Ed Sheeran has been all over the world. The singer-songwriter—one of the best-selling musicians of all time, with multiple Grammy and BRIT Awards, an Ivor Novello, an Emmy and even an MBE for services to music—has spent the last three and a half years touring the world for his Mathematics Tour. This has taken him everywhere from Belgium, Lithuania ,and Bulgaria and Bhutan, China, and Bahrain, but touring the world doesn’t always go hand in hand with exploration—to really travel, and get under the skin of a destination. “As a touring artist, I’m not always able to soak up the places I visit,” Ed tells Condé Nast Traveler. “The older I get, I want to make sure I capture the places I’m lucky enough to visit, so I can look back on them with my kids.”

For his latest album, he tried to rectify this. When recording Play, his eighth studio album, he spent a month in India. His single, Sapphire, was created with Indian musicians as a celebration of Indian culture and heritage. He teamed up with Arijit Singh, an award-winning Indian singer and composer, and ended up releasing a reworked version of the track, featuring a verse and a chorus sung in a mix of Hindi and Punjabi.

He has previously stated that “Play was an album that was made as a direct response to the darkest period of my life. Coming out of all of that, I just wanted to create joy and technicolor, and explore cultures in the countries I was touring.”

“I made this record all over the world, finished it in Goa, India, and had some of the most fun, explorative, creative days of my life. It’s a real rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish, it encapsulates everything that I love about music, and the fun in it, but also where I am in life as a human, a partner, a father. The older I get, the more I just want to enjoy things, and savour the moments that are mad and chaotic.”

Below, Ed let us have a rare sneak peek at footage from his personal camera, showing us behind-the-scenes photos from his time in India, each annotated with his thoughts and feelings from every destination he visited across the country.

Hyderabad’s markets and scooties

Courchevel is set to showcase its world of alpine luxury to India through an exclusive four-city roadshow in collaboration with One Rep Global.

The highly anticipated showcase will begin in Bangalore on September 15, travel to Ahmedabad on September 16, continue to New Delhi on September 18, and conclude in Mumbai on September 19.

Over the course of the week, India’s leading luxury travel advisors and trade professionals will be introduced to Courchevel’s finest experiences—from world-class skiing on the slopes of Les 3 Vallées and Michelin-starred gastronomy to luxury chalets, alpine events, and the cultural richness that has long defined Courchevel as a global luxury destination.

Alexia Laine, Director, Courchevel Tourisme, shared, “India is an incredibly important market for us, and we are delighted to return with a stronger presence across four key cities. Courchevel offers an unmatched combination of thrilling alpine adventure and world-class luxury. For Indian travellers seeking refined experiences with a touch of cultural authenticity, Courchevel represents the very best of the French Alps.”

The roadshow is being curated by One Rep Global, India’s leading sales and marketing representation company for luxury hospitality and travel.

Hemant Mediratta, Founder & CEO of One Rep Global, said, “At One Rep Global, we are committed to connecting India’s discerning travellers with the world’s most exceptional destinations. Courchevel is a perfect example of luxury that goes beyond indulgence—it is about experiences, authenticity, and connections. This roadshow provides an invaluable opportunity for India’s luxury travel community to engage deeply with the destination.”

Loveleen Arun, Advisory Board Member of One Rep Global and Founder of Panache World, commented, “Indian travellers today are evolving rapidly in their preferences—they want destinations that not only deliver luxury but also embody a sense of place and uniqueness. Courchevel offers exactly this—a rare harmony of elegance, culture, gastronomy, and adventure. We are delighted to be a part of this initiative to bring Courchevel closer to the Indian market.”

With its timeless allure, Courchevel continues to define haute montagne living, where glamour, gastronomy, and alpine adventure come together. Celebrating 80 years of setting the standard for luxury alpine experiences, 2026 marks a special milestone in Courchevel’s storied history. This exclusive roadshow is a gateway for Indian travellers to discover why Courchevel remains one of the world’s most coveted luxury destinations.

Launching the ‘fast track immigration – trusted traveller program’ (FTI-TTP) — which enables faster immigration of pre-verified flyers through automated e-gates — at five more international airports in the country, home minister Amit Shah on Thursday suggested that its coverage be maximised by enabling resident Indians and overseas citizens of India (OCI) to sign up for FTI-TTP at the state of issuing of passports or OCI cards itself.With the inclusion of Lucknow, Amritsar, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirappalli and Kozhikode international airports, the total number of airports covered under the program has risen to 13. First launched at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here in June 2022, the program had added seven more airports — covering Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi and Ahmedabad — in January this year. Shah said the facility will be available at the upcoming Navi Mumbai and Jewar airports as well. Addressing the FTI-TTP inauguration event at five airports through video-conference, Shah said around 3 lakh persons had registered under the program and over 2.6 lakh travellers, both inbound and outbound, had availed of it, enabling them to clear immigration in as little as 30 seconds and with no long queues or manual checks. “The next phase of the effort to enhance passenger convenience by integrating Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji’s vision of ‘speed, scale, and scope’ into the FTI-TTP is starting from today,” he said, adding that the program introduces foreign travellers to the positive changes taking place in India. Drawing attention to the 60% increase in international passenger traffic over the past 11 years of Modi govt — from a little over 5 crore in 2014 to 8.1 crore in 2024 — Shah said the figure of 2.6 lakh who have availed of the FTI-TTP facility is too small, leaving tremendous scope to maximise its coverage. Stating that everyone who has availed of the program has voiced appreciation, the home minister said “our goal should be to ensure that every Indian citizen and every OCI cardholder takes advantage of this facility”.“To achieve this, I request that when issuing passports and OCI cards, we can also conduct this registration (under FTI-TTP), so that people don’t have to come twice for fingerprinting or document verification. Whenever they travel, they can simply use their passport. I think we must further explore the technological possibilities to maximize the number of people who can take advantage of this program,” he added.