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,...

‘Turn around, go back’: Summer islands don’t want coronavirus, or you

By The New York Times

April 20, 2020 at 12:36 p.m.

NEW YORK — Visitors to the western end of Fire Island are greeted by a...

‘Turn around, go back’: Summer islands don’t want coronavirus, or you

By The New York Times

April 20, 2020 at 12:29 p.m.

Like many summer vacation areas, the region's island communities have looked with trepidation at the...

Hotel Julian, a 218-room boutique property seen here in 2019, is offering "bonds" for future stays.

Pay now, stay later: Hotels hit hard by coronavirus pandemic selling ‘bonds’ for future travel

By Lori Rackl

April 30, 2020 at 1:07 p.m.

Either closed down or operating with most of their rooms empty, hotels are finding ways...

Is coronavirus to blame for my delayed Trip Mate insurance claim? Travel Troubleshooter investigates.

By King Features Syndicate

April 20, 2020 at 2:03 a.m.

In January, my husband had a stroke, and we had to cancel our cruise to...

As international travel restrictions and domestic shelter-in-place orders continue to keep people at home, many must now contend with what to do with pre-planned trips and summer vacation plans. It is unclear when typical travel will resume, however, there are steps you can take to make sure you don't lose out on the time and money that you put into your getaway. Here's what you need to know about cancellations, losing a reservation and other travel logistics issues bound to crop up in wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

How do I rebook a trip canceled due to coronavirus?

By Active Times

June 23, 2020 at 4:41 p.m.

As international travel restrictions and domestic shelter-in-place orders continue to keep people at home, many...

Rafting down the Colorado River through Grand Canyon National Park.

Should I book my summer vacation trip now?

By Catharine Hamm

April 17, 2020 at 3:19 p.m.

Should you book summer travel right now? If you're planning to visit the Pacific Northwest,...

Passenger airplanes park at the airport in Duesseldorf, Germany, Friday, April 17, 2020. Airlines facing a dramatic drop in air traffic because of new coronavirus related travel restrictions. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

You can still travel in the US right now. But should you?

By Los Angeles Times

April 17, 2020 at 3:17 p.m.

Should you travel around the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic? The short answer: It's up...

GREAT WALL OF CHINA | The Great Wall of China stretches thousands of miles across northern China and dates back as early as the third century B.C. With a virtual tour through travel agency The China Guide, you can zoom in and out, move from section to section and never wear out your shoes. An added bonus: Part of the wall is rumored to be haunted, so you don't have to worry about potential spooky sightings.

Look left, turn right.. jump! Islands offer remote tourism

By Associated Press

April 17, 2020 at 3:07 p.m.

LONDON (AP) — Wish you could travel to a faraway island during the lockdown? The...

Royal Caribbean Perfect Day at CocoCay welcomed its first ship on Saturday, May 4, 2019 as Navigator of the Seas let loose about 3,500 guests to the island with much of its $250 million in upgrades in place including a 13-slide water park, zip line and helium balloon.

Royal Caribbean, Celebrity latest to extend cruise cancellations

By Richard Tribou

April 17, 2020 at 3:21 p.m.

Cruise lines weren't planning on sailing until May, but now many are pushing those plans...

Kurt Ebenhoch, executive director of Travel Fairness Now, at a sparsely populated O'Hare Airport on Tuesday. Ebenhoch says his group is hearing from consumers frustrated about not getting refunds from airlines during the coronavirus pandemic.

How to get a refund for coronavirus-canceled travel, from hotline help to ‘the nuclear option’

By Lori Rackl

April 18, 2020 at 7:29 p.m.

As the new coronavirus continues to cripple the travel industry, consumers are clamoring to get...