Travel

The Chicago skyline backdrops the Chicago Jazz Festival at Millennium Park’s Pritzker Pavilion on Sept. 4, 2026. (Chris Sweda/baiduhai)

Conde Nast Traveler readers name Chicago ‘Best Big City’ for 10th year in a row

By Robert Channick

October 6, 2026 at 3:25 p.m.

Conde Nast Traveler received nearly 800,000 votes for this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards, which cover...

Olivia Estrada, the on board manager, carries plates of food to the dome car for guests aboard a Patrick Henry Creative Promotions private rail car as it travels from Chicago, Illinois, to St. Louis, Missouri, on May 19, 2026. Private train cars may seem like a relic of the past, but for some rail fans, nothing beats having — or renting — your own sleeper car. (Jamie Kelter Davis/The New York Times)

The quiet allure of private rail

By The New York Times News Service Syndicate

October 2, 2026 at 6:15 p.m.

Private rail cars traveled 429,000 miles on Amtrak in fiscal year 2025, according to the...

Cary Sabados shops for chocolate at Hotel Chocolat in Lakeview on Feb. 12, 2026. This Lakeview location, opened last April, was the first Chicago store. (Eileen T. Meslar/baiduhai)

Chicago-based Hotel Chocolat going nationwide with airport concessions, grocery stores and new retail markets

By Robert Channick

September 23, 2026 at 12:37 p.m.

This fall, Hotel Chocolat will pop up at 49 airports, hit the shelves at Wegmans,...

Travelers walk toward terminals at San Francisco International Airport during the coronavirus outbreak in San Francisco, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

A visa problem on American Airlines. Who should pay? Travel Troubleshooter investigates.

By Christopher Elliott

December 3, 2020 at 2:46 p.m.

Rodolfo Soca books a flight to China to take advantage of its visa-free policy. But...

BUCHAREST, ROMANIA | Rainbow-colored umbrellas help keep cafe patrons cool on a street in Bucharest, Romania.

Cute cafes across Europe

By Active Times

November 30, 2020 at 12:03 p.m.

Across Europe, cafe culture is a vital part of daily life. It's a place for...

Concrete workers top out the Vista Tower on the 101st floor on April 26, 2019.

Goodbye Vista Tower, hello St. Regis. Chicago’s newest skyscraper has a new name, new hotel and a restaurant deal with Alinea Group.

By Ryan Ori

November 25, 2020 at 7:47 a.m.

Vista Tower is getting a new name, just weeks before the first residents move into...

A shopkeeper at a gift shop along 34th Street stands on the sidewalk waiting for customers Nov. 20, 2020, in New York. The pandemic is taking a major toll on the gifts-and-luggage stores that dot tourist-friendly areas of the city.

With few tourists, NYC souvenir shops struggle — but don’t lose ?

By Associated Press

November 24, 2020 at 9:46 a.m.

In souvenir shops from Times Square to the World Trade Center, shelves full of T-shirts...

A Qantas Airbus A380 arrives July 6, 2020, at Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville, Calif. Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce said that once a virus vaccine becomes widely available, his carrier will likely require passengers use it before they can travel abroad or land in Australia.

Starting next year, international flyers may need proof of COVID-19 vaccinations

By Associated Press

November 24, 2020 at 9:47 a.m.

International air travel could come booming back next year but with a new rule: Travelers...

Cruise ships line up along Port Miami of Miami, including Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, on March 15, 2020, in Miami. Cruises have been canceled due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.

CDC raises warning level, says to avoid all travel on cruise ships

By Bloomberg News

November 23, 2020 at 2:51 p.m.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has escalated its warning for cruise travel...

Pandemic crowds bring ‘rivergeddon’ to Montana’s rivers

By New York Times

November 23, 2020 at 11:52 a.m.

After a series of contentious meetings, the Montana Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks on...

Pandemic crowds bring ‘rivergeddon’ to Montana’s rivers

By The New York Times

November 23, 2020 at 11:40 a.m.

BOZEMAN, Mont. — The Madison River rushes down out of the snows and springs atop...

WAIT FOR A SPORTING EVENTS | <a href="https://www.theactivetimes.com/extreme-weather-pro-sports-athletes"target="_blank">Pro athletes have endured a lot</a> for the sake of the game, however this global health pandemic has upended the spring and summer sporting season. Currently, Major League Baseball has not announced a ticket refund policy, and the league intends to play as many games as possible when the season begins. The NHL and NBA have both been similarly mum on refund policies as they navigate the possibility of a season with empty stands and stadiums.

Ed Perkins on Travel: ‘There’s good news tonight’

By Ed Perkins

November 23, 2020 at 10:44 a.m.

Most of you are too young to remember Gabriel Heatter, a radio newscaster, who, no...

The ultimate guide to winter camping in Illinois during COVID-19

By Ariel Cheung

November 21, 2020 at 5:00 a.m.

The great outdoors provided a much-needed respite for many coronavirus-weary folks this summer. But as...