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,...

Oak Lawn resident Pat Mitchell and his girlfriend, Elizabeth Cook, rented a home in the Florida Keys through VRBO. The Keys stopped taking visitors and they had to call the trip off, but the host isn't refunding their money.

‘Our vacation was stolen’: VRBO guests fume over refunds on trips dashed by coronavirus

By Lori Rackl

April 1, 2020 at 11:15 a.m.

When Erin Haughton planned her family's spring break getaway to Mexico earlier this year, she...

Go Away With … Marc Cameron

By Jae-Ha Kim

March 31, 2020 at 12:13 p.m.

A former chief deputy U.S. marshal, author Marc Cameron was selected in 2016 to continue...

Empty suitcases sit in Julie Pace's closet in Washington, Tuesday, March 31, 2020. The suitcases, usually on the bedroom floor half-unpacked between trips, have been put away for now. (AP Photo/Julie Pace)

The world seemed small and accessible. No more.

By Associated Press

March 31, 2020 at 12:04 p.m.

WASHINGTON (AP) — For the first time in years, we've put our suitcases away. Flights...

The Zaandam cruise ship is anchored in the bay of Panama City, Friday, March 27, 2020.

Governor opposes letting ship with 189 sick people dock in South Florida

By Lisa J. Huriash

March 31, 2020 at 8:35 a.m.

A Holland America cruise ship carrying nearly 200 sick people is on steady pace toward...

Airbnb extends guests’ refund window, helps cover hosts’ cancellation costs due to the coronavirus

By Lori Rackl

March 31, 2020 at 8:31 a.m.

Airbnb is pushing back the window for guests to get a full cash refund on...

WAKATOBI NATIONAL PARK - WAKATOBI ISLANDS, INDONESIA | What's in a name? Indonesia's Wakatobi National Park takes its name from a blend of the four island names — Wangi-Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia and Binongko — that make up the Wakatobi Archipelago off the coast of Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. While there are more than 50 dive sites easily accessible from the main islands, Ali Reef, known for sea turtles and reef sharks, is a divers' paradise.

Explore a dazzling world under the sea with these colorful coral reefs

By Active Times

April 1, 2020 at 9:03 p.m.

With the current state of the world, is there a better time to dream of...

Riders (and some observors) get soaked by the Infinity Falls ride at SeaWorld Orlando.

During theme parks’ shutdowns, remember their simple pleasures

By Dewayne Bevil

March 31, 2020 at 12:20 p.m.

Last week, I had a sudden craving for Dole Whip. That's notable because it has...

Savannah Boan feeds alligators at Adventure Hour --
Gatorland employees take care of their many animals as the park remains closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, on Tuesday, March 24, 2020.
(Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel)

Somebody still has to go feed the alligators even if Gatorland is closed

By Gabrielle Russon

April 3, 2020 at 2:48 p.m.

Gatorland employee Michael Brown hollers to his favorite gator swimming off in the distance as...

Gina Grande takes a stroll in the desert landscape next to her home after she managed to leave her apartment in San Francisco the day the "shelter in place" was declared and drive to her home in Joshua Tree on March 18, 2020 in Joshua Tree, Calif. Grande was two weeks into her new job and is now telecommuting from Joshua Tree.

Hoping to escape coronavirus, city dwellers are fleeing to California’s deserts and mountains

By Los Angeles Times

March 27, 2020 at 3:09 p.m.

LOS ANGELES — Just two weeks after Gina Grande landed her dream job in San...

Police guard the Kaaba, the cube building at the Grand Mosque, in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on March 6, 2020. Saudi Arabia emptied Islam's holiest site for sterilization over fears of coronavirus.

Experiencing Europe’s timeless traditions from home

By Rick Steves

March 27, 2020 at 2:57 p.m.

Like most travelers around the world, I've shifted into "armchair travel" mode for the time...