• Serena Williams is arguably the most dominant tennis player of all time.
• Her husband, Alexis Ohanian, founded the third-most-visited website in the United States.
• Together, they're one of the most famous and interesting power couples in the country.

Arguably the greatest tennis player of all time and one of the most prominent tech gurus became one of the most famous power couples when they started dating during the summer of 2015.

They have since had a child and married in an opulent celebration. Their astronomical combined wealth allows them to lead a fabulous lifestyle together.

Check out how they make and spend their millions:

The tech guru Alexis Ohanian and the tennis superstar Serena Williams formed an incredible power couple when they began dating in the summer of 2015.

Ohanian founded the popular social-media platform Reddit in 2005 and sold it to Condé Nast for at least $10 million a year later. He was 23 years old.

Read more: Reddit's cofounders sold the company at age 23 for a fraction of the $1.8 billion it's worth today — here's how the duo got back on top

The Reddit deal was "more money for me than my entire family — my mother and father — had made in their entire lives," Ohanian said.

Source: NPR

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

While most retailers have a sale section, Everlane takes a slightly different approach to discounting products. Its 'Choose What You Pay' model doesn't mean you can pay any price you want, but it does offer up three tiered prices (low, medium, high) to choose from. 

This alternative sale section is usually available year-round for both men's and women's apparel, but the biggest Choose What You Pay sales event that Everlane has ever held is going on now.

From December 26 through December 30, a little over 200 styles in select colors enjoy this special pricing option. Some styles will even be discounted up to 50%. With popular styles like the Day Boot, silk shirts, and cashmere crew sweaters on sale, it's one of the nicer inventory cast-offs you'll find online at the end of the year. 

We've tried a lot of things from Everlane, and have collected many favorites over time, so we certainly won't be sleeping on this rare opportunity to save on its high-quality closet essentials. 

You can find our top 10 picks from Everlane's Choose What You Pay event below, or shop the sale directly. 

Shop the biggest Choose What You Pay sale of the year for men or women.

SEE ALSO: 19 styles from Everlane that we wear in our everyday lives — for both men and women

A soft, warm cashmere sweater

The Cashmere Crew in Black/White Mini Stripe, from $70 (originally $100) 

Read our review of the Cashmere Crew here. 

A thicker cashmere sweater

The Heavyweight Cashmere Crew in Heather Blue, from $98 (originally $140) 

A bright red cable-knit wool sweater

The Cable Mockneck in Red, from $78 (originally $130)

• It's been a wild year for tech, marked by scandal, political clashes, and bizarre product launches.
• From Mark Zuckerberg's Congress grilling to the mass Google protests, some of the drama has been captured in candid detail on camera.

Business Insider has compiled some of the wildest pictures from an apocalyptic year in tech. Scroll on for 15 moments that defined 2018. 

JANUARY: Yes, it really was this year Logan Paul posted *that* YouTube video of a Japanese forest and what appeared to be a dead body.

Paul was removed from Google's preferred partner program — which guarantees YouTube's biggest stars more ad revenue — and later said the mistake cost him $5 million.

MARCH: Pursued by reporters, Cambridge Analytica CEO Alexander Nix is bundled into the firm's London offices.

Just days before this photo was taken, The Observer reported that Nix's company had harvested the data of 50 million Facebook users and weaponized the information for political campaigns, including Donald Trump's run for president. He was unflatteringly compared to a James Bond villain.

MARCH: This self-driving Uber car killed Elaine Herzberg. It was the first pedestrian fatality involving an autonomous vehicle.

The incident shocked people inside Uber's Advanced Technologies Group, the company's 1,100-person self-driving unit, according to Business Insider's detailed retelling of the incident.

• There doesn't seem to be much chance of cheating disappearing.
• Thousands of people still sign up to infidelity dating site Ashley Madison every day.
• Here's everything new we learned about cheating in 2018.
• Hopefully some of the information can help you recognise suspicious behaviour earlier.

Nobody wants to feel the pain and humiliation of being cheated on. But the sad reality is some people just can't help themselves, and the infidelity dating site Ashley Madison still gets thousands of new sign ups a day.

So, chances are you'll probably have to deal with the temptation of straying, or face the aftermath of being cheated on.

INSIDER has compiled a list of all the new information about cheating we've written about this year, including what people count as cheating and the most likely time of year it could happen to you.

Here's 11 things you should know.

1. Only half of men think kissing someone else counts as cheating

In November, the BBC conducted a survey that found half of young men don't consider kissing someone else to be cheating, compared to 73% of women who think it is. The same survey found that 91% of people would consider sleeping with someone other than their partner as cheating, so that's something.

2. People have different lines for what they consider cheating

Users of Ashley Madison took part in a survey this year which found that 13% of people think fantasising about someone else counts as cheating, and 16% thought it was unfaithful to communicate with your ex. Others had a higher bar, with 29% thinking maintaining an online dating profile was cheating, and 46% saying it was infidelity to send naked pictures to someone else. Read the full results here.

3. More people cheat during the holidays than any other time of year

Data from IllicitEncounters found that Christmas is the most popular time of year for cheating. In a survey of 1,000 users, 57% said they cheated with a coworker at the office holiday party, while 85% said they experienced more feelings of passion and excitement during the holidays, which led to them cheating.

• Smart home devices saw record sales during the 2018 holiday season, with Amazon's Alexa-enabled devices leading the charge.
• Alexa is Amazon's virtual assistant, capable of controlling an array of smart devices and executing unique tasks called "skills." 
• Since Alexa launched in November 2014, developers have created more than 70,000 skills for Alexa. Skills can range from games and trivia to meditation routines.

It's been a big year for smart home technology, as more people adopt smart speakers, appliances, and other connected devices for everyday use. Amazon said the 2018 holiday season delivered record sales for smart home devices, and their own Alexa-enabled Echo smart speakers were among the most popular items. 

Amazon's Alexa is one of the few virtual assistants capable of managing a wide range of smart home devices, and after four years of development, users can now ask Alexa to perform more than 70,000 programmed tasks, which Amazon refers to as skills.

Alexa skills are basically apps you can control with your voice, and they help customers enhance and personalize their experience. Skills can help users learn something new, enjoying a new game, or be more productive at home.

As 2018 draws to a close, Amazon announced the top Alexa skills used in the U.S. during the last year. The list is comprised of the most popular, engaging, and innovative skills and spans across several categories, including games,  wellness, daily habits, family-oriented, and more.

You can check out the list of the top skills below and find them on Amazon's Skills of the Year page. You can also ask Alexa, "What are the skills of the year?"

SEE ALSO: Amazon's Alexa suffered outages on Christmas Day as people around the world started using their new Echos

SEE ALSO: Amazon won Christmas again this year

Beat the Intro (Musicplode Media Ltd.)

Beat the Intro is a straight-forward music game. The goal? Simply guess the song title and artist as fast as possible.

Heads Up! (The Ellen DeGeneres Show)

Pick a category and Alexa will provide up to three fun facts and clues to help you guess the word — you'll have 90 seconds to see how many you can get right.

National Geographic Geo Quiz (National Geographic Society)

Inspired by the legendary magazine, the National Geographic Geo Quiz puts your geography knowledge to the test.

• The Chalet Les Anges has been named the world's best skichalet.
• This is the second year in a row that the three-story chalet in Zermatt, Switzerland has been given the title by The World Ski Awards
• The cabin has seven bedrooms and sweeping views of the iconic Matterhorn.

For the second year in a row, Chalet Les Anges has been named the world's best ski chalet by the World Ski Awards.

The chalet is located in Zermatt, a ski town in the southern, German-speaking part of Switzerland, just north of the Italian border.

According to its website, it's available for rent in week-long increments. While the chalet is already booked up for many of the remaining winter 2018/2019 weekends, it's still available for some at a cool starting price point of $45,000 a week.

The World Ski Awards looks at the best ski chalet — amongst other categories, like Best Ski Resort — in each of the world's top 25 ski tourism countries. Votes are then cast by professionals working in the ski industry. Chalet Les Anges, with its 2017 and 2018 wins, unseated the 2016 winner, Canada's Bighorn Revelstoke.

Here's a look at the Swiss chalet:

SEE ALSO: Inside 10 of the most luxurious ski chalets you can rent on Airbnb, ranked by price

READ MORE: 50 of the best ski resorts to visit this winter in the US and Canada, ranked from most expensive to least

The Chalet Les Anges is located in Zermatt, a famous ski resort town in the Swiss Alps.

Source: Elysian Collection

It offers spectacular views of one of Europe's most iconic peaks, the Matterhorn ...

Source: Elysian Collection

... but the three-story chalet is also pretty noteworthy in its own right.

Source: Elysian Collection

• Tiny houses are becoming increasingly popular around the world; their novelty makes for a unique vacation stay.
• We teamed up with HomeAway to find some of the coolest tiny-home rentals around the world.
• From a circus car in Germany to a cabin in Wyoming, one of these tiny homes could be your next getaway.

Looking for something a little more novel than a traditional hotel or the tried-and-true Airbnb for your next vacation? Consider a tiny home.

Living miniature, defined as residing in a space less than 600 square feet, has turned into a worldwide movement. The global tiny homes market is expected to increase by 7% over the next four years. 

But you don't need to live in a tiny home to see what all the fuss is about. 

We teamed up with HomeAway to find some of the coolest tiny home rentals on HomeAway and VRBO around the world, from a charming circus car in Germany to a luxury cabin in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and ranked them by cost per night.

Which one will be home to your future getaway?

SEE ALSO: Here's what living in a tiny house is really like, according to people who traded their homes for minimalism

DON'T MISS: See inside the 15 most expensive penthouses for sale in America

Somerset, California — $72 per night

An eco-friendly, off-the-grid tiny home that runs completely on solar power, this award-winning tiny home has a private deck and prime proximity to 50 vineyards.

See the listing »

Homer, Alaska — $76 per night

• Uber is prepping for a 2019 IPO — at a rumored $120 billion valuation.
• Its last funding round valued the company at $68 billion. But in 2010, 32 different investors bought a chunk of the company for much less.
• Uber's seed round valued that company at just $3.86 million.
• These are seven of Uber's most surprising seed investors.

If Uber goes public as planned in 2019, nine years and billions of dollars worth of investments will be returned to investors smart enough — or lucky enough — to have made a bet on the company's success.

But some of those investors are luckier than others.

Investors in its most recent round, a $1.25 billion Series G1 led by SoftBank, bought their shares at a $68.33 billion valuation. But it was just nine years ago that Uber raised a $1.57 million seed funding round, which valued the company at $3.86 million. 

That means investors who bought a chunk of Uber in 2010 will see much larger returns now that the company is valued by bankers at a rumored $120 billion. 

There were 32 investors in Uber's seed funding round, which was led by First Round Capital, with participation from venture capital firms Founder Collective, Lowercase Capital, and Kapor Capital.

But that total also included dozens of individuals who made the history-altering decision to participate in Uber's earliest raise, according to data compiled from PitchBook.

These are seven people you never knew had a stake in Uber's planned 2019 IPO:

SEE ALSO: Uber, Lyft, China, and more — top tech investment bankers share their biggest hopes and fears for IPOs in 2019

DON'T MISS: Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi insists that leaders say they have 'the D' in meetings — and bewildered employees aren't sure if he gets the other meaning

1. Lady Gaga's former manager

Troy Carter had a busy career managing A-list musical talent like Lady Gaga and John Legend before joining Spotify as its global head of creator services.

He left Spotify in September to focus on his talent management and production company, Atom Factory.

But if all goes as planned, he may never have to work another day of his life.

2. The CEO of Amazon

Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon, is already a multi-billionaire who invested early in startups like Google, Domo, Airbnb, and (yours truly) Business Insider.

A big exit on his early Uber investment will make him that much richer.

3. The CEO of Airbnb

Airbnb cofounder and CEO — and early Uber investor — Brian Chesky is prepping for his own IPO in 2019. 

• Tesla had a tumultuous 2018, full of both major accomplishments and challenges that threatened the automaker's existence.
• Elon Musk, Tesla's mercurial CEO, attracted attention for his erratic behavior, which led to lawsuits from investors and investigations from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ).
• Tesla heads into 2019 with cause for optimism and concern as it seeks to maintain stability in its finances and vehicle production, while preparing to build a new factory and expand its product lineup. 

Tesla had a tumultuous 2018, full of both major accomplishments and challenges that threatened the automaker's existence. A grueling production ramp for the Model 3 sedan led to production records during the second and third quarters, debt and cash flow concerns preceded a surprise profit, and a glowing safety rating for the Model 3 was tempered by quality and delivery issues.

Read more: I tried Tesla's Navigate on Autopilot feature to see if it lives up to the hype — here's the verdict

Elon Musk, Tesla's mercurial CEO, attracted attention for his erratic behavior, which led to lawsuits from investors and investigations from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ). While Musk's ambition and candor on social media have endeared him to his fans, seemingly impulsive decisions this year showed the downside of his unconventional approach to being a CEO.

Tesla heads into 2019 with cause for optimism and concern as it seeks to maintain stability in its finances and vehicle production, while also preparing to build a new factory and expand its product lineup. 

These are the highlights of Tesla's eventful year.

Have a Tesla news tip? Contact this reporter at mmatousek@businessinsider.com.

SEE ALSO: These were the 13 biggest car stories of 2018

Elon Musk sends a Tesla Roadster to Mars

SpaceX, Musk's rocket company, launched in February its largest rocket, Falcon Heavy, into space with a 2008 Tesla Roadster as its payload.

The launch was designed to show that the company could transport cargo for future clients and eventually carry people and supplies to colonize Mars.

"Test flights of new rockets usually contain mass simulators in the form of concrete or steel blocks. That seemed extremely boring," Musk wrote in an Instagram post in December 2017. "Of course, anything boring is terrible, especially companies, so we decided to send something unusual, something that made us feel."

Amazon account hacked to mine cryptocurrency

In February, Tesla's Amazon Web Services account was hacked to mine cryptocurrency. The hack, which was brought to Tesla's attention by the cybersecurity startup RedLock, also reportedly exposed some of Tesla's proprietary data related to mapping, telemetry, and vehicle servicing.

According to Fortune, Tesla paid RedLock over $3,000 as part of its bug bounty program, which rewards people who find vulnerabilities in the company's products or services that could be exploited by hackers.

"The impact seems to be limited to internally-used engineering test cars only, and our initial investigation found no indication that customer privacy or vehicle safety or security was compromised in any way," a Tesla representative told Business Insider.

A Model S recall

In March, Tesla issued the largest recall in its history. The recall involved power-steering systems in 123,000 Model S sedans. Tesla said five bolts responsible for holding the power-steering motor in place could corrode, break, or come loose, which could result in the loss of power steering.

But the company also said the problem was rare and most likely to happen in colder areas that use a specific kind of salt to lessen the amount of ice and snow on the road. According to Tesla, the problem was only relevant to Model S vehicles built before April 2016 and had affected just 0.02% of Model S vehicles at the time the recall was announced.

• Though H&M's business has been struggling as of late, other H&M group brands have been doing well, according to the company's CEO, Karl-Johan Persson.
• Cos, which launched in 2007, is focused on timeless, minimalist designs sold in a modern setting. 
• & Other Stories, launched in 2010, offers shoes, bags, accessories, beauty products, stationery and women's clothing. 
• H&M tries to follow trends and sells an abundance of styles in stores, but its sister stores tend to be more timeless and high-end.
• We compared H&M with its sister stores and saw why Cos and & Other Stories are helping keep H&M afloat. 

SEE ALSO: Lululemon is jumping on the cozy trend by opening a homey library space in one of its stores. Here's what it's like to visit.

The first store we went to was H&M.

The front of the store held a lot of business casual clothes...

... but a lot of the clothes were wrinkled and cluttered together.

• The Hanging Gardens of Bali is a luxurious resort in the middle of the jungle in Bali.
• It has 44 villas, a twin-tiered pool, and was just named as having "the most stunning views" in the 2018 Boutique Hotel Awards.
• But the views will cost you: A stay at the hotel ranges from $645 to $6,200 per night.

Set in the middle of the jungle, with views of a valley, and surrounded by a rainforest: How could a resort like that offer anything but spectacular views?

The Hanging Gardens of Bali were recently awarded the title of "the most stunning views" by the Boutique Hotel Awards.

The resort was completed in 2005 and is built into a mountainside with a 45-degree slope. It consists of 44 villas.

The Boutique Hotel Awards are in their eighth year. According to their website, nominations are made by industry experts, luxury hotel journalists, and self-nominations. This year, winners were selected from more than 300 nominations across 80 countries. It's also the first year the awards have included a "most stunning views" category.

Also up for consideration in the same category were five other hotels in Sri Lanka, Belize, Mexico, Kenya, and Spain, respectively.

The resort joins a host of other popular destinations across the island of Bali, including a pool that's become so popular the resort recently chose to ban the use of electronics as part of an "In The Moment" movement, and the Sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud, where tourists pay $3 to risk wild monkeys stealing their phones and jewelry.

Take a look inside the Hanging Gardens of Bali below.

SEE ALSO: The top 14 boutique hotels in the world, from a romantic retreat in South Africa to a private villa in Thailand

READ MORE: A luxury Bali resort that's popular with influencers has banned phones at its famous swimming pool

The Hanging Gardens of Bali is located near the village of Payangan in the heart of Bali.

Source: Hanging Gardens of Bali

The luxurious resort has had multiple claims to fame since it first opened in 2005, most of them focused on its iconic twin-tiered swimming pool.

Source: Hanging Gardens of Bali

The resort consists of 44 private villas.

Source: Hanging Gardens of Bali

• The Knickerbocker Hotel was built in 1906 by John Jacob Astor IV in 1906, who died in the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. It sits on the corner of 42nd street and Broadway.
• After closing its doors in 1921, the hotel reopened in 2015 and began hosting luxury New Year's Eve rooftop parties, just 150 feet from the ball drop in Times Square. 
• You can enjoy the exclusive party with three experiences ranging from $4,335 to $125,000. 
• Each package includes two tickets, a minimum two-night stay at the hotel, access to a buffet and top-shelf open bar, and live entertainment, among other perks.

An estimated one million people crowd into sectioned-off quarters of Times Square every year to see the famous countdown and ball drop on New Year's Eve.

But that's not the only way to enjoy the celebratory night in person. You can experience an exclusive party at The Knickerbocker Hotel's St. Cloud rooftop, just 150 feet from the ball drop — if you're willing to pay at least $4,335.

The hotel sits on the corner of 42nd street and Broadway, giving guests the Times Square experience without the crowded streets. The site was built in 1906 by Jacob Astor IV, whose family line is also responsible for several other properties in New York City, including the St. Regis Hotel. 

The Knickerbocker Hotel claims several historical moments happened within its walls, including the creation of the first-ever martini and the debut of the red velvet rope to help control dinner crowds.

But one of its most luxurious creations is an exclusive rooftop experience to ring in the new year. Check out what up to $125,000 could buy you on New Year's Eve at the historic hotel. 

SEE ALSO: 30 highly successful people share their New Year's resolutions for 2018

DON'T MISS: The 27 best under-the-radar places to spend New Year's Eve, according to the world's leading travel experts

You can enjoy New Year's Eve 150 feet away from the iconic ball drop atop The Knickerbocker Hotel with a choice of three experiences: Gold, Platinum, or VIP box seats.

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Source: The Knickerbocker Hotel

Each package includes two tickets, a minimum two-night stay at the hotel, access to the St. Cloud rooftop, hors d'oeuvres, buffet, top-shelf open bar, live entertainment, party favors (including hand warmers) and a champagne toast at midnight.

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Source: The Knickerbocker Hotel

Here's what it looked like last year...

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• Golden Door is an exclusive spa retreat in California unlike any other — it focuses on inner reflection and self-discovery through activities like predawn hikes and fencing lessons.
• Celebrities, Hollywood elite, CEOs, and the rich flock to Golden Door to re-evaluate their life and de-stress.
• A seven-night stay at Golden Door costs nearly $10,000.

If you want to be pampered like the rich, look no further than Golden Door.

Tucked away in the hills of San Marcos, California, this luxury spa retreat is like no other of its kind: Not only did it help kick-start start the wellness industry, according to the Hollywood Reporter, it also offers much more than the momentary bliss guaranteed in most spa retreats.

Instead, it allows guests to indulge in their entire stay by helping them focus on inner reflection and self-discovery through mindfulness, healthy eating, spa treatments, fitness, and meditation. Attendees have gone to Golden Door to re-evaluate their life, de-stress, and expand their horizons.

Because of its exclusivity, Golden Door was named the number one destination spa in the world by Travel + Leisure in 2015 and has been listed as one of the top 1,000 places to see before you die by The New York Times, according to its website.

It's no wonder Golden Door, which celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2018, has been a favorite among celebrities and other Hollywood elite, as well as CEOs and real estate agents.

With such accolades and clientele, Golden Door's steep cost shouldn't be shocking, but it's still enough to make your eyes pop. A seven-day stay will run you up nearly $10,000, according to Condé Nast Traveler.

Here's what it's like to stay there, from its 1,200-calorie per day menus and Bollywood dancing classes to its predawn hikes and men's-only retreat.

SEE ALSO: What it's like to vacation in St. Moritz, the hidden gem in the Swiss Alps where celebrities, billionaires, and royalty go to ski

DON'T MISS: Inside the Molsheim Experience, the exclusive Bugatti-buying process that takes customers to France to create their own $3 million sports car

Golden Door is located in San Marcos, California, between Los Angeles and San Diego. Travel + Leisure once named it the number one spa destination in the world.

Source: Golden Door

Situated on 600 acres, the spa has been around for 60 years and helped spur today's $4.2 trillion wellness industry.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Before it was the spa it is today, Golden Door began as a motel with themed suites and was later reopened as a Japanese Inn.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Just off the coast of Japan there is an island called Aoshima, which is also known as "Cat Island." The tiny fishing village is home to more than 140 cats, which roam around napping, playing, and snagging snacks from residents and tourists. They outnumber humans 8 to 1.

The cats were originally brought to the island to kill mice that hung around fishing boats. But as the human population dwindled from over 1,000 to 16, the cats stayed on and multiplied, as they continued to be fed by the remaining locals. 

The island has become a bit of a tourist destination, though the residents don't seem to mind, as long as it remains peaceful. And people donate cat food from all over Japan.

"If people coming to the island find the cats healing, then I think it's a good thing," 65-year-old fisherman Hidenori Kamimoto told Reuters in 2015. "I just hope that it's done in a way that doesn't become a burden on the people who live here."

This is what life on Cat Island is like: 

SEE ALSO: The 45 original shows and movies Netflix will release by the end of 2016

Aoshima is a 30-minute ferry ride from the coast, and only has a handful of residents now.

There are, however, over 140 cats, which outnumber humans by more than 8 to 1, according to AFP.

Tourists have also begun to come to the island to gawk at the cats.

• Comparably, a website that rates companies across a number of different areas, released its 2018 Best Company Culture list.
• Of the 50 businesses on that list, 29 were tech companies.
• Below, we've compiled the list of 29 companies in tech with the best company culture below. 

Good company culture is one of the most important aspects of any job. 

Sure, beer in the fridge and holiday parties are nice. But having company culture runs deeper than the perks — no matter how over-the-top that holiday party may have been. 

On Monday, Comparably — a website that rates companies across a number of different areas — released its 2018 Best Company Culture list. Of the 50 businesses on that list, 29 were tech companies. 

Here are the 29 big companies in tech with the best company culture: 

SEE ALSO: The 18 biggest tech scandals of 2018

29. Akvelon

Headquarters: Bellevue, Washington

What it does: Business and technology consulting firm

What employees say:"Akvelon is one of the best companies that I have worked for. The overall approach and the focus on having a good work-life balance and proactive engagement with their employees make them an extremely good and efficient organization to work with." 

28. Indeed.com

Headquarters: Austin, Texas

What it does: Job search platform 

What employees say:"The office encourages collaboration and teamwork, to ensure everyone is sharing ideas and working together towards the same mission. I've always felt like I can speak up and my thoughts/ideas are heard and addressed."

27. Adobe

Headquarters: San Jose, California

What it does:Software development company best known for its design and photo-editing solutions

What employees say:"Everybody generally works together and is united." 

• Fifteen of the 20 most popular cities in the world for tourists are in Asia.
• That's according to Euromonitor International's annual list of the biggest cities for international tourism released last week.
• The cities were spread out over several countries, including China, India, Thailand, Japan, and Turkey.

Asian cities are dominating the global tourism scene.

Euromonitor International released its annual list of the most popular cities for international tourists last week, and Asian cities took an impressive 15 of the top 20 spots.

The market-research firm looked at 600 total cities and ranked them based on the number of foreign tourists they saw, using travel data from 2017 and partial-year data for 2018.

Topping the list for the eighth consecutive year was Hong Kong, which received nearly 30 million tourists this year. The top Asian cities were spread out over several countries, including China, India, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, and Turkey. 

Read more: The 31 most popular cities in the world for travelers

The only non-Asian cities to make the top 20 were London, Paris, New York City, Rome, and Prague.

Read on to see the Asian cities that proved to be the biggest tourism hotspots of the year. You can also check out the list of the 31 best cities for tourism worldwide and the top tourism draws in North America.

Here are the cities that made the cut:

SEE ALSO: The 31 most popular cities in the world for travelers

DON'T MISS: France has been the most-visited country in the world for more than 20 years in a row — but experts think it's about to lose its crown

15. Mumbai, India

Overall rank: 19

Projected arrivals in 2018: 10,670,100

14. Guangzhou, China

Overall rank: 18

Projected arrivals in 2018: 9,392,000

13. Taipei, Taiwan

Overall rank: 17

Projected arrivals in 2018: 9,783,300

• Data breaches in 2018 compromised the personal information of millions of people around the world.
• Some of the biggest victims in 2018 include T-Mobile, Quora, Google, and Orbitz. Facebook dealt with a slew of major breaches and incidents that affected more than 100 million users of the popular social network.
• Here are 21 of the biggest data breaches that companies faced this year.

It seems like every week, a new company has to notify its customers that their data may have been compromised, and personal information may have been affected.

Data breaches can happen for a variety of reasons. Some companies are hacked. Data can be mishandled or sold to third parties. Holes in a website's security system can leave information unprotected.

One of the latest victims was Marriott hotels, which recently revealed that hackers had accessed the information of an estimated 500 million customers.

Some of the biggest victims in 2018 include T-Mobile, Quora, Google, and Orbitz. Facebook dealt with a slew of major breaches and incidents that affected more than 100 million users of the popular social network.

Here are the biggest data breaches that were revealed this year, ranked by the number of users affected:

SEE ALSO: The 18 biggest tech scandals of 2018

21. British Airways — 380,000

What was affected: Card payments

When it happened: August 21, 2018 — September 5, 2018

How it happened: A "criminal" hack affecting bookings made on the airline's website and app.

Source: Business Insider

20. Orbitz — 880,000

What was affected: Payment card information and personal data such as billing addresses, phone numbers, and emails.

When it happened: January 1, 2016 — December 22, 2017

How it happened: Hackers accessed travel bookings in the website's system.

Source: Reuters

19. SingHealth — 1.5 million

What was affected: Names and addresses in the Singapore government's health database, and some patients' history of dispensed medicines. Information on the prime minister of Singapore was specifically targeted.

When it happened: May 1, 2015 — July 4, 2018

How it happened: Hackers orchestrated a "deliberate, targeted, and well-planned" attack, according to a statement.

Source: BBC

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

Thousands of product tests and reviews later, here we stand at the end of the year, excited to present to you our 2018 Insider Picks Hall of Fame.

The point of Insider Picks has always been to discover and share with you the best of the best. Still, we have some personal favorites that are truly the cream of the crop and we want to make sure you don't miss them.  

These are all the tech gadgets, kitchen appliances, clothes, shoes, home products, and personal care products that impressed us and rose above everything else we reviewed in 2018. Some are new product launches, while others are just new to us.

You'll find an explanation for why we loved it, plus a link to the original review or related guide so you'll have all the information needed to decide whether you want to join each product's fan club.

See the 36 best products we reviewed in 2018 below.

Crane & Canopy sheets

Sheets and Sheet Sets, $35 to $249, available at Crane & Canopy

Read more about the best sheets you can buy for your bed here

Crane & Canopy is a startup that began selling easy-to-use duvet covers in 2012. Since then, the company has branched out into sheets, comforters, pillows, blankets, towels, washcloths, and more.

I tried a set of striped sheets from Crane & Canopy and I loved them. Not only are the sheets silky smooth and soft straight out of the package, they also come in several fun prints and colors. I chose the gray and white striped sheets, because they make for a nice, neutral base layer for my bedding. —Malarie Gokey, Insider Picks guides editor

The Sonos soundbar

Sonos Beam, $399, available at Amazon

Read our review of the Sonos Beam here

Once a year I make a significant "treat yourself"-style tech purchase, and in 2018 that was the Sonos Beam. Sonos’ compact soundbar carries over the best features from the company’s Sonos One speaker: built-in Alexa, support for Apple’s AirPlay 2 software, and excellent, well-balanced sound.

The Beam gets louder than its small size would suggest, and it never sounds distorted. I’ve used it while watching movies, playing video games, and listening to music, and it’s sounded universally excellent. The Beam can’t quite compete with the immersion from a 5.1 surround sound setup, but it doesn’t have to. I live in a small, New York City apartment, and the Beam has given me a home theater system that was easy to set up and enjoy. —Brandt Ranj, Insider Picks associate editor

A Peak Design backpack

Peak Design Everyday Backpack 20L, $259.95, available at Amazon

Peak originally began as a camera accessory company, but its Everyday backpack and travel bags are great for, well, everyday use — not just for carrying cameras. The reconfigurable internal shelves can be adjusted quickly for any needs. I use this bag for my daily commute to work, and even as my daypack when I travel. I'm also a fan of Peak’s travel backpack and packing tools. —David Slotnick, Insider Picks senior reporter

• Sears filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in mid-October. The company says it will close 142 stores before the end of the year, and its CEO, Eddie Lampert, will step down. It has been searching for funding to avoid liquidation.
• Lampert submitted a last-minute $4.4 billion bid on Friday for many of the company's assets, including 425 stores. The bid may save Sears from imminently shutting down.
• The rise of e-commerce, declining foot traffic to malls, and a higher demand for off-price products are just some of the factors that have caused department stores to suffer in recent years, and Sears is no exception to that. 
• We visited a Sears store the day the company filed for bankruptcy, and it felt like the store had already been abandoned. Parts of the store were well-kempt, but others were disorganized and empty, and there was hardly anyone in sight. 

Sears filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in mid-October and has been desperately trying to stay afloat since.

The company said when it filed that it will close 142 stores before the end of the year, and its CEO, Eddie Lampert, will step down.

The company has been searching for funding to avoid liquidation, and on Friday, Lampert submitted a last-minute $4.4 billion bid for many of the company's assets, including 425 stores. The bid may save Sears from imminently shutting down.

READ MORE: Inside Sears' death spiral.

Sears has been closing stores and selling off assets following years of crippling sales declines. The company currently operates 687 Sears and Kmart stores, according to its bankruptcy filing. That's down from nearly 2,000 stores in 2013.

The rise of e-commerce, declining foot traffic to malls, and a higher demand for off-price products are just some of the factors that have caused department stores as a category to suffer in recent years. 

"The problem in Sears' case is that it is a poor retailer. Put bluntly, it has failed on every facet of retailing from assortment to service to merchandise to basic shop-keeping standards,"said Neil Saunders, the managing director of GlobalData Retail.

When we visited a Sears store the day the company filed for bankruptcy, it felt like the store had already been abandoned. Parts of the store were well-kempt, but others were disorganized and empty, and there was hardly anyone in sight.

Here's what it was like:

SEE ALSO: Sears, once the largest retailer in the world, has filed for bankruptcy and is closing 142 stores. Here's how it got there.

We went to a Sears store in Jersey City, New Jersey.

The store seemed like it was in pretty good shape at first glance.

Women's clothing was the first department at the front of the store.

• The city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates is known worldwide for its extravagance and wealth. Business Insider international correspondent Harrison Jacobs visited in November, expecting it to be wildly expensive and out of reach for all but wealthy travelers.
• But he and his travel partner found that Dubai was a melting pot of Arabic, Indian, and Middle Eastern cultures with a variety of cheap, delicious food, efficient public transportation, five-star hotels available for budget prices, and a thriving art scene.
• As they quickly learned, if Dubai's luxury attractions like high-end shopping malls and ultra luxurious hotels don't interest you, you can easily have a blast in the city without breaking the bank.

Three decades ago, Dubai was little more than just desert.

But an oil boom in the United Arab Emirates produced unprecedented wealth for the small Gulf nation. Dubai's rulers have taken that wealth and turned it into a bustling city with things designed to be the biggest and most extravagant of the world — the tallest building, the second-biggest mall, the most luxurious hotel, and so on.

Nicknamed the "city of gold," Dubai has increasingly become known as a home for the world's rich.

Last year, around 5,000 millionaires moved to the United Arab Emirates — a figure higher than the number of millionaires moving to Switzerland or Singapore, traditional places for the world's millionaires and billionaires to park their money. There are now 88,700 millionaires total in the UAE.

With those figures and the Lamborghini and Dom Perignon-bedecked "Rich Kids of Dubai" in mind, one would think visiting Dubai as a budget traveler wouldn't work out particularly well.

I (Harrison, here!) spent a week in the city in November, along with my travel partner and Business Insider contributor Annie. Our fears were unfounded.

Though Dubai's tourism board may emphasize high-end shopping boutiques and swanky resorts to would-be travelers, the city's real attraction is its melting pot of Arabic, Indian, and Middle Eastern cultures.

Add in efficient public transportation, a thriving art scene, and an oversupply of five-star hotels giving away rooms at discount prices, and you can easily have a blast in the city without breaking the bank.

Here's what it was like to visit Dubai:

SEE ALSO: I visited Singapore, the outlandishly wealthy setting of 'Crazy Rich Asians.' You don't need billions to have a good time.

DON'T MISS: I stayed at a hotel on Dubai's massive artificial island shaped like a palm tree and it's more surreal than any photos can show

Our trip to Dubai began with $1,145 ticket on Dubai-owned Emirates Airlines. I'd always wanted to fly Emirates, the world's fourth-best airline, and was willing to splurge. While there were options as cheap as $400 with a layover, Emirates turned out to be worth the extra dough. It was the best economy experience I've ever had.

Read More:I flew 13 hours nonstop on the world's biggest passenger plane, the $446 million Airbus superjumbo jet, and it's about as good as economy can get

When I got off the plane, I noticed that you can pick up the metro directly from the airport. Depending on where you are going it's between 4 and 8.50 Dirhams ($1.09-$2.31).

But with the bags, we decided to take a car with Careem, a ride-hailing app founded in Dubai and popular all over the Middle East. Prices are very reasonable. It cost 50 Dirhams, or about $14, for the ride to the hotel.