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,...

People ride Gondola One to Mid-Vail Friday, July 1, 2022, in Vail, Colo. The gondola is popular in the summer for scenic sightseeing. (Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily via AP)

Taking the kids: Vail in summer is a deal for families

By Eileen Ogintz

July 20, 2023 at 3:54 p.m.

Alicia Williams is the first to tell you she isn't a camper. But her husband...

The Mesquite Championship Rodeo features professional riders fighting to stay atop their bucking broncos and bulls.

Sweet on Mesquite: Just beyond Dallas, world-class rodeo and barbecue await

By Kayla Hui

July 20, 2023 at 11:51 a.m.

Barbecue fans might specifically know mesquite as the popular wood used in smoking. But roughly...

Cozy little beach houses in the town of Ærøskøbing have been lovingly tended by local families for generations. (Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli/Rick Steves' Europe)

Rick Steves’ Europe: Pedal-powered sightseeing on a charming Danish isle

By Rick Steves

July 18, 2023 at 6:00 a.m.

Biking the back lanes of the island of ro, I come to a lonely little...

"The Apology" author Jimin Han said she would love to travel to Jeju Island one day. (Christine Petrella/TCA)

Go away with … Jimin Han

By Jae-Ha Kim

July 18, 2023 at 6:00 a.m.

For her upcoming novel "The Apology" (Little, Brown and Company) – which releases on Aug....

In this Friday, May 8, 2020, photo, after nearly two months of the stay-at-home coronavirus pandemic mandate, Bourbon Street in the New Orleans French Quarter is completely empty. (David Grunfeld/The Advocate via AP)

Taking the kids: Economizing on summer vacation without sacrificing the fun

By Eileen Ogintz

July 13, 2023 at 3:20 p.m.

Have you sat the kids down for The Talk? Not the where-do babies come from,...

Atop the Acropolis ancient hill, tourists visit the Parthenon temple, background, in Athens, Greece, Tuesday, July 4, 2023. Crowds are packing the Colosseum, the Louvre, the Acropolis and other major attractions as tourism exceeds 2019 records in some of Europe's most popular destinations. While European tourists helped the industry on the road to recovery last year, the upswing this summer is led largely by Americans, who are lifted by a strong dollar and in some cases pandemic savings. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Tourists are packing European hotspots, boosted by Americans

By Associated Press

July 13, 2023 at 7:33 a.m.

Tourists are waiting more than two hours to visit the Acropolis in Athens. Taxi lines...

Peter Thurnwald as Alex in episode 104 of XO, Kitty.

Go away with … Peter Thurnwald

By Jae-Ha Kim

July 11, 2023 at 3:40 p.m.

In the Netflix series "XO, Kitty" – which has been renewed for a second season...

The old Swiss resort town of Interlaken is the gateway to the Berner Oberland, with its soaring alpine peaks, the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau.

Rick Steves’ Europe: To Interlaken and beyond: A Swiss Alps paradise

By Rick Steves

July 11, 2023 at 3:37 p.m.

Swiss people are experts at living with nature. Like people who live along the coast...

In an image provided by Deon Tillman, Natalie Robinson (third from right) of Fat Girls Travel, Too!, in Cartagena, Colombia. Five companies dedicated to size-inclusive travel aim to bring community and reassurance to people in bigger bodies.

New tours mean no more FOMO for plus-size travelers

By The New York Times

July 10, 2023 at 2:45 p.m.

Vacation is meant to be relaxing, exhilarating and insert all the other positive adjectives you...

The new passport of Jen Needham took nearly three months to receive, July 7, 2023. Needham received her passport four days before a work trip to Montreal.

Unprecedented passport delays spur panic for local travelers heading abroad this summer. Experts offer tips to navigate backlog.

By Angie Leventis Lourgos

July 10, 2023 at 5:00 a.m.

Mia Caballeros of the Andersonville neighborhood planned an epic European vacation to celebrate a milestone...