Best places to elope

Tips & articles

Forget guest-list politics and seating-plan riddles – you’re getting married, not pursuing a career in event planning. If you choose to forgo the crowds for something more intimate, great-aunt Marge will just have to deal with it.

Skip big-wedding stress and run away to one of these exotic, quirky or just plain idyllic destinations for a fuss-free private wedding.

Fiji

Not for nothing is Fiji the wedding capital of the South Pacific.Image by Universal Images Group / Getty

What you may have to fork out in flights to reach Fiji, you’ll recoup in fantastic all-inclusive elopement package deals at resorts across its 300-odd islands. As the wedding capital of the South Pacific, Fiji spoils couples for choice with its abundance of venues, from simple seaside setups and lush junglescapes to exclusive private island hideaways such as Turtle Island, where scenes from The Blue Lagoon were filmed, Likuliku Lagoon Resort with its over-water bungalows, and Matangi Private Island Resort, where you can opt for an all-inclusive wedding for less than US$1000 (plus 20% tax) before retiring to your luxury treehouse.

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First time France: where to go and what to do

Tips & articles

France is the world’s top tourist destination and for good reason. There's a lot packed into just one country – artistic and architectural masterpieces, remarkable museums and natural landscapes, and a history harking back far beyond the Romans. Top it off with fine wine, food and a culinary culture that permeates through every city and small town, and the only hard part is deciding where to go first.

Paris

France’s chic, sexy capital has to be experienced at least once. Mix picture-postcard icons with simple Parisian moments and you'll truly fall in love with the city. Scale the Eiffel Tower then walk or cycle along the Seine, or cruise down it on a bateau-mouche (bateaux-mouches.fr). Venerate Notre Dame then grab a post-cathedral café at Café Saint-Régis, ice-cream at Berthillon or super juice at literary café of mythical bookshop Shakespeare & Company. Hit the Louvre then collapse on a bench with a Pierre Hermé macaron in the Tuileries or Palais Royal gardens. Delve into hilltop Montmartre with a local Paris Greeter (greeters.paris). Escape to posh leafy Versailles and come back blown away by France’s most famous chateau.

Whether you head up to the top or simply admire from below, Paris' signature spire is a must-see. Image by Loic Lagarde/Photostock/Getty

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Best value destinations for 2016

Tips & articles

Bagging a good deal on the road can be almost as thrilling as the trip itself, no matter what your travel budget.

Make your hard-earned cash go further with our essential annual hot-list of where to go for wallet-friendly wandering, whether you’re hunting for a bargain or in search of old-school cheapness. Splurgers, look elsewhere.

1. New Mexico

Mountain biking in New Mexico. Image by amygdala_imagery / Lonely Planet

Looking for a beautiful, affordable, active, foodie corner of America’s southwest?  Look no further. New Mexico powers your budget further. Dry, sunny weather is a near constant. Albuquerque’s Breaking Bad sights can be explored for the price of a trolley ride and washed down with a cheap eat from a hole-in-the-wall taqueria. Elsewhere, the winter sports are good and cheap and the outdoors is outstanding (and free): hiking in Alpine forests, petroglyph sites to track down and free wild hot springs. Given the richness of attractions all found within one state, New Mexico offers value from a time as well as monetary perspective.

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