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,...

“Star Trek: Discovery” actor Wilson Cruz said that visiting Egypt is on his travel bucket list. (Gene Reed)

Go away with … Wilson Cruz

By Jae-Ha Kim

April 23, 2024 at 3:00 a.m.

Thirty years ago, Wilson Cruz made history as the first openly gay actor portraying a...

Zach Lemann, curator of animal collections for the Audubon Insectarium, prepares cicadas for eating at the insectarium in New Orleans, April 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Would you like a cicada salad? The monstrous little noisemakers descend on a New Orleans menu

By Kevin McGill

April 19, 2024 at 7:17 a.m.

As the nation prepares for trillions of red-eyed bugs known as periodical cicadas to emerge,...

The 1933 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs was won by Brokers Tip and jockey Don Meade. The finish of the 1933 race is known as the "Fighting Finish" because Meade and jockey Herb Fisher, riding rival Head Play, fought one another down the homestretch. Brokers Tip won by a nose. (baiduhai historical photo)

As the Kentucky Derby turns 150, Black heritage in racing is in the Louisville spotlight

By Tracey Teo

April 17, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

The Kentucky Derby Museum's "Black Heritage in Racing" exhibit looks at the legacy of the...

Ed Perkins on Travel: Travel scams – anything new?

By Ed Perkins

April 16, 2024 at 7:07 p.m.

These days, when you search online for a travel company – hotel, airline, or whatever...

Go away with … Crystal Hana Kim

By Jae-Ha Kim

April 16, 2024 at 7:06 p.m.

Six years after she won critical acclaim for her debut novel “If You Leave Me...

Rick Steves’ Europe: Helsinki and Tallinn: Pearls of the Baltic

By Rick Steves

April 16, 2024 at 12:16 p.m.

Helsinki and Tallinn are two great capitals in Northern Europe. Just 50 miles and a...

Downtown Augusta is always busy and bustling. The city of about 202,000 is Georgia's second-oldest city and once served as the state capital. (Destination Augusta)

With its dazzling gardens, extensive history and unique dining scene, there’s more to Augusta than just the Masters

By San Diego Union-Tribune

April 10, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Beyond the allure of great golf, city offers gardens galore, historic hotels and plenty of...

“Dune: Part Two” actor Babs Olusanmokun said he loved his years living in Brazil, thanks to the amazing music and culture.

Go away with … Babs Olusanmokun

By Jae-Ha Kim

April 9, 2024 at 11:00 a.m.

Babs Olusanmokun is having an incredible year. After returning to the “Dune” franchise as Jamis...

In the “rickety-chic” Psyrri neighborhood of Athens, you’ll find slick outdoor restaurants next to vibrant street art.

Rick Steves’ Europe: Athens on the rise

By Rick Steves

April 9, 2024 at 4:45 a.m.

Today’s Athens has become people-friendly, an urban scene of pedestrian boulevards and squares filled with...

A commercial airliner approaches Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, Feb. 21, 2024, in Norridge, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

Ed Perkins on Travel: Frequent flyer programs really are getting worse

By Ed Perkins

April 9, 2024 at 1:00 a.m.

Yes, what you figured out from your own experience is verified: New, detailed research proves...