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,...

The Skogafoss waterfall near Skogar, Iceland, one of the country's most popular sites, but the crowds have vanished during the coronavirus pandemic, on Oct. 10, 2020. The country hopes that when people book their first post-pandemic flights overseas, Iceland will be the top choice. It also aims to learn from the recent past, when tourist numbers soared.

Iceland tourism prepares for a comeback

By The New York Times

October 24, 2020 at 7:43 a.m.

In a normal October, the Radisson BLU Saga Hotel in Reykjavik would be buzzing with...

Working abroad can be logistically challenging.

Go abroad to work from home

By The New York Times

October 24, 2020 at 7:36 a.m.

If you are one of the millions of U.S. employees working remotely these days, and...

Celebrity Travel: Go away with … Lisa Roth

By Jae-Ha Kim

October 22, 2020 at 4:08 p.m.

Lisa Roth grew up in an artistic family. Her surgeon father was also an actor,...

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.

Rick Steves’ Europe: Seaside traditions in Portugal’s Nazare

By Rick Steves

October 22, 2020 at 1:02 p.m.

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

FILE -- A passenger wearing a face mask on board a flight to New York from Chicago O'Hare International airport, in Chicago on April 18, 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic. United Airlines and American Airlines furloughed more than 32,000 employees leaving many of them are wondering when, or if, they'll fly again.

Flight attendants face an uncertain future

By The New York Times

October 22, 2020 at 10:52 a.m.

Flight attendants have taken on various roles in the public imagination over the last century:...

FILE - In this Tuesday, March 24, 2020 file photo, a woman wears a mask as she walks through a quieter than usual Heathrow Airport Terminal 5, in London. Air traffic is down 92% this year as travelers worry about catching COVID-19 and government travel bans and quarantine rules make planning difficult. One thing airlines believe could help is to have rapid virus tests of all passengers before departure. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

Hard hit by virus, airlines push for tests over quarantines

By Associated Press

October 20, 2020 at 12:41 p.m.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — What will it take to get people flying again? International air...

COMMUNICATE EXPECTATIONS | Before making travel plans with friends or family, it's important to follow new coronavirus-era etiquette and ask family members what they are comfortable with and expect in terms of safety precautions. If your hosts expect a limited number of people at gatherings, proper mask-wearing and other accommodations, you should be prepared to respect their restrictions and bring any necessary supplies to help follow them.

Coronavirus travel: How to go home for the holidays as safely as possible

By Active Times

December 23, 2021 at 3:11 p.m.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to recommend that Americans stay home...

American Airlines employees in Terminal 3 at O'Hare International Airport, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. American Airlines and United Airlines say they will begin to furlough 32,000 employees after lawmakers and the White House failed to agree on a broad pandemic relief package that includes more federal aid for airlines. (E. Jason Wambsgans/baiduhai)

Someone stole my American Airlines miles! Travel Troubleshooter investigates.

By Christopher Elliott

October 22, 2020 at 8:02 a.m.

When someone steals 50,000 American Airlines miles from Gail Louis, she finds herself caught in...

For 14 days after your holiday travels, you should stay home as much as possible and especially avoid being around <a href="https://www.theactivetimes.com/percentage-of-adults-at-high-risk-of-coronavirus-infections">people at increased risk for severe illness or complications from COVID-19</a>.

Ed Perkins on Travel: Holiday travel 2020

By Ed Perkins

October 22, 2020 at 8:03 a.m.

Normally, at this time of the year, I'd be reporting on how to score the...

REBOOK RESERVATIONS FOR POPULAR TOURIST SPOTS | If you have made any time-specific bookings for tours or visits, check with your provider for rescheduling opportunities or refunds. For example, the Gateway Arch in Missouri will refund anyone who pre-purchased tram rides to the top of the Arch or other riverboat tickets. Tickets for tours of Elvis Presley's home in Graceland March 21 through April 30 will automatically be extended for use within one year of the original tour date. In the meantime, several famous travel destinations and museums are offering <a href="https://www.theactivetimes.com/virtual-tour-landmark">free virtual tours online</a>.

Pandemic travel, with another family or maybe 3

By The New York Times

October 22, 2020 at 8:03 a.m.

Seven months into the pandemic, the recommended rules for families are clear: Safety first means...