The Philippines in 1996-1997, China in 2000, Vietnam in 2009, Japan in 2013 and 2025, South Korea in 2014 and 2024, Taiwan in 2017 (the starting point of Trip By Trip), Singapore in 2018, Hong Kong and Macau in 2023. I like travelling to East Asia. Yet I never visited Thailand, for many westerners the…
Tag: Netherlands
10 underrated cities in Europe to visit in 2026-2027
Italy’s Urban Mood Magazine has highlighted ten European cities it believes travellers should visit in 2026, before they become firmly established on the mainstream tourist circuit.
Belgian and Dutch passenger advocates call for swift reopening of Hamont-Weert railway
Belgian and Dutch passenger organisations are calling for the rapid reopening of the railway between Hamont in Belgian Limburg, and Weert in Dutch Limburg. Following a joint inspection of the nine-kilometre missing link, TreinTramBus (TTB), Dutch passenger organisation Rover and the Vereniging Treinreizigers Vervoer (vTv) concluded that the cross-border connection could be restored relatively quickly…
European Sleeper plans Brussels – Antwerp – Malmö night train for 2028
European Sleeper is exploring a new night train linking Brussels in Belgium with Malmö in Sweden via the Netherlands, and Copenhagen in Denmark, in cooperation with German rail operator RDC Deutschland. The service could start in April 2028, creating a direct overnight connection between the Benelux and Scandinavia for the first time in more than…
Nederlandse Spoorwegen and Deutsche Bahn launch direct ICE services to Hamburg and Bremen
From 2 October 2026, NS International will launch a new direct ICE service from the Netherlands to Hamburg, bringing the popular northern German city within easy reach by rail. The service will initially run to Hamburg and will later also serve Bremen.
Virgin Trains takes major step towards London to Brussels, Paris and Amsterdam services
Virgin Trains has taken a major step towards challenging Eurostar‘s dominance of cross-Channel passenger rail services after the United Kingdom‘s rail regulator gave the green light to a track access agreement that could allow the company to launch international services in 2030.
Switzerland breaks tourism records with nearly 44 million overnight stays in 2025
I turned 45 in June. I have this tradition – when possible – of not being in Belgium for my birthday. From Sweden in 2013 to the Châteaux of the Loire Valley in 2014, Lake Orta in 2015, Rome in 2016, London in 2018, North Carolina and Virginia in 2019, England in 2022, and Rotterdam…
GoVolta unveils ambitious expansion with new services to Cologne, Luxembourg, Strasbourg, and high-speed trains to Paris
Dutch open-access operator GoVolta has announced its most ambitious expansion plans yet, notifying the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (Autoriteit Consument & Markt, ACM) of three new international routes while also seeking permission to carry domestic passengers on its Amsterdam to Berlin and Amsterdam to Paris services. Spoiler alert: notifying a government agency such…
Belgium among world’s top 4 in rankings by Henley Passport Index and Global Passport Index by Arton
Belgian passport holders continue to enjoy some of the world’s greatest travel freedom, although exactly where Belgium ranks depends on which international passport index is used.
Belgium tourism reaches new heights as record visitor numbers underline the country’s growing appeal
Today is the National Holiday of Belgium. On 21 July 1831, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha took the constitutional oath to become King of the Belgians.