I have been lucky enough to visit Ecuador twice and can’t wait for my next trip there — when I hope I will finally get to visit the Galapagos.

Quito is Ecuador’s beautiful capital, set in a spectacular highland location and focused on the Spanish colonial heart. You can spend days here, and spend an amusing afternoon at the Equator monument (which is in slightly the wrong place, but still fun). Quito is also an excellent base for more extensive t

After thrashing out the prospects for avoiding a Eurozone meltdown around the conference table, perhaps George Osborne and IMF boss Christine Lagarde wound down with a few hard sets of tennis? Or a game of croquet?

And did any of the assembled ranks of finance ministers, central bank governors and heads of international financial bodies carry on their discussions on quantitative easing in the hotel spa’s hot tub? Perhaps not, but it seems a s

As early or as late as possible.

Most flights from Heathrow to JFK leave late morning or early afternoon. Avoid them. They are timed for connecting passengers arriving from the rest of Europe. They tend to be packed.

BA’s 8.30am departure from Heathrow gives few transfer opportunities for European travellers; and the 8pm flight arrives too late at JFK for many connections. So they tend to be emptier. Yet early or late flights are ideal for t