Former MPs and their spouses racked up $703,000 on taxpayer-funded travel in the past year, including nearly $25,000 by some couples.

A search for intelligence on Uncle George takes Phil Vine deep inside the headquarters of East Germany's tyrannical Stasi.

Elizabeth Binning is converted to lentils in a French cooking lesson on the Sunshine Coast.

Shandelle Battersby checks in to SpringHill Suites in Anaheim, California.

Sports fan Andrew Alderson shares his tips for conquering the great Singapore credit card marathon.

Ellie Hutchinson flies with across the ditch from Auckland to a small island in Australia.

Glorious scenery, quaint pubs, perfect drives, wonderful hiking - Kerry has it all, says Simon Horsford.

Pamela Wade ducks the deep-fried abominations for true Gaelic treats.

Readers share some of their travel disasters.

Vancouver is like Wellington when it comes to quality food - it's absolutely teeming with top quality places to grab a bite to eat.

The capital has unique attractions and only some of them are rich and powerful, writes James Henderson.

Newstalk ZB's Chris Lynch discovers there's a lot more to Anaheim than Disneyland.

Until a few months ago, if you wanted a bird's eye view of North Korea's capital, there was basically only one option: a 150m-tall tower across the river from Kim Il Sung Square.

Tracey Bond tags along with a group of bar hoppers for a Tik-e Tour of Rarotonga's best watering holes.

Copenhagen has 320km of dedicated cycle lanes. Free bikes are available from 110 locations throughout the city.

Eli Orzessek joins AirAsia X's inaugural flight IDX6 from Malaysia to Mauritius.

Nick Jenkins discovers a friendly way to visit the turbulent Middle East.

Ewan McDonald flies aboard Cathay Pacific's new aircraft, due to arrive in New Zealand at the end of the month.

This grotesque playground of mutilated dolls looks like the stuff of nightmares. But the tragic story behind this unlikely tourist attraction is perhaps more disturbing.

The Great Wall. The Forbidden City. Some of the world's greatest sights but how do you get to see them? Ewan McDonald braves Beijing on his own.

Helen van Berkel gets a surprisingly warm welcome in colourful and tumultuous Nepal.

An advertisement in a travel magazine got me thinking about all the courses and unusual activity breaks I have been on.

Russell Baillie follows the path of Kurt Cobain's career on a road trip from Seattle, the home of grunge, to San Francisco.

For over $200 a plate, diners at this Colorado eatery can choose the ideal marijuana strain to match with their gourmet meal.

The holiday itself wasn't the greatest but the tour leader was Sid Going, my all-time rugby hero.

The Yukon offers up fascinating culture and abundant wilderness in equal measure.

Shandelle Battersby checks out NYC's best new food halls.

Shandelle Battersby has some essential advice for an easy trip.

Miami-born, New Zealand-based chef Grace Ramirez is back in love with her birthplace.

Madrid is so stuffed with excellent eateries, even the most fixated foodies may dither about where to go to try its best food, writes Deborah Telford.