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,...

Ed Perkins on Travel: Airlines drop ticket change fees: Monumental or meh?

By Ed Perkins

September 8, 2020 at 9:09 a.m.

By now, you've probably heard that Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, and United will eliminate change...

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.

Help! What are the best precautions when traveling by car?

By The New York Times

September 7, 2020 at 7:47 a.m.

Dear Tripped Up, I am 78 and my wife is 76; we're both in good...

Glamping for first-timers

By The New York Times

September 7, 2020 at 7:46 a.m.

I've never been an outdoorswoman. Though I'm from Texas, spent pivotal teenage years in Kentucky...

Do safari companies really want African travelers?

By The New York Times

September 6, 2020 at 7:44 a.m.

When the Safari Collection, which owns the Giraffe Manor, a popular hotel in Nairobi known...

Think you’re making good climate choices? Take this miniquiz

By The New York Times

September 5, 2020 at 7:58 a.m.

If you take an airplane trip, can you make up for the planet-warming emissions from...

Glamping for first-timers

By New York Times

September 4, 2020 at 1:14 p.m.

All my fears meant the only vacation possible this summer would have to involve the...

People visit Bethune beach Tuesday, May 26, 2020 in New Smyrna Beach, Fla. Frequent rain led to scant crowds at the beach today standing in contrast to heavy Memorial Day weekend attendance which caused some concern about the potential to spread the coronavirus.

How to survive in the ‘shark attack capital of the world’

By The New York Times

September 4, 2020 at 11:20 a.m.

On a surf outing a few years ago, as I paddled out to the sandbar,...

Go away with … Lily Anne Harrison

By Jae-Ha Kim

September 3, 2020 at 3:36 p.m.

Lily Anne Harrison grew up in the public eye. The daughter of actor Gregory Harrison...

Think you’re making good climate choices? Take this miniquiz

By New York Times

September 3, 2020 at 11:50 a.m.

If you take an airplane trip, can you make up for the planet-warming emissions from...

Aerial view over the historic center of Edinburgh Scotland from Calton Hill.

Rick Steves’ Europe: Europe’s quirky taste treats

By Rick Steves

September 3, 2020 at 10:30 a.m.

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