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,...

The author, left, and her three companions line up for a picture on Lima's main square, Plaza de Armas. (Colleen Thomas/TNS)

An unexpected thing happened on the way to Machu Picchu. We discovered the art, architecture and cuisine of Lima, Peru

By Colleen Thomas

February 28, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

The capital is jam-packed with stunning parks, historic city squares, Spanish-influenced architecture, shopping and renowned...

Rick Steves’ Europe: History lives in Prague

By Tribune News Service

February 27, 2024 at 3:16 p.m.

Prague is one of Europe’s best-preserved cities, having been spared from last century’s bombs. Nowhere...

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The story behind the design of Southwest’s new disturbingly skinny seats

By Tribune News Service

February 22, 2024 at 11:43 a.m.

Southwest Airline’s new seats have travelers vowing to fly Delta. The airline previewed a revamped...

At the Klahoose Wildnerness Resort in British Columbia, Kenny Hanuse, a cultural ambassador from the Klahoose Nation, shares a traditional Coast Salish song with guests. (Dolf Vermeulen and Klahoose Wilderness Resort via The New York Times)

World travelers crave more connections to Indigenous cultures

By The New York Times News Service Syndicate

February 21, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Tourists are lingering longer and going deeper, seeking out immersive ways to engage with a...

Rick Steves’ Europe: Cold War memories in today’s Berlin

By Rick Steves

February 20, 2024 at 2:59 p.m.

Today, long-united Berlin feels like the nuclear fuel rod of a great nation. It’s vibrant...

Go away with … Keeho

By Jae-Ha Kim

February 20, 2024 at 2:59 p.m.

After spending most of 2023 and this past January on a world tour that took...

Rick Steves’ Europe: Buoyant Bratislava

By Rick Steves

February 14, 2024 at 1:58 p.m.

A generation ago, the city was virtually a ghost town. Today, Bratislava is not only...

Virgin Voyages features the only regularly scheduled drag show at sea.

Virgin Voyages cruise from Barcelona is an adults-only floating party on the sea, complete with a tattoo parlor

By Tracey Teo

February 14, 2024 at 5:37 p.m.

The French Daze & Ibiza Nights cruise — with stops in Marseille, Cannes, Monaco and...

A group skins up the Tuckerman Ravine Trail on Mount Washington in New Hampshire during the 2023 Mount Washington Backcountry Ski Festival in February 2023. The icy conditions made the trip challenging. (Josh Laskin)

Backcountry skiing is booming in the Northeast. But can the pastime survive climate change?

By The New York Times News Service Syndicate

February 7, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Backcountry Skiing Is Booming in the Northeast. But Can It Survive?

Lightning flashes west of (L-R) the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, the Luxor Hotel and Casino and the Excalibur Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip on July 2, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Las Vegas is one of the cities that are becoming increasingly popular with Silicon Valley residents looking for a more affordable place to live. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

NFL puts Super Bowl reporters in Vegas hotel with haunted reputation

By Danny Emerman

February 8, 2024 at 12:13 p.m.

A history of tragic deaths, reports of paranormal experiences and a slew of peculiarities lead...