London’s literary holidays and Brighton’s English Wine Week

London Foyles, the renowned London bookshop founded in 1903, is launching a range of literary holidays. Starting in July, the first trips will be one- and two-day excursions in the UK, to destinations including Haworth, the Yorkshire home of the Brontë sisters, and Great Missenden, Roald Dahl’s village in the Chiltern Hills. Groups will be limited to 25, and guests will be given a reading list in advance. In January, Foyles’ first international departure will be a 12-night trip to the Jaipur Literature Festival, led by the writer Marcel Theroux and including access to the author parties. Meanwhile, the shop itself is about to embark on a new chapter in its long history. Once billed as the “greatest bookshop in the world” by co-founder William Foyle (dubbed “the Barnum of Bookselling”), by the end of the century it was infamous for its chaotic warren of book-filled rooms and its antiquated payment system. On June 6, it is due to move to new premises, designed to be a “bookshop for the 21st century”. foyles.co.uk

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New York A new airline will offer seaplane services between Manhattan, Boston and Washington, allowing business travellers to check-in just 20 minutes before departure. From mid-June, Tailwind Air Service will use Cessna Caravan Amphibians, seating nine passengers, to depart from the East River at 8am, arriving in Boston and Washington by 9.30am and returning in the evening. So far, Tailwind has just one aircraft, but it plans to lease more from Fly The Whale, which runs seaplane services on vacation routes such as to East Hampton and Nantucket, and with whom Tailwind will share hangars and staff. Single tickets will cost from $450, with discounts available to corporate clients and commuters. flytailwind.com

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Melbourne Adventure tour operator Intrepid Travel has stripped elephant rides from all its itineraries, something it claims is an industry first. Intrepid, which offers more than 1,000 trips in 100 countries, says the rides cause suffering and encourage the poaching of more animals. It will instead direct travellers to elephant sanctuaries and rehabilitation centres. intrepidtravel.com

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Brighton Once a joke, English wine is growing in popularity and this week vineyards across the country are opening their doors for English Wine Week. Events include a tour of Sussex vineyards by vintage bus, starting in Brighton and including a picnic among the vines (also runs once a month through summer). englishwineweek.co.uk