The Travel Wire: best travel reads #38

The Travel Wire is a weekly newsletter of the best travel reads from around the web, edited by James Clark from Nomadic Notes.

Travel reads

• Notes on Bandung: The decolonization capital and the high-speed gateway to Java [Nomadic Notes]

• What I learned from walking Britain's entire coast [BBC Travel]

• Q was the question she asked [Trying!]

"In the mid-1990s, Phuong Anh Nguyen made Q Bar the most important bar in Vietnam—and possibly the world."

• As tourists flock to Hội An, Sa Pa and Cát Bà Island in increasing numbers, should Vietnam do more to tackle overtourism? [Adventure]

• Mexico's new train line is your ticket to the Yucatan's best meals [Eater]

“Riding the Tren Maya is a great way to try cochinita pibil, tamales, and more in Mérida, Cancún, and Tulum.”

• What’s it like to hike on the historical Nakasendo Trail in Japan? [CNA]

• In search of a new role: the port city of Szczecin [Hidden Europe]

"The shipyards in Szczecin once built some the world's finest and fastest passenger liners. But today the cranes are silent, and the city of Szczecin is struggling to define its role in modern Poland. The Baltic port city is a gritty place, and all the more interesting for that."

• New transport era on Lord Howe Island as Qantas touches down for final time [ABC News]

"On remote Lord Howe Island, historical eras have been largely defined not by leaders or monarchs but modes of transport, which provide a critical connection to mainland Australia."

• I’ve lived in Bangkok for years — this is its most happening neighbourhood (archive) [The Times]

"Yaowarat, in the Thai capital, is having a stylish, soulful revival, with chic hotels, innovative restaurants and hip bars. Here’s how to get the most out of it."

• The little-visited region that could be the answer to Japan’s overtourism problem [Independent]

• These extraordinary archaeological sites are a portal to ancient Egypt [Smithsonian]

"The Valley of the Kings and other bucket-list Egyptian destinations offer a glimpse into millennia-old majesty and artistry."

• Winners revealed: National Geographic Traveller (UK) Photography Competition 2025 [National Geographic]

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James Clark (@nomadicnotes)