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,...

Former U.S. President Barack Obama leads a panel discussion at Venue SIX10 in Chicago on May 10, 2023, highlighting communities across the country that have positively shifted population-level outcomes in the educational or violence reduction ecosystems.

Former President Barack Obama banned from visiting Russia

By Associated Press

May 19, 2023 at 1:39 p.m.

In response to a new round of U.S. sanctions, Russia announced Friday that it was...

The Resort at Paws Up is located on a 37,000-acre working cattle ranch that you can explore and play in while still enjoying luxury creature comforts. The resort's tents have hardwood floors, ensuite bathrooms with heated floors, internet and cell phone service as well as a personal camp butler who can build a fire for you and a camp chef who will prepare <a href="https://www.thedailymeal.com/best-breakfast-every-state-recipes" target="_blank">breakfast</a> and dinner. (The Resort at Paws Up/<a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-resort-at-paws-up-greenough" target="_blank">Yelp</a>)

Taking the kids: Camping

By Eileen Ogintz

May 18, 2023 at 3:59 p.m.

Tent, RV or cabin? Many people I know, who once were devoted backpackers, eventually saw...

At Vista Encantada Resort in Cabo San Lucas, the outdoor Museo del Tequila

Explore agave spirits through interactive, educational experiences across Mexico

By Lisa Futterman

May 17, 2023 at 12:11 p.m.

In resort towns across Mexico, the hospitality industry is celebrating all things agave, the sacred...

"GOOD BOY" filmmaker William Yu said that having family all over the world helps him decide where he will visit next.

Go away with … William Yu

By Jae-Ha Kim

May 16, 2023 at 2:14 p.m.

One of eight TV creatives selected for the NBC TV Writers Program, William Yu was...

Ronda' s New Bridge massively connects the old town with the new town.

Rick Steves’ Europe: Gorge-ous Ronda: quintessentially Spanish

By Rick Steves

May 16, 2023 at 2:15 p.m.

If you're like most Americans, your image of Spain is actually the region of Andalucía,...

There's plenty to see in the Land o' Lincoln, and not just Lincoln sites, says Melanie Holmes, of Palos Park, author of the new travel book, "100 Things To Do in Illinois Before You Die."

Vickroy: No need to seek out distant places when there’s so much to see in Illinois, author of new travel book says

By Donna Vickroy

May 18, 2023 at 11:36 a.m.

Wine trails, a national forest, a treehouse resort and — not one, but two —...

Visitors look from their cars at a grizzly bear on a hillside in Denali National Park in Denali, Alaska on September 20, 2022. (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

Taking the kids: To Alaska without the crowds

By Eileen Ogintz

May 11, 2023 at 5:06 p.m.

The bear was too busy snacking on salmon to notice us. We were kayaking — a safe...

Pot roast is among the family-style dishes served at Aunt Granny's Restaurant at Dollywood on March 11, 2023.

Good golly, Miss Dolly: Why Chicagoans are flocking to music icon’s Dollywood theme park

By Linze Rice

May 10, 2023 at 4:20 p.m.

Growing up in DeKalb, Josie Shattuck was surrounded by the unending flatlands of corn country....

The Wild Eagle roller coaster at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, Saturday, March 11, 2023.

Photos: Chicagoans flocking to Dollywood

By Contributed Content

May 9, 2023 at 8:00 p.m.

When it's time to take a break from working 9 to 5, thousands of Chicagoland...

Dangle silently for 40 minutes as you glide over the glacier from France to Italy. (Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli/Rick Steves' Europe)

Rick Steves’ Europe: A peek at Italy over France’s high peaks

By Rick Steves

May 9, 2023 at 6:00 a.m.

Imagine you and your favorite travel partner dangling in your own private little gondola, gliding...