Getting the flavour of… The idyllic island of Lombok

It lies two hours by boat from Bali, and is quite as beautiful and only a little smaller, at 50 miles from top to toe. But the Indonesian island of Lombok sees far fewer visitors than its overtouristed neighbour, says Leyla Rose in The Times, and feels “a world away”. You might stay in the south, in the area around the “lively” town of Kuta, with its “high-end” resorts and “stunning” white-sand beaches. But don’t miss the old royal temples and gardens of Mataram, Lombok’s main city, in the west – or the chance to climb “majestic” Mount Rinjani, Indonesia’s second-highest volcano at 3,726m. The three tiny Gili Islands, 20 minutes away by boat, make for a relaxing final stop – each a tropical idyll with turquoise waters, “chirping” birds and “swaying” palms.

San Francisco’s cautious robotaxis

Plying the streets of San Francisco since last August, self-driving taxis have become “the city’s latest tourist attraction”, says Lauren Sloss in The New York Times. Operated by Waymo (which is owned by Alphabet, Google’s parent company), the vehicles are electric Jaguar I-Paces fitted with radar, lidar, sensors and cameras, and remotely monitored by a real-life customersupport team on the look-out for “unsafe activity”. Riding in one feels “futuristic” at first, but they tend to be “cautious” and “quite slow”, and the chief thrill is often the attention you get from other tourists. Safety concerns have triggered a “public backlash” and a federal investigation, though the company’s data suggests they’re safer than cars with human drivers. The ride-hailing app has a waiting list, so join it well before you’re due to fly.

Sailing on a Thames barge in Essex

In their heyday, from the 1880s to the 1930s, Thames barges carried cargo all over England and beyond (the larger ones were seaworthy). These flat-bottomed commercial sailing boats played a key role in our maritime history, but few survive – so it’s a thrill to be able to take a trip on Pudge, says James Stewart in The Sunday Times, a 92ft-long wooden barge, dating back to 1922, with beautiful “rust-red” sails, which was recently restored by the Thames Sailing Barge Trust at a cost of £767,000. Pudge (pictured) spent most of its working life carrying cargo between Ipswich and London, but also took part in the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940. Now, it is moored in Maldon, Essex, and crewed by volunteers on regular voyages down the Blackwater estuary. Guests can book a cabin or charter the whole thing, and are free to “haul ropes” or not, as they prefer. It’s “a joy to be aboard, like time out from life”, and there are chances to go onshore, to swim, dine or explore.