gastronomic capital of the world, but at an average of £20.43 per Club, travellers may be better off sticking to a Croque-Monsieur.” Hotels.com took its prices from 10 five-star, 10 four-star, and 10 three-star hotels in each city. In total 750 prices of a Club Sandwich were measured across 750 hotels. Local currencies were converted to pound sterling at the correct exchange rate on 25 April 2012.

VisitBritain, the UK’s tourism body, said that “records tumbled” over the year. Patricia Yates, director of strategy and communication at VisitBritain, said: “We have had three straight years of declining arrival figures, so for 2011 to show a return to growth, with 800,000 more overseas visitors coming to Britain, is great news.”

The number of visitors who came to the UK specifically for a holiday – as opposed to visit family and friends – rose by over 250,000 to 11.6 million, the highest number on record. Visitor numbers were further boosted by an increase in people on business trips. Ms Yates said that the momentum must be increased for this year’s Olympics, which she called “the largest spectacle on earth”.

“As we look back on a positive 2011 for both holiday visits and spend, we want to make sure we capitalise on these gains by helping boost jobs across the country and create a lasting tourism legacy for many years to come,” she said. Businesses have benefited from the boom. Recent figures showed that tax-free shopping in the UK at the end of last year was the highest for a decade.

Global Blue, a company that tracks tax-free spending in shops, said that Chinese and Nigerian shoppers in the UK spent a fifth more in December than they did the previous year. Richard Brown, an executive at the company, said: “December figures highlight the present wealth and spending power of tourists, particularly Chinese and Nigerian shoppers whose average spend per transaction both grew year-on-year by 19 per cent.”

Mike Saul, head of hospitality and leisure at Barclays Corporate, said there are signs that visitor numbers would continue to rise this year. According to VisitBritain, the top 10 attractions in London included the British Museum, the National Gallery and the Natural History Museum.

6-8 pm: Charcuterie of cured meats, prosciuttos, and pates, plus international cheeses paired with premium wines and champagne.
8-11 pm: Artisanal cheeses, with complementary accompaniments such as truffle honey and fig chutney, plus an assortment of fresh fruits and desserts, including a chocolate fountain and petit fours handmade by onboard pastry chefs, with fine wines, digestifs, and hot drinks.
11 pm-12 am: Late-night munchies such as mini-sandwiches, freshly-baked pizzas, quiche, tandoori chicken, and trendy beef “sliders.”

“In traditional Crystal luxury fashion, our evening Bistro brings aboard the elegance and international panache of a European cafe experience—a central place to meet, people-watch, and enjoy a glass of wine or espresso and a snack,” says Vice President Food and Beverage Operations Toni Neumeister.  “In addition, this expansion really enhances the culinary and social options for guests who spend a full day sightseeing and/or like to mix up their evening dining.”

Casual dining on deck is also offered most evenings with a new Chinese “Comfort Food” menu augmenting choices on Crystal Serenity.

Extraordinary culinary experiences are a hallmark of every Crystal vacation.  The ultra-luxury line’s extensive, innovative choices for gourmandizing include coveted cheese and wine cellars, overseen by on-board, certified cheese and wine sommeliers (Court of Master Sommeliers-certified); fresh, chef-like cocktails served by certified mixologists; gourmet dining options at every meal, whether in the Crystal Dining Room, at afternoon tea, or in Nobu Matsuhisa and Piero Selvaggio’s specialty restaurants; and, starting this spring, all-inclusive premium spirits, fine wines, and champagnes throughout the ship.

The desks and book stacks ringing the atrium here are a sight to behold, though we’re not sure they are particularly conducive to getting work done – it is too tempting to people watch and to admire the architecture. As if freely suspended in air, the six reading galleries, enclosing a lens-shaped light funnel, rise up to the dome roof. Glass, white stone, white steel girders, light maple wood and bountiful daylight are all combined to create a daring shape, while generating an easy elegance. Tourists visiting the library should take one of the glass elevators to the top floor to get the full feel for this fabulous building.

Enter a new set of islands in the Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, Caribbean and beyond. Take, for example, the Indonesian island Sumba. If Bali is too obvious a vacation choice, hop a short flight to this lush oasis, which now has its own luxury resort. You’ll forget Bali even existed. Meanwhile, St. Barths is not the only isle de French paradise: Deep in the Indian Ocean lies the France-owned island Réunion, where you can start your day with a croissant before hitting the surf. And before it fully developed into a vacation destination for the rich and famous, Capri would have looked quite a bit like nearby Ischia, its rugged cousin.

“Private and reassuringly hard-to-get, these islands entice diehard fans to get off the grid,” says James Lohan, CEO and co-founder of the boutique hotel website Mr. & Mrs. Smith. They let vacationers “be the ruler of their own domain and feel like they have discovered someplace unique.”

That’s certainly the case at Makepeace Island, off of Australia’s Sunshine coast. Richard Branson just started renting out the heart-shaped piece of land off this summer. Accommodations only house 22. Thailand’s Koh Surin Nu is so secluded that the only way to stay overnight is in a rustic bungalow or camping out under the stars in Mu Koh Surin National Park.

So transition into being a trendsetter by picking a destination that bears some similarities to a familiar favorite. Then prepare to tack on extra travel time, since being an early adopter usually means adding an extra leg of travel. It’s the moderate difficulty in getting there that keeps these places exclusive. Are you ready for an island less ordinary?

Strasbourg has a rich architectural history – the entire city center of Strasbourg is classified as world heritage. It was added at World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1988. Stroll down its ancient streets, admire its monuments, visit the wealth of its museums, cruise along the river or stare at its magnificent cathedral, guardian angel of two great civilizations, Latin and Germanic, which built Europe. Famous for its channels which encircle the city centre and bring to the charm of the scenery, for its traditional Christmas Market, lovely parks and a distinctive traditional cuisine, Strasbourg offers its visitors a variety of unique experiences.

“A person cannot have a trip of a lifetime unless they open their mind,” says Thomas Stanley, COO of luxury trip planner Cox & Kings, The Americas. “The most thrilling locations can fall flat without the willingness to be spontaneous. It is exceptional moments — seeing a cheetah being born, a true lifetime friendship being established across languages and cultures — that make travel great.”

On Croatia’s Istrian peninsula, for instance, you can base yourself at a working vineyard, indulge in ice cream topped with shaved truffles, meet with local winemakers, and learn how to properly taste olive oil — with the help of bespoke tour operator Tasteful Croatian Journeys. Travel companies can be instrumental in getting you insider access, but the right attitude toward the new and unknown is at least as important.

Katrina Garnett, a California-based entrepreneur who, with her family, has traveled to many of the spots on our list, adds that grand, once-in-a-lifetime trips “allow us to stretch, go beyond limits and face fears — or conquer them.” During one South American journey, one of her children faced his fear of heights during an Amazon zip-lining experience — “and came back with a big grin, and no more fear of heights! Families that travel together develop lifelong bonds that don’t easily happen any other way.”

No matter what your reasons for traveling, our slideshow is sure to inspire at least one life-changing journey. Just bring your camera — and a willingness to let go.