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,...

‘I was almost in tears’: White Pines Resort guests mourn the closure of their beloved northwest Illinois retreat, a casualty of the coronavirus pandemic

By Lori Rackl

May 15, 2020 at 9:24 a.m.

Like so many families in Chicago and beyond, Dick Cagney has made countless memories over...

<p>Airbnb is offering free or subsidized housing to medical professionals and health-care workers who are on the frontlines of the coronavirus crisis and has a goal of housing 100,000 workers around the globe. Individual hosts can decide if they want to offer their listings to health-care workers, and medical experts vetted by Airbnb will approve accommodations for use based on sanitation standards. Airbnb has also expanded its extenuating circumstances policy, allowing guests and hosts to cancel or change bookings without paying a fee.</p>

Hotels vs. Airbnb: Has COVID-19 disrupted the disrupter?

By The New York Times

May 14, 2020 at 5:13 p.m.

Airbnb, born in 2008, famously disrupted the hotel industry. It stole market share, put pressure...

Thousands are headed to Alaska’s fishing towns. So is the virus.

By The New York Times

May 14, 2020 at 9:42 a.m.

The people of Cordova, Alaska, had weathered the coronavirus pandemic with no cases and the...

Many companies in the travel industry are in survival mode. That's their argument for not refunding your deposits.

Refunds or credits? Travelers and businesses face off

By The New York Times

May 13, 2020 at 10:38 a.m.

Travel screeched to a halt because of the coronavirus pandemic, and millions of would-be travelers...

‘It was set to be a record year’: Great Lakes cruise operators buckle up for a rough season in wake of the pandemic

By Lori Rackl

May 13, 2020 at 2:44 p.m.

May typically marks the start of the season for cruise vacations on the Great Lakes,...

Airbnb cut 1,900 employees, nearly a quarter of its work force.

Study shows how Airbnb hosts discriminate against guests with disabilities as sharing economy remains in ADA gray area

By Associated Press

May 12, 2020 at 12:56 p.m.

(THE CONVERSATION) "How could you see my listing if you're blind?" "I'd have to check...

Chairs are ready for vacationers in this April 2015 file photo at Riverside Resort on Cedar Island Lake in Richmond, Minn. (Dave Schwarz/The St. Cloud Times via AP)

In midst of pandemic, resorts prepare for summer guests

By Associated Press

May 12, 2020 at 12:43 p.m.

RICHMOND, Minn. (AP) — Families are waiting to see what their summer vacations will look...

Go Away With … Matthew Morrison

By Jae-Ha Kim

May 12, 2020 at 12:37 p.m.

Known for his acting roles in shows like "Glee," as well as starring on Broadway...

They fled the coronavirus. Now they’re in scenic limbo.

By The New York Times

May 12, 2020 at 11:26 a.m.

The day before Megan LeCrone, a soloist dancer with the New York City Ballet, turned...

The first signs of travel’s return?

By The New York Times

May 12, 2020 at 11:22 a.m.

COVID-19 has upended daily life in much of the world for so long that the...