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,...

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.

Go away with … Pia Mechler

By Jae-Ha Kim

October 29, 2020 at 12:36 p.m.

Born and raised in Germany, actress and author Pia Mechler moved to the United States...

Rick Steves’ Europe: Tantalizing Tangier

By Rick Steves

October 29, 2020 at 12:29 p.m.

As we've had to postpone our travels because of the pandemic, I believe a weekly...

Airbnb fights its ‘party house problem’

By The New York Times

October 28, 2020 at 10:10 a.m.

The luxury cabin in Incline Village, Nevada, just north of Lake Tahoe, has a hot...

Airbnb fights its ‘party house problem’

By New York Times

October 28, 2020 at 10:09 a.m.

The party houses pose a risk to Airbnb's reputation and business as the $18 billion...

Marriott pitches hotels to remote workers fleeing stress at home

By Bloomberg News

October 27, 2020 at 2:53 p.m.

Hotel companies are going to new lengths to get guests through the doors in a...

My Vrbo rental is canceled—but where’s my refund? Travel Troubleshooter investigates

By Christopher Elliott

November 5, 2020 at 12:36 p.m.

When a homeowner cancels his rental booking in Paris, Gerard Frank Sollman expects a full...

How Disney will tweak Epcot’s holiday celebrations

By Dewayne Bevil

October 27, 2020 at 11:39 a.m.

The holidays, of course, have not been literally canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. But...

FILE - In this March 24, 2015, file photo, a traveler walks past a sign advertising a Delta Air Lines credit card at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in SeaTac, Wash. A recent NerdWallet survey found that about a third of Americans plan to travel for 2020 spring break. In addition to earning points, using a travel credit card can provide valuable trip protections, as well as perks like free checked bags or lounge access. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

Ed Perkins on Travel: Can ‘the Market’ really eliminate deceptive travel advertising?

By Ed Perkins

November 5, 2020 at 12:37 p.m.

Whenever some consumer advocate suggests need for a new regulation to mitigate some obvious traveler...

Disney’s Animal Kingdom welcomes baby rhino

By Dewayne Bevil

November 4, 2020 at 11:36 a.m.

A male white rhinoceros has been born at Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park. And there...

The historic Brookshire Motel sign is seen as crews work to demolish one of the deserted motel's buildings Monday, Oct. 12, 2020, in Tulsa, Okla. The deserted Route 66 landmark has been the scene of several recent fires. (Mike Simons/Tulsa World via AP)

A nostalgic (if isolating) road trip along Route 66

By The New York Times

October 24, 2020 at 7:46 a.m.

Growing up in suburban Virginia, I only experienced the romance of the American West on...