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,...

Plexiglass stands between patrons and staff at the car rental counter at Love Field airport May 28, 2021, in Dallas. Car rental costs are up nearly 50% since 2019, compared to just a 7% increase in hotel prices and a 16% increase in flight prices over the same period. High demand, a global semiconductor shortage and labor industry shortages contributed to the low supply of rental cars.

Tips to take the sting out of 50% higher car rental prices

By Associated Press

September 2, 2022 at 3:54 p.m.

When making your travel budget, don't assume that lodging and airfare will be your biggest...

The Great Highway along Ocean Beach, part of the Slow Streets program to make San Francisco walkable and bikeable, July 6, 2022. The city's neighborhoods, from the Mission to Russian Hill and the Outer Sunset, are vibrant with packed restaurants and bars, and many are home to new parks and the return of in-person events.

San Francisco shines with new museums, restaurants and parks

By The New York Times

August 17, 2022 at 5:00 a.m.

Lately, it seems as if the news headlines from San Francisco have been negative, from...

A flight attendant serves curious readers' questions with tips and tricks to make flying a smoother, more enjoyable experience, and with some insights into the job of an attendant.

A flight attendant answers readers’ questions

By The New York Times

August 13, 2022 at 3:00 a.m.

As a flight attendant who has been on the job for 20 years, it's easy...

Meeting cows like this pair of Holsteins, two of New Day Dairy's herd of 120 cows, is part of the experience for overnight guests at the farm.

America’s other dairyland: A rugged pocket of Iowa is a cheese-lover’s paradise

By Jay Jones

August 11, 2022 at 5:00 a.m.

Fishing fans already know of one of the gems of northeast Iowa: Some of the...

Travellers walk with luggage on the concourse inside a much quieter than normal Waterloo railway station, in London, during a strike held by railway workers, Saturday, June 25, 2022.

Vibrators, marijuana, plants: What can you take on a plane?

By The New York Times

August 10, 2022 at 3:00 a.m.

Elyse Welles was traveling from Athens, Greece, to Newark, New Jersey, this past spring when...

If you're urgently in need of a new or updated passport, brace yourself: Options have narrowed — and it's likely going to cost you.

Getting a passport: How long does it take and how much will it cost?

By The New York Times

August 9, 2022 at 6:12 a.m.

It's a summer of headaches for travelers: Airfares are surging, checked bags are disappearing, and...

After a traveler reads the fine print on the United Airlines website, Tripped Up makes some calls, sends some emails — and gets the traveler $3,000.

The airline lost my luggage for 12 days. Am I entitled to restitution?

By The New York Times

August 9, 2022 at 10:48 a.m.

Dear Tripped Up, I regularly travel between Houston and Atyrau, Kazakhstan (via Newark and Amsterdam)...

Whether you're doing a multi-day ride along a Euro-Velo route, mountain biking down a forested path or hitting the local rail trail, you'll need the right equipment. We've got you covered.

The gear you need to hit the bike trail

By The New York Times

August 9, 2022 at 10:49 a.m.

Nothing beats the joy and freedom of riding a bike during the long, languorous days...

Pawel Markowski with a portable carbon monoxide detector at his home in York, Pa., on July 17, 2022.

A $30 alarm can stop a silent killer. Why many hotels don’t install them.

By The New York Times

August 9, 2022 at 10:49 a.m.

He was not the first guest to fall ill in Room 205. Just when Pawel...

The annual Oktoberfest festival is finally on again for this fall, following a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Munich’s Oktoberfest finally back on after pandemic pause

By Associated Press

August 5, 2022 at 2:25 p.m.

Germany's annual Oktoberfest festival is finally on again for this fall, following a two-year hiatus...