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,...

Ice is placed on top of beverages in the bottom of a cooler.

How to pack the perfect beach cooler

By The New York Times

March 12, 2024 at 12:07 p.m.

Packing a cooler for a relaxing, sun-filled day at the beach is like playing Tetris....

A restored lighthouse on Raspberry Island in the Apostles of Lake Superior.

Lake Superior’s Apostle Islands are a sailor’s playground

By Brian Clark

August 3, 2022 at 6:42 a.m.

In a voice that somehow evokes actor Michael Caine, Northern Breezes Sailing (northernbreezessailing.com) instructor Guy...

The pool decks, framed by the AquaMouse flume ride, on the Disney Cruise Line ship Disney Wish —docked at Port Canaveral, Tuesday June 28, 2022.

How to travel for less than $100 a day

By The New York Times

August 9, 2022 at 10:50 a.m.

A $50-a-day offer to sail on a Caribbean cruise ship with pools, waterslides, restaurants and...

Madosin Barningham kayaks at the Bayfield Peninsula Sea Caves in the Apostle Islands Maritime Cliffs State Natural Area, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021, in Bayfield, Wisconsin.

Lake Superior’s Apostle Islands

By Contributed Content

August 1, 2022 at 3:10 p.m.

The Apostles, consisting of 22 rocky, forested islands (21 of which are part of the...

Has remote work changed the travel landscape?

By Associated Press

July 27, 2022 at 10:32 a.m.

While some workers return to the office this year, many others continue to work remotely...

The big top show runs twice daily during summer at Circus World.

Big tops, beer and bluffs: A weekend in Baraboo, Wisconsin

By Melanie Radzicki Mcmanus

July 21, 2022 at 7:58 a.m.

The distinctive, merry sounds of a steam calliope float through the streets of downtown Baraboo,...

The Ocean Voyager, a 286-foot cruise ship operated by American Queen Voyages, arrives on July 14, 2022, at sunrise at Navy Pier.

Ocean Voyager at Chicago’s Navy Pier

By Andrew Johnston

July 15, 2022 at 6:35 p.m.

The Ocean Voyager, a 286-foot cruise ship operated by American Queen Voyages, arrived on July...

Tourists take pictures in front of the Pyramid in the Louvre Museum courtyard in Paris on June 20, 2022. Travel to Europe might be an attractive option to travelers looking for a budget vacation in 2022. The dollar is strong this year, meaning your cash can go further on the continent.

Europe as a budget-friendly travel option? It’s true in 2022.

By Associated Press

July 13, 2022 at 10:38 a.m.

Flying to Europe this year might sound as absurd as opting for premium gasoline. With...

The sun sets in the Sonoran Desert behind the Roskruge Mountains on the other side of the Tucson Mountains west of White Stallion Ranch in Tucson, Arizona.

Get bucked: Western dude ranches have only gotten cooler, with camp counselors, national park rides and luxe resorts

By Eric Jay Toll

July 13, 2022 at 5:00 a.m.

"Next up is the team from Chicago," crackles the disembodied voice over the speaker system...

A flat trail and easy pace make it possible for riders of various equestrian experience to head out into the Arizona Sonoran Desert for breakfast at the outpost ramada at White Stallion Ranch in Tucson, Arizona.

Western dude ranches

By Contributed Content

July 13, 2022 at 10:24 a.m.

Active ranch and ranch resort options in Arizona and Colorado range from family-ready to adult...